Introducing Brittany

Last week I posted about having my second good intern. Brittany has really shown me what she's made of...she's still very quiet, but I think she will do really great when it's time for her to take my classes full time.

She's a beautiful girl who has allowed me to use a photo of her on here...please welcome Brittany to my classroom! :)

I'm doubly blessed

So if you have been reading my blog for at least a year, you will remember that last year I had an intern named Shannon. Shannon and I had the best time teaching together. She was a wonderful teacher and I was so blessed to have her in my classroom, and to get to know her and be her friend. Shannon was so successful, and did get a job teaching, and is currently doing just that, and being a great mentor to her students!

This year I have another intern. Her name is Brittany. Brittany has been with me for two days, now. At first, Brittany appeared to be very quiet. But I have learned very quickly that she is not afraid to speak her mind...it's more like she only talks when she has something important to say. Not necessarily quiet, just thoughtful. On her first day with me, I told Brittany I was going to the restroom (SO nice to have an intern and finally be able to do that), and when I came back, she had already figured out how to use the flipchart I created for the lesson, and was encouraging the students to work the problems! She was using a really great teacher voice and was interacting with my students! Already! That is so awesome!

When we get back to school on Tuesday I will ask Brittany to write a letter introducing herself to the parents of our students, and she'll start doing other things like taking attendance, going over warm-ups, etc. The girl already graded 4 sets of papers! I'm telling you...I don't know how I've been so blessed to have two great interns, in two successive years!

I'm doubly blessed!

My head meets the wall...

We've all said this at some point in our teaching career: "I feel like I'm beating my head against the wall!!! What more can I do to help them understand this concept?!" Well, this week I think this statement has become my theme. I have taught my students how to simplify fractions (which they learned well), how to convert improper fractions to mixed numbers in simplest form, and vice versa. Then I began teaching them to add and subtract fractions. That beginning was about 4 weeks ago. This week, I began the daily torture of waking up at 6:00 a.m., preparing myself for my job, dressing professionally, putting on a happy face, and coming into the school simply to endure the pain of my head meeting the wall for 60 minute periods, four consecutive periods a day! My students have an exam on these concepts...TOMORROW!!! I have taught these precious children a myriad of ways to solve these math problems. I have given them fraction burgers, fraction tiles, fraction circles and had them make their own fractional doolollies so that they can hold and maneuver the fractions we're working with. I have put interactive fraction games on my big Promethean board and had them play these games. I have given them homework, checked it, worked problems from it, brought apples into my classroom and cut them into fractions, had them count beans, had them color blocks...I think you understand what I've done in order to try to be sure that my precious students understand fractions.

Today, I gave them the last practice problems before the exam on a piece of paper. I told them to work on them on their own. I walked to my desk to begin grading some papers I have had stacked for about a month. One of my precious students raised his hand. I acknowledged him and he asked if he could come ask me a question. I said yes. He walked over to my desk with his practice problems and pencil in hand and said............................................................................




"Can you show me how I'm supposed to do this?"





Once again...my head and the wall have become good friends!

Twenty Ten

I couldn't bring myself to write "Happy New Year" as my title. It's just a little too cliche for this hip woman. Tee Hee!

My family and I went to the home of some dear friends last night for a wonderful celebration of the bringing in of the New Year/New Decade. Honestly, I'm a little amazed at how many decades I've lived through. I wonder why it never struck me like this until this year? Who knows...maybe it's because when I was a child I never thought I'd live to see the 21st Century at all. I was not being morbid or thinking I would die young; it was just that it seemed impossible that I would ever be old enough to see this century (remember...this was when I was a child).

Now, on the other side of those thoughts, I'm certainly glad that I DID live through the first decade of the 21st Century, and hope that I live to see at least four more decades before I leave.

ANYWAY...I'm so excited to be a part of this world, doing what I'm doing for 2010. Just the thought that I have the opportunity (because of my profession) to change someone's life is overwhelming! I know lots of other teachers who are changing lives and I hope they know it and believe in what they're doing. Take my sister, Ashley. She teaches kindergarten in my hometown...she's in her 3rd year of teaching and she is AMAZING! I only wish that my children experience a teacher who loves them like Ashley loves her students. Or my sister-in-law, Lindsey. She teaches third grade in TN and is an amazing teacher...she writes grants, and touches those students in her class! Or my mom, Judy. She teaches math in a program here in our school district for students who need an alternative learning environment. Her students LOVE her...she gives them her phone number and you would be amazed at the number of calls she receives.

The only resolution I'm setting for 2010 is to be like one of these teachers I've mentioned above, to my students AND to my own children...a teacher who's students know beyond doubt that she loves them and believes in them and pushes them hard enough to get their very best!

