It's Just Life.

It's not a Quarantine Diary anymore because it's not Quarantine anymore.  It's just life.  It's the new normal.  In March, I figured there would be a definite end.  Now, it's looking like the only end was life as we previously knew it.  School is still forming a play, but truthfully, it's impossible to plan for the unknown.  We're all just doing the best we can.

I escaped to Tracy's for a few days.  It was bizarre.  The girls and I wore masks to snuggle, I went back to fastidious hand washing and sanitizing, we swam in their pool, we ate a lot of takeout, and we were just together.  It was lovely.  I hadn't hugged anyone other than Andrew in months, and it made me tear up.  My love language is touch, and I've been suffering.  I'm just so glad I'm not still single.  I would be in a very bad place if I were.

Some normal things happened.  Holly came down for a two-week visit.  I baked some pies.  I baked my dad his favorite blueberry cake for his birthday.  I slept late a lot.  I read books.  I caught up on good TV.  These are all regular lovely summer things for me.  Normal things in an abnormal time.

We did a crazy, exciting thing and bought an RV.  We pick it up Friday.  More of that to come later.

My Anti-Racist Journey continues:

Money: I donated $20 to the Des Moines Black Lives Matter movement for bail money for arrested protesters.

Movies/Shows:  We watched 13th on Netflix.  Whoa.  Again, I say WHOA.  On this journey, I feel like I don't recognize my home.  It shows me how clueless I was about the true state of my home.  I'm embarrassed and again (as is my new normal, I'm sitting in my own discomfort.  We also started watching, based on Tracy's recommendation, United Shades of America on CNN with W. Kamau Bell.  The episode we watched had a lot to do with agriculture and how hard it is for Black family farmers in the U.S., compared to white family farmers.  I had no idea.  Literally no idea.

Books:  Since I last wrote, I finished Wow, No Thank You by Samantha Irby, Genesis Begins Again by Alicia D. Williams (which I bought based on the research in my class earlier this summer... I'll take it to school for my classroom library),  The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo, and The Season of Styx Malone by Kekla Magoon.  Right now, I'm reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor, and Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad.

Purchases:  I preordered Class Act by Jerry Craft, the follow-up to the graphic novel, New Kid.  For my granddaughters, I bought Grandma's Purse by Vanessa Brantley-Newton, and Whose Toes Are Those? by Jabari Asim.  For my classroom, I also bought Harbor Me by Jacqueline Woodson, A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramee, All American Boys by Jason Reynolds, and  Some Places More Than Others by Renee Watson.  For myself, I bought the audio book of Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, because I want to preview it for possible use in my classroom.  I was really impacted by the movie, and its story could balance my use of To Kill a Mockingbird in class.  For reading on my Kindle, I also bought Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson, Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad, and Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds.  The last one was one I'd see on a lot of social media posts, but a student recommended it to me (I love when they do that), so I wanted to be sure to read it myself.

One of my proudest and reaffirming moments was during my granddaughter Alice's 3rd birthday party.  We zoomed with her, her parents, and all the other grandparents.  I held my breath as she opened her Black babydoll, wondering how she'd react, what would be said, etc.  She squealed with delight and picked her right up into a tight hug.  She immediately wanted to feed her with the little spoon and to change her diaper.  It was just another one of her babies.  No one said a word except to "Aww" at how cute she was with her new baby.  It was the best possible outcome.  It reaffirmed for me that racism IS taught.  It reaffirmed to me that even though Alice is going to grow up in a white household with all white family members, if she sees People of Color of all kinds in her books, in her shows and movies, and in her toys, they will become part of how she sees her world.  It's a step.

And, John Lewis died.  I'm embarrassed that I didn't really know who John Lewis was before I read the March books a couple of years ago.  He was a true hero.  He inspires me to get into Good Trouble.  RIP, Sir, and thank you.

Life Lessons from Rubik's Cubes

My 5th grade TAG students got done with a Rubik's Cube unit before Christmas.  I've never had a better activity for growth mindset with kids.  Ever.  Even with the algorithms, solving a Rubik's Cube isn't easy.  There was frustration, yelling, crying, quitting, and starting over from the very beginning.  But, every single kid managed to solve a cube before Christmas break, and the joy was pure magic.  They were so darned proud of themselves.  It was a delight to watch and experience.  Today I read their reflections, and they made me smile so much.  I wanted to share some of them with the world.

