I believe it'd been 76 days since I'd driven the roads through Horsepen and on across Gary 14 Mountain, down through Skygusty to the spot at the golf course near Blackwolf where I can turn right and drive to Anawalt or turn left and head toward Welch. I wondered as I left for work today what it would be like.
I was surprised a little. It seemed the road rose to meet me - as though I'd never stopped making the drive.
I was pleased to find that parts of the road to Horsepen have been repaved. That made for a much smother drive. I saw a wild turkey as I started up the road into the strip mine on the slopes of Gary 14. The road seemed unchained, but some of the mountainsides had been moved around.
On the whole, it was a nice drive. It's a road I enjoy. Maybe sometime soon I'll see a bear on the mountain...
Showing posts with label teacher blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label teacher blog. Show all posts
Monday, August 16, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Sean Tuohy: Christmas Everyday
Just finished listening to Sean Tuohy, opening speaker for the WV Statewide Technology Conference. Good speaker.
Tuohy and his family are the subject of the movie The Blind Side, and his message was simple: give cheerfully. Christmas (according to Tuohy) is the best time of year because people do just that - they give cheerfully. And if we could just learn to do that constantly, we'd have Christmas everyday...
Tuohy was both enjoyable and inspirational. That's a good combination at the start of a tech conference.
Tuohy and his family are the subject of the movie The Blind Side, and his message was simple: give cheerfully. Christmas (according to Tuohy) is the best time of year because people do just that - they give cheerfully. And if we could just learn to do that constantly, we'd have Christmas everyday...
Tuohy was both enjoyable and inspirational. That's a good combination at the start of a tech conference.
The End of Summer
Summer always seems fleeting, and this year it actually is a little shorter than in years past. In many ways it was typical: we spent some time at the beach, visited Gatlinburg, mowed the grass, took the dog to the park, planted tomatoes and watched them grow, went to see the in-laws...
As a teacher, I suppose I measure summer differently than most people. But maybe not. The concept of summer is shaped by your local school calendar in most of America. I think most of us listen to the local meteorologist announce the coming of the summer solstice (June 20th or 21st) and think of it as trivia. Weather trivia. By that time summer's two weeks old.
And by the time the weather person gets around to talking about the autumn equinox (September 22nd or 23rd) marking an official end to summer, I'm already up to my neck in lesson plans and content standards, and I'm starting to wonder whether we'll have any snow days before Christmas.
Today I'm in Charleston at the West Virginia Statewide Technology Conference. I'll be here until Thursday. Friday starts a four-day weekend, then it's off to my county's teacher academy for four days. And even though we will almost all have been at those training sessions, August 16th is considered the first teacher "work" day.
When I got in my car and left home for Charleston, summer ended...
As a teacher, I suppose I measure summer differently than most people. But maybe not. The concept of summer is shaped by your local school calendar in most of America. I think most of us listen to the local meteorologist announce the coming of the summer solstice (June 20th or 21st) and think of it as trivia. Weather trivia. By that time summer's two weeks old.
And by the time the weather person gets around to talking about the autumn equinox (September 22nd or 23rd) marking an official end to summer, I'm already up to my neck in lesson plans and content standards, and I'm starting to wonder whether we'll have any snow days before Christmas.
Today I'm in Charleston at the West Virginia Statewide Technology Conference. I'll be here until Thursday. Friday starts a four-day weekend, then it's off to my county's teacher academy for four days. And even though we will almost all have been at those training sessions, August 16th is considered the first teacher "work" day.
When I got in my car and left home for Charleston, summer ended...
Saturday, July 17, 2010
The Complications of Blogging
I'm preparing at the moment for a conference coming up in Charleston, WV. I somehow managed to get myself invited to present two workshops (concurrent sessions) at the annual West Virginia Statewide Technology Conference. The conference is the first week of August. I get to talk about blogging for two 50-minute sessions. Then a couple of days later I get to speak to a room full of geeks about Twitter.
Ironically, I've neglected my own personal blog over the past couple of months. There are reasons for that...
I wrote a post back in April for this blog. May was a busy month. June was a busy month. Now it's July. But being busy doesn't excuse a blogger from writing. If anything, it's suppose to mean he creates more content. Blogging is based in life experience, after all.
A lot has happened in the last three months. The last month of school was hectic. We have a new kitchen. I've done a lot of writing other places. We spent a week at the beach and a few days in Gatlinburg.
At the point in time that blogging becomes a source of income it starts to get hard to blog for free on your own personal blog. Much of this blog has been about politics in the past. I'm not particularly enthused with local politics at the moment. That makes it harder to write about.
Blogging is supposed to be personal. That creates problems when you can't really talk about the personal issues that affect you most at the moment. The last couple of months have forced that dilemma on me, as well.
