BOO. I have been struggling to wake up and get it in gear this week. I missed an inservice on Monday, which I was FINE with. And Tuesday and Wednesday we had some more mandatory meetings and we've been in and out of our classrooms all week trying to get things as ready as possible before we're bombared with students for the year.
I'm feeling different about this school year than last. My first year, I was apprehensive and excited and ready to take the school by storm. My second year, I was even more nervous and apprehensive and ready to run as far away as possible from my job because I felt so ridiculously underqualified. Last year, I was really looking forward to the year and had grandiose plans for everything under my jurisdiction.
This year....I dunno. I feel terribly underprepared for every aspect of my job(s), across the board. My head is swimming a little bit, truth be told. I don't really know where to begin, and though I've been here before, I can't remember how I started. I've got to get myself together and I picked up what feels like every pad of notepaper left on the southwest side so I can help myself make to do lists and get organized.
I haven't really tackled my new job yet, and that's bad. But I'm feeling great about being able to teach again, and that's good. I think part of the reason I'm optimistic is that this may be my last year teaching, so why not make it a good one, right? (I'll get to "my last year" in another post.)
I'm really loving my classroom these days. I've got plenty of posters and colors up, and I've found THE most amazing letters for my classroom: STICKY letters! Let me explain:
You know those punch-out letters that you see on boards everywhere? They're awesome, but they're EXPENSIVE. I'm talking $8-$10 a pack and that's at the teacher stores where they're (supposedly) cheaper. I discovered my sticky letters by complete accident, and I have to tell you that I'm THRILLED I made a dumb mistake.
We went to our local Lakeshore Learning store (local is a relative term...it's local if you consider the southside local...it's not local considering it's close to 50 blocks away...) a few weeks ago and I dove into the bins of 20% off letters. My school has a letterpress, but it can be a pain to use, and you're essentially punching out pieces of paper that can be difficult to work with. I decided that for my 3rd year I'd splurge and buy myself some letters considering the money I'd saved using the letterpress for the last 2 years (and some painful do-it-yourself letters from my year at the boarding school). I picked up some 4 inch letters in yellow and called it a day.
Today as I was unwrapping my pack of letters I was trying to figure out a way to punch them out and initially cursed myself for buying letters that had no perforations. THEN I looked at the paper insert attached to my letters and saw the words, "Restickable, reusable, and staple-free!"
HOLY SWEET JESUS MOTHER OF GOD THESE ARE DELIGHTFUL. I can't even begin to explain the joy that comes from just peeling a letter off the backing, throwing it on my bulletin board, and being able to peel it off and reposition it when I find that (as always) my letters are slightly off kilter. AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!
(It's really the little things for me.)
So I found a quote to use for my bulletin board and realized that I didn't have enough letters, so after work today The Husband and I went on a grand voyage to Lakeshore to buy myself another pack of these marvelous letters to finish off my quote. That sucked, but these letters are pretty worth the journey. I had decided a long time ago that whenever I quit teaching that I'd leave a number of my supplies to the person who would be filling my position. But these letters? Oh no. They're coming with me to my next adventure. I don't care if I have to use them on the front of my house! I'd sooner give up my job than these letters. (Don't speak too quickly, Ange....)
So...that's that. Hopefully I'll remember to post photos of my classroom soon. I really like the way it turned out. It's got plenty of reading material for when the kids are bored.
I'll be up there for a bit tomorrow, and then I'm ditching to enjoy the last. days. of. summer. School starts Monday at 8:00. God, that's depressing.....
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label summer. Show all posts
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Coming to a close...
Wow...I can't believe my summer is nearly over! I keep looking at the calendar and counting the days left until we have to report to school.
Next week my boss is having me attend a conference on Promethean active boards, and I've got a feeling that she's sending me to learn about the boards so I can teach other teachers at my school how to use them. Um...great? Part of me wants to know when this supposed training is going to take place between my teaching responsibilities and this new job. Sometimes I wonder if my boss is a little deluded as to the amount of "free time" I have.
