groceries fees & a closing prayer

one of my repeat students (who is in the 13th grade this year) just paid his class grocery fee.  which would be no big deal, except for the fact that last year he forgot every single day for twenty days straight.  it's not so much the $10 he brought, but the fact that he brought the fee, and produced it without even being reminder.  i'm kind of in shock.

today we talked about the self concept cycle.  one of my administrators popped in unexpectedly which made me a little nervous, but the children were attentive and seemed somewhat engaged.  i used a few video clips from http://www.forbetterlife.org/ and they seemed to really like them, and so that was enjoyable.  sometimes, when i'm lecturing and they are filling in their notetakers i feel like i get wrapped up in my own words and i don't want to postulate too much and bore them to death.  sometimes i feel like if i have a good 5 minutes of them listening, interacting and understanding out of the entire classroom period of working, speaking, interacting then that is a small battle won.  especially when we are talking about things like values and self respect.  today as i was reiterating HOW important it is to treat one another like the valuable, important individuals that we are.  sometimes when we talk about self esteem and i'm trying to get them to see how important their decisions and outlooks and attitudes are i feel kind of overcome.  i don't know if it's because i'm on roll or if i'm feeling the spirit.  it seems odd to think about feeling the spirit in a non-church setting, when talking about things that have nothing directly to do with the book of mormon or joseph smith, etc, but i swear it's happened quite a few times to me.  especially when we are talking about our bodies and the importance of taking care of them through nutritious foods and a healthy lifestyle.  and there were numerous times i almost closed my statement, "in the name of......"  it made me laugh and reminded me to remind myself i was quite far from a chapel, primary or seminary room.     

my last hour of the day today kind of tried me.  when i am explaining something, i have 2 students in particular that always raise their hands and say, "well, what about ________" or "what if _____________" to try and kindly disprove whatever i am trying to teach.  i have been able to hedge it off quickly so far, but it is super annoying, nonetheless.

razor scooter and an anklet

today the students finished up their "about me" collages during class.  they were stoked because that meant a lot of socializing and talking.  which is exactly what i wanted them to do.  the first couple of weeks it is SO important to me for them to develop positive relationships with the others students in class.  it makes for a lot easier transition when we start cooking.  anyhow, of course i had students that just wanted to talk and not do any work.  that part is so annoying. 

one student that i had last year (who showed up all of 3 times the entire semester) was put in my class again.  but, i must say, he has been in attendance every day for the last week.  (go him)  he, however, was one of my ones who would have preferred to have social hour without any work being involved.  when i asked him what he had completed, he didn't have much of anything to show, and expressed that that was unacceptable.  he said he was just going to do it at home.  that was followed by a very incredulous look from me.  "WHY would you wait to do it at home when I'm giving you time in class so you don't have homework."  "ms booth...."  and then he reached down and patted his ankle, "I HAVE to be at home.  I can't do anything except be at home and do my homework."  he was patting his special ankle bracelet that is actually a monitor from the court system for those teenagers who have been put on house arrest.  "that is wonderful!  that will keep you out of trouble too.  But, that doesn't mean you can do nothing in my class.  you still need to be working the entire time you are here." "awww....ms. booooothhhh....."  all whiney, annoyed teenage boy style.    this is also my student who was seen to be riding down the halls on a razor scooter the first few days of class.  house arrested, anklet wearing teenage boy who loves riding his razor scooter in the hallways. sometimes i wish i was an artist so that i create comic strips about the high school antics & hilarity that are ever present in my life.  that would be one awesome comic book.     

memorials, collages & planning

today when i walked into campus, i saw students setting up a think white table with a table cloth with a poster paper above it.  i cringed.   that is where student memorials have been set up in the past.  this is my 6th year teaching and i can remember at least four separate memorials.  the poster read "RIP steven"  and another one that read "team steven."  there were large candles and flowers and single starbursts and markers on the table for peers to leave parting words for their classmate.  i hesitantly glanced at the photos that were posted.  a darling, smiley teenage boy.  some with friends, some with family.  he was not one of my present or former students, but a student of our school.  he was so young.  he died on saturday, after fighting cancer for over a year.  i didn't know him, but he seems to be have been a positive, dearly loved young man.  after seeing many people suffer the effects of cancer, i'm glad he is no longer suffering from such a horrible disease, but sad that he was so young, and had only experienced a fraction of the life that his loved ones had hoped for him.  i'm sorry for their loss and grieving. 

