well I sure forgot about updating this bad boy. ohhhh it has been quite a past couple of months. i will break this up into a couple of pieces as i normally do… part 1 – teaching and the children, part 2 – other parts of life, part 3 – next year? part 4 - how things are going in general/ funny things the children do. I will try to keep each section short.
part 1 – ok, so what I really want to do most days is go back in time to my stupid idealistic self and kick myself in the face when I was thinking things like “oh yeah, it’ll be great to teach a class with no standards, learning goals, resources, scope, sequence, etc.” hahaha…. I have done my best to make this class work this semester, and I think my kids have gotten some good things out of it, but overall it has been too disjointed and at times a hot mess. the good news…. I spoke with my principal the other day, and I am back to teaching math again next semester. good news for me, hopefully good news for the children’s test scores…. for some reason the kids keep deciding to add the phrase "stanky tail" to anything they say lately. as in, "shoot, i aint doin this.... stanky tail" i don't understand what the stanky tail is supposed to accomplish but it makes me chuckle.
part 2 – i preached a good ole barn burner of a sermon a couple of sundays ago at delta fellowship church. since then my kids have been continually asking me, “mr. rah, you a preacher? i heard you be preaching. why you didn’t tell us you be preachin?” haha, I took it as a high complement. well, except for the kids that said things like "man, i gotta listen to you talk enough durin class, you think imma try to listen to you on a sunday?" ha! i don't know that i would want to listen to me either after a week of my classroom rants. i have been doing a lot with delta fellowship lately, and i love the people there. we have wednesday night meetings in which we drink adult beverages and talk theology. "theology on tap" we call it, just up my ally. i love it. i feel inclined to comment on cam newton, but i am going to refrain at this point. all i know is we are 11-0 and headed to the sec championship. war eagle and its great to be an auburn tiger. oh yeah, and there is nothing better than hearing my kids say, "dang, i am tired of hearing about auburn, when they gon loose?" hahahaha, glorious.
part 3 - so we are giving standardized tests to the children all this week. we, of course, just found out about this last week. i was, of course, not happy about this. however, today during part of the test, as i was walking around watching the kids fill in bubbles i took a moment to think about and write out my possibilities for next year. currently, (for those of you who know me, you will know that this is life plan number 431) i am considering either enrolling in seminary in memphis next year and living in helena or staying in helena to teach another year. in my writings the pros of seminary lasted about three pages, so that sort of helped push me a little further in that direction. i am definitely leaning that way at this point, but i am sure prone to change my mind.
part 4 - so as you can likely surmise from the post above, my plan is to stay in helena next year. i really love this messed up place, and i see so much potential for this community. the downtown area that was once thriving back when there was industry and the town had over 40,000 residents is currently pretty much deserted, but there are several groups working to build it back up. i have several kids who i really want to see graduate, and i am going to find it difficult to leave this place until that has happened. this job is difficult, and if i am doing it right, it always will be. regardless, i am glad to be where i am, and i hope to remain here for awhile. i will leave you all with a couple of children stories that are pretty much straight ripped from my roommates blog. first is the evolution of phrase "bro" the children started off calling me "bro". it has evolved as follows.....
Bro > Brah > Breh > Bruh > Bruh bruh. Example.... mr rah says....."how are you LJ?" response.... "sup bruh bruh" mr rah says.... LJ, my name is not "bruh bruh" response.... "my bad bruh bruh" ughhh.... this one i am straight going to rip from my roommates blog because he tells it well. this is called the "Kay" and our children pull it off well.....
"Here's what you do: A teacher is giving you a lecture. Wait for them to almost finish their sentence. Then say, loudly enough to jolt them off balance, "Kayyy!"
"Kaayy" as in "OK," as in, "Yeah, whatever you say," as in, "No."
Example:
Mr. J-L: "Crystal, you need to respect my classroom's rul–
Crystal: "Kayyyy!"
Mr. J-L: "I'm sorry, that's not acceptable; you can't be using that w–"
Crystal: "Kaaayyy!"
HA!! gotta love these danged kids. have a nice day. peace.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
ohhh year 2....
so i realized this morning that i have yet to update since year two began. understatement of the year..... year 2 > year 1. hahaha. i like to break these updates up into parts so here we go.... part one - the ninth grade academy and the ninth graders part two - what the mess am i teaching? part three - other parts of life.
part 1 - sooooo.... this ninth grade academy, or the "cougar academy for excellence" as it has been deemed has had a couple of kinks in the rollout phase. kink #1 - these kids be crazy. i was told last year by all of my students that "them kids be bad mr. rah, they gon get you" well they were certainly on point in the first half of that statement. ninth graders in general are insane, and at central that is just kicked up a notch. by putting all the ninth graders in the same hall we've successfully avoided the problem of the ninth graders being negatively affected by the repeater tenth graders. however we've discovered that it has created a problem very similar to what you would encounter if you took all the wild animals out of the jungle and stuck them into a small enclosed area after pumping red bull into their system. BUT the good news is.... mr. rah almost kind of knows what he is doing this year. that means they are NOT destroying my life in the same way they did last year. despite the craziness, i absolutely love these kids already. i can tell they really want to learn despite how nuts they are. i have already been called "boring" several times, which is a high praise because i found out last year that just means that the kids don't throw things and get in fights in my room (or at least that's how i make myself feel better about being boring) a few quotes already "dude, you always be talkin bout that ole stanky auburn place."' "why you so country? you from alabama or something?" "dude if you don't let me go to the bathroom im finna go upside somebody's head or pee on yo ole floor"'
Part 2 - what the mess am i teaching? GREAT question..... answer... yikes, i am not sure. the keystone course was a great idea in theory, and i am still really excited about the possibilities. however, there is wayyyy too much fluff in the objectives that i am supposed to teach. i am trying to get rid of the fluff and teach things that are skill based and substantially important for kids lives. i still plan on hitting some algebra standards really hard when it gets closer to test time, and i am excited about that. i have also talked to a couple of veteran teachers down the road at KIPP who are hopefully going to help me get this course on point. i have taught some pretty good things thus far this year, but in this course it's much harder than in math to know whether or not the kids are learning. regardless, i think some good things are on the way with this course. updates will come soon.
part 3 - well, since it is the beginning of the year... there is not a lot going on in life other than teaching. cam newton is a beast (no comments necessary podge). the kids listen to me more than they did last year. i have only written up a couple as opposed to the twenty i had written up at this point last year. i am leading this course at professional development for TFA, which i am pretty excited about. the new TFAs at my school seem to be adjusting well. a kid i had last year has already transferred out of one first year TFA's class. when i asked him why, he informed me "he be a actin just like you. i can't STAND that man." that is all. peace.
