apsies

Some gifts from my favorite 5th period girls. (I shouldn’t...

Tue, 21 May 2013 23:25:21 -0400

Some gifts from my favorite 5th period girls. (I shouldn’t have favorites. But whatever, it happens.)

The sweetest handwritten notes.
“Idiot” repelling bracelet for dealing with future students.
TWO trophies. One that is spectacularly homemade. Both of which will sit on my classroom bookshelf next year.
A candle, earrings, and nail polish.
A four leaf clover for luck in the future.
ID tags from luggage that play on my classroom rule that you must be 27 (my age) to work my pencil sharpener.

My student babies are now freshmen and I'm now a 7th grade teacher.

Tue, 21 May 2013 18:59:31 -0400

I’m in such a weird mental space right now.

I’m ready for a summer of reflection and regrouping so I can strive to be an even better teacher next year.
I’m really excited for my students because they’ve got so much great stuff to come in their futures. (Even if they were a little sad today.) I was much more at peace than I expected to be. I’m grateful for our 6 months together because they really were the perfect first class. It’ll probably really hit me tomorrow during our teacher work day that they aren’t coming back.
I can’t stop thinking about this grade change. There’s such a weird hodgepodge of positives and negatives that I don’t know which way to feel.
My heart is really full. I received some really sweet gifts from students. I was the recipient of a huge round of applause from my kids when the principal called my name to hand out awards. (Enough that a mother later told me it was obvious from the applause which teachers the kids loved the most.) And I got a sweet comment from another parent who told me her child loved that I was a young teacher who could actually control her classroom and keep things together.

Upward and onward. First year of teaching is officially in the books.

imwithkanye: laughterkey: shortformblog: mediaite: Yumblr?...

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:25:34 -0400

imwithkanye:

laughterkey:

shortformblog:

mediaite:

Yumblr? What Some Of Tumblr’s Best Bloggers Think About Yahoo’s $1.1 Billion Purchase

I’m quoted in this. — Ernie @ SFB

Those are my creepy eyes!

All my favorite Tumblrs talking about Tumblr things and stuff, Lori.

"I think the big mistake in schools is trying to teach children anything, and by using fear as the..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 22:45:03 -0400

“I think the big mistake in schools is trying to teach children anything, and by using fear as the basic motivation. Fear of getting failing grades, fear of not staying with your class, etc. Interest can produce learning on a scale compared to fear as a nuclear explosion to a firecracker.”

- Stanley Kubrick (via uni-tea)

It isn't so much that you want to be a teacher, April. Reading your blog makes me feel like education chose you. It made the most excellent choice.

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:16:33 -0400

Thank you. It really does feel that way sometimes. I have no idea how something I actively resisted for so long could feel so right and perfect. And it’s not just because I’m currently full of warm fuzzies. The reality is that I’m really quite exhausted, and overwhelmed, and underpaid, but for whatever reason I love it. This is exactly where I want to be.

Highlights from the letters my 8th graders gave me...

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:25:00 -0400

“You were like a mom to me. If I have no one, I know I have you.”

“Three pages and 80 lines won’t explain to you how much you mean to me, but you know.”

“I look forward to coming to your class and learning. You have inspired me to improve my grades. And when I say have a good day when I leave your class it’s because you deserve it. I just want you to know that all of the students love you and you are one of the best things to happen to _____ Middle School in a long time.”

“I know one day you will be a great mom.”

“You have become my favorite teacher and let’s be honest, we didn’t see that coming.” -from the girl who once told me she wished there were two reading teachers so she didn’t have to have me.

“I like how you gave us college and high school related work to help us get prepared for our future.”

“You always kept things under control and you were nice to literally everybody.”

“You know that day we read about the Pied Piper? I got so interested in the idea of him that I went and researched American serial killers…home alone. Not a good idea. I spent the rest of the day staked out in my room with the lights out, whispering to Alyssa on the phone. I was terrified, but you opened a whole new topic to me. Now, I’m not freakishly interested in killing people but I now know interesting stuff happens in the real world. I don’t always have to read fiction books to be entertained.”

“At Tremont you made me realize what a good person you were, not just teacher. When my tooth broke during the trip and I came and told you, you genuinely cared. You didn’t just help me because you had to, you did it because you cared, and that makes me really happy that I had you for a teacher.”

“I was freaking out when you signed me up for the academic challenge. But after I agreed you told me you loved me! That really meant a lot to me even though you may not have realized it. Not only did you think I was smart enough to do the challenge, you said you loved me. I’ve never had a teacher say that. Sure, every teacher has said they loved our class or this group of 8th graders, but you were talking just to me. You’re my favorite teacher. I love you so much!”

“There’s definitely no way you’ll miss us as much as I’m going to miss you.”

“Thank you for helping me when ____ was pestering me in class.”

“I knew you were going to be an awesome teacher from the day you started.”

“You’re not like most teachers. You do things different and you give us choices.”

Rather than teach 8th grade again next year I'm moving to 7th.

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:31:00 -0400

I found out this morning about the switch and have since experienced the strangest mix of emotions. Long story short: the 7th grade team this year has become toxic so they need to mix them up and interject some positivity. (And probably force some folks out.) The team was also very weak in the language arts department and based on the strength of my instruction he wants to move me down to partner with another ELA teacher who they can’t get to retire. Which means I’ll be carrying the load a bit.

