original gangsta

This isn't even my slice to tell, but it was so funny, I had to post it.

My ELA class is a combination of 7th and 8th grade students. They stay for two years, so our current eighth graders are on year two with us. It's cool, because they become the mentors to the seventh graders.

Yesterday, when I was home sick, I guess one of the seventh graders told one of the eighth graders that he needed to rename the turtle (the stuffed animal turtle that sits in the window and is used as a talking piece sometimes during discussions).

She replied, "You aren't even an OG in this class, you can't name the turtle!"

My coteacher told me she overheard this conversation yesterday and meant to text it to me last night. Kids are so funny, especially when they use language like this in the perfect context!

good news

This is a model from writing I picked up watching Rachel Hollis on Amazon Prime in Made for More. Before they start their training, they ask the crowd to share good news. This news could be simple things like "I found my fave new shoes ON SALE" or bigger things like, "My cousin beat cancer." All news is good news, so here is some from me today.

Good news:
I got a huge chunk of my To Do list completed on Thursday.

Good news:
The weather in Chicago is creeping up into the 40s. It's a heat wave!

Good news:
My class's behavior was ON POINT Thursday. Like, so much that I offered 15 minutes of free time tomorrow (first time all year) if they could do that again. It was BLISSSSSSS.

Good news:
I saw Aziz Ansari the other night. SOOO GOOD.

Good news:
The last of four book club books came in and our new 7th grade book clubs are all set in poetry: The Crossover, Brown Girl Dreaming, Bronx Masquerade, and Home of the Brave. Can't wait to get started with these after spring break!

Good news:
After days of indulging on not-so-healthy food choices, it's always great to return to routines and add health back in via densely nutritious protein shakes and detox teas.

Good news:
We rolled the clocks back so the daylight will stay with us even longer now. Summer is on the horizon!

steamy

Every year my friend, she's so kind, takes me to the Avani Spa in Fontana, Wisconsin. We get a massage and hang out in the pool area all day. It's lovely.

My fave location in the whole place? The steam room. I had never been in one before coming here, but I love sitting in there.

Just Thursday I finally caught a cold, so to sit in a room that's like a giant netty pot is THE BEST. (Minus the gross part of the netty pot.) I swear, my skin is so conditioned every time I get to spend some time in this little, it's-a-good-sweat room! Wanna go sit in a giant humidifier? Yes, please!

when lunch stinks

I am a meal planning person. Every weekend I make a bunch of lunches and some dinners and portion them up so I'm good to go daily with healthy food to keep me feeling well throughout the week. This week I made a Portillo's Chopped salad (it's delicious) and homemade dressing.

The dressing consists of balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and a bunch of spices.

Fast forward to yesterday, I ate in my classroom alone. Was much in need of some quiet time. Salad was delicious, I ate at my conferring table. And as the kids came in for block 4, I haphazardly threw all the dishes into my lunch bag, but didn't close up the containers. I didn't realize how strong of a scent that particular dressing had.

Block 4 began, I was working on some other things outside of my room, but ran back to my space about 45 minutes later to grab something. I come in to Israel shaking his head. "Ms. Brezek. Why?" He, along with a few others, were working together with their teacher at my conferring table. Israel continues, "That smell, it's terrible. What was that?"

I had no context for what he was talking about. I must have looked confused, because his teacher chimed in. "I moved your lunch bag over there and also dropped a few drops of lavender essential oil. The kids were really distracted by your lunch."

Israel continued, "Yeah, it smells so bad. What *was that?"

Feeling a little embarrassed, I realized I didn't wash the dishes or or even close the lids. "Oh yeah, sorry guys, it was salad dressing..."

Israel interrupts again, "It's like, I just can't focus. It's so strong." He's shaking his head, clearly distraught.

At the time, I didn't realize how strong it was. But that night after school, I didn't go home, I had another commitment. And on my way there, I slammed on my brakes, my lunch bag flew to the floor, and the scents got all wound up again. I picked it all up, but when I got into my car that evening after about 3 hours of time, it did smell. It totally stunk, and I could feel Israel's pain.

How is it that I can have a delicious lunch and the remnants are just miserable?!

on being a mom (kinda)

So did you read my post about Annie a few days ago? If not, start there.

Today I saw her during block 4 and I don't even remember what she was talking my ear off about but then I interrupted, "I wrote about you and Adam on my blog."

"AHHHHH, MS. BREZEK! WHYYYYY?" She paused, then continued, "I gotta read it."

Lauren was overhearing this and says, "Oh, on bigtimeliteracy? Let me pull that up." (Lauren did her first slice of life challenge in 4th grade with me, FOUR years ago, nbd.) :-)

She does and reads it. She tells me, "You write so descriptively."

My heart swells. Because (1) she compliments my writing, but more so (2) she can appreciate descriptive writing.