Here are the questions I asked them to reflect on when we were done.  They wrote their responses on their own blogs:

1. What was the hardest part of solving Rubik's cubes?  Explain.
2. How did you feel when you finally solved the cube?  Describe.
3. What are the life lessons that people can learn from Rubik's cubes?
4. What advice do you have for other kids trying to solve Rubik's cubes?
5. What advice do you have for other kids trying to do hard things? 

"How I felt when I finally finished the Rubix cube is, 100 percent complete and when I finished my second Rubix cube I felt 200 percent complete. What I mean by 100 or 200 percent complete is, I felt really really good just because I finished my Rubix cube." -T.

"Also when kids are doing hard things if you are struggling they should break it down and take things step by step to make it easier for you to do" -F.

"For other kids that are doing hard things,'' Don't ever give up no matter how hard it is.'' -L.

"Solving the cube to me was a miracle and it got rid of me having self-doubt and thinking I couldn't do it anymore. And after I solved it and I got better at it, it was getting easier and more fun to do because I was challenging myself to get faster and faster!" -Q.

"The frustration was really hard and self doubt was also a factor." -K.

"The hardest part of solving the cube was that when I was super close to solving it I would try to do an algorithm and it would completely mess it! For me, this was the hardest part! When I finally solved it I was soooooo proud of myself! I felt like all the hard work had finally paid off!" -A.

"If you are trying to solve a Rubiks you are going to mess up sometimes but keep trying." -A.

"People can learn life lessons when solving it like to never give up when you feel like your doing badly, or to always believe in yourself to finish something." -M.

"My advice is to keep on trying and don't give up, believe in yourself and you can get it done." -I.

"When I solved it I was so proud, it took a long time but I did it!" -M.

And, I think this is my favorite comment of all: "My advice for people that are trying to do hard things is stay calm,try your best, stay hydrated, and tell yourself you got this." -J.

Back to School!

I was worried that a summer full of grad classes would make me not ready to go back to school,  but I'm happy to report that was not the case.  I'm ready for my kiddos!  My job is changing slightly for this year, and I'm so excited.  I'm going to team teach one class.  I'm thrilled about it because it's back in language arts... my LOVE!  It's also with a good friend who is an awesome teacher.  I think we're going to be a dynamic duo!  I also am going to have 5th graders for the first time.  I know from having them in the play this past year that they bring energy and enthusiasm to whatever they do, and I'm ready for a big jolt of that!  This post has a lot of exclamation points!!!  Guess that means I'm excited.  Good sign.

One Month More

 

This is the parody of Les Miserables' "One Month More" that I wrote for Faculty Follies this year. I love snow days, but the kids are really ready to be done. It's not easy having school until June 7 when you're supposed to get out in May!

Hear.

It's the stuff dreams are made of...

Did you hear Seattle's news?  Even principals are paying attention (click here).  It's the stuff I dream about... taking charge of what we know is best for kids.

Fairfield Middle School Rabid Readers Book Club

Our Fairfield Middle School Rabid Readers Book Club met today after school to discuss the book The Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck.  This meeting was the perfect illustration of why I love middle school kids.  The Tiger's Curse was highly recommended to me last year by several students.  So highly that I put it on our book club reading list without reading it myself (also evidence how much I trust these particular kids).

Every kid at the meeting tonight loved the action parts.  But, this book was a romance. There was no sugar-coating it... definitely a romance.  But I couldn't believe how many of the kids, especially the boys stuck it out.  We had 32 kids at our discussion tonight, and we broke them into groups: liked the book, didn't like the book, and indifferent.  There were a few kids in the indifferent group, but the majority of the group was split pretty evenly between the "liked" and "didn't like" groups.  We ended our meeting with a heated discussion about why it was a good book or not.  They gave examples from the text with their opinions, and it was FUN!

My personal opinion was that I liked the book (the action reminded me a lot of Indiana Jones adventures), but I could have done without the teen angst romance.  It made it a little like Twilight with tigers to me.  But I digress...

My favorite part of tonight's meeting was the food.  The main character in the book went to India for the first time and tried many new foods.  I wanted the kids in book club to try some flavors of India as well.  I worked out a small menu of chicken tikka masala and chicken saag with some pappadums and some naan.  I also cut up 6 mangoes at lunch for them to try as well.  For the less adventurous, we had animal crackers (tigers?), and we had lemonade.  I wanted to make a lemon drink in the book called jal jeera, but lemonade is the closest we got there.

