I am now taking a collection for my Summer vacation if you are feeling sorry for where I live currently. Message me if you want to make a donation to the “Mama Needs Mo (vacation) Money” fund (not a tax deductible donation hahaha)
LOL = Livin' Out Loud
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Hello Beryl, you intrusive visitor
This week has exhausted me.
Moved out of my classroom and brought everything home to put in my (moved out) daughter’s room only to find out that daughter needs to “store” things in her room for the summer. Move stuff to the garage which also has the left overs from the garage sale - needless to say, there is minimal room in my garage.
Nephew was to spend all weekend with me - ummm in daughter’s room. Rearrange daughter’s “storage” so I could get a blow up mattress in there. (More moving).
AC goes out - again and mechanic finally comes 4 hours after Nephew arrives - hot mess in the house I must say but the up side is I was prepared with two window units if necessary. AC gets fixed and we are a go for the weekend. Until the news that Beryl is a “sub-tropical” storm and heading towards JAX.
Hurry and get yard work complete and picked up and realize I can’t park my car in the garage due to non-sold garage sale stuff and the plentiful piles of teaching stuff. Good thing I grew up as a military brat who moved SEVERAL times and learned how to make the most of space. With that said, picture the vehicle in the Beverly Hill Billies opening. Now multiply that by 3 and that is what half of my garage looks like, BUT I was able to get my car into the garage! YES, those days as an Air Force brat that moves all the time has come in useful once again! hahaha I definitely have to take a picture of this before I move anything
The wind and rain is coming in spurts - I am more worried about the dead branches in one of my trees that could become projectiles. I could not reach them to pull them down. Thanks God I don’t have but one Live Oak and I am pretty sure it could not do too much damage.
Of course, the best view of all the weather is from my office but it is probably not a great idea to be in front of the window. Time to move rooms and get on the lap top.
I have done more work in the past 48 hours than most people need to do in a weekend. No grilling on the Bar-B for memorial day.
The End of (school) Year is Just 3 Half Days Away
12 boxes to pack - check, one uhaul to rent - check, moving the awkward and huge pieces of teaching stuff - check, classroom still looks like a bomb went off in it - check. Sunday afternoon agenda - tidying up so my class can have room to take tests on Monday and Tuesday. (check) how do I collect so much sh…. crap over a period of 8 years? #sooootired
[Flash 10 is required to watch video]
First weekend WITHOUT having to grade! No guilt about putting things off. And 16 more working days until summer
Why is it taking over an hour to …
render a 48 min +/- set of video clips? arrrgh. I want to get out of the building.
On a positive note, I have had some pretty good feedback regarding the “Planets Conversations” with my students. Tomorrow they will evaluate themselves and take notes on information they did not have to research. Conveniently, it is going to take two days to do this. You would have thought I planned it that way. Love when things work in my favor.
Yeah, one video rendering down, for more to go. #gottabe a #betterway
Who’s going to conference with me now?
Six groups to conference during the class (probably going to take 2 days) Students won’t find out until tomorrow if they are up on deck so everyone has to be ready. I am going to roll the proverbial dice - okay, maybe just one die and it will be electronically
“Practicing” the Conversation test
Student 1: If you went to Jupiter, you would get jet lag and be tired. You might be tired anyway because Jupiter moves so fast compared to Earth
Student 2: What do your legs have anything to do with it? We can’t run on Jupiter
Student 3: We can take jets to Jupiter?
Lord, Just get me through the next 3 days
Seventh grade boys always want to take the no-so-high road when it comes to pronouncing Uranus. It is always followed by giggles and then you hear something like
“You can’t live on Uranus because there are so many gasses” followed by muffled chuckling.
It’s a good thing I do the Space unit at the end of the year. haha
(20 more days until vacation)
Purging type of evening
Community yard sale and I am actually home this time. Daughter’s been moved out for 2 years and I need to create my own space… in her room. Started with her bunk bed, then to some old couches, then books and soon I am onto clothes.
I would have been okay if I had not cleaned the garage first - 20 years of teaching stuff that I will never use again. Trash or treasure, I will see tomorrow. Maybe I can earn enough money to get me a new computer (or have spending money for my family reunion).
Do you know this video?
I came across a video years ago. Probably early flashmob kind of thing. Many people descencing on a park (I think in Chicago) who received directions of movement by listening to radio signals from a guy on a tall building that overlooked the park. Anyone know what the video name might be?
Day 2 - Preparing for “the Conversation” - good day
So for the past few days, students have been collecting information on planets - beyond size location and looks - through use of video, textbook, website articles. Today they found out which two planets (along with Earth) our conversations would revolve <yeah, sad solar system reference but hey, no one ever said I was suppose to be a comedian>.
