Looking Back…

Looking back, it’s funny how things go. Not like ha! ha! funny, not like ironic funny either, just funny! I’m talking about me- how I’ve changed. Since my 1-year anniversary is fast approaching, I’ve been reading back on my post from a year ago and I can see the change in myself. Even my writing has changed. Thank God it’s for the better.

While reading back on my writings, I see how I was working things out as I wrote. Just like I did yesterday and today. That’s what I love about writing. It lets me express myself, instead of keeping it bottled up. Not only that, I have been documenting and recording certain events in my life.

As I said a long time ago, I love this thing called a blog!

I’m On A Roll…

Ever since that b.s. yesterday with the principal, I have been in a very reflective mood. It made me put my money where my mouth is. I know that there are areas that I need to tighten up in. That b.s. yesterday was just the push I needed.

Now, I am on a roll. I went home yesterday and did a lot of research about how to get these children writing.

Another resource that I have access to, that I love is Socratic Learning. It’s an online tutor for teachers. You can type in any question and get an answer. It can be anything from what strategies to use to help with letter recognition to submitting a paper to see how many run-ons and/or fragments a paper has.

Later, I will share a little technique they shared with me to aid in letter recognition.

So, until next time!

In A Better Place Today…

Today I am in such a better place. After the informal observation with the principal yesterday, I was p.o.’d. However, once I calmed down, I realized that it was a good thing. I did not bring my A-game like I usually do. I have been making all kinds of excuses and coming up with reasons why I have not been able to do my best. But, once you get down to it, that’s all they were were excuses.

I made a vow to myself that I would not be a slacker anymore. I fell off the wagon very quickly, but I am going to get right back up. I am in a better place today. Halleleujah and thank you Jesus.

Still In High School?

I really feel like I am still in high school. Nothing has changed from that time. You still have to be part of the in crowd. You still have to kiss ass.
When I was younger, I thought, “I can’t wait to grow up. I won’t have to deal with all of the b.s. of young-minded people”.
Oh, how wrong I was. Things are no better. In fact, it’s even worse now because the people acting out are alleged adults.

Although the nitpicky little b.s. that the principal wrote down didn’t bother me like it would have had I been less secure with myself, it pissed me off. She made it sound like I was on the phone during instructional time when I am on the phone when I am signing in, and/or going to the teacher’s copy room to make copies. She wrote down that I spend too much time on the phone. This is laughable because I have leftover minutes all the time.

Things like this quite literally makes me want to slap the perpetrator. I really mean that. I am not happy with my current placement. I wish that I could go back and not take the job. Even though I have learned so much, this job has been a constant source of stress. I know that things definitely would have been better if I would have had support. Any support at all. I would have loved to have had any type of training.
But, oh well. I guess you can’t have everything. Something would be nice, but no sense in wishing. I need to make things happen for myself.

A J.D. moment…

If you watch Scrubs, then you know what I’m talking about. J.D., a character on the show always has these moments where he spaces out. It’s usually at an inappropriate time. Something like earlier… like when I was talking to the principal after my informal observation. I totally had a J.D moment. I spaced out when she started firing off a bunch of questions that she didn’t particularly want answered. I totally spaced out.

Since she talked through my break I started eating my snack. Secondly, I looked at my toes and thought how much they needed to be repolished. Next, I considered returning Traci’s call. While she was talking. Because I forgot she was talking.

She told me that I needed to take things seriously. I told her that it was just one of those days where nothing went right. She didn’t believe me; but it was. Right now, I couldn’t buy something going right for me.

Anyway, she picked on everything. She told me that I couldn’t talk on the phone while signing in (sometimes @ 7:00 a.m. when there are no students there), when I’m walking to the copy room, or in my room (even when the kids aren’t there). Mind you, I’m not using any instructional time. She just wants control. That’s it. Control. It reminds me of George Orwell’s 1984 where they wanted power. They didn’t want money or luxury or sex; just power.

That’s my rant for the day. Probably for the next couple of months. So bye for now.

