Funny Things Overheard from 7th Grade...

So I sat in on the 7th grade social studies class today and I heard some embarrassing but funny things.  Here they are:

~The US imports igloo's from Antarctica.  (This one is my favorite.)

~Hawaii is not a US state and if a presidential candidate is born there he can not become president.

~The US imports Bacardi rum from Puerto Rico.  (Keep in mind they are 7th grade girls)

This last one reminded me about when I was teaching the same grade about absolute value in math, one girl remembered the name of it because she associated it with Absolute vodka.  I really wish I didn't hear them talk about alcohol.  

Random Thoughts on the Beginning of Year 2

I have finally completed my first 3 days with a full schedule.  It was really nice to start off the year with only the 7^th and 8^th grade and try to hash out the things I wanted to start differently this year.  The 6^th grade had their class bonding at the farm and I got to ease back into work life.  

Thank goodness for 2 free periods in the day this year!  I feel more relaxed and prepared.  

I had open house this week, which went smoothly, but I did set myself up for the 6^th grade parents to respond too much.  I asked them for their support in helping to keep the girls focused and calm.  I told them the girls were sometime rowdy, and unfortunately I didn’t think ahead of time on how to bring up the issue.  As soon as they heard this they said “Oh! No!  They know that is not to happen, so you just call me as soon as something happens!”  At least I know I have a great support team.  Some of the girls were in the room for this discussion and I saw them sink in their seats with their eyes down.  It’s been a work in progress for those girls.  They force me to raise my voice at them when they don’t listen to my stern commands to sit down and quiet down.  

After talking with one of my college friends (who now works with the 3^rd grade in my building) we realized a sad fact.  Some kids will only respond by correcting their behaviors when you yell at them.  It gives you a glimpse into what they probably hear at home.  As a teacher, you don’t want to yell at a student because you want to make school a safer and happier place for that student, but if they don’t listen to anything else, what else can you do?  

One of my 6^th grade students has shown improvement.  She has had behavior problems since last year and was recommended on probation to our program.  At camp and the farm she had some issues that have been addressed.  During summer school she had problems with calling out in class.  I have refused to answer students that call out in class and she has come to realize this.  She will correct herself and sit patiently until I call on her.  I praised her for this improvement by giving her an index card with a sticker and a statement of my praise.  She became excited and smiled when she read it and I’m hoping that this positive reinforcement will turn her around and shape her into the great student I know she can become.  This index card praise is a new thing that I am trying out.  I had done it once before for an 8^th grade student that I just did not get along with last year.  She has improved her focus and participation, which was a big step for her.  I’ve turned a new leaf with this student and have come to look at her in a new light.  

I’m hopeful that this year will run much more smoothly and my students, the parents and I will be much happier with the results.

Too Much Sex in the City

So as I sit in Penn waiting for my train ride home on this Friday evening with my majorly overpriced sandwich, I’m noticing the lasted fashion trend for the late teen/early 20s ladies.  Yes I fit that bill, but I never seem to get into the real trends of fashion (is that sad to say?).  There is this urge in me to go up to these ladies and ask them “What the hell are you thinking?”  They are decked out in their hug every curve and barely cover my butt black dresses, either strapless or spaghetti straps, and 4” heels.  Keep in mind, it’s the beginning of fall and it’s about 50 something degrees outside tonight.  I’m donning one of my pashmina scarves and ¾ length sweaters and feel like a total mom.  Working with my students has completely turned me into a 40 year old mom who has anxiety about what her daughter wears when she goes out of the house.  Except for me, my teenage daughter is every girl I see.  

I curse society for making sex appeal so outrageous.  Where did the days go when it was shocking to have a skirt just above the knee, or to have just a little bit of cleavage or your shoulders showing.  I wish all girls would learn the lesson that no guy is going to respect you at some bar or club when you’re dressed in what looks like one of those bathing suits from the 50s.

