oh, literacy February 26, 2008

Ladies, and gentlemen, I would like to share what we did in class today. Did I mention…IN CLASS, we did this. Like, as an assignment. On “teaching fluency.”

Cheesecake: I was just sitting on my shelf when this fat woman grabbed me and pulled me into some warmer weather.

Woman: I saw the cheesecake. Just sitting on the shelf in the fridge, and I could not help myself! It was tempting me, and my mouth was watering!

Cheesecake: This woman is out of her mind! I may taste sweet, but I am very bitter. I hold grudges and I will be sure to get her back if it’s the last thing I do!

Woman: I was just going to take a bite but the cheesecake was calling my name!

Cheesecake: I was not calling her name! I was screaming at her to stop!

Woman: I couldn’t stop! I devoured that whole thing!

Cheesescake: I’ll show her, just wait ’til she looks in the mirror tomorrow. I’m going straight to her HIPS!

oh, rituals! February 22, 2008

in order to prepare for (hurry the arrival of) the expected snowday tomorrow, we are taking the following steps:

1. wearing our pajamas inside out and backwards (representing i have NO idea)

2. flushing 3 icecubes down the toilet (representing the 3 balls of snow it takes to make a snowman–obviously!)

3. doing a little snow dance (you know, to make the snow gods happy)

4. putting spoons under our pillows (again, i have NO idea…)

5. putting a white crayon in the freezer (i’m gessing to represent snow!)

and when we get our much-needed-and-desired snowday, we will…

1. sleep!

2. sleep!

3. watch movies!

4. sleep!

5. make blanket forts!

6. drink hot chocolate!

7. sleep!

8. order food!

9. sleep!

10. basically have the best snow day ever!

seriously, this had better not be a joke like it has been the past, oh i don’t know, ten times! i want my snow day!!!

you really think? February 20, 2008

fifth graders say the funniest things…

“miss d, i think that when you’re a teacher you should teach your class the soulja boy dance!”

“haha, i’m not so sure about that, isaiah!”

“no seriously miss d, it’s ballin!”

A Real Teacher? February 12, 2008

I graded papers today. It made me feel like a real teacher. Okay, except maybe not because I felt completely unprepared to be putting a grade on a child’s piece of writing. Yes, writing. I was not given spelling tests to grade, or a multiple choice test. No, that would have been easy. Right or wrong. Yes or no. Spelled correctly or not. Completely objective. Instead, I was given their WRITING to grade. As in, they wrote stories (about what they would do if they were the substitute–how cute!) and I, the notsomuch teacher had to put a GRADE on it!

I just felt really bad the whole time. The teacher gave me a rubric, and I had to circle things like “Poor ending,” “Not enough exciting words,” and my favorite… “All of the sentences start the same way!” Haha, seriously one of them… “Then the kids… Then the kids… Then the kids… Then the kids…” That was the entire story. Every sentence. Then the kids.

I just didn’t want to mark up their papers, though! I mean it was really obvious that they worked hard on them! And who am I to judge whether or not their ending is poor?! Really, the only one I knew I got “right” was …. yeah that’s right. “Then the kids…” Seriously, kid. All of your sentences start the same way! I had no trouble circling that comment.

In other news…

Bill Clinton was at our school today. Really, I don’t know what to think about that.

Snow day tomorrow? We did a snowdance. Flushed ice cubes down toilet, have our pjs inside out and everything. Hopefully it works!

First Day of School, Bawk Bawk! February 6, 2008

Today was my first day of practicum! I was really dreading it a little bit, just because I’ve had fifth graders before, and was not really a fan.

Surprisingly, however, it went very well! The students were really excited to have me there, and before I had gotten there, they had written a welcome note for me on the board. They were so excited when I walked into their classroom, whispering about how I was there and saying hello to me. It really made me feel welcome! My practicum teacher is a first-year teacher. She is so cute! Her best friend and roommate is the fifth grade teacher across the hall. She makes me happy She was really excited to have me there, and told me that I could jump in and do whatever I wanted to. Today, while I was there, the students were doing guided reading. She and I walked around and had them read paragraphs out loud to us, while we checked for fluency using a rubric. It was really cool, I’ve never actually used authentic assessment in the classroom before, only heard about it!