**Just remember, nothing too good or too bad lasts for too long.**

Storytelling Unit Opener, Part 2

My task for the Unit Opener (the link to the theme) was to help make memories and stories of past events that are treasures a family can share. I came up with a great idea. I die-cut doll bodies in five Lakeshore People colors in assorted shades of browns to represent most of the colors of the children in the classes. Ahead of time, I made one of myself from a darker brown die cut, short hair that I drew on, small stud earrings, and a dress, with a backpack and a ruler. I shared this with the students who thought it was so cute. I told them that, for the exercise, they were going to make one of their own to tell their own story.

As I held up my example, I asked the students who it was. “It’s you!” they all said.
“How do you know?” I asked.
There was various answers. All correct.
“Good. I’m glad you get it,” I said. When you get yours, I want to be able to tell what your “story” is about.
Since this assignment was all about memories and connections, and since I love reading and doing read alouds, I chose Natasha Anastasia Tarpley’s “I Love My Hair”.
My connection(s): The little girl in the story had braids. My mother used to braid my hair; I now braid my daughter’s hair.
So that everyone could see, I made an 11″ X 17″ poster of the front of “I Love My Hair”. I passed around a picture of my daughter with braids for the class to see. (The students always love to see my children. I think it’s because they think that teachers aren’t real people and don’t have real lives.)

I also used some real life examples. A couple of the little girls in some of the classrooms had braids, so I had them stand up and instructed everyone to look at their braids. This served two purposes. It’s a real life example, plus the student who’s receiving all the attention feels special.
I had three copies of the book- a board book, a hardcover book, and a book made by my daughter Phillise. As I read, I let two students in the class (usually the ones who have behavior problems) be my helpers and hold up the board book and Phillise’s book so that everyone could see. After reading the story, I had other students pass out the construction paper for them to glue their die cuts on, the doll die cuts, scissors, glue/glue sticks, crayons, ribbon, and pencils to draw with.
It turned out really well. I had a wonderful time. The children had a wonderful time. It was great. How funny that I always think that I’m not going to be able to fill the time, or that the children won’t be engaged. It’s never happened. Although I had one little girl say that she didn’t want to do it.
“Oh stop it girl,” I said. You are at school. You don’t have a choice. You are here to work.
“Isn’t that why you came to school?” I asked her.
She shook her head.
“Okay then, get to work”.
“Do you need help?”
(blank stare) So I go and help her.
She didn’t finish, but she didn’t give me trouble either. Mission accomplished.
I worry for nothing!

Unit Opener (Storytelling) was fantastic!

Even though I am exhausted afterwards from standing on my feet, I have to say that I really look forward to the Unit Openers.
I love the team spirit amongst the other third grade classes. We all work together to come up with something related to the unit that will wow the kids. It’s fun. The children are always engaged and learning.
It’s a bit of a break from the everyday dealings with my classroom. I love interaction. By participating, my class gets a chance to be a part of things like everyone else. I get a chance to interact with so many other children during the day besides my own. It is a refreshing change.
The first time I did a Unit Opener, for the Imagination Unit, I started off with a DVD of Harold & the Purple Crayon. Before I started the video, I tried to access prior knowledge by asking if anyone had every heard of it. There were one or two who had. We discussed it and talked about what we liked about it.
I also explained to them that Harold used his imagination, so while they were watching the movie they were to use their imagination to think of a super power they would have if they could use their imagination and think up a new character. For this assignment, they were to make up their own character and three superpowers. It turned out great. I’m doing my weekly lesson plans now so I will write about it later.

Well, It Happened Again!

Well, it happened again!
What you ask? One of my students stole something from me.
What was it?
A .50¢ pack of stickers.
How did I know?
He was hanging around my sticker box a little too long. When it happened I didn’t think too much of it. That is, until recess. I starting thinking to myself that it was a little suspicious so I looked in my sticker box and sure enough. I was missing one of the stickers with the trucks. If he wouldn’t have taken that particular pack of stickers, I might not have known that he’d taken anything.

