April is the Cruelest Month

Tomorrow is the first day of April. In T. S. Eliot's poem, The Wasteland, he declares "April is the cruelest month". In public education, no month is a wasteland, except for April. 

In April, dynamic instruction grinds to halt and workbooks are hauled out that teach to the tests. Libraries close their doors to administer tests. Academically challenged students, who were fully included into regular classrooms, are removed to be tested. A pall lingers in the hallways, resignation settles over the classrooms, and we are fully immersed in "State Testing" mode.

My students really get it. They see the futility. The strugglers know the test pigeon-holes them. The average and above average students know they are simply losing time, wasting minutes and hours reviewing and waiting...

Breathing...

I'm trying to remember to breathe...

The words for the tragedy in Connecticut have been said, the questions asked, the reasons posed, and tears shed. 

All I need to do is breathe...

Friday, as I followed the story on my iphone, I just wanted my own kids with me. Today I wanted to hug all my students.

Over the weekend a three year old neighbor boy found his uncle's gun and another life tragically ended much too soon. 

Today in my classroom, I followed no real plan. We talked, we read, and we made cards for the students and faculty of Sandy Hooks Elementary.

Words fail...

( borrowed from: http://funin4b.blogspot.com/)

First day ....done!

Yesterday was the first of 175 days with this new crop of 7th graders. After the last two years, three really, they were a breath of fresh air. Oh, they were sweet, and lost, and silly, and scared, and I immediately began that fall I do, that falling in love. I adore that feeling.

My PreAP class has 35 students, I have 27 desks shoved into "the cave", and I had been dreading that class for days. When they arrived 2nd hour, they were so great about finding their seats and the eight that had to sit on the flood were amazing and did not complain once. I had to take them on the school tour and they were so good! I'm supposed to weed out 8-10 of them, but I don't want to, I want to keep them all. They were my favorite class!

My fourth hour class might be interesting. Fifteen minutes in to the hour they had to be reminded about following directions, on the first day!!

Sixth hour is a larger class too and dominated by a motor mouth who could not, would not turn off. He tested everyone on the team, but I think I like him. ;)

This wonderful beginning was clouded by just one thing. My friend, fellow blogger, Jason Zimmerman died a week ago. He was an incredible teacher and selfless friend. I only knew him through blogging, but he helped me a lot. He encouraged me and even sent me zip files of music when he found out I loved playing music videos in my classroom. I'll be thinking about him a lot this year.

One of my favorite things...

On the last day of school I let my kids write on my boards.

This is a huge deal because in my classroom, my boards are mine and no one else's. 

Other than practice work for the lesson, my kids are not allowed to write on my boards. The reason is because at my last school I had chalk boards and they are so messy and dirty. 

At this school I have a chalk board that is peeling and rough. This school  was built in the 1920's and I think I might have an original board. 

I can't afford to replace it, so last year my husband and I installed white shower board.

I know it won't last very long, shower board tend to "ghost" easily. Also, dry erase markers aren't cheap! 

So, for just one day, I let them write their little hands off. I always take pictures and I always treasure the words that they write. 

NCTE Annual Convention

NCTE Annual Convention

I am so stinking excited about going to this convention. I've been trying to put my planner together, but there are hundreds of workshops and classes to choose from. The trip will also serve as a anniversary getaway with the mister, so I don't want to fill up every minute (though I really want to!). 

Is anyone out there going or have gone before? I'd love to hear about it.

Poetry Madness

We just finished up our own version of madness whereby 13 year olds recited poetry, and competed against each other until one poem stood the victor. It was fun, but too often excruciating to watch and listen to. So many students did not connect with their poets and their readings were dull and stilted. Kills me, a poetry lover, to hear Frost droned on like a boring tech manual.

I completely understand Collins:

Introduction to Poetry
by Billy Collins
I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an ear against its hive. I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem's room and feel the walls for a light switch. I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the shore. But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means. ***sigh***