I will share this personal tidbit. Every summer a small game of musical chairs takes place in the school system where I work. I turned in a bid sheet for a job working in Title I. I suspect that someone already in Title I will get the job - not because they're already in Title I, but because they have more seniority than I do. And at that point I'll bid on their job.
And I'll try and pick things up this week. Maybe I'll come up with a few pictures of the new kitchen. And perhaps I can talk about how our bird houses did this year...
Ironically, I've neglected my own personal blog over the past couple of months. There are reasons for that...
I wrote a post back in April for this blog. May was a busy month. June was a busy month. Now it's July. But being busy doesn't excuse a blogger from writing. If anything, it's suppose to mean he creates more content. Blogging is based in life experience, after all.
A lot has happened in the last three months. The last month of school was hectic. We have a new kitchen. I've done a lot of writing other places. We spent a week at the beach and a few days in Gatlinburg.
At the point in time that blogging becomes a source of income it starts to get hard to blog for free on your own personal blog. Much of this blog has been about politics in the past. I'm not particularly enthused with local politics at the moment. That makes it harder to write about.
Blogging is supposed to be personal. That creates problems when you can't really talk about the personal issues that affect you most at the moment. The last couple of months have forced that dilemma on me, as well.
I will share this personal tidbit. Every summer a small game of musical chairs takes place in the school system where I work. I turned in a bid sheet for a job working in Title I. I suspect that someone already in Title I will get the job - not because they're already in Title I, but because they have more seniority than I do. And at that point I'll bid on their job.
And I'll try and pick things up this week. Maybe I'll come up with a few pictures of the new kitchen. And perhaps I can talk about how our bird houses did this year...
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Almost time to go back...
Summer break is drawing to an end. I have eight busy days left before the first teacher work day. Tomorrow I have to attend a training on some tools we plan to beginning using in the classroom. One is an online grade book. I supposed to take tomorrow's presentation and give it myself somewhere on August 24 to a group of teachers...
While summer break may be ending, I'm not sure summer itself ever made an appearance. We had an extended Spring that included lows in the 40's in July, a continuing cycle of on-and-off rain showers, and the occasional "hot spell" that saw temperatures climb into the upper 80's for a day or two. If the pattern of precipitation continues into November and December it will be a very snowy Winter.
I am trying to get ahead of the curve at the moment on writing. But I haven't been very successful at it.
Next week I'm working a booth for the local Democratic Party at the county fair for a couple of days. I'm also driving to Abingdon, VA on August 20th to participate in a town hall meeting on health care that my Congressman (Rick Boucher) is holding.
Well, let's see how much writing I can get done today...
While summer break may be ending, I'm not sure summer itself ever made an appearance. We had an extended Spring that included lows in the 40's in July, a continuing cycle of on-and-off rain showers, and the occasional "hot spell" that saw temperatures climb into the upper 80's for a day or two. If the pattern of precipitation continues into November and December it will be a very snowy Winter.
I am trying to get ahead of the curve at the moment on writing. But I haven't been very successful at it.
Next week I'm working a booth for the local Democratic Party at the county fair for a couple of days. I'm also driving to Abingdon, VA on August 20th to participate in a town hall meeting on health care that my Congressman (Rick Boucher) is holding.
Well, let's see how much writing I can get done today...
Friday, May 22, 2009
Bluebirds, Tomatoes, Sleep and Sausage
Just some general notes on life...
Birds: I mentioned on April 26th that my bluebirds had four eggs. They sat on them a while. Then for some reason they stopped. The eggs are supposed to take 17 to 19 days. It's been 26, and Mrs. Bluebird isn't sitting. We had a cold snap that dropped the temps here into the 20's. I don't know if that played a role or not. Today I cleaned the box out. No earwigs (I know that earwigs will drive them from a nest). Maybe they'll start a second nest and try again.
The nest of tree swallows (a second cedar box) on the other side of the yard seems to be doing well. They had six eggs when Ms. Tree Swallow began to sit a few days ago. Catholic, I guess.
Long Weekend: I told the kids at school I'd sleep until 9:30 or 10:00 tomorrow and then cook biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Probably I'll go eat off the breakfast buffet at Big Daddy's tomorrow and do the cooking thing Sunday and Monday morning. Cheryl and I are both a little sleep deprived. I took a two hour nap tonight (6:30pm to 830pm) and she slept somewhat long in the recliner in the living room while I caught up on my blogging. Maybe the extra day will help us catch up on our sleep.
