day four of testing. dear student that mentioned he "wouldn't know" about testing today did not show up, for testing at least. or on time for class for that matter, but really, who's paying attention? i am. and it drives me nuts every time he saunters in and either glares at me or looks right through my chipper "good morning!"
computer lab today. on tuesday we went over the specifics for their cookbooks, at least to get their wheels turning a little bit more. some of them seem to be getting really excited about it. ill be honest...i'm already excited about it. most of them put so much time and effort into them, i LOVE looking through them. (ill post pictures when they're due. trust me, you'll agree)
today we were notified that the school board passed the new idiotic bell schedule for next year. most things, including bell schedules dont make me huffy. but some of my colleagues DO get huffy. i suppose it helps? i agree that it is ridiculous to give kids a schedule that is complicated (times infinity) and expect them to be able to prepare appropriately, when they will more than likely have no clue what class meets on which day etc. like i said, no huffiness, mostly just tired confusion, and tired of the confusion. im becoming less and less sad that my heart is slowly unwinding itself from this district. i should have a better handle on explaining that situation in the next few days.
30 April 2009
quote of the day
OMG!!!!! (in huge, bright, red letters, yes the actual acronym)--response from one of our teachers to the entire staff via email when they announced the results confirming the ridiculous bell schedule for next year.
29 April 2009
quotes of the day
i heard you get it if you kiss a pig. --dear student after a discussion about the swine flu
(thanks jules, for sending this pic. perfect fit.)
and
please. join me at buffalo billys (local pub & THS teacher favorite) where i can properly prepare for my speech at the school board meeting tonight. --one of my favorite colleagues. over the loud speaker. once again voicing his concern over the proposed bell schedule for next year.
(thanks jules, for sending this pic. perfect fit.)
and
please. join me at buffalo billys (local pub & THS teacher favorite) where i can properly prepare for my speech at the school board meeting tonight. --one of my favorite colleagues. over the loud speaker. once again voicing his concern over the proposed bell schedule for next year.
day thirty one: swine flu and yogurt parfaits
more testing today. testing was uneventful. but i do not hate it. it has given me a chance to change things up a little bit in the kitchen, while still allowing me to get settled in my classroom in the absence of my prep period. one student left saying, "im not going to come tomorrow. and i just goin to tell them i didn't know," right after i got done explaining how importance attendance, etc. charming, really.
for the rest of the week, we will have 60 minute class periods. also, i do not hate this. the nutrition project director on campus came by yesterday and let me know that she ordered "TONS" of food for us for this week, and that now she realizes that may not have been the best idea with the weird testing schedule. i assured her it would work out fine, and it really has.
they delivered boxes and boxes and boxes of strawberries, bananas, yogurt and grape nuts as well as a recipe and lesson plan for "fruit & yogurt parfaits." i made copies of both the english & spanish versions, but both went unused today, as i gave teh students a quick rundown of the instructions. wash & cut fruit. layer yogurt, grapenuts & fruit. repeat. THEY LOVED THIS! i was so excited. i reminded them how we talked about complex vs. simple carbs, and how the grapenuts were an example of complex carbs and how this would be a great breakfast for sustaining energy throughout the day. there were a few lightbulbs. not many, but a few. many of them just kept wolfing down the parfaits as fast as they could make them. i loved it.
remember the dear student with the sexy backpack? here was our interaction today:
dear student: ms booth. do i get extra credit for being a drummer?
me: hmmmmm. how much extra credit do you think you should get for that?
dear student: a lot.
me: really, why?
dear student: because i play EVERY weekend. here, listen.
and he let me listen to track on his ipod that was recorded by his band. not really my style, but it sounded great. and he was so excited about it. it was awesome.
prior to going into the kitchen, we had a chat about the swine flu. i told them what i had learned about it, what the district was saying about it, what the symptoms were and why they should care. we talked a little about the bird flu pandemic in the 1920s where 40-50 million people died. (i read this online...i hope it was legit) we talked about symptoms and how dangerous this flu really could be. we also talked about how to prevent spreading it and how to protect ourselves. hand washing and other sanitation strategies were discussed. they were quiet. and listening. and questioning. it made me wish i taught health for a minute, because the principles and practices are so immediately applicable. foods is relavant to the "right now" as well, but i think the application is a harder connection to make sometimes. then i remembered that if i taught health i'd have to teach all about sex and STDs. which is awesome and all, but especially difficult when it is supposed to be taught without any seasoning of personal beliefs or values. no thanks. anyways, i think i scared them a good deal about the swine flu. and im not sad about that. better hygiene and sanitation never hurt anyone right?
i had to kind of stifle my laughter a bit when i saw all their disgusted faces. one dear student came up to me and asked for purel. i told him that i didn't have any, but that he could just wash his hands with soap and water instead. he said it wasn't for his hands. it was for his pencil. he didn't want to touch it until he sanitized it. as we walked over to the kitchen i saw a very worried look on one of my 17 year old boys faces. "man. i wish i could see germs..."
like i said, im not sad they are worried about germs. i think its grand. the kitchens have never been cleaner.
for the rest of the week, we will have 60 minute class periods. also, i do not hate this. the nutrition project director on campus came by yesterday and let me know that she ordered "TONS" of food for us for this week, and that now she realizes that may not have been the best idea with the weird testing schedule. i assured her it would work out fine, and it really has.
they delivered boxes and boxes and boxes of strawberries, bananas, yogurt and grape nuts as well as a recipe and lesson plan for "fruit & yogurt parfaits." i made copies of both the english & spanish versions, but both went unused today, as i gave teh students a quick rundown of the instructions. wash & cut fruit. layer yogurt, grapenuts & fruit. repeat. THEY LOVED THIS! i was so excited. i reminded them how we talked about complex vs. simple carbs, and how the grapenuts were an example of complex carbs and how this would be a great breakfast for sustaining energy throughout the day. there were a few lightbulbs. not many, but a few. many of them just kept wolfing down the parfaits as fast as they could make them. i loved it.
remember the dear student with the sexy backpack? here was our interaction today:
dear student: ms booth. do i get extra credit for being a drummer?
me: hmmmmm. how much extra credit do you think you should get for that?
dear student: a lot.
me: really, why?
dear student: because i play EVERY weekend. here, listen.
and he let me listen to track on his ipod that was recorded by his band. not really my style, but it sounded great. and he was so excited about it. it was awesome.
prior to going into the kitchen, we had a chat about the swine flu. i told them what i had learned about it, what the district was saying about it, what the symptoms were and why they should care. we talked a little about the bird flu pandemic in the 1920s where 40-50 million people died. (i read this online...i hope it was legit) we talked about symptoms and how dangerous this flu really could be. we also talked about how to prevent spreading it and how to protect ourselves. hand washing and other sanitation strategies were discussed. they were quiet. and listening. and questioning. it made me wish i taught health for a minute, because the principles and practices are so immediately applicable. foods is relavant to the "right now" as well, but i think the application is a harder connection to make sometimes. then i remembered that if i taught health i'd have to teach all about sex and STDs. which is awesome and all, but especially difficult when it is supposed to be taught without any seasoning of personal beliefs or values. no thanks. anyways, i think i scared them a good deal about the swine flu. and im not sad about that. better hygiene and sanitation never hurt anyone right?
i had to kind of stifle my laughter a bit when i saw all their disgusted faces. one dear student came up to me and asked for purel. i told him that i didn't have any, but that he could just wash his hands with soap and water instead. he said it wasn't for his hands. it was for his pencil. he didn't want to touch it until he sanitized it. as we walked over to the kitchen i saw a very worried look on one of my 17 year old boys faces. "man. i wish i could see germs..."
like i said, im not sad they are worried about germs. i think its grand. the kitchens have never been cleaner.
28 April 2009
quotes of the day
day thirty two: snoring and a sugary dose of vitamin c.
today was the second day of STAR testing. also fairly uneventful. one of my dear students took me up on my plea to the entire class that if they couldn't trust themselves to sit quietly until the testing block was over, then they should probably just take a nap. and this particular student did, although i've never had a hard time with him being too chatty. anyways, he slept, and he slept hard. the boy was ASLEEP. and snoring. not loudly, but deep enough to where you can just hear it sometimes. some of the kids snickered, but i didn't feel he was being loud enough to warrant my waking him up, so i just let him sleep. and he did. it kind of reminded me of the time BH aka richard fell asleep in sunday school and started snoring. only his WAS loud enough to warrant a wake up. thank you SH. anyway. i digress.
after testing we had 40 minute blocks again for actual class time. again, perfect for some of the fast recipes we have. i had them make orange juliuses, and they LOVED them. despite my request otherwise, some still added TONS of extra sugar, but oh well. i figure they are still getting a good helping of vitamin C, even with all the sugar. as i checked in with one kitchen, seeing how they liked the smoothie and if they'd added any extra sugar, they all just kind of nodded for a minute, but no one said anything. when i asked "how much extra," they all remained quiet for a second and then one said, "um, helluv." noted.
in another kitchen, my students know they are not to use any supplies without checking with me first, in an attempt to maintain some form of order in the kitchens, and i had some berries set aside for the lab we are doing tomorrow. i looked over and a few of my boys had "snuck" a few strawberries into their orange julius. what they didn't anticipate was that it would change the would be creamy orange color to a nice shade of pink. i reminded them of the importance of checking with me BEFORE using other supplies. a few of them kind of hestitated, and i could tell were about to say they hadn't used any...but the pink smoothie was kind of a giveaway.
after testing we had 40 minute blocks again for actual class time. again, perfect for some of the fast recipes we have. i had them make orange juliuses, and they LOVED them. despite my request otherwise, some still added TONS of extra sugar, but oh well. i figure they are still getting a good helping of vitamin C, even with all the sugar. as i checked in with one kitchen, seeing how they liked the smoothie and if they'd added any extra sugar, they all just kind of nodded for a minute, but no one said anything. when i asked "how much extra," they all remained quiet for a second and then one said, "um, helluv." noted.
in another kitchen, my students know they are not to use any supplies without checking with me first, in an attempt to maintain some form of order in the kitchens, and i had some berries set aside for the lab we are doing tomorrow. i looked over and a few of my boys had "snuck" a few strawberries into their orange julius. what they didn't anticipate was that it would change the would be creamy orange color to a nice shade of pink. i reminded them of the importance of checking with me BEFORE using other supplies. a few of them kind of hestitated, and i could tell were about to say they hadn't used any...but the pink smoothie was kind of a giveaway.
