The Fine Art of Juggling

This is the time of year where it just feels like life is one huge juggling act.  Whether you are a college student finishing up exams or a parent trying to get everything on your children’s Christmas lists, it just seems like we all have way too many balls up in the air. 

The balls I have in the air right now as a parent are just way too many to list.  And they are the same for all parents.  As a teacher, well, I have 47 comparative essays to grade for my Sophomores, 43 annotated bibliographies to grade for my juniors, blogs and videos to grade for my Seniors, not to mention creating plans for next week, and rereading the literature I am teaching in my classes (that would be Macbeth and “The Minister’s Black Veil” if you are interested). 

Today I Googled “Juggler” just to see what images would pop up and the most prevalent image was one of a clown.  This made me laugh, but also come to more of an understanding regarding this whole business of juggling.  Clowns are professional jugglers, and many times they are juggling way more than 3 balls (which I could not even do).  And if you have gone to graduate school for juggling, you may even have mastered the art of juggling, wrenches, knives, or flaming torches.    Juggling balls?   They had that down in elementary school!

So, if juggling is supposed to be entertaining, even comical, why doesn’t it seem so funny when you are the one with all the balls in the air?  Could the answer be that, unless we are professional jugglers, we never had a chance?  And unless we are trained in this fine art of juggling, 1-2 of those balls we have in the air, will not be stylishly caught and drop to the ground.  Then, we will either pick that ball back up  and throw it back into the air or kick it swiftly into oblivion.   And I guess there is a third option that I never considered until now – go to clown school.    

 

 

 

Perfect Teacher Gifts: And Please Don’t Leave Middle School and High School Teachers Out

When I was in school, my mother made me bring a plate of Greek pastries to my teachers and bus drivers for at Christmas every year.  And then when I had kids, I bought participated in the group gift (usually $10-15) that gave the teacher a nice Visa Gift Card and also, got the teacher a small gift from each kid.  Then, when my kids got to Middle School, I noticed than many did not give the teachers gifts anymore.  As a former middle school and now a high school teacher, I do not get many gifts either.  I know that once kids get to these grades, parents feel that it is just too much to have to buy 6-7 teachers gifts.   But, is it?  Aren’t those teachers working just as hard as the elementary school teachers? 

But, I get it, you feel that you can’t spend $10-15 on 6-7 teachers…and what it you have 2 or 3 kids in middle and high school?  Yes, that is a lot.  If you spent $15-20 on each child’s elementary school teacher, then why not just spend $3-5 on each middle/high school teacher.  Then, you are only actually spending $10-15 more a year.  And that is not a lot.  Also, you do not even have to spend any money.  I always love when students just write me a card. 

Every year, I have my son and daughter play “It’s Time to Thank your Teachers Mad Libs” at Christmas and at the end of the year.  I give them a basic form like this:

                        Dear Mr. or Mrs. __________.

Thank you for being such a _________ teacher.  My favorite thing that we learned this year was _____________.   I hope you have a _______ break. 

That’s it!  That is actually enough.  But, if you want to add something small to the card, that is also great, too.  Here are some suggestions:

·       $3-5 gift cards to Amazon, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, etc.

·       A travel size shower get from Bath and Body works

·       A small candle

 

            ·       Any fun edible treat

My favorite thing to give teachers (and it always goes over well) are Snappers.  This is my sister-in-law Dana’s company and they can be found in Target, CVS, Rite Aid, and other grocery stores.  They range between $4-6 and are delicious!  Everyone loves Snappers!

The point is don’t leave Middle and High School teachers out because you feel that you have to buy too many gifts and it might get expensive.  It does not have to at all.  And truly, if you do feel that teachers are underpaid and that they are going above and beyond for your kids, then don’t forget to thank them, too.

 

Shout Out to an AMAZING Special Education Teacher: Chris Ulmer

Just wanted to put this short video on my blog and to give a shout out to all Special Education teachers.  I have watched this video of Chris Ulmer several times and always get inspired by what he is doing.  I know that over 8.000 people have seen this video and thank ABC News for bringing teachers like Mr. Ulmer into the news.  I hope his message is contagious.  I also know that there are thousands of teachers who go above and beyond teaching their subjects to teach the child and I hope other news programs follow ABC and we see videos like this flooding facebook, twitter, and all other social media sites.  