Tomatoes: I've got eight tomato plants - Mr. Stripys, Red Beef Steak, Pink Beef Steak, and a Park Whopper. I need to find some Early Girls tomorrow. I'd like to find a small yellow pear-shaped. A few days ago it we had frost, but it looks like the chance for frost is gone now, so I'll plant the tomatoes in boxes on my back deck this weekend. I need a few annuals to put in the flowerbed, too. And I'll mow some grass. I'll probably also take my dog to the park. We haven't been to Lake Witten in months. She just got a hair cut, so if she gets dirty she'll be easy to bathe. I put her on a 30 foot least and let her run up and down the hills there. Good for both of us.
Sausage: Wherever I eat breakfast tomorrow, Sunday and Monday I'll spice some ground pork and fry it. Thyme, sage, a few caraway seeds, some salt and pepper. That way I don't have to put up with sodium nitrite or MSG. There's nothing like a good healthy breakfast...
Well, I think I'll finish my adult beverage and go to bed.
Birds: I mentioned on April 26th that my bluebirds had four eggs. They sat on them a while. Then for some reason they stopped. The eggs are supposed to take 17 to 19 days. It's been 26, and Mrs. Bluebird isn't sitting. We had a cold snap that dropped the temps here into the 20's. I don't know if that played a role or not. Today I cleaned the box out. No earwigs (I know that earwigs will drive them from a nest). Maybe they'll start a second nest and try again.
The nest of tree swallows (a second cedar box) on the other side of the yard seems to be doing well. They had six eggs when Ms. Tree Swallow began to sit a few days ago. Catholic, I guess.
Long Weekend: I told the kids at school I'd sleep until 9:30 or 10:00 tomorrow and then cook biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs for breakfast. Probably I'll go eat off the breakfast buffet at Big Daddy's tomorrow and do the cooking thing Sunday and Monday morning. Cheryl and I are both a little sleep deprived. I took a two hour nap tonight (6:30pm to 830pm) and she slept somewhat long in the recliner in the living room while I caught up on my blogging. Maybe the extra day will help us catch up on our sleep.
Tomatoes: I've got eight tomato plants - Mr. Stripys, Red Beef Steak, Pink Beef Steak, and a Park Whopper. I need to find some Early Girls tomorrow. I'd like to find a small yellow pear-shaped. A few days ago it we had frost, but it looks like the chance for frost is gone now, so I'll plant the tomatoes in boxes on my back deck this weekend. I need a few annuals to put in the flowerbed, too. And I'll mow some grass. I'll probably also take my dog to the park. We haven't been to Lake Witten in months. She just got a hair cut, so if she gets dirty she'll be easy to bathe. I put her on a 30 foot least and let her run up and down the hills there. Good for both of us.
Sausage: Wherever I eat breakfast tomorrow, Sunday and Monday I'll spice some ground pork and fry it. Thyme, sage, a few caraway seeds, some salt and pepper. That way I don't have to put up with sodium nitrite or MSG. There's nothing like a good healthy breakfast...
Well, I think I'll finish my adult beverage and go to bed.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Certification Update: Administration
I got my paperwork in the mail earlier this week. I'm now certified in administration: principal, supervisor general instruction, superintendent (all preK-adult).
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Classroom Experience: The Word is "History"
I won't say what grade this was, but one of the vocabulary words this week is history. I was sitting with a small group of four or five kids during a reading class. And we were talking about what the word means...
The kids seemed to view history in terms of important events and leaders. I tried to explain that history also studies what life was like in the past.
"For example," I said, "Think about the first pioneers in West Virginia (where I teach) back 160 or 170 years ago. Do you think they ate much macaroni and cheese?"
The group all quickly agreed that that seemed unlikely. I asked what knowledge they had that led them to that conclusion.
"Because the microwave hadn't been invented yet," one child said. Everyone agreed.
Hmmm. I tried to think how to recover from that. I also looked at the clock and realized I had about 45 second left before I was due to leave this room for my next group of students, down the hall.
"Well, you know that people ate macaroni and cheese before the microwave...," I informed the students.
Facial expressions: shock and disgust.
"What did they do?" one student asked. "Did they eat it raw?"
I explained that you could cook macaroni and cheese on the top of a stove. My students were skeptical. And I decided I'd have to be more convincing on the subject at a later date. I excused myself and moved on to my next classroom.
The kids seemed to view history in terms of important events and leaders. I tried to explain that history also studies what life was like in the past.
"For example," I said, "Think about the first pioneers in West Virginia (where I teach) back 160 or 170 years ago. Do you think they ate much macaroni and cheese?"
The group all quickly agreed that that seemed unlikely. I asked what knowledge they had that led them to that conclusion.
"Because the microwave hadn't been invented yet," one child said. Everyone agreed.
Hmmm. I tried to think how to recover from that. I also looked at the clock and realized I had about 45 second left before I was due to leave this room for my next group of students, down the hall.
