This past week has been VERY long . . . . .
On Monday, I found out my cousin passed away. He had cancer.
On Tuesday, one of my students stole my ITouch off my computer desk. My Housemaster searched them but nothing came up. I feel violated and upset. I can no longer trust any of my students. In ten years of teaching, no student has EVER stolen from me. The kids are upset for me too since a lot of them know how much I sacrifice and give to them. On a positive note: kids can be "stupid thieves" - they will eventually talk and it will come out on who stole it. I will never see my ITouch again (kids usually steal them, delete the music, and then turn around and sell them to other students). I still have that Midwest too trusting thing going on and it officially was killed on Tuesday. :=(
Tried to end the week on a positive note: I chaperoned the Junior Prom. The kids looked wonderful. Sometimes, they can clean up good! :-) Us teacher folk had a fun time too. We kept requesting old school songs in the beginning of the evening. No one was dancing at first so we requested the Twist song and each of us grabbed a student from a different table to go out on the dance floor and dance. It worked! They started to dance at that point and we heard rap music for the rest of the evening.
So, this is why I've been a little more MIA than usual.
For those of you that sent me emails requested French Revolution materials, I did respond this past week. If ya didn't get the stuff from me, please let me know and I can use my school email account.
Just started Napoleon this week. Really trying to plug through all the curriculum that needs to get taught this year.
Grades for 3rd quarter close on Friday. I noticed in my grade book that a lot of my students are currently failing. Not good. This freshman class this year just doesn't seem to "get it" -
I am taking Monday off for a mental health day . . . . AND, U2 tickets are going on sale so I want to try and get tickets for the Sept 20th concert. :-)
Have a good week folks.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Plugging through the curriculum . . . and other random info
Isn't this so true for so many of us teacher folk out there?
Still in the French Revolution. FYI: If anyone would like any more information about any of the activities that I do for the unit, please feel free to leave your email address in the comment section. I will send you (If I have the documents electronically) any materials that you may need or use for the French Revolution unit.
It seems like I will never get through all the curriculum that needs to get taught this school year. It doesn't help that my school lumped two years of World curriculum into ONE year! Goodness! And, it's a blessing (or is it?) that at least we are not state mandated tested for the graduation requirement.
My co-taught class is really behind compared to my other classes. Since we deal with attendance issues, learning disability issues, and behavior issues, it's quite amazing that I get any curriculum taught in this class at all. I currently have three kids in that class that are homeless right now (they are living in a shelter). So, learning about King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette is probably not a priority in their lives right now.
On a positive note: I attended some great professional development workshops the past few weeks on local history and primary documents. We received some great primary documents that I can incorporate into my local history class. So pumped! :-)
Still don't know anything about the potential cuts. There will be cuts; it's just a matter of how bad. Until the federal gov't figures things out, the state and local gov'ts can't figure out their budgets yet for next school year. Since this is my 3rd year, the administrators could get rid of me. If they go by seniority, I'm 5th in line. If they go by job performance, I should be good to go too (I've been told by my Principal and Asst. Principal that they don't want to lose me). So, the drama continues . . . . . .
My summer is up in the air right now. Don't know if I will be teaching summer school or going to Ghana for a travel study program. I applied for another travel grant (everything is paid for) to travel to Ghana for two weeks in July - the topic is the Transatlantic Slave Trade. I'm also going to apply for the same summer institute that I took last summer just in case too. I would get paid a $1000 stipend for the seminar (5 days of classes plus 3 grad credits).
Still in the French Revolution. FYI: If anyone would like any more information about any of the activities that I do for the unit, please feel free to leave your email address in the comment section. I will send you (If I have the documents electronically) any materials that you may need or use for the French Revolution unit.
It seems like I will never get through all the curriculum that needs to get taught this school year. It doesn't help that my school lumped two years of World curriculum into ONE year! Goodness! And, it's a blessing (or is it?) that at least we are not state mandated tested for the graduation requirement.
My co-taught class is really behind compared to my other classes. Since we deal with attendance issues, learning disability issues, and behavior issues, it's quite amazing that I get any curriculum taught in this class at all. I currently have three kids in that class that are homeless right now (they are living in a shelter). So, learning about King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette is probably not a priority in their lives right now.
On a positive note: I attended some great professional development workshops the past few weeks on local history and primary documents. We received some great primary documents that I can incorporate into my local history class. So pumped! :-)
Still don't know anything about the potential cuts. There will be cuts; it's just a matter of how bad. Until the federal gov't figures things out, the state and local gov'ts can't figure out their budgets yet for next school year. Since this is my 3rd year, the administrators could get rid of me. If they go by seniority, I'm 5th in line. If they go by job performance, I should be good to go too (I've been told by my Principal and Asst. Principal that they don't want to lose me). So, the drama continues . . . . . .
My summer is up in the air right now. Don't know if I will be teaching summer school or going to Ghana for a travel study program. I applied for another travel grant (everything is paid for) to travel to Ghana for two weeks in July - the topic is the Transatlantic Slave Trade. I'm also going to apply for the same summer institute that I took last summer just in case too. I would get paid a $1000 stipend for the seminar (5 days of classes plus 3 grad credits).
