Different English Styles (by Mrs. Styles)

For those of you who may have known me in high school, you may remember that I wasn’t an A+ student.  I probably could’ve been, but I had other interests at that time and my classes were just so ordinary.  I loved my English classes, my creative writing classes and my journalism classes.  I didn’t mind Social Studies and found Government and Economics very interesting.  However, I really could’ve done without Math and Science.  The thing is, now I find learning fascinating.  When my students come to my classroom for studyhall, I want to do their math homework.  I want to read their social studies packets and learn about cell reproduction and all that cool stuff that I really don’t remember.  This leads me to my next topic.

One of my favorite sounds in all the world is the sound of cicadas making their rattling call from the trees in summer.  I love that sound.  I don’t know why, but I always have.  The other day we found one on the ground in our backyard and my kids and I were amazed at how big it was.  For the next hour and a half I researched cicadas online.  That’s right.  I think I learned more about bugs and locusts and grasshoppers in that hour and a half than I ever would have during a biology class in school.  The reason, I realized is that I took the learning into my hands and was truly interested in the topic.  Which leads me to my next topic.

At a conference this summer, we learned about preparing our students for the demands of the 21st century.  The changing of the global workplace, the attributes employers are looking for but are noticing that new graduates are missing.  One of those big attributes is self-directiveness.  This is something I see in the classroom everyday.  Students want to know exactly what the teacher is looking for and do just that.  New employees, apparently, want to know exactly what their employer is looking for and do only  that.  Nothing innovative, nothing new and exciting, nothing creative.  Just what is expected and what they are told  to do. 

So, the big revelation for me watching the big cicada climb up our firepit in the backyard, was that I need to find some way to promote self-directed learning and  connect it with the standards for my content area and  find some technology-based assessment in which to monitor the learning.  I came up with the most kick-butt unit of all time. 

Stay tuned for the rest…

So, we’re down to four weeks until school starts.  That means that in four weeks I have to start my usual routine of waking up at the God-awful time of 4:40 and falling asleep on the couch at 9:30 with little conversation between Keith and I other than, “I’m so freaking tired (snoring within minutes).”  I have to start cooking regular cold weather meals and my summer laziness will be a memory packed away nicely in the back of my mind.  When I’m cold and pale and yearning for sunshine in November I will be able to think back to this summer and remember bike rides and Marco Polo and Popsicles.  I’ll remember how great this summer was and that having no plans is sometimes the best plan of all.  I’ll remember jumping up and down when the garbage truck turned onto our street and running into the driveway to wave to the garbage guys.  I’ll remember sitting on the deck at dusk and watching the kids play football in the backyard.  I’ll remember staying awake past 9:30 and actually having meaningful conversation with my husband.  Summer is like a two-month long memory making period where the most colorful memories are made. 

With that being said, I have a crapload of work to do in the next four weeks…

This is a small list of phrases that have recently come out of my mouth.  Seriously, I really had to relay these messages:

1) Who peed all over the shower curtain?  No, it wasn’t me…that would be impossible. 

2) Watch out for that hot dog in the middle of the sidewalk!

3) Put your brother’s underwear down and eat your lunch.

4) If you want to play with your backhoe in the backyard you need to at least put on some underwear.

5) I’m your mother and you don’t have  to like me. 

6) That was a seven dollar corndog, you better eat that whole thing.

7) There are no monsters in the toilet.  Monsters don’t eat poop.

Those are the cutest butt cheeks I have ever seen…I want to dip them in honey and munch on them.

9) No, you will not call the baby stupid when we come home from the hospital.

10)  You will make an excellent American Gladiator and I can’t wait to watch you at Gladiator Arena.

11) Of course I love daddy!   Well, that’s just because daddy does things that mommy doesn’t understand.  I still love him though, don’t worry. 

12)  Ooohh, just three more days until garbage day!  How exciting!

13) If you would just please  put on your shoes, I promise you I will buy you a milkshake from McDonald’s.

