a musical tribute

One of my former students came up to me during lunch and handed me a "song." It was a piece of paper.

In case you don't read first-grader, the words say:

Ms. Haley is an awesome teacher. She always have time.
She never go away.
I love Ms. Haley.
Also, me and Nakiya love Ms. Haley.

I'm so full of myself that I made her sing it for me twice, so that I could record it.

an important lesson

At the beginning of the year, I came up with a system for lunch duty. I created the schedule and the routine. You might say that because of that, I feel a bit like I'm in charge of making sure that lunch runs smoothly. You might also say that some other teachers are less worried about making sure that lunch runs smoothly.

The result? I end up running around, policing 125 children during lunch every other week. Before I became a teacher, I had no idea what that was like. I want you to imagine that someone has just told a child in the room that you have candy in your pockets, but you won't share unless they ask you over and over -- and it's all a sick joke because you don't actually have any candy.

Now, multiply that by 125.

This week, after two teachers left at the same time (so that it really was just 2:125), I decided that I need to stop worrying about the entire room.

Now, if you walk into lunch you will observe that one quarter of the room is calm, collected, and in their seats while the rest of the room goes bananas. But at least I don't feel crazy.

day 65

So far, Day 65 has been a pretty accurate representation of my day-to-day. Adults annoy me. Children come and restore my faith in my profession. We get some work done. Things aren't perfect but they're good.  Scramble to do some of the menial crap that is inherent in my job and not at all related to children learning. N hits someone. N jumps on top of someone. Adults annoy me. I lose my temper. Someone asks if I'm sick (no one has figured out that I get pale when I'm angry). Mr. Q comes and restores my faith in adults. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

rejected

About a year ago, my field trip request was rejected because "buses cost $1000." Which they do not.

Today, my field trip request was cancelled because "5th and 6th grade, and 2nd grade, are all going on a field trip in December, and that's too many buses."

I am striving to dismiss things that are out of my control. But I am so sick of adults. So, so sick of them.

lovely, love my family

Our song for the show, performed by the Roots:

All we need, all we need. All we need.
Spread the love around, yeah

Sometimes when I am sitting by myself
Those quiet moments when not with no one else
I’m mesmerized by all the many good things in my life
I think about the time when I was younger
And the older that I get the more that I feel wiser
With the love of friends and family
Get stronger and it carries me on through

So I say lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely
lovely lovely lovely love, love my family
So I say lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely
lovely lovely lovely love, love my family
So I say lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely
lovely lovely lovely love, love my family

Sometimes when I am waiting for the bus
The sun shines bright and I feel peace like nowhere else
I know I'm in good health and life keeps going, I keep moving, I’m alright
I go to school and educate my mind, and the way the world is spinning
makes me want to turn around and start all over, hit the reset and go back in time.

Oh baby love me
Oh spread the love around, yeah

So I say lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely
lovely lovely lovely love, love my family
So I say lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely
lovely lovely lovely love, love my family
So I say lovely lovely lovely lovely lovely
lovely lovely lovely love, love my family

nuh-uh

Yesterday Eli and TK were in a big ol' tiff during centers. I looked over and they were doing the "nuh-uh." "yah-huh." routine back and forth. I figured that I would let them exhaust themselves, so I kept an eye on them from a distance. They began to grow louder. Finally, I was forced to intervene.

"What is the meaning of this?"

"Eli said that its called plonics. I told him that it's not. It's phonics. That's how you say---"

"Nuh-uh. The word starts with 'p.' It's plonics!"

How could I be mad at them when their arguement is over letter sound knowledge and phonemic awarness?

jinx

Last week I bragged to some of my teacher friends that I had found a way to solve a truancy problem with one of my students. One little girl was missing at least one day of school a week, and is therefore academically behind. I discovered that if I texted her mom during attendance, her mom would text back and my student would appear just 15 minutes later. I could not have been happier - what an easy solution.

Then, yesterday she wasn't anywhere in sight. I texted. No answer... She never came.

Now I can't help feeling like I should have just kept my mouth shut.