27 April 2009
day thirty three: STAR testing, smoothies & a sexy backpack
today was the first day of STAR testing at our site. STAR testing is a big deal with lots of rules and regulations and specifcs. its kind of a big stress and headache campus wide. it is really difficult to get the kids to understand the importance of something that doesn't seem to impact them in any meaningful way. sometimes i wonder if our administrators feed us lines to feed our kids about how it will affect their class placement, etc, when, in actuality its more just a ploy to make our site elligible for more state funding. i dont know. anyways. today was the first day. the kids felt OK about it. i didn't mind it one bit. an extra, uninterrupted 2 hours during the day? yes please.
one of my students, who hasn't been in attendance for a few weeks, was here for testing! i was told by other students that he dropped the class. while i didn't get any notification from the office, i assumed they were right. so i asked him about it.
me: you're here!
dear student: hi ms booth.
me: we've missed you, where have you been? i thought you dropped the class.
dear student: i been in the hospital.
me: oh no. (this always makes me panic a little) is everything ok?
dear student: yah. i jacked my hand in a skating accident.
me: oh no. what happened?
dear student: it got run over
me: by...a board or a bike?
dear student: a car.
and then i looked at his hand. his middle finger was particularly mangled.
me: ummm...was there a cast on it? what did they do for you?
dear student: they already put a cast on it, and took it off. they were just worry it messed with my vein.
me: well, i'm so glad you're back. are you OK now?
dear student: yah, i'm cool.
then one of my former students came by to say hello. he's pretty quiet, looks about 13 or 14, has very limited english ablities, but a smile that just melts my heart. and he smiles all the time. i've talked about him before, here
dear student: hi ms booth
me: hi! how is testing?
dear student: ah...mas or menos..
me: ah si...
i felt the language barrier. i hate that.
me: que maestra?
dear student: (his eyes lit up a bit...) oh, sra de leon....
me: ah. have a good day (on his way out the door)
dear student: YOU TOO. (with that smile)
there was lots of smiling and nodding between us. interactions like these make me ache to know more spanish.
testing ended without any huge incident or catastrophe. for this i was glad. because of the amount of time dedicated to testing, our class periods were cut to about 40 minutes each. which is fantastic for things like smoothies. so that is what we did. and the kids loved it. they seem to really love having creative reign over the things we prepare in class. it seems to infuse the kitchen with energy and laughter. i love that.
i was going over the directions for the smoothie lab and general blender safety. i've learned that often times i need to be much more explicit in my instructions that i orginally plan or think. and thats OK. i just have to remind myself to do so. when we talked about blender safety, i told them the story of a student in one of my friends foods classes that "unstuck" a blender blade. while it was on. and then the student got her finger chopped off. not funny. but the kids responses in my classes kind of were. "he chop suey-ed dat finger..." we covered the basics and then headed over to the kitchen. lots of smoothie happiness ensued. it was grand. second block rolled around and my student with the crushed hand came up to my desk. and we had the following conversation:
dear student: look ms booth! i got a back pack.
me: nice! what made you decide to finally get one.
dear student: i just saw it and said, 'dude your sexy. your mine.'
me: excellent
dear student: and look....supplies. (1 pencil, 1 tagging marker, stack of lined paper...)
he is a junior in high school, probably 17 and it is almost may. and he JUST NOW got a back pack and school supplies. i overlooked the tagging marker.
one of my students, who hasn't been in attendance for a few weeks, was here for testing! i was told by other students that he dropped the class. while i didn't get any notification from the office, i assumed they were right. so i asked him about it.
me: you're here!
dear student: hi ms booth.
me: we've missed you, where have you been? i thought you dropped the class.
dear student: i been in the hospital.
me: oh no. (this always makes me panic a little) is everything ok?
dear student: yah. i jacked my hand in a skating accident.
me: oh no. what happened?
dear student: it got run over
me: by...a board or a bike?
dear student: a car.
and then i looked at his hand. his middle finger was particularly mangled.
me: ummm...was there a cast on it? what did they do for you?
dear student: they already put a cast on it, and took it off. they were just worry it messed with my vein.
me: well, i'm so glad you're back. are you OK now?
dear student: yah, i'm cool.
then one of my former students came by to say hello. he's pretty quiet, looks about 13 or 14, has very limited english ablities, but a smile that just melts my heart. and he smiles all the time. i've talked about him before, here
dear student: hi ms booth
me: hi! how is testing?
dear student: ah...mas or menos..
me: ah si...
i felt the language barrier. i hate that.
me: que maestra?
dear student: (his eyes lit up a bit...) oh, sra de leon....
me: ah. have a good day (on his way out the door)
dear student: YOU TOO. (with that smile)
there was lots of smiling and nodding between us. interactions like these make me ache to know more spanish.
testing ended without any huge incident or catastrophe. for this i was glad. because of the amount of time dedicated to testing, our class periods were cut to about 40 minutes each. which is fantastic for things like smoothies. so that is what we did. and the kids loved it. they seem to really love having creative reign over the things we prepare in class. it seems to infuse the kitchen with energy and laughter. i love that.
i was going over the directions for the smoothie lab and general blender safety. i've learned that often times i need to be much more explicit in my instructions that i orginally plan or think. and thats OK. i just have to remind myself to do so. when we talked about blender safety, i told them the story of a student in one of my friends foods classes that "unstuck" a blender blade. while it was on. and then the student got her finger chopped off. not funny. but the kids responses in my classes kind of were. "he chop suey-ed dat finger..." we covered the basics and then headed over to the kitchen. lots of smoothie happiness ensued. it was grand. second block rolled around and my student with the crushed hand came up to my desk. and we had the following conversation:
dear student: look ms booth! i got a back pack.
me: nice! what made you decide to finally get one.
dear student: i just saw it and said, 'dude your sexy. your mine.'
me: excellent
dear student: and look....supplies. (1 pencil, 1 tagging marker, stack of lined paper...)
he is a junior in high school, probably 17 and it is almost may. and he JUST NOW got a back pack and school supplies. i overlooked the tagging marker.
24 April 2009
day thirty four: birthdays & herding cats
i rushed out the classroom in such a flurry yesterday that i didn't plan well for todays activities. i had toyed with the idea of cooking something simple and fun, but didn't solidify plans before i ran out the door for my interview. so, after the interview and the invite design session with meghan and sheven, i walked in my bedroom around 9:45PM and realized i didn't have anything prepared for my kids. so, sadly, it would be a bookwork day for them.
it was one of my dear student's birthday, in first block, (and there would be another birthday on monday) and so i stopped by the grocery store on the way to school for cake mixes and frosting for a little celebration.
when this dear student got to class i told him he would be excused from the days assignment, and that if he wanted he could make cupcakes to share with the class to celebrate his day. he liked that idea. when a few of my fast starters got done with their work, they joined him next door in the kitchen.
one of my later classes was a bit rowdier than normal, and so i walked around and checked their progress a bit more than normal, in an effort to try and keep them on task. when i got to one boy, i noticed he was doing nothing. he had nothing on his desk, and pretended NOT to be chatting with his neighbor any longer once i got into earshot. i asked him why he didn't have a book open, paper out, etc. his response was that he was looking for paper. and began to show me such as he rummaged through his bag. i countered with, "ok, but what have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?" he replied, "i need a pen too," moments like these i normally just give them "the look" which i did this time as well. he replied, "i have not been wasting time." i continued with the look and just reminded him the importance of being on task. he said, "ill still get all my work done." i told him i was glad for that, but that i would have liked him to have gotten started when class started 30 minutes ago.
sometimes, those types of occurences really frustrate me. i just wish i could get all of my students on task all of the time. i felt, in this instance, and many others like it, like i am herding cats. unsuccesfully.
it was one of my dear student's birthday, in first block, (and there would be another birthday on monday) and so i stopped by the grocery store on the way to school for cake mixes and frosting for a little celebration.
when this dear student got to class i told him he would be excused from the days assignment, and that if he wanted he could make cupcakes to share with the class to celebrate his day. he liked that idea. when a few of my fast starters got done with their work, they joined him next door in the kitchen.
one of my later classes was a bit rowdier than normal, and so i walked around and checked their progress a bit more than normal, in an effort to try and keep them on task. when i got to one boy, i noticed he was doing nothing. he had nothing on his desk, and pretended NOT to be chatting with his neighbor any longer once i got into earshot. i asked him why he didn't have a book open, paper out, etc. his response was that he was looking for paper. and began to show me such as he rummaged through his bag. i countered with, "ok, but what have you been doing for the last 30 minutes?" he replied, "i need a pen too," moments like these i normally just give them "the look" which i did this time as well. he replied, "i have not been wasting time." i continued with the look and just reminded him the importance of being on task. he said, "ill still get all my work done." i told him i was glad for that, but that i would have liked him to have gotten started when class started 30 minutes ago.
sometimes, those types of occurences really frustrate me. i just wish i could get all of my students on task all of the time. i felt, in this instance, and many others like it, like i am herding cats. unsuccesfully.
23 April 2009
day thirty five: fruit pizza & oozy enthusiasm
i was excited for today. the recipe i had planned was "fruit pizza" which most of the time the kids like, and it is always a plus to see them learning how to do things that they WANT to be successful at. and to see high schoolers excited about something that has health benefits, whether or not they are aware, is fantastic.
i was sitting at my desk before school started, and one of my dear students came in a bit early. the first thing she did was look at the daily objective. he face absolutely LIT up. she ran over to me and exclaimed, "ms booth give me a hug!" the best part was that it seemed that her excitement for the day's activities seemed to be 100% genuine. moments like these make my heart so happy! its like my classroom is oozing with excitement and enthusiasm and smiles and energy. what more could you ask for at 8 in the morning? my job rocks.
i bought a bunch of fresh pineapple, because #1--i wanted them to have it on their pizza and #2 --i wanted to show them how to cut it and serve it properly. it was just a quick demonstration and those normally seem to work the best with my kids. quick, relevant and to the point. i picked up a flat of strawberries yesterday from a local grower and seller, and it made me so excited to be able to share those with the kids also.
once i got all the pineapple, strawberries, grapes, nectarines and mangoes passed out to each group, all the kitchens were buzzing with activity and energy. im telling you. there is just something fun and exciting and positive about watching high school kids prepare something healthy AND yummy.
i was in the back of the room and 2 ice trays fell out of the freezer after someone rearranged a couple things. i turned around and in less than 1 minute 4 kids came over to help clean it up without being asked, or even looked at. i was in awe. i wish i could be more like that. they saw something that needed to be done, that was not their specific responsiblity, and they took care of it. it was so great.
at the end of a block where we have been cooking i often run around and remind the kids of the cleaning duties they may have forgotten. i often sound like a broken record. "can you please wipe down that counter?" and "remember, the dishes need to be dried and put away," and "you have about 5 minutes left. please make sure to leave your kitchen sparkling," and "looks like we still need to sweep and spot mop that floor," etc. with 6 different kitchens, i say these things many many many times during the day. i was reminding one group of gentleman that there cleaning wasn't done and he looked at me and said, "don't worry ms. booth. i got you," and gave me "knuckles." it made me laugh.