I was so proud of the kids.  Almost every single one of them wanted to at least try the Indian food.  And most of them actually liked it!  Honestly, saag is one of the grossest looking things I've ever seen, but it's also one of my favorites.  I don't think I would have put it in my mouth when I was 12.  I screwed up a little by not having a vegetarian dish for a couple of my kids (I felt so bad), but I let them have the rice that I wasn't really serving anyone else.

It was a great afternoon of discussion and trying new things.  I love it when that happens.  We laughed and talked about books.  32 kids getting involved in school and having fun doing it.  Sigh.  :)

The One-Week Countdown

The end of my craziest school month is in sight. I can almost taste it. Tuesday is History Day. The kids have been working hard, and I think the projects are pretty good. Hopefully, someone will get to go to State for their efforts.

The 7th grade language arts research papers are due (Have you ever thought about teaching 7th graders how to write research papers? Just ponder about that activity for awhile. Are you pondering? Are you scared yet? Aren't I a superhero?). Guess what I get to check over spring break! Actually, they've been working so hard on them, I'm excited to read them. It's fun to see them all come together.

Images of Greatness is Thursday. Today I saw the kids' costumes, and their display boards are really coming together. I think it's going to be a great night.

Then... if I can make it through Friday... SPRING BREAK!!! I will be having rehearsal, a house appraisal, and a doctor's appointment over spring break, but I will also be having a lot of sleeping and a lot of reading.

Speaking of reading, we had 39 kids at our Fairfield Middle School Rabid Readers Book Club meeting yesterday. 39! WOW, it was fun. The level of discussion always blows me away at these meetings. I so look forward to it every month. Our next book is called The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness. It comes highly recommended for anyone who liked The Hunger Games. I can't wait to start reading it. My grown-up (?) book club is reading The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, and my Professional Development group at school is reading a book in our assessment strand called Fair Isn't Always Equal by Rick Wormeli. I have a lot of reading to do to get these done in time for discussions, but that's what spring break is for, right? :)

Hope you all have a respite in sight as well!

Weekly Update

Can you really call it a weekly update if it's been months since you've actually had a post called "Weekly Update?" Enquiring/Inquiring minds want to know.

March is the month of the big 3 for me: middle school play, History Day, and Images of Greatness. I have the first one checked off, as of last weekend. The middle school play went very well. I was so proud of the kids, and really, the only hitch was a early dismissal on Friday, the second night of our show. We had a bizarre snow shower, and to be safe, they let the kids out of school at 1:30. When that happens, all evening activities are canceled too. After some frantic running around like a chicken with my head cut off, we got things rescheduled for Saturday night. Never mind that by 3:00, it had stopped snowing, and by showtime, the streets were dry and there was barely a dusting on the ground. Oh well. :P

We did a play adaptation of the book Number the Stars (Have I written about this before? I feel like I'm losing my mind...) and the kids really took the drama aspect seriously. I was so proud of their growth & work. They had fun at their cast party on Saturday night (so did I). I'm so lucky to have parents who volunteer space, time, and money to that adventure.

Now, we're in the middle of prepping for History Day & Images of Greatness. They will be the the week before spring break, which is also the last week of the quarter. Busy, busy.

Andrew and I got our plane tickets for the Sutherlin family reunion which will be at my California cousins' ranch in California, right in the heart of gold mine country. We're spending a couple of days in San Francisco before, because I've never been there. I'm also on a mission to hug a redwood tree. I can't explain this need in me, but I must see and hug a redwood tree during this trip. I want to feel tiny and young... maybe that's it. LOL

I'm also working on several upcoming shows. Tonight I'm singing in a benefit for Way Off Broadway. Robby Benson & his wife Karla DeVito will be there to sign things and lead our auction. Margaret Clair & I are singing a selection from Forbidden Broadway. It's a spoof of "Mamma Mia," and it's pretty funny. Forbidden Broadway is the show I'm getting ready for in April. In June, I'll be playing Mrs. Shinn, the Mayor's wife, in WOB's Music Man, and then I can focus on playing Goneril in Andrew's production of King Lear. Whew! I'm going to be ready for a break when school starts. Ha ha.

Off to practice my choreography for tonight... here I go!

I'm Back!