We're supposed to report on the 17th, but I'll still be wrapping up from my brother-in-law's wedding, so unfortunately for me I've got to show up a few days early to make sure everything is okay for an inservice scheduled for our first day back.
There's still so much I want to do! I need to cram some fun into the last few weeks before I have to start lesson planning.
Next week my boss is having me attend a conference on Promethean active boards, and I've got a feeling that she's sending me to learn about the boards so I can teach other teachers at my school how to use them. Um...great? Part of me wants to know when this supposed training is going to take place between my teaching responsibilities and this new job. Sometimes I wonder if my boss is a little deluded as to the amount of "free time" I have.
We're supposed to report on the 17th, but I'll still be wrapping up from my brother-in-law's wedding, so unfortunately for me I've got to show up a few days early to make sure everything is okay for an inservice scheduled for our first day back.
There's still so much I want to do! I need to cram some fun into the last few weeks before I have to start lesson planning.
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Camp Recap: Week 2
This week went by really, really fast! I blinked and it was over. However, as fast as it was, it was a really fun week.
We started out the week by going horseback riding. It was fun and informative for the kids, and we got some great photos of them grooming horses and learning how to saddle them.
On Tuesday we went downtown for our annual scavenger hunt. I think it's safe to say my group didn't win. We haven't seen every presentation and figured out who got how many points, but we got less than 30, and the first group to go got 43! Yikes. Oh well. We got some good pictures out of it, and the kids had fun, which is what was most important.
On Wednesday we put together our scavenger hunt photos into PowerPoint presentaions, and we also worked on a science project with them--they learned to make solar stills out of plastic cups and black masking tape! Super cool. Tomorrow we'll see if they actually worked or not.
Thursday was our White Sox game. It was a really GOOD game, and we ended up having to leave early because we needed to get the kids back to school to meet their parents. We left in the 10th inning and the White Sox won in the 13th, although the news of the game was overshadowed by the sudden deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.
On Friday we went to the beach and it was a GREAT DAY for the beach! It was hot, but much cooler by the lake. The sun was out, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the sky. I got a little sunburnt, but I had fun with the kids. I didn't actually get to swim in the lake; another counselor from another school (he knows my coworker) arrived really late and ran straight into the water, so I spent the entire time on the sand making sure no one went under water and didn't pop back up. It kinda sucked, but it was also good to have a job and not just sit the whole time.
This week is a really busy one for us as well. We're going canoeing tomorrow, we've got our service project on Tuesday, a trip down to the Taste on Wednesday, and we've got 2 days to finish our PowerPoints, thank you notes, clean up, and create and then present each camper with his or her "Paper Plate Award" before 4:00 p.m. Friday. We'll be crazy busy, but I know this week will pass by just as quickly as the last 2. After Friday, my summer is MINE. :-D
We started out the week by going horseback riding. It was fun and informative for the kids, and we got some great photos of them grooming horses and learning how to saddle them.
On Tuesday we went downtown for our annual scavenger hunt. I think it's safe to say my group didn't win. We haven't seen every presentation and figured out who got how many points, but we got less than 30, and the first group to go got 43! Yikes. Oh well. We got some good pictures out of it, and the kids had fun, which is what was most important.
On Wednesday we put together our scavenger hunt photos into PowerPoint presentaions, and we also worked on a science project with them--they learned to make solar stills out of plastic cups and black masking tape! Super cool. Tomorrow we'll see if they actually worked or not.
Thursday was our White Sox game. It was a really GOOD game, and we ended up having to leave early because we needed to get the kids back to school to meet their parents. We left in the 10th inning and the White Sox won in the 13th, although the news of the game was overshadowed by the sudden deaths of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett.
