Blackwater Bandits

So I just had to have my daily dose of the blog. I'm gonna need to wean myself off of BWP! :)
Tonight Kristin and I were in class and we had to listen to several presentations. Some of which we had to score and make suggestions for. We both said we felt like we wanted to write 100 things on the suggestions column just because of all the awesome things we learned in BWP and because of the AWESOME presenters we had! We called ourselves the "Blackwater Bandits." But we did try to be nice!!!
PS-We wore our Writing on the Edge shirts to class tonight...everybody was jealous! :)

Tech Tools for Educators

I came across this blog article on The Best Web 2.0 Applications for Education in 2008 and wanted to share it. I recognize several sites on the list such as Book Glutton, and I'm looking forward to exploring more of them this summer to see if any would be useful in my classroom. Hope you all have a relaxing July!

Looking Ahead

Yes, I'm still up, putting the final items in my portfolio. As I review them I realize how great it has been to work with and learn from each of you. I came in with very little experience in writing for pleasure. I have learned you can write about anything!! As long as it's meaningful to you, that's all that matters. Thanks for participating in my professional growth. 

Looking ahead...

Looking ahead…

The strategies and ideas that have accumulated over the past few weeks make me excited about returning to my classroom. One thing I am most excited about is developing a Social Studies unit to use with our 3rd grade curriculum. Before beginning Blackwater, I had some ideas spinning around on how to approach planning and preparing for such a time-consuming process. My idea was to create the curriculum into a “trip” we would all start on the first day of S.S. instruction. We will arrive by train, car, plane, whatever form of transportation to get to our destination. At our destination, the students will receive a CSI Case to solve (thanks Susan for this great idea), and this case will form the basis for instruction. I think I can pull up pictures of particular places on the smartboard so we can take pictures at our stops and create a travel scrapbook. The kids will also have passports since we study about Greece. Major U.S. Rivers is something we study in 3rd grade, and I think it will have a greater impact if I can tie a river into a person we study instead of in isolation. The one thing I really need to work on collecting for this venture is artifacts. Brian and Susan, any ideas/websites? Oh, and I can’t forget writing. My plan is for students to keep a daily log of the events and people they encounter on their trip. This creates an artifact for them to hold onto and return to at a later time.

That’s all I have for now…

Shameless Plugging

Ok, I'm working with eInstruct the company that owns the Mobi systems and ExamView. They have a new website "community" and are asking for people to check out the site, respond to blogs, use the lesson plans, etc found on the site. As a contributor to the site, I have to respond to blogs and posts, so I need people to respond to. If you guys wouldn't mind, check out eicommunity.com. Registration is free, and it would be nice to see your thoughts on the subject matter.

The future of me

The SI leaves me with bittersweet feelings about my teaching. I look back on my previous students and wonder how much damage I did to them and wish I could re-do the last 4 years. On the other hand, I am thrilled with the upcoming school year, not only because I will be teaching content and literature, but also because I have a chance to work with 3 different grade levels. I will also be able to document their progress as writers as I will have these students 3 years in a row, but unlike English, I will be teaching them different content each year. I can’t wait until my upcoming 6th graders take the Writing Assessment in 8th grade. I am anticipating the data from their scores already. I need to spend some time planning, but I’m hoping to have a file folder on each student, documenting his or her growth over the years. I wonder if any of that could turn into research for the NWP? It would be interesting to see with both Rebecca and me being fellows, how our students will do on both formal and informal assessments. Could we possibly foster new writers in our school? What if we had a revolution at our new school and encouraged many other teachers to become fellows themselves?? What if I could present to content teachers and show them ways to incorporate writing into the classroom? My mind is teeming with ideas on how to use my new knowledge. When dealing with other content teachers, I think I have an advantage being a language arts teacher, but I need to be careful. I want to have solid ideas and documentation of them working before I do any pushing on others. Maybe after a year of working in my new position, I can work with BWP and our curriculum director to encourage more writing across the content areas. Unfortunately, a lot of the skeptics will say, “That works for your gifted kids, but I have regular kids who can barely write a sentence.” I’ll need to use much of the research we’ve seen this summer to convince them that it can work with all students. I also have to work on my tone though so as to not come across as elitist and remember that I was one of the skeptics myself.

Will I always teach PreK?

