EK has mentioned in a previous blog post how FK has become quite the environmentalist (thanks to Subway and the kids' meal packs that include National Geographic Activities highlighting environmental issues). Here is a poem that she wrote (how did she come up with that title?):
The Earth Is Not a Lemon to Squeeze
I love every tree.
I love every flower.
I love every tree.
I love every flower.
I love everything in nature,
Every minute, every hour.
Clear and crystal waters,
Stars that shine way high above,
Rich, green forests filled with creatures,
That is what I love!
by Fiona Kaldeway
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
And up again...
What an incredible day!
We had the Terry Fox Run in the morning. The whole school participates, with each division run/walking a different distance. We spent a good chunk of Thursday learning about who Terry Fox was and what made him a hero. We also watched "Terry" the made-for-tv movie that came out a few years ago. My students were great. They showed evidence of thinking about the text, making connections, and asking questions- all in one activity. WooHoo! Plus they really expressed admiration for the courage that it took to run a marathon a day for over three months- on one leg, no less.
After the movie we decided that if Terry cold run a marathon a day, surely we could walk the whole run. So we did. I ran the first 5k (which is my current limit), and then walk/ran the rest of the way with a cheery grade 7 students who we shall call Junior Brave. He is an outstanding grass dancer and filled with a cheerful desire to connect with people. He was a fabulous running partner.
My students all started out running. Even the ones wearing flip flops! I encouraged them to walk when they got tired and take it at their own pace. One of my kids flew ahead of me and I didn't even see him for the first 2k. He has a LOT of energy. They all made it to the halfway point. Most of them made the whole trip. Even Flip Flop Girl. What great kids.
Then, in the afternoon we had outdoor games where students competed in cross-grade teams to earn points. All my students participated well. And there were so few issues between students, I was bursting with pride at our school and the amazing people who make up our learning community.
I hope to enjoy many more days that end with that feeling this year. I acknowledge that there will probably also be many more days that end with Tuesday's feeling as well. I just need to hang on to the feeling from yesterday to remind me why this is truly the world's best job.
We had the Terry Fox Run in the morning. The whole school participates, with each division run/walking a different distance. We spent a good chunk of Thursday learning about who Terry Fox was and what made him a hero. We also watched "Terry" the made-for-tv movie that came out a few years ago. My students were great. They showed evidence of thinking about the text, making connections, and asking questions- all in one activity. WooHoo! Plus they really expressed admiration for the courage that it took to run a marathon a day for over three months- on one leg, no less.
After the movie we decided that if Terry cold run a marathon a day, surely we could walk the whole run. So we did. I ran the first 5k (which is my current limit), and then walk/ran the rest of the way with a cheery grade 7 students who we shall call Junior Brave. He is an outstanding grass dancer and filled with a cheerful desire to connect with people. He was a fabulous running partner.
My students all started out running. Even the ones wearing flip flops! I encouraged them to walk when they got tired and take it at their own pace. One of my kids flew ahead of me and I didn't even see him for the first 2k. He has a LOT of energy. They all made it to the halfway point. Most of them made the whole trip. Even Flip Flop Girl. What great kids.
Then, in the afternoon we had outdoor games where students competed in cross-grade teams to earn points. All my students participated well. And there were so few issues between students, I was bursting with pride at our school and the amazing people who make up our learning community.
I hope to enjoy many more days that end with that feeling this year. I acknowledge that there will probably also be many more days that end with Tuesday's feeling as well. I just need to hang on to the feeling from yesterday to remind me why this is truly the world's best job.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Ups and Downs
Yesterday was a really horrible day. I had one point in the day where a student was throwing food at the rest of the class, and another point where a student refused to talk to me and just broke pencil after pencil to express his anger with me. At the end of the day it took all my strength to tell myself that it was one day, that it is not personal, and tomorrow will definitely be better.
And you know what, it was. I had a good day today. No one threw anything at me. And Gum Girl actually spit her gum out in the garbage when asked instead of saying, "No. No. No." to everything I said. No one ran out of the room and had to be hunted down by Fearless Leader. Everyone was actually working independently for a short time, in the afternoon. I am not sure how I could ask for more.