i asked my students about him in first period, no one said much.  the principal made an announcement over the PA system, and we had a moment of silence for him. my students were all respectful and reverently observed the silence, and i saw one cross herself.  after the announcement, i chatted with them and let them know they could talk to me, and if they didn't want to talk to me i could write them a pass to go talk to their counselor.

when we lost a student in a train accident on the way to school a few years ago, it also took place at the beginning of the year, but a little bit farther in.  it was september.  it's hard to be taken seriously as a listening ear when you are still learning everyone's names.  

the day was fairly quiet.  the students worked on their "all about me" collages and proceeded to trash the magazine section of the bookshelf.  hooray for repeating myself a million times about trying to keep the stacks orderly.  sixth period was darling and helped restack, organize, sweep and put the room back together.  what gems. 

after school i lost track of time researching self-concept lesson resources and materials.  not having a state test or state curriculum is kind of awesome, but it also kind of crazy stressful because what i teach every day and the projects i create for my students to complete is solely dependent upon what i think is important for them to know.  sometimes i worry so much about trying to make semi-unrelated topics somewhat logically linked and sequential that it makes unit and semester planning really overwhelming.  i want our activities to be meaningful and inspiring, but sometimes i fear they will just speed through everything and not get it.  anyhoo, i'm excited for the stuff i found and for the general plan i came up with before i forced myself out of my classroom at 5.  

what a day.  

quote of the day

i love that guy--my dearest, speaking about the image of senator joe wilson when he popped up on TV.  (the senator, not my dearest george)

happy friday.

dear student:  what kind of quiz is this?  one where you put your own words? 

me:  mm hmm.

dear student:  oh.  i never had one of these.

 

awesome.  today was good.  we did more "housekeeping"  type classroom stuff.  ie, what to do during an earthquake, fire drill, lockdown, etc.  i finished with my last period of the day, speaking, giving instructions, etc, and 2 seconds later the bell rang.  it made me feel extremely accomplished.  much more so than finishing early and having 5 extra minutes at the end of class.  more getting to know you stuff as well.  my second period still only has eleven people in it.  i wish they'd hurry and fill it up.  oh well.  all in all, a good day.  the "hoochie" comment from admin over the loudspeaker was definitely a highlight.  the kids about died of shock.  it was awesome.  now, i'm off to make copies and enjoy my weekend.  happy friday, first week of school.  happy friday. 

quotes of the day

the way we dress sends a message about who we are.  if you do not want to be viewed as a thug or a hoochie, you shouldn't dress like one. --an administrator, over the PA system, addressing the entire campus. 

and

wanna see me do a hand stand?  hang on...--my dear george, before he dove under water to try and do handstand in the hot tub

quiet

another block day today.  3 periods, 2 before lunch, 1 after.  more bio poems & class policies.  i also ended up assigning everyone seats alphabetically, and it does WONDERS for classroom management at the beginning of the year.  i remember one of my professors telling me that would be the case back when i was in college, and i also remember silently promising i would never do that because i wanted my students to be able to sit wherever they wanted.  ha.  how things change. 

 

my 2nd period class is still SUPER small....there are only 10 students.  which would be awesome if that's how big they would keep it, but i know that won't be the case.  the have 15 days (now 13) to balance classes, and by balance, i mean cram them to their capacity.  it kind of takes the wind out of my "class policy lecture" sails knowing that less than a third of the students that would be in that class, and would need to hear the rules and policies at a later date.  so, instead, i let them work on their bio poems, we moved our cookbook library and textbooks, and then i let them watch cake boss.  not ideal, but at least my little voice got a break, and it will spare them having to hear the policies schpiel twice.   