Well. Have I had an exciting couple of weeks, or not? Definitely NOT. My little sickness turned out to be pneumonia. I ran a fever of over 100 for about 4 days straight, and I didn't get out of bed for about 4 days after that. I only missed 2 days of school, but I probably should have missed more. The land of the living is within my sights now, but I'm still just so darned weak. I'm like a little newborn kitten! I'm sick of being sick, that's for sure!

Last night was the first night I felt like getting out in over a week. Andrew & I went out to eat and then to the Fairfield High School speech team's Night of Theatre, Part I. Part II is next Tuesday, and these nights highlight all the group speech events for the year. I love it because I see a little bit of everything... ensemble acting, choral reading, one act play, mime, musical theatre, reader's theatre, improv... did I forget anything? Whew, that's a lot! I also love it because so many of the kids are my former students. It's just so fun to see them perform at the next level. I had at least 3 parents last night ask me if I'd come to watch "my kids" perform. I had. They're all "my kids," and I was so proud of them. I love seeing kids go out of their comfort zones and try new things, and I love watching the community, their parents, and their peers all come to support them. It brings a smile to my face just thinking about it. I can't wait for Tuesday's show to see the rest of the acts. The team took 19 acts to district competition, and 15 of those are moving on to state. State is in Cedar Rapids on February 4, so they're all working out any last kinks in their entries. Fun times.

The middle school play is going well. It's a drama called Number the Stars, and it's set during World War II. I haven't really asked this much of my middle schoolers before, so they are having to make big leaps to meet my expectations. I know they can do it. I'm seeing a lot of growth from the kids, and I think the show has tons of potential. They're supposed to be off book next week, so we'll see how I feel when that happens!

It's a New Day

As you can tell from yesterday's post, I was not in a good place. It turns out that part of the reason for this funk is that I'm sick. Boo! I should have known my defenses were down by how I felt, physically and emotionally, last night.

Things were not as terrible today as I'd anticipated. It was actually cute because the kids were so afraid I didn't know about the "incident." They were working up to breaking it to me gently. :)

My drama club kids performed a skit for the whole school today for the refresher assembly for our Positive Behavior Strategies program. I was really proud of them. I had lots of compliments today on their behalf, and it was just fun watching their peers appreciate what they did on stage.

Today is Andrew's and my 3rd anniversary. I can't believe it's been 3 years. In some ways, it seems like just yesterday, and in others, it seems like he's always been in my life. He was worth the wait. I've never known love like this, that it could be so safe and unconditional. It's amazing, and I highly recommend it. :)

Secret Santa

We've only had two days, but I'm loving my Secret Santa already. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got the naughty Cornhusker (ICK) things in my mailbox Thursday morning. But by Thursday afternoon when the Hawkeye stuff made it to my box, I knew this Secret Santa is a keeper. Can't wait to see what this week will bring!

November Gratitude #29

November 29: I had a blue day today. And before I wrote this, I had a pity party thinking about how NOT thankful I am today. Pity Party, table for 1, please. But I thought about it. I know I shouldn't HAVE to think so hard about it, but I guess it's just one of those days. When I thought about it, I came up with 2 things:

1. My students. About 10 of them came in after school tonight to brainstorm ideas for starting a middle school book club. They were FIRED up. About books. It made me fired up. There's nothing as contagious as that. We teachers feed off of it.

2. My Tracy. Today, when I was upset, I private messaged her on Facebook. All she said was "I am so sorry... :( I love you..." Those few words gave me what I needed to not melt down at school in front of the kids. It gave me strength to go a little further.

She's not my best friend for nothing, folks.

November Gratitude #23

November 23: Right now, I'm grateful that my week is over! A full day of meetings has worn me out. I'm looking forward to a couple of days of rest and relaxation before I get to cleaning and schoolwork!

November Gratitude #18

November 18: Today I'm grateful that I found my calling. I just had my post-observation conference with my principal, and some of the things she wrote brought tears to my eyes. It's nice that someone else can see my philosophy of education coming through in the actions of my students. Here is my favorite part of what she said: "... students display respect and are encouraged to succeed. It is evident that the teacher has high expectations for students in the work and discussion they have, but it is also clear that teacher sets up her expectations for the students to succeed." If I had to write my philosophy of education, it would be so darned similar to this!

Since I'm tooting my own horn a little in this post, I'll just keep going. It's American Education Week, and every student and teacher in the district writes to an adult who has influenced their education. I got 2 letters from current students, but yesterday, a flood of 5 came in from the high school. I cried like a baby as I read them. It's pretty powerful stuff, knowing that you've had a personal impact on someone's life. Here are some of the comments:

"I wanted to thank you for helping make my middle school experience a good one."

