Back to the Grind - 4/20/20

"The Grind"
Poem of the Day - 4/20/20
Audio Version of Today's Poem

Back to the grind
Easter break is now through
At the forefront of mind
Is the work we've to do

School now online
Till we're out in June
It'd be easy to whine
But we know what to do

"Suck it up, Buttercup"
Channel energy for good instead
Give yourself a quick check-up
Dwell in hope of what's ahead

"Now We Know"

"Now We Know"
Poem of the Day - 4/18/20
Audio Version of Today's Poem

We knew it was coming
But hearing the announcement on the news
Didn't make it any easier

Finishing the school year remotely?
Postponing communion and graduation?
Not what we expected
Definitely not what we hoped for

But now we know
And now we need a plan
To keep our teachers sane
To keep our kids engaged
To bring this year to a proper close
First step -
Breathe

End of summer, beginning of year 12

Nothing says "end of summer" like Labor Day weekend.

Indeed.

School is now in full force for students, even though teachers have been back since mid-August (and the rest of us since before that). 

Don't worry - Marisa and I totally did our back to school ice cream tradition the weekend before (my) school started.

And you can rest assured I spent my time in church leading up to school's beginning on my knees offering prayers for my teacher & admin friends as well as for my own school. Not only did it make sense to do so, I don't think I would have made it through the week without prayer & Mass...

And fresh flowers, of course...

While it took nearly the whole morning for me to get my act together, I did manage to snap a first day of school picture. (And our business manager also took a real one the week before for our website.)

Only one week in now, but school is certainly keeping me busy. And that is probably more so than last year, as I have a class to plan for and teach: 7th grade Religion. Exciting though it is, I imagine it will take its toll on me when the admin side of things starts piling up, but for now things are good. And, technically, I'm on the Jr High team...

Aside from school, there have been plenty of other goings-on to keep me busy, including but not limited to Shakespeare in the Park, early morning marathon training runs along the lakefront, a Cubs baseball game, reading, a play (or perhaps a few), and other random things, including visits with friends (and even a few dates(!) - but, sadly, there turned out to be nothing promising). Busy, busy...

I've also (clearly) been working on maintaining my girlish figure... 😂

Kidding.

Food is totally worth the splurge.


I hope you are doing well and that wherever you're at in life or in work/school that you're right where you're meant to be. (I also hope you were able to follow the crazy jumping around of this blogpost. My brain is fried...)

Have a wonderful week!

Cha-, cha-, cha-, changes

I don't believe I've ever heard someone admit that he/she likes change. Change is hard. Frankly, change often sucks.

Back in ACE, I found myself getting sick when my two years with my five housemates was coming to a close. I'm pretty sure I lost at least 5 pounds and definitely could not enjoy most foods for a three-week period. People told me I had Chron's Disease or that I needed to go to the doctor. My dad was the one who turned out to be right - I was bringing it on myself. (It's kind of scary to realize that my mind has that much power over my bodily functions.)

In retrospect, I was nervous that I was going to lose touch with my friends after being so close for 2 years. (Let's face it - and my friends will tell you - I'm terrible at keeping in touch...except for birthday and Christmas cards.) I had gotten comfortable with the way things were, and I hated the idea of the unknown. But it was going to come no matter what - life doesn't have a pause button. (Sometimes wouldn't it be great if it did?)

As we come to the end of yet another school year, change is inevitable. Faculty members are retiring. Friends are moving away. Members of various teams I'm on or groups I'm a part of are packing their bags. And it's time to say goodbye...which gets harder to do each time I see these people because soon they'll be out of Chicago.

I'm so grateful that Chicago is a city where people come to stay, at least for awhile. But it's hard being the one who's left behind, as certain events or places will often bring back memories of times spent with friends. In the grand scheme of life, though, we're all just passing through. And even though certain friends may go, there are always opportunities to make new friendships and reconnect with old ones. There's always an excuse to pick up the phone (which I need to get better about!) to call and catch up - people are literally just a phone call away.

So yes, there will inevitably be tears over the coming weeks. But I am hopeful for what change will bring for this upcoming year too.

Time for a little gut spilling...and life updates

A (FREE!) jazz concert on Friday night - what fun! I was with a few friends, and we had been standing for about an hour in the back, as the venue was packed. I didn't realize how tired my legs were until we were able to sit down (due to the fact that some people decided to leave early).

