Category Archives: Reflections on teaching

It’s trash now

Family, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

For some reason I started reorganizing my desk area today. Soon enough, I hated it all. I want to declutter, but that’s a summer job, not a my kids are at special job.

“I hate this all.” I said to my student teacher and my partner teacher. I picked up a big golden bell that I’ve had for years.

“That’s a great bell.” One of them said to me right as I said, “Should I throw this away?”

Of course they were shocked, why would I throw such a great bell away?

“Do you use it?” My partner teacher asked.

I rang it and said, “I used to. It’s a great bell. But, it says ‘# 1 Teacher: Ms. Feinberg’ on it.”

We talked briefly about how we might re-label my bell so it would not have my old married name on it. But alas, it is carved into metal. I put it back on my shelf to think about later, and went to get something in the hallway where I saw the para next door.

She asked how I was, and of course, I said, “I’m fine but I started organizing and now I hate everything and probably need to throw away my bell.” I have this problem of actually answering how I am when people ask.

I marched back in my room, grabbed my bell, told my para I was throwing it away. She was aghast. Like I said, it’s a great bell. But when I showed her the name on the bell, she understood.

I thought there should be some ceremony to this, so I took a picture, rang the bell one last time and threw it away.

Decluttering is like divorce I guess.

I have lots of ways to expand on that analogy, but I’ll let you make your own analogy adventure.

Our Safety Tips

Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

Last week we needed to reset our expectations a bit. Thursday we talked about what “Act Safely” meant, and of course I pulled out one of my old favorite books: Officer Buckle and Gloria. So many of my students hadn’t ever read it before, which was a pleasant surprise, but also made me realize how old the book is, and in turn, how old I am.

But, whatever. It’s a fun book, and I stand by my choice.

On Friday, we wrote our own safety tips to add to a poster we are making.

Today I went to school and glued the safety tips to the poster.

And I think it’s amazing.

Some of my second-graders stuck to the plan – safety tips for school:
No running in the hallways.
Never stand on a chair.
Call when someone needs help.

Some got right to the dramatic point:
Do not fight.
Do not throw sharp stuff at someone’s eye.

Some were very detailed:
Do not share food.
Never put your hands in your mouth and your fingers in your nose.

Some were more big picture:
Listen to stay safe.
Always work together.
Never hit someone’s heart. You can’t do that ever. Never. Ever.

And a few…A few widened their lens to outside of school:
Never cross the road without looking left and right.
Don’t run out in the road when a car is coming.

And of course, “Safety Tip 100,000,”
never jump off a cliff.

I feel safer already.

Once I Was on a Committee

Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

Once I was on a committee. We met a lot.

These were the old days. So, sometimes our meetings were in huge conference rooms at the Ramada. Sometimes we met in an old room of an old building that was once a school, and now is, I don’t know – nothing?

We met in big groups, we met in smaller groups. We unpacked standards and literally cut them up to tape them on big posters to help us understand what they meant. We created big umbrella understandings and essential questions. We learned so much. We learned about the standards, about understanding by design, about learning, about curriculum, about teaching, about collaboration…

We didn’t always agree. We even argued. I mean sometimes it got intense.

Have you ever been in a room full of teachers who are passionate about their craft?

Oh, we spoke our minds.

Out loud.

Out loud.

At the end of the year an administrator came to our classrooms in all our different buildings and thanked us in front of our students for taking the time to serve the district, even though it meant writing sub plans, and being out of our classroom. Our students clapped for us.

Then the next year, and for something like a decade more, we met, we worked, we disagreed, we learned. I used to joke that we were really practicing the speaking and listening standards that we were unpacking.

You might laugh at me, but once, in the old days, I was on a committee. We met a lot. We spoke our minds. We learned so much.

A little slice of empathy

Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

The other day we were listening to two books for March Book Madness. One of them was called “The Book that Almost Rhymed,” and my students looked at me excitedly.

“You are going to LOVE this!” One of my kids told me, brightly smiling.

See, my kids know that I love rhyming. In fact, they think I might be the world’s best rhymer. (Shhh… it’s okay if they keep thinking that. I’m fine with that. . . ) They cheer for me when they hear any rhymes. This actually makes sense, because I do like to collect fun rhymes.

By “collect,” I mean I like to smile or laugh, repeat the rhyme a few times, and then accidentally forget it forever more.

We started to get ready to listen to the book, and we heard the title again, “The Book that Almost Rhymed,”

That same bright smiling student shook her head with empathy. She looked at me and said, “I wish it would — for you Ms. Gabriel.”

Spring Break Reset

poetry, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

We went back from spring break today.
It was also a two-hour delay.
As I’m learning, breaks from school make us forget.
Procedures need reviewed,
we need a routine reset.
I get it, I do.
I need a reset too.

But, even though I’m not
surprised
it’s hard not to
roll my eyes.
Like, can I be more blunt?
A line is where someone’s behind you,
and
someone’s in front

I’m sure you will agree
There’s not that many good reasons
to interrupt me
and please, in general
pick a better time
a non direction-giving time
to sharpen your pencil.

I’m glad you are done, or
think you are done
(or are wondering what you are supposed to do)
or need some one on one.
I know waiting is tough,
you’ve had enough.
I get, I do.
I need a reset too.

Saturday Confessions or something

Family, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

Another person asked me today, “How long until you can retire?”
So basically now I have a complex.
I mean, I’m using the under eye cream my daughter gave me for Christmas, so what’s going on, folks?

I drove by my old street today and told my dog, “Hey! That’s where I used to live when I was a kid, right there.”
I pointed and he turned his head to look out of the window.
Totally normal, nothing to see here.

Somehow today I didn’t do any school work. None! This should feel relaxing, but it turns out… not so much.
I guess it doesn’t matter how much you work during Spring Break, you still won’t feel ready for school to start again.