Sunday, March 08, 2009
Attended a Volleyball Coaches Clinic on Saturday & Daylight Savings Time
Since I'm a member of our state volleyball coaches association, they had their annual coaches clinic at the Reebok International Headquarters on Saturday. Can I just say how nice it is to see how the other half lives? Their building was AMAZING! The facilities had a huge gym set up for volleyball and basketball, baseball fields, football field, soccer field, and a ton of work out rooms with all equipment that had cable TVs attached. Crazy! We were supposed to have access to the Reebok store and get a 50% discount on products but the employees didn't show up so no new clothes or shoes for me! I had my eye on a pair of $175 Reebok shoes so half of that price would've been a good deal. And, the store sells a lot of clothing that isn't being sold to the public yet so it would've been nice to purchase some stuff. Oh well. Maybe next year. :-)
The varsity coach and I drove down to attend the clinic and I have to say I was very impressed! The association brought in the head volleyball coach from Springfield College to do some sessions on setter training, training the middle hitters, and leadership training for high school athletes. He showed a ton of drills by using kids and coaches too. There was also the executive director from the American Volleyball Coaches Association to show us how to keep more accurate stats on our players. It was a very productive and useful day.
We also networked with some coaches from other schools and arranged for a few preseason scrimmages. And, we are in a new conference this year so we met some of the coaches from the new conference. Network, network, network! :-)
We were even given a free Reebok volleyball (they are worth around $40!).
I hope I can remember everything that I learned and implement stuff in August during pre-season. :-) The varsity coach and I talked a lot on the drive about how we want to make some changes to our program. Since next year will be the third year of the volleyball program at my school, we really want to step it up!
Hope everyone is having a restful weekend (don't forget to change your clocks - spring forward!). In case you want a quick history lesson on daylight savings time, check out this link here.
The varsity coach and I drove down to attend the clinic and I have to say I was very impressed! The association brought in the head volleyball coach from Springfield College to do some sessions on setter training, training the middle hitters, and leadership training for high school athletes. He showed a ton of drills by using kids and coaches too. There was also the executive director from the American Volleyball Coaches Association to show us how to keep more accurate stats on our players. It was a very productive and useful day.
We also networked with some coaches from other schools and arranged for a few preseason scrimmages. And, we are in a new conference this year so we met some of the coaches from the new conference. Network, network, network! :-)
We were even given a free Reebok volleyball (they are worth around $40!).
I hope I can remember everything that I learned and implement stuff in August during pre-season. :-) The varsity coach and I talked a lot on the drive about how we want to make some changes to our program. Since next year will be the third year of the volleyball program at my school, we really want to step it up!
Hope everyone is having a restful weekend (don't forget to change your clocks - spring forward!). In case you want a quick history lesson on daylight savings time, check out this link here.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Busy week after Feb break
What can I say? It's been a busy few weeks.
Feb break was good. Busy. Productive. Did some school work. Got my hair done. Did some cleaning around the condo. Visited my old school (their Feb break was the following week).
The last half of break (Thursday to Sunday): I was at Harvard Model Congress in Boston with 16 of my students. Oh. And 1400 students from all over the country including a school from the countries of Jordan and United Arab Emirates. Oh. Stayed at the Sheraton in Boston. I felt so bad for the maids and the rest of the hotel staff having to deal with us for those four days.
My kids did a great job! They were well-behaved (for the most part). It's always the other kids that I have to babysit. For example: who puts kids on one floor and the advisor on another floor? Didn't get much sleep.
On a positive note: one of my kids received an award. He was the chief foreign policy adviser to Obama. And, one of my kids was a ranking member of the Senate. So proud of them!
Had progress grades due this week so I was in a correcting frenzy! I always wait until the last minute to correct work. Bad teacher! :-)
This coming week is busy too. I'm out on Wednesday for a Professional Day - Using Essex History Seminar on the Cold War. Thursday after school are parent conferences. Thursday evening I'm at the National Archives for a teacher workshop. And Saturday I have a volleyball coaches clinic all day.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
What is your inspiration?
Who or what inspires you?
I have a few responses to this question.
1) My Mom inspires me as a woman every day. This woman is amazing! She's overcome breast cancer. She's a funny lady who sees the humor in life. She encourages both my sister and I to be who we want to be in life. She supports me now matter how much I mess up in my life. And, she inspires me to just be me and to love myself (which most days can be a difficult task).
2) My English and History teachers in High School. I had two amazing educators in my life in high school that believed in me and encouraged me to become a high school History teacher. My History teacher died ten years ago. But, my English teacher and I still email each other and keep in touch. Recently, he asked me if he could use me as a reference for a teaching position at a community college. How cool is that?
3) My students inspire me to become a better teacher every single day. They are the reason why I love what I do in my life. They encourage me to be creative and to be a life long learner and positive role model (hopefully!). :-)
4) My colleagues. I've been VERY blessed in all three school systems that I've worked in to have worked with incredible people. We support each other. We collaborate. We bitch and vent to each other. We share teaching ideas with each other. And, we have fun together.
What inspire you?
I have a few responses to this question.
