Fly Right

Today is the last day of school.  There are many things I would like to post--photos, the end-of-the-year slideshow, the quilt.  Most of it I can't show because it has identifying information on it.  

Instead, I will wish my little 8th Grade turkey-butts success and joy on their next adventure.  It is bittersweet to watch them go.  

The bitter part is mostly fear for their future.  They may not be ready.  They may not know everything.  They may fall on their little faces and not be able to get back up. 

The sweet part has some to with the fact that they have been crrrraaaayzeeeee  the last month or so and I'm barely hanging on.  The other half of the sweet part is that they have had small glimpses of light this week, and I feel like they may be ready to fly.  They just might enter high school with the skills they need and the desire to use those skills.  

Fly strong and fly right my kiddos...

"Boss"

Copying Carbon Neutrality

I have mentioned my superstar cousin's blog in at least one previous post--klt:sketchbook. While I have followed her career with interest and awe, have loved to watch her business grow and gain well-deserved recognition, and eagerly await each new creation from her company klt:works, I have now taken to just plain copying her. 

Each Monday she posts about music, and I think I've purchased something from each musician she has mentioned (at least the ones I don't already own--because anything else would be silly).  On Fridays she posts about fabric, and I drool  over her eye for fabric and color.

Today she posted about a website she found about making your blog or website carbon neutral (see post here).  It appears that by planting a tree for each blog or website, you can take a step towards mitigating the effects of said blog on the environment.  Now I'm all for our dear Mother Earth, so I went to the Make Your Blog Carbon Neutral website and found the following info:

“My blog is carbon neutral” is an initiative, originally started in Germany by the “Make it Green” programme, that has the goal to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. We plant a tree for your blog and thereby neutralise your blog’s carbon footprint for the next 50 years! Everyone can make a small contribution to the environment. Every tree counts!"


And then... I copied her shamelessly (I'll bet she won't mind if you do too).  And I know 'Ole Mama Gaia loves her some tress!

And what does this have to do with teaching?  Nuthin'. And I started four sentences in a row with "and" (excluding the one-word-doesn't-count sentence).  Put that in yer pipe and smoke it!

Quote of the Week #6

Student at lunch:

A: Boss, do I have rice in my ear?
Ms. M: (checks briefly for offending rice particle) Ummmm... nope...?

Caped Quilt

We are making our Second Annual End-of-the-Year Classroom Quilt (I see it needs a new name). I am unable to include photos because each student appliqued their name along with some personally meaningful symbols on their square.  I will, when it is done, try to take and crop photos so that you can see some of the detail work they have done.  It is quite impressive!  

In the meantime, take a gander at the caped teacher I am putting on mine.  I took this image:

And gussied it up a little using the patterns in the fabric:

Then I looked up narcissism and decided it only sort of applies in this case....

Lesson From My Pops

I have learned many lessons from my Pops.  I hear myself sounding like him on a daily basis in my classroom.  This morning, though, I remembered a lesson I learned while learning to drive.  Among other issues, I had a habit of forgetting to turn my headlights on as evening came on.  One day, Pops reminded me AGAIN to turn my headlights on.  I said I didn't think I needed them yet.  He thought for a minute, and then said that if I noticed two other cars with their headlights on, I would want to turn my own lights on.

I still use that rule while driving.  I was thinking this morning, though, that many cars these days have automatic lights that are on all day.  My two-cars rule might be obsolete, but I still use it when in doubt.

I would like to compare that to having a bad teaching day.  Perhaps the rule might be "if more than one student is suspended because of you, you might want to take a break."  If the thought "why are these students ALL being awful today?" goes through your head more than once, maybe there is something you are doing that is triggering it.  This is not a hard and fast rule (see future post on Rule #13: Beware the Full Moonies), but it is something to keep in mind.

Then I thought, similar to the automatic headlights on the roads today, student behaviors are also on "automatic."  It is tough to decide if the behavior is just "on automatic," or if they are caused by interactions in the classroom.  

I have no answer to this.  I was just thinking about it.  Any comments?

A Vignette...

The Scene: A classroom of middle school trouble-makers working on computers.  All is quiet (Really!  It was!  It was freetime so they were plugged-in and all quiet-like!),  Except, for R.  He has the hiccups...

Ms. M: Who has the hiccups?

Various Voices: R... It's R... R. has the hiccups.

R.:  Me... hiccup

Various Voices: You should cure them... R.--she can cure hiccups... Dude, cure his hiccups... It's one of her superpowers.

Ms. M: I can, but R. doesn't believe in my powers, so they don't work.

R.:  (scoffing noise) I believe.  Cure 'em.  

Another Student:  You really have to believe R.  Or it doesn't work.

R.: I believe!

Ms. M: I think, perhaps, I need my cape for this to work today.  You're a tough one R.(expectant silence whilst I don my cape and glittery red mask)* Are you ready? (Magic hiccup cure ensues...)**

R.:  ... (no hiccup)...  (mutters) Thanks.

Ms. M: (removing cape and mask, dusting off hands) That's how it's done my friends.

(smattering of applause... work resumes.)

*Blessings and many thanks to some fellow cape-wearers for the gift of this cape and mask.
 

 **Yeah,right! Like I was going to tell you the cure--it's totally a secret!

Is It Wrong?

Is it wrong to have all of these thoughts in one day?

"These kids are the cutest things."

"These kids need to learn how to shut their mouths."
"I love teaching.  It's my calling." 
"I hate my job."

"I never want to teach another day in my life."

"Wow, this day is going quickly!"

"OMG, when will this day be over?"

"I'm going to eat healthily today."

"Yummm... pizza and cookies for lunch."

"These people are so great."

"Everyone needs to leave me the heck alone."

"I need to go for a run after school."
"Oh look... steak and wine on sale at Von's.  Just add ice cream and we've got dinner!"

Welcome to the last 10 days of the school year.  Mania at its finest.  Any cape-wearers out there have special tricks they use to drag their rears to the last day of school?

Quote of the Week #6

S: C'mon Ms. M.--Rock your cape.

So I did.