Friday, January 7, was Day 81. It was also the hallmark of things to come this season.
Unlike some of you who have already gotten a measurable amount of snow this winter season, our first snow fell Thursday night into the wee hours of Friday morning. I had seen the forecast and wasn't sure we were going to get much of anything, as we sit in a valley and most storms pass us by. Not so on this occasion. Enter a 5:15 a.m. call from the school district's automated call system announcing a 2-hour delay for that morning. Picture me blissfully snuggling under the covers to sleep in just a bit. Picture my husband, who didn't have a delay, silently grumbling under his breath because the phone call woke him up fifteen minutes earlier than his alarm.
I enjoyed a leisure morning at home with my children before going out to school and getting prepared for the morning. And oh, what a morning (and subsequent afternoon)!
You know how little children get when it's almost Christmas? And how they get when it's almost their birthday? AND how they get when it's almost the last day of school? Take those three and wrap them up and you have what my kiddos were like when they entered the door Friday morning. I also like how children think you are unaware of what has happened in the world the last time you saw them. "Mrs. _____, it snowed!" Yes, yes, I know. (chuckle)
We did our best to get through everything. Only Social Studies had to be moved to Monday. Somehow we made progress, all while I tried to keep their minds focused on their work instead of snowballs and sleds.
The snow has started fading away, but there is still a bit of ice and the temperature is downright cruel. We are forecasted to get up to another four inches between tomorrow evening and Wednesday morning.
Oh, the joy of winter!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Day 80: Observations
Today I had my second formal observation of the year. (I had one between Thanksgiving and Christmas, but so many other things were going on during that time.) As of this writing, I am finished with observations for the year. (Except for my observation by the Scholastic representatives. More on that in a moment.)
My former principal did not announce her observation times. She just came. My current principal gives a time frame. Sometimes he also tells what subject he wants to observe; sometimes not. I think they (my principal and vice-principal) do this so they aren't seeing the same subject every time they come in to observe.
Anyhow, I gave my principal my time frame (yesterday) and he was in my room first thing after announcements this morning. He stayed for about an hour while we went through the first two pages of daily edit, talked about suffixes, and reviewed for our comprehension quiz tomorrow. He seemed to enjoy his time in the room, but I won't know what suggestions he has for me until the post-observation conference.
I don't necessarily get nervous when I'm observed; my main concern is making sure I stick to what I've written down for the day. You know what I mean. Sometimes the students ask questions that require more detail, you see that the kids need a bit more so you ask them to demonstrate an idea or concept, or there is an interruption of some sort (ex.: a student who gets sick in the room or has a nosebleed).
There are some teachers out there who go all out and put on a dog and pony show when they know they are being observed. I don't know why. If your principal is paying attention s/he knows it's a show anyway.
One observation I AM a little nervous about is the one by Scholastic. If you remember, I told you in December that I have been selected as a Scholastic Teacher Advisor. As part of the process, two representatives from Scholastic will come and observe my classroom for a day. They will take pictures of my room, inspect my class library to what things my students read, see how I incorporate books and extra reading into my day, etc. They will then take this information back to the powers-that-be at Scholastic and talk about it.
I spoke with one of the reps yesterday and they will be visiting me January 20. I'm excited but a little nervous at the same time. I think about weird things, like:
1. Do I have ENOUGH books? I have a LOT of books. I have some on my "personal" shelf--you know, the books you let your students borrow, but not keep because you don't want them to get messed up and/or are saving for later units--but all of them are not out right now. I like to rotate mine with my reading units, science themes, math units, and social studies concepts. I really try to have books for everything we will study over the year, in addition to the class library the students use.
2. Is the class library diverse enough? I have twelve bins of various subjects, from Junie B. to magazines, sports to fairy tales, animal books to I Spy, etc. I also have three additional bins to supplement what we are doing in class: one for the reading theme, one for math, and one for what we are doing in science--this one gets switched to social studies books when we are in that rotation.
3. Is my room organized and clean enough? The pictures they take can potentially be placed--gasp!--online via the Scholastic web site. Do I want thousands of people looking at pictures of my room and saying "Oh my gosh, WHAT is THAT?" (Not that they would, but you see where I'm going here!)
