On quitting...

Life is too short to do anything but what we love. We only get one life, gotta make the most of it, right?

In my free time, some of my favorite things to do are...

• On the weekends, waking up slowly and reading facebook or playing Candy Crush in bed before I get up.
• Drinking a cup of coffee while I look at the sale ads
• Writing a blog or working on a doc for TpT
• Going to yoga (haven't been in ages)
• Binge watching some TV on NetFlix
• Hanging out with friends and/or the bf
• Reading a book

Some of my least favorite things to do on the weekends:

• Homework for grad school

I've been complaining about this since I started last fall. Every weekend, the homework is like a weight just sitting there on my shoulders, waiting to be taken care of.

I'm working on a second master's - in admin. I have no desire to be admin right now...not even sure ever! Last week, in my HR class, we were working on predicting enrollment for future school years. That doesn't sound like fun at all. And if I was doing a job where I was predicting enrollment, where would the kids be? Probably in another building, as I'd be working at district office. So there's a problem:

I love kids!

I love curriculum!

I decided last night, after the fifth conversation with my best friend, that I should drop my classes this semester. So that's exactly what I did. And let me tell you: I feel great!

I don't want to spend my weekends doing homework (or worrying about doing it). I want to do all those things I listed above and really relax and unwind from the week. And I already have a Master's, so I'm not sure why I felt like I needed another one. I guess it was something I could do while I have the time and no kids and big responsibilities at home, but it doesn't make me happy.

So, I quit my classes and now I have all day to work on my blog hop blog for next weekend. I bought ingredients for a new recipe, too: Green Chili so I can make that and not feel stressed about doing homework.

Plus, I'm really interested in that Chicago Grassroots Curriculum Taskforce and finding out about how I can teach an undergrad literacy class at a university. Additionally, a friend just emailed me about getting involved with the National Writing Project, which sounds amazing. I've also been wanting to take a class on graphic design so I can make my blog look better and figure out how to make my own clipart.

I guess I wanted to finish that degree because I was worried about disappointing people - the best principal mentors who drop everything to put beautiful words of recommendation down on a paper for me. Also: myself. I didn't want to drop my classes because I don't like quitting things. It's not like I can't do this degree - I could totally finish it and even with a 4.0...I'm just not interested.

I need to stay close to kids, and even as a Literacy Coach, I still have Anabelle, Naylani, and Rodrigo next door in third grade who talk to me all the time, my group of four boys in second who I teach guided reading to every day, a bunch of kinders who I'll hear calling, "Hi, Ms. B!" as I walk through their hallway. And can't forget my fourth and fifth graders who I see at the end of the day for our reading intervention group. Every day they ask if they get a new book, and every day they are all smiles to see what I share with them! Love kids!

So, I say - do what you love. When you do, it never feels like work.

Are you doing what you love today?

Awesome Teacher = No Assignment too Big

When you have an awesome teacher, you pretty much have no problem doing any assignment they ask.

Case in Point:

I was kinda dreading one of my new classes: Research Design & Analysis of Educational Data.

But then, I went to class tonight and this happened:

First thing, Dr. Cortez says, "Okay well, I care about my students and it's 7:05 already so I want to help you reduce your stress. You've had a long day, and we still have over two hours of work to do. So, we are going to do some deep breathing and stretching. If you don't want to participate, that's okay, but if you do, please stand up."

He then led us through about 5 minutes of this, which was awesome.

Then, we watched this youtube clip:

That brought us to the fact that all you have to do is some research, so pick something you love and then it won't be so bad.

Is it nerdy that I'm (a little) excited to do my very own research study? So far I'm thinking about possible topics: Close Reading, something related to blogging and teaching and learning or - I actually like this stress management idea with teachers...and maybe kids, too! More to come on that later though.

This teacher continued the class in a laid back, yet strict way. Laid back...said things like, "I don't want people talking out of their butt," and "Can you believe some people do research studies like...'Do students like to come to school earlier or later?' Umm...what do you think?" Then, "Please don't do s*** research." 