What did I do?
Really, what could I do? I chastised him & tried to get him to admit it. Once that didn’t work, I called his mother, but I couldn’t get in touch with her.
I told him to go because I’ve just given up on him. I was just about to buy him a book from the school book fair. He had to go and ruin it over a .50 pack of stickers.
I really have no words for this situation. Some people, no matter how nice or how good you are to them, they will still be who they are.
There is nothing else I can do for him. I wash my hands of him.
When I first started teaching, one teacher told me that you couldn’t save them all. I decided that I was going to prove her wrong. Looks like I was the one who was proven wrong because I give up on this one.
I know that my new catchphrase is failure is not an option, but I guess I lose on this one. I have tried everything I know. I have exhausted my store of knowledge. Guess I failed this one!

Just Going To Have To Keep On Trying!

I was just talking about one of my students, Mannish, who I thought was finally getting it. I don’t expect him to be perfect. I just expect him to do his best, whatever that is. I’m peeved with him because no matter how many times I tell him to stop playing so long after lunch, he still does the same thing. I even went to get the class two minutes later than I usually do and he was still playing and bothering someone.
I want to throttle him. However, as that is not an option, I can’t. I will simply have to keep working with him as failure is simply not an option!

Say It With A Book!

Ever since assuming control of my classroom, I’ve always told my students that they can find a book for anything they want to say. One of my students in particular, Mannish, is finding this to be true.
His situation: He used to be an only child until 2 months ago until his mom had twins. He has been so resentful and a bit of a behavior problem because of it. I have been trying to talk to him, but that has not been getting me anywhere; neither has punishing him. I knew I needed to change my tactics. So I decided to say it with a book.
I don’t know where this book came from. Maybe it was a gift to David & Phillise from someone. I don’t know. All I know is that I found it, read it, and decided that it was the perfect book for Mannish.
Yesterday I found the perfect opportunity to have him read the book without being Captain Obvious. During my one-on-one session with him, I told him that he needed to read more. He didn’t finish it during our session so I told him to take it home for homework. To make sure that he read it I told him that we would discuss it.
When he came back today he’s the one who reminded me that we were going to discuss the book. I sat down, he started talking about it, I smiled. He’s totally reading for comprehension, and he’s reading, is the point. He’s becoming a believer in books. I am so happy about that. I am happy that if I teach him anything else, he will remember this.
I told him that I only have 2 months left with him. I wondered aloud how his next teacher would treat him; if she would be as patient as I am with him. I asked him how did he think junior high school would be different from elementary school. He said that he didn’t know. I filled him in. I hope that he listened. I’m not going to lie. I definitely feel like giving up, but I can’t. Because after all, failure is not an option!

Whew! It’s Over

OMG, I am so happy. I just attended my last meeting. It wasn’t really bad. It’s just that it was one extra thing to do. I loved it because my supervisor was so nice. I was happy that I had her. I heard horror stories about some supervisors. But not her. She was like the perfect supervisor. She always managed to find the good in me and my lessons.
One time she was observing one of my lessons where I was supposed to be teaching cause & effect. It would have worked out really nice if I wouldn’t have been teaching effect & cause. I had to stop in the middle of the lesson and tell my assistants and the children that we were doing the wrong worksheet.
She thought that it was so nice that I wasn’t afraid to admit that I was wrong.
I felt like such a big fat goofball! However, Mrs. C. was so understanding about that. I really loved having her as a supervisor. If I have to find another school, I won’t have her as my supervisor. It’ll be a trade-off. I’ll have a better work environment, but I won’t have Mrs. C.
Oh well! You can’t have everything.

What To Do? What To Do?