1) My Mom inspires me as a woman every day. This woman is amazing! She's overcome breast cancer. She's a funny lady who sees the humor in life. She encourages both my sister and I to be who we want to be in life. She supports me now matter how much I mess up in my life. And, she inspires me to just be me and to love myself (which most days can be a difficult task).
2) My English and History teachers in High School. I had two amazing educators in my life in high school that believed in me and encouraged me to become a high school History teacher. My History teacher died ten years ago. But, my English teacher and I still email each other and keep in touch. Recently, he asked me if he could use me as a reference for a teaching position at a community college. How cool is that?
3) My students inspire me to become a better teacher every single day. They are the reason why I love what I do in my life. They encourage me to be creative and to be a life long learner and positive role model (hopefully!). :-)
4) My colleagues. I've been VERY blessed in all three school systems that I've worked in to have worked with incredible people. We support each other. We collaborate. We bitch and vent to each other. We share teaching ideas with each other. And, we have fun together.
What inspire you?
Monday, February 16, 2009
Having a great time teaching the French Revolution
My freshman have been enjoying the French Revolution so far.
I've got them thinking of reasons why people would be willing to revolt. We did an activity on the political spectrum and the connection to the French Revolution. We've been discussing the causes of the French Revolution. And, I passed out a project . . . an ABC Book on the French Revolution. Normally I would do my children's picture book of the steps leading up to the storming of the Bastille project but decided to do something else.
What's up next? My class will "Storm the Bastille" - storm a neighboring classroom (with my colleagues prior permission of course!). A mock trial of King Louis XVI using my guillotine (I had a student at my previous school make me a real guillotine - the blade isn't sharp folks). The history of the guillotine video from the History Channel. Showing excerpts of the film, Marie Antoinette.
Anyone have any other teaching activities for the French Revolution?
I've got them thinking of reasons why people would be willing to revolt. We did an activity on the political spectrum and the connection to the French Revolution. We've been discussing the causes of the French Revolution. And, I passed out a project . . . an ABC Book on the French Revolution. Normally I would do my children's picture book of the steps leading up to the storming of the Bastille project but decided to do something else.
What's up next? My class will "Storm the Bastille" - storm a neighboring classroom (with my colleagues prior permission of course!). A mock trial of King Louis XVI using my guillotine (I had a student at my previous school make me a real guillotine - the blade isn't sharp folks). The history of the guillotine video from the History Channel. Showing excerpts of the film, Marie Antoinette.
Anyone have any other teaching activities for the French Revolution?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Is 38 old?
Apparently.
The word got around school that Feb 14th was my birthday. Joy.
So, my students were in class on Friday trying to guess how old I was.
They came up with unique answers. One student said I was 45 (he's failing the class - Ha!). One kid said I was 25! I told him he is getting an A for the class! (JK of course!) :=)
When I finally told them my age (38) they said I was really old but I don't look old.
I told them there are days when I feel old. Some days, I feel my age. I told them for the most part they keep me looking young.
Today, I went out to lunch with one of my friends. The plan is to just relax - no school work. I have some movies I checked out of the library this afternoon to watch this evening. Catching up reading blogs. Enjoying reading all the posts on my Facebook. Oh, and ignoring the fact that it is Valentine's Day.
I'm off this next week for Feb break so I may be posting more frequently.
The word got around school that Feb 14th was my birthday. Joy.
So, my students were in class on Friday trying to guess how old I was.
They came up with unique answers. One student said I was 45 (he's failing the class - Ha!). One kid said I was 25! I told him he is getting an A for the class! (JK of course!) :=)
When I finally told them my age (38) they said I was really old but I don't look old.
I told them there are days when I feel old. Some days, I feel my age. I told them for the most part they keep me looking young.
Today, I went out to lunch with one of my friends. The plan is to just relax - no school work. I have some movies I checked out of the library this afternoon to watch this evening. Catching up reading blogs. Enjoying reading all the posts on my Facebook. Oh, and ignoring the fact that it is Valentine's Day.
I'm off this next week for Feb break so I may be posting more frequently.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Started the French Revolution this week!
Can I just say how much I L-O-V-E teaching the French Revolution???????
I don't know what it is about this time period . . . the suffering of the middle class and poor (gee, sound familiar???) . . . the drama of a King and Queen . . . . the decapitation of a King and Queen . . . . the control freak that tries to conqueror the world (aka Napoleon).
I started the unit by asking the students to answer this question in their journals: "Is freedom really "free"? They wrote some great stuff. We talked about the definition of freedom and what does freedom mean to them. They also talked about how much freedom means to them and how they know that other people throughout history have risked their lives for their freedom. It was a great discussion.
I then played the Beatles song, Revolution. We talked about the lyrics of the song and what was the message in the song. I then asked the kids to define revolution. They were mixing up the difference between a revolution and war so I had to clarify the definition.
Then, I put them into groups and had them brainstorm and write out on big sheets of paper reasons why people revolt. Can I just say how great of a job my kids did on this activity! So smart! :-) We then discussed what each group wrote on their papers.