But he was strict, too: "I'm going to need you to close your computers when we have discussions. We're a classroom community and I love when we're really getting down exchanging ideas," and "You're going to need to make sure you follow the outline for your paper. It helps me grade it when it's formatted just. like. this.

Side note: I felt rather creepy writing down what he was saying. I knew I wanted to write this blog when I came home, and wanted to remember...but, nevertheless, creepy!

Dr. Cortez let us introduce ourselves first and didn't spend a whole hour on himself. He's going to give us feedback on our one assignment (the research paper) as we go, so by the end, there will be no surprises. The guy has a PhD, along with his Master's and Bachelor's all from University of Illinois. He is from Chicago and knows all kinds of history of our great city...he's smart. I admire smart people!

So all of this got me thinking: If you are a good teacher...rather, if you care about your students, and you do things (i.e.: are funny, do deep breathing and stretching, use different media to give your lecture...etc) to make your students like you - you can pretty much get them to do any kind of assignment you want, and it's no big deal.

Write a 15 page paper?

With a title page, abstract, table of contents, introduction, and review of literature?

Add in the methodology?

Don't forget your findings.

The same is true for us as teachers and our students: Show them you care about them, make it a point to learn their names ASAP, and let them have a piece of the lesson - kids will do anything.

Me: Which letter is the vowel?

Kids: <sing-songy> The A!

Me: How does it sound?

Kids: /aaaaa/ !!

Me: For homework, sort and say the words again and read the Thunderstorm book.
Kids: YES!!!

Love being a teacher. Love being a student.

That's my slice of life for today. Link up every Tuesday with the Two Writing Teachers.

That's all for now. It's 10:13 and I'm cashed.

G'night,

Take that, campus bookstore!

I just finished my first semester at Northeastern where I'm working on my Principal's Endorsement. Last semester I had a class about the theory of educational administration and I had to buy this awful book:

It's just so dense and full of lots of theories and guys like Maxwell Something-or-Another. That, and we worked on the theories in this book all semester, and then had an essay exam on the other book.

But, I digress.

Anyways, this book cost $146 when I bought it. Guess how much the bookstore wanted to give me when I went in to sell it back? $100? No. $75? No. (btw - prior to walking in that store, I decided that was the least amount I would take.) $65? Still no.

They would only give me $55 back.

Well, this chick thought they were barking up the wrong tree, so I told them that I would go ahead and keep it. I came home and looked up how to sell books online and made my way to amazon.com where I listed it for $140, $15 cheaper than anyone else who was selling it. I came to find out that Amazon would take a commission, but even with their $20, I would still make $120 on it. I just had to wait for it to sell.

I listed it on Friday, and it sold today. Boom.

I will not be robbed by campus bookstores! We're just college kids teachers, after all!

After that exchange, I thought I would look and see what books I'd have the pleasure of reading this semester. Something on Human Resources and Managing People, something about Qualatitive and Quantative Research. Yawn.

Then I thought I should at least take a gander at the books in the Literacy section...that wouldn't be being unfaithful to my new degree, would it? Just a quick look wouldn't hurt anyone....right?

 Jerry John's BRI? Love it!

Words Their Way? Own it!

Pathways to the Common Core? Winning!

All I wanted to do was look at all those books all over again. And buy the ones I don't have. But I didn't.

Which got me to thinking: Should I really be doing a principal's endorsement? I mean, I'm not even sure that's ever something I want to do. I love curriculum and teaching and classroom management and building relationships with kids and my colleagues. Evaluating teachers and figuring out budgets and management - doesn't get me all excited. But then I'm back at the point of having the time and energy to do it just in case....so I should continue, right?

Anyways, that's my story about the book and how I outsmarted the book store. Today was also good because I had another sale, but on Teachers Pay Teachers. And we got a snow day tomorrow. Here's my block:

And it just won't. stop. snowing. Tomorrow's high is -9 but when you factor in wind chill, it might be as cold as 35-45 degrees below zero! I will be in full hibernation mode, for sure.

Meanwhile, my best friend who lives in Southern California enjoyed a day at the beach with her kiddos and hubs:

Her kids were swimming today. SWIMMING!!

