Ever since I was a young girl, I have been fascinated with fantasy fiction. I was introduced early to The Once and Future King and Tolkien and the idea of epic fantasy that centered around a hero/heroine that would defy all gravity and become suspended by bravery and courage, enraptured my heart. Book after book tried to fill a void that seemed so otherworldly and I filled pages of journals about how much I longed to become one of those brave fighters I read so much about. I felt so out of place in a century that has since lost its understanding of what it means to be chivalrous, brave, and selfless.
This Christmas I've done a lot of thinking about who I am and what kind of person I want people to remember me as, especially my students. The Holy Spirit spoke softly to my heart, share the Gospel with them Lauren... tell them why you celebrate Christmas... But I also thought, what would they think of me? What if they don't agree? What if they just look at me? What if I lose my job? What if? What if...
My heart sank. It turns out that I'm not brave at all, I'm a coward. Here was my battle. I'd been given an elaborate suit of armor, a shield, a sword, a helmet... I'd been given all the power of God to help me fight, I'd been presented with an opportunity to prove that I was worthy of the honor of any warrior yet I backed away in fear faster than any of the retreating enemies I read about in my books. I was craven (GRRM reference for all you GoT fans out there) and I didn't know how to be anything different.
Psalm 118:6 came to mind: "The LORD is on my side; I will not fear. What can man do to me?" What a powerful verse. There is something so pleasing to my soul and peaceful about powerful words from the Lord. I had a professor in college that told me that scripture cannot mean what it was never intended to mean. So what was this intended to mean? Assuming David wrote Psalm 118, this would make perfect sense. So many times David encounters opposition from the throne of Israel and at times ends up running for his life. He stands as a young man against an unbelievably strong foe. He is spared death by the Hand of God and a really good friend helping him. King Saul wanted him dead so many times, but God had other plans. What can man do to the one whom God loves? Even when David was surrounding himself by deadly and unbelievable sin, God blessed David with a strong lineage that would one day contain the name of Jesus. This did not mean that David was good or special or that David could have done any of those things on his own. The stories we have of David are meant to show us how helpless we are as humans and how much we need the saving grace of Yahweh to give us life. The Lord was on David's side and no one could touch him. God chose David for his purpose, for his ultimate glory.
If we, as Christians, believe that God has chosen us specifically for his glory, What can man do to us? We need not fear. "For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels or demons, nor things presents nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39
So, though I have retreated from battle in shame, God has redeemed my name. He has given me a new name that is not shameful and I can call him Abba, Father. Now I can redress for the battlefield and take my place in the front ranks, unafraid of what others will do to me.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
Problem Child
Every teacher has one. That one kid who just can't control himself (or herself) from talking out loud, making rude noises, or falling out of their desk to get attention (I really hate that move) and I have a Shelvie. God bless his evil little soul. That child just can't keep his mouth shut. Like, literally, I think he is genetically predisposed to just talk without knowing what he's saying or actually having anything to say. However, he is smart and he's sweet and kinda (maybe sorta kinda) funny sometimes. Okay, okay, I love him. But he is a serious problem. So what to do about the Shelvies in your life? Good question. I pondered this for months and fought and kicked and screamed going into third block because HE was there. Once, (here I cringe) I even told him that I hated that class because of him. I know! I'm a terrible teacher, person, everything. But I was at the end of my rope and it was a long drop to the bottom. So I panicked. He just looked at me with an evil little grin on his face that is very Shelvie of him and said, "Good."
Tell the world I suck at this but one day I was complaining to a fellow conspirat- I mean teacher about this... living furby in my classroom and she was like "Ohh yeah, I had the same problem until one day I let him listen to his music on his earphones and I forgot he was in the room."
What.
This. This was the best idea I've- I mean Mrs. Blackburn has ever had :) I went straight to third block with a determined glint in my eye and as soon as individual practice time came along I tried out her plan. Omg it worked. Not only did it work for him, but the other students wanted to listen to their music too and I was like shoot yeah!! Y'all, it was so quiet. I thought I had died and gone to teacher heaven. Ever since, Shelvie has become one of my favs and now he just torments me in the hallway with creepy stares and new phrases he likes to use.
Hopefully, if you're having trouble with one kid, this could be useful for you. If you're still part of a school district stuck in the Twilight Zone and you can't let kids use their phones or listen to music I feel bad for you son. I got 99 problems but a Shelvie ain't one! Heh.
Tell the world I suck at this but one day I was complaining to a fellow conspirat- I mean teacher about this... living furby in my classroom and she was like "Ohh yeah, I had the same problem until one day I let him listen to his music on his earphones and I forgot he was in the room."
