Yesterday was the last day of school. Here are some thoughts on the day.
1) Sick Child: A, one of my angels, has been sick. She didn't make it to school on Thursday because she was running a fever. Yesterday, when I took attendance, she was not there. I was so sad to miss seeing her on the last day. Ten minutes later, she showed up at the door with her mom, crying. Her mom asked me for help with A. She said that A was still running a slight fever but that she was begging her to come to school since it was the last day. I told the mom that I would keep A for a bit and if we needed to, we would call her to pick A up. A gave me a big germy hug and took a seat. Another 30 minutes later, I saw tears welling up in A's eyes. I came over to check in on her and this is what she said :"Ms.V., I no feel good. My tummick (stomach) hurts." I told her that I was so happy to see her but that it was time for her to go home. I sent her off to the nurse's office with a hug and a few party goodies in a bag. She started to walk away but then turned around and ran back to give me a hug and a big kiss on the cheek. She said "I lub you Ms.V. I will miss you!" That girl just melts my heart!!!
2) JUNK food : Once again, the food vs. academic achievement test produced the same results. The higher the class is academically, the smaller the feast. When the class is overall lower in academic acheivement, we have a plethora of junk food. Yesterday's feast was disgustingly large. I think we had 10 bags of chips, 2 cakes, 3 bags of cookies, 3 bottles of juice, 4 boxes of juice boxes and more. I sent most of it home. Just looking at it made me gain a few pounds! I love those kids but I think we needed to work on nutrition a little more than we did.
3) Confession: One of my boys, A, has ADHD. There is talk of him possibly having Asperger's as well. He is a very bright young man but is challenged behaviorally. He takes no medicine and sees no specialist for his challenges. This makes life tough for him. I try my best to make accomodations for him because I know that the problems that arise as a result of his issues are totally out of his control. It makes my work exhausting but it is necessary for him to be successful. I am always redirecting him and trying to find something positive and motivating to say to him to keep him on track. Yesterday, on our way back from lunch, he was a mess in the lunch line. Jumping up and down, flying around in circles kicking the air... yikes! So, I did my usual routine of walking up to him and pretending to completely ignore the behavior and ask him if he could escort me to the classroom because I wasn't sure how to get there. (This is my little game that I play with him to redirect his behavior and to help him save face in front of his peers)
A snapped out of it and took my arm and began his tour guide routine to escort me to the room. He walked very nicely to class and was quite the gentleman. When we got to the class, he waited outside as everyone filed inside. Then, when we were alone outside, he said "Ms. V. I am sorry. I just can't calm myself down sometimes. I will try to do better." I gave him the biggest hug ever. I told him that it was no problem and that I would be happy to walk him to class next year if he needed help calming down. He melts my heart too!
4) English!!!: J, is a newcomer from Mexico. He has been here for 2 months. He has learned a substantial amount of English in the short time he has been here but would rather speak in Spanish. In academic situations, I pushed the English but for social situations, I let him use Spanish. These last two weeks though, I tried pushing the English with him for everything. Basically, he would ask me in Spanish and then I would translate in English and have him repeat it to me. The most common phrase was, of course, the bathroom request. Right before school let out yesterday, J came rushing up to me with an urgency in his eyes that told me what he needed to do before he even asked. He started to ask in Spanish and then with a sparkle in his eye and a heavy accent said "May I go to the bathroom please?" Love it! Never too late!!!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
My First Invitation
Every year that I have been teaching, I have always talked up the importance of going to school, working hard and going to college. Additionally, I ask my students to invite me to their high school and college graduations. I have been teaching for 14 years now and not once have I had a student take me up on that until this year.
E was in the first class that I taught in public school. He was a stocky little guy, good kid, a bit shy and timid. He was a hard working student academically and had a good foundation at home to keep him straight.
I haven't seen E in years. 10, to be exact. During Open House, a few weeks ago, he popped in to say hi. He looked great! He is in great shape, is well spoken, seems very self assured and happy. He asked how I was doing and also asked about my daughter. E shared his after high school plans with me. He will be attending UC Merced and then hopes to transfer to Cal in two years. I was so excited for him and I gave him a great big hug.