i was sitting at my desk before school started, and one of my dear students came in a bit early. the first thing she did was look at the daily objective. he face absolutely LIT up. she ran over to me and exclaimed, "ms booth give me a hug!" the best part was that it seemed that her excitement for the day's activities seemed to be 100% genuine. moments like these make my heart so happy! its like my classroom is oozing with excitement and enthusiasm and smiles and energy. what more could you ask for at 8 in the morning? my job rocks.
i bought a bunch of fresh pineapple, because #1--i wanted them to have it on their pizza and #2 --i wanted to show them how to cut it and serve it properly. it was just a quick demonstration and those normally seem to work the best with my kids. quick, relevant and to the point. i picked up a flat of strawberries yesterday from a local grower and seller, and it made me so excited to be able to share those with the kids also.
once i got all the pineapple, strawberries, grapes, nectarines and mangoes passed out to each group, all the kitchens were buzzing with activity and energy. im telling you. there is just something fun and exciting and positive about watching high school kids prepare something healthy AND yummy.
i was in the back of the room and 2 ice trays fell out of the freezer after someone rearranged a couple things. i turned around and in less than 1 minute 4 kids came over to help clean it up without being asked, or even looked at. i was in awe. i wish i could be more like that. they saw something that needed to be done, that was not their specific responsiblity, and they took care of it. it was so great.
at the end of a block where we have been cooking i often run around and remind the kids of the cleaning duties they may have forgotten. i often sound like a broken record. "can you please wipe down that counter?" and "remember, the dishes need to be dried and put away," and "you have about 5 minutes left. please make sure to leave your kitchen sparkling," and "looks like we still need to sweep and spot mop that floor," etc. with 6 different kitchens, i say these things many many many times during the day. i was reminding one group of gentleman that there cleaning wasn't done and he looked at me and said, "don't worry ms. booth. i got you," and gave me "knuckles." it made me laugh.
22 April 2009
sheven.
remember this post? well, one of the couples referred to is pictured below. please meet sheven. some of my very best friends.
to see the rest of the pictures i've taken of them in the past little while, click here. aren't they darling together? i think my favorite thing about photographing them is the way they smile for the camera can't hold a candle to the way they look at one another. i love it. they will be married in june and i'm THRILLED.
to see the rest of the pictures i've taken of them in the past little while, click here. aren't they darling together? i think my favorite thing about photographing them is the way they smile for the camera can't hold a candle to the way they look at one another. i love it. they will be married in june and i'm THRILLED.
day thirty six: unfun, exciting "real" moments
because of wednesdays shortened schedule, i only have each class for 65 minutes. which may seem like a lot, but when you are used to 90 minute blocks, it absolutely flies by. it was too warm to cook, but i knew they couldn't (and wouldn't want to) last for the full 65 minutes correcting our written work. they had to have something to look forward to. so, it was a lets-hurry-and-get-through-our-written-stuff-so-we-can-enjoy-fresh-cookies type of day. (thank you, tanner. that cookie dough is a lifesaver sometimes.)
they don't love non-cooking days. but they tolerate it. i'm glad for that. sometimes i love non-cooking days. i feel like a real teacher. with real, unfun work to try and convince a room full of teenagers is EXTREMELY cool. sometimes it happens. and even when its only for a few seconds, its really fun.
more beautiful weather today. gratefully we did NOT have another 3 hour faculty meeting. i chatted with my department head for a little bit to satisfy our "department meeting" requirement, and then i headed over to the grocery store, to stock us up for the next few days. it didn't take nearly as long as it normally does to ring up the school district purchase order, which was nice. the nice cashier asked, "this is for a home ec class, right?" (she remembered me) "yep. it is." "oh, and are you the teacher?" she had the most confused look on her face. that part is still entertains me because i feel like i've been "going on 55" for most of my life.
anyways, its trips like those that make me wish for unnatural upper body strength and for the trunk of my car to be refrigerated. seriously. someone, get on that. to be able to go major shopping and then to be able to leave the groceries in the car until i am fully prepared to unload them? yes please. until then, its a trek back to ungracefully unload all things grocery from my trusty VW. i suppose all the huffing and puffing warrants some sort of contribution to OSB, although at this point, with my fast food affinity, im thinking of shooting for the summer of 2014. the hundreds of grocery trips i take just aren't cuttin it.
they don't love non-cooking days. but they tolerate it. i'm glad for that. sometimes i love non-cooking days. i feel like a real teacher. with real, unfun work to try and convince a room full of teenagers is EXTREMELY cool. sometimes it happens. and even when its only for a few seconds, its really fun.
more beautiful weather today. gratefully we did NOT have another 3 hour faculty meeting. i chatted with my department head for a little bit to satisfy our "department meeting" requirement, and then i headed over to the grocery store, to stock us up for the next few days. it didn't take nearly as long as it normally does to ring up the school district purchase order, which was nice. the nice cashier asked, "this is for a home ec class, right?" (she remembered me) "yep. it is." "oh, and are you the teacher?" she had the most confused look on her face. that part is still entertains me because i feel like i've been "going on 55" for most of my life.
anyways, its trips like those that make me wish for unnatural upper body strength and for the trunk of my car to be refrigerated. seriously. someone, get on that. to be able to go major shopping and then to be able to leave the groceries in the car until i am fully prepared to unload them? yes please. until then, its a trek back to ungracefully unload all things grocery from my trusty VW. i suppose all the huffing and puffing warrants some sort of contribution to OSB, although at this point, with my fast food affinity, im thinking of shooting for the summer of 2014. the hundreds of grocery trips i take just aren't cuttin it.
quote of the day
shhhhh. LEARNING. shhhhhh. --one dear student to another as we were going over some written work. (he was being serious. i about died)
21 April 2009
quote of the day
the object of teaching a child is to enable him to get along without his teacher. --elbert hubbard
quote of the day
somebody shoot it! --dear student about the oversized mosquito that sought refuge in our computer lab
day thirty seven: epic win & fashion sense
today was also a bit uneventful. last week i planned to have the kids come into the computer lab again to find & print recipes for their cookbooks. it was a perfect coincidence, the scheduling of it all, because i was able to leave immediately after school to take some more pics of sheven. it was also even MORE than perfect, because we were able to utilize the usually TOO COLD computer lab temperatures to our advantage to get away from the nasty heat. lovely lovely air conditioning.
i gave the instructions in my classroom and then i told everyone to grab their belongings so we could head over to the lab. one student responded, "WHAT?? I just about to take off my SHOES!!!!!!!" i did not have a response, but thought it was noteworthy.
once in the lab, i revisted the idea that sometimes i think my students really believe i am an idiot. while in the computer lab, they are responsible to log into their computers, log onto their allrecipes.com account and continue searching, saving and printing recipes. not a bad deal, in my mind, because they are able to get a majority of this huge project done during class INSTEAD of at home. anyway, sometimes they forget their passwords & login information. not a big deal. they can normally find or remember their login info in a timely manner to still get some classwork done. today, one of my dear students, who hardly ever does ANYTHING mentioned that he couldn't get logged in because he couldn't remember his password--my guess is in hopes i would reply something like, "oh, no big deal. please lay in the middle of the floor, put your ipod on and take a nap for the rest of the block instead." i, however, did not.
i asked him how many recipes he had already saved, knowing that in the last 4-5 times we've visited the lab he has done NOTHING. he said he had "..all 80," when i know, he absolutely, positively probably had about 4 recipes, total. im sure this response was probably in hopes that i would then respond, "oh thats terrible. you don't have to do the project at all since you forgot your password and i wouldn't want you to have to REDO work you've already done..." instead i mentioned that was unfortunate because then he would need to start all over in collecting the 80 recipes for his cookbook. all of the sudden, like magic, he remembered. funny how that works. then he mentioned that "the computer" must have erased all his recipes, because now he only has two left on his account. "aww. thats too bad. you'd better get working." and i smiled and walked away. he was somewhat dumbfounded. i felt like i could enter this on the the non-exsitent, but sometimes dreamed about scorecard...TODAY: me-1, dear student-0 (lets be clear. not because i think my student is a zero, but because he didn't stump me, and I STUMPED him into doing his work.)
and i almost forgot. i recieved the following fashion advice today:
dear student: ms booth. you know those booty shorts they all be wearin?
me: yes. why?
dear student: you betta ner wear those. yo booty would be all hangin out.
done and done. what would i do without them?
i gave the instructions in my classroom and then i told everyone to grab their belongings so we could head over to the lab. one student responded, "WHAT?? I just about to take off my SHOES!!!!!!!" i did not have a response, but thought it was noteworthy.
once in the lab, i revisted the idea that sometimes i think my students really believe i am an idiot. while in the computer lab, they are responsible to log into their computers, log onto their allrecipes.com account and continue searching, saving and printing recipes. not a bad deal, in my mind, because they are able to get a majority of this huge project done during class INSTEAD of at home. anyway, sometimes they forget their passwords & login information. not a big deal. they can normally find or remember their login info in a timely manner to still get some classwork done. today, one of my dear students, who hardly ever does ANYTHING mentioned that he couldn't get logged in because he couldn't remember his password--my guess is in hopes i would reply something like, "oh, no big deal. please lay in the middle of the floor, put your ipod on and take a nap for the rest of the block instead." i, however, did not.
i asked him how many recipes he had already saved, knowing that in the last 4-5 times we've visited the lab he has done NOTHING. he said he had "..all 80," when i know, he absolutely, positively probably had about 4 recipes, total. im sure this response was probably in hopes that i would then respond, "oh thats terrible. you don't have to do the project at all since you forgot your password and i wouldn't want you to have to REDO work you've already done..." instead i mentioned that was unfortunate because then he would need to start all over in collecting the 80 recipes for his cookbook. all of the sudden, like magic, he remembered. funny how that works. then he mentioned that "the computer" must have erased all his recipes, because now he only has two left on his account. "aww. thats too bad. you'd better get working." and i smiled and walked away. he was somewhat dumbfounded. i felt like i could enter this on the the non-exsitent, but sometimes dreamed about scorecard...TODAY: me-1, dear student-0 (lets be clear. not because i think my student is a zero, but because he didn't stump me, and I STUMPED him into doing his work.)
and i almost forgot. i recieved the following fashion advice today:
dear student: ms booth. you know those booty shorts they all be wearin?
me: yes. why?
dear student: you betta ner wear those. yo booty would be all hangin out.
done and done. what would i do without them?