I had a quick PowerPoint on the Causes of the French Revolution. We discussed the Estate system. I did another activity where I asked for two volunteers to represent the 1st estate (clergy) and two volunteers for the 2nd estate (nobility). The rest of the class made up the 3rd estate (middle class/poor). I made signs for each estate and separated each group. I started to pass out pieces of Hershey's Miniature chocolates to only the 1st and 2nd estates. The 3rd estate was getting upset as I continued to talk up how unfair the estate system was in France and I passed out more and more chocolate to the 1st and 2nd estate. Finally I asked them what were they going to do about it and they yelled out, "Rebel and Revolt!" I think they got the general point of how unfair the estate was in France before the Revolution and a general idea of why there was a revolution. I will obviously build on from our discussions and activities for clarity and accuracy as we can continue the unit.
I then went back to the reasons why people revolt and asked them if any of the reasons listed on their sheets of paper related to what we just did and they replied yes. I asked how and they responded in various answers. I also brought them back to the journal question of freedom and they talked about how freedom is not free.
It always amazes me when my students "get it" and enjoy what we do in class. At the end of the class, I asked them what they learned and if they enjoyed the class. All of them blurted or yelled out YES!
Of course, a little bit of chocolate was probably helpful . . . . . . . :-)
I don't know what it is about this time period . . . the suffering of the middle class and poor (gee, sound familiar???) . . . the drama of a King and Queen . . . . the decapitation of a King and Queen . . . . the control freak that tries to conqueror the world (aka Napoleon).
I started the unit by asking the students to answer this question in their journals: "Is freedom really "free"? They wrote some great stuff. We talked about the definition of freedom and what does freedom mean to them. They also talked about how much freedom means to them and how they know that other people throughout history have risked their lives for their freedom. It was a great discussion.
I then played the Beatles song, Revolution. We talked about the lyrics of the song and what was the message in the song. I then asked the kids to define revolution. They were mixing up the difference between a revolution and war so I had to clarify the definition.
Then, I put them into groups and had them brainstorm and write out on big sheets of paper reasons why people revolt. Can I just say how great of a job my kids did on this activity! So smart! :-) We then discussed what each group wrote on their papers.
I had a quick PowerPoint on the Causes of the French Revolution. We discussed the Estate system. I did another activity where I asked for two volunteers to represent the 1st estate (clergy) and two volunteers for the 2nd estate (nobility). The rest of the class made up the 3rd estate (middle class/poor). I made signs for each estate and separated each group. I started to pass out pieces of Hershey's Miniature chocolates to only the 1st and 2nd estates. The 3rd estate was getting upset as I continued to talk up how unfair the estate system was in France and I passed out more and more chocolate to the 1st and 2nd estate. Finally I asked them what were they going to do about it and they yelled out, "Rebel and Revolt!" I think they got the general point of how unfair the estate was in France before the Revolution and a general idea of why there was a revolution. I will obviously build on from our discussions and activities for clarity and accuracy as we can continue the unit.
I then went back to the reasons why people revolt and asked them if any of the reasons listed on their sheets of paper related to what we just did and they replied yes. I asked how and they responded in various answers. I also brought them back to the journal question of freedom and they talked about how freedom is not free.
It always amazes me when my students "get it" and enjoy what we do in class. At the end of the class, I asked them what they learned and if they enjoyed the class. All of them blurted or yelled out YES!
Of course, a little bit of chocolate was probably helpful . . . . . . . :-)
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Snow day in New England
Received the call at 5:00 am that we had no school today due to the impending snow storm.
I'm sure it helped that I did the naked snow/must have a day off of school dance last night . . . . ha, ha, ha!!!! :-)
Not really much to report. Started the Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution unit with my freshman last week. I'm looking forward to teaching the French Revolution (it's one of my favorite units to teach). My Honors will be starting a 3rd quarter research paper next week. Also have a new group of students for my local history class (it's an elective). I have 25 students in the class - mostly 11th and 12th graders. They seem to be a good group thus far.
So, what are my big plans for the snow day? Let's see . . . .
*Grocery shopping (I have NO food in the house).
*Catch up on reading blogs.
*Filing - the stack of papers in the to be filed pile is so high that Ellie the Cat can't see a thing over them.
*Periodically dig out car so plow guy can dig me out.
*Watch some movies.
*Probably should do some correcting but really just want to enjoy the day off. :-)
I'm sure it helped that I did the naked snow/must have a day off of school dance last night . . . . ha, ha, ha!!!! :-)
Not really much to report. Started the Enlightenment and Scientific Revolution unit with my freshman last week. I'm looking forward to teaching the French Revolution (it's one of my favorite units to teach). My Honors will be starting a 3rd quarter research paper next week. Also have a new group of students for my local history class (it's an elective). I have 25 students in the class - mostly 11th and 12th graders. They seem to be a good group thus far.
So, what are my big plans for the snow day? Let's see . . . .
*Grocery shopping (I have NO food in the house).
*Catch up on reading blogs.
*Filing - the stack of papers in the to be filed pile is so high that Ellie the Cat can't see a thing over them.
*Periodically dig out car so plow guy can dig me out.
*Watch some movies.