Was that the inspiration for these new dresses?  One girl in particular stood out to me and I decided to analyze her.  She was not very slender and her curves were just not in the best places.  She was wearing one of these dresses and it made me think either she’s completely full of herself and thinks she’s hot, or she’s insecure and is trying to hide it by being overly “sexy.”  I’m leaning towards the latter.  It’s these types of girls that worry me.  They are the ones that need a reality check and a make over with someone who can find clothes that fit them properly and that accentuate one area of the body that will make her and others feel she is attractive.  It’s possible that I watch too many Oprah and Stacy and Clinton makeovers. 

This whole thing about sex appeal reminds me of a billboard I saw one day with a friend of mine that really disturbed her.  I believe it was for Calvin Klein.  It had one girl topless sprawled over a guy on a couch with another guy slumped against the couch sitting on the floor, and two other guys laying around as well.  They all looked disheveled and it’s possible that they were about to kiss or at least you would assume that something was about to or just did happen.  It was hard to realize that it was advertising jeans. 

I guess in a world where “sex sells,” we’re never going to win the battle over our youth being too sexy.  All I can do is work with the girls I teach and hope that I can influence them to love themselves and their bodies enough not to desire this look of over exposure.

1 Day Down...

So I got through my 2nd first day of school as a teacher!  It felt so much easier this year.  What a difference it makes after finishing a year of teaching.  I have to say that it really helped being with the girls for 4 weeks over the summer as well.  I didn't have to do all the get to know you stuff but instead I jumped into my expectations and such that I put on my syllabus.  Yes, I made a syllabus for my middle school kids.  This was actually a great idea and I'm having them keep it in a binder that will have their tests and graded work so I can refer to it all year if needed.  

My class sizes are so small this year.  I have 11 6th graders (only 9 have showed up so far and we might lose one more), 12 7th graders (who are my homeroom girls and are awesome!), and 15 8th graders.  Luckily, in the 7th and 8th grade classes the kids that caused the major issues in those classes have moved on to other places.  This leaves us with classes that are very cohesive groups that are doing fairly well.  8th is still in the distracted and talkative mood that they were last year, but me and my colleagues are really trying to nip that in the bud.  7th grade is just kicking butt.  The only issue I had was them talking to each other too much about the topic I was trying to discuss with them during homeroom.  So at least they were on topic, they just wouldn't let me talk, but that got better towards the end.  They are the class that is following the rules the most and really standing out as role models for others.  I got really lucky with the homeroom choice.  6th is really struggling.  We have some students in that class that are just immature, and rightfully so.  It's going to be a task to try to mature them into middle school students that are responsible for their own actions.  

One of my goals this year is to keep in contact with parents more.  I decided to send home a Parent Contact and Info Sheet asking parents to tell me the best way to contact them and also some questions about the student's work at home.  I included questions about if they have a quiet space, if the parent has a chance to help the student, and how long they see the student doing work at home.  I wanted to get the parent's perspective on their student's work ethic at home so I can better understand how to help the student in school.  

So here starts my year of adjustments, learning and teaching!

If You Got The Feeling...

So here's my entry about my camp experience.

I agreed to join my girls at camp under the idea that I was going as just an extra set of eyes and to do a book study with the girls.  Little did I know I would be staying with the girls in their cabins.  Luckily I got a bottom bunk, because to me, climbing into bed on top of one of my students would have just been way too awkward for me.  One of the biggest downfalls of this arrangement, as you can probably imagine, is the lack of privacy.  This arrangement blurred the line of the student/teacher relationship.  I am closer with my students than some teachers become due to the small class size, single sex, and extended day program, but being this close was a little too much.  One of my colleagues was staying in the same cabin, just on the other side of the bathroom which split our cabin in half.  We would shower and dress before the girls woke up or after they were busy in activities to ensure that we had privacy.  For some reason many of the girls felt comfortable in their skin to bare it to others.  They also played around with opening doors and curtains on each other.  Not exactly what you want to happen to you as a teacher, luckily it never did.  