 

lunch went by without a hitch.  at least until the last 5 minutes when rip, roaring fight broke out.  all i could hear was a lot of yelling and super loud shrieking.  it was haunting.  i looked out the window and saw a mob of students crowding and cheering and massing together, hands raised in the air to capture video on their cell phones, all whilst screaming.  everyone was mobbed so close together, all i could see were fists flying in the air.  it was sickening.  security rode up within seconds, honking the horn on their golf cart (an absolute Godsend for high school security teams) and diffused the mob.  i saw one of the two boys involved in the fight putting his clothing back on and wiping his face and getting his wits about him as he rode down to the office with the security guard.  it was sad, unnerving and very real.  the kids came in excitedly chattering about "who won."  bleh.  it's crazy that while only two boys were actually swinging at one another, it was a "school event" because all of the students LOVE watching and cheering and chanting while its happening.     

 

after lunch i did my intro presentation and policies schpiel last hour, and it took us right up until the bell.  and the bell rang, and now it is quiet.  gloriously quiet. 

straight up gangsta.

today was a block day, which means i had two groups of my little darlings for almost an entire two hours a pop.  they finished their bio poems, presented them to the class and listened to me pontificate about classroom procedures and policies.  they were riveted, i'm sure.  in all honesty, it was a great day.  i also had my prep today, which is always much appreciated on a block day.  i used it to go grab lunch (wahoo about the $5 sandwich deal at safeway, that has been keeping my dearest george fed this week as well) and then go through and sort files trying to plan for this new class, and brighten up and update the currculum for culinary skills. 

 

today was very productive, but my little voice is TIRED.  the first week of school my vocal cords get a serious workout.  too bad that can't be passed along to my middle section, although i am much more active now that schools in session than i was during the summer.  go figure.  cassandra pointed this out when i mentioned that i am STARVING all the time and she said, "well, because now you actually have to get out bed."  touche.  

 

 my dear student that smelled a little skunky yesterday was moved from my class.  BOO.  seriously?  he came by and said, "WHAT HAPPENED?  WHY DID THEY MOVE ME?"  i didn't know why, and im a little bummed they made him a TA for the football coach instead of leaving him in here.  it would have been a really great class for him.  i told him he was welcome to come by and cook anytime he had down time.  we'll see how that goes.  the other student, formerly referred to as "big slow" came today, and was NOT transferred out.  that made me glad.  he preseted his bio poem, and had a bit of a stuttering problem, but that did not stop him from sharing that he wanted to see "lots of sexy ladies"  and that he was an "honor roll student and straight up gangsta."  if that refocuses your view of him, it shouldn't.  i was shocked those words came out of his mouth, but he wasn't.  my 5th period class is almost entirely freshman.  i know that's what i asked for, but they are just SO different than my upper classmen.  i changed their seats and that helped incredibly.  funny how that works.    

first day

i survived.  totally calm, and i survived.  it is always odd having a new class of teenagers, and not knowing a single thing about them, to knowing that i will know them quite well by the end of the year.  for that reason, i LOVE year long classes.  it is also interesting to get a feel for who might give me trouble just based on how they act on the first day.  teenagers are like anyone else, and if they are uncomfortable or insecure, they act weird.  plain and simple.  and in translation, the teenage version of "weird" can be super annoying to deal with as an adult in an authority position.  it often involves them talking out of turn, making snide remarks, avoiding eye contact after being corrected, teasing other people, etc.  anyhow, i only had a few run-ins with weirdness today.  that was good. 

 

there is one student in particular am thrilled to have in class.  he would often stand by himself in the same place every day, about 50 ft from my old classroom door.  one of my dear colleagues mentioned that the kids called him "big slow."  that made me really sad, and so i'd always try to smile or make eye contact when i was out in the hallway, but was rarely able to.  so, yes, i'm excited he is in my class. 

 

another student from last year was a late addition to my class.  i was thrilled to see him come in, as he was one that i chatted with quite extensively about the stupidity of being involved in drugs and alcohol.  at the end of the year he told me he hadn't been involved in such things for a while.  my excitement faded a little when he walked past me and i got a whiff of that familiar sweet skunky aroma that is all too common in high schools.  weed is so lame, and it stinks.  i have a few familiar faces in my class that i've seen about campus quite regularly, but never in my class.  that will be fun to get to know them as more than a face.  one of my dear truant students who showed up a total of 3 times last year is in one of my life skills class.  how he was promoted a grade level when he failed my class i'll never understand.  anyhow, he greeted me (on his scooter in the hallway, no less)  with big toothy grin and a hug.  it made me laugh a little, because i'm shocked he even knew who i was having rarely even attended my class.  then, during class he mentioned i should give him a prize for coming to class every day.  i laughed and told him of course...and that a passing grade would have to suffice.  he laughed too, and said, um, yah.  i guesss. 