20 April 2009
quotes of the day
if you want to build a ship, don't drum up people to collect wood, and don't assign them tasks and work, but rather teach them to long for the endless imensity of the sea. -antoine de saint-exupery
and
happy four twentaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. --dear sister nicole, via text message
and
happy four twentaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. --dear sister nicole, via text message
day thrity eight: heat wave & sharing forks
holy smokes. i walked out of my house this morning and it was already over 70 degrees. i love california.
today was a good day. i bought all the groceries for todays lab LAST week, and so no last minute grocery store run for me this morning. very little prep and planning either. i'm so ok with that.
the kids made fettucine alfredo. its fun when they aren't used a seeing a word, and they try and read it...then someone else who is familiar with the word reads it aloud no problem. they recognize the word and its this "OH YAHHHHHHH." moment. its great. thats how it was when a few of them tried to read the word "fettucine" on the board. once they realize what it was they got even more excited. today was somewhat without incident. that was nice. somehow we ran short on the heavy cream needed for the alfredo sauce. so i threw in some half and half, buttermilk and evaporated milk to stretch what we had until we had enough for all the kitchens to finish their lab. i had no idea if this was going to work, but was quite pleased when it did.
i love when the kids make something they've never made before, they try it, and they LOVE it. it is so fun. "THIS BANGIN." one boy tried to get me to eat off his plate, i declined mentioning i couldn't eat off his same fork. he countered, "what...you think we have diseases?" i replied that that certainly wasn't the case at all, but that it was just better not to share germs through plates & forks. i hope i did't hurt his feelings.
it was 100 degress by the time school got out and SO HOT in the kitchen. i plugged in one of our huge, industrial sized fans to try and get the air moving and cool off the room. it worked a little. it made me laugh as some of my kids walked by and just stopped to enjoy the breeze and a few of my boys held out their shirts to catch the wind from the fan, and enjoy the cool relief. for a moment i saw them as 4 & 5 year olds gleefully skipping around in the sprinklers on a sweltering day, rather than 16-17 year old students at my school. it was a nice moment.
today was a good day. i bought all the groceries for todays lab LAST week, and so no last minute grocery store run for me this morning. very little prep and planning either. i'm so ok with that.
the kids made fettucine alfredo. its fun when they aren't used a seeing a word, and they try and read it...then someone else who is familiar with the word reads it aloud no problem. they recognize the word and its this "OH YAHHHHHHH." moment. its great. thats how it was when a few of them tried to read the word "fettucine" on the board. once they realize what it was they got even more excited. today was somewhat without incident. that was nice. somehow we ran short on the heavy cream needed for the alfredo sauce. so i threw in some half and half, buttermilk and evaporated milk to stretch what we had until we had enough for all the kitchens to finish their lab. i had no idea if this was going to work, but was quite pleased when it did.
i love when the kids make something they've never made before, they try it, and they LOVE it. it is so fun. "THIS BANGIN." one boy tried to get me to eat off his plate, i declined mentioning i couldn't eat off his same fork. he countered, "what...you think we have diseases?" i replied that that certainly wasn't the case at all, but that it was just better not to share germs through plates & forks. i hope i did't hurt his feelings.
it was 100 degress by the time school got out and SO HOT in the kitchen. i plugged in one of our huge, industrial sized fans to try and get the air moving and cool off the room. it worked a little. it made me laugh as some of my kids walked by and just stopped to enjoy the breeze and a few of my boys held out their shirts to catch the wind from the fan, and enjoy the cool relief. for a moment i saw them as 4 & 5 year olds gleefully skipping around in the sprinklers on a sweltering day, rather than 16-17 year old students at my school. it was a nice moment.
17 April 2009
day thirty nine: calzones, eyeballs & revelations
one of my absolute favorite things in the world is saying "hi" to my students, looking them in the eye and calling them by name when i see them around campus. i dont know why, and it is so dorky, but that is something i've always loved. even when i was in high school. i heard once that a person's favorite sound is their own name, and that has always stuck with me. which is why it makes me CRAZY when i switch names around or even forget one of my dear students' names.
today we made calzones. calzone day is always fun, esepcially in a high school that has so many native spanish speakers, because in spanish, apparently, calzone means underwear. you can imagine the looks when they read the daily objective explaining the days objective. and even though they are 14, 15, 16 and 17, so many of my dear students still come in and say, "CALZONES?? we're making UNDERWEAR??" it makes me laugh every single time. them too. i explain that in italian calzone does not mean underwear, and while i don't have any idea what is DOES mean, they can rest assured we are making something much more similar to a pizza pocket than anything they'll find in the laundry.
they always get funny, and a few of them, nervous as cats, when we are cooking with ingredients they are unfamiliar with. second block i have a group of kids that seem unfamiliar with SO many basic common ingredients. they wrinkle their noses and ask, "um....ms. booth. you sure about this?" to which i almost relpy, "yes. just trust me and try it." and more often than not, they like whatever it may be that they tried. today i replied with, "just trust me," and he replied..."i mean i trust you an all, but...." and the usual conversation ensued. i dont know why, but these conversations leave me very reflective.
today during first block i had two striking moments about the lives my students lead. number one: "ms booth. where do i get this filled out?" i read the form she was placing in front of my face. it was from the alameda county office of foster care, needing school record info. i was dumbfounded. not because there is anything wrong with foster care. but because i just wasn't aware that was her living situation. i've now known her for over a year, and i didn't know that. it made me realize i need to do better. i need to listen more. (this was my girl that was threatening to do the 'stache burning yesterday.)
number two: "ms booth, can you please fill this out for me? its for my PO." the only time i use those two letters together is when i have to pay for the groceries at smart & final and i have to use a purchase order. he, however, was not referring to his purchase order. i paused for a moment when i had a flash back to a couple weeks ago walking into the kitchen one day. i was walking behind a group of students, and i was looking down. the male student in front of me was wearing shorts, and around his ankle was a thick, black banded device, with some sort of mini computer on it. i recognized it then as a tracking device for the juvenile discipline & court system, but then i haven't thought about it much until now. because while that was weeks ago, i haven't thought since about this particular students set of circumstances. his life. his daily struggles and frustrations. i need to do better. (this was my boy who was worried about the safety of his mustache yesterday.)
right now it is fourth block. i only have one of my 4 yearbook TA's here. because the yearbook was submitted early this week, i just have let them veg. especially this particular student. he is a rockstar. he's a senior, dilligent, hard working, somewhat reserved & quiet, responsible, kind...the whole nine. i had his brother 3 years ago, and he was the same way. i believe he has 3 or 4 older brothers, and from what i hear, they were all the same. and raised by a single mom. she must be of rockstar status herself. anyway, i sat typing away and he called me over to his computer. "ms booth. you need to play this." he was playing some online game called monster basement. he had me listen to some of the audio and explained that he was just trying to figure out how to play the game. i thanked him for sharing that with me, and then went to move back to my computer and he said, "wait...there is one more part you really need to hear." he walked the game through a few more steps where there was an envelope and when he clicked on it a bloodshot eyeball jumped out of the envelope. it made me jump a little bit, and this reserved rockstar of a student of mine started busting up. this made me laugh as well. such an adult in so many ways, yet still very much a teenager. that very idea, i believe, is why i love high school students so much.
ahhh. fridays. just like any other day, except the usual goodbye at the end of the block has key substitutions of "weekend" and "monday," in place of "day" and "tomorrow," which makes me smile both on the outside and in. i love school, but i love my weekends too. fridays are a slow, deep breath.
today we made calzones. calzone day is always fun, esepcially in a high school that has so many native spanish speakers, because in spanish, apparently, calzone means underwear. you can imagine the looks when they read the daily objective explaining the days objective. and even though they are 14, 15, 16 and 17, so many of my dear students still come in and say, "CALZONES?? we're making UNDERWEAR??" it makes me laugh every single time. them too. i explain that in italian calzone does not mean underwear, and while i don't have any idea what is DOES mean, they can rest assured we are making something much more similar to a pizza pocket than anything they'll find in the laundry.
they always get funny, and a few of them, nervous as cats, when we are cooking with ingredients they are unfamiliar with. second block i have a group of kids that seem unfamiliar with SO many basic common ingredients. they wrinkle their noses and ask, "um....ms. booth. you sure about this?" to which i almost relpy, "yes. just trust me and try it." and more often than not, they like whatever it may be that they tried. today i replied with, "just trust me," and he replied..."i mean i trust you an all, but...." and the usual conversation ensued. i dont know why, but these conversations leave me very reflective.
today during first block i had two striking moments about the lives my students lead. number one: "ms booth. where do i get this filled out?" i read the form she was placing in front of my face. it was from the alameda county office of foster care, needing school record info. i was dumbfounded. not because there is anything wrong with foster care. but because i just wasn't aware that was her living situation. i've now known her for over a year, and i didn't know that. it made me realize i need to do better. i need to listen more. (this was my girl that was threatening to do the 'stache burning yesterday.)
number two: "ms booth, can you please fill this out for me? its for my PO." the only time i use those two letters together is when i have to pay for the groceries at smart & final and i have to use a purchase order. he, however, was not referring to his purchase order. i paused for a moment when i had a flash back to a couple weeks ago walking into the kitchen one day. i was walking behind a group of students, and i was looking down. the male student in front of me was wearing shorts, and around his ankle was a thick, black banded device, with some sort of mini computer on it. i recognized it then as a tracking device for the juvenile discipline & court system, but then i haven't thought about it much until now. because while that was weeks ago, i haven't thought since about this particular students set of circumstances. his life. his daily struggles and frustrations. i need to do better. (this was my boy who was worried about the safety of his mustache yesterday.)
right now it is fourth block. i only have one of my 4 yearbook TA's here. because the yearbook was submitted early this week, i just have let them veg. especially this particular student. he is a rockstar. he's a senior, dilligent, hard working, somewhat reserved & quiet, responsible, kind...the whole nine. i had his brother 3 years ago, and he was the same way. i believe he has 3 or 4 older brothers, and from what i hear, they were all the same. and raised by a single mom. she must be of rockstar status herself. anyway, i sat typing away and he called me over to his computer. "ms booth. you need to play this." he was playing some online game called monster basement. he had me listen to some of the audio and explained that he was just trying to figure out how to play the game. i thanked him for sharing that with me, and then went to move back to my computer and he said, "wait...there is one more part you really need to hear." he walked the game through a few more steps where there was an envelope and when he clicked on it a bloodshot eyeball jumped out of the envelope. it made me jump a little bit, and this reserved rockstar of a student of mine started busting up. this made me laugh as well. such an adult in so many ways, yet still very much a teenager. that very idea, i believe, is why i love high school students so much.
ahhh. fridays. just like any other day, except the usual goodbye at the end of the block has key substitutions of "weekend" and "monday," in place of "day" and "tomorrow," which makes me smile both on the outside and in. i love school, but i love my weekends too. fridays are a slow, deep breath.