I have hit a wall with Lito. I do not know what to do with him and his lack of work. As I mentioned in a previous post, he has a defeated mentality, so he will not try really hard at anything. Whenever he encounters the least bit of resistance, he stops and start misbehaving. He’s so good at what he does. It took me a long time to realize that he wasn’t doing anything. He specializes in doing nothing.
After speaking with one of my professors last semester, who also happens to be a school psychologist, I know that he misbehaves as a form of escape. If he knows that he will be sent out whenever he misbehaves, then that is exactly what he does. It serves two purposes; it gets him out of working, while also giving him street cred with the other kids. He thinks that he’s so clever and that no one knows what he’s doing. He believes that it’s a win-win situation. I, however, know differently.
Another thing that he also does is talk. When I manage to get him to the back of the classroom, he’ll start telling me about his weekend, or his day, or whatever else he thinks he can talk about. So, I am playing to his strengths/wants. He loves the computer and he loves to talk. So, I made a deal with him. We agreed that he can talk to me once he finishes a certain amount of work. He’s allowed to have 10-15 minutes on the computer once he finishes his work.
This works most of the time. For the times it doesn’t work, I pull him from the computer or cut his talk time short. However, there are times when no amount of punishment or reward will work. As a last resort, I try to reason with him. If this fails, that’s when I invariably end up sending him out. When I do send him out, his feelings seem so hurt. His face twists all up and he looks sorry.
I don’t want to send him out. I want him to stay, but not if he’s going to disrupt the class. Help! I really need suggestions on how to deal with him. Any suggestions would help.

Don’t Plan To Wear A Wrinkled Shirt, If You Don’t Have An Iron?…

**Warning- This post is kinda’ long
That’s an unusual title, I know, but bear with me.
I was just talking to my husband about the children at my school when he gave me the inspiration for this post. I am talking about children with behavior problems. Namely my class. Before I assumed control in November, there was nothing but chaos and pandemonium. Knowing that I cannot work or thrive in chaos, I knew that I had to straighten them out. There was just no two ways about it. I had to do it and do it quick.

All in all, it took me about 3-4 weeks to get them to the point where I wasn’t sending them out evey hour on the hour. One of the turning point in the class was when I read “Thank You Mr. Falker” by Patricia Polacco. (I did a review on it. Click here to read.) This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever had the privilege of reading.
In the book, Ms. Polacco tells her own story of not being able to read until she was 9 years old. I read this book because at the time there were children in my class who were 9 years old and above and could not read. I wanted to let them know that there are other people out there just like them; that there is nothing so wrong with them. I wanted to let them know that they’re not stupid; they just have a disability.

They loved that book. They sat, enraptured, hanging on to my every word. I was tearing up. My assistants were tearing up. It was very emotional. It marked a turning point. That was when they started trusting me. I think it was because they knew that I didn’t see them like everyone else saw them. I saw them as just children. I even remember when I first started seeing my student, Robin, as less than a roaring lion and more of a wimpering little kitty cat. (click here)
The key was treating them like anyone else. They know that everyone else sees them as different. For them, it was a refreshing break from being judged all the time.

This leads me directly into the aforementioned, “Don’t plan of wearing a wrinkled shirt, if you don’t have an iron!” (Okay, I’m about to get a little deep on you.) If you know that the shirt is wrinkled and it needs to be ironed, don’t accept it or plan to wear it if you can’t iron the kinks out. Literally and figuratively. What I’m saying is that I knew, going into this assignment/life changing experience, that I would need an iron (iron hand, if you will) to get the kinks out (of their armor). I knew that this would be a tough assignment. I knew that I had my work cut out for me, but I knew that I had the solution. Tough love.

I love these children, but they need structure.
I know that the last teacher was very loving, but was also too lenient. That was good for them that she treated them with basic decency and respect, but now that’s over with; they need someone with an ironhand. Someone who loves them but won’t accept their excuses for not trying.

That is why I read Patricia Polacco’s “Thank You Mr. Falker” to them. She conquered her disability, has 41 books credited to her name, and a Ph.D. to boot. After hearing Ms. Polacco’s story, they felt a sense of empowerment. They felt that they could do it too.

I am so happy that I am here with these children. Even if I don’t come back next year, as the budget crisis is a scary thing, I know that I have made a big difference in their lives. I would love to return and be with them, but if things don’t work out that way, I will be okay; they will be okay.

I will go where the wind takes me. Wherever I’m at, I will succeed, because I have to; because failure is definitely not an option!

Guess Who Called?