So proud that most all students remained on task and sincerely discussing the focus of the “conversation” that they will have with me. Rock on! Tomorrow they will practice within their own group. (Many students will be out due to a band trip so I figure I could let them practice tomorrow). Monday they can practice with a different team then Tuesday I will be chatted out by 3pm.
21 more school days.
It Was Nice …. Until
I love having my windows open. Florida tends to get really hot and humid here in a couple weeks - maybe a month if we are lucky. I love the smell of the Confederate Jasmine that grows around my house and the smell of freshly cut grass. I love the cool breeze that blows across my face at night…. until
… the freakish horde of Farrell cats (from the subdivision behind my house) that descend on my property as they make their rounds of the neighborhood and tent to mark their territory RIGHT UNDER MY WINDOW.
If I can ever figure out a deterrent for these stupid roaming cats, I should find a way to market it.
…. oh and 22 more days until my summer break. YEAH!
My reputation precedes me - especially when I have taught many siblings. I am known to be a geeky teacher who tries new things - and sometimes they flop - all in the name of getting students to show me they know what they have learned.
Somewhere along the line, I got irritated and started backsliding. Resorting to all multiple choice questions - and the easiest way grade yet really not know if anything was learned. Well I say ENOUGH, and my students know I am evolving again.
Me: Next week you will have a verbal test.
Them: We get to talk?
Me: Yep, but this time you have to convince me in a conversation about the topic of the planets.
Student: No worries, I know what order they exist
Me: Great, that will get you an entrance ticket to the conversation but you still have to earn the grade.
Them: nervous looks and half risen hands ready to ask the question “Will this be on our report card?”
I dismiss the question that they already know the answer to and continue with the research process - I give them things to compare, they find it in various sources and be able to show me the source if asked.
Tomorrow they get the questions
1. Describe characteristics of the planets of which you chose. (Make sure you have information to cite for your information.)
2. Which of your two <randomly picked> planets would you want to travel to the most? Why? In your explanation you should make references to things that are in common with Earth or things you would have to consider in order to get to that planet. (Make sure you have information to cite for your information.)
3. Which of your two <randomly picked> planets would you want to travel to the least? Why? Explain what issues for which you would have to worry in planning a trip there. (Make sure you have information to cite for your information.)
4. Consider the qualities of your planets. What are the best things of your planets that you might want in a NEW creation of a planet? Why would you want these qualities? (Make sure you have information to cite for your information.)
So early next week I will be having mini group sessions in which students will have a conversation with me about their topic. I really hope this doesn’t go the Crash and Burn route.
This is the rubric I created for it. If you can see any issues that might come my way, please comment.! :)
Middle school teachers always have to watch their words
Student conversation regarding the “poles” of Neptune; the poles point toward (or away from) the sun depending on the orbit location.
Student1: so if you were looking at the sun, you would be looking straight up the pole
Student 2 (who hasn’t conceptualized it yet): no, you would be getting sun on the side of your face
Student 1 <shaking head in frustration> : You just don’t get it. Ms. M…? Help him out
Ms. M: okay, you would be facing the sun and squinting if you were straddling the pole on Neptune.
Students 3 and 4: Smirking at the concept of “straddling the pole”
I have a few friends who have found out that I am getting back into the public sector after being in a private school for the past eight years. (I did this so I could get my daughter through the four HS years at a school that was not in the papers for less than academic reasons - who knew I would stay an additional four years.)
These friends know I have the gifted teacher personality and have encouraged me to get the endorsement so that when they retire, there is more of a chance that I get into a school that is close to my house. Nice that my friends are looking out for me.
So I started the first of five or six classes that are on the docket (at least this year) for earning the endorsement. Pretty much enjoyed the class of 15 or 20 people who actually WANT to be there (rather than one of those “you have to take this class or you will not have a job next year” things). I came to the conclusion while working through checklists of what makes a gifted student that I might have been a gifted student. So why didn’t I get into those kinds of classes. One of two reasons:
1. I am so old they didn’t have the distinction of “gifted”. You were just a driven student.
or
2. I moved around so much (ever 3 years) as an Air Force brat that I didn’t get recognized as gifted because I was on the move by the time I could have been tested.
Although option number one is valid, I am going to go with option number two because I don’t want to see myself as “old”. (Although my knees my remind me of this on certain occasions.)
So this week’s project was to receive a bag of random stuff that the teacher could find 20 sets - making the ground even for everyone. My guess is we are going to “learn” that we all have different versions of making use of the items. It is very evident that my project screams I WANT TO TRAVEL. I started off thinking that I could document all the places I have lived throughout my life, but I didn’t have a big enough platform. (I have been in 20 schools in my life due to the AF way.) So I concentrated on one area that I have vacationed and coincidentally a country that both parents on my mom’s side is from. Maybe you can tell from the following pictures.
(Oh and I thought I was done and was packing up everything and found those stupid DOTS - that is the reason for the random flowers on the back.)
