The Game's Afoot

In addition to teaching 5 hours of classes, I also have a class of "actors" last period of the day for a class affectionately called "Speech and Drama". In effect, the school has given me carte blanche to take a bunch of unusual children and give them a safe place to be themselves.

Lately, this means playing board games. Well, sort of.

First, we took on Quelf. (If you've never played, you're missing out on HOURS of excitement!) This was the perfect thing for my goofy bunch!

Then, the piece de resistance: Life Size Clue! We designed the stage as the board, brought in props, and performed as the characters! Each pair represented a character from the classic game. So fun! And it was a great way for this crew to learn stagecraft and terms (stage left, anyone?)

Stay tuned for more episodes from this (clearly) unique class!

A Little Paint

When I walked into my "new" classroom for the year, over the summer, for the first time, I just stopped in disbelief. It was hideous. The walls were a depressing shade of "prison blue", the ceiling looked like it could cave in at any moment, and there were stacks of this and that everywhere.

How could I teach here? And honestly, how could my students learn in an environment where even their teacher was unwilling and uninspired?!

(BEFORE: July 25)


So, armed with a bucket of paint and a few purchases, my team of intrepid young people helped me attack the room. Now, it makes me happy to be there! (And it only took a few dollars and a week out of my summer to make such an improvement in the room -- and in my attitude!)

My gorgeous classroom, Aug 2:

Please especially note the tree crafted by my daughter and her friends. It makes me so full of joy every time I see it! And it's right across from my teacher desk. :)

Diving in to Teaching Life

This year, after 8 years away from full-time classroom teaching, I'm back in the classroom again.

At first, I was filled with trepidation. Could I really do this? After all, it had been so long! Did I even remember how to teach English? And would it be any good if I did?

I spent the summer writing lesson plans, studying texts, reading online, and even attending a week-long workshop. That workshop was the best thing for my morale (as well as my teaching). I learned so much, not the least being reminded that I CAN DO THIS!

I determined that I was going to "teach like I mean it"! This is my CALLING, not just my profession! So, we're going to do some creative projects throughout the year. I hope to document them here (just so I can look back and see that I've "done something" with my time this year).

The first day of school began with an activity I discovered this summer, called "6-Word Memoirs". Basically, you use six words -- and only six words -- to write something about your life, your personality, a description of your self and your outlook on life. Here's mine from this summer:

Every student got to write one on my whiteboard. Some were fantastic, some were funny, and all were evidence of this student body that I'll be spending every day with this school year. I'm so proud of them and their willingness to jump right in with my craziness.

Here's the board, followed by a few of my favs from the student works. I'm looking forward to a unique and crazy year!

How to Understand Your Teenager

How to Understand Your Teenager (or spending quality time with your teen reaps immense benefits):

One of the best things about Easter weekend is the time to spend with the family, obligation-free, stress-free, duty-free. No school means no work for the hubster and me, which also means the opportunity for family time!

The thing I enjoyed most, I think, is getting to spend time with my daughter in lots of different environments.

Dear daughter is a HUGE fan of K-pop. Or J-pop. (I lose track of the current terminology; however you look at it, this is the pop music of Japan and Korea.) She has several favorite bands she listens to, and over the long weekend, she "let" me watch a few of her favorite videos. To me, these groups resemble the Boy Bands of my youth (NSYNC, New Kids on the Block, Backstreet Boys) but with an edgy modern twist. My favorite song is "Hello" by SHINee. It is just fun seeing pop music from her eyes.

She and her best friend ordered matching tutus for Easter Sunday. This was not my choice; I was against this "fashion statement"; but they're so cute! Daughter wore her Easter dress for Palm Sunday (an olive branch of truce to sooth my nerves), and the girls wore their tutu outfits on Easter Sunday morning. They looked cute together, and I'm proud of the way my daughter cherishes her friendships. I do so enjoy watching them sit together, serve together, and worship together!!

Thursday was a day out of school for some of the art students, to attend the chalk art contest at the local university. Daughter and her sidekicks got to participate, and I was thrilled to get to go watch (and "supervise", as there was an academic interscholastic meet going on as well). I've always considered myself "crafty" rather than "artistic", so this was a bit outside my usual comfort zone. Despite the bad sunburn I received, the day was amazing! The kids' artwork was all spectacular, and they learned so much just by going and seeing other artists at work. Proud of my multifaceted teenager.

The biggest eye-opening moment for me was Saturday. It was the annual town Easter Extravaganza. Kids and parents gather at our local park to hunt Easter eggs. Really, it's more of a dash for eggs, as the eggs are scattered across the green in plain sight; kids are lined up on a "starting line" and set loose at noon. This year, there were door prizes, free hot dogs and snacks, playground fun, pics with the Easter Bunny, and NEW THIS YEAR: facepainting! Done by my creative daughter and her two friends she drafted. She volunteered for this monumental task after seeing one of the adults post on FaceBook looking for a facepainter. These three teenagers painted faces for nearly 100 kiddos on Saturday afternoon. All volunteer, no pay, and bringing their own supplies. What a great service to the community, and how thoughtful! (Here's a pic of daughter "practicing" on our pastor before the rush of children arrived.)


It's times like these long weekends that help me see my teenager in a new light. No, I certainly do not speak her language all of the time, and she is often an enigma to me (seriously, she takes after her two grandmothers more than me -- in so many ways!), but every day I can spend getting to know her is worth it.

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Thought I'd post my #ootd pics for this past week. Enjoy!

Dreaming Big

I'm currently reading the powerful e-book Stop Stealing Dreams by Seth Godin. In this powerful work, the author talks about some important things that are missing from American education. One of these things is imagination -- the power to dream big.

We give our kids tasks to perform, information to memorize, tests to take, and then wonder why they aren't creative problem-solvers.

Picture this. A class of 5th-graders have been learning about Vikings (history, misconceptions, etc). I pass them a couple of coloring pages and a box of 24 crayons -- to create while I read (from a fiction book). The first question they ask? "Does it matter what color I use?"

Really?? Of course it doesn't matter! Use whatever color you like! Be creative! If the boat is red and pink, and the water is orange, that's great!

When have we so indoctrinated our kids that their first response is to question how creative they are allowed to be? Kids need to be empowered to make creative decisions -- to dream big!

I'm inspired by "Stop Stealing Dreams". I'd love to have a discussion with others who have read/are reading this work.

http://www.squidoo.com/stop-stealing-dreams