Continually renewing myself!

I have to keep renewing my mind because I was beginning to show signs of burn out after less than 2 years. I will be the first to admit that I have one of the hardest jobs. It’s in a low-income, high crime area. The children have behavior problems that are challenging at best. [...]

Parent from hell vs. The teacher!

**Warning- this post is a little long**
I, the teacher who cannot take anymore.
Debra, the parent from hell who believes everything her child says.
Two people. Two very different situations. Yet, we are forever bound to each other. Why?
We’ve been able to see things from each other’s perspective. I have to say, though, that I have always [...]

From vision to application!

I’ve written about this before, and I’m going to write about it again. I have a problem getting my students to apply the information they know down onto paper. They don’t have a problem visualizing or verbalizing it. They have a problem with the application of the information- the writing. I’ve tried many things. [...]

What a difference a day makes…

Well, it hasn’t literally been a day, but you get what I’m saying, right? It was just a litle over 2 weeks ago that I was ready to quit my job because it was so stressful. Now that I’ve had time to stop, think, and reassess the situation, I am renewed.
Once again, I have renewed [...]

Healing me!

Yesterday, as I walked around in pain, I decided that I was actually going to put my foot up.
As I walked around in pain, I thought about that stupid trip to IKEA where I walked around that huge, hulking, giant warehouse space that would make me tired on a normal day, without a broken toe.
As [...]

The Dr. Who in me! Part 2

One of my students, Ty, has been refusing to do work and is bothering other students. It was a minor annoyance. However, it’s been happening everyday. So, I knew that I had to do something about it. So, I began my Dr. Who-like talks again today. Just in case you’re not familiar with Dr. Who, [...]

That’s what friends are for!

I just came from a friend’s house who helped me out so much. I kinda’ knew what to do, but just couldn’t get there. We chatted over sinfully rich butter cake while we completed our work. I would not have been able to do it without her. I am realizing that no man is an [...]

High frequency word game!

My mentor teacher suggested this to me. I used it, not knowing how it was going to work, and was pleased with the results. My students loved it. It’s so simple. The way that I was doing it in the beginning had begun to get boring. So, at my mentor teacher’s suggestion, I had them [...]

Just going to rest and take it easy!

After that smart stunt last night, I have wisely decided to rest and take it easy. I am elevating my foot as we speak. Even though it’s hard for me to slow down, I am going to do just that or my body will do it for me!
So, until next time!

What was I thinking?

What I was thinking? I don’t know! I asked myself that question as my throbbing toe told me that I shouldn’t have even tried it. What did I try?
I tried walking around IKEA! IKEA of all places; as big as it is. Why am I acting like I don’t have a broken toe? I thought [...]

If you’re gonna’ to steal…(pt. 2)

Well, it happened again. One of my students stole another one of my books. Again! I wrote about it in a previous post. I had been looking for it since I returned from Christmas break. I was stumped. The mystery was solved today when my student, By, told me that he had a book just [...]

Punctuation Takes a Vacation by Robin Pulver

Punctuation Takes a Vacation (2004), written by Robin Pulver and illustrated by Lynn Rowe Reed, was a fantastic little book that I used with my class to really hit home how much they needed to use punctuations. When I read this, I also played the punctuation game. This is how it works- the students receive [...]

I made my choice!

I made my choice regarding my placement. I’m staying. I have been looking at things all wrong. I need to take the focus off the way I’m feeling and take the kid’s feelings into consideration. I’ve had a few days to think and weigh the situation. I have decided to stop acting like a big [...]

Just taking it easy!

Went to my orthopedic appointment today that was pretty uneventful. I was given the same information as yesterday in the emergency room. I have a follow-up appointment in 6 weeks to see how I’m feeling and healing. Other than that, I had a pretty uneventful day. I just took it easy!

Two days off!

I called today for a same day appointment and was disappointed to learn that since I possibly had a break or sprain that I could only go to the emergency room. Well, that’s not good. The co-pay is $50 vs. a $10 co-pay for an office visit.
N-e way, I went to the emergency room, got [...]

She told me!

“Nobody told me that the road would be easy.
I don’t believe he brought me this far to leave me.”
I have been feeling abandoned by God, as of late. My situation just seems so impossible. How am I supposed to help my students who live unbelievably hard lives that would traumatize an adult? How am I [...]

The party was fantastic!

The party was fantastic! It was the best one yet. I will post about it later.
Bye!

Hurting me!

I am in pain right now. I was so excited about the party that I got up @ 5 a.m. this morning and tried to put up the tables by myself. I knew that it wasn’t a one person job but I’ve done it before, so I didn’t think it would be a problem. Well, [...]

Happy Valentine’s Day/Anniversary!, Part 2

Ricky & Annette w/my niece Tiffany as the hostess.

Happy Valentine’s Day/Anniversary!

Today is my anniversary. It is also the day of my annual Valentine’s Day party that simply everyone wants to attend. Here’s some pictures of past Valentine’s Day parties.
These are the tables that I rented in my dining room. There are three of them. So, I was able to host four other couples-Ricky & Annette, [...]