What.
This. This was the best idea I've- I mean Mrs. Blackburn has ever had :) I went straight to third block with a determined glint in my eye and as soon as individual practice time came along I tried out her plan. Omg it worked. Not only did it work for him, but the other students wanted to listen to their music too and I was like shoot yeah!! Y'all, it was so quiet. I thought I had died and gone to teacher heaven. Ever since, Shelvie has become one of my favs and now he just torments me in the hallway with creepy stares and new phrases he likes to use.
Hopefully, if you're having trouble with one kid, this could be useful for you. If you're still part of a school district stuck in the Twilight Zone and you can't let kids use their phones or listen to music I feel bad for you son. I got 99 problems but a Shelvie ain't one! Heh.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Products I Love
Every teacher has a few things they just can't live without. Hyperbole? Yes! But we do have materials and items that make our lives SO much easier and less stressful. Here are my top ten--er five:
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1. Binder Clips
If you don't use binder clips to keep each classes assignments together, do so. It will organize your life to no end and keep your hair shining and your cheeks glowing. You can purchase binder clips for less than $5 at Office Depot, Wal-Mart, School Aids, Target, or any mindless necessary evil consumer trap in your area.
2. Stickers
Stickers. What can I say about stickers, other than that they are the most amazing invention of all time? Seriously, middle school kids probably love stickers more than preschoolers. I use these star stickers on a "Star Chart" to chart the behavior and progress of each block/class I have. At the end of each semester the class with the most stars will get a party. They get unbelievably competitive about this. 6th block on B days is currently in the lead and 3rd block on A days is nowhere even close to catching up. However, 3A is determined to beat 6B if it kills them.
3. Mauvelus Masking Tape
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This tape is like regular masking tape on steroids. It rocks. The only time I have had a problem with it sticking is if I get the colored kind. But the regular white? Hallelujah praise the Lord! This tape is always in my desk and I literally use it EVERY SINGLE DAY. You can purchase a large roll at School Aids for $5.99
4. Jump Drive
If you haven't already jumped on board the jump drive bus, it's time. This is a technologically advanced world we live in and you need technology in your life, especially if you want to thrive as a teacher. Jump drives aren't meant to make your life harder, they are meant to make your life much easier and sometimes save you from wanting to just throw yourself off a cliff when you accidentally throw that stack of very important papers in the garbage can instead of the trash pile that you got it mixed up with. Buy a jump drive, save all your amazing hard work on it, and presto! it's there for future use and abuse and printing and uploading. And since jump drives are so small and compact, you can usually attach them to your keychain and take them just about anywhere you go. Just be sure and buy an extra copy and back up all your super-dee-duper important files to another drive because you never know when someone has a Voodoo doll with your name on it causing you to lose your jump drive for all eternity. This will cause you to become an alcoholic and lose your job. Not really, but you see how dramatic it could be. Jump drives vary in price because it depends on how much space you need to hold information but usually you can buy one from $5-15 and they will hold plenty of information!
If you haven't already jumped on board the jump drive bus, it's time. This is a technologically advanced world we live in and you need technology in your life, especially if you want to thrive as a teacher. Jump drives aren't meant to make your life harder, they are meant to make your life much easier and sometimes save you from wanting to just throw yourself off a cliff when you accidentally throw that stack of very important papers in the garbage can instead of the trash pile that you got it mixed up with. Buy a jump drive, save all your amazing hard work on it, and presto! it's there for future use and abuse and printing and uploading. And since jump drives are so small and compact, you can usually attach them to your keychain and take them just about anywhere you go. Just be sure and buy an extra copy and back up all your super-dee-duper important files to another drive because you never know when someone has a Voodoo doll with your name on it causing you to lose your jump drive for all eternity. This will cause you to become an alcoholic and lose your job. Not really, but you see how dramatic it could be. Jump drives vary in price because it depends on how much space you need to hold information but usually you can buy one from $5-15 and they will hold plenty of information!
5. Band-Aids
You'd think a middle school teacher wouldn't need to keep band-aids in her desk. Guess again. If I had a dollar for every student who asked me for a band-aid each week... well, I'd have a lot of dollars. I'd say buy a cheap box and keep them in my desk drawer out of the way until someone slicing their hand open on that freaking-hard test you gave (you're a really mean teacher you know that?!) and then whip one out and you're good to go. No blood causing diseases in this classroom! Band-aids are pretty cheap, especially if you get the off-brand. However, I like to get Hello Kitty and Spongebob because my students think those characters should win the Nobel Peace Prize or something important. Sigh.