*Probably should do some correcting but really just want to enjoy the day off. :-)
Monday, January 19, 2009
MLK Jr. Day and Barack Obama
Tomorrow marks an historical event: the swearing in of the 1st African-American as President of the United States.Barack Obama wouldn't be where he is today if it went not for individuals like Martin Luther King, Jr. and the other civil rights folks. The Civil Rights Movement worked hard - blood, sweat, and tears - for the rights of African-Americans in our nation.
On Tuesday, January 20, 2009, we will be seeing the fruits of that labor with the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States.
In honor of MLK Day and the Inauguration, here are a few lesson plan/activities teachers can use in their classroom. I mixed it up with K-12 activities.
The city of Philadelphia provided this great site for their teachers (PDF files):
Jointly Produced by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA) (PDF Files)
Education World does a nice job with some lessons on MLK.
Teachable Moments web site is amazing; they have some great stuff on here.
Source of Picture:
PS: My apologies for the messy appearance; blogger wasn't being nice to me. :-)
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Happy 2009!
Greetings and Happy New Year to all!
Just a few updates:
*Made it safe and sound to IL. Had a lovely time with my family. Stayed at my sister's new townhouse -it's gorgeous! My sister and I threw my parents a surprise retirement party and a great time was had by all that attended. My Mom, sister, and I shopped on one day at the outlets. Even spent an evening with some friends from high school. Overall, it was a nice break and felt awesome to just get away and relax.
*Mom, Dad, and Mia the Yorkie left IL on Jan 3rd for FL. They are taking their time getting down there with a stop in Alabama at a campground on the gulf coast. They are enjoying the warmer weather so far.
*Went back to school on Monday. We have midterm exams starting on Monday. 2nd quarter is shorter because of MCAS. My colleagues and I didn't get through all the World curriculum that needed to get taught for the midterm. We've been pushing our head teacher to talk to the Asst. Superintendent about changing the World curriculum (we teach two years worth of curriculum in one year due to the change in state testing). And, the state doesn't even test on World History - US History only. My dept (and I) are pushing that we eliminate the first part of World History (the kids are being taught this in the middle school anyway) and start with the Enlightenment and work our way to the present day.
*I'm debating on the direction of where this blog needs to go. It's time for a change. I've usually mixed it up with both. I either will keep it personal or keep it strictly professional. I'm leaning towards keeping it professional and talking only about teaching stuff. I'm feeling a bit burnt out after ten years of teaching and feel that maybe if I focus on positive teaching styles and activities and educational stuff that maybe I can get those creative juices flowing again. :-)
*The other main reason why I'm leaning towards keeping this blog professional is that I would like to keep the personal MDawg personal. I have a lot of issues (as does everyone else out there) and I find that I'm way too negative about my personal life.
So, I wish everyone a happy 2009!
Just a few updates:
*Made it safe and sound to IL. Had a lovely time with my family. Stayed at my sister's new townhouse -it's gorgeous! My sister and I threw my parents a surprise retirement party and a great time was had by all that attended. My Mom, sister, and I shopped on one day at the outlets. Even spent an evening with some friends from high school. Overall, it was a nice break and felt awesome to just get away and relax.
*Mom, Dad, and Mia the Yorkie left IL on Jan 3rd for FL. They are taking their time getting down there with a stop in Alabama at a campground on the gulf coast. They are enjoying the warmer weather so far.
*Went back to school on Monday. We have midterm exams starting on Monday. 2nd quarter is shorter because of MCAS. My colleagues and I didn't get through all the World curriculum that needed to get taught for the midterm. We've been pushing our head teacher to talk to the Asst. Superintendent about changing the World curriculum (we teach two years worth of curriculum in one year due to the change in state testing). And, the state doesn't even test on World History - US History only. My dept (and I) are pushing that we eliminate the first part of World History (the kids are being taught this in the middle school anyway) and start with the Enlightenment and work our way to the present day.
*I'm debating on the direction of where this blog needs to go. It's time for a change. I've usually mixed it up with both. I either will keep it personal or keep it strictly professional. I'm leaning towards keeping it professional and talking only about teaching stuff. I'm feeling a bit burnt out after ten years of teaching and feel that maybe if I focus on positive teaching styles and activities and educational stuff that maybe I can get those creative juices flowing again. :-)
*The other main reason why I'm leaning towards keeping this blog professional is that I would like to keep the personal MDawg personal. I have a lot of issues (as does everyone else out there) and I find that I'm way too negative about my personal life.
So, I wish everyone a happy 2009!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Officially on Christmas break
It's official. I am on Christmas break. No school until January 5th.
I leave for Chicago tomorrow to spend the break with my family and friends (weather pending - weather in New England is OK; it's Chicago that may be the problem). Just finished packing my suitcase. I can almost guarantee that I will get the fee for over 50 pounds in my luggage. Ugh.
Probably won't be blogging much over the break.
A very Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah to all.
And, here is hoping that 2009 is a fabulous and happy new year . . . . . . . for everyone!
I leave for Chicago tomorrow to spend the break with my family and friends (weather pending - weather in New England is OK; it's Chicago that may be the problem). Just finished packing my suitcase. I can almost guarantee that I will get the fee for over 50 pounds in my luggage. Ugh.
Probably won't be blogging much over the break.
A very Merry Christmas and happy Hanukkah to all.