On Friday we went to the beach and it was a GREAT DAY for the beach! It was hot, but much cooler by the lake. The sun was out, and there wasn't a cloud to be seen in the sky. I got a little sunburnt, but I had fun with the kids. I didn't actually get to swim in the lake; another counselor from another school (he knows my coworker) arrived really late and ran straight into the water, so I spent the entire time on the sand making sure no one went under water and didn't pop back up. It kinda sucked, but it was also good to have a job and not just sit the whole time.
This week is a really busy one for us as well. We're going canoeing tomorrow, we've got our service project on Tuesday, a trip down to the Taste on Wednesday, and we've got 2 days to finish our PowerPoints, thank you notes, clean up, and create and then present each camper with his or her "Paper Plate Award" before 4:00 p.m. Friday. We'll be crazy busy, but I know this week will pass by just as quickly as the last 2. After Friday, my summer is MINE. :-D
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Camp Roundup: Week 1
I can't believe camp is already 1/3 of the way done! Crazy how time flies, eh?
This week was a great one. Aside from just playing games like the circle sit and human bingo, we got the kids out of their chairs and into Chicago. On Tuesday we took the kids to the Museum of Science and Industry to visit the Smart Home, which was cool. Because it was a school group, we qualified for an energy lab, which was a real treat. The kids learned how to separate hydrogen from water, and then used that hydrogen to fuel little cars with hydrogen fuel cells.
Later in the week we took them on a "Communication Walk" where they learned how to communicate without using words or sight. Some kids were blindfolded, others couldn't speak, but they had to remain attached at all times. It was crazy funny, and wicked cool to see them learn to communicate with one another without their usual strengths.
Thursday we made paper! We talked about the recycling process and the kids learned how paper is broken down to make new paper, and then they got to make their own. It was so neat!
Yesterday we went on a walking tour of the Pilsen neighborhood. Pilsen was built to house Lithuainian and Bohemian immigrants in the early part of the last century, but by the 1960s the area was mostly Hispanic. Now the neighborhood, while not the safest, is also revitalized and is much more "family friendly" than it used to be. The neighborhood embraces its culture and that is clearly evident through the murals that decorate the neighborhood. Hispanic leaders are depicted across the neighborhood on schools, garage doors, and even the CTA stop. Schools are decorated with glass mosaics showing leaders in human rights (Dolores Huerta), entertainment (Selena), and even politics (we saw signs supporting Sonia Sotomayor).
Everyone in the community has a hand in the murals. We were able to visit a community center that is home to adults with mental and physical disabilities and saw the murals they created for their building. We plan on creating a mural with the kids at the end of next week. The murals were gorgeous and help take back the community. The neighborhood is revitalized and I think Pilsen is really going to grow and become a model south side neighborhood in the coming years. Instead of just taking the hand they were given, many Pilsen residents have helped push the neighborhood forward and instead of accepting "old buildings" and "sub-standard schools" they've really pushed for reform and for good schools, and don't all kids--regardless of race--deserve a good school?
Camp this week was wonderful, and I can't wait to see what happens next week!
This week was a great one. Aside from just playing games like the circle sit and human bingo, we got the kids out of their chairs and into Chicago. On Tuesday we took the kids to the Museum of Science and Industry to visit the Smart Home, which was cool. Because it was a school group, we qualified for an energy lab, which was a real treat. The kids learned how to separate hydrogen from water, and then used that hydrogen to fuel little cars with hydrogen fuel cells.
Later in the week we took them on a "Communication Walk" where they learned how to communicate without using words or sight. Some kids were blindfolded, others couldn't speak, but they had to remain attached at all times. It was crazy funny, and wicked cool to see them learn to communicate with one another without their usual strengths.
Thursday we made paper! We talked about the recycling process and the kids learned how paper is broken down to make new paper, and then they got to make their own. It was so neat!