Another downfall was the sheer messiness we had to live in.  Having 36 people in one cabin equals a lot of clutter and dirt.  After breakfast, there was a designated time for cabin cleanup.  This included straightening cubbies, making beds, sweeping the floors and cleaning the bathroom.  Every morning there were fights about whose dirty underwear was on the floor and whose pjs were on other peoples beds.  I should have counted the number of articles of clothing that were thrown away during every cleanup due to the fact that no one would claim them as theirs.  I guess it was the lack of complete personal space and the absence of parental supervision that lead some of the girls to feel that they could be so messy.  I tried setting a good example by keeping my bed and cubby the neatest out of anyone's (which is a hard feet for me).  But I do have to congratulate the girls because one half of our cabin won the "Golden Sponge" for having the cleanest cabin for one of the weeks.  So they did pull through in the end.

One thing that was both good and bad was the singing during meals.  It was good because it brought good, clean fun into their lives and made meals seem like a family event.  It was bad because it was just so loud!  They would sing songs like this: "If you got the feeling, yea yea, let me see it in your head, uh uh uh uh uh.  (with head shake)"  And the song would continue with the shoulders, hands, hips, on the table, and feet.  I often left the dining hall with a headache and a smile on my face. 

I was really glad I decided to bring my knee high rain boots because the ground sure did get muddy.  Too bad I didn't heed the warnings about wearing flip flops around.  I was pretty good about that except the one day I decided to wear them (like one of my colleagues did the whole time we were there).  Sure enough what happens that one day?  I slip in some mud and fall while flipping over the top of my foot and spraining my ankle.  Just my luck.  Moments before this happened one of my students said, "Don't slip in the mud and fall."  She felt horrible and thought she jinxed me.  If only she knew how many times I've sprained my weak ankles.  This sprain wasn't bad and I decided to do a "hike" about 2 hours after the incident anyways.  Resiliency anyone?

The camp experience included two dances which occurred in the night.  Some of the girls got sooo excited and put on their best clothes to impress the boys.  But of course they acted like the shy middle schoolers that they are and barely danced.  Some spent most of their time walking back and forth across the room to gossip and giggle with different groups of friends, or just sat on the stage people watching.  It's so funny that even inner city kids with attitudes act just like the stereotypical awkward middle schoolers that you know and love.  I was really hoping for the awkward slow dance with arms out stretched and eyes wandering all over the room, but I unfortunately never saw it.  

The girls got to meet many other girls and boys from the city who go to all different schools.  This was great for them to share experiences.  They ran around sharing screen names and emails the last day, so I hope some of them keep in touch. 

Camp was fun and definitely a new experience for me, but would I do it again?  Not so sure.  It was good when I kept my distance and allowed the girls to experience things for themselves with their counselors.  But I also got to see a different side of some of my girls.  I may have to see what my next summer brings.

Now it's back to school...

"Help Me! I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!"

My grandmother is a wonderful woman but there are some things about her that makes you want to just sigh, shake your head and laugh.  One thing is her issue with certain commercials.  Some being the Gieco commercials like the one where a doctor tells his dying patient that he has good news but it's not that he will live but that he saved money on his car insurance.  She actually called Gieco to complain that their commercials were offensive.  This brings me to the title of this blog.  The other commercial she doesn't like is the one for LIfe Alert where the woman falls and says, "Help me!  I've fallen and I can't get up!"  I remembered this commercial while spending the past 2 weeks at sleep away camp with my students.

It was a real eye opener to be around my students 24/14.  I came to the realization that their generation is missing some pieces of social interactions that should have been taught to them by the middle school age.  

The first thing was their lack of knowledge on how to clean the cabin.  One student decided after getting her task of cleaning the bathroom sinks she would stand around by her bed.  She put off starting the task because she "didn't know what to do" or where to get the supplies.  This was a trend among most students during cabin cleanup and meal time.  The first few days I think the girls were a little put off that they actually had to do the work and couldn't rely on the adult of the house to do it for them.  This is when I heard the term "learned helplessness."  It perfectly describes how our youth are raised in a society where they are pampered and not expected to do the dirty work.  Of course this is not the case for all students, we had some extremely helpful ones among the bunch.  And I'll admit that I'm kind of among the bunch of "learned helplessness" kids.  The only difference is my attitude about it.  Some kids just have to be more proactive about asking for help when needed instead of avoiding the task given to them.  