As it was intermission, the musicians were on a short break, so my friend and I got to talking and catching up. She recently started seeing a guy she had met at church, so we got on the topic of dating. She surprised me (in the most beautiful way) when she said she's always thinking about a guy she could send in my direction. I chuckled a little because over Christmas break a close friend who is getting married this summer was thinking out loud about single guys that would be at his wedding - his comment caught me off guard too: "Nope, not good enough for our Kelly."

I have to wonder if I come across as some kind of "holier than thou" or "in need of a perfect man" person. (I don't think my friends mean it that way; I think it's some form of compliment.) But the truth is, I'm just looking for a guy whose heart's in the right place, someone of faith and with morals. (That's not so unique, is it? Sometimes I feel like I should be wearing a sign.) If this guy likes the outdoors, enjoys ice cream, has a corny sense of humor (or can, at least, put up with my word play and corny jokes), and will listen to endless stories of students without getting bored, that'd sure be a bonus, but those aren't necessarily deal breakers. (Well, if he doesn't like ice cream, that could potentially be a deal breaker...)

I think a large part of the problem is that I have never had much confidence when it comes to the dating scene. In fact, I once told a friend something along the lines of this: There are so many incredible women out there, why should someone pick me? To this, she said she better not hear me ever say that again. (And I'm grateful for that comment.) But, you see what I mean, don't you? Another piece of it, in my humble opinion, is that while I pride myself on being able to read people when it comes to if/how they are attracted to others (I have high rates of getting this right, for the record), I have never been able to do so when it comes to myself. A guy could be sending all the right signals, but I could be completely oblivious. (And I'm not so great at flirting, either.)

What's the answer? Well, I'm definitely grateful for my friends who are trying to look out for me - maybe one day soon they'll send someone along my path. In all seriousness, it's something I offer up to God every night (especially now that my sister has a good husband, which is what I was asking for first) - it seems selfish, especially with all of the hurt, violence, and bigger things going on in this world (though, I pray for these things too), and maybe it's not meant to be in terms of God's plans for me, but I find it helpful to talk to God about it regardless. Sometimes my prayer is along the lines of asking God to hit a guy over the head (and then to hit me over the head too) - whatever works, right? (For the record, I still draw the line at online dating, even though that clearly works for some people.)


Whew. Just kind of spilled my guts there. Admittedly, that was tough to write - enough about that. Let's change the subject and move on to a few other things...


In school-related news, my school just held its annual St. Baldrick's Day event. It's a tradition that started 9 years ago, when a 7th grade student was diagnosed with pediatric brain cancer, and his classmates wanted to do something about it. They started this fundraiser as well as their own nonprofit for him. While he ended up passing away the fall of his 8th grade year, it's safe to say we will never forget this young man, Pat Mac - the energy and support in the gym on Friday was unreal. His parents came, as they do every year, and some of his classmates (who are now graduating college) were there too. The event started with a local police officer playing bagpipes up the aisle and an Irish Dance performance by six of our students. After weeks of fundraising efforts (through which we raised over $50,000!), many students shaved their heads, donated their hair, or got their faces painted. Even our pastor and I took part this year - and they had us on the stage before the classes were dismissed. (Shout out to those who donated to my efforts!) 8 inches of my hair is being shipped off with the rest of the donated hair to Children With Hair Loss - woo hoo! Now I just have to get used to using a heck of a lot less shampoo. (See before & after pictures below.)

On the faith front, as you probably know, Lent started on Wednesday. The kids keep asking me what I'm giving up, but, while I am giving up something, for me it's more about what I'm trying to do for my prayer life. I kept hearing podcasts and reading articles about "Memento Mori" ("Remember your death"), so I invested in the related daily Lenten journal (image below). Additionally, I have started a practice that when my alarm goes off in the morning, I then set it for 10 minutes later...but I don't let myself go back to sleep. Instead, I lie there and use that time to talk to God and offer up my day. At the end of the day, I have started praying the Examen (the young adult version on the "Pray as you go" app, which I highly recommend!) - I used to do this all the time, but the practice had fallen to the wayside for me. I can honestly say that I wake up feeling more rested and at peace, and this particular prayer brings to light so many small moments of grace during the day.

Finally (and unrelated to anything I was just talking about), I just thought this was worth sharing, as it is good for a chuckle - Happy Daylight Savings!