Yesterday we went on a walking tour of the Pilsen neighborhood. Pilsen was built to house Lithuainian and Bohemian immigrants in the early part of the last century, but by the 1960s the area was mostly Hispanic. Now the neighborhood, while not the safest, is also revitalized and is much more "family friendly" than it used to be. The neighborhood embraces its culture and that is clearly evident through the murals that decorate the neighborhood. Hispanic leaders are depicted across the neighborhood on schools, garage doors, and even the CTA stop. Schools are decorated with glass mosaics showing leaders in human rights (Dolores Huerta), entertainment (Selena), and even politics (we saw signs supporting Sonia Sotomayor).
Everyone in the community has a hand in the murals. We were able to visit a community center that is home to adults with mental and physical disabilities and saw the murals they created for their building. We plan on creating a mural with the kids at the end of next week. The murals were gorgeous and help take back the community. The neighborhood is revitalized and I think Pilsen is really going to grow and become a model south side neighborhood in the coming years. Instead of just taking the hand they were given, many Pilsen residents have helped push the neighborhood forward and instead of accepting "old buildings" and "sub-standard schools" they've really pushed for reform and for good schools, and don't all kids--regardless of race--deserve a good school?
Camp this week was wonderful, and I can't wait to see what happens next week!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Well, ask and ye shall receive
Seriously.
Last week I posted about being $1,000 in the hole with camp. That's a big friggin' deficit. I didn't know how we were going to make it up, I really didn't. I had a feeling my coworker would put it all on her credit card and just suck up the debt. Neither of us are in a financial position to do that. Not even close. There are few people I know--if anyone--who could put $1,000 on their credit card and pay it off when the bill comes.
Well when I arrived today, my boss told me that she'd totally forgotten about a surplus from last year of nearly $700! Last year didn't cost nearly as much since we did more in-house and we got larger donations from family and friends (before we were "officially" in a recession).
Today, at dinner for my dad, my mom gave me a $50 check from my aunt and uncle. I couldn't believe it. I'm stunned and humbled by the generosity of my family. Times are tough, and Graham and I are lucky enough to not have a kid or two or three to put through college, and my aunt and uncle still spared a hefty hunk for us. That's huge.
We're still between $300 and $400 for camp, but it's much easier to fundraise when you have only a few hundred to make up. A three-digit number is much easier to collect for than a four-digit number.
I know we'll get there. One of my good friends, Amy, is even soliciting her family--none of whome I've ever met--for donations for camp. Seriously. Before, I've always thought I was a generous person, but this really makes me second guess my generosity. Not that I want to "match" people, but it makes me wonder what kind of heart I'm giving with. Here's a friend who's family is giving us money for a terrific group of kids and they'll probably never venture in to visit the school. Wow. I've always tried to have a servant heart. I always try to approach things with a selfless heart and I always give as much as I can, but Amy's sheer generosity and kindness about this whole situation has been really fantastic and humbling. Amy, if you're reading this, I owe you a huge beer. And a hug. And I'll be praying for you a lot.
Last week I posted about being $1,000 in the hole with camp. That's a big friggin' deficit. I didn't know how we were going to make it up, I really didn't. I had a feeling my coworker would put it all on her credit card and just suck up the debt. Neither of us are in a financial position to do that. Not even close. There are few people I know--if anyone--who could put $1,000 on their credit card and pay it off when the bill comes.
Well when I arrived today, my boss told me that she'd totally forgotten about a surplus from last year of nearly $700! Last year didn't cost nearly as much since we did more in-house and we got larger donations from family and friends (before we were "officially" in a recession).
Today, at dinner for my dad, my mom gave me a $50 check from my aunt and uncle. I couldn't believe it. I'm stunned and humbled by the generosity of my family. Times are tough, and Graham and I are lucky enough to not have a kid or two or three to put through college, and my aunt and uncle still spared a hefty hunk for us. That's huge.
We're still between $300 and $400 for camp, but it's much easier to fundraise when you have only a few hundred to make up. A three-digit number is much easier to collect for than a four-digit number.