Happy New Year!

Busy CHRISTmas Holiday!

What a whirlwind Christmas break this has been...my children and I rode with my mom and step-dad down to Sterlington, La. to visit my family who live there (Mom's family who we rarely get to see). That was a really long drive and we stayed with my Uncle, Aunt, and Grandmother for 3 days, then drove home again. WHEW! We arrived home on Christmas Eve Day around 1:00.

My husband went and worked at the early Christmas Eve service, then the kids and I met him at the later Christmas Eve Service at church. It was beautiful and our family carried on our tradition (3rd year) of helping peal the bells at the end of the service...it's wonderful!

We stayed home on Christmas and got up early to see how good Santa was to us all, and also opened our gifts to and from each other. I cooked a big breakfast and then Mom and Woody came over and we shared a big dinner and watched a movie.

Mom and I got up and went shopping at 7:00 a.m. on the 26th (I know...I FELT like I was insane when the clock went off at 6:00) and I was able to finish up the shopping for Dad and that side of the family (sneaky, huh?). We left Rock Hill around 2:30 and went to Anderson to stay with Dad and Carla for a couple of days. We have just returned home from that Christmas celebration.

Dad is having knee replacement surgery on Wednesday morning on his right knee. I will be headed back there as soon as I can on Wednesday to be with him for the remainder of the day and try to be there for his first PT session. I would greatly appreciate your prayers for my dad...knee replacement patients are no longer put to sleep. Dad is very nervous about being awake for this...can you blame him? Anyway, please consider praying for him, his peace of mind, an easy procedure and quick recovery.

How about you all? How have you spent your Christmas break?

It's the MOST WONDERFUL TIME.............

Many of you (do I have MANY readers?) may have read my last post where I quickly brought you up to date and explained that on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving my car was broken into and my school issued laptop was stolen. What I didn't explain in that post was that I had to file a claim with my home owners insurance and get reimbursed for the cost of the laptop minus the $500 deductible. To add insult to injury, I was required to pay the $500 deductible to my school in monthly installments, because the liability had to lie somewhere, and the computer was in my possession at the time of the theft.

I have been so upset about this. I know that my school district is only doing the "right" thing...but there are just some times when the "right" thing doesn't feel "right" at all and this is one of those times. I spoke to my principal about it, she called the head of the technology department at the school district, I spoke with the superintendent about it...even my mom got upset and called the district office (without my knowledge) to try to talk to the superintendent.

This morning when I got to school, my principal stuck her head in my room and said "Merry Christmas!" When I turned around I said "Merry Christmas" and smiled like my regular jovial self and wondered why she was doing that. Here is a written version of the conversation after that:
P: You haven't read your email yet, have you?
Me: No ma'am.
P: (Steps into room, HUGE smile on face) You don't have to pay any more money!!!
Me: (SCREAM) THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! WHY? HOW? WHO DO I NEED TO THANK?!!!
P: John (technology head) and Lisa (superintendent) and I have all been so bothered by this the whole time! Lisa went to John yesterday and said "This is really bothering me! It's not right!" and John said "It's bothering me too!!! It's not right! And I'm not going to make her pay that $500."
Me: OH MY GOSH!!! THIS IS THE BEST PLACE TO WORK!!!! YOU HAVE JUST MADE MY WHOLE HOLIDAY! I COULD CRY!!!! I will be sending thank you notes to those people today!!!

Just another example of why I love my job! The people in leadership positions here truly care about us! It is a wonderful place to work!

Merry Christmas!!!

I know it's been way too long since I posted. I'm sorry...please don't be upset with me if you happened to be one of the four people who read my blog. Let's see...quick rundown of the last few months...we had H1N1 run through our school at the same time as a horrible stomach virus. Every computer in my school also had a terrible virus and had to be reimaged. Neither of my own children came down with H1N1, and neither did Greg or I! (Hallelujah!) Thanksgiving was eventful, as I left school on Tuesday, picked up the kids, then went straight to dinner and had my car window broken and my laptop and Sarah's backpack stolen. Now we're caught up to today. (sigh)

We have two weeks left until our "Winter Holiday" (as it's called by the district) which will be a nice two week break. The awesome teachers I work with in 6th grade this year have been awesome to plan with...we met yesterday and decided that we are going to try to get back to teaching with some "fun" stuff. We've gotten into the rut of lecture, practice, homework, lecture, practice, homework, etc. So I'm working a little bit this weekend to find some fun stuff!

I'm sure this post is kinda lame, so to spice it up a little bit, here's a picture of the kids last night while we were decorating the tree/house. Sarah had her Santa hat from about 5 years ago and Caleb was wearing Greg's hat! Funny stuff!