1. Reading journals for all 75 of my students.
2. Essays about the traits of a hero based on The Odyssey and O Brother Where Art Thou
3. Persuasive essays on topics from global warming to gun control to abortion to domestic violence
4. Games, survival guides, postcards, comic books, soundtracks etc. for The Odyssey
5. Stories, speeches and analytical essays about Animal Farm.
6. One day of reading circles for Kite Runner
7. One day of reading circles for Hound of Baskerville
Good thing the end of the quarter is coming up.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Halloween Approaches...
Yeah, school is keeping me very busy. It would keep me busy anyway, but doing a second first year of teaching make it definitely crazy. I've been using work on my current Halloween costume as a distraction. Here's a list of what I've been in the past:
1. Sleeping Beauty (mom made)
2. An Illini Cheerleader (store bought)
3. Evita (mom made)
4. Dorothy from Wizard of Oz (mom made very quickly)
5. Greek Goddess (when I figured out the college version of Halloween)
6. Ballerina (I needed something fast but comfy)
7. Pumpkin (Last year when I had to make a costume last minute)
I realize this is a pretty lousy list. in part because this seems to be all I remember and in part because the costume listed are pretty sad. Except Evita. (and of course the Illini Cheerleader)
1. Sleeping Beauty (mom made)
2. An Illini Cheerleader (store bought)
3. Evita (mom made)
4. Dorothy from Wizard of Oz (mom made very quickly)
5. Greek Goddess (when I figured out the college version of Halloween)
6. Ballerina (I needed something fast but comfy)
7. Pumpkin (Last year when I had to make a costume last minute)
I realize this is a pretty lousy list. in part because this seems to be all I remember and in part because the costume listed are pretty sad. Except Evita. (and of course the Illini Cheerleader)
Sunday, October 4, 2009
My awesome 25th birthday
It was a great weekend celebrating my 25th birthday and here is a list of highlights:
1. I got some very thoughtful cards from special people even deeper than your standard happy birthday card with no personal message. :)
2. Say what you will about facebook, but it's pretty great to receive e-mails all day letting you know that people have said happy birthday.
3. I get to watch the pilot of Sports Night!!!!
4. Nothing like getting 4 new pair of shoes.
5. Brand new real CDs are so rare these days ;)
6. Figuring out where to hang beautiful artwork is a good problem to have.
7. A class of tenth graders singing at the top of their lungs have a pretty great version of Happy Birthday
8. Phone calls with special people is always appreciated.
9. Toy Story and Toy Story II at the El Cap was a good laugh.
10. If you have to go to a class, having chocolate cake there makes it infinitely better.
11. I had an amazing party with lots of wonderful friends and shared with a great person (I do love shared birthday parties) plus about 1000 pictures to remember it by (hopefully some of them are decent.)
1. I got some very thoughtful cards from special people even deeper than your standard happy birthday card with no personal message. :)
2. Say what you will about facebook, but it's pretty great to receive e-mails all day letting you know that people have said happy birthday.
3. I get to watch the pilot of Sports Night!!!!
4. Nothing like getting 4 new pair of shoes.
5. Brand new real CDs are so rare these days ;)
6. Figuring out where to hang beautiful artwork is a good problem to have.
7. A class of tenth graders singing at the top of their lungs have a pretty great version of Happy Birthday
8. Phone calls with special people is always appreciated.
9. Toy Story and Toy Story II at the El Cap was a good laugh.
10. If you have to go to a class, having chocolate cake there makes it infinitely better.
11. I had an amazing party with lots of wonderful friends and shared with a great person (I do love shared birthday parties) plus about 1000 pictures to remember it by (hopefully some of them are decent.)
Monday, September 28, 2009
Sunday, September 20, 2009
In a dream world...
Book rooms are a tricky thing. Luckily I've gotten funding that has allowed me to purchase books for my students but it requires a certain amount of leg work (well internet work and begging work). Here is a list of types of books that if I had my way would be in the book room when I arrived at the school.
1. Books by authors who are still alive. I know it's hard to pick which books will become classics but we have certain authors who are at the top of their game right now, buy their books!
2. Books by authors who aren't white, but who are dead. Generally if the book room does have books by authors who are still alive it'll be a Sherman Alexie or a Toni Morrison as if white authors used to write all the books but recently other races have discovered writing. That's a load of bs.
3. Books that are easy to read and worth reading for 9th graders. The stuff for a good Junior/Senior English class is usually easily sitting on the shelf and Sophomores you can push through that difficult stuff in order to get them used to it, but when a Freshman class first arrives, they need something they can read without thinking reading books is impossible.
4. A play that is not Raisin in the Sun, The Crucible, Death of a Salesman, or Shakespeare. Again you'd think there were only three playwrites who exist in the world with no mention of any other options. (Maybe an Antigone or Oedipus is in there).
5. Books of a variety of genres and purposes. Book rooms are mostly fictional sometimes with a bit of nonfiction as long as it's a narrative, but rarely will you see an informational text, a graphic novel, or a collection of articles someone may have written for a newspaper/blog- yet our students are expected to be able to read all of those. (ok so they don't have to read graphic novels, but they are expected to be able to talk coherently about political cartoons which can take many of the same skills)
6. Books of high interest (maybe low in canonical value- gasp!) that aren't just about gangs/ganglife. I get that a lot of students like books like Always Running and get really into them and that's fine, but our kids face a lot of issues beyond just gangs, but it seems that gangs are the only kinds of high interest, grab your attention books in book rooms. What about a Go Ask Alice to talk about drug culture, or a Jumping the Nail to talk about domestic abuse?