I'm sure everything is fine, but once in a while I get those feelings. Once the 20th is over, I'll be sure to give you a front-row seat experience of the day...even if it includes near-fainting or an unannounced nosebleed.
Stay tuned!
My former principal did not announce her observation times. She just came. My current principal gives a time frame. Sometimes he also tells what subject he wants to observe; sometimes not. I think they (my principal and vice-principal) do this so they aren't seeing the same subject every time they come in to observe.
Anyhow, I gave my principal my time frame (yesterday) and he was in my room first thing after announcements this morning. He stayed for about an hour while we went through the first two pages of daily edit, talked about suffixes, and reviewed for our comprehension quiz tomorrow. He seemed to enjoy his time in the room, but I won't know what suggestions he has for me until the post-observation conference.
I don't necessarily get nervous when I'm observed; my main concern is making sure I stick to what I've written down for the day. You know what I mean. Sometimes the students ask questions that require more detail, you see that the kids need a bit more so you ask them to demonstrate an idea or concept, or there is an interruption of some sort (ex.: a student who gets sick in the room or has a nosebleed).
There are some teachers out there who go all out and put on a dog and pony show when they know they are being observed. I don't know why. If your principal is paying attention s/he knows it's a show anyway.
One observation I AM a little nervous about is the one by Scholastic. If you remember, I told you in December that I have been selected as a Scholastic Teacher Advisor. As part of the process, two representatives from Scholastic will come and observe my classroom for a day. They will take pictures of my room, inspect my class library to what things my students read, see how I incorporate books and extra reading into my day, etc. They will then take this information back to the powers-that-be at Scholastic and talk about it.
I spoke with one of the reps yesterday and they will be visiting me January 20. I'm excited but a little nervous at the same time. I think about weird things, like:
1. Do I have ENOUGH books? I have a LOT of books. I have some on my "personal" shelf--you know, the books you let your students borrow, but not keep because you don't want them to get messed up and/or are saving for later units--but all of them are not out right now. I like to rotate mine with my reading units, science themes, math units, and social studies concepts. I really try to have books for everything we will study over the year, in addition to the class library the students use.
2. Is the class library diverse enough? I have twelve bins of various subjects, from Junie B. to magazines, sports to fairy tales, animal books to I Spy, etc. I also have three additional bins to supplement what we are doing in class: one for the reading theme, one for math, and one for what we are doing in science--this one gets switched to social studies books when we are in that rotation.
3. Is my room organized and clean enough? The pictures they take can potentially be placed--gasp!--online via the Scholastic web site. Do I want thousands of people looking at pictures of my room and saying "Oh my gosh, WHAT is THAT?" (Not that they would, but you see where I'm going here!)
I'm sure everything is fine, but once in a while I get those feelings. Once the 20th is over, I'll be sure to give you a front-row seat experience of the day...even if it includes near-fainting or an unannounced nosebleed.
Stay tuned!
Day 79: Split Classes
Today a colleague was out. His plans were on his desk; all student work, overheads, read alouds, etc. were ready to go for the substitute.
Only there was no substitute.
Seems we couldn't get one to cover his class (or another in an upper grade), so we had to split his students among the remaining five of us. (Sometimes being a large school can be a good thing, especially when it comes to something like this. I have been in schools where there is no sub for a class and either the students were cobbled together to watch a movie and do busywork, the class was split between maybe three other classes and given "split packets" to do, or the teacher tried to teach a class that had grown by perhaps 10 children. None of these is a good scenario.)
My class grew by four today, so I had 22 bodies. (One of mine was absent.) Overall, it wasn't bad. The students joined right in with my class and we worked on our assignments with no problems. Things may be a little hairy for my colleague when he returns tomorrow (Thursday), because the students did slightly different things with each of the other teachers. While we are all on the same story in reading and just about the same lesson in math, the social studies and science curriculums are all different. (We have to rotate the science kits, so whoever is not doing science is working on social studies.) I'm sure he'll work it out.
What do you all do when there is no substitute to cover your class? Does your principal pull someone from another class or area? Do you split? What happens? Drop me a comment and let me know.