Anyways, hope you had a great Christmas break and that it's extended a day if you're in the Chicagoland area!

Stay warm and sell your books on Amazon!

Chicago Public Schools: I'm Outraged!

Yesterday at grad school, I was asked to read an article from the Chicago Tribune. It was a perspective piece entitled Re-envision CPS as a democratic community (October 16, 2013). This article detailed five ways that Chicago Public Schools (CPS) could align their values to reflect democracy for the students it serves.

            Have you ever thought about how democracy plays out in schools…or how it should? Through my work at Arizona State in Literacy, I learned that the highest form of literacy happens when students are using it to make their place in the world better. As teachers, we need to make sure students that students not only understand their rights, but also know what to do if something isn’t fair. The funny thing about CPS is that they are running their district very much opposite of what a democratic school system would look like. Did you know…

1.     The Mayor appoints Chicago’s school board?

2.     School board meetings are held during school hours? (Which also means many parents are working during that time?)

3.     Chicago’s Student Bill of Rights is lacking?

4.     Many students don’t protest unfair practices because they are in fear of suspension?

Read on to hear my responses to each of these...

The School Board

            I work in Berwyn South School District 100. In our district, the board members are accountable to the voters. If things aren’t going well, the voters have a voice. In CPS, that is not the case.

As I don’t work in Chicago Public Schools, I’m not sure exactly who is appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, but I’m guessing there is a lot of politics going on– Rahm gets his guys on the board who will vote along with his initiatives. (Does he have a background in education?) This isn’t what is in the best interest of children. School board members should be people who are connected closely to education – they have studied it, they are former teachers, they have children in the system, or they have a deep passion for doing what is right by children. The mayor appointing school board members is the opposite of democracy.

School Board Meetings

            Are you outraged? I just learned that these meetings are during the school day. I wish it would be appropriate in this forum to use words to demonstrate how livid I am about this, but as an professional, that I cannot do….

How can these school board meetings be participatory if they are happening when students, teachers, and most families are at work? How are teachers', students', and families' voices heard? I think the fact that these meetings are scheduled when no one is available says it all: we don’t value your input.

In BSD 100, our school board meetings are on the last Wednesday of each month. They begin around 7pm and students from each school are recognized each week. (I think my district does a great job of getting teachers, students, and families there in this way!) There are snacks, and breaks, and though they may be long and happen after a long day at work, it’s clear that BSD 100 values what the teachers, students and families have to say about their district. They want to do what is best for students, and they align their meetings to make every voice heard. This is democracy.

Bill of Rights for Students and Families

            In the article I read, it mentions how, CPS, “took the admirable step this year of adding the right ‘to express opinions, support causes, assemble to discuss issues, and engage in peaceful and responsible demonstrations’ to the Student Code of Conduct.” Isn’t that nice of CPS? Now students can express their opinions and get together to discuss issues? In the past they couldn’t? I’m confused.

            How could a school district forbid students rights that are given to them in our country’s Bill of Rights? How is Chicago Public Schools greater than the United States of America? Honestly, I’m outraged that these behaviors were forbidden.

I know that our district has a Student Code of Conduct, but I’m not really sure if it outlines student demonstrations or right to assemble. Honestly though, I can’t see how our district would impose a punishment for students participating in this kind of activity. Because our school board meetings happen at a time when most people are available to attend, this is at least one platform for students, teachers, and families to make their voices heard.

Responding respectfully to student dissent

            The article outlined a situation this past April when students from Voices of Youth in Chicago Education put together a peaceful protest during the Prairie State Achievement Exam. Before the protest took place, students were told that they would be suspended for participating in it and that they would not be able to make up the exam. The protest went on, but probably without the amount of students that would have participated had they not been threatened with the above consequences. This leaves me wondering: Is this a respectful way to quiet the voices of our future community members?

            I believe these kinds of warnings to students, along with what was mentioned above about the school board, school board meetings, and school code of conduct are all measures used to silence the members of our community. We are lucky in that we live in a country of where we have the right of freedom of speech – so why does Chicago Public Schools believe they should take those rights away from our students?

