#sol17 March 7 A slice of Tae Kwon Do

March 7, 2017Family, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

E is feeling shy. He has watched his brother and sister in Tae Kwon Do class, at tournaments and during belt tests. He has watched Master Y tell the class they are doing a great job, and he has watched Master Y give a little serious talk to the class when they need to practice. He is worried about what nickname he might get, since his brother has been called roadkill and dumpster. But, he knows that Master Y has promised not to give him a nickname yet, so he has finally agreed to take a trial Tae Kwon Do class. Nervous and dressed in a hand me down uniform, he jumps out of the car, but steps away before we reach the door.

“I’m not going.” He says, and his face is so worried, I want to tell him he doesn’t have to. But instead I lead him in, and we bow. One of the teachers comes over and says hello. They walk on the mat, but suddenly he is back, his face buried in me, crying.

“You can do this! You’ll have fun. Take a deep breath. Let’s go.” I lead him back to the group.

I smile and hide a laugh as he attempts some of the warm-ups. We will have to work on jumping jacks and sit ups at home. He spends the rest of the class in a small group of new, young students and Mr. Thought and I watch.

Every time I stay and watch a Tae Kwon Do class, I reflect on how it compares to my classroom. The most obvious things I notice are the signs of respect and rule following. The “Yes, Sirs” and the “Yes, Ma’ams,” the possibility of extra sit ups if you are disrespectful, and the way that Master Y looks at you when you really mess up. His eyebrows become scrunched up, lip curled sarcastically. You never know what he is going to say.

It might be easy to glance quickly and think that the Tae Kwon Do teachers are overly strict, almost rude or even disrespectful to the students. There are nicknames given to students that don’t sound very nice, and public displays of sarcastic humor directed at individuals. When H answers a question with “Practice?” Master Y feigns shock and says, “I can’t believe that word just came out of your mouth! Am I hearing things? My ears must not be working.” He shakes his head and calls on someone else.

But when you widen your lens, the love and care are actually the biggest things, right there in the forefront of this class. Praise is given when it’s earned, and it is given for effort and practice. Students are corrected quickly, but not with anger or judgement. The black belts walk around correcting stances, punches, kicks by simply putting the student’s hand, foot, leg where it should be. A student who forgets to add “Sir” is simply reminded to do it. Nobody shouts, “You will respect me!”

I don’t quite know what to do with the differences that I’m noticing, but as I am busy reflecting, class is over. The students are called to cool down, take attendance and recite the school’s tenets:modesty, perseverance, self control, indomitable spirit, courtesy and integrity.

E runs over, a smile on his face. “Did I do a good job?”

As E gets a gatorade, Master Y comes up to ask us what we think, will E sign up? We tell him that we will talk it over at home to see what he wants to do.

But, a few minutes later, I ask “What do you think? Do you want to sign up for regular class?” He does. And, he doesn’t want to wait to call later. So he and his brother and sister walk back to the office to tell Master Y the great news.

H gives E his funny fake nose/eyebrows glasses as a reward for being brave, and as we walk out, Master Y smiles and says, “I have a nickname picked out for you already. Groucho!”

#sol17 March 6 A slice of complaint

March 6, 2017poetry, Uncategorizedonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

Allow me a complaint poem. . .

Elimination diet, I’m so tired of you
Breakfast: Coffee with almond milk
More almond (butter) in my oatmeal, and
Lunch: Veggies, with a few cashews
All day, I drink water, that’s nothing new
Salted homemade popcorn for a snack,and
Dinner: Veggies again,
With spices and some tofu
It’s fine, not a horrible thing to have to do
Such a first world problem – not a problem,
A stupid thing to complain about. But,
Elimination diet, I’m so tired of you

#sol17 March 5 A slice of Pretzels, Mustard, and Icees

March 5, 2017Family, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

Yesterday I took the boys on a spring break trip to target. We are exciting around here, I know. They were hungry, so before we shopped, we sat down for the healthy lunch-snack called “Pretzels, mustard and Icees.” (And water for sugar-free me…)

As the boys ate, I noticed.

I noticed the way H took his Icee lid off to use his spoon. I took a deep breath and forced myself not to remind him that can get messy.

I noticed a boy, maybe 14, sitting by himself, in the cafe but with nothing to eat. I wanted to offer to buy him a pretzel, but that probably wouldn’t make sense. He was probably just waiting for his grown-up.

I noticed that E used a lot of mustard packets for his pretzel.

I noticed when the Target cafe worker left for quite a bit.

I noticed when the next customer came and waited. She must have been in a hurry. She waited for about 15 seconds, asked us if someone was working the counter, yelled “Hello?” and then walked off in a huff. She said as she left, “This is ridiculous! This is the second time they’ve done this to me.”