Through the Wardrobe

I think it's time to get back to blogging, mostly for my own sake if for no one else's occasional enjoyment. It's good to look back from time to time and reflect on what crossed my mind, tickled my fancy, or made an impact over the past year...

Take this Christmas break, for example. It's been rather laid back - we've done some visiting, some church-going, some baking and cooking, some marathon training, and a LOT of reading. When I arrived at my parents' house in Michigan, I remembered that I had left a few boxes of books in the basement - these were books I couldn't bear to part with (even if they would be collecting dust in the basement) when I went from classroom teacher to school administrator last summer. In this box of books was the Chronicles of Narnia boxed set, so I brought that up, started reading, and plan to bring the complete set home with me when I head back to Chicago in a few days. (I've never actually read the whole series, which, as a religion teacher for many years, I am ashamed to admit, as the themes are so rich for teaching the faith.)

But anyways...once upon a time in my early teaching days in Arizona, I used The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe as a read aloud for my fourth grade class. Now, I know as a teacher you're not supposed to have favorites, but this particular class was pretty darn special. Some of that was due to the fact that I had the most amazing group of parents with whom some, to this day, I still keep in touch. As we read through the novel, I got to thinking it would be pretty incredible to create Narnia for my students, so I suggested it to the parents, and they brought my idea to life. (And this was back before the days of Pinterest!) With an adjoining empty classroom, it wasn't too hard. They must have done most of the set-up during the morning, and when my class went to specials, they put the wardrobe in my classroom. When the kids got back, they went nuts! Cries of "It's Narnia!" rang through our room, and they, of course, wanted to try it out. (Who wouldn't?)

We opened the "wardrobe" (which was probably a refrigerator box, but I don't quite remember), and went next door. The parents had done an incredible job - snowflakes were hanging from the ceiling, miniature houses and cotton balls created a sense of a village, and there were toy figurines representing some of the characters, including Aslan. We even had a lamppost! (That I remember clearly as being made from a pole and two clear Chinese take-out boxes engineered together.) After some looking around, my students settled in for a read aloud - we probably read a chapter or two. And then it was time to leave.

By the time we got back from lunch, the wardrobe was gone, Narnia had been whisked away, and it seemed like it had all been a dream. One student astutely pointed out, "Maybe it only happens when it's a cold rainy day," which it surprisingly was that morning. (In Arizona, imagine that!) But my, what a morning we had. And every time I reread Narnia, I'll think of that class and those parents and the magic of opening our imaginations with the creative help from those parents.

In my ten years of teaching, I know I made a lot of mistakes as a teacher, probably more mistakes than things I did right, and I probably didn't raise as many test scores as I should have, but I'm pretty sure they learned at least a little. Above all, I hope my students remember that they had teachers who believed in them, challenged their creative and critical thinking, and loved them.

It's funny how little things hold such big places in our hearts even years and years later. It's memories like these that make me realize I found the vocation God planned for me...and that make me realize I should probably write these things down. ;)

What's the story behind the painting?

To anyone else besides my dad, mom, or sister, the painting that now hangs above my office door would probably carry little meaning. In fact, it's hard to tell at first glance (or, perhaps, even a second or third glance) what the painting is really about. While I do like the painting itself, I am much more content that it found its home in my office because it belonged to my great aunt who passed away this summer.

What's the reason it came into my possession and not someone else's? Well, it's not a long story...but it's not a short story either, so bear with me.

My great aunt, Marg (or, as she fondly dubbed herself, "Aunt Marg, the Great") lived for quite some time most recently in an assisted living facility in a small town in Michigan, and we would go to visit her whenever we were in town. It wasn't necessarily a quick car ride, but we usually made a day out of it, bringing her coffee and soup from Panera and then visiting other family friends out that way later in the evening.

Now, you had to be careful around Aunt Marg - if you mentioned offhand that you liked something she had, you might end up taking it home. So, when she made a big deal out of liking a painting that hung by the elevators on the fifth floor of her complex, I couldn't help but take note of it. And she certainly talked about the painting many times - I wish I could remember what it was that exactly stood out to her in it. 

But that it mattered that much to her was enough for me. I decided I would figure out what this painting was called and how I could get a copy for her (because I surely couldn't steal it from the wall - not that anyone but Marg would have likely noticed). I must say that it's somewhat difficult to figure out a painting's title without the artist's name or some other concrete facts like when it was painted. I found myself typing into the Google search engine things like "woman in red dress dancing on the beach" and "umbrella" and "maid" until I found its title: "The Singing Butler." (See what Wikipedia has to say about it here.) The title really didn't make sense to me, but from that I was able to google it and find a decently priced poster version of it.