What I love so much about this video clip is that while Mr. Ulmer is showing the video where he spends time in class complimenting each student, there is a story in text playing that has an undeniably powerful message.  While he is complimenting his students, one by one, the texts says, "Instead of talking about peace, love, and harmony, I display peace, love, and harmony."  The text goes on to remind us that, "hate is a learned behavior."   With all the tragedy we have been hearing in the news recently, this seems to be something we should be teaching and modeling even more than math, spelling, science, etc. 

Like I said, I hope that we keep seeing more and more stories like this. I know there are so many teachers like Mr. Ulmer out there.  Everyone needs to know how great he is at his job!  Here is another article about him:  http://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/florida-teacher-starts-day-complimenting-students/story?id=35259600

 

Teaching is a Great Gig

Today, I want to express how much I love my job.  I really do.  I am being 100% sincere about this.  I have always been a reader and a writer, so now, being able to talk and teach all day about literature and how to express yourself through words is a pretty great gig.  I love my students.  Sometimes, it is weird being the only female in the room, but my students are respectful, diligent about their academics, athletics, activities, community service, and all other extra-curricular events.  And, they are really funny.  So, their attitudes and teenage personalities also make teaching a pretty great gig.  Then, there are my colleagues, who really do impress me every single day.  Teachers are a unique group to be around, and the bottom line is every single one of them has their priorities straight and has chosen this job in order to make a difference.  I can tell you that they are all “good people” and being around a group of educators constantly makes me want to up my game and be the best teacher I can be for my students.  And, they are also really funny.  Oh, and yeah, I love having my summers off – like I said, teaching is a pretty great gig.

However, there are things that could make my job even better.  I need more time.  In order to be that best teacher I can be for my students, I need more time.  I either need more time, or less students.  Currently, I have 112 students.  I am always grading essays, and when I am just about finished, another essays rolls in to be graded.  I need time because I want to make effective lessons for my students that will engage them and help them learn certain concepts.  I need to reread all the literature I am teaching so I can be prepared for all the questions my students might have.  I need some parents to back off and let their child figure things out for himself and I need other parents to be more involved in what is going on in their child’s life.   

Teaching really is a pretty great gig.  And if I could have less students or one more free period a day, I think it would be even greater. 

The Oxford Comma: It IS Important!

This week I was teaching Comma Rules to my Juniors and we were going over the “Commas in a Series” Rule, otherwise known as the Oxford Comma.   Just about all current grammar and style books, including the Modern Language Association (MLA) employ the rule that the comma is needed before the word “and” in a series to avoid confusion.  The only Style Guide that does not use the Oxford Comma is the Associated Press Stylebook.  Well, at my school, we do use MLA format for formal writing, so my students will learn and use this comma.

Also, there is a difference between: 

At the barbecue, I ate a hamburger, a hot dog, macaroni and cheese.

                                                                 And

At the barbeque, I ate a hamburger, a hot dog, macaroni, and cheese. 

 To bring this grammar point to the real world for my students, we talked about the dreaded, yet inevitable, Christmas card most families take.  We looked at some photo websites that make holiday cards to see examples of how families write their names to check for Oxford Comma usage.  We looked at Shutterfly.com.  To our surprise, almost all the model cards we looked at did not use the Oxford Comma.  This simply clumps the last two names together as if they were conjoined twins or macaroni and cheese, and not macaroni AND cheese. 

 

So, we sent a note to Shutterfly’s feedback department and received an extremely generic response from them.  We are hoping to hear a little bit more on this issue.  Quite simply, they can just tell us that they are abiding by the AP Stylebook, and then, well, okay Shutterfly can win that round.  But for now, my students are going to help mom and dad send out grammatically and stylistically correct Christmas cards to everyone, anyone, (Oxford Comma) and all. 