Still, less than $2 at Wal-Mart.
Still, less than $2 at Wal-Mart.
Book Check-Out Contract
Recently, I got my EEF card from my district and was like a kid in a candy shop with so much money to spend! So, I purchased a new bookshelf for the classroom and tons of books. I am probably more excited than the kids but who cares? I am so cool right now.
Next semester we are starting WAR or DEAR (drop everything and read) and basically every day at the same time everyone in the building picks up a book and reads for 10 minutes so I think this will be good timing to have all the materials in my room, but I was really unsure about what to do if one of my kids asked to take home a book. Many of my students are really poor and even the books they get from our library end up lost. So, I decided to draw up a book contract. Basically, it says these are my books and not theirs and they should be mature enough to treat my property with respect, yada-yada-yada. The consequences for losing a book on this are kinda of relevant to my school. We don't have detention, we only do office referrals and silent lunch. Believe it or not, the kids DIE over silent lunch. It's like something out of Romeo and Juliet it's so dramatic when they get silent lunch, so I'm hoping they will take it seriously. Anyway, if any English teachers out there have a personal library in their classroom they would like to loan out, feel free to use this template I created for my check-out contract. I will keep every contract signed and placed in each students folder so that if the student's parents decide to make an ordeal about it, I can pull out the contract, show it to them and my principal, and there's very little leeway given to the child.
Next semester we are starting WAR or DEAR (drop everything and read) and basically every day at the same time everyone in the building picks up a book and reads for 10 minutes so I think this will be good timing to have all the materials in my room, but I was really unsure about what to do if one of my kids asked to take home a book. Many of my students are really poor and even the books they get from our library end up lost. So, I decided to draw up a book contract. Basically, it says these are my books and not theirs and they should be mature enough to treat my property with respect, yada-yada-yada. The consequences for losing a book on this are kinda of relevant to my school. We don't have detention, we only do office referrals and silent lunch. Believe it or not, the kids DIE over silent lunch. It's like something out of Romeo and Juliet it's so dramatic when they get silent lunch, so I'm hoping they will take it seriously. Anyway, if any English teachers out there have a personal library in their classroom they would like to loan out, feel free to use this template I created for my check-out contract. I will keep every contract signed and placed in each students folder so that if the student's parents decide to make an ordeal about it, I can pull out the contract, show it to them and my principal, and there's very little leeway given to the child.
Book
Check-Out Contract
I, ________________,
have checked out a personal book of Mrs. Dorman’s from her personal book
collection located on her personal bookshelf in her personal classroom. I
realize that I do not have any rights to these books at any time unless Mrs.
Dorman otherwise deems me fit, and if she does, it is my privilege to be able
to learn to read and to read well in a classroom under a teacher who cares
about my future.
I am aware that
money does not grow on trees and in order to ensure that these personal books
that belong to Mrs. Dorman remain intact and useable, I must not only take care
of them but I must also guard them with my life. If I check out a book, I am
showing Mrs. Dorman that I am a responsible eighth grader who can take care of
myself and my belongings and I am mature enough to look after things that I
borrow that do not belong to me. I am grateful that I can go to school every
day to grow in knowledge and wisdom and Mrs. Dorman is awesome for providing a
fantastic book collection for all eighth graders to utilize.
Therefore, if I
borrow a book from Mrs. Dorman’s bookshelf, I will bring it back in a timely
fashion—namely one week (extensions will be offered for special circumstances).
If I do not bring back the book, a warning will be given and I will bring back
the book the next day. If I lose the book or if I choose to ignore the warning
again, I will be given silent lunch for a week and then written up and put on
the “no book” list and asked to replace the book to return to the check out
list. I know that checking out Mrs. Dorman’s books are privileges, not rights,
and to do so will require maturity on my part.
Student
Signature_____________________________________
Teacher
Signature_____________________________________
On Task
Calling Teachers Everywhere!
So, as you all have probably discovered long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away... okay sorry :] anyway as I was saying: students get off track. Whether you're just starting the lesson or just finishing the lesson or just walking in the door or maybe they aren't even there, somehow the student will be off track, off task, off point, whatever you want to call it. However, I have discovered two very simple, very genius ways of fixing this. Well, okay, not fixing. But, two ways to make your life as a teacher a lot less hectic and you're less likely to go home and drink that whole fifth of whisky you have in the liquor cabinet because Johnny and Susie Q won't shut their mouths long enough for you to explain to the rest of the class what to do.
1. Hole Punch Point Sucker- this is aptly named because it literally sucks the points away from those students who do not and will not do as they are told. This idea is best for individual work and it's quick and efficient and all it requires is a single hole-puncher.