I really enjoy teaching pre-K. I feel that it is very important to students have an excellent first experience with school. I also know, without being conceited, that I am really good with the four-year-old students. I am good at bringing things down to their level and explaining it in a way that they will understand. However, sometimes I feel that I need to teach older kids. I have so many strategies and ideas in my head that I want to use, and I just can’t use a lot of them with my young students. It can be so frustrating to have so many ideas in my head and not be able to actually use them. I wonder how long I will teach pre-K. I know chances are that I will not always teach pre-K. I am slightly amused by the teachers that have taught nearly every grade level. I can’t help but think how frustrating and exciting it must be at the end of the year to know that you are changing grade levels. I have worked so hard to get my pre-K classroom just how I like it, and I would totally stress out if I had to think of another grade levels organization and standards.
Is it good for teachers to try different grade levels? Should a teacher change grade levels if she is happy where she is or just stay? There are so many thoughts to ponder when it comes to this situation.
Where will I be next year?
5 years from now?
There is no telling. The only thing I know is that I hope and pray that I still have the health, ability, and willingness to be an awesome teacher that has an impact on my students’ lives.

Looking ahead

Wow, the thought of looking ahead is somewhat overwhelming right now. I have learned so much, and I don’t want to let go of any of it. I have met such wonderful people, and I want to continue these relationships. I want to make a difference in my schools and in my community. I want to use everything that I’ve learned to make a difference in this world. All too often, I attend a workshop and get fabulous ideas, but in the haste of life, I fail to implement them. I can’t ignore this stuff. It is too powerful. So, what do I do now? I have to sit down and revamp my ABAC class, and I have to plan how I want to deliver all the information I’ve learned to my previous school.

Also, looking ahead a few days, we will be in Disney!! I am so excited, but also nervous. I want to make sure everything goes well. I want the kids to have a fabulous time and not be overwhelmed too much. I want them to enjoy every bit of Disney without missing any parts. However, some of that is my responsibility. I’ve got to make reservations for dining, the princesses, etc. Oh dear! I have so much to do.

looking ahead...

I don't think it's really hit me that today's really the last day of the SI. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like not having this community to come to every day for knowledge exchange, laughter, support, and the occasional bit of stress thrown in there. I'm pretty sure we'll all suffer from withdrawal. I can't even put words on how this summer's institute has changed me. I'm scared to even go there because I think I will most likely cry if I start writing about it. I do know that BWP has revived my spirit and my teaching heart and made me excited about teaching again. I'm looking ahead in eager expectation of how my teaching will change once I'm back in the classroom. I'm also thinking of ways that I might fit into the puzzle of BWP post institute, even if I remain job-less this year. : ) While I know that I've learned so much, sometimes I wonder how much more I would have absorbed if I weren't going through so much personal CRAP. (yes, Donna... CRAP!) I wish I could have a re-do of this summer so I can just learn more and more! Well, I really wish that I could do the Summer Institute every summer for the rest of my life! I don't think I could ever get enough! (Ok, well maybe three and a half weeks separated by a school year is just right... the thought of doing the SI continuously with no break kinda freaks me out. Overload!) So, enough with the stuff that makes me teary eyed.

Looking Ahead – My Post-BWP To-Do List:

• Sleep… lots of pure, uninterrupted sleep between cool, 1000 thread count sheets in a perfect, 68° controlled environment. Bliss, pure bliss.
• Read… Currently perched on my nightstand and waiting to be cracked open: The Convenient Groom, Take 2 (Above the Line Series) by Karen Kingsbury, My Sister’s Keeper, The Shopaholic Series, and True Colors. Yay for reading!
• And while we're on the topic of reading, I want to start reading and re-reading classics that I've never read or want to read again. The Scarlet Letter, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Great Gatsby, some Faulkner, Of Mice and Men.... and who knows what else! I'm open for suggestions...
• Find (or make my own) awesome 4th of July plans… crap, is that really this Saturday?
• Clean my disgustingly dirty and ridiculously messy house.
• Pay bills.
• Catch up on movies that I haven’t rented and watched.
• FIND A JOB!
• Buy some new clothes – the SI has shown me how little I have to choose from in my closet.
• Get my car’s air conditioning fixed. $600 - $800 dollars. My car’s not worth much more than that. (Seriously, Lord? Do I really have to? Can’t you just drop a new car in my parking spot???)
• Move the contents of my classroom to a storage unit.
• Spend some time with my family... I've totally neglected them during BWP. The other day, my mom said "I have barely even talked to you over the past few weeks. I miss you." And it almost made me cry. You see, normally we talk every day... for at least 30 minutes. I missed Father's Day. I need to get home and love on my Daddy some. I may even let him convince me to help with the farm somehow so we can have some daddy-daughter time.
• Figure out what I'm wearing to Arthur and Erin's wedding... the one summer wedding I'm actually going to make it to. Yay for good friends, love, and marriage.
• Figuring out why my back feels like a million knives are sticking in it. Gah! WebMD.com, here I come! (I think I should write an Ode to WebMD... and self-diagnosis... which is my favorite thing!)
• Get a massage... a full hour massage! And a pedicure! Ooooo! Yeah!