If you said Lito, then you guessed correctly. I wasn’t upset about it though. He just wanted to talk to me, so I talked to him. He even put his little brother on the phone and I talked to him too.
I know that he wants to behave. It simply is not in his best interest to do that. He’d rather be thought of as bad, then stupid. It’s a no win situation for him. If he stops acting big and bad, then more people might pick on him because he’s in special ed. If he tries to read better and fails, then he’s really going to be in for it. He will really be defeated. In his case, it is far easier not to try.
I get it. I totally get it. It makes it a little easier for me to deal with his behaviors, but it’s still hard. I will not give up though. I’m not just saying this because this is my new catchphrase. I’m saying it because it’s true. I cannot and will not give up on this child because as always failure is simply not an option. This is this childs’ quality of life we’re talking about. I really want to make a difference in this child’s life. It’s not just for vanity’s sake; it’s for Lito’s sake.
I must succeed!

Oh Well…

Oh, well! I had to kick Lito out of class anyway. He wouldn’t do anything; he kept interrupting and was just a constant source of disruption. I felt bad about it, but if I let him continue to misbehave, then two of my other students, Robin and Mannish will start misbehaving also.
Mannish ‘s favorite line is “Why did you say something to me if you didn’t say nothing to him?”
My reply, “Take care of yourself. That’s what your biggest problem is. You’re always worrying about everyone else.”
His reply, “But…”
My reply, “That’s it. I’m not listening anymore. Stop talking.”
I know that it may sound mean, but if I don’t stop this particular kid from talking, he will go on and on and… (well, you get the point!)
N-e way, I called Lito’s grandmother and left a message for her to call me.
“A-ha,” said Lito, “I’m going to call you. I have your number now. I’m going to call you.”
Let’s see if he calls!
Until next time people.

So Proud Of Myself, Part ?

I don’t know what part of …So proud of myself this is, but I do know that I am so proud of myself. Lito was having one of his weekly tantrums. Initially he wouldn’t come in, but I managed to get him to come into the classroom. Not only that, I got him to read the story that he gave up on yesterday afternoon when he ran out of the classroom.

I was going to send him out, but I know that that won’t do anyone any good; especially not him. I know that he’s misbehaving because of his situation, but it is so hard to be patient when I want to throttle him.
Once he’s in a bad mood because of the boys in the other class that he mainstreams to, there is no placating him; he is in a bad mood for the rest of the day.
I always know when he’s coming back to the classromm. First, I hear his footsteps. Then I hear his loud breathing, since he’s out of breath from running down the hallway. Next, comes the loud pounding on the door. After that, his extra loud talking as he disrupts the class when he enters the room. Finally, I can’t help but notice the noises that he makes with his mouth while he’s drumming on the desk as I try to teach class.
If he’s too loud, I’ll talk to him when I finish what I’m doing if I can wait that long; if the drumming on the desk doesn’t drive me crazy first. If I can’t wait, I will get the class started on whatever it is I want them to do, tell him to meet me in the back of the classroom at my desk, and think of something- anything- to defuse this little ready-to-explode timebomb.
Even though I can contain his behavior and get him to calm down, there are times that I do end up sending him out because he is such a big disruption to the class. Those are the times I feel like giving up on him.
However, as always, I will keep on trying because failure is simply not an option!

Time Is Of The Essence…

Yes, time is of the essence. That is part of the reason that I have not been my usual Blogmëister self and writing up a storm like I usually do. I have so much to do by the end of next week. It is going to be such a hectic week. This is what I have to do:

Do my final presentation for my Literacy class. (Monday)

Do a inquiry-based science lesson plan presentation for my Methods class. (Monday)

Complete the remainder of the work for my science-based lesson plan presentation (weekend)

Organize about 35 handouts for my final, May 5th, that’s open notes (Monday)

Plan my weekly lesson for English/Language arts (weekend)

Plan my weekly lesson for Math (1st, 2nd, 3rd, & 4th grade) (weekend)

Plan my weekly lesson for Science (weekend)

Plan a lesson for the Principal that’s supposed to wow! her (Tuesday)

Storytelling Unit opener (Friday)