Only there was no substitute.
Seems we couldn't get one to cover his class (or another in an upper grade), so we had to split his students among the remaining five of us. (Sometimes being a large school can be a good thing, especially when it comes to something like this. I have been in schools where there is no sub for a class and either the students were cobbled together to watch a movie and do busywork, the class was split between maybe three other classes and given "split packets" to do, or the teacher tried to teach a class that had grown by perhaps 10 children. None of these is a good scenario.)
My class grew by four today, so I had 22 bodies. (One of mine was absent.) Overall, it wasn't bad. The students joined right in with my class and we worked on our assignments with no problems. Things may be a little hairy for my colleague when he returns tomorrow (Thursday), because the students did slightly different things with each of the other teachers. While we are all on the same story in reading and just about the same lesson in math, the social studies and science curriculums are all different. (We have to rotate the science kits, so whoever is not doing science is working on social studies.) I'm sure he'll work it out.
What do you all do when there is no substitute to cover your class? Does your principal pull someone from another class or area? Do you split? What happens? Drop me a comment and let me know.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Day 78: Half Day and Substitutes
Today was a half day for me. Not because of a district day (We have one half day all year.), but because I had a doctor's appointment this morning to review my right knee. The same knee I have been having problems with for the past few months.
Seems I injured my knee, or rather one of the tendons in my knee, and it hasn't had a chance to heal properly. With children at work, children at home, and children every other weekend at my live-in job at the group home, it's no wonder. I have to go back Monday to see a sport clinician for treatment options. Some of the options already given to me are: complete immobilization of my leg for a period of time (SO not practical at this point in time), consultation with an orthopedic surgeon (not quite feeling that one), or steroid injections in the joint (This seems the most likely; had them when I was younger for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.). I've already been doing everything else I can think of, from icing the joint, taking ibuprofen when my stomach can handle it (although I was given a neat little patch to try today), elevation, wearing flats or sneakers (no heels for a while), and wearing a knee support when it's really painful. I even teach part of the day sitting. With all that said, I'm just frustrated. I'm in some state of continual pain, I haven't been able to exercise in months, and I've gained five pounds (and I am not a person who gains weight easily. I miss my Pilates! And my running!).
Anyhow, my students have been very patient with me with all of these appointments and keep asking for updates when I come in after one. It's sort of sweet.
I came in today during lunch, so I checked in with the sub, then picked them up from lunch. You would have thought I was a rock star or something. As I approached the cafeteria, my students were already lined up and I heard, "Mrs. _____'s back! She's here!" When I got into the doorway, I was mobbed by my second graders, each of whom tried to squeeze some part of me for a hug. (I actually did feel like a rock star for just a minute!) After I got them calmed down enough to walk down the hallway like civilized people, we went on with business as usual. Not that the sub was mean or anything; she used to teach in the same building I teach in now. She is often a sub for me. As the kids put it, "We had fun, but it just wasn't the same."
Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Seems I injured my knee, or rather one of the tendons in my knee, and it hasn't had a chance to heal properly. With children at work, children at home, and children every other weekend at my live-in job at the group home, it's no wonder. I have to go back Monday to see a sport clinician for treatment options. Some of the options already given to me are: complete immobilization of my leg for a period of time (SO not practical at this point in time), consultation with an orthopedic surgeon (not quite feeling that one), or steroid injections in the joint (This seems the most likely; had them when I was younger for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.). I've already been doing everything else I can think of, from icing the joint, taking ibuprofen when my stomach can handle it (although I was given a neat little patch to try today), elevation, wearing flats or sneakers (no heels for a while), and wearing a knee support when it's really painful. I even teach part of the day sitting. With all that said, I'm just frustrated. I'm in some state of continual pain, I haven't been able to exercise in months, and I've gained five pounds (and I am not a person who gains weight easily. I miss my Pilates! And my running!).
Anyhow, my students have been very patient with me with all of these appointments and keep asking for updates when I come in after one. It's sort of sweet.