16 April 2009
day forty: french toast & 'stache burning
today was good a good day. changing things up yesterday was nice, because it meant that i was not only consistent, but i also did NOT have to make a mad dash to the grocery store at 7:10AM this morning (as i did that yesterday, instead), yet the kids would still be able to cook. for that i was grateful. we made french toast, and they of course, loved it. some classes got done more quickly than others and so they were able to make scrambled eggs to go with their french toast, which they also enjoyed tons.
days that we cook, i keep everyone together in the classroom for the instructions and then, once that is finished we all head over to the kitchen together. some classes are easier to quiet and talk through things than others, and that is always so interesting to me. today, prior to going over the recipe, i asked for "a show of hands...who completed..." such and such chapter, etc. but while i paused after "the show of hands..." my darling TA excitedly raised her hand. it was so silly, because she had no idea what i was about to say next. she realized it, as did her classmates, and we all giggled. (i adore her. she was in one of my first classes 3 years ago, and she would often joke with me about going to the movies or hanging out on the weekend. she often counseled me to never have a boyfriend because they are trouble and would break my heart, and so whenever i would run into her on campus she would remind me..."remember ms. booth. no boyfriends. or sometimes simply..."no boyfriend.")
then, i had a few boys that were very excited to get next door and cook, and they kept chattering while i was trying to give directions. what normally happens in this situation is i stop whatever i am saying and mention to them that i will wait until they are ready. this has only gone terribly wrong once. (when in that same class my TA was a part of i said, "gentleman, i will wait." and one countered with "really ms booth?" and i smugly said, "yep. i will wait. and i've got all day. just let me know when you're read." he countered, "you got all day?" i replied that i did. and he mentioned that he had, "all night." inwardly (if not outwardly as well) cringing and red faced i gave him "the look," nobody laughed, and even gave him a hard time for me. once the awkward slash teaching slash "looking moment" i continued with the lesson.) i did so, and another instance they just couldn't contain their excitement and started chattering again. my TA, this time, said, "will ya'll just SHUT UP?" i thanked her for her concern, but reminded her that wasn't a kind way to ask someone to quiet down. we finished going over the recipe and then FINALLY they got to cook.
some pearls of high school hilarity today...
student 1: ms. booth! she said she 'bout to burn my mustache off on the stove!
student 2: i didnt say that
student 1: yah you did.
student 2: when i say that?
student 1: yesterday.
student 2: see ms. booth? yesterday. yesterday don't count.(to student 1)
and
student 1: (to different student) what..you wanna rumble...(while holding a spatula)
'stache student: ms booth. why they (other cooking students he had seen) always get to make everything we don't? they got to make.... (for future reference...using words like always, never, everything and nothing with me is rarely a good idea)
me: are you complaining?
'stache student: no....
me: ok. great.
because the french toast making did NOT take the full 90 minute class period, the majority of kids kept cooking and cooking and cooking until it was time to start cleaning. except for a table of gentleman to which i asked, "since you're finished would you please get started folding that laundry in front of you." they looked shocked for a moment, but did not even complain. in my room, i have two reasons for asking students to do anything "extra" one, i've explained that we need some extra group effort on cleaning for that day, or two, they "need" something to do. my friend in elementary school once told me that if she ever said she was bored her mom would make her clean toilets. i think that is wonderful. making sure that my students are constantly busy, active and engaged in whatever is going on is very important to me. i want them to be self-starters. and so when they are not, i remind them to "be busy," and that if they need help figuring out what to do i'd be more than happy to come up with a list....that normally gets them moving pretty fast.
days that we cook, i keep everyone together in the classroom for the instructions and then, once that is finished we all head over to the kitchen together. some classes are easier to quiet and talk through things than others, and that is always so interesting to me. today, prior to going over the recipe, i asked for "a show of hands...who completed..." such and such chapter, etc. but while i paused after "the show of hands..." my darling TA excitedly raised her hand. it was so silly, because she had no idea what i was about to say next. she realized it, as did her classmates, and we all giggled. (i adore her. she was in one of my first classes 3 years ago, and she would often joke with me about going to the movies or hanging out on the weekend. she often counseled me to never have a boyfriend because they are trouble and would break my heart, and so whenever i would run into her on campus she would remind me..."remember ms. booth. no boyfriends. or sometimes simply..."no boyfriend.")
then, i had a few boys that were very excited to get next door and cook, and they kept chattering while i was trying to give directions. what normally happens in this situation is i stop whatever i am saying and mention to them that i will wait until they are ready. this has only gone terribly wrong once. (when in that same class my TA was a part of i said, "gentleman, i will wait." and one countered with "really ms booth?" and i smugly said, "yep. i will wait. and i've got all day. just let me know when you're read." he countered, "you got all day?" i replied that i did. and he mentioned that he had, "all night." inwardly (if not outwardly as well) cringing and red faced i gave him "the look," nobody laughed, and even gave him a hard time for me. once the awkward slash teaching slash "looking moment" i continued with the lesson.) i did so, and another instance they just couldn't contain their excitement and started chattering again. my TA, this time, said, "will ya'll just SHUT UP?" i thanked her for her concern, but reminded her that wasn't a kind way to ask someone to quiet down. we finished going over the recipe and then FINALLY they got to cook.
some pearls of high school hilarity today...
student 1: ms. booth! she said she 'bout to burn my mustache off on the stove!
student 2: i didnt say that
student 1: yah you did.
student 2: when i say that?
student 1: yesterday.
student 2: see ms. booth? yesterday. yesterday don't count.(to student 1)
and
student 1: (to different student) what..you wanna rumble...(while holding a spatula)
'stache student: ms booth. why they (other cooking students he had seen) always get to make everything we don't? they got to make.... (for future reference...using words like always, never, everything and nothing with me is rarely a good idea)
me: are you complaining?
'stache student: no....
me: ok. great.
because the french toast making did NOT take the full 90 minute class period, the majority of kids kept cooking and cooking and cooking until it was time to start cleaning. except for a table of gentleman to which i asked, "since you're finished would you please get started folding that laundry in front of you." they looked shocked for a moment, but did not even complain. in my room, i have two reasons for asking students to do anything "extra" one, i've explained that we need some extra group effort on cleaning for that day, or two, they "need" something to do. my friend in elementary school once told me that if she ever said she was bored her mom would make her clean toilets. i think that is wonderful. making sure that my students are constantly busy, active and engaged in whatever is going on is very important to me. i want them to be self-starters. and so when they are not, i remind them to "be busy," and that if they need help figuring out what to do i'd be more than happy to come up with a list....that normally gets them moving pretty fast.
15 April 2009
day forty one: tough times and a nervous nelly
i booked it to the store before school and was able to get all the necessary supplies for our french toast lab, which is perfect for our shortened schedule on wednesdays.
once i got everything loaded into the classroom i remembered that many of the kids probably didn't finish the boatload of chapter work i'd assigned over the past 2 days. i'm a big fan of consistency. especially in establishing rules and expectations with my students. i wanted them to be able to cook, but i didn't want 3/4 of the class to have to do make-ups and so i just switched my thinking a bit. i decided to let the handful of students who HAD finished all their work bake some of the ready made dough i had in the freezer. this worked out wonderfully! it rewarded my overachievers and also, the love of all things cookie lit a fire under some of my chatty or less than exemplary students. i was pleased.
one of my TA's came in during yearbook. he is a i hadn't seen him since before sprint break. he had had attendance problems, which he attributed to not having a ride, prior to getting access to a car. when i said hello and then asked him where he'd been he just said, "times is tough, ms booth," with a warm, unsure smile. i couldn't help but laugh. "times are tough? what...tough to get out of bed in the morning? (i normally have him first block)" "nah. i just don have a ride..." "ohhhh. thats right. where do you live?" "i stay at..." and then he described where he lived. "ohhh. i guess that is far away..." genuinely trying to figure out how far away it was. he started to laugh, and said, "yah...it FAR." newsflash: its not far at all. "like a 15 min walk, far?" he agreed. at that moment, i wished that it was socially and morally appropriate for me to drive to their homes and pick up these students in the morning and bring them to school with me. it, however, is not. i suppose i'm a bit relieved about that as well. i'd have to get up REALLY early to pick up every student that struggled getting to first block on time. and while it seems to be getting even more rare, i love me some good, quality shut-eye.
on wednesdays the kids leave at 12:35 PM so that we can have collaboration time with our departments, committees, and all together as a faculty for our staff meetings once a month. which are THREE HOURS long. i'm going to be totally honest...it is painful. i actually would detest them a lot more if i didn't get to sit next to some of my dearest teacher friends. my dear friend that is also in my department was snoozing peacefully through the first presentation. the woman sitting next to me was getting worked into a frenzy over the testing schedule in two weeks, and others were participating with varied levels of interest. it is during my faculty meetings that i remember (or experience for the first time) what it is like to be a student, in a class that i don't have much interest in with a teacher that i have no connection with. THAT experience is such a valuable reminder to me. this particular meeting was not a normal, scheduled meeting, but was more of a "surprise" to discuss and vote upon how things will run next year. boo. i was less than enthused. i ended up not leaving campus until after 8. i try and not be here after dark, as it makes me kind of a nervous nelly.
once i got everything loaded into the classroom i remembered that many of the kids probably didn't finish the boatload of chapter work i'd assigned over the past 2 days. i'm a big fan of consistency. especially in establishing rules and expectations with my students. i wanted them to be able to cook, but i didn't want 3/4 of the class to have to do make-ups and so i just switched my thinking a bit. i decided to let the handful of students who HAD finished all their work bake some of the ready made dough i had in the freezer. this worked out wonderfully! it rewarded my overachievers and also, the love of all things cookie lit a fire under some of my chatty or less than exemplary students. i was pleased.
one of my TA's came in during yearbook. he is a i hadn't seen him since before sprint break. he had had attendance problems, which he attributed to not having a ride, prior to getting access to a car. when i said hello and then asked him where he'd been he just said, "times is tough, ms booth," with a warm, unsure smile. i couldn't help but laugh. "times are tough? what...tough to get out of bed in the morning? (i normally have him first block)" "nah. i just don have a ride..." "ohhhh. thats right. where do you live?" "i stay at..." and then he described where he lived. "ohhh. i guess that is far away..." genuinely trying to figure out how far away it was. he started to laugh, and said, "yah...it FAR." newsflash: its not far at all. "like a 15 min walk, far?" he agreed. at that moment, i wished that it was socially and morally appropriate for me to drive to their homes and pick up these students in the morning and bring them to school with me. it, however, is not. i suppose i'm a bit relieved about that as well. i'd have to get up REALLY early to pick up every student that struggled getting to first block on time. and while it seems to be getting even more rare, i love me some good, quality shut-eye.
on wednesdays the kids leave at 12:35 PM so that we can have collaboration time with our departments, committees, and all together as a faculty for our staff meetings once a month. which are THREE HOURS long. i'm going to be totally honest...it is painful. i actually would detest them a lot more if i didn't get to sit next to some of my dearest teacher friends. my dear friend that is also in my department was snoozing peacefully through the first presentation. the woman sitting next to me was getting worked into a frenzy over the testing schedule in two weeks, and others were participating with varied levels of interest. it is during my faculty meetings that i remember (or experience for the first time) what it is like to be a student, in a class that i don't have much interest in with a teacher that i have no connection with. THAT experience is such a valuable reminder to me. this particular meeting was not a normal, scheduled meeting, but was more of a "surprise" to discuss and vote upon how things will run next year. boo. i was less than enthused. i ended up not leaving campus until after 8. i try and not be here after dark, as it makes me kind of a nervous nelly.
