rotating block....

Okay so I teach Spanish 1, Spanish 1/A, and Spanish 1B all on a rotating block schedule where the periods are entitled 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8B.  My chapters are divided into chapter 1A and chapter 1B and so on. 

That is a LOT of number/letter combinations that my little brain cannot contain.  so to make myself a cheat chart of the schedule, I took pictures of my classes as a whole and let them pick a random, silly name to name that class.  Some examples of the silly names that they picked were "purple penguins", "fish tacos", "renesmee"...yeah, they were weird.  But it helped my confuzzled brain!!!

Here is one of my classes congregating around the 'round table' for a picture.  Aren't they adorable?!?  I am a blessed teacher...most of the time!  :)

my new seating arrangement...

I put the seats in a circle to promote communication and group learning.  It has been wonderful.  The kids love it, and they feel much more comfortable because everyone feels equal.  I will sit in a different student desk each day so that I am constantly rotating around the room.  We are the 'spaniards of the round table!' 

Another great aspect of this arrangement is that I can have rotate them to work in pairs or small groups, have them make up an activity and pass it over two desks (etc) to do review each others work or notes, and the possibility list goes on and on

cheer/pom

 
So I was talked into taking on the jr high pom squad and I've wound up with the cheer squad too, due to schedule changes.  I have games at least once a week and practice every other day with 27 precious and dramatic teenage girls.  


Here is a picture of them putting my three-year-old (going on thirteen) in a pyramid while we were waiting for the game to start.  I have them come early to make sure their hair looks good or I'll redo it! :)  They really are sweet girls to put up with my control freak ways!  HAHA

8th grade team

I am a member of the 8th grade team.  I took the class on a field trip to the 4-H Center in Ferndale, Ar for team building activities in September.  We had a great time.  We even had a dance one night and I was the DJ.  I wore a 1980's prom dress over my jeans and class t-shirt.  The kids were so cute...they said, "Mrs. Rogers, you look pretty."  They thought I was serious.  After I told them that I was just being silly, they were so relieved.  They thought I had totally lost it. :)  Sadly, there are no pictures of me and my dorky get-up...that's the beauty of being the photographer...you are hidden, safe!

zip line!!!  we embraced the dorkiness of the harness and helmets.

the students had to work together to flip the tarp over while everyone was still standing on it...they could not step off of the tarp....they never figured it out but worked for an hour...it was like torture to watch them try, try, try and not be able to help.  As a teacher, and a naturally bossy person, I wanted so badly to tell them how to do it!

this guy stepped off and we had to restart!

pictures!

So I finally figured out how to get this pictures onto my blog....
I modeled, modeled, modeled!  We were reviewing a list of tough vocabulary for a test.  I showed them how to draw a web diagram for each word, then we did one together, then I let them work independently.  After ample time, I let them come to the board and write what they had done.

the teacher's funeral...spoiler alert! :)

YaY!  I loved this book!  I have been dreading this book which has been in my desk drawer for an entire semester.  I was so ignorant that I thought it would be some cheesy way to tell me how to be a better teacher.  I was completely wrong.  It is extremely cute, and the 'how-to-be-a-better-teacher' message was so indirect that it seemed to not have been the point of the book...it was just extremely entertaining.  The point of the book is to show students that teachers are not all bad.  I loved how Russell Culver was won over...transformed from a school-loathing rebel to an unlikely teacher's pet...by his big sister.  

(Side note:  I cannot understand, though, how at the age of fifteen he still did not know the difference between an attractive girl and a big girl.  He sees his sister as this huge, loud girl, and the rest of the characters are completely taken with her looks.  That's my only complaint, promise!)

In the beginning, Russell's metaphors for education are darkness, jail, torment; he wants the school to burn to the ground and be closed forever.  The darkness only deepens when his big sister (Tansy) takes over as the new teacher; he plays pranks on her to discourage her.  The middle of the book allows Russell to meet some characters (Glenn Tarbox) who see education as their only hope and way out of a completely backward hoosier lifestyle.  Russell begins to see, in the lives of others, how education can be a positive path to success instead of a hindrance to his dreams.  By the end of the book, Russell actually wants the school to succeed and he works hard to help Tansy get her provisional teaching license.  The final transformation of Russell comes when Tansy gets in his face in the kitchen and tells him that she only took the teaching job to get him through the 8th grade.  She then challenges him to finish high school and go to Purdue.  She seals the challenge with a dose of guilt by telling him that their youngest brother, Lloyd, will only succeed in life if he has a great role model in Russell. 

My favorite character....well, it's a toss up.  I loved Mr. Culver.  He was simple yet smart.  He was in control without being a control freak.  He got his point across to his children with subtlety and gentleness, and they took heed to his message even though they were rather roudy.  I also loved the quirkiness of Aunt Maud.  She is insecure and useless in many ways...she can't cook, she smokes, she is a chronic complainer, she is private to a fault....but she turns out to be the famous secret poet of the county. I also loved Charlie and Glenn for their love and adoration of Tansy.  They both swallowed their pride and put themselves in an uncomfortable situation, on the recitation bench with a 6 year old, for love. 