 

Halloween Costumes

In a school that has a very strict dress code:  solid color shirts, solid color pants, tie, belt, brown or black shoes, Halloween Dress Up (not down) Day is truly a treat.  As a teacher, I love seeing the creative side of my students when it comes to their costumes.  I especially love it when they dress up as someone in the media or one of their favorite shows.  It is a great day to take pictures.  I hope that for some of the students, that 20-30 years from now, they can look back on their high school time and perhaps say, "remember when we dressed up as food?  you were pizza, I was a taco, and some one else was French fries?"  Sound pretty corny, but also funny and memorable. 

Today some of my favorite costumes were:   Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, Marty McFly and Doc, Colonial Guy, a Knight, Zack Galifinakis' character from The Hangover, a Pink Power Rangers (remember, this is an all-boys school), a squirrel, Woody from Toy Story, and even a team member of the Average's Joes from Dodgeball.  I even applaud the students who wrote "Go Ceilings!" on white shirts to be, what else?...Ceiling Fans. 

And while on days like these it is sometimes difficult to keep students' attentions, it is moments like these that we should take a small break from the seriousness of academic life, our extracurricular activities, and all the other things we have to do to laugh, smile, and eat some candy.  And if anyone has any extra Skittles or Twix, I will trade my Whoppers, Reeces PB Cups, Baby Ruths, Almond Joys, and Butterfingers for them!

Oh, and let's also take a break to watch Adam Sandler's take on not having to spend too much money on Halloween costumes: 

https://screen.yahoo.com/adam-sandlers-halloween-costume-ideas-000000294.html

Feeling Very Inspired by Jeffrey Marx Today!

This week, we were fortunate to have Pulitzer Prize winning author Jeffrey Marx who wrote the New York Times Bestseller Season of Life:  A Football Star, a Boy, and a Journey to Manhood speak at our school.  His book is very motivational and explores the concept of masculinity in a reflective way.  The book is about a football coach, Joe Ehrmann, who used to play for the Baltimore Colts but is now a minister and coach for a high school team in Baltimore.  His program is called Building Men for Others and its mission to teach boys to live with love, empathy, responsibility, and integrity.  Coach Ehrmann and this book by Jeffrey Marx remind all of us that it is our relationships with others that define us, not what we have or what we make.  In addition to our relationships, having a cause bigger than ourselves is an integral part of what defines us. 

Our school has an Academic Integrity Code and this book as chosen to mirror some of the tenets in the oath for our students.  It was an excellent choice.  The messages in this book are important for any boy, teenager, college student, athlete, coach, teacher, parents, etc.  If the ideas and beliefs of Coach Ehrmann can keep reaching larger audiences, I think the idea of masculinity can swing in a different direction and produce a genuinely happier generation of men. 

I highly recommend this book as it will make you focus on your own relationships with others and how you would want to be remembered by others and perhaps starting putting the many things in your life into a better perspective.    

Thank you Mr. Marx for coming and for inspiring all of us. 

I hope Mr. Marx’s talk resonated with our students in a way that makes them think differently about how they want to be defined and what impact they want to make on others and the community they are a part of.  They are already a great group of boys, but I know that they can be exceptional men.
 

PSATs, NMSQTs, SATs, ACTs, and XYZS???: Absolutely Not Testing College Readiness

This week, we administered the PSAT/ NMSQT to the Sophomore and Junior classes and watching my Sophomores with their #2 pencils bubbling in their answer and calculating all those math problems, I had some flashbacks of my own taking of the SATs.  I started sweating just watching them take the test!  Why are we still giving this test?  Does it really measure a student’s readiness for college? 

The four sections of this test are reading, language and writing, and 2 math sections (one with a calculator and one without).  So, hope you are good in those subject areas….then you will get into that college you want to go to!  But what about Science?  What about Geography?  Wouldn’t a section asking students to identify places on a map, political parties, weather systems, the parts of a cell also let colleges know if a student is ready for college?  Why just math and English?  And yes, for the record, as an English teacher I can attest to really struggling with some of those Math problems and then only having to take ONE math class, Statistics, in college anyway!!!!  And now I have a calculator to get me out of those pesky Math jams!