The only glitch in the day was when I made a little girl cry…

I’m pretty sure she was a special needs student, and when she came in she looked really confused when she saw me. She started to cry, and asked the teacher where she was going. The teacher explained that I wasn’t a sub, but that I was just learning how to be a teacher and told the girl that she was going to help me become a teacher. The girl seemed to be okay after that, but I just felt really bad for upsetting her routine!

I have to go to prac every day, which is kind of a bummer. Mainly because I don’t have enough real-people clothes for every day of the week for the rest of the semester. I guess it will just be practice for being a real person, and maybe my wardrobe will get a makeover. Also because my days are so long! As in, today I went to practicum, then had three classes in a row, grabbed a quick lunch, babysat, made a quick Wal-Mart run, helped out with a service project, and finally at 7:45 returned to begin my homework.

It’s getting late. (9:15, that is). I think it’s time for this sicky to go to bed. Oh, did I mention that my roommate and I are pretty sure we have bronchitis? Perfect.

DecisionTime February 4, 2008

I’m sitting here drinking Airborne. The stuff is absolutely disgusting, but I swear it works. The only thing that makes it bearable to drink is the polka dot cup that it is in, and the purple straw that I am drinking it with. Seriously. It’s nasty. But hey–I won’t be getting sick. Teacher’s are brilliant, aren’t we?!

So I’m becoming an RA next year. “Selling my soul to Res Life” as some of my friends have put it. I’m taking a class for the next month, once a week for two hours, to explain to me the common sense that I apparently lack. “This is your job. Your residents are the most important part of your job.”

I mean, really….

So the thing is, I have to decide whether I want to pursue this RA-ness in a freshman dorm, or an upperclass dorm. I’m making a list of pros/cons of each. I really can’t decide. I change my mind every time I look at the list. Literally. I have to decide by February 17th. That is approximately 13 days away. I guess that’s time enough, but your opinions would be much appreciated!

And now….The List! (Feel free to add or comment!)

Pros of Freshman Dorm

• I would feel like I am really making a difference
• I would have a real sense of authority
• The residents would respect me
• The residents would come to me when they needed help
• There would be a strong bond among the hall
• I would be able to help develop a sense of community

Cons of Freshman Dorm

• Freshmen are really loud at crazy hours in the night
  
• I would be isolated from people my own age–it will be my senior year
• More work

Pros of Upperclass Dorm

• I would meet a lot of people my age
• Less work

Cons of Upperclass Dorm

• I wouldn’t feel like I am making as much of a difference
• It would be really hard to write one of my friends up
• The residents probably would not respect me as much

In other news, practicum starts on Tuesday!

Also, this weekend was fantastic! It included…

-getting hit on creepily by a waiter

-lots of card games

-awkwardly running into a wedding party at a bar

-salsa dancing (pretending like we knew how)

-crafting and cookie baking with my “Little Sister” (from Big Brothers/Big Sisters)

-a lot of really fun times

February? February 1, 2008

I just can’t believe that February is already here! It seems like just yesterday was New Year’s, and oh maybe…last week was Thanksgiving?

So that little groundhog (Punxsutawney Phil!) that predicts our fate weather comes out tomorrow…

I don’t know what it means if he sees his shadow, or if he doesn’t see his shadow, but I hope he picks the one that makes winter end and spring hurry itself up! I just don’t really appreciate all this freezing cold weather and the absence of snowdays. I mean, it would all be good if it was cold, snowed, and we had days off from school. This cold, sort of snow, and no days off doesn’t really do it for me.

And…..

I start practicum on Tuesday! I have 5th graders, which I’ve already had once. They weren’t really my favorite, with their new little attitudes and such, but they were pretty fun. Hopefully they’ll give me some good stories to tell

That’s pretty much all. Nothing really exciting going on…

Ready, Set, Weekend! (BASKETBALL GAME TOMORROW!)