When students are working on individual work, worksheets, handouts, etc. and Johnny the Dingleberry continually wags his mouth to form words that don't seem to be in the form of any language known in America, and repeatedly beats his pencil on his desk because he aspires to be on the drumline, simply walk by and hole punch his paper at the top. If Johnny the Dingleberry continues to disrupt others around him and insists on adding cymbal sounds to his drumbeats, walk by again and hole punch his paper a second time, and so on. When papers get taken up, good boys and girls who took a solid interest in their work and received no hole punches will receive 100's. Johnny the Dingleberry, however, will receive 5 points off for every hole punch in his paper. This is great if you allow students to take home work that is not finished in class and bring it home or if you don't have time to grade papers right away and can't remember right off hand who behaved in class that day or not. Johnny the Dingleberry will be served justice that day.
2. Individual/Group Point Tracker- this is the best idea I have ever had when it comes to group projects because I was always the kid that got stuck doing all the work and everyone else got my credit! This will involve a little extra time. Basically, if you know you are going to do a group project, you will need to make little strips of paper that include a place for the students name, block, and include numbers in increments of 10 going vertically down the page like so:
Name____________
Block____________
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Each student should be given a strip like this and I would suggest making them with spaces between the numbers or with lines because you will need to be able to cut. When students are divided into groups, students should be instructed to contribute to the group however the group decides, but everyone must participate. If students do not participate, or if you walk around the room and notice large amounts of conversation not pertaining to the group project and it is disturbing other groups, cut off the bottom portion of that or those student(s) strips so that they are now left with a strip starting with 90. Every time you walk by and a student is not helping, or refuses to help, or continues to talk with other group members about non school related or non group related tasks, another strip gets cut.
When students leave the room they should hand you their strips as they will serve as their "exit ticket." This allows you to grade the group work as a whole, but to give the individual their own grade based off their work in class. If I had to cut twice, their individual grade would be an 80, four times, a 60 and so on.
My students who are just like me think I'm a genius. I ask them what took them so long to figure that out! :]
So, as you all have probably discovered long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away... okay sorry :] anyway as I was saying: students get off track. Whether you're just starting the lesson or just finishing the lesson or just walking in the door or maybe they aren't even there, somehow the student will be off track, off task, off point, whatever you want to call it. However, I have discovered two very simple, very genius ways of fixing this. Well, okay, not fixing. But, two ways to make your life as a teacher a lot less hectic and you're less likely to go home and drink that whole fifth of whisky you have in the liquor cabinet because Johnny and Susie Q won't shut their mouths long enough for you to explain to the rest of the class what to do.
1. Hole Punch Point Sucker- this is aptly named because it literally sucks the points away from those students who do not and will not do as they are told. This idea is best for individual work and it's quick and efficient and all it requires is a single hole-puncher.
When students are working on individual work, worksheets, handouts, etc. and Johnny the Dingleberry continually wags his mouth to form words that don't seem to be in the form of any language known in America, and repeatedly beats his pencil on his desk because he aspires to be on the drumline, simply walk by and hole punch his paper at the top. If Johnny the Dingleberry continues to disrupt others around him and insists on adding cymbal sounds to his drumbeats, walk by again and hole punch his paper a second time, and so on. When papers get taken up, good boys and girls who took a solid interest in their work and received no hole punches will receive 100's. Johnny the Dingleberry, however, will receive 5 points off for every hole punch in his paper. This is great if you allow students to take home work that is not finished in class and bring it home or if you don't have time to grade papers right away and can't remember right off hand who behaved in class that day or not. Johnny the Dingleberry will be served justice that day.
2. Individual/Group Point Tracker- this is the best idea I have ever had when it comes to group projects because I was always the kid that got stuck doing all the work and everyone else got my credit! This will involve a little extra time. Basically, if you know you are going to do a group project, you will need to make little strips of paper that include a place for the students name, block, and include numbers in increments of 10 going vertically down the page like so:
Name____________
Block____________
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Each student should be given a strip like this and I would suggest making them with spaces between the numbers or with lines because you will need to be able to cut. When students are divided into groups, students should be instructed to contribute to the group however the group decides, but everyone must participate. If students do not participate, or if you walk around the room and notice large amounts of conversation not pertaining to the group project and it is disturbing other groups, cut off the bottom portion of that or those student(s) strips so that they are now left with a strip starting with 90. Every time you walk by and a student is not helping, or refuses to help, or continues to talk with other group members about non school related or non group related tasks, another strip gets cut.
