moments with TJ

Since our return from DC (which was wonderful and I will write more about later), I have instituted a new routine in the classroom: Thomas Jefferson moments. I call them Moments with TJ, but that is only because Thomas Jefferson and I go way back. The kids understand that they must call him Mr. Jefferson because they do not know him as well. This new routine was inspired by "Polite Moments" when we would start each morning of the trip with one of George Washington's Rules of Civility--amazing! Moments with TJ simply consists of the reading of and reflection upon an inspirational quotation from our third President. The quote from yesterday is a new lifetime favorite:

"In matters of style, swim with the current; on matters of principle, stand like a rock."

Amen! Well-said, Mr. Jefferson. More inspirational and hilarious moments from DC to come. . .

substitute

As I have been preparing for the Washington DC trip and the substitute that will take my other classes all this week, one of my seventh grade students who is probably most looking forward to my absence next week reminded me of this children's book that I used to love when I was little.
Miss Nelson is a sweet and kind teacher with a horrible class. But one day when they arrive to school, the class is surprised to find an evil substitute in her place. The substitute looks and acts like a witch--wart and all. And she whips those kids in shape. The class is so relieved and thankful to have the kind Miss Nelson back in the end that they would never dream of misbehaving again. But on the last page in the illustration, you see in the corner of Miss Nelson's room an ugly black wig just like teh evil sub's. Ahhh, the great plot twist , of course, is that Miss Nelson was the evil sub whipping her class into shape.

I tried to find a copy of the book this week to read to the seventh grade just for fun, but alas, I was too busy preparing for my real sub. I wish that I could dress up and be my own substitute next week--it would be a lot easier and a lot of fun ;).

looking forward

keeping it cool with Cornyn

This week has been a whirlwind of preparation for the much anticipated Eighth Grade Washington DC Trip! I am really looking forward to some teaching outside of the classroom and some quality time in my favorite city. But I will be more excited on Saturday morning after we have gotten on the eighth graders through security and all of my preparations will be done (because by Saturday morning it will have to be done, and whatever is not done, I will just have to do without). There is nothing like a deadline to inspire you to get your act together.

getting colonial in Williamsburg

The kids are so excited about the trip. We started a countdown on the board weeks ago. But it always cracks me up the things they look forward to. From the way they talk, you would think that they were way more excited about riding on a plane (many of them for the first time), staying in a hotel, and getting to wear something other than their uniforms in the evening than anything else. As much as I can hype the Capital, the Lincoln Memorial, the Portrait Gallery (which is my favorite place), Mount Vernon (and getting to see the key to the Bastille), colonial Williamsburg, the battlefields of Gettysburg, Arlington Cemetery, the White House, and countless other amazing things we will see and do, they will have no concept of the coolness until they get there and see it for themselves. Traveling with these students is such an amazing opportunity to open up an entirely new world to them--a world where leaves change colors in the fall, where government is a real job that people do, where patriotism and sacrifice are honored and sacred, and where history is actually real.

Even though just thinking about it stresses me out tonight, I cannot wait to introduce a whole other crop of kids to the beauty of Virginia, the coolness of our nation's capital, and the reality of the history that until now has only existed in books.

exploring Mt. Vernon

teacher = "flogger of urchins"

As I was reading "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" aloud to seventh grade, I laughed when I came across this term that Irving uses to describe the teacher, Ichabod Crane. I thought it quite fitting for some of the activities and conversations that have taken place in my classroom of late.

Quotes from the classroom in recent days:

Me scolding Student A: "Please stop that. That is obnoxious behavior." (I say these words more times than I can count.)
Student B (frequently scolded for her obnoxious behavior): "At least I am not the only one who acts obnoxious in class."
Student A gives Student B the death glare.

Me: "What is the name of the current Vice President? I'll give you a hint: his initials are J B."
Student A: "Justin Bieber!"

Student C practicing her new vocabulary word before a quiz: "Mrs. Freeman, you look very ornate today."

Student B upon finishing Johnny Tremain: "Mrs. Freeman, I can't believe we finished the book. I am going to miss Rab."

Me: "Who were Oliver Cromwell's followers in the English Civil War? Remember? The Cavaliers and the . . . . ?"
Student D: "The Whiteheads!"
The correct answer was Roundheads. She was kind of close. . . I guess.