The Time Has Come…

This post has been a long time in coming. Part of the reason that it took so long is because I have been in serious denial saying that I didn’t have enough time. Well, I had enough time to go shopping didn’t I? Well, was there enough time when I was watching Star Trek Enterprise on the Mondays that class wasn’t it session? Or how about Saturday mornings when I did absolutely nothing?
I could have taken some of that time to complete my unfinished lesson plans, or make some visual displays for which I am famous for. I hadn’t been playing up my strengths. I hadn’t been doing all I could have been doing. I will admit that I do not have the most free time since I teach full-time, I go to school full-time, and am raising four children. Still I had to ask myself if I could have possibly made time, instead of excuses.
I had to ask myself if there was time for me to do more and sure enough, there was plenty of time. I just didn’t capitalize on it. Well, as of today, that time is over. No more excuses. No more unfinished lesson plans or a messy house!
This is my vow to myself, that I will do my best; not just better, but my best because after all, failure is simply not an option!

Guess How Smart I Am?

I haven’t said this in a long time, so let me say it now. I am the Blogmeister. As with anything, I know that this should not warrant a post, but as I said, I am the Blogmeister. Well, here’s the story, me & my good friend Traci have this saying.
I’ll call her and say, “Girl, guess how smart I am?”
“How smart are you,” she’ll say.
I am so smart that…

Well, this is the latest “Guess how smart I am?”…

This happened two weeks ago. One of my students came to me and told me that one of my other students was about to pull the fire alarm because it was open. Me, being the smart person that I am, decided that I would fix it. So, I pushed it up, and what do you think happened?
If you guessed that the fire alarm went off, then you are correct!
I very smartly pulled the fire alarm.
The principal was miffed with me. I could definitely understand it. I mean, I shouldn’t have touched it, but I didn’t want one of my students to pull the alarm because every little thing they do is under scrutiny.
I don’t regret doing this because it saved one of my students from doing it. However, if I had to do it all over again, I would call the plant manager to come and fix it.
Anyway, that is my guess how smart I am for the week. I’m sure there will be many more.

The End Is Near!

The end is near and I am so effing happy. I have been so swamped with work and school it’s crazy. I don’t even know how much more I can endure. The semester ends May 5th.
Yay! I know. I am so happy about that. However, summer session I starts May 18th and runs until June 26th. I will have to go Mondays & Wednesdays from 4-6 p.m. I really wanted to go to summer session 2 but there are barely any classes offered.
There are so many problems, with the first one being that I will be attending school 12 hours/week while teaching, raising my children and trying to attend to my husband. I know that I can do it, but I am getting scared just thinking about it. I know that it’s only 5 weeks, but come on. Give me a break! I am going to be so freaking tired. Don’t even mention how David is going to get home since my class starts 30 minutes earlier than it usually does.
Lord give me strength to make it through these next six weeks. It’s going to be okay though, because after all is said and done, it will be summer vacation. No word yet on if I’m approved to teach summer school or not because after all failure is simply not an option.

Finally Figured It Out!

I finally figured out how to post. Yay me! It only took me about a week. I know that I’ve posted a couple since them, but as soon as I did, I totally forgot how I did it.
Yeah, I know, I’m so smart!

Unmotivated? Lazy? or Defeated?, Part 2

I have been thinking so much about whether my students are unmotivated, lazy, or defeated that I simply had to finish my thoughts on it. I’m sure I will have many more such epiphanies in my life. However, as for now, this is a pretty big one. I think that this may very well be the beginning of my life’s work.

This all came about as a result of my conversation with Mrs. B., the veteran teacher who posited the idea of Lito being defeated, instead of lazy. It was like a light bulb went off. So many connections were made. So many sparks were flying! It was like it was 4th of July :).

I don’t know if I mentioned before what my motivation is and what I believe is my purpose for teaching. Just in case I didn’t, here it goes: My purpose, as I see it, is to find a way to motivate unmotivated learners. However, after speaking to Mrs. B., I realize that I may very well have a new purpose. I may have to uncover what the problem is in the first place to see what the problem is; whether they are unmotivated, lazy, or defeated just for starters. After that is when the real fun begins.