I know we'll get there. One of my good friends, Amy, is even soliciting her family--none of whome I've ever met--for donations for camp. Seriously. Before, I've always thought I was a generous person, but this really makes me second guess my generosity. Not that I want to "match" people, but it makes me wonder what kind of heart I'm giving with. Here's a friend who's family is giving us money for a terrific group of kids and they'll probably never venture in to visit the school. Wow. I've always tried to have a servant heart. I always try to approach things with a selfless heart and I always give as much as I can, but Amy's sheer generosity and kindness about this whole situation has been really fantastic and humbling. Amy, if you're reading this, I owe you a huge beer. And a hug. And I'll be praying for you a lot.
Camp, Day 1
Today was interesting. It was a fun, chill day. We got to meet all the kids (not that I didn't know any), but we got to hang out, make our collages, and just mingle as groups. Interesting tidbit: one girl I had in my group last year made my 3 weeks of camp pretty tough. She whined, she complained, and she made sure that I knew she didn't want to be in my group. When my group was announced, she gasped and was begging--literally--my co-director to put her in my group because last year was "sooooooooooo fun". Huh?
Even if she had a great time with me last year (methinks there's some rose-colored hindsight happening there), group members and group leaders aren't paired up again just to keep things new and different.
It's strange, but I guess it's better than having her stand up and high-five everyone around her. "YES! I'm not in Mrs. G's group this year!"
Another plus? I hand-picked my group. I'm SUPER excited about them all and I can't wait for all the fun we're going to have this year. I love my group, I really do.
Tomorrow we're going to the Museum of Science and Industry for an energy lab and to see the Green House. Can't wait!
Even if she had a great time with me last year (methinks there's some rose-colored hindsight happening there), group members and group leaders aren't paired up again just to keep things new and different.
It's strange, but I guess it's better than having her stand up and high-five everyone around her. "YES! I'm not in Mrs. G's group this year!"
Another plus? I hand-picked my group. I'm SUPER excited about them all and I can't wait for all the fun we're going to have this year. I love my group, I really do.
Tomorrow we're going to the Museum of Science and Industry for an energy lab and to see the Green House. Can't wait!
Friday, June 12, 2009
Camp
Had a meeting today for summer camp, which was both exciting and frustrating.
Exciting: Two of our Junior Counselors are two of my favorite students from the Class of 2008. They've got great energy, they're entertaining, and they've both done E.X.P.L.O.R.E. so they're familiar with the games and the silly stuff we do.
I also know 3 members of my group, and I basically hand-picked them. A few weeks ago I told my coworker I wouldn't mind taking 2 of them, although we weren't sure if the two of them together would work well. I guess she's decided to try it, so I've got 2 kids who I really like. Because I'm taking 2 difficult kids, she let me pick a "good" kid. I couldn't decide, because I really like all the kids, so I chose a boy and a girl and she gave me the boy. I *think* all the kids will work well together, but time will tell. I'm being positive about it. So far I've got three 8th graders, so I'm expecting 2 7th graders in my group as well. I think my group will mesh well, and if not...well, camp only lasts 3 weeks. :-)
As for the frustrating.....camp starts on Monday, and we're already $1,000 over budget and that doesn't count hiring buses to haul us around to a few different events. Yuck. The fundraising has been done solely by my coworker and I. We both sent letters to family and friends asking for donations. I've got solid donations from my parents and sister, and one good friend told me she'd send me a donation (she asked where she could send the donation, so as far as I'm concerned that's solid).
Together, we've raised nearly $1,000, and the kids are paying $25 each, so that's brought in $550. However, some of the activities we have planned are costing us more than we expected, and that doesn't factor in all our transportation OR snacks during the day. Each day we give the kids a small snack and a drink, and sadly for some of our kids that's going to be their dinner.