Me telling a group of girls that they cannot all get a drink at the same time: "Use your common sense."
Student E: "Yeah, use your Thomas Paine!"
(We were about to take a history test over the Declaration of Independence and Revolutionary War in which they needed to know about Thomas Paine's Common Sense.)

After having a photographer in the room, Student B: "Mrs. Freeman, what are they going to do with those pictures because my hair is a hot mess?"
Me: "Well, they are going to put your picture on a billboard."
Student B in alarm: "Really?!"

Upon hearing muffled chatting in study hall, Me: "Ladies, what is going on?"
The Ladies: "She got her pencil stuck in her hair."

After assigning the homework for the evening and beginning a new lesson, Student F holding up a piece of paper: "Mrs. Freeman, this is a how much homework I have and how long I think each assignment will take me. And here are all the things I have to do tonight."
Me: "Are you serious right now?"
Student F lowers his hand and his paper sheepishly.

Answers from the recent history test: (These make me want to cry, but hopefully you will find them funny.)
Q: Who was John Locke?
A: A discoveralist who found Virginia

Q: What was the last state to ratify the Constitution?
A: America

Q: What are the five rights guaranteed in first amendment?
Compilation of different students' answers
A: language, liberty, pursuit of happiness, land

stones into schools

I just finished my book o' the month for October: Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson. The book was a Christmas gift from my precious aunt that I just got around to reading and really enjoying.

Stones Into Schools is a sort of sequel to his previously popular, Three Cups of Tea, and chronicles his experiences and obstacles building schools particularly for girls in the most rural parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The parts of the book that I found most fascinating were the brief summaries of the history of the area. While I knew a lot of what Mortenson wrote about from documentaries and the news, it seemed like the horrors and complexities of the Middle East became real for the first time. On top of that, the destruction of thirty years of war and some of the most rugged terrain in the world has made the country a very isolated and difficult place.

Mortenson and his crew work extremely hard in an effort to rebuild Afghanistan and Pakistan through offering education to the people, especially the women who were prohibited from schools under Taliban rule. Mortenson's philosophy for focusing on female education is simple: "If you educate a boy, you educate an individual, but if you educate a girl, you educate a community." The sheer logistical gymnastics that Mortenson and his team have to face building schools in the most remote areas of the world surrounded by the most treacherous political and geographical landscapes is staggering--from transporting construction supplies on yaks to building relationships with communities that have not welcomes foreigners in generations. I found the practical aspects of these stories fascinating. In one instance, Mortenson and team were struggling with building the trust of a community whose school had just been demolished in the earthquake in 2005. Children were anxious to attend the temporary tent school, but when teh permanent structure was finished, they had trouble with attendance. After speaking with a girl in the community, they discovered that students were wary to attend because the building did not have desks. Desks would not only provide a sense of seriousness and structure to the academics, but also offered structural safety in case of another earthquake. Also, the personal struggles of the Afghan people were inspiring. The obstacles that these students face are harrowing. In what particularly stomach turning episode, Mortenson writes about extremists would harass female students by squirting battery acid from water guns into girls' faces. The only complaint I have is that Mortenson goes on at times about the popularity of his first book, Three Cups of Tea, talking about all of his speaking engagements, etc. leaving me with a little of an "Alright already" feeling.

Overall, I am left with a few thoughts. First, I am very thankful for my beautiful beautiful classroom and my teaching job which now seems quite cushy. Also, I am very thankful that America was willing to step into such an impossible situation and at least attempt to make things better for a people that have suffered tremendously. Certainly things were not handled perfectly, but at least they made an effort.

If you are at all interested in these civilian efforts to rebuild Afghanistan from the inside out, I would recommend this book.

All of this begs the questions: What will I read for the rest of October? That, my friends, is an easy one--Jane Austen's Persuasion. Starting it tonight and really looking forward to it.

snacks as gold

And when the middle of the afternoon came, from being a poor poverty-stricken boy in the morning, Tom was literally rolling in wealth. He had beside the things before mentioned, twelve marbles, part of a jews harp, a piece of blue bottle-glass to look through, a spool cannon, a key that wouldn't unlock anything, a fragment of chalk, a glass stopper of a decanter, a tin soldier, a couple of tadpoles, six fire-crackers, a kitten with only one eye, a brass doorknob, a dog-collar--but no dog--the handle of a knife, four pieces of orange peel, and a dilapidated old window-sash.

