I love being a teacher (of course, I say this as I am off for 17 days). One reason I love it is because I can get free memberships to websites like animoto.com. Which is why I did my Christmas card through them. I'm cheap. And I'm a teacher, which means I don't have a lot of money to start with.
Anyway, enjoy.
(If you notice the music stops at a weird place, I didn't have control over that. The computer and I argued about it for awhile. It won.)
Saturday, December 24, 2011
My Minutes of Fame
If you happen to live in Utah and happen to be watching KSL at just the right time, you might see this:
or this:
or this:
or this:
or this:
It was a such a great opportunity to be an advocate for my students. They definitely have a special place in my heart.
or this:
or this:
or this:
or this:
It was a such a great opportunity to be an advocate for my students. They definitely have a special place in my heart.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
High Expectations
Last week I was chatting with Autumn about how fabulous my students are--a favorite topic of mine. I started talking about Jose. He is what some might call "trouble-with a capital T." However, I've tried to see him as he truly is--funny, energetic and thriving for structure in his life. We've butted heads throughout this year, however, I've really tried to follow the counsel to "reprove betimes with sharpness...and then showing forth afterwards an increase in love." I've been so pleased to see him really mature and become motivated about learning in the past few months. I don't do this to toot my own horn, but to show how powerful an influence expectations can be for children. I've told him and my other students that they are my "little mathematicians", "my inquisitive scientists" and "my famous authors". I'm always amazed (for good or bad) at how my perspective of my student not only affects my attitude towards them, but also how they begin to perceive themselves.
I then started thinking deeper about what beliefs I've seen manifested in myself because of other's expectations/beliefs about me. A small one comes to mind when I think about a choreographer I've worked with who always tells me that I'm a dancer. You know, after hearing that for weeks on end, I've started to believe it. I know I'm not a great one, but I also know I can do it.
So here's the question for you--what are your beliefs and expectations about those around you and how do you share them? It's crazy to think that we have such influence on someone's perspective and the development of their character. But, we do. I've seen it.
I then started thinking deeper about what beliefs I've seen manifested in myself because of other's expectations/beliefs about me. A small one comes to mind when I think about a choreographer I've worked with who always tells me that I'm a dancer. You know, after hearing that for weeks on end, I've started to believe it. I know I'm not a great one, but I also know I can do it.
So here's the question for you--what are your beliefs and expectations about those around you and how do you share them? It's crazy to think that we have such influence on someone's perspective and the development of their character. But, we do. I've seen it.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Waiting for Superman...
"Waiting for Superman" is a new documentary out on DVD. It's basically showing some of the flaws of the education system and showing how frustrating it is for parents of limited resources to help their child succeed in school. While there are many points that i agree with (i.e. many tenured teachers need to have that privileged revoked), they seemed to leave out a key aspect of education.
Throughout the documentary it followed a handful of students in inner city schools whose parents are concerned about the future of their education. It shows how frustrated they are and how they turn to charter schools as an option. Of course, because the majority of charter school admissions are based on lotteries, some of these students did not get in. (Sorry to spoil the ending, but you know it's coming) The documentary makers also show that there are many teachers that are trying to do new and innovative teaching practices in the classroom, but are limited oftentimes because of legislation. This is also true. However, one of the big limiting factors of the success of many of my students is the family support or lack thereof. The parents in the documentary are not in the majority of inner city schools, in my experience. I have just one or two parents who are proactive when it comes to their child's education (contrast that to 20-25 parents at my former school). While very few of my students have parents who blatantly refuse to help their child, most of my students have parents who are apathetic to their child's learning and assume that I, as a teacher, should be the main provider of their education and upbringing. Unfortunately, if a child does not have a parent who is encouraging them to go to school, do their homework, ask questions and become a lifelong learner, my ability to inspire them to greatness in the nine months we are together is limited. Not impossible, but limited. I do, however, have some parents who come to me and let me know that they work all day in two or three jobs and don't have time to spend with their child on homework. These parents are still encouraging their child by maintaining a positive attitude about the importance of education. Bottom line, time is key, but attitude also plays a major aspect.