part 1 - sooooo.... this ninth grade academy, or the "cougar academy for excellence" as it has been deemed has had a couple of kinks in the rollout phase. kink #1 - these kids be crazy. i was told last year by all of my students that "them kids be bad mr. rah, they gon get you" well they were certainly on point in the first half of that statement. ninth graders in general are insane, and at central that is just kicked up a notch. by putting all the ninth graders in the same hall we've successfully avoided the problem of the ninth graders being negatively affected by the repeater tenth graders. however we've discovered that it has created a problem very similar to what you would encounter if you took all the wild animals out of the jungle and stuck them into a small enclosed area after pumping red bull into their system. BUT the good news is.... mr. rah almost kind of knows what he is doing this year. that means they are NOT destroying my life in the same way they did last year. despite the craziness, i absolutely love these kids already. i can tell they really want to learn despite how nuts they are. i have already been called "boring" several times, which is a high praise because i found out last year that just means that the kids don't throw things and get in fights in my room (or at least that's how i make myself feel better about being boring) a few quotes already "dude, you always be talkin bout that ole stanky auburn place."' "why you so country? you from alabama or something?" "dude if you don't let me go to the bathroom im finna go upside somebody's head or pee on yo ole floor"'
Part 2 - what the mess am i teaching? GREAT question..... answer... yikes, i am not sure. the keystone course was a great idea in theory, and i am still really excited about the possibilities. however, there is wayyyy too much fluff in the objectives that i am supposed to teach. i am trying to get rid of the fluff and teach things that are skill based and substantially important for kids lives. i still plan on hitting some algebra standards really hard when it gets closer to test time, and i am excited about that. i have also talked to a couple of veteran teachers down the road at KIPP who are hopefully going to help me get this course on point. i have taught some pretty good things thus far this year, but in this course it's much harder than in math to know whether or not the kids are learning. regardless, i think some good things are on the way with this course. updates will come soon.
part 3 - well, since it is the beginning of the year... there is not a lot going on in life other than teaching. cam newton is a beast (no comments necessary podge). the kids listen to me more than they did last year. i have only written up a couple as opposed to the twenty i had written up at this point last year. i am leading this course at professional development for TFA, which i am pretty excited about. the new TFAs at my school seem to be adjusting well. a kid i had last year has already transferred out of one first year TFA's class. when i asked him why, he informed me "he be a actin just like you. i can't STAND that man." that is all. peace.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
the end of summer draws nigh.
summer is approaching its end. this fact saddens me and fills me with anxious anticipation, but also excitement for the upcoming year. to be quite honest the summer could not have gone much better, and i believe that the things i have learned and experienced this summer will help in making my second year of teaching much better than the first. so what are these “things” i speak of you might ask? well allow me to share a few...
1. i will be teaching keystone (refer to previous blog posts for an explanation of what that means) next year, but i still am weirdly passionate about algebra. i think this passion mainly grows from the fact that it is a high stakes test, and i want to see my kids do well on it. as luck would have it, i am going to be able to teach lots of algebra standards in my keystone course (maybe even half the year). because keystone is all about goal setting, we will be setting goals pertaining to performance on the algebra end of course test. this excites me
2. i really enjoy thinking through, writing, and delivering an organization of thoughts known as a sermon. i was able to deliver one of these to the members of savannah FUMC last sunday, and i think it went pretty well. i had about a million and one things i wanted to say, but managed to fit it all into a twenty minute block using the strategy of staring at my watch the entire time. i had perfected this art in the classroom this past year, and it sure came in handy. it was a blessing to get to speak to my home church, and i am very thankful for the opportunity. since the sermon, i have been told by more than a couple of people that i need to make this art of sermonizing a part of my career path; we shall see :)
3. the act of reading, thinking, and writing may be the most underrated practice in the world. i have spent so much of my summer at uptown restaurant drinking coffee, journaling, reading, etc and man has it been great for my life. we are taught from an early age in our society that success is measured by your ability to keep going and keep producing. i believe this is a fatal flaw in our culture which leads to lots of empty lives of chasing after nothing. periodically putting a hold on the constant chase for more allows us to refuel. we weren’t created to live without rest. now, this is all easy for me to say when i have the summer off. we’ll see if i can put what i have learned into practice this upcoming year.
there’s a few things. i know there are many more, but i will leave you all with that for now. i sincerely miss the presence of the “funny stories about my students” portion of my blog updates. i suppose that means i sincerely miss my students, at least in a way. well, they are coming soon, and we’ll see just how much i miss them after a week of “mr. rah, don’t nobody know this stuff. why you always be tryin to make us do all this work mr. rah?” haha.... ohhhh the children. as a side note. if anyone is interested in reading my sermon, i’ve got the text in a document i can send to you. hope everyone is doing well. peace.
1. i will be teaching keystone (refer to previous blog posts for an explanation of what that means) next year, but i still am weirdly passionate about algebra. i think this passion mainly grows from the fact that it is a high stakes test, and i want to see my kids do well on it. as luck would have it, i am going to be able to teach lots of algebra standards in my keystone course (maybe even half the year). because keystone is all about goal setting, we will be setting goals pertaining to performance on the algebra end of course test. this excites me
2. i really enjoy thinking through, writing, and delivering an organization of thoughts known as a sermon. i was able to deliver one of these to the members of savannah FUMC last sunday, and i think it went pretty well. i had about a million and one things i wanted to say, but managed to fit it all into a twenty minute block using the strategy of staring at my watch the entire time. i had perfected this art in the classroom this past year, and it sure came in handy. it was a blessing to get to speak to my home church, and i am very thankful for the opportunity. since the sermon, i have been told by more than a couple of people that i need to make this art of sermonizing a part of my career path; we shall see :)
3. the act of reading, thinking, and writing may be the most underrated practice in the world. i have spent so much of my summer at uptown restaurant drinking coffee, journaling, reading, etc and man has it been great for my life. we are taught from an early age in our society that success is measured by your ability to keep going and keep producing. i believe this is a fatal flaw in our culture which leads to lots of empty lives of chasing after nothing. periodically putting a hold on the constant chase for more allows us to refuel. we weren’t created to live without rest. now, this is all easy for me to say when i have the summer off. we’ll see if i can put what i have learned into practice this upcoming year.
there’s a few things. i know there are many more, but i will leave you all with that for now. i sincerely miss the presence of the “funny stories about my students” portion of my blog updates. i suppose that means i sincerely miss my students, at least in a way. well, they are coming soon, and we’ll see just how much i miss them after a week of “mr. rah, don’t nobody know this stuff. why you always be tryin to make us do all this work mr. rah?” haha.... ohhhh the children. as a side note. if anyone is interested in reading my sermon, i’ve got the text in a document i can send to you. hope everyone is doing well. peace.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
summer?