I'll never forget how the poster arrived - it came in a triangular tube, so it had some creases, which my dad couldn't help but point out to me. But I wasn't going to let that stop me or get me down - we flattened it out with some heavy books, and then we brought it to Aunt Marg on our next visit. She loved it, and her son and daughter-in-law ended up getting a nice frame for it, and it hung in her apartment until she passed away in June. I'm not sure if it was my dad or my great aunt who made note that I would get the artwork when she died, but this summer I was informed it was mine now.


So, when my dad came to Chicago to visit about a month or so ago, he brought it with him...and it sat on the floor of my office until today, when some of our wonderful maintenance staff hung it on the wall for me. I'm sure there will be plenty of people (students and adults, alike) who will be in and out of my office in the coming years and months who'll wonder why that painting means enough to me for it to hang above my door. And, if they ask, I can tell them about a wonderful woman who always looked at events and setbacks as "life's little adventures" and who definitely lived up to her name, "Aunt Marg, the Great."

A Day in the Life of Miss Foyle...or is it Miss Foyle?

The reaction is (nearly) always the same:

"Wait...but who's the real Miss Foyle?"
"How can you both be Miss Foyle?"
"You look alike - you have the same face."

#twinquestions
#adayinthelifeofidenticaltwins

It blows kids' (and many adults') minds that Marisa and I are identical twins. But it's still amusing to get the same reaction time after time, whether Marisa comes with me to my school or, as was the case today, I go to Marisa's school. It just so happened that I had the day off school today, as we ended for Christmas break on Thursday, so it clearly just made sense that I would go to school on my day off.

I had the honor of finding a new hiding place for Humphrey, the Elf on the Shelf. Let's just say he was hanging around when the kids came in from breakfast.

Overall, the day was a lot of fun. I spent most of it with her students; though, the school has a tradition of "Christmas Around the World," where the students rotate through all of the classrooms/teachers to learn about different cultural celebrations for the Christmas season. Marisa's classroom was Russia. (Please don't ask me how to pronounce "Merry Christmas" in Russian because I can't.)

Students watched a short video about Christmas in Russia while coloring matroyshka dolls. They kept coloring as the audio switched to Tchaikovsky's "The Nutcracker Suite." (A few pirouettes were not out of the question.)

Mine's the one on the left

After lunch I had the chance to be a guest reader for my sister's class - it was a book about a tree who wanted to grow big for Christmas but learned it would have to wait and try to be the best it could be at its own height. I'd never heard it before...

Pretty soon it was time for Christmas carols and tamales. I think everyone enjoyed themselves. When it was time to pack up, it was evident that the students were ready for the break, especially a break from one another. Before leaving, many came to give me a hug and to thank me for coming. Of course, it was my pleasure. I wish I could do it more often, but with nearly identical schedules, it makes it difficult.

Heading home for the holidays tomorrow...praying that traffic isn't too heavy and that the weather stays calm...

Merry Christmas!

Teamwork makes the dream work

I was reminded of this oft-used sentiment this week multiple times. And in the process, I was reminded also just how blessed I am to be surrounded by incredible co-workers, friends, and family who are always willing to step up and lend a hand.

This week I have been knocked on my butt. Literally. Whatever sinus infection or cold that is in my head right now is relentless. I went to bed at 6pm on Monday night in the hopes of kicking this thing, but, much to my chagrin, I woke up at 4am on Tuesday morning and realized I would not be making it into school. I texted my team and they (as it got closer to 6/7am) readily volunteered to cover classes. The two women I coach with handled our game that night on their own. My boyfriend was working a half day on Tuesday before covering evening games nearby, so he brought me lunch. My sister and parents texted to check up on me. Even though I felt horrible, I couldn't have felt better (from a support perspective).

When I got back to school on Wednesday - still not 100% - my coworkers checked in on me, stopping by before school started. Many students wanted to make sure I was doing better too. People offered medicine, uplifting comments, and well wishes.

I hope to be back to my normal self soon - let's face it: being sick sucks. But, again, I am so very grateful for everyone in my life who helps bring a smile to my face and warmth to my heart. Cheers to them!