Getting ready for my party!

I am getting ready for my big Valentine’s Day/Anniversary party tomorrow. I rented the tables earlier. They will be delivered shortly. I have this little theme going on- my colors are red, black, or pink. So, there will be one red table, one pink table, and one black table, with the chairs and the chair [...]

Have you ever heard of Lindamood-Bell?

Have you ever heard of Lindamood-Bell? If you have, then you’re one step ahead of me before I started @ B.N.U.
For my Intervention class, I was required to visit one of their centers. While there, I had the privilege of observing some of their instructors in action. The instructors and the methods were fantastic. One [...]

I now know what’s wrong with me!

Lately I’ve been such a slacker. I know I’ve said that before but I really mean it this time. I haven’t written down my lesson plans in about a month or more. I really don’t remember how long. I even misplaced my T.E. and wasn’t too worried about it. I could have gotten another one, [...]

I hope I can get a sub!

I asked three subs today if they could take my class tomorrow. They said no. Two of them were new subs so I took a chance that they didn’t know Nu. However, being at the school for the day was enough to discourage them from taking my class. “Okay was all I could say as [...]

My little bookworms!

David, Phillise & I just returned from the library. I had a hold on a couple of Junie B. books for Phillise. When she received them she was so happy that she actually let out a little sound of glee. While we were there David asked if he and Phillise could look around. While looking [...]

Pleasantly surprised me!

Color me surprised! Pleasantly surprised! My Principal and AP called me into a meeting that I thought was going to be a load of crap that actually turned out to be very productive. They told me that they were working to get the child out the school, but until then that I needed to deal [...]

Exhausted me!

I am so exhausted. I have not been getting enough sleep ’cause I am so stressed out over Nu and his behaviors. Even though I know that things are winding down, it just seems like too much sometimes.
I’m so tired I’ve been thinking about taking a week off. I’ll see how things go!

I discovered that I am a Personalizer!

What is a personalizer? Well, it’s someone who personalizes, of course. Okay, seriously, according to the dictionary, to personalize means to cause something, especially an issue, argument, or debate to become concerned with personalities or feelings rather than with general or abstract matters. Quite a mouthful, I know. What it’s basically saying is that [...]

Guess how smart I am- Celebrity edition

Guess how smart I am? Well guess! I am so smart that I met Donald Sutherland in 1993 when I didn’t have a clue as to who he was and told him that he looked like Sean Connery. Yep, I sure did.
In his defense, he’s quite handsome. He has piercing blue eyes and a great [...]

That Lockyaw issue again!

Yesterday, after returning home, I had to take a nap because as usual I was exhausted since Nu ran amok allll day long. He became upset because he couldn’t have his way. So, he ran around the classroom and started fights with 6 of my students. I tried to tell them to ignore him, but [...]

Quick as a Cricket by Audrey Wood

Quick as a Cricket (1982), written by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Don Wood is a cute little book. It’s been around forever. I’ve actually had it since the late 90’s when Sam & Dakota were little, but was not a teacher at the time, so, of course, I didn’t think about using it to [...]

Lockyaw- the demon of anger!

I love cartoons. I can remember watching one of my favorite cartoons, at the time, Mighty Max. It was a crazy little cartoon with a sci-fi element, of course. I’ll try to make this post short to get to the point (which is about Nu, by the way).
I’ve talked about Mighty Max before in another [...]

I know I said…

I know that I said that ignoring worked for Nu, but that was for that day. One thing about him is that nothing works that long for him. It is so hit and miss. I spoke with the school psychologist today, she offered up a suggestion I tried today that worked, but who knows for [...]

Hey Brown Child!

For the Black History Month program, I have decided to teach my students “Hey Black Child” by Eugene Useni Perkins. But, not all of my students are black, all are different shades of browns, I am going to substitute brown for black.
I will let you know how it goes. Until next time people!

Guess how smart I am!

Well, guess? I am so smart that I broke my own glasses on Sunday night while at a friends’ house. It’s not what you think though. It was an accident. You see, I sleep in my glasses, so they’re crooked. Well, I adjusted them a little too much and they just broke right in half. [...]

I just kept on smiling!

Nu has really been off the hook. Especially today. I tried ignoring him, but as I stated a couple of days ago, you simply cannot ignore him. I am at my wits end. I have done all I can. I don’t know what else to do. However, I just kept on smiling. Looking at things [...]

Seeing things in a different light!

When this year started, I made up my mind to see things differently. Essentially, I decided to change my mindset. I am the victim no longer. It’s not about things happening to me. It’s about how I handle them. I’m not saying that I’m perfect. I’m simply saying that I’m working on myself; which I [...]

Mr. Peabody’s Apples by Madonna

** Warning- This post is long**
Mr. Peabody’s Apples (2003), written by Madonna and illustrated by Loreen Long, was the perfect book for my class. Lately, I’ve been having problems with the students being little busybodies and starting stuff. So, when I found this book, I knew that it was simply a godsend. I [...]