14 April 2009
survey says...
i was ready for lunch when the bell rang. sometimes i lock my door just to have a moment of peace and quiet, since i am without a prep period during the day. today wasn't bad, but i had quite a few things i needed to get done during that 40 minutes. one of which was eat. then i got the following email open from my little sister phone, "are you at your comp?" i replied that i was when i got the following, "if you love me, you will fill these out quickly. i have an assignment due in half hour. :)LOVE YOU" she had given me a number of questions to fill out. i'm copying a few of the questions and answers here because i think its fun.
What do you enjoy about your profession--i love my students. i love their energy, enthusiasm and personality. i love that my work day flies by, and that i am excited to come to work almost every day. i love that there is never a dull moment. i love that i get to spend 8 hours a day with teenagers. i love that i get to work independently.
What is a typical day like in your profession--
1.get to school 2. bring in groceries 3.give recipe instructions 4.start cooking 5. finish cooking 6. supervise the cleaning of kitchens 7. collect written work dismiss class. repeat steps 3-7 for each class period. 40 minute lunch. (im hecka glad i get to fill this out on my lunch) school is out at 3:06. usually organize, grocery shop, grade until about 5, sometimes later if yearbook has deadlines to meet or if there are meetings after school.
Is your profession easy/hard on family/married life --as a single girl, its great. i get nights and weekends off, but can still go in if i want or need to do extra work in my classroom. summers off. holidays off. very rad. a very real difficulty i can see in a married or family situation for this profession is that you are very emotionally exhausted by the end of the day. i feel like i put so much into my students that i often don't have any of "me" or love or attention or enthusiasm left for anyone else at the end of the day.
How does your profession contribute to overall quality of life. my students are the best part of my life. they make me laugh and make me want to do all that i can to help provide important lessons & experiences that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
teaching rocks.
and so does your oldest sister. =)
love you. "
while i was excited for my lunch, i was even more excited for it to be over and have my kids back when the bell rang after i did this little exercise in career appreciation. my job seriously rocks.
What do you enjoy about your profession--i love my students. i love their energy, enthusiasm and personality. i love that my work day flies by, and that i am excited to come to work almost every day. i love that there is never a dull moment. i love that i get to spend 8 hours a day with teenagers. i love that i get to work independently.
What is a typical day like in your profession--
1.get to school 2. bring in groceries 3.give recipe instructions 4.start cooking 5. finish cooking 6. supervise the cleaning of kitchens 7. collect written work dismiss class. repeat steps 3-7 for each class period. 40 minute lunch. (im hecka glad i get to fill this out on my lunch) school is out at 3:06. usually organize, grocery shop, grade until about 5, sometimes later if yearbook has deadlines to meet or if there are meetings after school.
Is your profession easy/hard on family/married life --as a single girl, its great. i get nights and weekends off, but can still go in if i want or need to do extra work in my classroom. summers off. holidays off. very rad. a very real difficulty i can see in a married or family situation for this profession is that you are very emotionally exhausted by the end of the day. i feel like i put so much into my students that i often don't have any of "me" or love or attention or enthusiasm left for anyone else at the end of the day.
How does your profession contribute to overall quality of life. my students are the best part of my life. they make me laugh and make me want to do all that i can to help provide important lessons & experiences that will benefit them for the rest of their lives.
teaching rocks.
and so does your oldest sister. =)
love you. "
while i was excited for my lunch, i was even more excited for it to be over and have my kids back when the bell rang after i did this little exercise in career appreciation. my job seriously rocks.
day forty two: drumroll and "an F in cooking?"
today was...you guessed it. more catch up written work. i really didn't think i was one of THOSE teachers. but apparently, recently, i've realized through this daily recording business, sometimes, i am.
however, drumroll please.....
the yearbook is completely submitted!! those five words exponentially increased my patience, energy and drive for the rest of this school year. i'm finally looking forward! hallelujah. i was starting to feel like this:
now i feel like i can breathe. i feel like i can enjoy and focus on my kids, and put ALL my energy into helping them have good times in the kitchen (without a lot of bookwork) for the rest of the year. yay for high school home ec class.
i had the kids submit ideas for things they wanted to learn how to cook before the end of the year. i always love hearing their ideas, because it helps give me some direction on what to plan, but also its just plain entertaining. despite reminding them to be descriptive so that i can get a good idea of what they would like to do, i still get submissions like, "i don care. good stuff," and "something good." always so entertaining. i did come up with a pretty good list of suggestions from them though.
as i was running through instructions for the days activities, i mentioned that report cards should be arriving home next week. we talked about the projects that they are going to have due over the next two months, and how it is imperative for them to turn in their work or they were going to fail my class, and that "Really? An F in cooking?" as i said so, i apparently glanced in the direction of this dear student. i didn't think anything of it until he countered, "what? miss, why you look at me," it caught me totally off guard, and i just started to laugh. "i wasn't! you looked at me," i replied. "no, you looked at me when you said that," and i just said, "well...." and totally lost it and started laughing. he did too. then the class did too. then he just as said, "ahhhh....miss...."
however, drumroll please.....
the yearbook is completely submitted!! those five words exponentially increased my patience, energy and drive for the rest of this school year. i'm finally looking forward! hallelujah. i was starting to feel like this:
now i feel like i can breathe. i feel like i can enjoy and focus on my kids, and put ALL my energy into helping them have good times in the kitchen (without a lot of bookwork) for the rest of the year. yay for high school home ec class.
i had the kids submit ideas for things they wanted to learn how to cook before the end of the year. i always love hearing their ideas, because it helps give me some direction on what to plan, but also its just plain entertaining. despite reminding them to be descriptive so that i can get a good idea of what they would like to do, i still get submissions like, "i don care. good stuff," and "something good." always so entertaining. i did come up with a pretty good list of suggestions from them though.
as i was running through instructions for the days activities, i mentioned that report cards should be arriving home next week. we talked about the projects that they are going to have due over the next two months, and how it is imperative for them to turn in their work or they were going to fail my class, and that "Really? An F in cooking?" as i said so, i apparently glanced in the direction of this dear student. i didn't think anything of it until he countered, "what? miss, why you look at me," it caught me totally off guard, and i just started to laugh. "i wasn't! you looked at me," i replied. "no, you looked at me when you said that," and i just said, "well...." and totally lost it and started laughing. he did too. then the class did too. then he just as said, "ahhhh....miss...."
13 April 2009
quotes of the day
thank you brother. them dead presidents always runnin. --sax player on the overpass after the warrior game
and
its a recession special.-- a warrior fan commenting on the cheap hat prices
and
its a recession special.-- a warrior fan commenting on the cheap hat prices
day forty three: forgetful welcome back with a side order of munchies
i got to school today quite tired from getting in late from the airport the night before. the diet coke i had for breakfast (bleh) helped a little though.
i scheduled a computer day before the break so that the kids could print recipes for their cookbooks. it also worked out to be a great opportunity for me to edit and make the final submissions for our yearbook. (side note: holy smokes. i will be SOOO glad when its all finally done.)
first block went by, no wrinkles, and as second block started in on the days explanation when i realized that i never welcomed my first block back. normally on mondays after the weekend or after a vacation i always welcome them back and tell them i hoped they'd had a nice time, good weekend, etc. nothing big, and i didn't even ever really thinkg about it until i forgot to do it. then it struck me...i won't get that opportunity again. in the rush of the mornings activities i missed an opportunity to do something, even as little as an excited, "welcome back!" and i wasn't going to have that chance again. it was an interesting feeling.
i had them finish up some written work from when i had a sub before the break, and then we headed over to the computer lab. sometimes they are so funny when we get over there. they carry on and go on and on and on about how they can't log in, how their computer isn't working, etc etc etc... and so when i go over to help them individually, there is no problem. first try, logged in, ready to go. it makes me laugh and wonder whether or not they even tried on their own in the first place. it is especially funny when they are particularly dramatic and vocal about how, "these computers never work," or "i hate this school" or "i can't do this assignment..." blah blah blah...and then the computer works. its always so funny.
my computer was running INCREDIBLY slow, and so i was sooo glad i had planned to use the computer lab with the kids. our site computer tech came and looked at my PC, and got it running a bit faster, and i was incredibly grateful.
my yearbook class is only 4 students, and during my "prep period" and i often delve into the drawer at the right of my desk for any type of snackies i stashed in there. to my credit, whenever i do snack, i always offer my kids some also. anyways, it kind of just warmed my heart when one of my yearbook kids came up to my desk and said, "yo ms. booth. you got anything for me to snack on?"
i scheduled a computer day before the break so that the kids could print recipes for their cookbooks. it also worked out to be a great opportunity for me to edit and make the final submissions for our yearbook. (side note: holy smokes. i will be SOOO glad when its all finally done.)
first block went by, no wrinkles, and as second block started in on the days explanation when i realized that i never welcomed my first block back. normally on mondays after the weekend or after a vacation i always welcome them back and tell them i hoped they'd had a nice time, good weekend, etc. nothing big, and i didn't even ever really thinkg about it until i forgot to do it. then it struck me...i won't get that opportunity again. in the rush of the mornings activities i missed an opportunity to do something, even as little as an excited, "welcome back!" and i wasn't going to have that chance again. it was an interesting feeling.
i had them finish up some written work from when i had a sub before the break, and then we headed over to the computer lab. sometimes they are so funny when we get over there. they carry on and go on and on and on about how they can't log in, how their computer isn't working, etc etc etc... and so when i go over to help them individually, there is no problem. first try, logged in, ready to go. it makes me laugh and wonder whether or not they even tried on their own in the first place. it is especially funny when they are particularly dramatic and vocal about how, "these computers never work," or "i hate this school" or "i can't do this assignment..." blah blah blah...and then the computer works. its always so funny.
my computer was running INCREDIBLY slow, and so i was sooo glad i had planned to use the computer lab with the kids. our site computer tech came and looked at my PC, and got it running a bit faster, and i was incredibly grateful.
my yearbook class is only 4 students, and during my "prep period" and i often delve into the drawer at the right of my desk for any type of snackies i stashed in there. to my credit, whenever i do snack, i always offer my kids some also. anyways, it kind of just warmed my heart when one of my yearbook kids came up to my desk and said, "yo ms. booth. you got anything for me to snack on?"
12 April 2009
quote of the day
nicole says the reason you go commando is because you are a democrat. --kristin (for the record, they were not referring to me)
11 April 2009
quotes of the day
tough times don't last, tough people do. --gregory peck
and
for total sex goddess hair, use 4-5 handfuls. --my lovely bethany on a newly recommended hair product
and
for total sex goddess hair, use 4-5 handfuls. --my lovely bethany on a newly recommended hair product
10 April 2009
09 April 2009
quotes of the day
the best thing a child can have is happy, fulfilled parents who are deeply in love.
and
when it rains on you, brign out the slip & slide.
and
when it rains on you, brign out the slip & slide.