Now I sit here praying that it is the beginning of great things for my class.
And you know what, it was. I had a good day today. No one threw anything at me. And Gum Girl actually spit her gum out in the garbage when asked instead of saying, "No. No. No." to everything I said. No one ran out of the room and had to be hunted down by Fearless Leader. Everyone was actually working independently for a short time, in the afternoon. I am not sure how I could ask for more.
Now I sit here praying that it is the beginning of great things for my class.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Leech
I have often heard women comment that men turn into babies when they are sick; needy, whiny, helpless. LK doesn't get really sick much. He usually toughs through it and just keeps trucking- albeit somewhat more crankily.
I got a real idea of what they mean this weekend. Jo was down with a fever for the first time. My was he clingy- I may rename him The Leech. If he was awake, he needed to be touching me. He hasn't eaten more than a biteful of rice in two days. And he kept me up all night last night. I am very earnestly praying that he gets an amazing night's sleep tonight and is in great shape tomorrow morning, because otherwise guess who gets to stay home with him?
The upside is that I got lots of snuggle time with a little boy who is increasingly independent every day. I can see the day when he will be too cool for mommy snuggles just dawning on the horizon. For now, even though I am exhausted, I will revel in how needed I am.
I got a real idea of what they mean this weekend. Jo was down with a fever for the first time. My was he clingy- I may rename him The Leech. If he was awake, he needed to be touching me. He hasn't eaten more than a biteful of rice in two days. And he kept me up all night last night. I am very earnestly praying that he gets an amazing night's sleep tonight and is in great shape tomorrow morning, because otherwise guess who gets to stay home with him?
The upside is that I got lots of snuggle time with a little boy who is increasingly independent every day. I can see the day when he will be too cool for mommy snuggles just dawning on the horizon. For now, even though I am exhausted, I will revel in how needed I am.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Dear African Government
Setting: The kitchen table in the Kaldeway home. EK & LK are doing dishes. Fi enters from living room with pencil and paper with Jo trailing behind.
Fi: Mama, I am writing a letter to the government. So they stop the endangering gorillas.
EK: Are you writing to the Canadian government? Because we don't have gorillas here in Canada. They live mostly in Africa.
FI: So, I would write to the African government?
EK: I guess so.
FI: Well, I don't really know how to spell African government.
EK: So what do we do when we don't know how to spell a word? (LK and EK look at each other and grin)
I cannot believe what come out of her mouth sometimes! Where did this child come from. And when did she turn into a passionate environmentalist.
Apparently this afternoon she and her father had a conversation about how trucks are bad polluters, so we should grow all our own food. LK pointed out that cows actually pollute much more with their gas, so maybe we could eat less beef. And the trucks also carry goods all over the country. We could also reduce pollution by having fewer people drive to work with only one person in their car. Or have more people take the bus or subway in places where those are options.
Fi: Mama, I am writing a letter to the government. So they stop the endangering gorillas.
EK: Are you writing to the Canadian government? Because we don't have gorillas here in Canada. They live mostly in Africa.
FI: So, I would write to the African government?
EK: I guess so.
FI: Well, I don't really know how to spell African government.
EK: So what do we do when we don't know how to spell a word? (LK and EK look at each other and grin)
I cannot believe what come out of her mouth sometimes! Where did this child come from. And when did she turn into a passionate environmentalist.
Apparently this afternoon she and her father had a conversation about how trucks are bad polluters, so we should grow all our own food. LK pointed out that cows actually pollute much more with their gas, so maybe we could eat less beef. And the trucks also carry goods all over the country. We could also reduce pollution by having fewer people drive to work with only one person in their car. Or have more people take the bus or subway in places where those are options.
Running Home
It has been a crazy, hairy, insane week. However, today was the first day that I had no students either take off without permission or throw a tantrum in the classroom. What a great day! I actually stopped one of my students as she was on her way out of the room and told her that I was very proud of the really mature choices she had made today. I pray that this is the beginning of a trend. Because, truthfully, I am not sure how many days of having books and chairs thrown around the room and wondering where little JJ has run off to now I can survive. Where is any learning happening in that?