And, here is hoping that 2009 is a fabulous and happy new year . . . . . . . for everyone!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Snow day!
My superintendent called off school for today. He actually made the call on Thursday. The weather reports are predicting at least 12-15 inches of snow here in New England for this first round of storms. We are supposed to get another storm on Sunday with an additional 12-15 inches of snow.
However, the snow didn't start until 3:00 today. So, maybe we should've had school today.
Don't get me wrong . . . I like a good snow day like any teacher or kid. Ha! :-)
It will suck in June when we have to make up this day.
I guess he was siding with caution since last year when we had a terrible winter storm, it took folks like me that live 45 minutes away from school over six hours to drive home. Even better, elementary kids were stuck on school buses for over 4 hours because my super claims that he can't issue an early release due to weather. Every school in the state did early release except for us that day. Parents called and emailed him for days complaining about how he handled the situation.
Don't get me wrong, you couldn't pay me enough to do his job. But, don't you need to think it out a little bit more and NOT overreact?????? Most of the teachers at my school were complaining because we have all this curriculum that needs to get taught before midterm exams so we are all panicking. And, because of MCAS in the spring, we lost two weeks 2nd quarter to get curriculum taught.
Oh, well. I got to sleep in and relax for the day. :-) I ran to the post office and bought some stamps so I can do my Christmas cards. Went to bank to deposit a check and get quarters to do laundry.
It's 4:15 pm and the storm is starting to get nasty. The wind is picking up and the snow is falling at a rate of about 2 inches an hour.
The joy of living in New England . . . . . .
However, the snow didn't start until 3:00 today. So, maybe we should've had school today.
Don't get me wrong . . . I like a good snow day like any teacher or kid. Ha! :-)
It will suck in June when we have to make up this day.
I guess he was siding with caution since last year when we had a terrible winter storm, it took folks like me that live 45 minutes away from school over six hours to drive home. Even better, elementary kids were stuck on school buses for over 4 hours because my super claims that he can't issue an early release due to weather. Every school in the state did early release except for us that day. Parents called and emailed him for days complaining about how he handled the situation.
Don't get me wrong, you couldn't pay me enough to do his job. But, don't you need to think it out a little bit more and NOT overreact?????? Most of the teachers at my school were complaining because we have all this curriculum that needs to get taught before midterm exams so we are all panicking. And, because of MCAS in the spring, we lost two weeks 2nd quarter to get curriculum taught.
Oh, well. I got to sleep in and relax for the day. :-) I ran to the post office and bought some stamps so I can do my Christmas cards. Went to bank to deposit a check and get quarters to do laundry.
It's 4:15 pm and the storm is starting to get nasty. The wind is picking up and the snow is falling at a rate of about 2 inches an hour.
The joy of living in New England . . . . . .
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Lots of excitement in the world of MDawg
Let's see . . . . where do I start?
Busy week. Had a ton of meetings and lots of late nights at school this past week. School Council meeting, parent conferences, National Honor Society Induction Ceremony, etc.
The best part of my week: I come home after a long day at work to find the common hallway of my condo building flooded - with sewage and water. In front of my door. Ugh. A drain was clogged and a plumber had to be called in to fix the problem.
Luckily, my unit only received minimal damage. And, the condo association needs to pay for the clean up and fix the pipes. They had to tear up the carpeting in the main hallway. And, I had to stay in a hotel one night (the association is paying for it). Ellie the Cat had to be moved out for a day too.
The smell has been lovely to say the least. :-(
The good news: had all my rugs professionally cleaned and I didn't have to pay for it. Bad news: won't know until the summer on a hot day how "clean" my place really will be . . . .
Oh, and I didn't miss any school because of this drama. I've been getting pulled out of classes for mandated training a lot this month so I really couldn't afford to lose a day of curriculum.
The joy of teaching to a test - thanks No Child Left Behind!
Busy week. Had a ton of meetings and lots of late nights at school this past week. School Council meeting, parent conferences, National Honor Society Induction Ceremony, etc.
The best part of my week: I come home after a long day at work to find the common hallway of my condo building flooded - with sewage and water. In front of my door. Ugh. A drain was clogged and a plumber had to be called in to fix the problem.
Luckily, my unit only received minimal damage. And, the condo association needs to pay for the clean up and fix the pipes. They had to tear up the carpeting in the main hallway. And, I had to stay in a hotel one night (the association is paying for it). Ellie the Cat had to be moved out for a day too.
The smell has been lovely to say the least. :-(
The good news: had all my rugs professionally cleaned and I didn't have to pay for it. Bad news: won't know until the summer on a hot day how "clean" my place really will be . . . .
Oh, and I didn't miss any school because of this drama. I've been getting pulled out of classes for mandated training a lot this month so I really couldn't afford to lose a day of curriculum.
The joy of teaching to a test - thanks No Child Left Behind!
Monday, December 08, 2008
Pearl Harbor - December 7, 1941
No . . . I didn't forget about Pearl Harbor Day.
"A day that will live in infamy." These words would be spoken by Franklin D. Roosevelt about the historical event that would bring the United States into World War II.
I always think about the men and women that died on that day. And, the men and women that would die in World War II for my freedom.