"Well, you know that people ate macaroni and cheese before the microwave...," I informed the students.
Facial expressions: shock and disgust.
"What did they do?" one student asked. "Did they eat it raw?"
I explained that you could cook macaroni and cheese on the top of a stove. My students were skeptical. And I decided I'd have to be more convincing on the subject at a later date. I excused myself and moved on to my next classroom.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Hot Shower, Bronchitis, and Old Finnish Friends
I stayed home today. Bronchitis. It's been a rough winter and I think this is my third bout of bronchitis this school year. My doctor prescribed an antibiotic called Avelox (which worked well the last two times).
In the last 16 hours (since about 11pm yesterday) I've learned a few things. I've learned that if I lay down flat I may drown. I've (re)learned the simple truth that ibuprofen cures chills - temporarily, at least. I've learned that snoring just makes you cough more. I could probably add to the list.
At 2:00pm I sat down in the recliner and tried to take a name. I used one of the news channels as background noise...
I got up and took some ibuprofen and decided I'd take a hot shower. I went in the bathroom and shut the door. I don't know why I shut the door; no one else is here. But it seemed polite. Undressing was torture. I turned the shower to as hot as I could stand it and breathed the steam. Eventually I sat down.
In the early 1990's I lived in Canberra, Australia. Some of my friends were Finnish. Canberra had a community of about 2,000 Finnish immigrants. Most families had built their own sauna in their back yards. I would go to their houses and the men would sit in the sauna for 20 or 30 minutes (okay, sometimes an hour). They enjoyed keeping it between 75C and 85C degrees. That's 167F to 185F. When it was dry, I thought that was nice. A teaspoon of water on the rocks could drive me out (while they all laughed). I sat in the shower and remembered those days. Wish I had a sauna...
For now, the ibuprofen has kicked in and my wife will be home soon. Big Daddy's on Friday is a ritual. It's seafood night. I'll eat what I can and bring my leftovers home.
In the last 16 hours (since about 11pm yesterday) I've learned a few things. I've learned that if I lay down flat I may drown. I've (re)learned the simple truth that ibuprofen cures chills - temporarily, at least. I've learned that snoring just makes you cough more. I could probably add to the list.
At 2:00pm I sat down in the recliner and tried to take a name. I used one of the news channels as background noise...
- Joe Biden is a liar. I know it's true because Karl Rove said so.
- Tornadoes have torn up parts of Arkansas and Tennessee (and they may be headed this way).
- President Obama divested the U.S. of most of its sovereign powers at the G20 meeting by bowing before the King of Saudi Arabia. At least that's the view of Conservatives in the blogosphere (like the space aliens who roam the halls of Hot Air). Never mind that custom seems to dictate that one kiss the King's neck (or something like that) to swear loyalty in the Saudi Kingdom. I've seen the video and I think that if President Obama had intended it to be a bow there would have been more flourish. It was a two second event that probably won't have much impact on the course of history...
- Oklahoma is on fire.
- Two people are dead after an apparent murder-suicide on a community college campus in Michigan.
- A construction worker in Indiana got buried when a trench he was in collapsed.
- The president of Arizona State is an idiot and doesn’t want to give President Obama an honorary degree (the traditional reward for speaking at a commencement service). They still want him to speak, though. (Wonder if McCain will come.)
- Pirates still have the ship captain near Somali.
- Dead cats can bounce, or maybe there's a glimmer of hope of the economic front.
I got up and took some ibuprofen and decided I'd take a hot shower. I went in the bathroom and shut the door. I don't know why I shut the door; no one else is here. But it seemed polite. Undressing was torture. I turned the shower to as hot as I could stand it and breathed the steam. Eventually I sat down.
In the early 1990's I lived in Canberra, Australia. Some of my friends were Finnish. Canberra had a community of about 2,000 Finnish immigrants. Most families had built their own sauna in their back yards. I would go to their houses and the men would sit in the sauna for 20 or 30 minutes (okay, sometimes an hour). They enjoyed keeping it between 75C and 85C degrees. That's 167F to 185F. When it was dry, I thought that was nice. A teaspoon of water on the rocks could drive me out (while they all laughed). I sat in the shower and remembered those days. Wish I had a sauna...
For now, the ibuprofen has kicked in and my wife will be home soon. Big Daddy's on Friday is a ritual. It's seafood night. I'll eat what I can and bring my leftovers home.
Monday, April 6, 2009
My LAST Class...
I start an educational technology class tonight in my program for certification in educational leadership. The certification will make it possible for me to work as a principal or to take a number of central office jobs.
The Syllabus doesn't look too stressful. Class finishes in May. Hopefully I'll be certified by sometime in June...