Land of I Can

Visual documentation of our progress: 

Key

Red square = 10 sight words

Cloud = Writing full name

Leaf = Letter recongition

Apple = Letter sound mastery

Hot air balloon = A-level book

Red sticker (on balloon) = B-level book

5 classes

I am FIVE classes away from pretentiously changing my professional signature.

I cannot wait to have my weeknights back for the first time in a year and a half!

sad hamburger

All morning Jay was a little off. Usually her smile lights up her whole face, and I look forward to it every morning. Today, I couldn't tease her into a smile and before 10am, she was crying. She said something about her heart hurting so I assumed someone had teased her and sent her to the cool down corner.

At lunch, she was crying again. When I came over I saw that she hadn't taken a single bite. Instead, she had made a sad face on her hamburger in ketchup. I had to stifle a laugh.

Turns out she has a bad cold and when she coughs her heart hurts. Her auntie just came to get her.

reading benchmark #3

As of today, week 15, we are about 0.38 through the year.

As of today, reading benchmark #3, we have made 0.45 years worth of growth according to reading levels.

Now, according to my plan of growing 1.65 years before June, we should already be at 0.62 years of growth to be on track. We still have a very long way to go if these babies are going to leave Kindergarten ahead.

On the other hand, the beginning is usually the slowest. We are far ahead of my class last year at this time. More than likely, our progress indicates that we are on track to meet our goals by the end of the year.

I'm going to come up with a new reading plan for Decemeber and hopefully bench them again before break.

we are family

For the holiday show, each class had to choose a word that describes them. Since the music teacher is running the show (literally), each class chooses their word without their teacher.

At first my class picked cheerful. I chuckled and forgot about it. Then, they went back for round two and Vee, the saving grace of our class on more than one occasion, came up with "family." Not an adjective, but certainly apt -- bound together forcefully, dysfunctional, caring.

Now to see what song the music teacher comes up with for "family"...

day 57

I feel a little bit like I've already checked out for Thanksgiving -- not academically with my kids, they are still working hard -- but in terms of energy and innovation. I am coasting into that four day weekend like its the biggest vacation of my life. The one upside is that I'm very calm.

I saw my two high groups in buddy reading today. Eli, who has been a terror since his twin siblings were born, is sharp as a tack. On the trick page, he sounded out "but" and "best" without any prompting. I was so proud of him! I have been working so hard with the lower groups that I forgot how far the higher groups have come. I can't wait to test them again after Thanksgiving. Sometimes guided reading is harder than whole group because they are a little harder to control, but it makes me feel like we are headed somewhere. A teacher who has one of my old students, the floor sweeper, complimented me on his reading skills -- something stuck!

During lunch five or six of my girls from last year told me that they want to come back to my class. When I told them they were too smart for me, they told me that they were learning take-aways.

In other news, N hit another girl. In the face. He had a rough morning with me and then apparently reccess didn't go so well either.

Have you ever read The Bear Snores On? If not, read it. It's such a lovely book about a bear sleeping through a party in his lair. My students told me where their lairs were (DuckDuck: behind his dresser). Then, I told them mine is the library, but what I really meant was the Art Library at Wellesley.

irony

A teacher across the hall just screamed, "NO SCREAMING!"

another perspective

A college professor spent a year teaching high school and this is his reflection. Bravo, sir. You did in fact experience some of the things that teachers experience.

Lessons learned:

1. Schools are complex
2. Students play a role in their own success
3. Teaching is not respected
4. Assessed curriculum matters more than any other curriculum

Perhaps we need to send every reformer back into the classroom to learn these lessons.

hitting a stride

Friday was perhaps the best day of the year, thus far.

While I was settling a dispute between two girls, my class took themselves to the bathroom and finished the girls in record time. All day, we maintained that rhythm and sense of purpose. They are really getting to the point where they don't need me for routines -- which is a big goal of mine for this year.

In the afternoon, we hosted a 3rd grade class for buddy reading. It was an absolute success. The 3rd graders were so patient and kind with our class -- helping students stretch out words they didn't know and gently showing them the way. Not only that, but every one of my kinders got specialized instruction for 15 minutes. Bam.