"why is it, that if i have all this free time in the summer, i haven't updated my blog more often?" the blogger wondered to himself. okay, that is the last time i will refer to myself in a weird, third-person, existentialist (i don't even know if that word really makes sense there but i really wanted to use it) fashion. so yeah, i don't know why i haven't updated in awhile, but i haven't so here goes. i'll break it up into parts so that you can decide which part you'd enjoy to undertaking the difficult task of reading my babble. part 1 shall be - "test scores" part 2 shall be - "savannah fumc" part 3 shall be - "other"
part 1 - so as anyone who has glanced at my Facebook page will be completely aware, the test scores came back in, and they were good. good is the understatement of the year when it comes to just how excited i was about these test scores (ask anyone who went on mission trip, they will attest.) my overage average for my kids was 204 (which is above proficient). 32 out of the 59 of my kids who took the test scored proficient. thats about 54%. to give a few comparable measures.... last year at central 27% of the school was proficient (this year 38% of the school overall was proficient.) the 54% that my students scored is SOOO much higher than anything i expected, and i am blown away by my kids performance. i am attempting (apparently unsuccessfully according to a very critical fellow TFA teacher) to be humble in receiving this news and deflecting it all back to the God who gave me the strength to make it to this point, but that is proving to be a very difficult venture. yet i try. before departing from the subject of test scores i must tell the story of how i came to receive the good news of the scores. i was on a mission trip with my youth group (a subject which will be breached in part 2) and i had just come back from a day at the work site. i had three missed calls from MJL (my roommate) and this let me know that the test scores were in. i didn't know what my next move should be. i was in charge of driving the van of childrens back to the place we were staying (a forty-five minute endeavor). those of you who know anything about me and patience know that it is not one of my strong suites. i decided to call dad's office and get amy (who works for him) to look up the scores online. the only decoding of the scores she could really do was to give me individual kids' scores as a reeled them off to her one by one. here about how the conversation went.
Levi: "ok... Braylan Lewis."
Amy: Pass.... score of 223.
Levi: "WHAT!???!!? OH MY SICK... (SWERVES VAN AND RUNS OFF ROAD....) ATTA BOY... YES SIR!!!
part 2 - so for those of you who do not currently know, my summer job is leading the youth of savannah first united methodist church. thus far it has been a very different, yet fruitful and enjoyable experience. the youth group is pretty small (about 5 to 7 on average) but i've gotten to know the kids pretty well. we've been reading through rob bell's "velvet elvis" and i think the discussion has gone pretty well. this marks i think the 4th time i've read velvet elvis and 2nd time i've lead a small group in discussion based around his book. needless to say, i enjoy it, and each time i read it new realities and questions are opened up that i missed the first few times around. as previous stated we went on a mission trip last week which was a real blessing. we worked in the yard of an elderly couple named gary and anna, and they were both very enthused to have us there. i attempted to be richard rogers (but of course failed) and climbed off into the jungle that was gary and anna's back yard chopping down everything in my path. after three and half days of trying to be like my father, i decided that was a job best suited for him. the site coordinators nicknamed me "jungle joe" and "lumberjack levi" (probably when i wasn't around they referred to me more along the lines of "idiot with a chainsaw.") nonetheless, the trip was pretty awesome, and the kids did a great job. many thanks to page ledbetter, who dropped everything she was doing and decided to selflessly come along and chaperone the trip. she's a pretty awesome person if you don't know her. we've got one more trip coming up this summer, and then our usual meetings on tuesdays and sundays (as well as hopefully some other cool stuff.) working with the youth this summer has opened my eyes to a lot, and i think further maybe pushed me in the direction of pursuing full time ministry after i finish this teaching stint. we shall see. as an aside, if anyone plans to be in savannah, tn july 18th, levi rogers will be preaching a barn burner of a sermon on sunday morning at savannah first united methodist church entitled....... hmm i should probably figure that out soon.....
part 3 - i actually think that just about covers it. let's see if i have any other parting things to leave all of you interested readers with.... well, if you would like to go see the worst story line in the history of cinematic film, go see the movie "the killers" with ashton kutcher. also, if you are looking for an amazing read, go buy anything NT Wright has ever written. he's a beast. if you want to absolutely destroy yourself and not have the energy to pick yourself off the floor, go do the "insanity workout." in summary, summer is great. its not what i was expecting in a lot of ways, but its been an awesome, welcome break. after getting the test scores back, i want to teach algebra again next year. we are currently in the process of figuring out if that will actually happen. i suppose that will do for now. peace.
part 1 - so as anyone who has glanced at my Facebook page will be completely aware, the test scores came back in, and they were good. good is the understatement of the year when it comes to just how excited i was about these test scores (ask anyone who went on mission trip, they will attest.) my overage average for my kids was 204 (which is above proficient). 32 out of the 59 of my kids who took the test scored proficient. thats about 54%. to give a few comparable measures.... last year at central 27% of the school was proficient (this year 38% of the school overall was proficient.) the 54% that my students scored is SOOO much higher than anything i expected, and i am blown away by my kids performance. i am attempting (apparently unsuccessfully according to a very critical fellow TFA teacher) to be humble in receiving this news and deflecting it all back to the God who gave me the strength to make it to this point, but that is proving to be a very difficult venture. yet i try. before departing from the subject of test scores i must tell the story of how i came to receive the good news of the scores. i was on a mission trip with my youth group (a subject which will be breached in part 2) and i had just come back from a day at the work site. i had three missed calls from MJL (my roommate) and this let me know that the test scores were in. i didn't know what my next move should be. i was in charge of driving the van of childrens back to the place we were staying (a forty-five minute endeavor). those of you who know anything about me and patience know that it is not one of my strong suites. i decided to call dad's office and get amy (who works for him) to look up the scores online. the only decoding of the scores she could really do was to give me individual kids' scores as a reeled them off to her one by one. here about how the conversation went.
Levi: "ok... Braylan Lewis."
Amy: Pass.... score of 223.
Levi: "WHAT!???!!? OH MY SICK... (SWERVES VAN AND RUNS OFF ROAD....) ATTA BOY... YES SIR!!!
part 2 - so for those of you who do not currently know, my summer job is leading the youth of savannah first united methodist church. thus far it has been a very different, yet fruitful and enjoyable experience. the youth group is pretty small (about 5 to 7 on average) but i've gotten to know the kids pretty well. we've been reading through rob bell's "velvet elvis" and i think the discussion has gone pretty well. this marks i think the 4th time i've read velvet elvis and 2nd time i've lead a small group in discussion based around his book. needless to say, i enjoy it, and each time i read it new realities and questions are opened up that i missed the first few times around. as previous stated we went on a mission trip last week which was a real blessing. we worked in the yard of an elderly couple named gary and anna, and they were both very enthused to have us there. i attempted to be richard rogers (but of course failed) and climbed off into the jungle that was gary and anna's back yard chopping down everything in my path. after three and half days of trying to be like my father, i decided that was a job best suited for him. the site coordinators nicknamed me "jungle joe" and "lumberjack levi" (probably when i wasn't around they referred to me more along the lines of "idiot with a chainsaw.") nonetheless, the trip was pretty awesome, and the kids did a great job. many thanks to page ledbetter, who dropped everything she was doing and decided to selflessly come along and chaperone the trip. she's a pretty awesome person if you don't know her. we've got one more trip coming up this summer, and then our usual meetings on tuesdays and sundays (as well as hopefully some other cool stuff.) working with the youth this summer has opened my eyes to a lot, and i think further maybe pushed me in the direction of pursuing full time ministry after i finish this teaching stint. we shall see. as an aside, if anyone plans to be in savannah, tn july 18th, levi rogers will be preaching a barn burner of a sermon on sunday morning at savannah first united methodist church entitled....... hmm i should probably figure that out soon.....