The Syllabus doesn't look too stressful. Class finishes in May. Hopefully I'll be certified by sometime in June...
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Certification Update: Five More Years
I was pleased this week to get my new West Virginia teaching license in the mail. For the first time, my WV license is good for more than one year. In the past my license has invariably had something on it that required an annual renewal - some provisional certification of some kind. Now I can stop worrying about getting that piece of paperwork in every year.
My Georgia license is good through 2012. In WV I have until 2014.
My Georgia license is good through 2012. In WV I have until 2014.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Pajama Day
For the first time in my life, I wore my pajamas to work today. I say that I wore my pajamas, but I don't wear pajamas at home. Shorts and a t-short. But to celebrate the completion of our school's Accelerated Reader goals, we had a "pajama day" and the kids who'd achieved their goals wore pj's today.
I learned just how hot read flannel can be. It was 60ish outside today. The kids thought that seeing me in pajamas was a hoot. I carried a teddy bear (named "John L. Lewis") and almost every kid in the building held it at some point.
At lunchtime we read "bedtime stories" in the cafeteria...
I learned just how hot read flannel can be. It was 60ish outside today. The kids thought that seeing me in pajamas was a hoot. I carried a teddy bear (named "John L. Lewis") and almost every kid in the building held it at some point.
At lunchtime we read "bedtime stories" in the cafeteria...
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Administration Praxis
I passed the praxis test in administration. Score:760.
I've got an internship left in the certification program - 45 hours of activity in March. I also have a two day workshop in March on personnel evaluation. After that, it's just paperwork to finish the certification in principalship, curriculum supervision, and superintendency.
I also have an unrelated conference in March - the Reaching Research Symposium. Two days...
I've got an internship left in the certification program - 45 hours of activity in March. I also have a two day workshop in March on personnel evaluation. After that, it's just paperwork to finish the certification in principalship, curriculum supervision, and superintendency.
I also have an unrelated conference in March - the Reaching Research Symposium. Two days...
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
New Supervisor, Leaks in the Party, and My Health
I'm told that Tom Brewster was appointed by the Tazewell County Board of Supervisors today to temporarily fill the seat recently vacated on the Board for the Northern District. Tom is a friend and he'll do well on the Board. (For my readers outside Virginia, most states would call this body a county commission.) Congrats to Tom.
I went to a Democratic Party meeting last night. Jon Bowerbank spoke. Jon is a candidate for Lt. Governer in Virginia. He's competing with four other people for the Democratic Nomination. He was lucid and entertaining. He was also quick on his feet in the Q&A session at the end of his time. I didn't hear anything I didn't like. Jon's on the Board of Supervisors in neighboring Russell County, which means he understands local government. I'll probably put a sign in my yard for him sometime soon...
One of the things that came out at the meeting was that when the Northern District met back in January to talk about filling our vacant position on the Board, some of the things said in the party meeting got repeated to members of the opposition party. I have to say... it pissed me off. The idea that we can't talk freely with each other without something like a spy in the room made me feel a little betrayed. I asked who it was; no one wanted to say. But I think I figured it out. We'll have to look into excluding individuals we don't trust in the future.
I haven't been particularly healthy this month. I spent four days pretty low with bronchitis. A head cold quickly moves to my chest these days. This is my third bout of it this school year. My doctor gave me Avelox and that seems to fix me right up, but I missed two days of work.
I've tried once or twice to list blog posts I've written elsewhere here so that people can see them. That's gotten to be time consuming. I'll just say that here's a list of blogs I contribute to regularly (get paid to write for) and you can reference this list from time to time if you're interested. Most get four posts each month out of me.
I went to a Democratic Party meeting last night. Jon Bowerbank spoke. Jon is a candidate for Lt. Governer in Virginia. He's competing with four other people for the Democratic Nomination. He was lucid and entertaining. He was also quick on his feet in the Q&A session at the end of his time. I didn't hear anything I didn't like. Jon's on the Board of Supervisors in neighboring Russell County, which means he understands local government. I'll probably put a sign in my yard for him sometime soon...
One of the things that came out at the meeting was that when the Northern District met back in January to talk about filling our vacant position on the Board, some of the things said in the party meeting got repeated to members of the opposition party. I have to say... it pissed me off. The idea that we can't talk freely with each other without something like a spy in the room made me feel a little betrayed. I asked who it was; no one wanted to say. But I think I figured it out. We'll have to look into excluding individuals we don't trust in the future.
I haven't been particularly healthy this month. I spent four days pretty low with bronchitis. A head cold quickly moves to my chest these days. This is my third bout of it this school year. My doctor gave me Avelox and that seems to fix me right up, but I missed two days of work.