I noticed when the soda machine suddenly started spitting ice. The boys decided it must be haunted.

I noticed when the Icees were done, and the pretzels were suddenly leftovers. So we grabbed a cart and started our journey into the actual store… on the hunt for legos and books.

#sol17 March 4 A slice of Data

March 4, 2017Reflections on teaching, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

I’m sitting in a faculty meeting trying to fall in love with data. I am. I get it: Triangulate data to help students grow. I am making friends with assessment this year as an instructional tool. I am, I promise. I’m a little stuck because I can’t love test data that helps us streamline instruction in order to help students do better at that test. That seems like a vicious circle to me… and an odd priority. But, I’m trying to make friends with Data, and find time to really use it.

I’m in! I use formative assessment data to help guide me… trying to make it quick. I’ll hand out index cards, ask students to read a short article and write the central idea and key details on their index card. I’ll collect reader’s notebooks and read their “best” stop and jot about a signpost. I’ll look at my students’ work and make strategy groups, conferring goals, and whole class lessons. When I have time. My instructional coach has this great way of looking at data. She has an eye for it, and she is always looking for ways that real-life classroom teachers can manipulate and then use data, “What can you do in 10 minutes that will help your students?” She has kids at the center and data as a way to help them grow. She is data-gifted.

I’m listening in a faculty meeting as we are given an example of a teacher meeting via video. “This is where we’d like to be with our PLC’s!” We are told. The video comes on and the teacher on the video says disparagingly, “We used to talk about students in our meetings. Now we talk about data.”

Hmmm…

I’m trying to fall in love with data. I’m already in love with students. I will not aim to have meetings where we aren’t talking about students. I will not make that my goal. Let’s add data to the discussion. Let’s triangulate and guide instruction. Let’s grow. And, let’s not forget about the kids themselves. Please.

#sol17 March 3 A Slice of Boring

March 3, 2017Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

I'm boring myself
Sunlight streams, snow covers trees
Cold winter came back

I'm boring myself
Dishes wait, vacuuming waits
Spring break starts freezing

I'm boring myself
Headache thumps, house full, noisy
Full of downtime dreams

#sol17 March 2 A Slice of Alone

March 2, 2017Family, Reflections on teaching, Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

There are these two minutes sometimes
After the dog has been taken out and fed
And lunches packed
Before the first kid comes downstairs
When I make my coffee
And I sit in the family room

Alone

And sometimes the dog is occupied (trying to chase a cat he hears upstairs but can’t get to)
And sometimes I can hear the children upstairs but they haven’t walked down yet
And I sit in the family room

Alone

And then I hear the first kid stomp down the stairs, talking to the dog
And then I am

Not alone

#sol17 March 1 A Slice of A Drill

March 1, 2017Slice of Lifeonathought

I am participating in the March Slice of Life Challenge: A slice a day for all of March. You should do it too! Thank you, Two Writing Teachers! Readers, check out their site, and start slicing!

“What part of quiet do you not understand?”
“What did I just say?”
“There is no talking during a fire drill!”
……………………………………….
The fire drill pierces the quiet conversation I was having during my planning period. I can’t help but roll my eyes.
I get my drill folder, and walk with the kids
up, through,
up, down.

It’s March, so I’m in noticing mode.
The street is wet with rain.
The feet all around me stomp,soldiers marching behind me,
or chasing me.

A few students whisper.
A few teachers shush.

shhhhhh
stomp

We walk down and around to our drill area.
Someone talks again, and is yelled at.

I notice I bristle.
I notice I think of my own kids, my home kids.
I notice I am a softy, never wanting kids to feel the sting of being yelled at.

I remind myself that I have yelled almost the same words to kids during fire drills before. After all, it’s a fire drill! These drills are meant to keep us safe. The kids have to take them seriously.

This is a non negotiable.
I notice I am still thinking of my own kids, my home kids.
The way their faces would fall if they got yelled at in front of 800 kids.

I know that sometimes kids should know the rules but don’t.
I know that sometimes kids know the rules but don’t follow the rules.
I know that it’s our job to remind them of the rules.

I know these things.

Inside now.
There are kids whispering in Social Studies, they are supposed to be working, when I overhear a conversation between two boys:

“What kind of slice are you going to do?” One asks and my heart does a little teacher-slicer-dance.

I can’t hear the answer, but I’m glad I didn’t yell at them for talking.

A slice of Water?

February 21, 2017Uncategorizedonathought

Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers

“Um, Ona? Water?” Sara lifts the wine glass with confusion. I had just poured her a glass, from a bottle of wine.

“No! I just poured that. Let me taste it.”