Part II of this rant comes from a post on our school blog wherein my principal informed us that our budget is cut by more than $100,000 next year. The state legislature, in its infinite wisdom, decided that the money we receive to support our English Language Learners and our socioeconomically disadvantaged students is no longer possible. This money translates into losing our math interventionist and three of our aides who help in the classroom. It means that there is a possibility of bigger class sizes (I'm already at 27-28) and less money for extra support of those struggling students. Thank you government for helping us succeed the lofty goal of "No Child Left Behind". I think this will really help in that effort... (On the other hand, the state legislature HAS decided that we need a state gun. A Browning hand gun. Glad our elected officials listen to us.)
On a positive note, thank you all for being wonderful parents who care about your child's learning and for having an attitude that education is a priority. You may never really realize the impact it has on your child's education.
Throughout the documentary it followed a handful of students in inner city schools whose parents are concerned about the future of their education. It shows how frustrated they are and how they turn to charter schools as an option. Of course, because the majority of charter school admissions are based on lotteries, some of these students did not get in. (Sorry to spoil the ending, but you know it's coming) The documentary makers also show that there are many teachers that are trying to do new and innovative teaching practices in the classroom, but are limited oftentimes because of legislation. This is also true. However, one of the big limiting factors of the success of many of my students is the family support or lack thereof. The parents in the documentary are not in the majority of inner city schools, in my experience. I have just one or two parents who are proactive when it comes to their child's education (contrast that to 20-25 parents at my former school). While very few of my students have parents who blatantly refuse to help their child, most of my students have parents who are apathetic to their child's learning and assume that I, as a teacher, should be the main provider of their education and upbringing. Unfortunately, if a child does not have a parent who is encouraging them to go to school, do their homework, ask questions and become a lifelong learner, my ability to inspire them to greatness in the nine months we are together is limited. Not impossible, but limited. I do, however, have some parents who come to me and let me know that they work all day in two or three jobs and don't have time to spend with their child on homework. These parents are still encouraging their child by maintaining a positive attitude about the importance of education. Bottom line, time is key, but attitude also plays a major aspect.
Part II of this rant comes from a post on our school blog wherein my principal informed us that our budget is cut by more than $100,000 next year. The state legislature, in its infinite wisdom, decided that the money we receive to support our English Language Learners and our socioeconomically disadvantaged students is no longer possible. This money translates into losing our math interventionist and three of our aides who help in the classroom. It means that there is a possibility of bigger class sizes (I'm already at 27-28) and less money for extra support of those struggling students. Thank you government for helping us succeed the lofty goal of "No Child Left Behind". I think this will really help in that effort... (On the other hand, the state legislature HAS decided that we need a state gun. A Browning hand gun. Glad our elected officials listen to us.)
On a positive note, thank you all for being wonderful parents who care about your child's learning and for having an attitude that education is a priority. You may never really realize the impact it has on your child's education.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Before and After
I took Ella in to be groomed today. I'm cheap and want my money's worth, so I let her hair grow out until I can't take it anymore and then have them shave off as much as they can. The result is shown below.
BEFORE
AFTER
(Yes, there really is hair left!)
BEFORE
AFTER
(Yes, there really is hair left!)
Sunday, January 9, 2011
My Chameleon Dog
Look at this picture of my couch.
Specifically the upper righthand corner of it. There's Sam. This is his favorite spot in the house because he is hidden from the eyes of one who would put him in his kennel. That's right, I have a Chameleon dog. Don't be too jealous. When you catch him, he'll pee on you to protest.
Specifically the upper righthand corner of it. There's Sam. This is his favorite spot in the house because he is hidden from the eyes of one who would put him in his kennel. That's right, I have a Chameleon dog. Don't be too jealous. When you catch him, he'll pee on you to protest.