Working Ahead...And Then Kicking Back

Spring. Break --> This is music to my ears - boy did we need this at my school! Aside from the seriously crazy weather this March, the students (and teachers) were at a breaking point.

Fresh air, new scenery, no (or. at least less) work... just what the doctor ordered.

So far I've taken care of a lot of things for grad school, teaching, and on a personal level. I am finished with this week's Remick assignments (and looking ahead to next week), I am finished with next week's school lesson plans and activity/project prep, and I was able to get in a dermatology appointment and some errands. Phew!

I know, the key word is break!

And that is exactly what I will be doing at this time tomorrow...right after my professional development day. (Yes, it was scheduled by the Archdiocese. Yes, it's smack dab in the middle of my spring break. No, the Archdiocese does not have the same spring break for all its schools. Yes, it's my own fault for signing up.) I'm excited for a change of scenery - hopefully the weather will hold out and I'll have pictures to share next week.

Until then, I hope spring break or not that all is well for you and that the stretch to summer is productive, rewarding, and full of possibilities and learning opportunities.

Step By Step (or, Bulletin Board by Bulletin Board)

Bulletin boards and front board is up. We're getting closer to the start of the year!

What About a Slow Down?

Talking out loud - no real direction of my thoughts, just throwing it all out there into the open air of my car. Cruising down Clark Street, I was never so glad to have foggy windows. Although nowadays with technology that allows people to talk on the phone via Bluetooth or speakerphone, one hardly has to worry about a passing driver's unsolicited judgment on one's mental state.

It felt pretty good to just send my brainwaves into the void. I didn't get any answers, but I'm pretty sure my head felt even the slightest bit lighter. And, more importantly, my mood improved. (That could have been due to the change in radio tunes - suddenly there was a real driving beat coming through those speakers.)

To the point, though, I have more "to-do"/reminder post-it notes on my desk at the present moment than some people gather in a semester-long period. I send more emails to myself on any given day than I send emails to my fellow faculty members combined.

Face it - working ahead doesn't always help; sometimes it even ends up bringing on more work/stress.

Sheesh.

When will it all slow down?

I'm praying that Confirmation is the "magic slow-down point," but then I remember that following shortly thereafter is the end of the trimester, which means report cards (and report card comments), parent/teacher conferences, and other meetings signaling we only have one more trimester to get our butts in gear.

In reality, there probably is no be-all, end-all "magic slow-down point" (except when we die, and, who knows, maybe not even then), but, rather, we get all these mini slow-down moments instead. A weeknight here, a long weekend there, a cancelled meeting at school...you get the idea. We gotta seize 'em when we get 'em.

How do we seize them? We do it by being in the moment, by breathing, and by slowing down. We seize them allowing ourselves to laugh and to not take any one thing too very seriously. We seize them by thanking God for all the opportunities that get us so busy in the first place - some people never even get these chances...

Sometimes, you just have to make your own "slow-down."

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly - A Book Round-Up for 2015

Maybe that's a bit dramatic - none of the books I read were what you might call "ugly," and there really weren't too many "bad" ones in the bunch either. Were there some I liked better than others? Absolutely. Were there some I chose versus some I was "forced" to read? Yeah... As a middle school LA teacher, I don't always get to choose my content, you know what I mean?

Here's my list - 32 strong! (Not that quantity matters - it's all about quality in my book...) -->