E came by with his parents. They thanked me for helping him the year that he was with me. They also thanked me for helping them to work with him. They knew very little English and were not sure if they would be able to give him the support that he needed. E is living proof that they could and that they did.
Then came the best surprise of all. E and his parents asked me if I would come to his high school graduation. YAY! I got a bit weepy and of course said "YES!"
Friday night is the last day of school. On the last day of school I like to run home and begin my long vacation right away. This year, I will hold out for a few hours. I will stay in town and proudly watch one of my former students make his walk across the stage to receive his diploma. I am so proud of him.
I don't think anything can top this except, of course, if he invites me to his college graduation!
E was in the first class that I taught in public school. He was a stocky little guy, good kid, a bit shy and timid. He was a hard working student academically and had a good foundation at home to keep him straight.
I haven't seen E in years. 10, to be exact. During Open House, a few weeks ago, he popped in to say hi. He looked great! He is in great shape, is well spoken, seems very self assured and happy. He asked how I was doing and also asked about my daughter. E shared his after high school plans with me. He will be attending UC Merced and then hopes to transfer to Cal in two years. I was so excited for him and I gave him a great big hug.
E came by with his parents. They thanked me for helping him the year that he was with me. They also thanked me for helping them to work with him. They knew very little English and were not sure if they would be able to give him the support that he needed. E is living proof that they could and that they did.
Then came the best surprise of all. E and his parents asked me if I would come to his high school graduation. YAY! I got a bit weepy and of course said "YES!"
Friday night is the last day of school. On the last day of school I like to run home and begin my long vacation right away. This year, I will hold out for a few hours. I will stay in town and proudly watch one of my former students make his walk across the stage to receive his diploma. I am so proud of him.
I don't think anything can top this except, of course, if he invites me to his college graduation!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Fan Mail
One of the things I love about my job are the sweet letters I get from my students. I call them my fan mail. Depending on the group, I can get several of them a week. This year, I have two girls in particular who like to write to me. One is very clever with the method of delivery. She strategically places them in spots where I am sure to find them.
I, of course, have to turn this into a teachable moment. She has mastered the 2nd grade friendly letter format so I am working on building vocabulary with her. As an English learner, she can use the help with descriptive language. I told her that we could turn her letter writing into a game of hide and seek. She is to hide the letter and then give me descriptive clues to find it. We are having lots of fun with it and she is learning at the same time.
Typed below is today’s fan mail installment. I typed it just as it was written, spelling mistakes and all. It is a keeper. It will be added to my bulging envelope of similarly sweet letters from students from years past.
5/20/09
Dear, Mrs. V,
How have you been? You are the best teacher in the world! You are nice with us. You are funny! You are good at arts and crafts. I love the movies you put. I relly like Arthur movies. Could we see them all this week or before we end school? I hope we could see ech other when I’m in 3rd grade. You are cute.
sincirally,
A
I, of course, have to turn this into a teachable moment. She has mastered the 2nd grade friendly letter format so I am working on building vocabulary with her. As an English learner, she can use the help with descriptive language. I told her that we could turn her letter writing into a game of hide and seek. She is to hide the letter and then give me descriptive clues to find it. We are having lots of fun with it and she is learning at the same time.
Typed below is today’s fan mail installment. I typed it just as it was written, spelling mistakes and all. It is a keeper. It will be added to my bulging envelope of similarly sweet letters from students from years past.
5/20/09
Dear, Mrs. V,
How have you been? You are the best teacher in the world! You are nice with us. You are funny! You are good at arts and crafts. I love the movies you put. I relly like Arthur movies. Could we see them all this week or before we end school? I hope we could see ech other when I’m in 3rd grade. You are cute.
sincirally,
A
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Clothes That Fit
This week I cleaned out Sabi's drawers and closet. I took out all of the clothing that was too small and took inventory of what she would need for the summer. Due to the fact that she grows like a weed, I had a HUGE stack of clothing to get rid of. Two big bags full to be exact.