The most enjoyable part of the book for me was the accent with which the characters spoke.  I love accents in everyday life, so of course I am going to love a book (and an author) who adds accents to the written text.  It takes more time and effort, but it help to bring the book and the characters to life. 

I would love to have my students read this book.  I will encourage them to read it, but it is not something that can easily be tied to my Spanish curriculum. 

esperanza rising

Esperanza Rising is written for younger readers than myself, so it was quite a quick read, which is usually a good thing.  While reading this book, I felt like my 12-year-old self!  The nostalgic feelings I felt while reading soon ended since the book only lasted for a few hours. 

I would love to have my students read this book because it introduces them to a side of Spanish that they do not know.  They view Spanish as the language spoken by their house cleaners or their gardeners.  This book opens to a fairy-tale set on a Mexican vineyard that quickly turns into a heartbreaking story of survival that even the boys of my class would enjoy.

This book would be so positive for students on many levels:  Students who have recently experienced loss can relate to Esperanza because her father dies.  Students who are wealthy or privileged can watch a similar girl, Esperanza, lose every material possession and still find happiness and joy; they can also see second hand how important it is to remain humble before you are forced to be humble.  Students who are of a lower socioeconomic status can relate to the struggle of Esperanza and her new family of lower class status.  Students who deal with racial prejudices, which is every student today, can see how Esperanza suffered and dealt with prejudice.  Students who are racist towards immigrants, especially Mexicans, are given a view of Mexican immigrants that will differ from negative stereotypes.  All of these points make great topics for open-ended discussion about real-life situations. 

I am planning to have my 7th grade students read this book in the second semester.  I am confident that they will enjoy the book and learn more than they may initially realize. 

28 de noviembre

Testimony of how my mini-lesson #1 went when I actually taught it in my class...

Side note: I did this first mini-lesson wrong for our crit lit class, but my students learned from it in spite of their air-head teacher.  

I showed my students how to compare the two different type of articles in Spanish...definite and indefinite.  To do this I first created a concept circle to go over the definite and indefinite articles in English.  

Do you know what they are?  Most English speakers do not even think about this, and most Spanish speakers do not either.  In English, the definite article is 'the' and  the indefinite articles are 'a/an'.  In Spanish, however, there four definite articles and four indefinite articles.  

After I reviewed the articles in English and taught all eight Spanish articles, I asked the students to think of other English grammatical elements that we never think of when we speak, but we must learn in school.  Different classes thought of different elements, but one of the most popularly mentioned element was present and past participle.  We made a concept circle to organize participles in English.  This will be something that we cover in Spanish later on, so it will come back to help us in the future. 

It was so cute to see how their little faces lit up when they realized that something that I was teaching them in Spanish class might be beneficial in another class!

28 de octubre

Great day...

Last football game is tonight.

My students brought me a cake for my birthday

and my husband surprised me with lunch, dressed up in a policeman costume.  

I am so thankful to work with such great co-workers!  Two teachers are covering for me tomorrow so that I can go watch my daughter in the Halloween Day parade and go to her Halloween party. 

I have really been thinking about how to change my lessons to include several different strategies.  I think Dr. Z said to use 5.  I am trying to decide what 5 will be the most beneficial for my class.  Any advice?

15 de octubre

Es viernes!  It's Friday!  The weeks are starting to fly by, the students seem to have the hang of my Spanish class, and I am so happy for the cooler weather.  

Question:  Does anyone wish that teachers got to wear a uniform or scrubs? 

I would love my job so much more if I did not have to decide what to wear.  What is modest?  What is professional?  What do I look decent when wearing?  What will be comfortable?  What will be semi-flattering?  Where is the line between being fashionable and flashy?  I HATE this process that I deal with daily.  

The problem of what to wear is only compounded when you live on a teachers' salary, when you have extremely long legs so it's hard to find clothes that fit well, and when you have don't want to wear traditional 'teacher' clothing.  You know...denim vests with apples and chalkboards on them? 

11 de octubre

Well, it's picture day here at our school.  FUN!  Don't you just love it when you have random interruptions in your class: picture day, pep rallies, assemblies with less than exciting speakers.  I hate it when one class gets behind the other class.  My brain can't keep it all straight, it seems.  

Good news: I have finally gotten a handle on my schedule (grading papers, making lesson plans, creating activities).  I can always improve, but things are better.  This year has been so hard because I do not have a plan on my B days.  

Great news: our Thanksgiving in-service days have been canceled and the hours are going to be spread out over the year!  WOOHOO!  That is especially great news since my lease is up Nov 23 and I will more than likely be moving that week. 