 

today the students worked on their bio poems and their 1 page letter to me, where they can tell me whatever they want about themselves, but it must take up a whole page without skipping lines or writing ridiculously large.  they often look at me as though i've just killed their dog when i mention the requirements.  sheesh, people.  but, this letter is so helpful in helping me see where their reading and writing abilities are, and i get to learn a lot about them right off the bat, which is SO helpful.  i'm sure this year will be interesting.  i'm excited for tomorrow.  and starving.   

teacher work day

so, in effort to remember and appreciate more, i'm going to try and blog more about the goings on of my school year.  hooray.  

our teacher work day was today.  i got there an hour and a half early to try and get a jump on the last of my beginning of the year copying and tech requests and it was great to get that out of the way before the staff meeting, which ran long, like it always does.  then i chatted with some of my admins about some ideas i have for my course this year.  i'm teaching 5 periods of life skills this semester, and i'm super excited about it.  thanks to cass, shawn & my dearest george, my classroom and desk area got arranged and ready to go this weekend.  after the meeting i got the rest of my posters put up, the desks cleaned, papers sorted  and a little more arranging and organizing done.  then i checked out my roll sheets for this semester after a momentary freak out that i didn't have the attendance software loaded on my new computer (that is so fast i feel like i've died and gone to heaven....its a far cry from the computer that i used to have to power on and then wait 15 minutes for it to start up)  i seriously sent an email to our tech guys that said "I DO NOT HAVE ZANGLE AND I AM PANICKING!!"  one of our guys came by my room around 430, after i realized that it was a web based program and not one loaded directly on the computer. (duh)  that would be fine if it were a new program, but it was the one i used all last year, i apparently just forgot about the web part.  anyhow, he came by and peeked into my room and just kind of laughed and said "panicking?"  i felt sheepish, and a little dramatic.  oh well.  

i also went up to the office to find out the district called in a sub for me tomorrow because they misplaced some of my hiring paperwork.  how lame.  so then i had to call down straighten that mess out.  it went something like this, "hi, i'm calling to check on my TB test resultsthatisubmittedtoyou2 weeksagobecausemyprincipalandsecretaryhavebeennotifiedandnowasubhasbeencalledtoreportformetomorrow."  she replied with:  "oh....uh....ok, i'll clear that up for you."  and that was nice.  

i noticed that i fill out requests and ask for help in a much different manner than i did when i first started teaching.  i used to involve lots of pleasantries and flowery greetings in my requests.  now they are very short and simple.  for example:  a maintenance request i filled out today looked like this:  "i need my bookshelf bolted to the wall immediately.  i am afraid it is going to fall over on a child."  no 'hey, how are you?  would you mind coming by?  i have some things i need looked at" and then my request followed with "thank you so much, i hope to see you soon.  i love our maintenance and custodial department.  they take such good care of me and all my facility needs.  but today with all the craziness coming out of all the teachers, i'm sure they appreciated my "to-the-pointness."  

on my way out of the office, i overheard the following:  i need to talk to (the principal).  so and so put a lock on the room and my stuff is in there.  he said he's not taking it off because all his stuff is in there and he can't move his stuff until the other so and so moves his stuff.  I need MY stuff!!  i looked over and it was not a student, but one of the new to us teachers.  poor guy.  

i looked over my roll sheets, and i only have 2 repeating students out of 175.  eep.  i like repeater students.  they are fun, and super helpful in class.  oh well.  i'm sure it will be OK.  i swear i am way more nervous about the first day of school as a teacher than i ever was as a student.  and sometimes, i swear i get more and more nervous every year.  that is totally counterintuitive, and i can't quite figure out why it is.  

quote of the day

Can you teach me how to braid tonight?  --email from my dearest george (not hair, but wires for a DIY speaker cable project)

quote of the day

...so back to the dumb a** bucket thing  -- cass