            The school district I work for in Berwyn educates children kindergarten through eighth grade. In the four years I have worked there, I can’t remember a time when we ran into a situation like this, but I can’t see the same thing happening in Berwyn that did in Chicago.

            I think we can do best by our students if we teach them that their voice matters. We can’t do that if we silence them with fear of suspension and keep them out of our school board meetings. I think Chicago Public Schools has a lot of work to do to help their students understand that their voice matters, but I don’t think anything can change until we push for an elected school board. We need to elect people who will work for what is in the best interest of children.

Okay, I'm done now. 

Your thoughts?

Book Review: Our iceburg is melting: Changing and succeeding under any circumstances

So I'm working on my Principal's endorsement and one of our assignments in the supervision class is that we read a book about administration just for the pleasure and enjoyment of a book club read. I really loved this assignment!

I received many great suggestions but in the end went with this read:

I chose it because I wanted something that was on the lighter side (and a fable sounded right up my alley!) What I didn't know at the time was just how great this read was going to be.

The book is all about these penguins who live on an iceberg. One penguin, Fred (he's the one with the briefcase in the cover), is a very observant penguin and notices how the iceberg is melting. So he has to figure out what to do. He goes to Alice, one of the 10 penguins on the Leadership Council, because, as Fred puts it, she is a penguin who gets stuff done.

Fred takes Alice out to survey his findings and even though she was a little hesitant at first, she asks tons of questions and then agrees with Fred that yes, there is a problem.

She goes on to tell the rest of the Leadership Council and they listen to her, but they are skeptical. Here's the first reason why I love this book: The things the penguins do and say are exactly what some humans may do or say. It has the penguins on the Leadership Council wondering, "Was Alice having personal problems, perhaps with her marriage?!"

Anyways, I'm not going to get into the whole fable, here, but this is why this is a great book for leadership:

• It's a simple fable that is fun. It's easy to understand, causes you to identify with one of the penguins right away, and shows a process for problem-solving.

• It shows how you can have a list of steps to follow to conquer a goal, but it's not cut and dry because the people who carry out the tasks have feelings, opinions, and personalities that have to be taken into consideration.

• It shows how it takes a team effort to accomplish a great task.

• It shows just how important common sense and communication are to the group as a whole.

• It's a low-threat read that can stimulate great discussion among a group of people working toward a common goal.

The bottom line? I loved this book and would highly recommend it to others in the future. Thank you to LeeAnn Lindsey for the recommendation!

Have you read this book? Thoughts?

Happy Tuesday!

Currently October

Whoooo-hooooo it's already October! So crazy how fast time goes by! As I have been for the last few months, I'm again participating with Farley's Currently. I am once again so happy to share and link up with fellow bloggers!

To anyone who doesn't usually read blogs - if you look on Farley's page that I've linked - you will find literally 100's of teaching blogs to read. This Currently link-up is how I have gotten the few followers that I have and how I've found great teachers to network with from all over the country! You should definitely check it out....after you read my blog and follow me! : )

Listening to Jason Aldean

I'm not sure why I love this song so much, but I *super* love it! I listen to it almost every day on the way to work (well, that may be because I only have like 12 songs on my iPhone. I can't get it to connect to wifi, so I don't have much of my music...). But anyways, this song is awesome. 

Loving teaching Words Their Way to Kinders

Yesterday and today were my first days teaching in kinder with Ms. Optie at my school. I feel so grateful that she's letting me try out this word study program with her class...Thank you, Melinda! We are starting her whole class off with the very first sort of the Alphabetic Spellers book, and we are working on the sounds /b/, /m/, /r/, and /s/. I'm planning on blogging about it more after this week, but we did vocabulary and cutting yesterday and then did our first sort today. It was so awesome to hear the..."mm, mm, mop" and "rrr, rrr, ring" echoing through the room as they constructed connections between letters and sounds.

Here's one girl's list of words that start with the /s/ sound:

Notice circles. While it makes the sound /s/, it doesn't follow the pattern for how we write it, so we called it an "oddball." Sophie was totally okay crossing it off her list because of the different pattern it followed. Great learning happening, all with Sophie's thinking as a starting place!