During shout-outs, DuckDuck shouted out Ms. A (who is literally never nice) because during the Honor Roll Assembly, when DuckDuck was crying for not getting an award, she said, "Sometimes we get awards and sometimes we don't." He then thanked her for making his heart feel better.

After shout-outs, Jay came up to me and asked if she could hug me. This caused a chain reaction in which everyone in the entire room attempted to hug me and then each other. It took me 5 minutes to break it up.

As we were leaving, Texas looked at me and said, "Ms. Haley, I don't want to leave. I want to stay here with you. Can we come to school tomorrow?" A chorus of ME TOO! followed.

When I told Ryan about my day, he looked at me and said, "There's the satisfaction that makes it all worth it."

at lunch today

N looked over at me and asked, "Ms. Haley, will you be my friend?"

Yesterday, when his mom picked him up she looked at me like I was about to rip a bandage off her arm. I enthusiastically told her that we had a wonderful lunch together and that he didn't play with any of his food. She started to cry. Sometimes its easy to forget how hard her life must be -- how hard to she works, hopes, fights, dreams for her son.

I sat with him again today so that when she picks him up I will be able to tell her that we had another excellent lunch.

good day for women

While most people were celebrating the victories for women post-election, I was planning for my tutoring session with Romaine.

You see, at our last meeting he did something that made me feel some feelings. After blatantly objectifying a female as she walked by him, he turned to me for validation in the form of a fist bump. I left him hanging. I also went home and began skimming bell hooks for an appropriate passage.

Today, I began with the first four paragraphs of Feminism is for Everyone. I defined patriarchy, women's lib, equity, gender, and sexism as they arose in the text. I talked about the flow of the movement, the different voices within it.

I baited. "Do we need to have men and women's voices, both, all the time?"

"No."

"What about planning for how a hospital will treat new mothers?"

"Well, two heads are better than one. And we need women when we are talking about stuff that affects them."

"Can you give me an example of something that doesn't affect women?"

"...."

Did we get to the word "objectify"? No. Did we lay some bricks? Hopefully.

day 52

I saw three guided reading groups (because I had plenty of time for provisioning before school), I got a ring pop as a gift from TK, and Ms. A hasn't taken off her shoes once. This afternoon, we are starting a new writing unit, which is always energizing. I have just a few hours left with kids and then I will two days from a three day weekend.

It's a pretty good day.

shout-outs

Now that we are in the swing of things, we are doing shout-outs more regularly. We had some good ones yesterday -- students are helping each other get their coats from hard-to-reach places, asking nicely when they need something, and playing together at lunch.

One of my well-spoken girls, S, attempted to secure her spot as the class suck-up:

"I would like to shout-out Ms. Haley for being the best teacher in the world and helping us be like first-graders."

"Thanks, S. But you're going to have to give us a specific example of something that I've done -- that's the rule for shout outs."

It took her so long that we had to wait and come back to her, but finally she said, "Because today you ate lunch with us and it made me feel so special."

day 51

N dumped out all the alphabet letters from four bags. Then he slapped a girl.

Ms. A took off her shoes so many times I threatened to take them the next time I see them off of her feet.

I squeezed in two guided reading groups, but even with my high kids it's frustrating -- they are all still so low. And the books from my provided curriculum are not the format that I would prefer.


It's been a rough morning. During lunch I listened to an entire symphony and now I feel a little better... but still exhausted.

thankful

Dear Friends --

It's the word of the month, and how appropriate, because lately I am feeling overwhelmed with thankfulness for the support of my friends and family. Last month, a friend mailed me a book club book so I wouldn't have to go out and get it. Two weeks ago, Ms. O came in and helped out for the day, sitting with N during his test -- she even entered data for me prior to the start of the school day. This weekend, I got an amazing note from a long time friend that ended with "Thank you for educating our youth. They need direction." Ha.

It is so rare that I feel appreciated, and you have really stepped up to fill that void. Thank you so much.