Annie walks back over to me, all smiles. Kinda embarrassed, but also kinda appreciating the attention. "You're like my mom, Ms. Brezek." She's smiling, kinda laughing. "Like, she does stuff like this. I don't know, you're just kinda like her."

(I honestly don't remember anything she said after the comparison.)

Mostly I was just feeling like I got the best compliment ever.

multitasking is cr*p

I bought this book awhile ago:

I tried it out and it was difficult, so I set it aside. Then I noticed Oprah was doing a book study with the author, Eckhart Tolle, on her podcast. This week she released the conversation about chapter 9, next week it will all conclude.

In chapter 9 book, Eckhart states:

I used to think multitasking was the thing. Like look at me, I'm getting all these things done all at once, woweeeee!

But in the past few years, I've reconsidered. You can't be doing all the things at once. Well, to rephrase, you can be, but you won't be doing them well.

I find myself sitting at my desk at work, focused on one task. Then my email will ping, and I USED to just stop my work flow and go over to my email. At times now, I still do that, but now I catch myself. And I stop myself. And I go back to the first thing I was doing until it's complete. Then I will probably check my to do list before I go to the email, because people do not need a reply within 1 or 10 or even 60 minutes. Things can wait.

Our phones cause the same problem. We are doing something - making lunch or washing dishes, or folding laundry, or even at dinner with a friend or family member. The phone pings, and you interrupt what you're doing and give your attention that that.

Now that I've been more reflective of this fact, I've gotten so much more mindful of my phone. If I'm out with a friend, the phone is out of sight. I want the people I'm with to know that they are what's most important. I want my full attention to be on them.

If I'm home working on something, like right now, I'm writing this blog. My phone is on silent. It's still within arm's reach, but it's turned over and on silent. I want to finish one thing at a time.

When I'm at work in planning meetings of any sort, my phone is usually right there, but it's on silent and turned over. I'm not responding to email and I even try super hard to keep head space fully engaged with what I'm working on with people. It's important to me to be fully present for the 40-45 minutes we are working together.

And when I'm alone, I am tired of being anxious about the future or stressed about something I said earlier in the day. So now I just try and catch myself when I'm in anything but the present moment. It takes time, but it's making a difference to be fully present at each moment. And it helps.

Anyways, I guess I used to think multitasking was the sh*t, but now I think it's b*llsh*t. So let's spend some time together so I can get fully present to you and I and the work or fun we will find ourselves in.

Sidenote #1: I do like taking pics, so I may grab my phone for that. But the posting of said pics, later on :-)

Sidenote #2: I highly recommend you listen to Oprah's series on this book. Chapters 1 and 2 are tough, but starting on 3, it's amazing, and I think about as life-changing as Brené Brown's work!

Who's with me on this?

what I'm loving

Some things I'm currently loving are...

♥ that all my friends are blogging right now.
Our district has some pretty forward-thinking teachers, so it's cool how we're all sharing small moments of our daily lives with one another in March.

♥ that spring is coming!
Pretty sure we turn the clocks ahead next weekend. St. Patty's Day is coming (one year it was like 65 in Chicago that day, hoping for that!) Baseball is coming. Spring break is coming. WHen the sun is out, my spirits have an instant lift!

♥ rituals and traditions.
Fat Tuesday is here, tomorrow Ash Wednesday, and it's the season of Lent. Easter will be here soon. I love these parts of the calendar each year to remind me of things in life, and that they signal new easons are upon us!

♥ Hobby Lobby.
I've been dreaming of the gallery wall I want to create in my living room above my desk. Hobby Lobby has the best stuff for this, can't wait to share it with you once it's complete!

♥ my yearly visit to Lake Geneva with Lizzy!
Next weekend we will go to the spa and stay at the room her parents own at the resort. There's always a lovely brunch in there, too, can't wait to go!

♥ the app called Over.
If you like Word Swag, this one takes it up like 100 levels, but you can create amazing graphics and flyers from the convenience of your iPhone!

What are you loving at the moment?

tweet, tweet

Ahhh, spring in 8th grade. (Today it's 2 degrees in Chicago, but who's counting?) But ahhhh, spring in 8th grade. The kids are finding their boyfriends and girlfriends, and what esle could be better?

Well, what could be worse is your teacher calling you out on it.

There are these two kiddos who I especially adore. Let's call them Annie and Adam. I have known Annie since she was in fifth grade, when that was our last year at the elementary school. After that year, we both looped up (me back) to the middle school.

The following year, I had Adam in homeroom. Sixth graders are kinda shy, but he was always a personable kid. Annie and I lost a bit of touch until this year, but we have since reconnected and I see her, and Adam, every day again.