I've tried once or twice to list blog posts I've written elsewhere here so that people can see them. That's gotten to be time consuming. I'll just say that here's a list of blogs I contribute to regularly (get paid to write for) and you can reference this list from time to time if you're interested. Most get four posts each month out of me.
- BizInformer
- BizPlanHacks
- BootStrapMe
- China Venture News
- TJ's Weblog
COMPUTER - Social Networking - Twitter, Facebook, etc.
- Search Engines
- Web 2.0
TRAVEL - Latina Viva
- Flyaway
- Wandalust
- Hidden Travel Gems
OTHER STUFF - Celebrate Wine
- Global Mobility - Immigration News
- Online Dating - Emphasis on the Internet issues (I'm happily married and don't really keep up with the dating scene, per se...)
BUSINESS
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Certification Update
I received word yesterday that I have passed the tests in Georgia for middle grades language arts (4-8) and high school English (6-12). I figure I'll get the new Georgia license in a week or so and transfer those certs to my WV license by Thanksgiving...
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Reflecting on Kids...
I attended a meeting tonight and a small child that can't be more that two decided I had an inviting lap. I know her grandparents, but I'd never seen her before. She decided to perch herself in my lap and laugh and giggle for a while. It's been a long time since I held a child that young. Usually small children are a little skeptical of people they don't know. But this child comes from a very loving family and I guess her sense of security was pretty strong. She made me her new friend and spent a good ten minutes with me. It made me think of my own daughters at that age...
I have the good fortune this year to spend a little time each day with every grade at my school. I spend 45 minutes each day with kindergarten through fifth grade. And I see the preK kids at lunch and at bus duty. In just a few short weeks it's given me a real sense of how kids develop.
I told my wife yesterday that I'd decided that second grade was a turning point. Most kids at that point emerge from some sort of fog or haze that seems to me to have a lot to do with their ability to articulate ideas and the depth of their perception of the world. I enjoy my time in second grade reading block a lot.
At the moment kindergarten and first grade are both working on writing. But for kindergarten that's a motor skills and memory activity. But the first graders are having to think of words to put in blanks in their sentences: He see a _______. In some cases they're being required to create whole sentences on their own. And you can see the wheels turn as they think...
By fifth grade they're almost like little adults - with some depth of knowledge, the ability to really reason with you, a much firmer grip on behavioral issues, etc. The irony is that a week or to after finishing fifth grade, hormones (and the emotions that come with them) will make them almost unhuman.
I have the good fortune this year to spend a little time each day with every grade at my school. I spend 45 minutes each day with kindergarten through fifth grade. And I see the preK kids at lunch and at bus duty. In just a few short weeks it's given me a real sense of how kids develop.
I told my wife yesterday that I'd decided that second grade was a turning point. Most kids at that point emerge from some sort of fog or haze that seems to me to have a lot to do with their ability to articulate ideas and the depth of their perception of the world. I enjoy my time in second grade reading block a lot.
At the moment kindergarten and first grade are both working on writing. But for kindergarten that's a motor skills and memory activity. But the first graders are having to think of words to put in blanks in their sentences: He see a _______. In some cases they're being required to create whole sentences on their own. And you can see the wheels turn as they think...
By fifth grade they're almost like little adults - with some depth of knowledge, the ability to really reason with you, a much firmer grip on behavioral issues, etc. The irony is that a week or to after finishing fifth grade, hormones (and the emotions that come with them) will make them almost unhuman.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Recovering from the Expo
I spent Saturday recovering from a week at the 21st Century Learning Expo that Cheryl and I attended in Beckley last week. The event was good, but draining. Something about getting up at 5am and driving three and a half hours each day so you can sit in a chair and listen to people.... It'll wear you out.
The truth I suppose is that recovery started Friday night with a prolonged nap, followed by a reversion to my old habit of going to bed at one in the morning.
I got up this morning around 10am. I got some coffee and sat down in front of my screen. Six or eight emails - mostly Google alerts. There were 36 new entries in my Google Reader. I looked at stats on my blogs. Then I made breakfast: biscuits and gravy, an omelet with cheese & mushrooms for me (Cheryl doesn't much like eggs), and a tomato from our small garden.
Cheryl and I both had camera problems this weekend. Hers were simple. Her camera got knocked off a table and didn't work after that. Simple but irreparable. My problems had more to do with age. I've been using a 3.2 megapixel Sony Mavica for five years. It's tired. I get errors when it writes to the disk it uses (a small CD). And it just doesn't do what I need it to do anymore. So Cheryl and went out and found new cameras today. I now have a 7 megapixel camera with a 2gig SD card.
Lunch was at Quiznos (baja chicken for me) and we came home to watch the Nationwide race before talking a nap. Now I have a glass of white wine and I'm nibbling on bread and cheese while I blog. Cheryl is working on an electronic portfolio for something.