1) "The Hobbit" (finished 1/1/15) - Fantasy (for school)
2) "Moon Over Manifest" (1/17/15) - Historical YA Fiction
3) "Eight Keys" (2/2/15) - Realistic YA Fiction
4) "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring" (4/19/15) - Fantasy
5) "Elephant Talk" (4/25/15) - Nonfiction (for school)
6) "Into the Unknown" (4/25/15) - Nonfiction (for school)
7) "Shooting Kabul" (5/13/15) - Historical YA Fiction (for school)
8) "The Cay" (5/17/15) - Historical YA Fiction (for school)
9) "Fish in a Tree" (5/23/15) - Realistic YA Fiction
10) "Under the Egg" (5/25/15) - Historical YA Fiction
11) "Data Wise" (6/13/15) - Professional Development
12) "Brown Girl Dreaming" (6/14/15) - Memoir/Poetry
13) "The Return of the Prodigal Son" (7/6/15) - Spiritual/Religious Nonfiction
14) "Paper Things" (7/12/15) - Realistic YA Fiction
15) "One for the Murphys" (7/24/15) - Realistic YA Fiction
16) "Real Kids, Real Stories, Real Change" (7/25/15) - Nonfiction YA (for school)
17) "Crenshaw" (7/25/15) - YA Fiction
18) "Teaching Reading in Middle School" (7/27/15) - Professional Development
19) "Sondheim: The Man Who Changed Musical Theater" (7/28/15) - Nonfiction YA
20) "In Defense of Read Aloud" (7/28/15) - Professional Development
21) "Echo" (7/29/15) - Historical YA Fiction
22) "Stargirl" (7/30/15) - Realistic YA Fiction
23) "The Classroom Management Book" (7/31/15) - Professional Development
24) "Be Always Little: Christian Fables for Young and Old" (8/3/15) - Spiritual
25) "Small as an Elephant" (8/5/15) - Realistic YA Fiction
26) "Escape from Mr Lemoncello's Library" (8/22/15) - Mystery YA
27) "Stella by Starlight" (9/10/15) - Historical YA Fiction
28) "Unbroken" (audio) (10/25/15) - Nonfiction
29) "The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto" (11/23/15) - Fiction (with historical figures)
30) "I Will Always Write Back: How One Letter Changed Two Lives" (11/28/15) - memoir (dual) YA nonfiction
31) "The Hobbit" (12/14/15) - Fantasy (for school --> re-read)
32) "Just Mercy" (12/27/15) - Nonfiction

(Technically, the titles listed should all be underlined or italicized, but I kept this list on my phone, and I didn't really have the energy (or patience) to go back and change them all. I apologize to all of you grammar lovers out there.)


Now, I would award the books I read as follows (not that my awards matter - it's more fun this way, though):

BEST OVERALL ADULT READ: Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (a story about the corruption within the US prison & judicial systems as well as one man's fight to bring justice)

BEST OVERALL YA READ: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (a story about being true to yourself and the effects of peer pressure/group acceptance in a high school setting)

MOST MEMORABLE READ: The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom (a fictional story of a musician set within the context of real world events; told from the perspective of music as the narrator)

MOST LIFE-CHANGING/APPLICABLE TO LIFE: The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen (a wonderful read about mercy and multiple perspectives on the oft-heard Bible passage)


Some other highlights (or comments of note):

*I enjoyed Lord of the Rings #1 more than I thought I would. I was interested in reading the second book in the trilogy, but I felt I could not commit another two months (which is the length of time it took me to read book 1) to it at the time. Maybe one day I will finish the trilogy and finally see the movies!

*A number of the books I read hold potential for teachers to use as read alouds or books studies to draw attention to issues such as homelessness (Crenshaw, Paper Things), poverty & current events (I Will Always Write Back), and being true to oneself/accepting others who are different (Stargirl, Paper Things). One for the Murphys deals with going through the foster care system, and Fish in a Tree gives light to the idea that all children have different gifts and learn in different ways.

*I remembered reading The Cay in 6th grade, so I obtained copies for students to read in our historical fiction unit this spring. I firmly believe that every middle school student should read this book because of how it deals with prejudice, courage, and hope.

*Echo was amazingly crafted by Pam Munoz Ryan - the way she wove all the stories together so seamlessly left me in awe. Though it is a long read, it is worth your time!

*Unbroken blew my mind - Hearing about the torture and various events Louis Zamperini lived through and how faith ultimately saved his life was very inspiring.


As you might guess, I could go on and on, but, unfortunately, I still have quite a bit of student work to grade and some lesson planning to accomplish, so I must bring this year-end book review to its close.

I hope the new year brings many more incredible books my way and yours!

Digging Deep...So Far, Coming Up Empty

It's the most _____ time of the year. (Just please don't start singing Christmas carols on me...)

You can fill in your own blank. What I want to know is how we've come to such off the wall behavior with the students before we've even made it to Thanksgiving break. Heck, there's no full moon to blame right now, and I know I'm not the only teacher out there struggling. (That is both comforting and frustrating at the same time.)

What's a teacher to do? I promise you, the gray hairs are coming...and my patience is really being tested. What I think the students are missing is respect for (and a healthy dose of fear of) authority. The whole "teacher look" does not work right now - in fact, I can be looking a student in the eye who then will proceed to keep talking after I personally invited him/her to stop. (Ah!)