I have to do as Elona suggests and continue to seek to understand them while developing a close relationship with them. I want to find out how to motivate unmotivated learners to help my students, but also to self-publish a book for my AmeriCorps project. However, this is much more than an AmeriCorps project. This is about life- the lives of many young people.

I feel so empowered right now. That one statement of Mrs. B’s was so profound that it may very well have changed the direction that I was going in. I don’t know how things are going to progress, but I will see. Even though I know that this could very possibly mean much more work for me, I am excited to see how things play out. I must do as Dr. Rios demands of those who have influence over young lives. I must help to Prepare a College Going Youth from a Disadvantaged Population with Potential. Whatever the challenge, I will succeed because as always, failure is not an option!

Unmotivated? Lazy? or Defeated?

Yesterday, I was talking to a veteran teacher. While we were talking I asked for help regarding a problem with one of my students. As it turned out, he was also a former student of hers. Well, she had something very interesting to say when I told her that Lito told me that he was lazy. I then went on to explain that he won’t do work because he feels like he can’t do it. She told me something that has quite possibly changed the way I see Lito and my other students like him now, and in the future.

She said that he wasn’t lazy, or motivated, he was defeated. How could I not have seen it? Who would have thought that a child would be defeated at the age of nine. I gasped as I slapped myself on the forehead. I had never thought about it like that. I mean, I would encourage him and tell him that he could do it, but I could see that he couldn’t quite believe that he could.

Once I thought about it, I realized she was right. This child is only 9 years old and he is already defeated. My mind started racing and I started thinking about how I could be one of the people in his life who could help change his life for the better.

I will report back later with further reflections on this defeated child who needs to learn what a victory is. I can’t stop because as always failure is not an option!

(Note: I am going to research this further to find out the symptoms of unmotivation, laziness, & defeatedness)

The AEMP Conference Was Wonderful!

* Warning- this post is kinda’ long*

Well, as promised, here’s a little more information about AEMP.

AEMP stands for:

Academic

English

Mastery

Program

It’s basically an ELD program for black students. There were many mini-conferences that were simply amazing. I learned so much.

Just think! I didn’t even want to go. I wanted to stay at home and laze around. I am so glad that I went. I attended some great conferences and heard some wonderful speakers. One of the speakers was Dr. Victor Rios, associate professor @ UCSB. He had one of the most amazing story. I had tears in my eyes.

The title of his presentation was “Setting the Stage for a College-Going Culture Among Low Achieving, High Potential Students”. The title piqued my interest so I had to go. When I got there, I, and the other participants, had to stand outside the room for a couple of minutes. We were wondering why the last participants were taking so long to come out.

Well, once I was in there, I found out. Dr. Rios was a wonderful speaker. He had everyone enthralled, hanging on to his every words. No one dared speak for fear they would miss something.

He told the story of his upbringing-when his mother brought him and his sister across the border illegally. The first time they were caught and deported. The second time they came across and stayed to experience the life that his “tia” spoke of; the one that included a swimming pool in every backyard.

Growing up in Oakland, CA, he came to realize that his “tia” may have exaggerated just a tad. He then went on to explain all of the hardships he endured; how he had to run an extension cord from the neighbors house because they couldn’t afford electricity; how he ended up dropping out of school in 9th grade to get a job to help support the family.

He then joined a gang and saw his best friend murdered in front of him. That is the point at which his life changed. It was all thanks to one teacher who constantly “harrassed” him by asking about him and telling him that when he was ready to change his life that she would be there for him.

After seeing his friend murdered, he didn’t know where to go, except to that teacher. He found her at school in the hallway. She saw him and asked him what was wrong. He couldn’t do anything but let it out. He cried. Right there. In the hallway. In front of everyone.

From then on out, with a lot of help from that “meddlesome” teacher that was always in his business, he was able to graduate on time with the rest of his class. The rest is history. He got accepted into CSU Hayward and graduated in four years. Then on to UC Berkeley to earn his Ph.D.