Today my son flew back from Spain, he’s on his way from JFK right now so I am playing a little game called “How much TV can I watch to pass the time?”
In other news, there are never enough Thin Mint cookies, and it doesn’t really matter how many you buy.

More spring break please: Some poems

poetry, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

More Spring Break, Please: A Limerick

There once was a teacher at home
For spring break she did not roam
She did a few chores instead
watched Gilmore Girls and read
”Just one more week!” she pled.

A Teacher on Break: A Clerihew

A teacher on break
Has so much at stake
There’s only one week to fill
So instead of chores, she chills!

Short Spring Break: A Than-Bauk

I did not know
Break was so short
But, oh! It was

Last day: A Monostich

this day, this Friday, is the last day before the two day weekend, then school.

Poetry form ideas from here.

Spring Break Progress Report

Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

After spending a chunk of this beautiful Spring Break day working on my progress reports, I thought it might be a good idea to give Spring Break its own.

Spring Break Progress Report

Rests Fluently: Approaching grade level standard
Pleasure Reads: Approaching grade level standard
Applies skills and strategies to comprehend what a Break is: Not yet meeting grade level standard
Spends time with Family: Approaching grade level standard
Evidence of Chore To Do List being completed: Not yet meeting grade level standard
Writes to share an opinion, tell a narrative or give information: Meeting grade level standard
Communicates Mathematical Thinking by getting Taxes Done: Not yet meeting grade level standard
Demonstrates Signs of Spring: Consistently
Gather and apply information from maps to travel: Not Currently Emphasized

Comments: Spring Break has consistently been working hard to show signs of spring. The warm weather is appreciated by everyone! Spring Break is working on knowing how to rest fluently but it’s hard for it to totally detach from work, or truly know what a break is. Continuing to practice its pleasure reading skills will go far in making it more confident to put off the pressures of the upcoming school week, and relax with a book. Although Spring Break has spent some time with its family, it would need all children home in order for it to meet the standard. I am impressed by how Spring Break keeps writing even when it’s tricky, or it is tired! I will continue to encourage Spring Break to check things off of the to do list including the tax mathematics. Getting these things done will go far in helping Spring Break have the confidence it needs to continue growing. Maybe next year Spring Break will be ready for a new unit of study: Using Maps for Travel.

Dusty fingers

Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!

I think I have the dust from 500 old books under my nails and in my nose
but
there are
so
many
things
(not just books)
in a school closet

post its
magnets
foam rectangles
yarn (in tangles)
buttons, beads
soil, seeds
toilet paper tubes
and unifix cubes
exactly how many popsicle sticks does one grade level need?

I have wise words for anyone who, like me
can’t concentrate on report cards until a closet is clean—
don’t do it yourself, you need to be a we, a team!
sorting, storing, supporting
throwing away trash, moving bin upon bin
hoping the trash can still has room for more trash to fit in
finding more popsicle sticks at every turn
(the amount of stuff in this closet was a real concern)

lucky for me
I teach with Becky
who seems to agree
that a big job is an adventure
and adventures are better with laughter


The Kind of Day it’s Been

Reflections on teaching, Slice of Life

This slice is part of 
of the March Slice of Life Challenge on  Two Writing Teachers! #sol25. I’m slicing every day in March. Thanks for stopping by!


I’m accepting gold stars for making myself go to my canceled, rescheduled, canceled, rescheduled dentist appointment today.

I really didn’t want to go. My day was already a day. Plus it’s a new dentist since my dentist retired and he’s’ nice enough but he’s not my dentist. I mean, he’s my dentist, but he’s not . . . My dentist. Just my new dentist.

My new dentist asked me what I teach, and then he threw me off. He asked me if I was Pennsylvania born and bred, and then, get this, he said “Oh, great! And you’re still working?”

Um. Do I look like I’m retired? How old do you think I am?

It was a long day, that’s all. I might be in my pajamas because it was pajama day at school today, but I’m not retired! It’s the kind of day it’s been. I’m just plain tired.

Speaking of planes.

My son is on one flying to Zurich after being stuck in Philadelphia since yesterday. Then he’s off to Spain.

So maybe I’m a little on edge.

I apologized to my student teacher today, I explained I was feeling the anxiety creep in. He said, “I can tell,” with raised eyebrows.

Cool, cool, cool.

It’s the kind of day it’s been.

But, it was pajama day which I fully support. (Suggestion: Maybe once a week would be appropriate.)

Lucky for me, I got to go to the dentist today, in my pajamas, with my anxiety. That’s sarcastic luck, friends. It’s the kind of day it’s been.

The hygienist, making conversation, as they do, said “Oh when my son, he’s 19 now, a few years ago he convinced me to watch Sweet Magnolias. Have you watched that? It’s a really sweet show about a group of women who are there for each other through all the ups and downs of life. The little town they live in is just full of people looking out for each other.”

I laughed, even though her hands were in my mouth, and she took a break, as they do, so I could respond.

“Well I guess there are different kinds of teenage sons,” I started, “because my 18 year old son, a few years ago, he convinced me to watch Breaking Bad. I feel like that might be the opposite kind of show.”

She asked me if it was a good show, and what it was about. I told her the basics, and then said, “it’s actually a really great show once you get past the episode where they have to get rid of the body with the acid. And you have to be okay with the violence and the drugs and the language.”

“Oh, so just those things to get past?” She said, and we laughed.

I don’t think we talked much after that. It’s the kind of day it’s been.

But, when I was leaving she said, “Breaking Bad? I’m going to try it.” The hygienist in the next room looked out at us and said, “Breaking Bad? Are you corrupting Renee?”

I am. It’s the kind of day it’s been.

Wait until I tell her about Better Call Saul.