To hear FDR's speech, check out the link here (scan to the bottom of the page and click on the media that best suits your computer).
To read/learn more about Pearl Harbor, I would suggest the following resources:
*National Park Service (Attention teachers: they have some great oral histories to use in the classroom with your students - even an oral history from a Japanese pilot and his interpretation of the attack).
*National Geographic - They have a great interactive map of the event.
*ERIC - Remembering Pearl Harbor Lesson Plan - you can download the teaching document in a PDF file. Some decent teaching activities.
*Free Federal Resources for Educational Excellence - Some great teaching resources from the Library of Congress and National Archives.
Remember Pearl Harbor . . . . .
"A day that will live in infamy." These words would be spoken by Franklin D. Roosevelt about the historical event that would bring the United States into World War II.
I always think about the men and women that died on that day. And, the men and women that would die in World War II for my freedom.
To hear FDR's speech, check out the link here (scan to the bottom of the page and click on the media that best suits your computer).
To read/learn more about Pearl Harbor, I would suggest the following resources:
*National Park Service (Attention teachers: they have some great oral histories to use in the classroom with your students - even an oral history from a Japanese pilot and his interpretation of the attack).
*National Geographic - They have a great interactive map of the event.
*ERIC - Remembering Pearl Harbor Lesson Plan - you can download the teaching document in a PDF file. Some decent teaching activities.
*Free Federal Resources for Educational Excellence - Some great teaching resources from the Library of Congress and National Archives.
Remember Pearl Harbor . . . . .
Sunday, December 07, 2008
Happy Birthday Cheryl!
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A picture of Cheryl and her family - 2002.Happy B-day Cheryl! I've been friends with Cheryl since high school. We had some amazing times together over the years. She's an amazing Mom and person.
Enjoy your day kiddo! Lots of hugs! :-)
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
Good day all -
I just wanted to wish you and your families a lovely, restful, and blessed Thanksgiving. There is so much to be grateful for this year:
*A job - on most days - I enjoy, love, and appreciate.
*A family that loves and supports me - no matter what decisions I make.
*Friends that love and support me.
*Ellie the Cat. :-)
Eat lots of turkey and enjoy the good company and conversations that go along with this fine day.
I just wanted to wish you and your families a lovely, restful, and blessed Thanksgiving. There is so much to be grateful for this year:
*A job - on most days - I enjoy, love, and appreciate.
*A family that loves and supports me - no matter what decisions I make.
*Friends that love and support me.
*Ellie the Cat. :-)
Eat lots of turkey and enjoy the good company and conversations that go along with this fine day.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Crazy random thoughts by: MDawg
*It's hard to believe that I've been blogging since November 2005. I enjoy blogging for many reasons but the best part is to just vent about life in general. I think we all go through those up and down spells in our life. A blog allows us to release those frustrations and good things in life through writing. So, happy blogiversary (if there is such a word) to MDawg! :-)
*Is there anyone else out there in the teaching world that is frustrated with all the state mandated testing and teaching to a test thing???? My school keeps putting more on us (curriculum) and it seems like we are just spinning our wheels. Ugh.
*I have a fab SPED co-teacher this year! She is amazing! She's so hands-on with the kids. And, the best part: for the first time in three years that I've been teaching at this school, my SPED kids all passed 1st quarter! I truly believe it's because they are finally getting all of their accommodations met by herself and me. We work together great!
*Had a rough start to the school year with this year's freshman but FINALLY . . . we might have worked all the bugs out of their system and the transition to high school is working. Yah! :-)
*Dad is officially retired as of Saturday. Mom will be retired on Wednesday. They both have worked so hard for their dream of traveling around the country in a camper. The house is sold. The car is sold. Most of their belongings are either sold, in storage, or given to my sister or I. Mom and Dad will move in with my sister over this next weekend (for the month of December). I fly out to Chicago on the 24th of December and will be out there until Jan 3rd. After the 3rd (Mom and Dad will drop me off at Midway Airport), Mom and Dad will take the camper out of storage and leave for FL. I'm excited for their new adventure!
*Shorten week at school: we are officially in Spirit Week. Monday is pajama day. Tuesday is dress as a class day. Wednesday is school spirit day with a pep rally and early release (we get out at 11:00 am). I'm soooo wearing PJ's tomorrow! :-) Oh, since I'm no longer a class advisor, I can now enjoy Spirit Week! :-)
*Spending Thanksgiving with friends and their families. I'm so blessed to have wonderful people in my life that adopt me over the holidays. :-)
Oh, list out one thing you are grateful for this year. (I'm grateful for my family and friends and the love and support they give me - and Ellie the Cat!) :-)
Happy Thanksgiving!
*Is there anyone else out there in the teaching world that is frustrated with all the state mandated testing and teaching to a test thing???? My school keeps putting more on us (curriculum) and it seems like we are just spinning our wheels. Ugh.
*I have a fab SPED co-teacher this year! She is amazing! She's so hands-on with the kids. And, the best part: for the first time in three years that I've been teaching at this school, my SPED kids all passed 1st quarter! I truly believe it's because they are finally getting all of their accommodations met by herself and me. We work together great!