**Note to reader: I have no idea why that little smiley face is there, but I don’t know how to get rid of it.  Just disregard it, please.**

For the past three days I have been at school participating in a curriculum project.  What this will eventually lead our district (K-12) to is a vertically-aligned curriculum in which students get the same standards-driven instruction per grade level, and there are no gaps left between the grade levels.  They’ll learn what they need, when they need to.  This may seem like common sense to some of you, but let me tell you, it’s not.  It’s very difficult to align curriculum vertically, especially if there has been little to no administrative direction given to the teachers as to what material and when it will be covered.  Our assistant superintendent (ghsprincipal.edublogs.org) is giving us that direction.  This was her first year at this position in our district and she is making sweeping changes that will ultimately lead to a vastly improved district.  As difficult as it was to go back to school early on in our vacation, and as much as my colleagues and I grumbled about the tedious work, it was well worth it.  We analyzed data, looked at standards, discussed the importance of certain units, and looked at what we have previously been doing and tightened it up a bit.  It’s not longer teaching a book for the love of the book (like the kids love it anyway…seriously, half of them just pretend to be reading while they’rereally staring at the page thinking about things I’d rather not think about them thinking about), but rather teaching certain topics and skills and concepts using the book as a vehicle or mode to deliver that instruction.  Now for my non-teaching readers, this probably makes little sense, but trust me it’s a big breakthrough!  Today I was looking at my units and changed many of them around to better meet the needs of the English 9 standards.  I had to leave out some of my “oh, but they’ll love that lesson and it’s so fun” activities and add more rigorous assessments, but I believe in myself enough to put an entertaining twist onto it.  I realized at the end of the day (it took me one whole day to input just one unit and half of another), that this work will actually make my classroom a better learning environment for our students. 

I think I might actually even do some work tonight–in July!  Craziness. 

It’s the third day of summer vacation.  The third day.  If somebody on Monday would’ve come to my house and offered to take my children to an all summer camp until August, the suitcases would’ve been packed in an instant.  This is not because I don’t love my children.  I love them so much it kills me sometimes.  However, Monday was the day both boys decided to test the waters to see how much they could get away with.  Like I was going to fall for that one!  Don’t these kids know that their mother is a teacher??  All I do is watch kids try to test the waters and NOT get away with it.  Needless to say, when I was putting them to bed Monday night Nathaniel said to me, “Mommy, I’m going to be good the rest of the summer.  Today wasn’t fun.” 

Oh yeah.

Congratulations Class of 2008!  In the words of Dr. Seuss:

“You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.

You’re on your own.  And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.”

Please grow your wings, but remember your roots.  We’re proud of you Gowanda graduates!

I’m 29-years-old.  Did you know that?  I am.  I had my first son at an early age (23) and my 2nd son quickly followed.  Although I began both my career and family at 23-years-old (when many of my friends were still going out until 4AM and vacationing in Cancun) I had become a grown-up.  A real adult.  I had others to take care of, an alarm to answer to, a mortgage payment, all that good stuff.  I effecienly ran my household (the cooking has since dramatically improved, I must admit) and was an extremely responsible employee of my school district.  Still, I had a mother, father, an older sister and an older brother.  I was still considered “the baby.”  I didn’t make the holiday plans rather, I was told when and where to show up.  I didn’t organize family gatherings except for my kids’ birthday party.  I was never the first one informed on any news of health issues or family problems because my mom didn’t want to “upset” me.  I was still in the minds of my family a child….I had been so for so long, that the adjustment of Shannon the Free Spirit to Shannon the Adult was a tough one for them.  I don’t think it ever crossed their minds that as a teacher, my job is to be the boss to 120 kids.  I am the adult in the classroom. I make the decisions, I discipline the kids, I am in charge.   In all honesty, I didn’t mind that I was still treated and thought of that way in my family.  Really.  Until recently.  It was just all getting a bit old.

Here’s how this past week went down:

My mother needed to have surgery, and it was scheduled for this past Wednesday. The recovery process was expected to last about six weeks.  That wasthe big news surrounding our family:  who would help out dad, who would visit the hospital at what time so there was always someone there, which days we were going to help at the house when mom was recovering, etc, etc.  Then Monday night, my sister’s son was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy.  My brother took my two neices (ages 11 and 3) to his house to spend the night.  At 1 AM my sister-in-law and I were still on the phone making arrangements and plans as to how we were now going to balance caring for our neices while Holly was in the hospital with Spence, as well as care for my mom at the same time.  We figured out who would meet with Spencer’s teacher and explain the situation, take Emma back and forth to daycare, take care of Kaylena while Emma was in daycare, take off of work to be with my dad on Wednesday morning while my mom had surgery.  We hammered out a plan, delegated responsibilities, and that was that.  My sister was floored, my mother amazed, and I am no longer the baby of the family. 