Thinking about all the great things going on around our building...

In addition to Words Their Way in Kinder, a second grade teacher grabbed me today to show me her Daily 5 Lesson: Three Ways to Read a Book. I went in to see the kiddos - all totally engaged with their partner, either reading words, pictures, or retelling the story. This is the kind of thing that gives me goosebumps. Is that lame?

In third grade, I've been invited to coteach the writer's workshop on a pretty regular basis. We finally moved from the rehearsal phase of the process to drafting and modeled the Receive the Piece conferences today in class. I love Writer's Workshop and love that this particular class invites me so often, because I'm totally building relationships with kids (my most fave part of teaching!)

And finally...first grade. As a middle school teacher and with technology, I took so much for granted. I could tell middle school kids, "Oh, just go to google." or, "Please email that info to me." In first grade, it's quite different....

You have to build background. Like - what a website is. They need to be taught where to type the website link (in the URL, of course!) They need to look at all the letters mixed up on the keyboard to find them to type the page they're trying to reach.

The first grade teachers on my campus are AWESOME! The management is impeccable and the kids know exactly what to do to to get logged in, and get to a website like Starfall. The first graders I saw today were patient, helpful, and so so great, and nothing marks great management like a group of kids who know exactly what to do. So, so impressed!

Seriously, so so good!

Wanting Grad School to be finished!

Wait, what? I'm only 4 or 5 weeks into a two year program?

I'll put it this way: It's really interesting what I'm learning about Supervision and the Organizational Analysis of managing a school of teachers. (No, I'm being totally serious.) But then I have to go write all these papers and remind myself how to cite sources correctly using APA format. And I never finish my work on the weekend, so then I'm working in the evenings on Mondays and Tuesdays. And allll I really wanting to be doing? Watching Netflix, writing on my blog, and thinking about what pictures I'm going to put on my Christmas card this year. (Yes, I'm already planning!) Not even sure I even want to be a principal, but I've already begun, and I'm not the kind of girl who is a quitter, so I must continue. Blahhh.

PS - Let's be real: I'm definitely not losing sleep over grad school. I love sleeping!


Needing a few more yoga mats.

Have you been to yoga? Have you been to hot yoga? Well, I love it. Like... love, Love, LOVE it. No matter how busy I am or how stressed I feel about getting work done, if I go to yoga, I always come out feeling way better, even though I may have given up an hour I could have been 'doing homework.' (I use the term doing homework very loosley...what I'm more than likely doing is reading blogs, reading facebook, shopping online...anything but doing homework.)

But, I digress.

Okay so in hot yoga, it's hot. Like super hot. Well, depending on the girl who runs the show though. The Monday night teacher has got that place on fire, but I've been on Thursday nights a few times, and I'm in there wondering when she's going to turn the heat on.

I seriously lol at the pictures I find for my blogs : P

But, I digress....again.

So I have an older yoga mat, and in hot yoga you get so sweaty that you slip on those things. Have your shins ever sweated? (Is sweated a word? omg. It's late and I'm getting loopy.) You basically just get super sweaty everywhere, including your hands and feet, so you have to buy these towels to go over your yoga mat or you'll slip right off.

I have two. They're both dirty. Now, I know some people (ahem...you know who you are!) who would probably just get the towels out of the dirty clothes and use them again, but I would hope that under these conditions she would not. I can't do it. They get so sweaty, they need a good wash.

So, I'm in need of a few more of those towels. Or, a new apartment that has a washer and dryer in the unit and I don't need to go to the creepy basement with quarters to pay to use it. 

I know, I know. First world problems. But hey - it's what I need!

So corny, and I LOVE it!

A Trick for Words Their Way:

As I mentioned above, I started Words Their Way with Kinder. Well, with six or seven kids sitting together around a table, all using the same picture sort, it's quite possible...no, probably a certainty, that their little picture cards would get mixed up. So, in order to know whose cards are whose, each child at the table has a different color. We write the child's name in color on the front, and then put stripes on the back with the same color. That way, if Jada (purple) gets her pictures mixed up with Joey (green) they can look to the back to know whose is whose!