When students leave the room they should hand you their strips as they will serve as their "exit ticket." This allows you to grade the group work as a whole, but to give the individual their own grade based off their work in class. If I had to cut twice, their individual grade would be an 80, four times, a 60 and so on.
My students who are just like me think I'm a genius. I ask them what took them so long to figure that out! :]
My First Day
Omg wow.
HA. I just have to let a huge laugh right now just thinking about my first day as an English teacher. For those of you who don't know, this is my first year as an English teacher and it has been... overwhelming to say the least. I have lately gotten myself to together enough that I am really starting to enjoy where I am and what I am doing and I feel like I am starting to make a difference not just in the students' English skills, but in their every day lives too.
My first day was so weird. You know when you go to school for teaching they don't actually teach you how to teach? Did you know that? No? Well, they don't. They just give you the job (hopefully SOMEBODY gives you a job) and throw you in a room with a list of names on a roll and say "Good luck!" My first day was actually the school's fourth day because I was hired late. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I was so excited to finally get offered a position after ten zillion dead end interviews that I jumped at the position. I didn't even think about the fact that I had absolutely zip prepared for these kids (I worked a full time job as an ophthalmic technician and personal scribe to a doctor so I was pretty busy already) and this was going to be a disaster. And it was. My first class was my fifth block class: 22 students. That's a lot compared to my other classes: 10, 8, 9, 7,11. I decided to go over rules and procedures first and see where that led me. Did I mention I'm a terrible judge of time? I am. I thought handing out my syllabus and going over my rules and procedures would for sure last about, oh say 75 minutes? Right? Wrong. It took about 15 minutes. The class was 90 minutes long so here I am with 22 rowdy eighth graders looking at me like a pack of pit-bulls that just found a stray cat in an alley. So, I decided to play the 2 truths 1 lie game. I thought that would be fun. They didn't think that would be fun. In fact, they decided to talk to each other while we were supposed to be playing this game (I had to literally force them to talk to me) and they got so loud that the principal walked in to quiet them down.
I could have died!
Here I am, my first day on the job, and the principal is already coming into my classroom to quiet down my kids, on my FIRST BLOCK!!! ugh. This day couldn't get over fast enough. Needless to say, it went by terribly slow. I didn't get lunch because although my planning period was third block, I had to meet with my instructional specialist and my mentor for almost the entire time, plus we had lunch duty for the lunch room. That night, I looked up at the ceiling as I laid in bed and I thought, I've made a huge mistake. Will it ever get better?
It did.
HA. I just have to let a huge laugh right now just thinking about my first day as an English teacher. For those of you who don't know, this is my first year as an English teacher and it has been... overwhelming to say the least. I have lately gotten myself to together enough that I am really starting to enjoy where I am and what I am doing and I feel like I am starting to make a difference not just in the students' English skills, but in their every day lives too.
My first day was so weird. You know when you go to school for teaching they don't actually teach you how to teach? Did you know that? No? Well, they don't. They just give you the job (hopefully SOMEBODY gives you a job) and throw you in a room with a list of names on a roll and say "Good luck!" My first day was actually the school's fourth day because I was hired late. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I was so excited to finally get offered a position after ten zillion dead end interviews that I jumped at the position. I didn't even think about the fact that I had absolutely zip prepared for these kids (I worked a full time job as an ophthalmic technician and personal scribe to a doctor so I was pretty busy already) and this was going to be a disaster. And it was. My first class was my fifth block class: 22 students. That's a lot compared to my other classes: 10, 8, 9, 7,11. I decided to go over rules and procedures first and see where that led me. Did I mention I'm a terrible judge of time? I am. I thought handing out my syllabus and going over my rules and procedures would for sure last about, oh say 75 minutes? Right? Wrong. It took about 15 minutes. The class was 90 minutes long so here I am with 22 rowdy eighth graders looking at me like a pack of pit-bulls that just found a stray cat in an alley. So, I decided to play the 2 truths 1 lie game. I thought that would be fun. They didn't think that would be fun. In fact, they decided to talk to each other while we were supposed to be playing this game (I had to literally force them to talk to me) and they got so loud that the principal walked in to quiet them down.
I could have died!
Here I am, my first day on the job, and the principal is already coming into my classroom to quiet down my kids, on my FIRST BLOCK!!! ugh. This day couldn't get over fast enough. Needless to say, it went by terribly slow. I didn't get lunch because although my planning period was third block, I had to meet with my instructional specialist and my mentor for almost the entire time, plus we had lunch duty for the lunch room. That night, I looked up at the ceiling as I laid in bed and I thought, I've made a huge mistake. Will it ever get better?
It did.
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