When I took the SATs, those vocabulary analogies were the worst.  And so, having the best vocabulary put you in the path of achieving a high SAT score.  I remember teachers, myself included now, describing complicated vocabulary words with, “now there is a great SAT word!”  How did that become a thing?  UGH and double UGH!  How about, “now there is a great word to enhance your conversations and writing with?” 

What a racket!  What a business!  From the College Board in making and administering these tests to all the tutoring places and individuals out there – well, there is a nice chunk of money to be made.  But for those of us that did go to and make it through college, wouldn’t we all agree that the SATs was not an accurate indicator of if we were college ready.  Here is my list for things to consider regarding college readiness:

·       Time management skills

·       Effort

·       The ability to revise and edit writing, to use feedback as a way to create a better product

·       Maturity and manners

·       Seeking help when a topic is confusing

·       Knowing your strengths and weaknesses   

·       Thinking outside the box

·       Problem solving

·       Following directions

·       How to Read a Map

Those are just several criteria that come to mind.  But, then alas will we having tutoring places pop up to teach these skills, too?  If we need so many books, tutors, review courses to take this test, isn’t is just a test to test our ability to use all the means possible to get the highest score putting lower income families at a noticeable disadvantage? 

 

I am aware that the SATs are only a part of the Admissions Process, but think about how many students do not even apply to some schools because they know they do not meet the SAT requirements.  It just doesn’t seem right. 

I am happy to hear that some universities such as George Washington, Temple, Marist, and Old Dominion ae dropping SATs as an admissions requirement.  I am hoping more do that same.

 

To Whom It May Concern: Writing College Recommendation Letters

Other than the Disney movie Up, Toy Story 3 is the saddest Disney movie.  I sobbed when Andy went to college and left all his toys behind.  It didn’t help that my son’s name is Andy.  As parents, we want our kids to go to college, we do.  But, it is just one of those places in life where a chapter definitely ends so a new one can begin.  Parents want this college thing to happen, but so do teachers. 

For the past week, I have been writing Letters of Recommendation (or LORs) for many of the Juniors who I taught last year.  I have actually written 20 so far, and expect to write at least 10 more.  And while it has added to my workload greatly this week, I am happy to do it.  This is it.  This is what these kids have been preparing for and getting ready for the past 4, even 12, years of their lives.  This is what their parents have been doing everything they possibly could do to see come to fruition.
 

Now, I do think that no one is really reading the letters that I write.  But, what if someone is?  What is my glowing letter of recommendation does play a role in getting my student into his dream school?  So, I do put some thought into what I write for each student, hoping it does help.   

As I write these letters though, I do hope my students let me know when they do get into these colleges.  I also hope they thank me for writing these letters.  I hope they thank their guidance counselors.  I hope they thank all their other teachers who have gotten them to this point in their lives.  I hope they thank their parents.

And I hope they have a fabulous time in college! 

 

 

The Things That Make an English Teacher Cry (Happy Tears) , Part 1

This week, I read 43 essays from my Juniors on what they believe the attributes of a hero are (no, that is not what made me cry...)   Most of the essays were insightful and well organized.   Most had the typical terms associated with heroes and heroic actions:  brave, courageous, a leader, humble, selfless, determination, love, etc.  They were very interesting to read.

When I got to one of my students who I taught as a Sophomore, I was prepared to see the typical writing I saw from him last year and I got ready to provide as much feedback as I could to strengthen his writing.  This student was not one of my stronger students when it came to writing.  And, in fact, towards the end of the year, he was having a hard time prioritizing all the things in his life, and got himself into a big hole in English class because of missed work.  I did not think he was getting out of this hole, but I promised to help him if he wanted to start climbing out.  He was determined and put in quite of bit of effort, but we were still not going to be sure if he was out of the hole until the final exam.  This story has a happy ending:  he passed and I have probably never been prouder of any of my student’s motivation in achieving this (nope, not what made me cry yet, either).

So, when I got to his essay this week, I was expecting a satisfactory essay at best.  However, I knew he was working hard on this essay even getting help from other teachers.  His essay was beautiful.  It was organized, focused, and full of thought, understanding, and well-developed paragraphs.   And I wanted to cry.  (Yes, now, cue crying).   