I usually give my clothing to Goodwill. With Sabi's clothes, I like to give them to friends of hers or to my students. This time I decided to give them to one of my students. Now Sabi is a 5th grader and I teach 2nd graders. Sabi is also a very tall girl. That being said, I have one student who is very stocky who I thought might be able to use the clothing. I was actually afraid the clothing might be too small but I thought I would give it a shot anyway.
The girl I wanted to give the clothing to, N, never wears clothing that fits. As I mentioned, she is stocky and short. There is nothing her size in the girls department. Everything she wears is at least 10 times too small. The waist is always very low, exposing her backside and her tummy hangs over everything. The poor thing looks like her clothes are painted on sometimes. This being said, I have never met a child so happy with themselves and with such a great self image.
The clothes I wanted to give away were girls plus clothes. (Did you know they make those?) They have been a blessing for Sabi. She is so tall and is cursed with my hips and smaller waist. The problem with the plus size pants for Sabi is that the waist/tummy section is too big. They fit in the hips though so I make them fit on her by tucking them in on the sides and make her use a belt. It isn't perfect, but it is comfy! I was hoping that these clothes would be a good match for N. I knew that she had never had anything fit her before and hopefully, these would not be too tight for her.
I gave the clothes to N on Tuesday. On Wednesday, she came to school in one of the shorts I gave her. She told me that the clothes were too big for her but that she could grow into them. She was pleased as punch to have them on and told everyone that I gave them to her. I watched her walk around the room to see how they fit. They were a perfect fit! I talked to her about the clothes and she told me again how they were too big. It was then that I realized that she doesn't know what a perfect fit is. She is so used to being hugged and squeezed into tight clothing that she doesn't know the difference! Poor baby! She is all of 7 years old and thinks that is how clothing is supposed to fit.
N wore more of the hand me downs for the remainder of the week. She was happy to be in them and I was happy to see her happy. Other teachers told me that something was different with N, that she looked different but they weren't sure what it was. I just smiled.
I am glad Sabi's clothes went to a good home.
I usually give my clothing to Goodwill. With Sabi's clothes, I like to give them to friends of hers or to my students. This time I decided to give them to one of my students. Now Sabi is a 5th grader and I teach 2nd graders. Sabi is also a very tall girl. That being said, I have one student who is very stocky who I thought might be able to use the clothing. I was actually afraid the clothing might be too small but I thought I would give it a shot anyway.
The girl I wanted to give the clothing to, N, never wears clothing that fits. As I mentioned, she is stocky and short. There is nothing her size in the girls department. Everything she wears is at least 10 times too small. The waist is always very low, exposing her backside and her tummy hangs over everything. The poor thing looks like her clothes are painted on sometimes. This being said, I have never met a child so happy with themselves and with such a great self image.
The clothes I wanted to give away were girls plus clothes. (Did you know they make those?) They have been a blessing for Sabi. She is so tall and is cursed with my hips and smaller waist. The problem with the plus size pants for Sabi is that the waist/tummy section is too big. They fit in the hips though so I make them fit on her by tucking them in on the sides and make her use a belt. It isn't perfect, but it is comfy! I was hoping that these clothes would be a good match for N. I knew that she had never had anything fit her before and hopefully, these would not be too tight for her.
I gave the clothes to N on Tuesday. On Wednesday, she came to school in one of the shorts I gave her. She told me that the clothes were too big for her but that she could grow into them. She was pleased as punch to have them on and told everyone that I gave them to her. I watched her walk around the room to see how they fit. They were a perfect fit! I talked to her about the clothes and she told me again how they were too big. It was then that I realized that she doesn't know what a perfect fit is. She is so used to being hugged and squeezed into tight clothing that she doesn't know the difference! Poor baby! She is all of 7 years old and thinks that is how clothing is supposed to fit.
N wore more of the hand me downs for the remainder of the week. She was happy to be in them and I was happy to see her happy. Other teachers told me that something was different with N, that she looked different but they weren't sure what it was. I just smiled.
I am glad Sabi's clothes went to a good home.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
A Ray of Sunshine
This school year is quite stressful. I have so many things that I could blog (rant) about. I won't though. It is depressing enough to have to live though it. Why relive it in this blog. Instead I will write about my ray of sunshine in my class.