~Mark Twain, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Children's currency always cracks me up. While the things that they value often seem humorous and nonsensical to adults, I am sure that they think the same way about the things adults value. I saw this truth in action on Friday afternoon at a fund-raising event for our school.

The 7th and 8th graders were asked to come out and help with the event--registering guests, working the raffle, handing out gifts, and pulling clays for the event. After much coaching on my part as to how to interact with adults--the importance of eye contact and speaking loudly and clearly--as well as how to initiate conversation with interesting questions, the students did a really good job. With a little prodding and supervision, they introduced themselves and got the opportunity to interact with some very interesting people. But as we were getting ready to leave, another volunteer offered the kids some snacks. Mayhem ensued. The sight of such a myriad of goodies and Gatorade was simply too much for these formerly self-controlled young men and women. There was a mad dash to the tables, stuffing shirts, socks, and, yes, pants with every goody they could get their hands on. By the time I got there, it was too late. I had them empty their shirts, socks and pants into the trashcan and proceeded to ream them out for not practicing the good manners they have learned over the years of etiquette classes at the school. While the kids and I were both embarrassed y their behavior, I was reminded of a few things: (1) that children are capable of so much as long as you are willing to give them clear instructions and walk them through the task (like they had done earlier in the day), (2) that greed and selfishness can make us all look very silly, and (3) the importance of laughter even where important lessons can be learned.

Temptation

Caught red-handed. Foiled again.

"I just tried to sneak candy in my shorts, but my teacher caught me and made me throw in away"
(I was really hoping to get through me entire teaching career without ever writing a picture caption like this)

As much as they know better and I am sure they will not do the same again, I don't know that you could expect any 7th or 8th grader to act differently when faced with the temptation of mounds of worldly wealth in the form of snacks. It is our human nature.

a lesson in good sportsmanship

It is volleyball season in West Dallas, and I have loved going to the middle school girls' volleyball games. We win some and we loose some, but it is so fun getting to see and interact with the girls outside of a classroom. One of the things I like most of all is getting to see all of the learning experiences the girls get on the court whether it be how to play as a team, how to set/serve, or how to win/loose graciously.


Recently Barrett and I were at another sporting event where the importance of good sportsmanship became very clear. We traveled down to College Station with several college friends to see out Fightin' Texas Aggies take on Florida International. "Why Florida International?" you ask. The reasons are simple: (1) the tickets were cheap and (2) we thought it would be an easy win. We were right on only one of those counts. We had fabulous seats--front row on the 35-40 yard line right behind the opposing team's bench so we got the inside scoop for the entirety of the game. But it was not an easy win. There had been a lot of mistakes by the Aggies, and the Fightin' Texas Aggie 12th Man (aka the stands) were getting a little discouraged. In the 3rd quarter, we were down 20 to 6, and I gave us a 10% chance of pulling out a W--and that was generous. At that point, the players from the opposing team began to taunt the crowd saying "Get Louder! We can't hear you!" Aggies do not take well to being insulted especially for our cheering so things began to heat up. At one point, their defense made a pretty decisive stop, and when the players returned to the sideline, their coach began to congratulate them in very colorful language (which he had been using throughout the game). There being kids around, many parents sitting around us were visibly upset, but one father more than any other. This dad, sitting directly behind my husband, proceeds to yell at the coach to clean up his language. Stunned, the coach and his large, menacing defensive players turn around and stare directly at the stands (read: directly at Barrett because he is in front of the angry dad). Well, as soo as he sees that he has gotten a reaction, this father decided it would be a good idea to communicate the severity of the situation by throwing a water bottle at the coach and the large, menacing players. At this point I am sure that my husband will be the first casualty in a brawl of epic proportions. Thankfully, security was right there to simmer the situation down and we all left without a scratch.

proximity to the players

the 12th man and the band

All that to say, I love being an Aggie because in my experience, we are fans who cheer faithfully, win/loose graciously, and always keep it classy. This sets us apart and makes playing at Kyle Field a big deal. As much as I appreciate someone who is willing to stand up for what is right especially when children are involved, I was appalled when this father was willing to sacrifice setting a good example of being a classy fan and having good sportsmanship in front of his son. After this incident, the 12th Man rallied and cheered louder than I have heard them in a long time, and the Aggies did pull out a W. Needless to say, it all made for a very adventurous evening.

me and Barrett

I am so thankful to work at a school where teaching teamwork and good sportsmanship are some of the primary goals in athletics, and where the team's character matters more than their record at the end of the season.