07 April 2009
quote of the day
i should go bald to the zoo. just so i can watch people try to not stare at me. --she who shall not be named
06 April 2009
commercial madness
i love college basketball. there is hardly a sound i love more than sneaker squeaks on hardwood floor. and there is just something exhilarating about watching a flawlessly executed play. it is just pretty. and march madness? it is excellent. even when i haven't watched all season, i fill out a bracket, and sometimes i do quite well. but that is beside the point. the point is, i love me a good basketball game. the excitement and intensity. which is why the finals are so entertaining for me.
this year, however, i have to admit, it was hard to even focus. maybe that is because UNC wiped the floor with michigan. and held a steady, embarrassingly confident lead the entire game. my favorite parts of watching the finals this year were:
1. watching a majority with em & sean
2. that my mom & dad patiently waited and taped the game for me.
3. rewatching the game with my rad sister
4. absolutely, 100% being more entertained by the commercials than the game itself.
seriously?
and this one?
hahahahah. silly bobby knight.
then i remembered this one, and even though it wasn't shown tonight, i still felt it was bloggable.
my favorite is the couch rolling feet kicking at the end. i watched it a handful of times tonight and about passed away laughing every time.
so, my dear college sneaker squeaks, i bid you adieu until next season. i can't wait. however, i am crossing my fingers for a much closer, more exciting finals game. i may just put the march madness highlight tape on my birthday list, just to hold me over. a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.
this year, however, i have to admit, it was hard to even focus. maybe that is because UNC wiped the floor with michigan. and held a steady, embarrassingly confident lead the entire game. my favorite parts of watching the finals this year were:
1. watching a majority with em & sean
2. that my mom & dad patiently waited and taped the game for me.
3. rewatching the game with my rad sister
4. absolutely, 100% being more entertained by the commercials than the game itself.
seriously?
and this one?
hahahahah. silly bobby knight.
then i remembered this one, and even though it wasn't shown tonight, i still felt it was bloggable.
my favorite is the couch rolling feet kicking at the end. i watched it a handful of times tonight and about passed away laughing every time.
so, my dear college sneaker squeaks, i bid you adieu until next season. i can't wait. however, i am crossing my fingers for a much closer, more exciting finals game. i may just put the march madness highlight tape on my birthday list, just to hold me over. a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do.
05 April 2009
quotes of the day
dont lose me. --darling michelley as we got up to leave the conference center
and
i will build all your chapels. and you will fill them, kolipoki --feki
and
hurrah for israel --kolipoki & feki (this might be one of my favorite movie moments ever)
and
i will build all your chapels. and you will fill them, kolipoki --feki
and
hurrah for israel --kolipoki & feki (this might be one of my favorite movie moments ever)
quote of the day
yah....you know that girl he went on a "roadtrip" with? she looks like a smoker. and a PE teacher. --nicole
04 April 2009
quote of the day
...warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. --carl jung
03 April 2009
day forty four: apple crisp, perception & past experience
because i hadn't planned on being out yesterday, i didn't prep the room accordingly, or check the supplies in the kitchen to figure out what i would need to pick up at the grocery store. i couldn't bear the thought of having them do written work AGAIN, on a friday, when they have been so cooperative and hard working this week. so i decided that we would make "apple crisp" and then serve vanilla ice cream over the top. it was a fairly easy recipe, and even though it took at least 1/2 hour to bake, i was sure we'd have enough time to finish, and get things cleaned and put away for spring break. i was in and out of the grocery store in about 12 minutes with 4 gallons of ice cream, 3 packages of oatmeal, 5 boxes of butter and 8 5 lb bags of granny smith apples. i got it all loaded into the car and realized, despite leaving at 715, would be cutting my morning commute entirely too close, once again. i was sure i would get to school in enough time, but then all the groceries would take me at least 4-5 trips to do on my own. normally in these circumstances i just give my keys to a couple of my dear students and send them out to the parking lot to load up and bring in the groceries. since george & i had switched cars while attempting to get mine serviced, (thank you, george) and so i didn't quite feel OK about throwing the kids HIS keys. i had hoped that the big blue truck that normally pulls in at the same time as me would be pulling in as well, but they weren't. so, loaded up with as much of the perishable stuff as i could carry and headed in. i dropped off the stuff and headed back for another load. this time the blue truck was there, full of all my past students.
"good morning guys!"
"good morning ms. booth..."
"hey, would you guys do me a huge favor? could you please help me bring in some of this stuff? i can't manage it all by myself."
"of course ms. booth."
"awesome. you guys are the best."
and they are. they helped me load everything in, and we were set and ready to go before the bell rang. i ran back to the classroom to print out the recipes so the kids could get going immediately. my desk was different. it always is when i get back after having a sub. i dont like that. im a bit territorial. my computer was on. i suppose i forgot to log out before i left on wednesday. when i click the screen saver off, i noticed a bunch of unfamiliar internet windows at the bottom of the screen. hate group maps and intelligence reports and incident history. many were religious organization including fundamentalist latter day saints. i didn't have more than about 30 seconds to look it over, but it was interesting nonetheless. its always a little unsettling to see anything negative associated with the words "latter day saints." it also seemed to be a bit of coincidence. the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if he, my sub, saw the book of mormon in my desk and was leaving the windows open as some sort of warning letting me know he knew who i was? or at least that he thought he knew? i was kicking myself for leaving my computer logged in. anything he decided to peruse on the internet that day would be under MY history. rats.
we got all the apple crisps in the oven and started wiping the kitchen down. one of the kids asked about the rally schedule for that day....rats. again. i forgot about the rally at the end of the day that would cut each of our blocks by about 25 minutes. we hurriedly kept cleaning. then i heard, "we have hot water!" by one of my dear students. "MS BOOTH!!! WE HAVE HOT WATER!" i tested the water in some of the other kitchens, and sure enough, every kitchen had hot water. we haven't had hot water in our kitchens for over year, and so we were all so pleased. we normally have to boil water on the stove like the "olden days," to wash dishes and clean at the end of the block. i can't tell you how giddy having hot water made not only me, my the kids as well. they were so excited to wash the dishes!
the apple crisp & ice cream lab was a hit, as it should have been. despite the shortened block, everyone finished in enough time to enjoy their food and get their kitchens clean. it was great. when the bell rang it was a flurry of "have a great break" and "see you next monday" and "have such a great time," "see you soon," and "please be safe." its always hard not to see them every day. i worry. i worry less when i tell them to, "be safe." not because i think they'll listen necessarily, but because i want them to hear that what goes on with them outside of the classroom still matters to me. because it does. because they matter.
right after 3rd block i jumped back in my car and headed to pick up 15 more cases of cookie dough to shove in our freezer and use for our fundraising. (again, thank you tanner) i let security know that i would be a few minutes late coming back and if they could please keep an eye on my two yearbook TA's that were struggling to make the deadline that would be fantastic. "we aint sayin a thing. we be lockin it down, baby." or something to that effect. check, check.
i got back about 15 minutes into the block and we all hurriedly worked on the yearbook. 4th block finished and it was time for the rally. i sent the kids and stayed working on page arrangements and layouts and such. the rallies tend to get pretty loud, and so when i heard screaming, i didn't think anything of it at first. then, the screaming started getting louder and i heard crying as well. then i heard a man yelling and something get slammed up against the door right outside my door. i peeked out to find that the slamming noise was the result of a hysterical, screaming girl getting pressed up against the door by an officer from the hayward police department. she was a wreck. crying and yelling and fighting. the officer was cuffing her with one hand, pressing her face to the door with the other, and telling her to calm down. she kept going on about her dad, hysterically, how she couldn't live with out him, and that they couldn't take him away again. even with the officer restraining her and telling her to calm down, she seemed inconsolable. i couldn't figure out what was going on. she wasn't angry. she didn't look like she had just been in a fight--which is what i would have guessed the restraint was for otherwise. i stepped back inside and then heard security & admin radios going off calling for back up, and directing other campus officials where to direct the ambulance...
WHAT???
so i stepped back into the hallway just to see if they needed any help. HPD was off with the other commotion by this point. apparently what happened was this little girls dad, showed up on campus and did not check in with the office, blah blah blah. some how, some disturbance came about, and the little girl saw the officers cuffing her dad. she flipped. apparently, he just recently "got out" and she was panicking that he was going to get "locked up" again. absolutely inconsolable. poor thing. i realized at that point she was being cuffed and restrained for her own protection, so that she didn't do something drastic in her crazy, emotional state that would endanger herself or others that would the necessitate the officers using greater levels of force or restraint. what i didn't see, but heard about shortly after is that when this dear student started to scream and cry, her boyfriend came running out to "take care" of things. somehow, he ended up fighting two of our security officers. he also wound up cuffed, bloodied and restrained on the ground by HPD. i've seen him around before. had him in my class. never had a problem with him.
it was interesting to reflect on the days events. when i see a police officer, i feel safer. when he tells me to do something, i do it. without cuffs. because trust him. how i might feel differently if i had watched my dad get dragged away, loaded into the back of a car and locked away for who knows how long. how i might respond differently if i didn't trust these uniformed men i saw them restraining someone that i loved, while she was screaming. i'm not condoning the behavior of my students, or anything that would warrant an unfavorable incident with a police officer, i'm just saying it made me think a lot of perception and past experience, and how that seasons every reaction we have.
"good morning guys!"
"good morning ms. booth..."
"hey, would you guys do me a huge favor? could you please help me bring in some of this stuff? i can't manage it all by myself."
"of course ms. booth."