The windows are open and I can her a million bugs outside. It's a cool night...
The truth I suppose is that recovery started Friday night with a prolonged nap, followed by a reversion to my old habit of going to bed at one in the morning.
I got up this morning around 10am. I got some coffee and sat down in front of my screen. Six or eight emails - mostly Google alerts. There were 36 new entries in my Google Reader. I looked at stats on my blogs. Then I made breakfast: biscuits and gravy, an omelet with cheese & mushrooms for me (Cheryl doesn't much like eggs), and a tomato from our small garden.
Cheryl and I both had camera problems this weekend. Hers were simple. Her camera got knocked off a table and didn't work after that. Simple but irreparable. My problems had more to do with age. I've been using a 3.2 megapixel Sony Mavica for five years. It's tired. I get errors when it writes to the disk it uses (a small CD). And it just doesn't do what I need it to do anymore. So Cheryl and went out and found new cameras today. I now have a 7 megapixel camera with a 2gig SD card.
Lunch was at Quiznos (baja chicken for me) and we came home to watch the Nationwide race before talking a nap. Now I have a glass of white wine and I'm nibbling on bread and cheese while I blog. Cheryl is working on an electronic portfolio for something.
The windows are open and I can her a million bugs outside. It's a cool night...
Friday, June 6, 2008
Last Day For Kids...
Today was the last day for students at my little school. Our preK and Kindergarten have been gone for a few days. Today we had the awards assembly for first through fifth graders.
We had the assembly early, at 9am, to try and beat the heat of the day. But while no one passed out from heat stroke, it was still unpleasantly warm in the building even at that early hour.
I'm not absolutely positive, but I think Calvin Coolidge was President when our school was built. Could have been Hoover. Might have been as early as Wilson. There's no air conditioning. Just a coal furnace for the winters. The building's bricks make it function as an oven, and by the end of the day today is was in the mid-90's in parts of the building. We've decided to start at 7am on Monday so we can get our time in before mid-afternoon rolls around.
Apart from an incident with an unruly parent at the end of the assembly, the morning went well. There were awards for attendance, for making the honor roll, for good behavior, for placing in the school spelling bee or science fair or social studies fair, for placing in the county spelling bee or science fair or social studies fair, for our school math competition, for basketball and cheerleading, for the young writers’ competition, and more. It was a good time.
Most parents checked their kids out of school when the awards assembly was over. The 17 students who were left ate lunch, watched a movie in the library (our building's coolest room) instead of going outside after lunch, and then helped teachers clean and pack for the end of the year.
It seemed like a short year. We graduated 10 fifth graders who will go on to the middle school.
I came home and turned the window unit AC on in our bedroom. Cheryl and I ate at Big Daddy’s around the corner from our house (seafood night on Fridays). We can home and both took a nap. We watched the NASCAR truck race in Texas. And now, here I sit blogging at 1am..
Monday and Tuesday there's some paperwork to finish up. I'm taking two graduate classes this summer. There are a few workshops to go to. Cheryl and I will spend a few days at the beach.
And in August we'll start it all again...
We had the assembly early, at 9am, to try and beat the heat of the day. But while no one passed out from heat stroke, it was still unpleasantly warm in the building even at that early hour.
I'm not absolutely positive, but I think Calvin Coolidge was President when our school was built. Could have been Hoover. Might have been as early as Wilson. There's no air conditioning. Just a coal furnace for the winters. The building's bricks make it function as an oven, and by the end of the day today is was in the mid-90's in parts of the building. We've decided to start at 7am on Monday so we can get our time in before mid-afternoon rolls around.
Apart from an incident with an unruly parent at the end of the assembly, the morning went well. There were awards for attendance, for making the honor roll, for good behavior, for placing in the school spelling bee or science fair or social studies fair, for placing in the county spelling bee or science fair or social studies fair, for our school math competition, for basketball and cheerleading, for the young writers’ competition, and more. It was a good time.
Most parents checked their kids out of school when the awards assembly was over. The 17 students who were left ate lunch, watched a movie in the library (our building's coolest room) instead of going outside after lunch, and then helped teachers clean and pack for the end of the year.
It seemed like a short year. We graduated 10 fifth graders who will go on to the middle school.
I came home and turned the window unit AC on in our bedroom. Cheryl and I ate at Big Daddy’s around the corner from our house (seafood night on Fridays). We can home and both took a nap. We watched the NASCAR truck race in Texas. And now, here I sit blogging at 1am..
Monday and Tuesday there's some paperwork to finish up. I'm taking two graduate classes this summer. There are a few workshops to go to. Cheryl and I will spend a few days at the beach.