Purple Heart Ceremony to Honor Lone Male Survivor

Wow! I cannot believe that I survived! Being the only male in a group of 20 women in a small room on the back side of the College of Educations where no one would ever witness foul play does warrant a need for celebration! This has been one of the greatest experiences in my life. I am looking forward to implementing the strategies that I have learned through BWP within my classroom. I look forward to working closely with my fellow BWP colleagues to provide professional development opportunities within our region to assist teachers with teaching literacy. Looking ahead, I am glad that I participated in BWP. I have grown professionally since the first day of class. I am extremely proud of the progress I have made and I am honored to have had the opportunity to work with such great people as the 2009 BWP fellows. It is not everyday that you meet and work with the quality of educators like the ones in BWP 2009. Looking ahead, I am excited about the endless opportunities that await me and the impact I can have on the lives of my students because of BWP.

Looking Ahead to Tomorrow and On

I'm looking ahead to lots of stuff:

• hearing the plans for closing ceremonies
• experiencing Carrie Beth's demo
• packing up the supplies for this year
• getting my hair cut sometime next week
• taking my niece to get her senior portraits done (I wrote about her last year in the ISI)
• reading portfolios
• putting together the anthology from this year
• getting together the brochure for next year
• going to the beach with Wes's family
• the birth of my nephew, John Wesley (how cool is it that they wanted to name their son after Wes!)
• having a clean house (I don't look forward to cleaning it, but I love the after-effects)
• teaching a brand-new class in the fall, Grammar and Style
• planning some work with VECA--although I'm a little worried about teaching sixth- and seventh-grade students
• reading the Leadership and Continuity surveys to see what roles people want to play
• playing on the Wii, which Wes hooked up last night

I look forward to more stuff than I dread. Although I tend to be more pessimistic about my abilities than optimistic, in general I'm an optimistic person. I like myself, my husband, my family, my colleagues, my job, my life. Yep, I want to be thinner, nicer, more social, but whether or not that happens, I like the me I am. I'd prefer to have a housecleaner and a cook and a gardener and a teaching assistant and a graduate assistant, but I'm okay with the tasks I must undertake.

This is not going where I thought I would go this morning. I thought I would be funny. I want to be funny, but I don't feel funny--or even particularly smart this morning. I'm overwhelmed by the end, the end of this group of people meeting daily, the end of getting new ideas on a daily basis for my classes, the end of yummy breakfasts, the end of seeing Rebecca for almost a fortnight (okay, that word made me smile--I don't think I've ever used it before), the end of having an excuse not to get Wes's books caught up, the end of an excuse for having a cluttered house.

Okay, maybe there's another way to look at this: I'm looking ahead to a fresh start: a chance to have a clean house, a chance to catch up on Wes's books, a chance to balance our checkbook, a chance to plan the VECA classes, a chance learn from Rebecca about the Holocaust, a chance to lose weight, a chance to exercise, a chance to dig my toes into the sand at the beach, a chance to teach a new class for the first time, a chance to hold John Wesley in my arms (as opposed to what, I wonder?), a chance to experience Philadelphia with BWP friends, a chance to contact my legislators to remind them of the importance of supporting NWP, a chance to polish and refine the personal and professional me. I'm looking forward to seeing what I do with that chance.

And I look forward to seeing what you all do with your new chance in August.

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead is often better than looking behind. The most obvious reason is that you may not like how your behind looks. Of course there's always realizing things you've done were not the smartest things in the world--so stop looking at your behind, and be polite and stop looking at others' behinds; no one's perfect.
Looking ahead means you don't have to look at yourself, which is a good idea. No one will ever be as hard on you as you are yourself. Looking ahead also means the chance to look past other people to see where they are going if you need some advice.