part 3 - i actually think that just about covers it. let's see if i have any other parting things to leave all of you interested readers with.... well, if you would like to go see the worst story line in the history of cinematic film, go see the movie "the killers" with ashton kutcher. also, if you are looking for an amazing read, go buy anything NT Wright has ever written. he's a beast. if you want to absolutely destroy yourself and not have the energy to pick yourself off the floor, go do the "insanity workout." in summary, summer is great. its not what i was expecting in a lot of ways, but its been an awesome, welcome break. after getting the test scores back, i want to teach algebra again next year. we are currently in the process of figuring out if that will actually happen. i suppose that will do for now. peace.
Thursday, June 10, 2010
more on the end....
so last time i gave you my deepest, fullest reflections of how the year ended up, everything i've learned, and why i am the most enlightened person you have ever met (ha...) i thought people might appreciate a bit more light-hearted and informational post concerning what the end of the year was like... we'll break this up into a couple of parts.... 1. the test 2. after the test 3. what about next year?
1. the test - so the test they had to take was high-stakes, meaning if they don't pass it, they do not graduate. the results of the test are not back yet, but i will update as soon as i hear anything. regardless of how my kids do, i was extremely proud of the effort they put into the test. in years past, lots of the kids have left the open response sections blank and i know MOST of my kids at least attempted that section. some fellow TFA teachers and i cooked the kids breakfast on the days of the test and despite their accusations of "nobody wanting my ole stanky breakfast," the kids came and seemed to enjoy it. it is so difficult for them to express appreciation sometimes. one of them stood over my shoulder for five minutes while mustering up the courage to say "that was good." and then scrambling off. that breakfast and their ensuing effort on the test was most certainly the pinnacle of my year with the kids....
2. after the test - well if the test was the pinnacle that only leads one direction to go from there, down. haha. i didn't realize how much of my course was 100 percent built around that test, but it most certainly was. after it was over, it was difficult to get myself and/or the kids motivated to do ANYTHING. we did a project for a week or so which involved the kids managing a record label (thank you TFA.net). that worked ok, although part of the project was to answer questions like "what did you learn from this project?" and "what was the hardest part of this project?" as answers to those questions i got a lot of "man, i didn't learn nothing" as well as "the hardest part was listening to you talk without telling you to shut up." hahaha, those were fun to read. so yeah.... after the project, well..... some things got accomplished, but not enough, that is for sure. mom and erin came to my class one day to which the children responded, "that yo momma? ahhh, tell us baby stories! i hear yo son used to be fat? how he get so fat?" hahaha. i think they enjoyed it.....
3. next year - so we are starting what is called a 9th grade academy next year. i am so extremely excited about this that i don't even know what to do. the basic purpose of the academy is to give the 9th graders a year of transition into high school. our kids have a hard time transitioning sometimes, and i think this will most certainly benefit them. the 9th grade academy will basically run as a school in and of its self, and hopefully next year we will even apply for a charter. there will be no repeaters in the 9th grade academy, which may be one of the academy's strongest assets. i cannot fully describe the ill-effects a repeater can have on your classroom culture if you are not careful. with the addition of the academy, i will no longer be teaching algebra next year. i will be teaching a course called Keystone, which is difficult to describe. i will give a very short description, and if you are in any way interested, i will post the full description at the bottom for you to read. the short description is this - its basically a career focused course which gives the students a focus for high school. it equips them with essentials skills that many of our students do not currently possess (examples - organization, study skills, time management, etc.). i get to find out a lot more about my kids lives by teaching this class, and that excites me. it will be a whole new set of challenges, but exciting challenges nonetheless. i am currently in savannah, an update on that will come at a later point. things are going well... hope all is well for everybody. i am pasting the full keystone description if you are interested.
"Keystone is a career-focused course that sets the 9th grade students of Central High School on a goal driven path, which will be a launching point for future success in high school and college. Keystone is designed to invest every student in the idea that success in school is attainable. Throughout the year, Keystone will equip students with the knowledge and skills to set and attain ambitious goals for their futures. Students should leave with a clear purpose for the next three years and an ability
to articulate how their courses of study relate to their goals for the future. Throughout the Keystone course, each student will define success for him or herself after discovering his or her specific learning style and exploring the careers that are compatible with his or her interests and abilities. Interest inventories and personal profiles will inform students as they
go through this process. Organization and time management habits, decision making analysis, interdisciplinary projects and books, high-stakes test taking strategies and purpose studies, a study of how our shared past in the Delta informs our future, as well as an extensive focus on journal entries will all be a part of the curriculum of the Keystone course."
1. the test - so the test they had to take was high-stakes, meaning if they don't pass it, they do not graduate. the results of the test are not back yet, but i will update as soon as i hear anything. regardless of how my kids do, i was extremely proud of the effort they put into the test. in years past, lots of the kids have left the open response sections blank and i know MOST of my kids at least attempted that section. some fellow TFA teachers and i cooked the kids breakfast on the days of the test and despite their accusations of "nobody wanting my ole stanky breakfast," the kids came and seemed to enjoy it. it is so difficult for them to express appreciation sometimes. one of them stood over my shoulder for five minutes while mustering up the courage to say "that was good." and then scrambling off. that breakfast and their ensuing effort on the test was most certainly the pinnacle of my year with the kids....
2. after the test - well if the test was the pinnacle that only leads one direction to go from there, down. haha. i didn't realize how much of my course was 100 percent built around that test, but it most certainly was. after it was over, it was difficult to get myself and/or the kids motivated to do ANYTHING. we did a project for a week or so which involved the kids managing a record label (thank you TFA.net). that worked ok, although part of the project was to answer questions like "what did you learn from this project?" and "what was the hardest part of this project?" as answers to those questions i got a lot of "man, i didn't learn nothing" as well as "the hardest part was listening to you talk without telling you to shut up." hahaha, those were fun to read. so yeah.... after the project, well..... some things got accomplished, but not enough, that is for sure. mom and erin came to my class one day to which the children responded, "that yo momma? ahhh, tell us baby stories! i hear yo son used to be fat? how he get so fat?" hahaha. i think they enjoyed it.....