I came in today during lunch, so I checked in with the sub, then picked them up from lunch. You would have thought I was a rock star or something. As I approached the cafeteria, my students were already lined up and I heard, "Mrs. _____'s back! She's here!" When I got into the doorway, I was mobbed by my second graders, each of whom tried to squeeze some part of me for a hug. (I actually did feel like a rock star for just a minute!) After I got them calmed down enough to walk down the hallway like civilized people, we went on with business as usual. Not that the sub was mean or anything; she used to teach in the same building I teach in now. She is often a sub for me. As the kids put it, "We had fun, but it just wasn't the same."
Makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Day 77: It's Over. {Sigh}
Happy New Year!
My holiday break has already come. And gone. {sigh.}
Not that I didn't enjoy my break. I spent some much-deserved time with my family, both in town and out of town. Several hundred miles out of town, to be exact. All with bitterly cold weather (but NO SNOW! YES!). My children enjoyed their holiday, and I had a chance to catch up on my leisure reading (Amazing how much of that doesn't get done during the school year...)
Then...
The clock read 6:30 yesterday evening. Being the slightly anal-retentive person that I am, I began to immediately count down the last few moments of freedom I had until I needed to return to school this morning. I desperately wanted at least one more day. But alas, that was not to be. (Slight confession/question: Does anyone else out there secretly set their alarm a bit later in the hope to squeeze out just a few more minutes of vacation? Or am I the only one? It's okay. You can admit it. We'll join a support group together.)
Apparently, I was not the only one feeling this way this morning. My own two children were dragging. My students were dragging (when they first got into the classroom, anyway. Then they perked up and revved along like they had caffeinated coffee with their breakfasts.). We did get a lot accomplished, but they were SO CHATTY today! Of course they wanted to tell all about their break, presents, who they saw, what they ate, etc. I gave them a period of the day to talk about those things (outside of recess and lunch) thinking it would help squelch some of that. Nope. Not at all.
Hopefully tomorrow they will be a bit better, but I don't know. (I have a sub for the morning. I'm going to have my knee checked out again. My doctor only had a 9 a.m. appointment available for the next two weeks after being closed during the holiday, so I took it. This is not something I would normally do to a sub, but I need to be sure I'll be able to get around.) I hope they will be decaffeinated by then!
For those of you still on your break, enjoy the time! For those of you who have started back with me, repeat as often as needed: four more days, four more days. (Or if you are a foodie like me: chocolate, chocolate...)
My holiday break has already come. And gone. {sigh.}
Not that I didn't enjoy my break. I spent some much-deserved time with my family, both in town and out of town. Several hundred miles out of town, to be exact. All with bitterly cold weather (but NO SNOW! YES!). My children enjoyed their holiday, and I had a chance to catch up on my leisure reading (Amazing how much of that doesn't get done during the school year...)
Then...
The clock read 6:30 yesterday evening. Being the slightly anal-retentive person that I am, I began to immediately count down the last few moments of freedom I had until I needed to return to school this morning. I desperately wanted at least one more day. But alas, that was not to be. (Slight confession/question: Does anyone else out there secretly set their alarm a bit later in the hope to squeeze out just a few more minutes of vacation? Or am I the only one? It's okay. You can admit it. We'll join a support group together.)
Apparently, I was not the only one feeling this way this morning. My own two children were dragging. My students were dragging (when they first got into the classroom, anyway. Then they perked up and revved along like they had caffeinated coffee with their breakfasts.). We did get a lot accomplished, but they were SO CHATTY today! Of course they wanted to tell all about their break, presents, who they saw, what they ate, etc. I gave them a period of the day to talk about those things (outside of recess and lunch) thinking it would help squelch some of that. Nope. Not at all.
Hopefully tomorrow they will be a bit better, but I don't know. (I have a sub for the morning. I'm going to have my knee checked out again. My doctor only had a 9 a.m. appointment available for the next two weeks after being closed during the holiday, so I took it. This is not something I would normally do to a sub, but I need to be sure I'll be able to get around.) I hope they will be decaffeinated by then!
For those of you still on your break, enjoy the time! For those of you who have started back with me, repeat as often as needed: four more days, four more days. (Or if you are a foodie like me: chocolate, chocolate...)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)