Fat Girls Can Run Half-Marathons Too!
So, I've decided to run a half-marathon. Yup, go ahead. You can say I'm crazy and why would anyone want to do it. However, it doesn't change the fact that on April 16th I will be lacing up my shoes and joining the throng in the Salt Lake City Half-Marathon. When I was researching online about training for a half-marathon, I came across the tip that because running a long distance is part mental training, it's important to decide why you are doing this. I thought what better place to share that than here amongst my biggest fans!
Growing up, I've never been a skinny kid. Fat, husky, chubby, plus-sized, big, no matter what you call it, I was a fat kid. That, unfortunately, has often been the deciding factor of whether or not I could do an activity, or so it seemed. I know it seems ridiculous, but if I didn't see any fat girls out there doing the activity, I sure wasn't going to go out there. Somewhere in my mind I decided that if I didn't see any fat girls doing it, that meant that I couldn't do it or if I did do it, I would look foolish doing it. This mentality kept me from trying out for sports in high school, starting any dance lessons or even trying out for some performing arts. On the other hand, if I saw a fat girl out there dancing with a group, playing basketball or running a mile, and she looked confident and skilled, I knew I could do it. Guess it all goes to show the power of a physical example!
This brings me to my motivation behind running 13.1 miles. Running, in my mind, has always been the epitome of health. After all, you watch the Olympics or any kind of race and the runners are all skinny, healthy looking people. (twisted, I know) Even when I first started losing weight, it wasn't necessarily about the pounds, but I wanted to be able to run a mile with my students without dying. I saw those who completed marathons and half-marathons as healthy people who were physically fit. It was always a goal in my mind to finish a half-marathon. I wanted to be one of those "healthy" people who ran for fun. Mostly, I wanted to prove to myself that fat girls can run half-marathons too.
So, feel free to ask me how my training is going. And, on the morning of April 16th, think, "Wow, fat girls CAN run half-marathons" because that's what I'll be thinking as I go across the finish line!
Growing up, I've never been a skinny kid. Fat, husky, chubby, plus-sized, big, no matter what you call it, I was a fat kid. That, unfortunately, has often been the deciding factor of whether or not I could do an activity, or so it seemed. I know it seems ridiculous, but if I didn't see any fat girls out there doing the activity, I sure wasn't going to go out there. Somewhere in my mind I decided that if I didn't see any fat girls doing it, that meant that I couldn't do it or if I did do it, I would look foolish doing it. This mentality kept me from trying out for sports in high school, starting any dance lessons or even trying out for some performing arts. On the other hand, if I saw a fat girl out there dancing with a group, playing basketball or running a mile, and she looked confident and skilled, I knew I could do it. Guess it all goes to show the power of a physical example!
This brings me to my motivation behind running 13.1 miles. Running, in my mind, has always been the epitome of health. After all, you watch the Olympics or any kind of race and the runners are all skinny, healthy looking people. (twisted, I know) Even when I first started losing weight, it wasn't necessarily about the pounds, but I wanted to be able to run a mile with my students without dying. I saw those who completed marathons and half-marathons as healthy people who were physically fit. It was always a goal in my mind to finish a half-marathon. I wanted to be one of those "healthy" people who ran for fun. Mostly, I wanted to prove to myself that fat girls can run half-marathons too.
So, feel free to ask me how my training is going. And, on the morning of April 16th, think, "Wow, fat girls CAN run half-marathons" because that's what I'll be thinking as I go across the finish line!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Bundle of Energy
Having adopted dogs after they were a year old, I love to watch Ella and laugh at her puppy antics (it helps to counter the frustration I feel after she chews power cords...). This is the latest. I was watching a video on my computer and she was running around the room playing. Knowing that I didn't have any toys in here, I wondered what she was playing with. Oh, she was wrestling with a tag from a necklace. It entertained her for 15 minutes. No joke.
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