3. next year - so we are starting what is called a 9th grade academy next year. i am so extremely excited about this that i don't even know what to do. the basic purpose of the academy is to give the 9th graders a year of transition into high school. our kids have a hard time transitioning sometimes, and i think this will most certainly benefit them. the 9th grade academy will basically run as a school in and of its self, and hopefully next year we will even apply for a charter. there will be no repeaters in the 9th grade academy, which may be one of the academy's strongest assets. i cannot fully describe the ill-effects a repeater can have on your classroom culture if you are not careful. with the addition of the academy, i will no longer be teaching algebra next year. i will be teaching a course called Keystone, which is difficult to describe. i will give a very short description, and if you are in any way interested, i will post the full description at the bottom for you to read. the short description is this - its basically a career focused course which gives the students a focus for high school. it equips them with essentials skills that many of our students do not currently possess (examples - organization, study skills, time management, etc.). i get to find out a lot more about my kids lives by teaching this class, and that excites me. it will be a whole new set of challenges, but exciting challenges nonetheless. i am currently in savannah, an update on that will come at a later point. things are going well... hope all is well for everybody. i am pasting the full keystone description if you are interested.
"Keystone is a career-focused course that sets the 9th grade students of Central High School on a goal driven path, which will be a launching point for future success in high school and college. Keystone is designed to invest every student in the idea that success in school is attainable. Throughout the year, Keystone will equip students with the knowledge and skills to set and attain ambitious goals for their futures. Students should leave with a clear purpose for the next three years and an ability
to articulate how their courses of study relate to their goals for the future. Throughout the Keystone course, each student will define success for him or herself after discovering his or her specific learning style and exploring the careers that are compatible with his or her interests and abilities. Interest inventories and personal profiles will inform students as they
go through this process. Organization and time management habits, decision making analysis, interdisciplinary projects and books, high-stakes test taking strategies and purpose studies, a study of how our shared past in the Delta informs our future, as well as an extensive focus on journal entries will all be a part of the curriculum of the Keystone course."
Friday, June 4, 2010
finished...
So I have gotten really bad at this, I know. This is something I hope to improve upon next year, but I suppose I cannot change the past now. I have been doing a lot of personal writing and journaling of my own, which is why the blog hasn't been updated as much. I was writing this morning, and I decided I would post some of it here. This is a bit wordy, warm, and fuzzy, so I will post a more informational based post a bit later perhaps. However, I thought this was worth sharing...
"Exactly one year ago today, I arrived in Cleveland, MS and embarked upon this journey that is teaching. As I walked into the dorms of Delta State University, I had no idea that I was about to experience the most difficult, powerful, intense, and challenging year of my life. The things that I have learned this year cannot be summarized in a cute little journal entry because most of them have yet to be fully realized. I have been shaped and changed by some rowdy, tough, yet utterly amazing kids. I never knew that I would come to love the jokers as much as I have, but it happened. From the first day with these kids they have pushed me. They have forced me to become a better teacher and a better person each and every day. They have taught me more than any book, mentor, movie, or professor could ever teach. They have showed me that I do not walk into the doors of Room 007 Downhill at Central High School without a bell to bell plan. They have taught me that I must be on top of my game every minute of every second or else.... They have shown me that its not always the most effectively classroom management strategies that get the kids in line, its showing them that you care about them and about their education. They have truly shown me that trust is not something that is easily given, it must be earned. They have taught me that without powerful substance and work ethic, idealism will get you slapped across the face (literally and figuratively.) They have shaped who I am and who I want to be. They have shed new light on the blindness towards pain, suffering, and injustice that so many of those raised in my surroundings (myself included) possess. They have shown me that the best of intentions can be ripped to shreds without a solid sense of accountability and purpose. Maybe my kids have learned something from me. Maybe. But I would be willing to bet that anything I may have taught them pales in comparison to the vast array of things they have shown me. I had no idea I would miss my kids the way I already do. (well.... most of them anyway) But when one of them stood up after 3rd period and gave a speech to the class saying “Even though that you made me really mad a lot of times, and got on my nerves most days, you was a good teacher. We gon’ miss your class and we wish you was teaching us Geometry,” it got me. However, it was a great way to bring an end to the most challenging year of my life. Now this year is behind, and I already look forward (a little bit) to the next one ahead. Next year will bring on its own set of challenges including the fact that I am teaching a completely different subject (which I am quite excited about.) As I continue to fine tune my vision for next year over the summer, I pray that next year can teach me half as much as this year did (perhaps in a less stressful way.)
more to come later....
"Exactly one year ago today, I arrived in Cleveland, MS and embarked upon this journey that is teaching. As I walked into the dorms of Delta State University, I had no idea that I was about to experience the most difficult, powerful, intense, and challenging year of my life. The things that I have learned this year cannot be summarized in a cute little journal entry because most of them have yet to be fully realized. I have been shaped and changed by some rowdy, tough, yet utterly amazing kids. I never knew that I would come to love the jokers as much as I have, but it happened. From the first day with these kids they have pushed me. They have forced me to become a better teacher and a better person each and every day. They have taught me more than any book, mentor, movie, or professor could ever teach. They have showed me that I do not walk into the doors of Room 007 Downhill at Central High School without a bell to bell plan. They have taught me that I must be on top of my game every minute of every second or else.... They have shown me that its not always the most effectively classroom management strategies that get the kids in line, its showing them that you care about them and about their education. They have truly shown me that trust is not something that is easily given, it must be earned. They have taught me that without powerful substance and work ethic, idealism will get you slapped across the face (literally and figuratively.) They have shaped who I am and who I want to be. They have shed new light on the blindness towards pain, suffering, and injustice that so many of those raised in my surroundings (myself included) possess. They have shown me that the best of intentions can be ripped to shreds without a solid sense of accountability and purpose. Maybe my kids have learned something from me. Maybe. But I would be willing to bet that anything I may have taught them pales in comparison to the vast array of things they have shown me. I had no idea I would miss my kids the way I already do. (well.... most of them anyway) But when one of them stood up after 3rd period and gave a speech to the class saying “Even though that you made me really mad a lot of times, and got on my nerves most days, you was a good teacher. We gon’ miss your class and we wish you was teaching us Geometry,” it got me. However, it was a great way to bring an end to the most challenging year of my life. Now this year is behind, and I already look forward (a little bit) to the next one ahead. Next year will bring on its own set of challenges including the fact that I am teaching a completely different subject (which I am quite excited about.) As I continue to fine tune my vision for next year over the summer, I pray that next year can teach me half as much as this year did (perhaps in a less stressful way.)
more to come later....
Sunday, April 4, 2010
home...