As eighth graders, these two are the best. They are funny, witty, smart, people persons. They are both in ELA with Andrea during block 4, and although I do not teach that block with her, I sometimes find myself in there after my other commitments, packing up to go home. Without a doubt, these two will ALWAYS find a way to say hello. Annie sits right by where my space is, and Adam usually needs his pencil sharpened (which is right by my space) about the time I return.

For most of the year, it was just fun and pleasantries. Until Annie and Adam became an item.

Now, I can do that thing that parents and teachers do - just a look and they'll blush.

But sometimes, I'll see them in the hall together, and I'll be like, "Hey Lovebirds!" (This is so reminiscent of Julia Bray, a coteacher I had about a decade ago, that I miss dearly.)

They will see, or hear this, and immediately blush and walk away from one another.

But the best? One afternoon I did this, and a friend of Adam's, let's call him Sam, followed up my greeting with "Tweet, tweet." 

Someone who understands me!

This is the best, especially with the kindest, funniest, happiest kids who will let it go and quietly remind me later to please stop. (I will not.)

chirp

I live in an apartment. Five units, three floors. I'm on the second floor, rear apartment. I love this home. When people visit they always tell me, "It's so cozy here." Yup.  This is part of the reason I'm cool being home by myself.

But there is a chirp happening. It's the smoke detector in the hallway to the units, somewhere. Throughout the day when I'm home, I hear it, but intermittently. So I hear it, think I should fix it, remind myself I don't have a ladder, and then continue with what I was doing in the first place.

But then it chirps again.

Totally reminded me of that modern family episode when Phil Dunphy (one of my fave characters of all time on TV) tries to fix his, check it out:

There mine goes again. I think I'll text my landlord and let him take care of it. After all, he's making the big bucks.

on being seen

I had a hard week. There were a lot of meetings, a lot of things to do, I didn't even realize my to do list was so long on Monday morning when I got to work. Does that ever happen to you? You come into work all casual and calm, and then it's like a bomb went off within 20 minutes? On a work level, that was how my week started.

Additionally I've been pretty aggravated on the dating scene. Usually the problem is I meet guys, and it's not a match. The last one was a match. But now the timing is off. Uggghhh.

I hadn't really reflected much on my week aside from being annoyed at how stressed I was. But then I woke up Friday morning to a text from a friend from school. It was a gif of a hug and her message said, "Felt like you could use a hug! You seemed down today and it made me sad friend."

I didn't realize how I was coming off so.....sad? But she did.

And this text message? Instant lift.

Is the best thing to be seen, or what? To know that there are people out there who care for you so much that they stop everything they are doing to send a message and let you know that you matter?

In the big grand scheme of life, I can't think of few other acts of love, like this one, that has the power to drastically change someone's day. So to my friend, and her coteacher who is also this way with me, thank you. My week is ending way better than how it started.

sol 27: simple reminders

Oh yesterday. Yesterday didn't start off in the way I wanted. As with life, sometimes you have things on your mind, or heart before the students walk through your doors, which lessens your patience for them (by no fault of their own.)

So kids came into homeroom, and my patience already thin, put me in a disagreement with a student, about something petty from that began the day before. We were kinda going back and forth, arguing, when a third student made a comment, "Somebody's in a mood."

And I was stopped. Dead in my tracks.

Here I was all upset about something unrelated to my students, yet they were feeling the weight of my frustration.

So right away, I apologized. "You guys are right. My lack of patience has nothing to do with you. I'm sorry." The two girls looked back, and smiled, and we all felt better.

Fast forward another 3 minutes, and I was feeling my patience begin lacking again, as another student didn't have the proper uniform on. I said something, to which he replied, "You're totally making assumptions!"

"You're right," I told him, and as he began to walk away, I reached for his arm, and asked him to come back. "Ok, I"ll listen better. Go ahead, explain it to me."

And he did. And I listened. As he finished, he began to walk away, and then I asked him to stop again.

"You know, thank you for reminding me to listen better, but now, can I have a turn to talk?" He nodded, and I continued on, about uniforms, about being ready for school, about how as a young adult, I'd expect him to be in charge of that. He nodded, and we were done.

Just reminds me of this, that I had read on facebook the night before:

This is a big part of my classroom management, and so it's important for me to apologize when I screw up. I may be older, but I'm human, and it matters to kids that I set my ego aside and just be honest.

My day could've continued in a very anxious, stressed, and frustrated way. But, because I accepted responsibility for my actions with my students, I was able to make it better for all of us. So thankful I was given these reminders the day before.

sol #24: not just a moment

A moment.

Today, I marched with 30,000 others in Chicago to make our voices heard for common sense gun reform.

I listened to poetry, I heard speeches, I chanted with those around me, and I carried a sign.

See how a whole bunch of moments are creating a movement, here.

See how kids of privilege use their power to give voice to those who have been silenced.