*Had a rough start to the school year with this year's freshman but FINALLY . . . we might have worked all the bugs out of their system and the transition to high school is working. Yah! :-)
*Dad is officially retired as of Saturday. Mom will be retired on Wednesday. They both have worked so hard for their dream of traveling around the country in a camper. The house is sold. The car is sold. Most of their belongings are either sold, in storage, or given to my sister or I. Mom and Dad will move in with my sister over this next weekend (for the month of December). I fly out to Chicago on the 24th of December and will be out there until Jan 3rd. After the 3rd (Mom and Dad will drop me off at Midway Airport), Mom and Dad will take the camper out of storage and leave for FL. I'm excited for their new adventure!
*Shorten week at school: we are officially in Spirit Week. Monday is pajama day. Tuesday is dress as a class day. Wednesday is school spirit day with a pep rally and early release (we get out at 11:00 am). I'm soooo wearing PJ's tomorrow! :-) Oh, since I'm no longer a class advisor, I can now enjoy Spirit Week! :-)
*Spending Thanksgiving with friends and their families. I'm so blessed to have wonderful people in my life that adopt me over the holidays. :-)
Oh, list out one thing you are grateful for this year. (I'm grateful for my family and friends and the love and support they give me - and Ellie the Cat!) :-)
Happy Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Happy Birthday Mom!!!
Happy Birthday to my Mom!Mom - you've been a fabulous Momma is me and Mandy. You always support us, love us, and accept us NO MATTER what we do or how we live our lives.
Hope you were able to enjoy your day -
Love ya lots!
PS Sorry about the old picture - I think we need some recent pictures! Maybe when I'm out in IL for Christmas we should take some photos. :-)
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North
Last Saturday, I had the pleasure to attend a showing of a documentary called Traces of the Trade at the House of Seven Gables. The documentary is about filmmaker Katrina Browne's discovery that her New England ancestors were the largest slave-trading family in U.S. history. From 1769 to 1820, the DeWolf family was involved in the slave trade (Interesting fact: In 1808, a law was passed prohibiting the importation of slaves and it wasn't until 1820 that participating in the slave trade was an act of piracy and punishable by death).
The film follows Browne and nine members of her family on a journey that retraces the steps of her ancestors and their involvement with the Triangle Trade. They start their journey in Bristol, Rhode Island, move on to slave forts in Ghana, and then onto Havana, Cuba to visit the ruins of a family plantation.
I found the film interesting since we have been taught to believe in our history that it was the Southern states that were the evil ones when it came to the topic of slavery. The film forces us to stop and think about our history and the damage that has been done to African-Americans and the involvement and the role of the Northerners during this time period.
After we viewed the film, we had a walking tour - compliments of the National Park Service - throughout Salem. As we walked through Salem, there was visual evidence of the role of historical "Salemites" and their involvement in the Triangle Trade. For example, the Derby family is a HUGE historical name in Salem. The Derby family made their wealth off of the slave trade. Again, makes you stop and think about our history and how we should be teaching it to our students.
This past week, I purchased this book. The book is about the unique story of Thomas Norman DeWolf's experiences during the making of the documentary feature film Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North. The book is a nice companion to go with the film. I highly recommend reading the book if you are interested in this topic.
One of the reasons why I enjoy History so much is that it makes you think and question our past. Attending this seminar last Saturday did just that - made me question and think about the involvement of North and South during the slave trade. The film also made me question what is the legacy of slavery and what history do we inherit as individuals and as citizens. Also, how does the Northern involvement make this topic much more complex? And, finally, the topic of reparations - should African-Americans receive some form of payment?
If there happens to be a screening of the film, please check it out. Also, check with PBS. They were showing the film throughout the summer.
The film follows Browne and nine members of her family on a journey that retraces the steps of her ancestors and their involvement with the Triangle Trade. They start their journey in Bristol, Rhode Island, move on to slave forts in Ghana, and then onto Havana, Cuba to visit the ruins of a family plantation.
I found the film interesting since we have been taught to believe in our history that it was the Southern states that were the evil ones when it came to the topic of slavery. The film forces us to stop and think about our history and the damage that has been done to African-Americans and the involvement and the role of the Northerners during this time period.
After we viewed the film, we had a walking tour - compliments of the National Park Service - throughout Salem. As we walked through Salem, there was visual evidence of the role of historical "Salemites" and their involvement in the Triangle Trade. For example, the Derby family is a HUGE historical name in Salem. The Derby family made their wealth off of the slave trade. Again, makes you stop and think about our history and how we should be teaching it to our students.
This past week, I purchased this book. The book is about the unique story of Thomas Norman DeWolf's experiences during the making of the documentary feature film Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North. The book is a nice companion to go with the film. I highly recommend reading the book if you are interested in this topic.
One of the reasons why I enjoy History so much is that it makes you think and question our past. Attending this seminar last Saturday did just that - made me question and think about the involvement of North and South during the slave trade. The film also made me question what is the legacy of slavery and what history do we inherit as individuals and as citizens. Also, how does the Northern involvement make this topic much more complex? And, finally, the topic of reparations - should African-Americans receive some form of payment?
If there happens to be a screening of the film, please check it out. Also, check with PBS. They were showing the film throughout the summer.
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