I know its been awhile since I've updated so here goes. We'll do this one in four parts (I've been listening to This American Life a lot lately.) Part 1 - School and the Children, Part 2 - Time at Home, Part 3 - Other uninteresting things about my life, and Part 4 - Funny things the children say. If you read this blog only for the funny stories, feel free to skip to Part 4 but I at least must make you feel guilty by skipping by all my heartwarming stories of student achievement blah blah blah... oh here goes...
Part 1 - As I've stated each and every time I have updated this semester, school is going much better. The children and I are getting along well for the most part, although some days I just want to scream at them to STOOPPPPPPP TALKKKKIIIINNNGGGG. I try not to yell these days though. So one of the biggest problems that Teach for America teachers often deal with is "investment," getting kids to care about your class. This is (in ways) easier for me because they have a high stakes test they have to pass at the end of the year. However, I did struggle to have kids take my class seriously first semester, but that is something that has substantially improved. I've been having study sessions at Wendy's this semester and I am averaging about 10 to 12 kids at these sessions. Now this usually requires me hunting the kids down in the hall, texting them, bribing them with Frosties, etc. etc. but its still nice to have so many kids show up. The problem now is that it is turning into as much of a social scene as a study session, but I'll get em in line. The kids took a practice test on Wednesday, and their results were not awesome, but they were at least hopeful. I had enough kids score on the border line to make me hopeful that with review, they will be ready for the real test. Three more weeks and then that danged test is over, and I will be able to breathe again.
Part 2 - I came home over spring break and had a wonderfully relaxing time getting to see family. Pickwick is already calling my name for the summer. The time I spent there made me long for school to go ahead and wrap up real quick. I also got to do a little bit of work with the youth over spring break, which again made me ready for the summer. I was reminded that I get to take my kids to Lake J, which is insanely exciting for me. If you don't know what Lake J is, it is a beautiful beautiful camp in North Carolina that our youth group went to every year in high school. Anyway, I'm extremely pumped about working with the youth and just being home in general this summer. I am also currently at home for Easter/Mom's birthday. My wonderful sister planned a surprise party for mom's 50th birthday. (Awesome job Erin, it was perfect) Mom was quite surprised and teary. The crowd got the intense pleasure of hearing me step my little intrusive self up to the mike and intrude on the band (reid and dan isbell) and proceed to sing every song with them the rest of the night. (Hope they didn't mind). It was a good time though.
Part 3 - Ahh now for other uninteresting things about my life. The half marathon is only three weeks away and I'm ready to dominate that bad boy. Very glad that I'm not doing the full, because there is no way I could run 26 miles, dear gracious. I've also been doing the "Spartacus Workout" lately and most people don't know this, but nowadays if I take my shirt off I look a lot like a combination between Brad Pitt from Troy and Will Smith from I am Legend (only maybe a little hairier.) Ohhh I finally replaced my laptop over Spring Break, and I, of course, am obsessed. I do not let that thing out of my sight. Oh, I also signed up for Twitter. Feel free to rain the judgement down upon me (or follow me if you'd like, lrogers_wde). Ok I won't bore you with any more uninteresting things about my life and we can get on to what we've all been waiting for.... the funny things the children say...
Part 4 - I'm not exactly chocked full of them this time, but here are a few zingers... (all of these are available for viewing on my Twitter account, I'm plugging that hardcore. haha.)
"Mr. Rah, you so low down. You know God don't like low down people Mr. Rah. God don't like you Mr. Rah." - Frank Ross
"Mr. Rah, why you always tryin to keep a brother down? I can't take no more of this math with all the Xs and stuff Mr. Rah." -Frank Ross
Ok this one I asked for... but it was nonetheless hilarious.... I asked the following questions a a worksheet before spring break, and here are the responses I got...
“What are you going to do over spring break?” “None of your business, I aint telling you no kind of Sugar Honey Ice Tea.” Notice each letter of the last part is capitalized, they were also underlined. If you don’t understand, let me know and I’ll explain.
“On a scale of one to ten, please rate how much you will me me over the break.” I got... “-200”, “0”, “not as much as you think,” “I don’t miss boys, only girls,” “you know I don’t like you,” and “mr. rah, you play too much”
Ok... I think thats all. I’ll go now. Peace.
Part 1 - As I've stated each and every time I have updated this semester, school is going much better. The children and I are getting along well for the most part, although some days I just want to scream at them to STOOPPPPPPP TALKKKKIIIINNNGGGG. I try not to yell these days though. So one of the biggest problems that Teach for America teachers often deal with is "investment," getting kids to care about your class. This is (in ways) easier for me because they have a high stakes test they have to pass at the end of the year. However, I did struggle to have kids take my class seriously first semester, but that is something that has substantially improved. I've been having study sessions at Wendy's this semester and I am averaging about 10 to 12 kids at these sessions. Now this usually requires me hunting the kids down in the hall, texting them, bribing them with Frosties, etc. etc. but its still nice to have so many kids show up. The problem now is that it is turning into as much of a social scene as a study session, but I'll get em in line. The kids took a practice test on Wednesday, and their results were not awesome, but they were at least hopeful. I had enough kids score on the border line to make me hopeful that with review, they will be ready for the real test. Three more weeks and then that danged test is over, and I will be able to breathe again.
Part 2 - I came home over spring break and had a wonderfully relaxing time getting to see family. Pickwick is already calling my name for the summer. The time I spent there made me long for school to go ahead and wrap up real quick. I also got to do a little bit of work with the youth over spring break, which again made me ready for the summer. I was reminded that I get to take my kids to Lake J, which is insanely exciting for me. If you don't know what Lake J is, it is a beautiful beautiful camp in North Carolina that our youth group went to every year in high school. Anyway, I'm extremely pumped about working with the youth and just being home in general this summer. I am also currently at home for Easter/Mom's birthday. My wonderful sister planned a surprise party for mom's 50th birthday. (Awesome job Erin, it was perfect) Mom was quite surprised and teary. The crowd got the intense pleasure of hearing me step my little intrusive self up to the mike and intrude on the band (reid and dan isbell) and proceed to sing every song with them the rest of the night. (Hope they didn't mind). It was a good time though.
Part 3 - Ahh now for other uninteresting things about my life. The half marathon is only three weeks away and I'm ready to dominate that bad boy. Very glad that I'm not doing the full, because there is no way I could run 26 miles, dear gracious. I've also been doing the "Spartacus Workout" lately and most people don't know this, but nowadays if I take my shirt off I look a lot like a combination between Brad Pitt from Troy and Will Smith from I am Legend (only maybe a little hairier.) Ohhh I finally replaced my laptop over Spring Break, and I, of course, am obsessed. I do not let that thing out of my sight. Oh, I also signed up for Twitter. Feel free to rain the judgement down upon me (or follow me if you'd like, lrogers_wde). Ok I won't bore you with any more uninteresting things about my life and we can get on to what we've all been waiting for.... the funny things the children say...