"I wanted to thank you for being the best teacher I ever had in middle school." "P.S. Read any good books on Kindle lately?" I love that my students STILL want to talk books with me!

"You inspired me to love drama and not be afraid of speaking my mind."

"I wanted to thank you for always challenging me and pushing me..."

"I wanted to thank you for showing me that life is worth something. You gave me motivation to keep trying, to keep going." Wow. I'm crying again just typing it.

I am so blessed by the kids (and people who care about kids) who walk through my door every day. I know some people struggle all their lives to be able to do what they love. I'll never be wealthy, but I'm rich beyond measure.

November Gratitude #17

November 17: Today I'm grateful that my formal observation is done... WOO HOO! It went well, I thought. We'll see what the big boss thought when I have my post-observation conference. I've already watched the video, and it's funny... I didn't even notice at the time that a student was incessantly tapping his pencil. During the video, though, it was driving me freaking crazy!!! Weird what you can ignore while teaching. Guess it pays to not sweat the small stuff in the moment.

November Gratitude #16

November 16: Today I'm grateful...

I am grateful, but I'm not having a great day. I lost my patience today at school. I hate it when I do that. I have a certain class this year that I just haven't meshed with yet. It's frustrating for all of us. And today, I lost it.

So, I guess my gratitude today has to do with admitting when I'm wrong. I'm not very good at that. I hate being wrong. I got a grip and apologized to the student who took the brunt of the "losing it." We had a talk about her behavior (in a calmer and quieter way), and I apologized.

I don't like losing my patience, but I'm grateful that I can admit when I went too far. Tomorrow will be a better day!

November Gratitude #8

November 8: Today I'm grateful for my job. Tuesdays are our library day for GOAL classes, and it's such a joy to see my students excited about books and to sit and read next to them. I worked hard today to have my work done so I could really sit with them and read together. I think it's important for them to see that I'm a reader. I love when they booktalk the books they love for the other students. I got many good suggestions today too!

It was also a Drama Club day. So far, and it's only the first meeting of November, I've had 47 kids come to Drama Club. I think we're on course for a record-setting year. I had 36 kids there tonight, and it was loud and crazy (my throat is killing me from trying to talk over them), but it was so much fun. For so many kids, Drama Club is a place where they can fit in. I love that.

Weekly Update

I had a crazy work week this week. On Wednesday, I took 25 kids to the Class Act Comics conference at the University of Iowa. It was a great experience, and the kids got to meet published authors. Here's the link to my school blog for more details.

Thursday, I had a doctor's appointment in Iowa City, and Andrew went with me. My reward for the day followed, and it was Una Don at Oyama. Oh, how I love that eel! I enjoy it anywhere, but Oyama really has the best, in my opinion.

Andrew & I agreed that we enjoy the miso at Shokai better though, and I think the edamame is better there too.
Lucky for us, Shokai is in Fairfield! Now, we just have to patronize it enough to keep it in business! LOL

On Friday night, Andrew & I went to see the latest Shakespeare Ensemble show, Shaw's Caesar and Cleopatra. It was very enjoyable, and it made me miss being on stage with Steve White. We had such a blast bantering in Lion in Winter.

On Saturday, I got to sleep late, and then Andrew & I had a little Hawkeye party in his living room. It would have been nice to have a better outcome, but we still had fun watching it... as much fun as a Hawkeye fan can have when they're not playing very well. :P After that, we watched the Nebraska/Ohio State game. I was hoping the Cornhuskers would get creamed to make me feel better from the Iowa loss. No such luck. I really can't stand them.

Today, after church, Andrew and I drove to the Amana Colonies to have lunch with my Alaska family who are in town for my Uncle Bob's 55th dental class reunion at the University Iowa. I ate terrible things and enjoyed every minute of it. Back on the wagon tomorrow. I finished the night working at school, and I'm ready to start another week.

October is beautiful in Iowa. It's a little warm for my taste, but Iowa in October should be experienced by everyone. Glorious!

Life Lessons

Yes, I'm an Apple fan. But, that's not why I love this speech. I think Steve Jobs was an innovator and a visionary. He was also a man who learned from his past and wasn't afraid to take chances with his future. I shared this speech with my students today. Great life lessons. Rest in peace, Steve Jobs.