His is the perfect success story. We need more like his. If you would like to read more about him, here is an old link with an article about him:
www.homeboygoestoharvard.com/images/rios-full.jpg

17th Annual AEMP conference!

Last night I was at the LAX Radisson Hotel for the 17th Annual AEMP conference. I will be there for the better part of today also. I would prefer to stay at home and relax, but this is worth 2 salary point for a weekend conference, so you know I’m there.

I will tell you about AEMP when I return!

Letting Me Be Me!

I really feel like being a special ed teacher allows me to be me. I was reading one of my comments by a reader named Elona Hartjes, who commented that teaching special ed lets her be her. I have to say that I agree.

Since I don’t like to rush, this is perfect for me because I like going at a slower pace and allowing the children more time. It’s a bit harder having to plan at least two lessons at the same time, but I’m getting used to it.

I know that the first year of anything is challenging. I am so hopeful that the next year will bring so much more. Whatever that may be!

I can’t and I won’t give up, ’cause as always, Failure is not an option!

The Dr. Who In Me!

Your mother telling you that sticks and stones may break your bones, but names will never hurt you, could not have been further from the truth. Words are so powerful. Just ask Dr. Who!

Dr. Who? Who is Dr. Who? Well, unless you’ve had your head under a rock for the past thirty years, you should know who Dr. Who is. I, for one, am an avid fan of Dr. Who (the new one w/David Tennant).

In fact, I like most sci-fi, even the cheesy kind. I rank Dr. Who as one of the best sci-fi shows of all time.

When I first started watching Dr. Who, I have to admit that I was a non-believer. I would wonder how he was going to get out of the mess of the week that he was in, without any type of firearm or weapon. I didn’t think that he could defeat someone with just words. Well, to my amazement, he did manage to do it without any type of firearm or weapon, every single time. That’s how Dr. Who defeats his enemies; with a clever plan and words.When you think about, most people are defeated with words.

However, he not only defeats his enemies, he builds up and helps others. That’s what I’ve been doing a lot of. Building up, that is! I’ve also been doing some conquering too, so to speak!

I am talking about Lito, one of my unruliest kid. Since I started my job he has been driving me crazy. In order to try to have some type of peace, I have been researching different methods.

Well, I’ve finally find one that has been working for me. I stumbled upon a website for dealing with especially unruly children. On the website (which I cannot remember), the author lets you in on a little secret regarding the best way to deal with an especially unruly child. He says to take a walk. That’s it. Just take a walk. But during that walk, just talk with the child about whatever they like. Even though I thought it was too simple, I tried it anyway.

Ya’ know what? It does work.

After getting to know Lito and some of the others, I added in another aspect to the walk. I added my Dr. Who-like talks in. I want to build the students up and let them know that their environment doesn’t have to define them; they don’t have to become a statistic, they can be what they chose to be.

I am especially happy that I did have those Dr. Who-like conversations with my students because a situation arose today when I showed all of my students their report cards and discussed it with them.

They were scared to see them, but wanted to see them anyway. I’m happy to report that there were no tantrums. They were not surprised. They understood the reasoning behind their grades.

One of my other students, Mannish, told me that when he was little he had 3’s & 4’s. “Now, he said, I have 1’s & 2’s. They’re just going to keep getting lower.

“By the time I get to high school, I’ll have all 1’s,” he said.

After hearing this comment, I thought, “I’ve come far, but I’ve still got a long way to go”. However, as with Dr. Who, failure is simply not an option (I’ll think that’ll be my new sign-off line from now on.)

I’ll keep trying, because failure is simply not an option.

Happy April Fool’s Day!

One of my students was so happy that it was April fool’s day. I think the main reason was because he thought that he would be able to humiliate people, laugh in their face, and face almost no repercussions.

I had to tell him “Sorry, Mannish! It doesn’t work like that. I don’t care if it is the 1st of April. You still need to treat people with common decency”.

He wasn’t happy about that. He thought that today was a free for all. Boy was he mad when I had to burst his bubble.

Oh well! C’est la vie!

Until next time people!