Water. That is water. What?

I look at the bottle, wondering how wine can change to water… does that happen if the new bottle wasn’t sealed? Is there some sort of chemical reaction? My mind starts making up new scientific facts… then I hold up the bottle, remembering how it seemed awfully easy to open the twist cap. I turn to H, with a question, “Um, H?” He looks up at the bottle in my hand. He is suddenly beet red, eyes wide.

“Oh no! I –”

L starts laughing, and the story comes out. Months ago, H took an empty bottle of wine, rinsed it out and filled it with water. Mr. Thought came in and told him not to play with wine bottles, so H put it back. It isn’t clear here if he simply forgot about his project, or if he was planning on tricking me, but then forgot about it. Whatever the case, he certainly did not plan on tricking his beloved “Aunt” Sara. This is clear by the color that stays on his cheeks, the head shaking, the anguish.

“It was filtered fridge water!” He winces. “I promise!”

A Slice of a Writer’s Notebook…kind of

January 24, 2017Slice of Lifeonathought

Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers

I always wanted to be the kind of person who kept a writer’s notebook with me all of the time. I do love notebooks… It doesn’t work out for me though – I’ve tried. I leave it places, or it gets lost in the car mess, or squished in my backpack, and I can’t actually get it out and start writing when I have something to write, which is often. I’m trying to slow down my life a little so that I have time for a notebook. One day I’ll have more than a moment of time to write. But, I’m not there yet. This is not good. I lose so many thoughts and ideas.

So, I try to grab my phone and add notes. Sometimes the notes are typed in, and sometimes they are voiced to text. The voice to text ones are always fun to read later. One day I’ll make sense of these notes.

I have notes that are part of a picture book idea I have swirling around… And notes that are slices I have glimpsed but not caught yet.

"Passing out musical instruments."  "I am not a tinkerer." " I am not a painter, right?"

Some notes are just a word. I found one just now that says “N l.” Your guess is as good as mine. (And the note that says “15 Square?” That one? I have no idea.)

Even whole sentences written in the past are sometimes totally lost on me now. I wrote this note in 2013:

"We should do this every 2 years."

I wonder what that was about.

Sometimes I collect quotes that are really on my mind. The one near the top of my notes currently is:

"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President, 
or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong, 
is not only unpatriotic and servile, 
but is morally treasonable to the American public."  
- Theodore Roosevelt.

There are other quotes as well, things my own kids have said that I just know I want to remember.

"Who does more work? The president or the government?" 
"What if running for president meant you actually ran? And the first one 
who got to the White House won?"

There’s also parenting advice – things I’m supposed to remember to ask my kids after they have a consequence.

"What, why, how? How are you going to remember to do it? 
How will we know you do it?"

I have lists. Grocery lists, to do lists, and lists that I think are actually poems:

Saturday
Laundry.
Upstairs Hallway.
Barefoot Moscato.

I was wondering what the first note in the list would be. All it says is:

"Teaching is the hardest."

I said that in 2012. I think I knew it even before then. But why did I write it then?

One day I’ll figure out how to organize this notes app notebook of mine. But until then, I will just have fun looking back at the notes every so often. Like these quotes from my kids from years ago:

"When I grow up, I'm going to make a church that only vegetarians and 
vegans can go in. We can pray for the animals." H, 6 years old.

"Ugh! Why am I always talking? I think I'm sick." - E, 3 years old.

One day I’ll make sense of these notes…. But I wonder… Does this mean that I already have a Writer’s Notebook with me all the time?

A Slice of the first day back.

January 3, 2017Reflections on teaching, Slice of Lifeonathought

Part of Slice of Life by Two Writing Teachers

I don’t have one little word yet. I didn’t finish my grading today. I didn’t hear my 5:30 alarm… didn’t wake up until Mr. Thought shined a light right at me around 6:00. It was raining and grey all day. I don’t quite have a handle on the literary essay unit I am starting tomorrow. My muscles are sore from just 3 days of working out. There are so many kids with missing work even after multiple reminders. The laundry didn’t magically get done while I was at school today. After a brief moderate break over vacation, I don’t eat sugar again. My classroom was clean and fresh until 8:01 this morning.

But.

The students came back, and I didn’t have to cajole them to answer the “What I missed” section of my whiteboard question. They just did. We all love vacation, and I’m not saying I wouldn’t vote for another week or so at home with my own kids… ignoring my chores and reading books. But…how lucky I am to spend my day at school with kids who missed their friends, their school, not being bored, math, and … me!

Plus! I counted 9 Winter Break Slice of Life challenges in my in box today, and 9 Book a Day challenges too! That’s a record for my winter break challenges. Yay for reading and writing during break!