I’ve been promoted.  It just took 29 years. 

It’s the end of the school year, and I have no students today.  I am spending the day doing last minute grading, cleaning out my cupboards, and taking down pictures and student work. It is sad seeing the year come to an end, reflecting back on the fun moments in the classroom, the “YES!  They did it!” moments.  Yet,  in some sort of delusional fantasy that I have, in just ten short days I can lounge around the house, float lazily in the pool, and read at my leisure.  Like I said, delusional fantasy.  

Ha!  Maybe if I didn’t have kids!  Instead I’ll be waking at roughly the same time I do now, watching Noggin and Nick in the morning (gotta love The Upside Down Show!), arguing about the importance of not eating freezy pops for breakfast, going outside and playing about twelve games of Around The World and Pig, and be completely wiped out and tired by 10 AM.  The only thing that’s somewhat the same from my fantasy summer compared to my reality is floating lazily in pool.  I will float lazily, but that’s only because I’ll have this big ol’ pregnant belly in my way. 

Oh and one more thing.  I will be spending my days with two of the best kids EVER.  Ten more days! 

As I was cleaning the bathroom yesterday, I was thinking that there is nothing in the world that I enjoy doing less than cleaning the bathroom.  My mind began to wander, which thankfully passed the cleaning time much more quickly. 

This is the list of my most un-favorite things/pet peeves/strong dislikes (in  no particular order.  Just assume cleaning the bathroom is at the top of the list):

1. When students walk around with i-Pod wires attached to them at all times.  Seriously, the world is not going to end without music pumping into their ears while they walk 3 doors down the hall to their next class.  No one talks anymore, they just walk around with music blaring into their ears.

2. Those who drive under the speed limit.  Especially when I’m running late for work.

3. When people say “I seen” instead of “I saw”.  Did they not pay attention in middle school English class? I seen gets the helping verb ‘have’ before it.  

4. Weak handshakes.  Just because I am a woman, please don’t give me a weak handshake.  It makes me think you had bad parents who didn’t teach you better.

5. When my children whine. 

6. Men drinking out of straws.  It just isn’t right.

7. Those bumper stickers that have the picture of the kid peeing on a different make of vehicle. 

8. Cleaning the kitchen floor.

9.  People who take forever to make a right-hand turn.

10.  This statement from the mouths of students: “Are we doing anything today?  Do I need my stuff?”  No.  We’re just going to sit and stare at the wall for 84 minutes. Of course you need your stuff, and of course we’re doing something today!  In fact, we’ll be doing something everyday so stop asking!

Other than that, I’m a happy camper   :-)

My 3-year-old told me the other day that he wants to be a garbage man when he grows up.  He loves garbage.  I mean, all aspects of garbage.  He has all types of garbage trucks to play with, he loves to take out the recycling bin and he knows that Tuesday is garbage day.  It’s like a freaking holiday for him.  He waves to the garbage man and sometimes makes me walk him down the sidewalk so he can follow the garbage truck from house to house.  We are slowly turning into sanitation worker stalkers.  The best part of this whole thing, is that he also added to his “I want to be a garbage man when I grow up” line that he wants to stand on the back of the truck and yell, “Helllooo!  Give me your garbage!”  How awesome is that?  Can you imagine having a garbage guy who entered the neighborhood every week with a loud “Hellloo Everybody!”??  

Well, whatever.  He’s fascinated.  He’s learning about community service jobs, and helping the earth through recycling.  He hates litter and wants to pick it all up.  Most importantly, he’s not watching TV but busy zooming trucks around the yard instead.  Which brings me to my next point: wouldn’t it be great if it were socially acceptable for adults to run around and act out their dreams in creative play fashion like that?  We’d have full-grown women in tutu’s doing ballet in driveways, men well past their prime tackling each other in full-contact football games, random people doing random things all over the place.  It would be like the whole world was in one big state of drunkenness!  Oh, it would be great.   The world would be such a happy place if we were able to indulge in our innocent childhood dreams.  I would even be able to gather the carts at Tops.   What I’m really interested in knowing is, what would you be doing?