Field Trip: Day 8

Today was fantastic.


February was a long month. Each day with seventh graders was challenging. I could count on one hand the number of days when I left school feeling like I had some energy left, maybe even some feelings of effectiveness. Most days lately have felt like a circus, trying to keep the peace while also trying to teach.
March began, and I had some hope things would settle down. Even if they didn't, today brought some goodness and made up for a lot of the chaos of middle school. We had a field trip, and it was fantastic.
A large venue in a nearby city was hosting Step Afrika, which, as the description states, is a "step tradition of audience participation and closes with a complex, polyrhythmic percussive symphony that brings audiences to their feet."
We were definitely up on our feet, clapping, stomping, and interacting with great performers. It was a great experience for my students, and so many of them fully embraced the energy and participated. I will focus on those who took it as an opportunity to embrace performance and culture. I left feeling quite revitalized and hopeful.

White Lie: Day 7

It's March, meaning most schools across the country celebrate "March is Reading Month" in many different ways. One way my school is trying to inspire excitement around reading month is with spirit days across the month. We have Pajama Day (snuggle up with a book), Read a Shirt Day (wear a shirt with words), and today, we had White Lie Day. This is when students wear a white shirt (or a piece of paper taped to their shirt) with a white lie. I saw all kinds of silly ones today. 

For instance:

"I have perfect attendance."

"I'm the tallest one in my class."

"I'm a morning person."

"I'm quiet."

I thought I'd put a white lie on my shirt that is truly untrue for me and might inspire conversations about writing as well as reading. 

It's a phrase I hear often from twelve and thirteen-year-old students and work to change. Many of them are still finding their way through adolescence, and their moods often get in their way. Today, I got a few laughs and eye rolls from my students. 

I made an attempt at a small orange slice. T-shirt writing is tricky. 

Pep Talk Fun: Day 6

Today was an early release day for students, so teachers had meetings for the last couple of hours. To start us off, my principal passed out a chart titled "Pep Talk Generator." I hadn't ever seen this before but was intrigued immediately. We partnered up and walked around giving each other pep talks like:

Girl--your DNA--is a rainbow factory--that's just science.

Champ. Everything you do--raises the roof--that's a fact. 

Know this--the essential you--just shimmers--period.

Here's an example of what we used. 

Meetings come and go, and most are not very memorable. However, this one started great. Any meeting where I can start off laughing is a better meeting overall. 

Kids Mess Up: Day 5

It was another busy morning. I often start my day with several students popping in and out within a minute or two of my arrival. Most of the time, they look to see who is already there; other times, they want to talk to me. 

I have ten to twelve regulars who are a mix of former students, current students, and soon-to-be students. They hang out on my couch, laugh, giggle, and talk about their day, usually with a heavy dose of teenage angst. I give out side hugs, smiles, and advice when asked. It's always an excellent way to start the day. 

I don't have a first-hour class, so I was asked to cover a sixth-grade class without a sub on this particular day. I'd like to have closed up my room, but students were still streaming in and out, getting their books or materials for classes that live in my classroom. Instead of locking up, I left and walked down a few hallways to the other classroom so I would arrive on time. 

First hour came and went, and I was returning to my classroom. I walked in to find this:

My end table that is next to my couch.

It was a head shaker. I wondered if any students would come to talk to me about it, but none have. It's a bummer but fixable. I hope we can determine what happened so a conversation can occur. Luckily, it was a thrift find and doesn't hold sentimental value. Many of my students love using that table for a workspace, so they are the ones losing out. I think the kids themselves will be the ones who get to the bottom of this mystery. 

Game Changer-oo: Day 4

Last Friday started off bustling. We had house meetings (we use the Ron Clark Academy model) straight away, and my group was planning to play card games together. I was gathering materials, filling my coffee cup, and giving directions with my face and head for my group to follow. Nukumori, my group's name, began congregating, ready to go to our larger shared space. 

The center of our school has a big circle. The shared space is in one of the central rooms. I rounded the side of the circle, key card in hand, to be met with a colleague saying one thing while also forcing a smile. I walked into the room to find tables full of books, furniture piled, and boxes of printers waiting to be set up. It had been used for temporary storage...again. This was going to fail for our game activity. We quickly decided hallway games would have to do. It turned out great; kids played Crazy 8's, Go Fish, Euchre, and War. The groups varied, including multi-age and several sizes. Partners, groups of four, and large groups created a loud hum of cooperation and joy. 

One planned foiled turned into a fun way to start the day. 

Pizza Sunday: Day 3

We watched a lot of football this past season. In particular, the Detroit Lions. It was fun to get huddled around the TV and cheer them on. With each passing game, my game-day food got better and better. I found a Rhodes Rolls pizza recipe in my search for variety and comfort. I have since changed it to be more of a deep-dish style pizza, becoming a Sunday staple. 

Today was no different. This morning, I started my dough on the counter to thaw and rise. Olive oil gave it an excellent gloss, and my favorite part came this afternoon when I punched all the dough down. Putting the sauce, toppings, and cheese onto the soft dough, it went into the oven. After about thirty minutes, the top was crusty, and the edges golden brown. I don't actually eat this pizza; I made a dairy and meat-free version for myself. However, I am always so excited by how the cheesy one looks. My family loves how it tastes. 

How the yellow peppers are baked into that cheese makes it look like focaccia bread. 

NYT Word Puzzlers: Day 2

I do the Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword from the New York Times daily. It's something I look forward to, and it is also a friendly competition between my husband, our youngest, and me. We sometimes will help each other, depending on how desperate we are. But more often, we say things like, "Did you do the mini yet?" or "Did you get Connections?"
Connections, the puzzle of 16 words that fall into four categories of sorts, has been borderline silly. Some of the categories have left us all scratching our heads.

 
I felt very validated in my frustration when I started seeing videos from someone on TikTok named adamjohn (@adamj0hn20).

He is much more frustrated with the NYT puzzles than I was, but the issues he was having were similar to mine. For instance, a category that is animals spelled backward seems desperate. Like Adam, I began to question those who determined the direction of these puzzles. Then, I realized I could play and enjoy when I win and move on when I lose. Do I really care that much? I mean, for a moment, I do. Then, I move on with my day.

If you are a NYT word game player, check out his videos. They are good for a laugh.