"awesome. you guys are the best."
and they are. they helped me load everything in, and we were set and ready to go before the bell rang. i ran back to the classroom to print out the recipes so the kids could get going immediately. my desk was different. it always is when i get back after having a sub. i dont like that. im a bit territorial. my computer was on. i suppose i forgot to log out before i left on wednesday. when i click the screen saver off, i noticed a bunch of unfamiliar internet windows at the bottom of the screen. hate group maps and intelligence reports and incident history. many were religious organization including fundamentalist latter day saints. i didn't have more than about 30 seconds to look it over, but it was interesting nonetheless. its always a little unsettling to see anything negative associated with the words "latter day saints." it also seemed to be a bit of coincidence. the conspiracy theorist in me wonders if he, my sub, saw the book of mormon in my desk and was leaving the windows open as some sort of warning letting me know he knew who i was? or at least that he thought he knew? i was kicking myself for leaving my computer logged in. anything he decided to peruse on the internet that day would be under MY history. rats.
we got all the apple crisps in the oven and started wiping the kitchen down. one of the kids asked about the rally schedule for that day....rats. again. i forgot about the rally at the end of the day that would cut each of our blocks by about 25 minutes. we hurriedly kept cleaning. then i heard, "we have hot water!" by one of my dear students. "MS BOOTH!!! WE HAVE HOT WATER!" i tested the water in some of the other kitchens, and sure enough, every kitchen had hot water. we haven't had hot water in our kitchens for over year, and so we were all so pleased. we normally have to boil water on the stove like the "olden days," to wash dishes and clean at the end of the block. i can't tell you how giddy having hot water made not only me, my the kids as well. they were so excited to wash the dishes!
the apple crisp & ice cream lab was a hit, as it should have been. despite the shortened block, everyone finished in enough time to enjoy their food and get their kitchens clean. it was great. when the bell rang it was a flurry of "have a great break" and "see you next monday" and "have such a great time," "see you soon," and "please be safe." its always hard not to see them every day. i worry. i worry less when i tell them to, "be safe." not because i think they'll listen necessarily, but because i want them to hear that what goes on with them outside of the classroom still matters to me. because it does. because they matter.
right after 3rd block i jumped back in my car and headed to pick up 15 more cases of cookie dough to shove in our freezer and use for our fundraising. (again, thank you tanner) i let security know that i would be a few minutes late coming back and if they could please keep an eye on my two yearbook TA's that were struggling to make the deadline that would be fantastic. "we aint sayin a thing. we be lockin it down, baby." or something to that effect. check, check.
i got back about 15 minutes into the block and we all hurriedly worked on the yearbook. 4th block finished and it was time for the rally. i sent the kids and stayed working on page arrangements and layouts and such. the rallies tend to get pretty loud, and so when i heard screaming, i didn't think anything of it at first. then, the screaming started getting louder and i heard crying as well. then i heard a man yelling and something get slammed up against the door right outside my door. i peeked out to find that the slamming noise was the result of a hysterical, screaming girl getting pressed up against the door by an officer from the hayward police department. she was a wreck. crying and yelling and fighting. the officer was cuffing her with one hand, pressing her face to the door with the other, and telling her to calm down. she kept going on about her dad, hysterically, how she couldn't live with out him, and that they couldn't take him away again. even with the officer restraining her and telling her to calm down, she seemed inconsolable. i couldn't figure out what was going on. she wasn't angry. she didn't look like she had just been in a fight--which is what i would have guessed the restraint was for otherwise. i stepped back inside and then heard security & admin radios going off calling for back up, and directing other campus officials where to direct the ambulance...
WHAT???
so i stepped back into the hallway just to see if they needed any help. HPD was off with the other commotion by this point. apparently what happened was this little girls dad, showed up on campus and did not check in with the office, blah blah blah. some how, some disturbance came about, and the little girl saw the officers cuffing her dad. she flipped. apparently, he just recently "got out" and she was panicking that he was going to get "locked up" again. absolutely inconsolable. poor thing. i realized at that point she was being cuffed and restrained for her own protection, so that she didn't do something drastic in her crazy, emotional state that would endanger herself or others that would the necessitate the officers using greater levels of force or restraint. what i didn't see, but heard about shortly after is that when this dear student started to scream and cry, her boyfriend came running out to "take care" of things. somehow, he ended up fighting two of our security officers. he also wound up cuffed, bloodied and restrained on the ground by HPD. i've seen him around before. had him in my class. never had a problem with him.
it was interesting to reflect on the days events. when i see a police officer, i feel safer. when he tells me to do something, i do it. without cuffs. because trust him. how i might feel differently if i had watched my dad get dragged away, loaded into the back of a car and locked away for who knows how long. how i might respond differently if i didn't trust these uniformed men i saw them restraining someone that i loved, while she was screaming. i'm not condoning the behavior of my students, or anything that would warrant an unfavorable incident with a police officer, i'm just saying it made me think a lot of perception and past experience, and how that seasons every reaction we have.
quote of the day
lumpia....lets go. only 2 for $1.....2 for a dolla make ya holla !!!--my counterpart's PA system announcement of our freshman class lumpia fundraiser
02 April 2009
day forty five: advising remotely as a sicky giraffe
the giraffe is back. =(
so today i was grateful for technology. (and comfy pajamas, but mostly technology) i was able to still advise and direct my yearbook students via instant messenger chats and cell phone conversations. all from the comfort of my bed, under the covers with my laptop wearing one of my many matching jammie sets. while i was mess, it was not a bad set-up.
quote of the day
better keep yourself clean and bright. you are the window through which you must see the world.--george bernard shaw
01 April 2009
day forty six: merciful deals & the career fair.
more book work today. still getting caught up. they are so patient. i suppose cooking all last week helped hold them over this week. im glad for that. with the help of my dear TAs i got all my grades finished, entered and updated. then printed, and updated on the official scantrons blah blah blah. submitting grades is a funny experience for me. its always so interesting how there can be such a variance in achievement. THIS IS COOKING. if you come to class, on time, every day and participate, then you'll pass. its pretty simple. only apparently, its not.
its always frustrating when i have students that i have sat down with and spoken with about their grades. let them know they are failing and then asked them what they'd like to do about it. i tell them that i am willing to do whatever i can to help them pass, but whether or not that happens lies totally in their hands. if they want to work, i will help them. if they don't want to put the effort in, then we just agree to try harder next term. some really care, and work and pass. some really care, but don't work, and fail.
i have the same inner conflict every time grades are due. yes, the justice vs. mercy debate is a gospel based discussion, but i think it is applicable in a classroom setting as well. in college, i decided that i would be a stickler. i would be just. i would be fair. i would be consistent. i would be clear and i would be just. my students would know what to expect. there would be no guesswork involved with tardies. with attendance. with late work. with extra credit. i felt it my absolute calling to teach each student that i came in contact with responsibility. to teach them that there are consequences, good or bad, for every decision that they make. but that the consequence is completely dependent upon THEM. not some outside, unseen force. and that no amount of whining or complaining or excuses will change the originally understood onsequence. if you walk in after the bell, you are tardy. if you don't come to class, you are marked absent. if you don't put your name on your paper, you don't get credit. if you don't turn your work in on time, you lose points. if you don't turn your work in ever, you fail. to plan to hold tightly to these ideals made so much sense.
then, however, i actually started teaching. and understanding the need for considering things on an individual basis. because, quite honestly, each student is an individual. an individual that needs to learn that every action does indeed have a consequence, but a person with individual circumstances that could very much affect their ability (or inability) to meet certain ideals, practices or standards. sometimes i give in. sometimes i'm a softy.
today, my dear student that has missed more classes than she has attended and i had a chat. another one. seeing that grade folder does funny things. she began turning in makeup work. she expressed her frustration about her less than exemplary grade. i expressed my frustration in her spotty attendance. "i can't give you a grade if you are never here." and "i can't give you a grade for work you've never turned in." she expressed her difficulty in waking up in the morning. and so, i made her a deal. we decided that if she could get to class on time for the entire month of april, i would let her make up the assignments she missed, and then, once she submitted those, i would change her grade. she agreed.
this gave me a bit of stress. am i a softy? maybe. should i have just let the poor grade in my class mar her hopes of getting a 4.0? maybe. but i didn't. i made a deal instead. a deal that i hope will teach her that she CAN actually get out of bed. she said she would do it, because its important. i hope that she does.
we had a college fair today after school. it was great fun telling my students all the cool things about BYU...snowboarding, segregated dorms, no drugs or alcohol. very much NOT a party school. a religious environment. etc etc etc. in response to the "not a party school" comment, one of my dear students asked, "like, are you allowed to hang out and stuff?" i told her of course, and that there were always fun things to do and cool activities to go to. that you just never had to worry about things getting too crazy or out of hand. she agreed that was pretty cool. another dear student came by and chatted with me about the school for about 5 minutes. (trust me, this is impressive) i told that i hoped he'd look into it further. he latched onto the idea of going to a church associated school. he is such a kind, good kid. i hope he does look into it further.
its always frustrating when i have students that i have sat down with and spoken with about their grades. let them know they are failing and then asked them what they'd like to do about it. i tell them that i am willing to do whatever i can to help them pass, but whether or not that happens lies totally in their hands. if they want to work, i will help them. if they don't want to put the effort in, then we just agree to try harder next term. some really care, and work and pass. some really care, but don't work, and fail.
i have the same inner conflict every time grades are due. yes, the justice vs. mercy debate is a gospel based discussion, but i think it is applicable in a classroom setting as well. in college, i decided that i would be a stickler. i would be just. i would be fair. i would be consistent. i would be clear and i would be just. my students would know what to expect. there would be no guesswork involved with tardies. with attendance. with late work. with extra credit. i felt it my absolute calling to teach each student that i came in contact with responsibility. to teach them that there are consequences, good or bad, for every decision that they make. but that the consequence is completely dependent upon THEM. not some outside, unseen force. and that no amount of whining or complaining or excuses will change the originally understood onsequence. if you walk in after the bell, you are tardy. if you don't come to class, you are marked absent. if you don't put your name on your paper, you don't get credit. if you don't turn your work in on time, you lose points. if you don't turn your work in ever, you fail. to plan to hold tightly to these ideals made so much sense.
then, however, i actually started teaching. and understanding the need for considering things on an individual basis. because, quite honestly, each student is an individual. an individual that needs to learn that every action does indeed have a consequence, but a person with individual circumstances that could very much affect their ability (or inability) to meet certain ideals, practices or standards. sometimes i give in. sometimes i'm a softy.
today, my dear student that has missed more classes than she has attended and i had a chat. another one. seeing that grade folder does funny things. she began turning in makeup work. she expressed her frustration about her less than exemplary grade. i expressed my frustration in her spotty attendance. "i can't give you a grade if you are never here." and "i can't give you a grade for work you've never turned in." she expressed her difficulty in waking up in the morning. and so, i made her a deal. we decided that if she could get to class on time for the entire month of april, i would let her make up the assignments she missed, and then, once she submitted those, i would change her grade. she agreed.
this gave me a bit of stress. am i a softy? maybe. should i have just let the poor grade in my class mar her hopes of getting a 4.0? maybe. but i didn't. i made a deal instead. a deal that i hope will teach her that she CAN actually get out of bed. she said she would do it, because its important. i hope that she does.
we had a college fair today after school. it was great fun telling my students all the cool things about BYU...snowboarding, segregated dorms, no drugs or alcohol. very much NOT a party school. a religious environment. etc etc etc. in response to the "not a party school" comment, one of my dear students asked, "like, are you allowed to hang out and stuff?" i told her of course, and that there were always fun things to do and cool activities to go to. that you just never had to worry about things getting too crazy or out of hand. she agreed that was pretty cool. another dear student came by and chatted with me about the school for about 5 minutes. (trust me, this is impressive) i told that i hoped he'd look into it further. he latched onto the idea of going to a church associated school. he is such a kind, good kid. i hope he does look into it further.
quotes of the day
oh...you've got me. whip me, beat me, make me write bad checks...--one of my fellow teachers in response to the cookie (thank you tanner) fundraiser. teachers are a funny breed.
and
you SO juiced i finished. --dear student who finally turned in her make up work
and
you SO juiced i finished. --dear student who finally turned in her make up work
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)