Part 4 - I'm not exactly chocked full of them this time, but here are a few zingers... (all of these are available for viewing on my Twitter account, I'm plugging that hardcore. haha.)
"Mr. Rah, you so low down. You know God don't like low down people Mr. Rah. God don't like you Mr. Rah." - Frank Ross
"Mr. Rah, why you always tryin to keep a brother down? I can't take no more of this math with all the Xs and stuff Mr. Rah." -Frank Ross
Ok this one I asked for... but it was nonetheless hilarious.... I asked the following questions a a worksheet before spring break, and here are the responses I got...
“What are you going to do over spring break?” “None of your business, I aint telling you no kind of Sugar Honey Ice Tea.” Notice each letter of the last part is capitalized, they were also underlined. If you don’t understand, let me know and I’ll explain.
“On a scale of one to ten, please rate how much you will me me over the break.” I got... “-200”, “0”, “not as much as you think,” “I don’t miss boys, only girls,” “you know I don’t like you,” and “mr. rah, you play too much”
Ok... I think thats all. I’ll go now. Peace.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
flying by.....
So again I haven’t updated in awhile. Second semester has been insane so far and flown by in ways that I never thought would be possible. There are not words that could possibly describe how much different this first semester has gone as compared to the first. I started off with about 100 students, and I am now down to around 65. It’s really sad because many of them have ended up in the alternative school, expelled, or dropped out. However, it sure has made my life a lot easier. My class sizes are all down to around 15 or so, and are therefore much more manageable. Last week was actually the first week since the beginning of the semester that we were in school for five days. We’ve had teacher in-service, holidays, or snow days every single week since January, and now we’re a week into the three week sprint until spring break. Only two weeks until spring break, and only six weeks until our End of Course test. I stopped being an overachiever/ living in a fantasy world meaning I’ve decided to run the half marathon and not the full. I feel like that was a good decision, I just didn’t have the 4 hours to train every weekend…. Maybe next year.
So people from a previous life will be extremely disappointed in this next section of the blog…. I’ve had a nice “raggedy” (as the children say) phone for the past two years and unfortunately the other day it decided to die on me. Since I have faithfully stuck by ole raggedy for so long I was eligible for an upgrade and yes… it happened… I got an iPhone. Hahaha…. I got it on Tuesday and did almost nothing but play with it for four hours on Tuesday night. So yes… feel free to judge me. I deserve it. As a side note, I may no longer have your number so feel free to send it to me. I won’t be annoying at this point and set up one of those ridiculous Facebook groups to ask for everybody’s number.
Anyway, life is going well. I found out last week that I may be the FUMC youth leader in Savannah this summer. I am pretty excited about that, and sadly I am already thinking about how nice summer will be. Ok… so I need to be sure to include at least one funny tidbit. Earlier in the week I had a student ask me, “Mr. Rogers, why white people be so hairy?” Wasn’t really sure how to respond to that one... Oh also we got these fancy new SmartBoards in our room the other day. They have speakers on the boards so I can now jam out during my planning period. So during one such planning period I had one of my only three white children in my class and we were jamming out to some country music. I had another student walk in and take in the scene…. Two white people at Central High School listening to country music… The student was not impressed…. “White people…” Is all she could muster up. Hahaha… Anyway, hope everyone is doing well. Update me on your lives. Peace.
So people from a previous life will be extremely disappointed in this next section of the blog…. I’ve had a nice “raggedy” (as the children say) phone for the past two years and unfortunately the other day it decided to die on me. Since I have faithfully stuck by ole raggedy for so long I was eligible for an upgrade and yes… it happened… I got an iPhone. Hahaha…. I got it on Tuesday and did almost nothing but play with it for four hours on Tuesday night. So yes… feel free to judge me. I deserve it. As a side note, I may no longer have your number so feel free to send it to me. I won’t be annoying at this point and set up one of those ridiculous Facebook groups to ask for everybody’s number.
Anyway, life is going well. I found out last week that I may be the FUMC youth leader in Savannah this summer. I am pretty excited about that, and sadly I am already thinking about how nice summer will be. Ok… so I need to be sure to include at least one funny tidbit. Earlier in the week I had a student ask me, “Mr. Rogers, why white people be so hairy?” Wasn’t really sure how to respond to that one... Oh also we got these fancy new SmartBoards in our room the other day. They have speakers on the boards so I can now jam out during my planning period. So during one such planning period I had one of my only three white children in my class and we were jamming out to some country music. I had another student walk in and take in the scene…. Two white people at Central High School listening to country music… The student was not impressed…. “White people…” Is all she could muster up. Hahaha… Anyway, hope everyone is doing well. Update me on your lives. Peace.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
snow and cold....
so i was chastised by my father earlier for not updating in awhile, so i decided i should probably do so. we luckily have the day off tomorrow for president's day and its a good thing because i've got about 1000 things i need to do. i promised my kids a new incentive system to get them to be quiet and such so i need to get that together. anyway.... as i updated last time things are still going much better this semester. my kids are still somewhat in control (at least as compared to last year) and we are getting along much better. my biggest concern now is finding out how in the world to get my kids to pass the end of course test. not the simplest task by any stretch of the imagination. the test is in about two months and i'm extremely concerned about how my kids will perform. anyway... update...
we've had several snow days since school started which has been pretty nice (it has also put me even further behind than i already was in preparing my kids for this test). i am about tired of the snow and cold. i want warmth. one of the best things i've been able to continue doing this semester is getting to school early to read, think, pray, and ready myself for the onslaught of children. i have signed up for the country music half marathon at the beginning of the year so i've been trainig for that again. however, i ran almost 17 miles today so i am seriously considering switching over to the full. i just don't know if i can actually run 26 miles. i almost died today after 17 but we'll see.
i've had several kids who i've been able to form pretty decent relationships with... some that hated my guts at the beginning of the year. i gave a test about a week and a half ago and it was the first test that was actually as hard as it needed to be as compared to their end of course test. my kids failed pretty miserably but i had several kids stay after school and do test corrections to bring their grade up. in most of my classes i have kids actually doing work this semester, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to convince them that there is a purpose in them continuing to try when they are getting 20s and 30s on their test. but... despite the very poor results of the last test.. most kids are still trying. ok so we need a humorous interlude here....
so i have a drawing every friday in which the kids put the tickets they have earned for the week in a jar and i pull names and they win chips and candy, etc. last week my wonderful gradnmother had sent me some valentine''s cookies and i included a few of those in the drawing. the kids immediate response of course was "don't nobody want none of your stanky cookies." it took all i had not to go insane but once they actually ate the cookies they became an instant hit. i had two kids come after school and ask if i had any of "them cookies" left. so congrats mee-ma, the cookies were quite popular at central high school. i also discovered that sikenya (the one who threatened to slap the old people) can has an unbelievable singing voice. i discovered this by wandering upon a practice session she was having after school. she of course immediately told me to go away, but when i did not she continued to practice and i could tell she wanted to show off for her favorite teacher :) haha.