It was also payday Friday, which means school closes at noon and everyone in Grassy disappears to spend the loot. I stayed at school for a few hours to get Monday planned and completely reorganize my schedule, courtesy of a prep time schedule change. Then I realized that this also affects the entire elementary wing and the whole Resource staff. Grrrr! There are days when it may be wiser to just quit while you are ahead, or at least only slightly behind.
Anyway, I ran home after all the frustration. It has been over a week since my last run, courtesy of the crazy, insane week, and my deep desire for sleep. It felt SO good. The sun was shining, I had a little shadow follow my all the way- who didn't even get scared off when the big dogs tried to chase him off their turf, and I realized that even though this week was incredibly hard; we did it!
We are halfway to Thanksgiving. At this time last year I was spending time freaking out on the phone many nights dealing with culture shock and missing family and friends. This year I am spending time trying to teach LK everything he needs to know to survive a year of teaching. The feelings are just as intense, but a lot different.
Plus, I really love the thrill of a challenge.
It was also payday Friday, which means school closes at noon and everyone in Grassy disappears to spend the loot. I stayed at school for a few hours to get Monday planned and completely reorganize my schedule, courtesy of a prep time schedule change. Then I realized that this also affects the entire elementary wing and the whole Resource staff. Grrrr! There are days when it may be wiser to just quit while you are ahead, or at least only slightly behind.
Anyway, I ran home after all the frustration. It has been over a week since my last run, courtesy of the crazy, insane week, and my deep desire for sleep. It felt SO good. The sun was shining, I had a little shadow follow my all the way- who didn't even get scared off when the big dogs tried to chase him off their turf, and I realized that even though this week was incredibly hard; we did it!
We are halfway to Thanksgiving. At this time last year I was spending time freaking out on the phone many nights dealing with culture shock and missing family and friends. This year I am spending time trying to teach LK everything he needs to know to survive a year of teaching. The feelings are just as intense, but a lot different.
Plus, I really love the thrill of a challenge.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Encyclopedia
As a teacher there are so many concepts you teach to students that become part of your instant-recall information bank. A lot of these are not concepts that most adults use in their daily lives. For example, fractions. We all use them when we shop to calculate 1/3-off sales and when we share anything from pie to cookies. But we rarely think about the reasoning behind fractions and why they are the way they are. Apparently most adults don't use the terms numerator and denominator in their daily conversations.
When working on planning math lessons this week, I was surprised the LK didn't remember the terms numerator and denominator, and why they work the way they do. Then I realized that musicians don't often use the why, they just read time signatures.
It is becoming apparent to me how much trivia is collected in the head of a teacher after a few years. Facts on the habitats of hundreds of animals, math addition, subtraction, multiplication, division facts, how to make four kinds of graphs by hand, a plethora of ways to figure out a word you don't know when reading, and so on. And that is just the 'content' related trivia. Then there are the social skills, and the problem solving strategies, and the 'teacher tricks'... the list is endless.
Perhaps this collection of seemingly unimportant trivia is the key to good teaching. A bank of background knowledge and resources that help us finds ways to support our students and make connections between what they already know and new ideas. I wonder if this encyclopedia in our heads is more valuable even than all the textbooks that fill our classrooms.
Just as a note... there are likely to be many 'professional' reflection posts this year as much of my time is now spent working in my own classroom or supporting LK in his. Too much school. (I can't believe I just said that!)
When working on planning math lessons this week, I was surprised the LK didn't remember the terms numerator and denominator, and why they work the way they do. Then I realized that musicians don't often use the why, they just read time signatures.
It is becoming apparent to me how much trivia is collected in the head of a teacher after a few years. Facts on the habitats of hundreds of animals, math addition, subtraction, multiplication, division facts, how to make four kinds of graphs by hand, a plethora of ways to figure out a word you don't know when reading, and so on. And that is just the 'content' related trivia. Then there are the social skills, and the problem solving strategies, and the 'teacher tricks'... the list is endless.
Perhaps this collection of seemingly unimportant trivia is the key to good teaching. A bank of background knowledge and resources that help us finds ways to support our students and make connections between what they already know and new ideas. I wonder if this encyclopedia in our heads is more valuable even than all the textbooks that fill our classrooms.