A is a doll. I was really worried about her at the beginning of the school year. We had an IEP on her within the first few weeks of school starting. Her scores were SO low but die to the fact that she had no discrepancy, she remained in my room. I was quite angry about that because I thought it wasa huge disservice to her. However, I kept my happy face on and worked hard with A. She worked even harder. She amazed us all by making great gains academically. Since August, she has jumped from being a non reader to reading at almost a 2nd grade level. Wow!
Math is much harder for her. She has never quite understood what we were doing. I work with here every day to try and help out but she is always many steps behind. Never once has she given up or complained though. I admire her so much for this. Right now, we are working on one the hardest concepts of the entire year, 3 digit addition with regrouping. She brought me her page to check it. I was amazed because it was complete. I was even more shocked to find that all of the answers were correct. I asked her who helped her with it. She told me that she did it on her own. I told her that I wanted to watch her do it myself. I didn't believe her. So then, A smiles up at me, knowing that I don't believe her and says, "ok Ms. V., watch me!" I did and was blown away. SHE GETS IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hugged her, apologized and did the happy dance with her.
A has so many issues that the rest of the kids don't have to deal with. That being said, A is not going to let any of her issues stand in her way for success. She proves to herself, to me, her parents and the rest of our class that she is a hard worker and part of the group. I wish that the rest of the class had her drive.
A is a doll. I was really worried about her at the beginning of the school year. We had an IEP on her within the first few weeks of school starting. Her scores were SO low but die to the fact that she had no discrepancy, she remained in my room. I was quite angry about that because I thought it wasa huge disservice to her. However, I kept my happy face on and worked hard with A. She worked even harder. She amazed us all by making great gains academically. Since August, she has jumped from being a non reader to reading at almost a 2nd grade level. Wow!
Math is much harder for her. She has never quite understood what we were doing. I work with here every day to try and help out but she is always many steps behind. Never once has she given up or complained though. I admire her so much for this. Right now, we are working on one the hardest concepts of the entire year, 3 digit addition with regrouping. She brought me her page to check it. I was amazed because it was complete. I was even more shocked to find that all of the answers were correct. I asked her who helped her with it. She told me that she did it on her own. I told her that I wanted to watch her do it myself. I didn't believe her. So then, A smiles up at me, knowing that I don't believe her and says, "ok Ms. V., watch me!" I did and was blown away. SHE GETS IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I hugged her, apologized and did the happy dance with her.
A has so many issues that the rest of the kids don't have to deal with. That being said, A is not going to let any of her issues stand in her way for success. She proves to herself, to me, her parents and the rest of our class that she is a hard worker and part of the group. I wish that the rest of the class had her drive.
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Favorite Concert
Wow! It has been over a month since I last blogged. I have to admit, I have been playing on Facebook and have neglected this site. Sorry folks!
So...Question of the Week:
What is the best concert that you have been to?
Aside from the great jams I am privileged to hear in my living room when my aunt, uncle and Sabi play, the best concert I have experienced was a Oscar D'Leon and Celia Cruz. It was my first time seeing both performers. I went to the concert in SF and wasn't sure what to expect. There was seating around tables but mainly there was open floor for dancing. I was at the very front and had a great view of everything. Oscar D'Leon and his group played for over 2 hours I think. They were amazing. Celia Cruz's flight was delayed so she didn't arrive until sometime after 11. She was hot! Celia performed for over an hour. I was so amazed at her too. The music was great, the people in the audience were fabulous and spirits were high. It was an unforgettable night.
So...Question of the Week:
What is the best concert that you have been to?
Aside from the great jams I am privileged to hear in my living room when my aunt, uncle and Sabi play, the best concert I have experienced was a Oscar D'Leon and Celia Cruz. It was my first time seeing both performers. I went to the concert in SF and wasn't sure what to expect. There was seating around tables but mainly there was open floor for dancing. I was at the very front and had a great view of everything. Oscar D'Leon and his group played for over 2 hours I think. They were amazing. Celia Cruz's flight was delayed so she didn't arrive until sometime after 11. She was hot! Celia performed for over an hour. I was so amazed at her too. The music was great, the people in the audience were fabulous and spirits were high. It was an unforgettable night.
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