And in August we'll start it all again...
Saturday, May 31, 2008
The Morning After... (Back from the School Trip)
I work up sore and tired this morning after spending 17 hours yesterday involved in our annual school trip.
The trip went pretty well. And the truth, I suppose, is that I got off a little lighter than some of the other teachers. Most participants met at the school at 4:30am. I was able to meet the bus at the Walmart at Claypool Hill on US Rt. 19/460. I got to that parking lot about 6:30am - the bus didn't make it until almost 7:00.
The charter buses we took to Sevierville were comfortable. We ate breakfast from a McDonalds on the two buses with about 150 kids, parents and teachers. We had originally planned to take the kids to the Knoxville Zoo. We settled instead for two hours at Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo. From there we took the kids to WonderWorks where we ate lunch, toured the educational exhibits (mostly science related), play some laser tag, saw a dinner show, and brought the kids home.
I had a really nice group of fourth graders that were my responsibility to monitor while we were in the two stops.
The bus let me off at Walmart again at about 10:30 last night and I was home by 11:15pm - probably an hour or more before the bus got back to the school.
To my knowledge there was only one single incident where a student’s behavior created any problems and it was handled quickly by the boss. The trip was pleasant and successful.
I didn't really expect to be sore. I guess my body isn't tailored for bus seats anymore - even if they are nice, comfortable charter bus seats. I suppose I also did a more walking then usually yesterday...
The trip went pretty well. And the truth, I suppose, is that I got off a little lighter than some of the other teachers. Most participants met at the school at 4:30am. I was able to meet the bus at the Walmart at Claypool Hill on US Rt. 19/460. I got to that parking lot about 6:30am - the bus didn't make it until almost 7:00.
The charter buses we took to Sevierville were comfortable. We ate breakfast from a McDonalds on the two buses with about 150 kids, parents and teachers. We had originally planned to take the kids to the Knoxville Zoo. We settled instead for two hours at Rainforest Adventures Discovery Zoo. From there we took the kids to WonderWorks where we ate lunch, toured the educational exhibits (mostly science related), play some laser tag, saw a dinner show, and brought the kids home.
I had a really nice group of fourth graders that were my responsibility to monitor while we were in the two stops.
The bus let me off at Walmart again at about 10:30 last night and I was home by 11:15pm - probably an hour or more before the bus got back to the school.
To my knowledge there was only one single incident where a student’s behavior created any problems and it was handled quickly by the boss. The trip was pleasant and successful.
I didn't really expect to be sore. I guess my body isn't tailored for bus seats anymore - even if they are nice, comfortable charter bus seats. I suppose I also did a more walking then usually yesterday...
Monday, May 26, 2008
Memorial Day: The Long Weekend
In a few minutes I'll go to bed and the long weekend will be over. Tomorrow I ride a bus across the twisty roads of McDowell County, WV, with some fifth graders to visit the middle school they'll attend next year. Wednesday and Thursday are normal instructional days. Friday is the school trip - the charter buses will leave the school before the crack of dawn and return around 10pm (hopefully) and the kids will have all seen the Knoxville Zoo (among other things).
Friday night I had a tooth ache. At least I thought it was a tooth ache. I contemplated going to the ER with my own pair of pliers and asking someone to pull a back molar. In retrospect, sinus pressure may have contributed to the pain. I took 2400 mg (or so) of ibuprofen on Saturday, 1800 mg on Sunday, and none today. It no longer hurts. Go figure...
Saturday Cheryl and I helped chaperon an eighth grade prom. Dinner at Big Daddy's before the event. Home about 11:30.
Sunday night we watched the cup race. I cried when Tony Stewart blew a tire with two laps to go.
Today I blogged, cooked, mowed some (not much), talked to my Mom on the phone, took some photos outside (the bluebirds, our irises in the creek are in bloom, some finches on our birdfeeder), and participated in a discussion on the International Reading Associations listserv.
Now, bed...
Friday night I had a tooth ache. At least I thought it was a tooth ache. I contemplated going to the ER with my own pair of pliers and asking someone to pull a back molar. In retrospect, sinus pressure may have contributed to the pain. I took 2400 mg (or so) of ibuprofen on Saturday, 1800 mg on Sunday, and none today. It no longer hurts. Go figure...
Saturday Cheryl and I helped chaperon an eighth grade prom. Dinner at Big Daddy's before the event. Home about 11:30.
Sunday night we watched the cup race. I cried when Tony Stewart blew a tire with two laps to go.
Today I blogged, cooked, mowed some (not much), talked to my Mom on the phone, took some photos outside (the bluebirds, our irises in the creek are in bloom, some finches on our birdfeeder), and participated in a discussion on the International Reading Associations listserv.
Now, bed...
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