At first I wanted to cry because I egotistically thought, “wow, look at what I great teacher I am!  I single handedly improved his writing from C to A range!  I am super-teacher!”  Then, I wanted to cry because, I came down from my pedestal and thought, “Wow!  He really wants to write a good essay!  He really put a lot of effort into this.  He really is working on his writing skills!” 

And truly, there are many things that are probably factoring into the end result of a great essay.  And that makes me cry even more:  when the student has learned from the teacher and the teacher has learned from the student…well, it’s quite a beautiful thing. 

Summer Reading

Students took their “Summer Reading Test” this week and I just wanted to reflect on this whole business of Summer Reading… 

As an English teacher, I think, isn’t the whole point of summer to relax and read as many books as you can?  My students, may not feel the same way.  Still, we know what all the studies say about reading…we just have to, and we have to continue to find books that are interesting, inspirational, and just plain good. 

Sophomores read Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken.  It is one of my favorite books in the past 5 years.  I have recommended this book to so many people.  It is always an English teacher’s hope that his or her students enjoy the books that they read, but I hope they got more out of this one.   I hope this book taught them to really try to put things into perspective.   All those things we want to complain about:  being so busy, not having this or that, being hot, being cold, etc.   I hope everything that Louie Zamperini had to endure made my students pause and feel blessed at the lives they are living.  And I hope in meeting Louie that they thought a little bit more about forgiveness.  Louie Zamperini’s story is just incredible and Hillenbrand’s writing is impeccable. 

Juniors read Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Buried Giant.  I fell in love with this book.  For me, it stood out amongst the same old –same old books I feel I am continually reading.  Taking place in Anglo Saxon England and full of dragons, knights, and mysteriously dangerous situations, this book is a very challenging read.  A dragon’s mist makes all in this book have very limited memories and killing the dragon will make those memories come back.  Would we, if we could, want to forget some of the bad memories in our lives, in the history of the world?  This is the kind of book that stays with you for a while. 

So I know that students would rather not have their summer reading book chosen for them.   I felt this way when I had to read The Pine Barrens before my freshman year of college.  And even though I can say that I really hated that book, I am glad that I read it.  It is okay not to like or love every book you read, just keep reading!

Lazy Sunday

 Lazy Sunday?  Not if you are a teacher or a professional football player in the Fall.  For teachers, Sunday is the day we get ready for the week ahead,  and most Sundays are full of lesson planning, lesson fine-tuning, a bit of anxiety, and considerable excitement for the week ahead.  These feelings also apply to the month of September.  While half of us is sad summer is ending and we have to go back, the other half can’t wait to get in front of the classroom again and start over with a group of new faces.  There are so many mixed feelings about this whole time and then, just like that, we are back, cruising through September, enjoying getting back to those academic pursuits and routines. 

I teach Sophomore and Junior English, and one Senior Elective class Creative Media at a competitive, college-prep, all boys school.  While a high percentage of my students do not particularly love, or even like, reading and writing, I absolutely LOVE my job.  I really do.  I would also love to get paid as much as those professional football players I mentioned earlier, but let’s save that for another blog.  This blog is going to mainly be about life in the classroom and how to make reading and writing more appealing and relevant to my students.  I want my students to buy books on Amazon, not everything else that they sell.  Is there anything  that you can’t buy on Amazon these days?

Two new things I am excited about this year are:  1)  teaching a new Elective class where one of the objectives is to create and maintain a blog, and 2) having all of my students by an 8 pack of Notecards so that we can do some non-academic writing from time to time and write to express appreciation to a variety of people in our lives. 

So, I hope you follow and enjoy my blog as we navigate the waters through candy corn and apple pie, to candy canes and hot chocolate, to conversation hearts, jelly beans, Peeps *, and then dive into popsicle and watermelon season after a meaningful and productive year!  

*Note about Peeps:  I think I liked it better when we could only get them at Easter and not all throughout the year in the form of ghosts, snowmen, American flags, etc.!!!