Teachers Write! Thursday 6/7 Quick-Write

Today's Quick-Write from Teachers Write...

Peace. Calm. I couldn't get out of that hallway fast enough. I need to remember to ask mom to pack my lunch tomorrow. Toni elbowed me in the ribs on my way out of the lunch line. Why does she have to be so mean? It takes more energy to be mean than to just ignore me. Good. My computer's free. I'll just pretend like I'm working on another project. Even though I get all my projects done early, at home. I'll just open that PowerPoint and play around with the text boxes for a while.

 I wish I had someone to hang out with at lunch. It sucks being so different from everyone here. People make fun of my hair, my clothes. I can never think of the right thing to say. Maybe I'll ask the librarian for another _____ book. The girls in that book always have the right clothes. Always say the right thing. They always have someone to hang out with.

Slice of Life - Sounds of Summer

Today is the first day of summer break for this teacher. These are the sounds...

The hound dog duet that our neighbor must be unleashing in the park because left in the house, it must be cacophonous.

Car horns beeping as the neighborhood comes home from work and locks its vehicles.

Twittering of birds, sharing the day's highlights.

Thrum of the neighbor's air conditioning unit coming to life.

The whoosh of the car cruising the street.

The banter of the neighbors through the window (they never turn on their A/C) as they clean the dinner plates from the table.

No shouts of children's voices in the park across the street, though today was the last day of school...the light is scarce now. God, I hope they don't park it on the couch all summer.

The scratching of this teacher's burnt shoulders, remnants from a sunny Memorial Day Parade and BBQ. The peeling is almost over.

Someone fumbles with the spigot outside and a high-pitched, kweeeeeeee--- screams up the walls of our house. Someday soon, this will be a welcome sound, as it means relief from the scorching sun.

Teachers Write! 6/5 Tuesday Quick Write

Today's Quick Write from Teachers Write...

We visited the Alhambra in Summer 2008. It is in Granada, the southermost tip of Spain, close to where Spain and Africa meet. The Alhambra is a large castle/estate that had a lot of ___ influences. There was lush grounds, gardens, waterfalls, even a swimming pool. Inside the castle, the detailing was magnificent. It covered every wall, ceiling, even the floors. They were geometric designs, no faces, landscapes, or words.

 

See - Drastic shade and blinding sunlight, nooks and crannies, the awe-inspiring Spain countryside, brown grasses on the countryside, lush greens inside the castle walls.

 

Hear - the glurple glurple of water dripping from the waterfalls into the pools below, the thrustle of leaves in the wind, the crinkle of ladies' fans as they try to cool off in the shade.

 

Smell - the musty smell of water, the aroma of flowers, sweat and body odor of strangers in the intense heat, sunscreen to protect from the sun's instense rays.

 

Feel - the cool air of the Spanish fan as I whisk the hot air around my neck, the sting of the sun on my shoulders, the relief of the shade whenever it can be found, the dampness from the backpack I carry around, the scratching of the tag on my passport belt hidden under my dress.

We visited the Alhambra in Summer 2008. It is in Granada, the southermost tip of Spain, close to where Spain and Africa meet. The Alhambra is a large castle/estate that had a lot of Moorish influences. There was lush grounds, aromatic gardens, glurpling waterfalls, even a swimming pool. In the gardens, we hid from the sting of the sun on our shoulder, finding relief in the shade wherever it could be found. We couldn't escape the dampness that came from our tourist backpacks or the stratching of the tags on our passport belts. Inside the castle, the detailing was magnificent. It covered every nook and cranny,wall, ceiling, even the floors. They were geometric designs, no faces, landscapes, or words. The only landscape to be seen were tidbits of the awe-inspiring Spanish countryside.

Slice #2 Dive In

Yep...I'm already behind on the SOLSC.  That's okay! Not giving up!

Carving out time to read.

It’s important for everyone. That’s why I carve out 20 minutes a day for my students to read, and that time is protected. When they’re at home, they are susceptible to the lure of technology. In my class, they are free from that. We call it “Dive In”. When they hear the Yo Yo Ma cd, they know it’s Dive In time. They grab their books and jump in. Hearing the “yes!” when it’s a Dive In day is justification enough that it is 20 minutes well spent. I know that if they get into their books in the 20 minutes we read in class, more likely than not, we’ll be stopping in the middle of a good part that will just make them beg for more time. After that, I know that chances are they’re more likely to reach for that book when they get home. Who wouldn’t?

As often as I can, I read with my students. I do this for many reasons. One: It’s important for students to see the adults in their lives model a reading life. Two: When I’m not shuffling papers, talking to another student, or focused on another organization activity, the class is more focused on their reading. We are like one, zoned-in reading organism. Three: I get to read! In order to keep up with my most voracious readers, I need some time to get through my stack of books as well!

Sometimes, the 20 minutes starts or ends with me talking about what I’m currently reading, what I’m excited about reading next, or new books that are available in my classroom library. I’ll even share with students that sometimes I’m reading multiple books at a time. I’m usually reading a young adult book, an adult book of interest, a professional development book, and even a staff book club pick. Some of my students can’t even believe I can read more than ONE book at a time.

On that note, I’ll sign off by sharing what I’m currently reading!

Young Adult: Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver (sequel to Delirium)

Adult: I Do, Now What? By Bill & Giuliana Rancic and Nemesis by Jo Nesbo

Professional Development: Write Like This by Kelly Gallagher

Staff Book Club: Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay

I hope you find time to Dive In soon!

Slice #1

And then there was one.

The last car in the parking lot. The last to click off the light switch. The lonely click-click-click of heels on tile. When you’re the last teacher in the building — when even the administrators have thrown in the towel — a school can be a very lonely place.

The copy machine groans as it’s turned back on. I should be sleeping, it’s thinking. (Ditto, I think.) It develops a strange moaning sound as it spits out the handouts for my presentation. Does it always make this noise? In retaliation, it leaves a single black line going across every page and runs out of staples at packet 100 of 200. That’s ok, I think. I love hand-stapling. I welcome the karma that comes to me for procrastinating on this project.

I pack up my cart, and it’s not until I’m on my way out, walking down the long empty hallway, a janitor’s supply cart peeking around the corner, that I realize the organism that IS a middle school when all the students and teachers are there. How bereft of life it becomes when we all leave and only a few rows of lights still glow, casting shadows from locker banks. Though it’s impossible to find a moment of solace from 8 to 3, when you have it like I did tonight, it’s nothing to relish. It leaves me feeling uneasy. Unsettled.

I’ll take the hustle and bustle. The whirlwind of adolescent turmoil and glee. The half-eaten lunches and snippets of teacher gossip and complaints. (Hmm..I could probably do without the latter.)

I guess I learned two lessons tonight: stop procrastinating for goodness sake, but most importantly, accept that the chaos — well, it just feels right.