The second was the lack of table manners among some of the kids.  It became pretty apparent that some of the girls were never taught proper etiquette.  Body posture was hunched, there was a lack of use of utensils, lack of serving technique, and most disturbing was the chewing with mouths open.  These are all manners that are often taught in the home during meal time.  After observing a student who lacked some of these manners, another adult and I inquired about her meal habits at home.  She said that most people in her house eat at separate times...bingo!  There's the reason.  In busy households kids don't have the opportunity to eat with the adults and therefore are not told to "chew with your mouth closed," "no elbows on the table," "use a fork and knife."  

This was something I tried to enforce at meals (the picking apart of beef with fingers was just not kosher).  Hopefully the girls remembered some of the lessons we tried to instill.  I tried to convince them it's better to have table manners so they don't scare away a guy on a date, since they're pre-teen and teen girls I figured it was the best motivation.  Unfortunately the girls don't have access to proper utensils during meals at school and often the food is finger food so it will be hard to continue the proper practice in school.  Maybe this can be an extra activity?  Occasionally having a sit down meal together?  I don't think the girls would mind a nice meal.

All in all camp was a decent success, but I'll share more about that in my next post.

Thanks Twitter!

So I have found a new love with Twitter.  I have found so many education connections that I can't keep up with all the good articles, videos, etc!  I have a running list of bookmarks to be looked at.  This makes me feel so connected, smart, savvy and well...educated. 

Here's a video that I came across a few days ago.  It's pretty powerful.  

This video reminded me of a poem my mom told me about when I began teaching:

Children Learn What They Live (1998)

By Dorothy Law Nolte (1924 - 2005)

If children live with criticism, they learn to condemn.


If children live with hostility, they learn to fight.


If children live with fear, they learn to be apprehensive.


If children live with pity, they learn to feel sorry for themselves.

If children live with ridicule, they learn to feel shy.


If children live with jealousy, they learn to feel envy.


If children live with shame, they learn to feel guilty.


If children live with encouragement, they learn confidence.

If children live with tolerance, they learn patience.

If children live with praise, they learn appreciation.

If children live with acceptance, they learn to love.


If children live with approval, they learn to like themselves.

If children live with recognition, they learn it is good to have a goal.

If children live with sharing, they learn generosity.


If children live with honesty, they learn truthfulness.

If children live with fairness, they learn justice.


If children live with kindness and consideration, they learn respect.


If children live with security, they learn to have faith in themselves and in those about them.


If children live with friendliness, they learn the world is a nice place in which to live.

As teachers, many of our students look to us to be their role model or parental figure because they are lacking support at home.  I find this with my students, some more than others.  We always have to be conscious of what we are doing around them and that we are acting how we expect them to act.  I have also found that when praise is given to the students who are doing the right thing more students will start doing the right thing, rather than punishing or pointing out the wrong actions.  Picking out the bad is not as effective as picking out the good.  

I love the last line of the poem: "If children live with friendliness, they learn that the world is a nice place in which to live."  It says nothing about fortune, opportunity, or materials.  It says friendliness, which I wish some of my students would be exposed to more.  So many of them view the world as harsh because they see so much of the negative from people and the media.  There are so many dangers out there it's hard to accept a little friendliness with out thinking about an evil motive behind it.  Every day on my walk to and from school I encounter my "friends."  These are older men who great me with a smile and either a "Hello darlin'," "Hi beautiful," or "You're lookin' good today."  Ok, I'm not trying to flatter myself, but they are acts of friendliness from men who are trying to show their neighborhood is welcoming.  I've come to recognize and make acquaintance with these men, but at first I would look straight at the ground and try not to make eyes with the "creepies."  But now that I've accepted their warmth, their gestures are endearing and make my day a little brighter.  I wish all children could experience this with out having to worry that the people are pedophiles or want to lure them into a trap.  If only the people would teach friendliness in its pure sense we would have a more beautiful world.

So lesson of the day: be a little more friendly, open and accepting.  You never know who you might influence and what affect it will have later.