Looking back on September...
And just to follow up...Last month I mentioned how I was going to Chicago in White in September. Well, we went and it was super fun! Some people went totally nuts creating crazy big centerpieces and whatnot, but my friends and I just brought some food and had great conversation. Here's a few pics from the night:

The ceremonious twirling of the dinner napkin to mark the beginning of dinner...

So fun to dress up! Here's Liz and I:

Our cake before....

And after:

(Red velvet....delicious!)

A picture the whole group... Liz, Anita, (me), and Diana

Anyways, September was a great month and I'm looking forward to October. Really excited for Halloween! My costume involves rainbow striped tights and my cousin said she'd be my sidekick. Can't wait to share about that next month. What are you all being for Halloween?

And....the next Currently will be on my birthday! So excited!

Happy October, blogosphere!

Five for Friday

Another week gone by - I think that marks the fifth back to school? Crazy how fast time flies by! Here's my Five for Friday and a Link-Up with Doodle Bugs Teaching!

#1

One of the best parts of my week was all the classrooms I got to see. As Literacy Coach at my school, my weeks alternate: week one, I attend all the literacy common plan meetings with all grade levels, week 2, I'm off to model lessons, observe in classrooms, and work on other tasks, like creating an order for a Writer's Workshop Mentor Text library. (So fun!)

This week, lots of memories come to mind from the classroom, but seeing our Bilingual Kinder class in action was so fun. I speak enough Spanish to follow along and the kiddos were doing a read-aloud with their teacher and working on making predictions. It was the fact that they were kinders, plus the fact that they were doing a lesson on predicting, plus the fact that they all spoke Spanish, plus all the little management techniques their teacher used. I was sitting there thinking, "I wish I had my iPad - I want this on video" - but I was too engaged to go get it. Such a fun time in kinder this week...Actually all our kinder classes were deep into their literacy centers, working on building independence for guided reading that will be starting very soon. All of this makes my heart so happy, and reminds me how hard kinder teachers work with their kids. So happy to see these little ones engaged and having fun with friends in class!

#2
I taught the Watermelon and Seed Story lessons in a few classes:

So this lesson is great to get kids to think about whether or not their idea is big or narrow.

The watermelon story is the big juicy watermelon that is your life.

Within your watermelon story, you have lots of seeds - seeds about family, friends, vacations, school, houses you've lived in, celebrations, cousins....every memory is a seed.

Anyways, there's lots online about the Watermelon and Seed Story lesson - so check it out. It's great for kids because then your conversations go like this:

#3
Here's a great anchor chart created by one of our second grade classes:

So the anchor chart is awesome because it's all of the kids' language about Just Right, Vacation, and Future books. Teacher facilitated the discussion and recorded their words and now the kids have a great reference to use in their classroom!

4.
Part of the reason I haven't been writing as much is because of Grad School. Yes, I'm back for a second Master's...this time for a Principal's Certificate. It's not hard, just a lot of work. But, it's really interesting. Now that I have this position as Literacy Coach, I'm not just me, in my own classroom...I get to work with all the teams around my school. So, I can see lots of theory in practice.

Of course, I'd rather be spending my free time blogging, and watching Breaking Bad (new obsession now that I've finished Friday Night Lights) but I am reading about Organizational Structure and writing philosophy papers again. But, it's okay....like I said, super interesting and I love the people in my cohort at NEIU!

5.
The best weeks are those that involve me hearing from former students, and I heard from six of them since last week! My girls, Ali, Lillian, and Michelle are all doing well in high school, Baltazar sent me a picture of his progress report that was straight A's, and then Kirstin and Andy visited last night after school. Andy was so sure he was going to get space from another kid in from our homeroom last year, but now he still has two classes with him....and they're at a *huge* high school. Hhahaaa! Kids are so funny. I'm so proud of all of them - doing so well in their new schools, and keeping me in the loop with what's going on!

That's all from me here at BigTime Literacy. Hope you have a great weekend!