One Last Last, maybe

One Last Last, maybe In what could be my last year, I wanted to share, and of course, maybe inspire

09/03/2024

Last year was limbo, this year feels like it may be time to move on to the next challenge in the spring. It isn't that the joy of being with the students, but more the changes I want to make in education. Schools will say they are student centered, mostly not true. Many times it is the same old way things have been for 100 years. Change is a scary, but necessary, word. We have to move on from the way we were taught. We need to stop trying to do everything and focus on the three R's--respect, responsibility, and resiliency.

01/24/2024

Day 89
Possibly the start of my last semester. Bittersweet. Two of my students finished last semester, one a semester early, the other a semester extra. Missed sharing the day with my best friend, she always wanted to know how the new schedule was going to work. Have some challenges this time around, but that is what I like.

Enjoy the small moments, and remember the little victories. I heard in a show that you should keep a positive journal. Only write down the good things. When your memory fails and you forget all the bad, you can read and remember the positive. Think about doing that. Start a happy book.

01/08/2024

Day 80
Last Monday of the semester. School is fine. Cats are great. It is something else. Something I was not prepared for. Let me explain. Jackie Zeman (the legendary Bobbie Spencer on General Hospital) died on May 10th. Same day as my mom. This last week they announced her character's off-screen death. They are now dealing with it. Not to be one to let people go it alone, I am right there with them. What the character Carly is saying about her mom, hits home. Hard. She was my rock. She was the family's rock. This week will be hard, but also it will be nice to share with others what I haven't been able to explain.

12/10/2023

Day 62
Teaching is a lot like growing redwood trees or the building of the pyramids. You lay a good foundation. You watch it grow. You may never know how it turns out, but if you have a little faith and have put in the hard work, something special is there for the world to enjoy.
I hold my students to a higher standard. For me it isn't about rigor, it is about developing the skills and toolset to be a productive member of society. It means having conversations. It means attacking the behavior and/or the choices. It means asking what you should have done differently or what did you learn.
My students may not understand limits and derivations or how subject-verb agreement sometimes does not sound the best, but they do know how to find where to vote, how to register to vote, how a paycheck works (that take-home pay is what is really important), and that your opinion is important, but you do not need to make it someone else's.

Lay the foundation, nurture the growth...feed our future.

12/06/2023

Day 59
Holiday Seasons. Not good for most of my kiddos. Here is where they get food and feel safe. I have been gathering snack sacks for them for break. Things they like and will consume, not necessarily the things they settle for each week because that is what is given.
One thing to think about. Instead of sharing what students are doing over break or when they get back what they got, emphasize this...What did you do for someone else? What good deed did you see?
Everyone can experience the good, but not all experience the gift.

11/22/2023

Day 51 (actually a buy-back vacation day)
I was asked what I was thankful for. It didn't take long to say a job I love, a home I love to come home to, and people around me that get my kind of crazy.
I hope you find some peace in this time of thankfulness...

10/15/2023

Day 33+ (almost 34)
Tomorrow is after-school parent/teacher conferences. Really they are a thing of the past. Now we email or phone and everyone can check grades and/or attendance. I don't mind Open House to welcome the students and parents back to a new school year, but things like tomorrow night have outlived themselves. They are obsolete. What could we do with the time? Keep track of how many emails we do after hours. Write down all the phone calls on our time (or texts.) Maybe there is some merit for those not yet in high school, but for those 9-12, we could find something more meaningful. So, what do you say? Those who know me, know I have an idea or two. I think we could have a college and job fair. Bring in all the locals or any place that wants to come in. Have teachers there to support and/or plug for what they need. You can still answer questions about how they are doing, but you are also giving them a picture of where they could go. Even freshmen may find a job for now, for later, or a program to strive for. Sometimes the best way to motivate is to inspire...

10/04/2023

Day 29
Homecoming. At least it wasn't last week with the warm temps and full moon. Instead, it is warm temps, altered schedules, and senioritis. Yep, already. We don't want to follow directions, we don't want to do anything you want us to. They have officially hit the toddler stage!

09/27/2023

Day 16
A day that you put in your recall space. Kids were awesome. Finished an assignment that is due this coming Friday. Finished all make-up work. Got along for the most part. Great attendance. All around as perfect as it can get. Doesn't happen often, but when it does it makes you smile. They do listen. They can do it, if only for one day...

09/21/2023

Day 13
I remember taking the middle schoolers outside and looking up at the clouds. We would watch them move. We would look for the shapes they formed. Yesterday, as the high schoolers sprawled out on the grass and looked up, it went from this is dumb, to WOW. Fifteen minutes. No phones. No computers. Nature. Priceless.

09/18/2023

Day 10
I remember being told to reach for the stars. I know that slow and steady wins the race. When you put these together they remind me of an oldie but a goodie--Stairway to Heaven. I tell the students not to reach for the stars, but to make progress every day. Some days it is simply getting to school, others you can go to class. Successful day after successful day--no matter how small, makes progress.
You can reach all you want, but it is the daily accomplishments that paint the picture that frames your life.

09/14/2023

Day 7
It was one of those days that make you smile every time you think about it. Since we have been talking time, I asked if they had any questions they had never asked. Time Zones. Why aren't they straight? Why are they the size they are? Do they change?
After answering those questions, I brought up county lines and New Prague with Highway 19 and Scott and Le Sueur. Lots of discussion and then the non-conforming never straight time zone made sense. Later we even got into Military Time and Zulu!!

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