It’s also a gift of sorts since my principal doesn’t want me to have to deal with the mess that is the current 7th grade group so early in my career.

So while I’m devastated to leave a few of my teammates behind (one is moving with me), and to give up all of the fun stuff that comes with teaching 8th graders, I’m also really flattered and a little excited.

Cue the weird mix of smiling and sobbing here.

One of our teachers had students write thank you letters to...

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:32:47 -0400

One of our teachers had students write thank you letters to teachers for their final. I’m bawling my way through the 27 I received. There are no words for how I feel right now.

noraleah: No, YOU are a good boy, Joe Biden. Joe Biden responds...

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:41:52 -0400

noraleah:

No, YOU are a good boy, Joe Biden.

Joe Biden responds to second-grader with personal, handwritten note (via motherjones)

"I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But..."

Tue, 14 May 2013 22:29:01 -0400

“I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer. It is reassuring that they see nothing that makes them uncomfortable. They can see my small scars and that’s it. Everything else is just Mommy, the same as she always was. And they know that I love them and will do anything to be with them as long as I can. On a personal note, I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity.”

- By ANGELINA JOLIE (via talwaar)

"According to The Daily Beast’s summary, the script includes several mentions of Hillary’s..."

Mon, 13 May 2013 22:28:24 -0400

“According to The Daily Beast’s summary, the script includes several mentions of Hillary’s presidential aspirations and desire to be taken seriously as a woman in a field dominated by men. There’s also a steamy sex scene between Hillary and Bill where the two “devour each other.” Later, while making up after a long separation, Bill plays Hillary some songs on his saxophone.”

- Hillary Clinton Movie ‘Rodham’ Details Early Career, Love Scene With Bill

annaverity replied to your photo: I love that this sweet girl whispered, “Ms. W.,… ...

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:45:00 -0400

annaverity replied to your photo: I love that this sweet girl whispered, “Ms. W.,…

Love that kids know to use the “Ms.” title, too. Also, you are so kick ass, it’s the greatest.

It’s funny how particular some of them are about it. Not long after I discovered I was an Instagram hashtag I saw that another of them had posted a ‘selfie’ taken in my classroom and captioned it, “In Mrs. W’s class.”

To which another boy, a kid who doesn’t really care about grammar usually, replied, “It’s Ms., she ain’t married.”

(Also, thank you. I’m blushing.)

I love that this sweet girl whispered, “Ms. W., you were...

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:25:50 -0400

I love that this sweet girl whispered, “Ms. W., you were the only teacher with THREE brownies in your bag.”

Bless her precious heart.

Tomorrow begins the final countdown. Seven school days until my...

Sun, 12 May 2013 22:09:00 -0400

Tomorrow begins the final countdown. Seven school days until my 8th graders become 9th graders. Seven days until my first class moves on and I begin preparation for the next group.

For those who may have forgotten the story, I was supposed to be student teaching this spring. If you’d asked me in early November what I’d be doing in May I’d have told you I’d probably be panicked and jobless, just hoping this teaching thing somehow worked out.

Instead I fell into an alternative certification situation and a principal finally had it in him to take a chance on me. (After passing on me in August.) It’s funny how things always seem to work out in the end.

I’ve been tremendously blessed to have this group of kids as my first. The next group is supposedly a thousand times more challenging and I’m trying not to fret too much about what is to come. Instead I intend on spending the next seven days soaking these kids up. I want to memorize everything I’ve loved about them and carry them on with me through my career. So many of my teaching friends have said your first group has a way of staying with you like no other that follows. I can only hope this is true.

I still get a lot of shocked faces and heavy sighs when I tell folks I teach middle school. ‘Better you than me,’ seems to be the most popular retort. Those people are right. Better me because I love watching these young people on the cusp of their whole lives begin to figure things out on their own. They are funny, loving, passionate (even if that passion is currently misguided on things like Justin Bieber), intelligent, weird, and wonderful.

This week I’ll read them ‘Oh, the Places You’ll Go!’ and we’ll all try not to cry. And I’ll fail. But that’s okay.

"I instantly realized that everything in my life that I’d thought was unfixable was totally..."

Sun, 12 May 2013 21:17:18 -0400

““I instantly realized that everything in my life that I’d thought was unfixable was totally fixable—except for having just jumped.””

- Letter from California: Jumpers : The New Yorker (via brooklynmutt)

Those people who share recipes on Facebook like it's Pinterest.

Sun, 12 May 2013 19:17:18 -0400

hulu: This is crazy. We were honestly just stopping,...

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:42:04 -0400

hulu:

This is crazy. We were honestly just stopping, collaborating and listening.

jkrasweb: John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Chelsea Clinton and Marc...

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:18:02 -0400

jkrasweb:

John Krasinski, Emily Blunt, Chelsea Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky at the Costume Institute Gala for the ”Punk: Chaos to Couture” exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

"This song is, like, from the 50s."

Fri, 10 May 2013 22:02:00 -0400

“This song is, like, from the 50s.”

- one of my 14 year old students talking about the Electric Slide

Um.

Michelle Obama Welcomes Prince Harry at White House

Thu, 09 May 2013 21:07:37 -0400

Michelle Obama Welcomes Prince Harry at White House