Fall semester is the biggest roadblock I see when I look ahead. Yea, an entire semester. I'm taking two classes, I'm teaching two classes, starting on my thesis, and trying to squeeze in a little time for fun. Looking behind all I see is BWP at the moment. I'm not nearly as nervous about teaching as I was a few weeks ago (was it only 3 1/2?), but now I have a new fear... apparently I say "um," and "like" a lot when I'm nervous. Sad because I know they're horrible fillers but I had no idea I was even saying them. I'm far more articulate in writing. Comes from writing hundreds of pages. But, good news is now I'm aware so I can be more deliberate in my speech. I hope.

Looking Ahead

There are a lot of things that are on my horizon.  One thing that I am most looking forward to now that the ISI is almost over is some time to clean the house before I leave for New York on Monday.  I know that it sounds strange that I would be looking forward to doing that, but considering that I am totally OCD and my house looks like a tornado ripped through it, it irritates me to no end that my house would be so messy.  Last weekend I cleaned the bathtub.  I revel in a clean bathtub.  There is something about it; I love me a clean tub.  (On a side note, I also love buying cleaning supplies even if I don't necessarily use them.)  But I can't stand to do it.  One reason why is because it aggravates my allergies.  I know; excuses, excuses.  But really, I do have a doctor's note.  The main things I'm allergic to are dust mites, mold, cats, dogs, trees, and grass.  So, when I do have to do house work, I usually end up feeling sick.  When I grow up, I think I'll have a maid.  :)  But first I need to get my house in order.  I would be too embarrassed to have someone come in at this point.    

I still need to mail Kayse and Baby Ari the books that I bought.  Kayse is now eight months pregnant.  I look forward to meeting Ari in August.  

I, despite my initial disappointment, am looking forward to the 2009-10 school year at Pine Grove.  One thing that I love about being a co-director is that I get to go through the ISI every year, and I go back into my classroom rejuvenated and excited.  I wonder how many teachers feel that way.  (Well, I can think of at least 16 people in this room.)  In some ways, I feel like I'm selfish because I get to experience the ISI every year, but I guess it's not because every year I share this experience with fifteen new teachers.  And an amazing life-changing and career-changing experience it is.  I have only great things to say about Blackwater and Dr.  Donna Sewell.     

I would not be going to New York for the Holocaust Seminar if it were not for Donna.  I would not be on the Literacy Task Force at the Georgia Department of Education if it were not for Donna.  I would not be as far along in my Master's in English if it were not for Donna.  I don't think that I would have the confidence that I have, both personal and professional, if it were not for Donna.  (I don't know if she really wants to take credit for that one.  j/k)    Maybe I need to write an Ode to Donna.  :)  

My connection to Donna goes back now over ten years.  If I remember correctly, I first met her at a junior when she taught me ENG 307.  That would have been Spring of 1997.  Then I went through the ISI in 2007.  What was purely a teacher-student relationship has evolved into a friendship for me, so much so that if and when I run off to get married, Donna and Wes will be on the short list of guests.  (Lindsi, Ben, and Anna included as well, of course.)  

At the risk of sounding cliche, I feel like we are family.  And I feel blessed that I have 15 people added to my family every year.                   

The Things I Carry

I carry...

• an unbelievable capacity to procrastinate
• an undeniable love for literature
• an urgent desire for diet coke and/or mountain dew
• a soft spot for coffee
• a fear of failure
• a competitive nature to be the best
• incredibly large thighs and butt
• an insulin pump
• my Fossil purse because it was way too expensive and I bought it anyway
• a strong desire to pull fire alarms and push open "Emergency Exit Only" doors
• guilt for having a father who adores me, while the same man left Misty
• every child I've ever met
• an inclination to avoid my family
• a small twinge of regret when my family ignores me
• a sweet tooth...despite my diabetes
• several writing projects that have yet to make it to paper
• a stong envy of anyone who can sing well naturally
• an even stronger envious streak of naturally skinny, athletic people
• a desire to create master pieces
• the expectations of Southern women, no matter how hard I try to escape them
• a rebellious streak...ok not really, but I wish I did
• PENS!!!!!