Let's be this movement.

sol #22: use your brain

I share a classroom with my coteacher, Andrea. We teach together during block 3, but during blocks 2 and 4 I have coaching periods, and she teaches two general education classes in our room. So sometimes, I find myself in my space in our room, but just working at my desk, not really interacting with her or her other classes.

Today, Andrea was telling her students that she left them comments on their essays in google drive.

Then overheard:

Andrea: Do you guys know how to see the comments on your doc?

Student: Yeah, open the comment and use your brain.

Maybe this slice isn't translating well, but I had to stop working, put my head down, and laugh. Because, actually, to see comments when working on an iPad is not as easy as it is on a MacBook. You see the words highlighted, but to find the comments, CONFUSING!

But just use your brian, kids. That's it.

sol #20: remnants of a departure

A few weeks ago, we had to say goodbye to one of our students from ELA. The class wrote him notes and we had a nice time together, even on such a sad day.

But still, there are remnants of his departure, namely, our Status of the Class notebook.

Every day we call out to kids to ask them their "status" with independent reading. They tell us what book they are reading, what page they are on, and we record it on a quarterly calendar. (This eventually is filed into portfolios, and is a nice artifact of their independent reading!) Jovanny's calendar is still in our notebook, and my coteacher and I have just been annotating it like this ever since:

We miss you JT!

sol #19: remember when

Remember when we first started teaching together?

Remember when you weren't almost high school kids?

Remember when we first just met?

And you were bummed there were 7th and 8th graders in our class?

Remember how I'm always really proud of you?

Remember how I like taking selfies? (alot?)

So we have lots of memories to scroll through? :-)

Remember how reading is AWESOME?!

Remember how there are 28 teachers, not 2?

And one to never forget: Ohana.

sol #18: making selections

It's March Madness and I love the brackets! It's only been a few years that I've done them, but they always make these weeks in March so much more fun.

Here are some of the ways I decide on who wins:

1. If ASU makes it, then I make my first bracket and put them through till the end. In the case of this year, Syracuse beat ASU in the first 4 round, so my #ForksUp bracket has Syracuse winning the whole thing. Boo ASU.

2. I immediately eliminate U of A, because ASU :-)

3. Any teams who my exes liked, I eliminate, but depending on their ranking, might give them a round or two.

4. Teams my friends like, I keep them in. Hauer, Duke was for you!

5. Throw in a few upsets.

I'm actually doing pretty well this year! A friend at work organized a pool, and my brackets are in 3rd and 5th place, so that's fun!

Who else is enjoying March Madness?

sol #17: easy saturdays

I hand no ideas for a post, but then was inspired by my coteacher to be thankful for Saturday mornings.

Dear Saturday,

How I love thee. Let me count the ways.

1. Coffee as a treat, instead of Detox Tea.
2. No alarming noise interrupting my slumber.
3. Sunlight streaming through the windows (though not today).
4. Catching up on friends' blogs, and writing one of my own.
5. Warm covers and a comfy couch, still in pajamas.
6. Skyping with my best friend.
7. No where to go until yoga, not till 1:30.

Blisssssss.

How is your Saturday turning out? Hope it's just how you want it.

sol #16: #nationalwalkoutday

Today, I'll let the video do the talking. Proud to be a Falcon.

sol #15: best made plans

This is not the post I wanted to write today, but YOU TUBE (say it annoyingly) uploads videos so slow and BLOGGER (I'm also annoyed with Blogger) will not upload a 2 minute video so I sit waiting on one app, and retyping a new slice on another so I can meet a deadline and get some sleep, hoping tomorrow I'll get the post up that I wanted up tonight.

And curtain.

sol #14: no video games, more books

"Hey Ms. Brezek, do you have Amazon Prime?"

Not looking up from what I was doing, I replied, "Yep."

My kiddo went on, "Could you order something for me?"

Assuming he meant a book (kids bring me money sometimes and I will order them books) I looked up, with a light in my eye and asked him what book he was hoping for. But I was met with the shake of his head.

"No, I don't want a book," he scoffed. "I need 6 new controllers for my Playstation."

I'm sure the look on my face was a three word acronym with an explicative. "What?!" I asked, incredulously.

"Yeah," he went on, "I need new controllers, so I"ll bring you the money, and you order them." This particular kiddo has been with me for a year and a half, so he sometimes gets a little bossy, but I let it slide.

"Uummm... no. I order books. That's it."

Still working on his argument, he told me that his dad broke one of his, and now he won't get him a new one. But my kiddo reassured me he had the money, so it would be best if I placed the order.

To that I said, "Well, I'm not going to go do something for you your parents won't do. I'm not having them mad at me. And further, no video games. More books."

He laughed and walked off.

Maybe if I got him his own copy of Hatchet we'd be good to go. He loves that book.