in summary..... its too cold. i want warm. i ran a long way, could run longer soon. things are getting better. my kids don't hate me as much. some even like me. sadly, they still don't seem to be learning a whole lot. despite their initial hesitations, the kids love mee maw's cookies. sikenya can sing like a mug. that is all. peace.
we've had several snow days since school started which has been pretty nice (it has also put me even further behind than i already was in preparing my kids for this test). i am about tired of the snow and cold. i want warmth. one of the best things i've been able to continue doing this semester is getting to school early to read, think, pray, and ready myself for the onslaught of children. i have signed up for the country music half marathon at the beginning of the year so i've been trainig for that again. however, i ran almost 17 miles today so i am seriously considering switching over to the full. i just don't know if i can actually run 26 miles. i almost died today after 17 but we'll see.
i've had several kids who i've been able to form pretty decent relationships with... some that hated my guts at the beginning of the year. i gave a test about a week and a half ago and it was the first test that was actually as hard as it needed to be as compared to their end of course test. my kids failed pretty miserably but i had several kids stay after school and do test corrections to bring their grade up. in most of my classes i have kids actually doing work this semester, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to convince them that there is a purpose in them continuing to try when they are getting 20s and 30s on their test. but... despite the very poor results of the last test.. most kids are still trying. ok so we need a humorous interlude here....
so i have a drawing every friday in which the kids put the tickets they have earned for the week in a jar and i pull names and they win chips and candy, etc. last week my wonderful gradnmother had sent me some valentine''s cookies and i included a few of those in the drawing. the kids immediate response of course was "don't nobody want none of your stanky cookies." it took all i had not to go insane but once they actually ate the cookies they became an instant hit. i had two kids come after school and ask if i had any of "them cookies" left. so congrats mee-ma, the cookies were quite popular at central high school. i also discovered that sikenya (the one who threatened to slap the old people) can has an unbelievable singing voice. i discovered this by wandering upon a practice session she was having after school. she of course immediately told me to go away, but when i did not she continued to practice and i could tell she wanted to show off for her favorite teacher :) haha.
in summary..... its too cold. i want warm. i ran a long way, could run longer soon. things are getting better. my kids don't hate me as much. some even like me. sadly, they still don't seem to be learning a whole lot. despite their initial hesitations, the kids love mee maw's cookies. sikenya can sing like a mug. that is all. peace.
Monday, January 11, 2010
a new semester....
so i realized i haven't updated in awhile.... here's what is new....
the new semester feels SOOOO much better than the first at this point. i tried to get a lot done over the break, (ask my dad because he made fun of me for working my entire break) but it seems to have paid off at so far. so many small things are going better and i am counting all the minor victories. my classes seem to be in control so far this semester which scares me because i know that must mean the children are planning something. i've decided that mental health is a definite must for the new semester, and i'm HOPEFULLY not doing any more of the whole sleeping from 5 in the afternoon to 1 in the morning business. i've decided i'm going to go round 2 with the country music half marathon. another tfa friend of mine and i signed up at the beginning of this year and started our training last week.
it has been freaking cold here and we got out of school friday because it was "too cold" for school. all ye hardin county readers... i am well aware that you were out thursday, friday, and monday and yes i am jealous. anyway... things are going better thus far and i hope and pray that they continue to stay that way. i've been getting to school about an hour before it starts and taking some time to read, write, pray, and think, which has made a paramount of a difference in my sanity to begin the day.
funny stories (i know that's the only reason anybody reads this mess anyway...) so the kids are determined that all of the tfa's are dating one another... i have been set up with about five different teachers (oh and we all cheat on each other with one another and date multiple people at one time.) so i was taking one of my students home after school the other day and one of the other tfa teacher's called me (because we were going to go on a run) anyway... as we made plans to do this my student of course thought she had stumbled upon the gold mine that is my love life and proceeded to freak out the rest of the way home about me and "my old lady." she just assumed it was a certain teacher without asking or having this verified. then after school today she came in my room and pronounced that i was in love with said teacher and wrote "mr. rogers loves mrs. __________" on the board for all to see. i was very tempted to write her up, but since it was after school i was nice and decided not to.
the kids call an item that is not in the best condition a "booty" object. i have been accused of giving out "booty" pencils since we got back because apparently they don't sharpen well. i think i have given out about 200 booty pencils from the beginning of the school year til now (literally).
i haven't heard "mr rah (this is how they pronounce my name) where the candy at?" or "i can have some candy mr. rah?" or "i'm hungry... what you got to eat bra?" quite as many times as i did first semester. again... small victories. i pray that the small victories keep accumulating and building into major ones. we shall see.... peace.
the new semester feels SOOOO much better than the first at this point. i tried to get a lot done over the break, (ask my dad because he made fun of me for working my entire break) but it seems to have paid off at so far. so many small things are going better and i am counting all the minor victories. my classes seem to be in control so far this semester which scares me because i know that must mean the children are planning something. i've decided that mental health is a definite must for the new semester, and i'm HOPEFULLY not doing any more of the whole sleeping from 5 in the afternoon to 1 in the morning business. i've decided i'm going to go round 2 with the country music half marathon. another tfa friend of mine and i signed up at the beginning of this year and started our training last week.
it has been freaking cold here and we got out of school friday because it was "too cold" for school. all ye hardin county readers... i am well aware that you were out thursday, friday, and monday and yes i am jealous. anyway... things are going better thus far and i hope and pray that they continue to stay that way. i've been getting to school about an hour before it starts and taking some time to read, write, pray, and think, which has made a paramount of a difference in my sanity to begin the day.
funny stories (i know that's the only reason anybody reads this mess anyway...) so the kids are determined that all of the tfa's are dating one another... i have been set up with about five different teachers (oh and we all cheat on each other with one another and date multiple people at one time.) so i was taking one of my students home after school the other day and one of the other tfa teacher's called me (because we were going to go on a run) anyway... as we made plans to do this my student of course thought she had stumbled upon the gold mine that is my love life and proceeded to freak out the rest of the way home about me and "my old lady." she just assumed it was a certain teacher without asking or having this verified. then after school today she came in my room and pronounced that i was in love with said teacher and wrote "mr. rogers loves mrs. __________" on the board for all to see. i was very tempted to write her up, but since it was after school i was nice and decided not to.
the kids call an item that is not in the best condition a "booty" object. i have been accused of giving out "booty" pencils since we got back because apparently they don't sharpen well. i think i have given out about 200 booty pencils from the beginning of the school year til now (literally).
i haven't heard "mr rah (this is how they pronounce my name) where the candy at?" or "i can have some candy mr. rah?" or "i'm hungry... what you got to eat bra?" quite as many times as i did first semester. again... small victories. i pray that the small victories keep accumulating and building into major ones. we shall see.... peace.
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