It's so frustrating. I'm not sure what our solution is going to be. My coworker has already purchased some volleyballs and was planning on making those her donation to camp. She's decided to take on some more expenses and make that part of her donation as well. We're also going to send a letter to our colleagues and ask nicely if we can have some of their hard-earned money. It's not ideal, and it WON'T make up for the defecit, but hopefully we can get a few hundred from that.
It can be disheartening to not be able to give some really great kids a camp experience they truly deserve, but I'm glad they have the opportunity for camp, I really am. In the letter I sent to family and friends, I stated that for these kids, they're too old for the park district programs, and they can't afford the programs at the local Catholic high schools. For some of our students, this is their only option. And really, for a number of our campers, they don't have a summer aside from this. So many of them are responsible for a younger sibling while their parent or parents work, so for 4 hours a day they get to chill and have fun.
I can't wait for camp to start. Our first week is already jam packed, and we're hoping for a few stray donations to tumble in over the weekend and next week so we can officially pay for the rest of camp. God bless, and I'm sure I'll update soon.
Exciting: Two of our Junior Counselors are two of my favorite students from the Class of 2008. They've got great energy, they're entertaining, and they've both done E.X.P.L.O.R.E. so they're familiar with the games and the silly stuff we do.
I also know 3 members of my group, and I basically hand-picked them. A few weeks ago I told my coworker I wouldn't mind taking 2 of them, although we weren't sure if the two of them together would work well. I guess she's decided to try it, so I've got 2 kids who I really like. Because I'm taking 2 difficult kids, she let me pick a "good" kid. I couldn't decide, because I really like all the kids, so I chose a boy and a girl and she gave me the boy. I *think* all the kids will work well together, but time will tell. I'm being positive about it. So far I've got three 8th graders, so I'm expecting 2 7th graders in my group as well. I think my group will mesh well, and if not...well, camp only lasts 3 weeks. :-)
As for the frustrating.....camp starts on Monday, and we're already $1,000 over budget and that doesn't count hiring buses to haul us around to a few different events. Yuck. The fundraising has been done solely by my coworker and I. We both sent letters to family and friends asking for donations. I've got solid donations from my parents and sister, and one good friend told me she'd send me a donation (she asked where she could send the donation, so as far as I'm concerned that's solid).
Together, we've raised nearly $1,000, and the kids are paying $25 each, so that's brought in $550. However, some of the activities we have planned are costing us more than we expected, and that doesn't factor in all our transportation OR snacks during the day. Each day we give the kids a small snack and a drink, and sadly for some of our kids that's going to be their dinner.
It's so frustrating. I'm not sure what our solution is going to be. My coworker has already purchased some volleyballs and was planning on making those her donation to camp. She's decided to take on some more expenses and make that part of her donation as well. We're also going to send a letter to our colleagues and ask nicely if we can have some of their hard-earned money. It's not ideal, and it WON'T make up for the defecit, but hopefully we can get a few hundred from that.
It can be disheartening to not be able to give some really great kids a camp experience they truly deserve, but I'm glad they have the opportunity for camp, I really am. In the letter I sent to family and friends, I stated that for these kids, they're too old for the park district programs, and they can't afford the programs at the local Catholic high schools. For some of our students, this is their only option. And really, for a number of our campers, they don't have a summer aside from this. So many of them are responsible for a younger sibling while their parent or parents work, so for 4 hours a day they get to chill and have fun.
I can't wait for camp to start. Our first week is already jam packed, and we're hoping for a few stray donations to tumble in over the weekend and next week so we can officially pay for the rest of camp. God bless, and I'm sure I'll update soon.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Last Day of School!
It's finally here. Sweet Jesus, it's finally here!
Oh man...I can't wait for 11:30 this morning. 2.5 more hours and we're on our way for lunch at Valentina and I can collapse on the couch and read my book. Aaahhh....
Oh man...I can't wait for 11:30 this morning. 2.5 more hours and we're on our way for lunch at Valentina and I can collapse on the couch and read my book. Aaahhh....
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