Sorry, not trying to be Negative Nancy...I just am at a loss. Parent-teacher conferences are coming up this week, but many of the parents I want to see did not sign up. <Fail.>

I'm cautiously optimistic that the whole week we have off for Thanksgiving will be helpful...but there's a part of me that thinks when we get between Thanksgiving and Christmas that there will be no hope whatsoever for getting the students to be respectful participants in the classroom.

I think my prayers have intensified every day. And I'm going to keep revving my prayers up. Whatever it takes...100% every day, no less...

Highs and Lows: the Beautiful and the Jaded

While it wasn't my ideal Friday night, I did get a chance to read through my students' bellwork sheets last night. I was so excited to see such beautiful ideas and reflections from many students, both in 6 & 8th grades - here are 2 samples:

"My high in religion was all the fun activities we do and I have no lows at all!"

"A high has been reading a story (Children of the King) in religion. A low is that I forgot to pray."

As a teacher, I love to see responses such as these...but I was troubled when I came across one 8th grader's paper with responses on many of the week's prompts such as "This doesn't apply to me" and "my high was when religion class ended and my low was religion class." That really bothered me...and I am stumped.

Not too long ago, this student (who is not Catholic) was interested in what we were learning about even though it was different from her own faith...so what happened? When did such a drastic change occur? Most importantly, how can I bring her back to a more open, positive mindset for learning about the Catholic faith and developing her own personal relationship with God? I do plan to make a phone call to her mom on Tuesday just to see if anything is going on at home and to make her parents aware. How can someone so young be so jaded?

Well...we'll keep fighting the good fight in the classroom this year - my goal is to get both the students and parents on board for spending time together in prayer and for going to weekly Sunday Mass - maybe this will be the year when this finally comes to fruition. Time will tell.

But for now...GO IRISH! Woo hoo!!

One and Done...Well, I Guess We're Just Beginning

Day 1 is in the books, folks.

And it was a good day...even though I did get a touch frustrated with the 8th graders due to chattiness and not following directions. (But, as a coworker pointed out, they're not malicious or doing things to hurt people on purpose. He's right - if chattiness is our biggest problem, we should consider ourselves, or, really our students, lucky.) But, if it takes 5 times instead of 4, or if something isn't going as planned, we'll break it down further and go over it again. Procedures, procedures, procedures + high expectations, that's what I'm striving to bring to my classroom this year.

I'm also striving to be more organized and prepared. Let's face it, it's not usually the kids' fault - there was likely faulty directions, unclear expectations, hasty release of responsibility, or the mere forgetfulness of the fact that I am, in fact, dealing with teenagers (and their respective hormones). So, yeah, it's going to take some extra effort and foresight (and some flexibility) in the beginning, but we'll get there. I have faith in that (and in them).

In other (teaching-related) news...Today we will celebrate Mass as a school community, both campuses uniting in prayer and fellowship. It is a great testament to our values as a Catholic school. (Now, if only I can get the middle schoolers to sing...hmm...)

I'm looking forward to the start of volleyball practice (today!) and settling into the teaching routine. Plus, I already have a happy hour in the works with a few teaching and non-teaching friends this Friday. Let's keep this week going!

More Photos...and a Little Fun

And here we are again - photos do a better job of telling the story of this teacher setting up her classroom than words ever could:

Personal picture books + religion loaning library

by my teacher desk

prayers and goodies bulletin board

attempting to keep my teacher desk organized

ready for student work to be turned in

Look who showed up - it's Flat Francis (and a great quote from St. Ignatius of Loyola)

These hang by the door on the way out of the room...

student artwork and yet more attempts to stay organized

Absent? Now work is going to be in one place.

"Homeless Jesus" statue from the prayer table

desk setup...for now

partially completed Mass bulletin board

an almost organized classroom library - waiting on one more bookshelf

Yes, I'll admit, I got a lot done the past few days in my classroom. But I also took some time for fun with friends - on Friday night, a few friends, my sister, and I went to the Chicago Summer Dance swing lesson & open dance downtown - I hadn't swing danced in a long time, so it was a ton of fun! Then, on Saturday night, another group of friends, my sister, a co-worker, and I met up at one of the Shakespeare in the Park shows, which this year happened to be his "Greatest Hits."

All's well that ends well, that's what I always say.

Oh wait, that was Shakespeare who said that...