Soon I'll be at the donorschoose once again trying to get yet another copy of Maus. And this set will hopefully be the last one I have to go online to ask for.
1. Books by authors who are still alive. I know it's hard to pick which books will become classics but we have certain authors who are at the top of their game right now, buy their books!
2. Books by authors who aren't white, but who are dead. Generally if the book room does have books by authors who are still alive it'll be a Sherman Alexie or a Toni Morrison as if white authors used to write all the books but recently other races have discovered writing. That's a load of bs.
3. Books that are easy to read and worth reading for 9th graders. The stuff for a good Junior/Senior English class is usually easily sitting on the shelf and Sophomores you can push through that difficult stuff in order to get them used to it, but when a Freshman class first arrives, they need something they can read without thinking reading books is impossible.
4. A play that is not Raisin in the Sun, The Crucible, Death of a Salesman, or Shakespeare. Again you'd think there were only three playwrites who exist in the world with no mention of any other options. (Maybe an Antigone or Oedipus is in there).
5. Books of a variety of genres and purposes. Book rooms are mostly fictional sometimes with a bit of nonfiction as long as it's a narrative, but rarely will you see an informational text, a graphic novel, or a collection of articles someone may have written for a newspaper/blog- yet our students are expected to be able to read all of those. (ok so they don't have to read graphic novels, but they are expected to be able to talk coherently about political cartoons which can take many of the same skills)
6. Books of high interest (maybe low in canonical value- gasp!) that aren't just about gangs/ganglife. I get that a lot of students like books like Always Running and get really into them and that's fine, but our kids face a lot of issues beyond just gangs, but it seems that gangs are the only kinds of high interest, grab your attention books in book rooms. What about a Go Ask Alice to talk about drug culture, or a Jumping the Nail to talk about domestic abuse?
Soon I'll be at the donorschoose once again trying to get yet another copy of Maus. And this set will hopefully be the last one I have to go online to ask for.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Things that don't change about the first day of school
I've switched schools which means that the first day of my second year teaching that should be an easier event because I'm used to the school but instead it's like having two first years of teaching! There are however some things that remain the same with any first day...
1. It's annoying that there are names you don't know. I feel pretty shitty about how long it can take me to learn names.
2. I always forget to drink water/take bathroom breaks. Working at a school these activities take maneuvering. I'm not there yet.
3. It's great that every kid walks in believing this is the time they kick it into high gear. Some kids this is true, other kids not so true, but that first day is great.
4. A few kids will act as caricatures of their actual selves and others will be complete dwarfs of what they are.
Happy first day of school! (Like a month after Illinois.)
1. It's annoying that there are names you don't know. I feel pretty shitty about how long it can take me to learn names.
2. I always forget to drink water/take bathroom breaks. Working at a school these activities take maneuvering. I'm not there yet.
3. It's great that every kid walks in believing this is the time they kick it into high gear. Some kids this is true, other kids not so true, but that first day is great.
4. A few kids will act as caricatures of their actual selves and others will be complete dwarfs of what they are.
Happy first day of school! (Like a month after Illinois.)
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Dreams I had last night
I'm clearly a bit stressed:
1. Classic woke up in my dreams while it was actually like 12 pm rather than the 6:30 I meant to get up. Finally woke up in a start to find it was 3 am.
2. There was a massacre of Sudenese Refugees within the United States (yes I recently finished What is the What) and since I was apparently friends with the large network of the Lost Boys I went with them to DC (But we're talking very dangerous trip) and eventually saved the President from assassination.
3. I had to go to RIAP today (The first official day I need to show up although there won't be students) and afterwards got caught up spray painting props for a movie my friends were doing (they aren't making this movie). It required purple white and neon green and yellow on black pieces of clothing and shoes. I kept getting it on my clothes which was frustrating--especially when the others were all about 10.
4. I showed up at school late and the teachers were all sitting around a table (well ten of them) and one of them was handing out boxes of organic food and they had all brought food they had prepared (or were preparing there are the table) and were doing this as a part of the food movement. I hadn't brought anything.
Needless to say last night was not my best sleep night.
1. Classic woke up in my dreams while it was actually like 12 pm rather than the 6:30 I meant to get up. Finally woke up in a start to find it was 3 am.
2. There was a massacre of Sudenese Refugees within the United States (yes I recently finished What is the What) and since I was apparently friends with the large network of the Lost Boys I went with them to DC (But we're talking very dangerous trip) and eventually saved the President from assassination.
3. I had to go to RIAP today (The first official day I need to show up although there won't be students) and afterwards got caught up spray painting props for a movie my friends were doing (they aren't making this movie). It required purple white and neon green and yellow on black pieces of clothing and shoes. I kept getting it on my clothes which was frustrating--especially when the others were all about 10.
4. I showed up at school late and the teachers were all sitting around a table (well ten of them) and one of them was handing out boxes of organic food and they had all brought food they had prepared (or were preparing there are the table) and were doing this as a part of the food movement. I hadn't brought anything.
Needless to say last night was not my best sleep night.
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