Last week was so insane that I did not have a moment to make any posts, and it was really a blurrrrrrrr so I can't remember any high points to share now.  Since it is Monday, and thankfully it has been uneventful so far, I have nothing more to post.  I'll update as soon as something noteworthy takes place. 

treinta de septiembre

I am so thankful to be done with a month and almost to Friday!  This week I went with the 8th grade team and the entire 8th grade to the 4H Center in Ferndale for a two day leadership development camp.  We did the zip line, canoed, fished, hiked, archery, and several team-building a life skill-teaching activities. On Tuesday night, we had a dance, and yours truly was the DJ.  It was hilarious.  They were so cute to watch as they tried to figure out who to dance with.  Miraculously, we had no inappropriate dancing.  I wore a 1980's red prom dress over jeans and a t-shirt, accessorized with multi-colored beads and earrings and bangles.  Some of the kids were so cute, because they couldn't tell if I was joking or serious with my costume.  Some girls seriously said, "Mrs. Rogers, you look so nice."  After I said, "Sweetheart, I am just being goofy," their reply was "O thank goodness."  It was a great trip because I had the opportunity to bond with students and see them bond with each other.  

While I was gone, my classes were obviously very good for the substitute, because she did not leave me any notes, only the absence report.  The kids didn't finish all of their work, though, so maybe she/he was just a push-over. :): Who can ever know for sure!

Well, I am off to CHOM practice (cheer and pom).  I gave my six months notice today that I will NEVER do cheer or pom again.  Surely they can find someone in six months time.  I thanked the athletic director and my principle for the opportunity to realize that my calling in life is NOT to be a CHOM sponsor.  :)

veintidos de septiembre

Well, first Saturday class down, five more to go!  The time actually went pretty fast for me.  Time is going pretty fast in the rest of my life.  And I don't have enough time to get everything done.

For the first time in over three years of teaching, I did not have a class' test graded by the next class.  Having half of the planning time that I am used to is starting to catch up to me.  I absolutely must revise my lesson plans and work for the students because I honestly don't have enough time to grade all of their homework, projects, quizzes, tests, and composition notebook writings.  I honestly think that I am creating more work for myself than I ever have, and I have less time than I have ever had to get this amount of work done.  (that may have been a terrible sentence, sorry)

My voice is getting into the 'teacher groove.'  I was coming home each day with a sore throat and a hoarse voice.  This week, I have only had a sore throat, and I am no longer hoarse.  Which may be a bad thing because now I can return to choir which only adds another activity that I don't have time for!

My students are really starting to get the hang of things.  We have had our second chapter test in three of my classes, Spanish 1.  Their grades and reflection on the test, something I conduct the day after each test, were very encouraging.  I like to make sure that students did not feel surprised by any questions or unprepared. Their behavior is improving, as well.  

I have a big test of my teaching ability coming up this Friday and again next Tuesday and Wednesday.  I am going to be gone on field trips and a sub will take over.  I have reviewed my routines over and over.  I have had the students practice them.  I have everything as 'ready' as I know how.  I will update you all next week on how it all went down! :)

One of the things that I am most excited about this year is my course's emphasis on  culture and stories of all 20+ Spanish-speaking countries.  I need to tailor my presentations and assignments on these countries, so that I do not need 8 hours to grade them.  But I am excited none the less.  I am also excited about the "Pobre Ana" Readers that I am using.  My students are responding very well- better than I anticipated- to this authentic text. 

el ocho de septiembre

This is going to be a great year, but the beginning has nearly killed me.  Remember when Donna advised us to not get pregnant or try to move or anything too stressful during this year....I listened, I really did.  But I did not obey.  I have volunteered to have an exchange student this year. I have no plan period every other day this year; and I have the pom squad drama already in full swing.  But thankfully I am not pregnant and I talked my husband out of moving until next summer.  I have literally been getting home at 5:00 and taking a nap for an hour or so before cooking dinner, fixing lunches, bathing, and going back to sleep as SOON as possible. 

On a positive note, this crazy schedule has given me a new outlook on life.  I used to hate rainy days.  Now I love them, because it means that I have a great excuse to not fix my hair.  Not that I fix it too much for non-rainy days.

In the words of Tony the Tiger, my classes are grrrreat!  I am teaching three Spanish 1 classes, two Spanish A classes, and one Spanish B class.  I also have a class period for Pom/Cheer.  My Spanish A classes are all seventh graders and they are adorably scared of me.  Respect and healthy fear is so endearing! They listen and participate and try!  It's wonderful.  They don't think they are too cool for Spanish which is what the upper school students think.   I have two high school classes, 9-11 grade, and they do drive me crazy.  But I am giving them " **** from bell to bell" like Dr. Snow advised.  So I think I am driving them crazy, too. 

I can feel an improvement in my teaching this year over last year.  I don't know if that is due to the fact that this is my second year here, or if I am already the wiser teacher for having completed 12 hours of MAT courses. 

All in all, I think that this year is going to be great.  It can only get better, right?