Just as a note... there are likely to be many 'professional' reflection posts this year as much of my time is now spent working in my own classroom or supporting LK in his. Too much school. (I can't believe I just said that!)
Monday, September 14, 2009
AWOL
Yes, I have been awol for a week. Very busy here. VERY VERY busy here.
There have been moments when I have wondered why... why this opportunity came up? why we ever thought it was a good idea? why are we killing ourselves trying to do this?
I also wonder what is the lesson and growing that we are to do in this. Last year was such a time of personal growth for both of us. It looks like another year of huge growing pains. Is this what the rest of my life is going to look like? As soon as you have completed one marathon, another- bigger one- is dropped into your lap? Oh boy, that is a tiring prospect.
Do I wish for my comfortable ignorant life back? Sometimes, but I couldn't go back to it now. So we move forward. Slowly, and longing for a few more hours sleep in a night.
There have been moments when I have wondered why... why this opportunity came up? why we ever thought it was a good idea? why are we killing ourselves trying to do this?
I also wonder what is the lesson and growing that we are to do in this. Last year was such a time of personal growth for both of us. It looks like another year of huge growing pains. Is this what the rest of my life is going to look like? As soon as you have completed one marathon, another- bigger one- is dropped into your lap? Oh boy, that is a tiring prospect.
Do I wish for my comfortable ignorant life back? Sometimes, but I couldn't go back to it now. So we move forward. Slowly, and longing for a few more hours sleep in a night.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Gratitude
My list of things for which I am grateful for today;
- summer weather, even late
- dancing, and the joy that we can express moving to music
- sitting on the school porch just chatting
- a son who is starting to feel comfortable in daycare
- a daughter who wants to go to school everyday and says that she thinks its good that both her parents work at the school (I'll bet she wouldn't say that if she were 12)
- colleagues that are fun to work with
- the gorgeous view from my front yard
- sunset, moonrise, when they happen within an hour of one another and there is a nearly full moon
- teacher-talk with my husband that focuses on what great kids our students are, and how to support them better
- a Father in Heaven who gives not only strength needed, but in abundance.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Hmmmm...
I have been sitting in front of the computer screen for 4 minutes trying to think of a title. My wit has deserted me. It's not the only thing. However, my humour is intact, as is my love for my family.
Fiona is having a great week. She loves her teacher and has sat at the dinner table giving us a play by play of her day for three days in a row. This is new for her. Getting details about what she was learning last year was like pulling teeth. It is wonderful to have her share about the things she is working on. Today they made fish, but, she clarified, not cooked fish. Paper fish.
Jo is barely crying at all when we drop him off in the mornings and is quite content when we arrive to pick him up, often playing with the other children or listening to a story. I am very glad that he is adjusting more quickly than we anticipated. I am increasingly positive that this experience will be good for him.
LK and I are pulling 13 hour work days and then all the family stuff on top of that. It is exhausting, but I hope that as he becomes more comfortable with reading curriculum guides and learns more of the teacher jargon, he will feel more comfortable planning lessons. I remember those first few days of the first placement where I was sure the students could tell that I had no idea what I was doing and just hoped that everything would work out. I at least had curriculum courses and a supervising teacher to provide some guidance, he is being baptized with fire.
There are people who are natural teachers, who are able to explain or support other people in learning well without a lot of training or instruction. LK has that gift. I have seen it in the way he interacts with our kids and with others. I see it in the way he thinks about planning lessons and how his students will or will not understand an idea. He asks the necessary questions without having been told what they are.
I really hope that we can survive the first 6 weeks and get to a place where this commonality is something we can enjoy rather than just endure. Because there is something really special about being able to share the things you love with your spouse. We have had the blessing of music for our entire relationship, we have enjoyed a short commonality in teaching while he was teaching band in TO, and now we have that overlap with Fi too. What a blessing!
Fiona is having a great week. She loves her teacher and has sat at the dinner table giving us a play by play of her day for three days in a row. This is new for her. Getting details about what she was learning last year was like pulling teeth. It is wonderful to have her share about the things she is working on. Today they made fish, but, she clarified, not cooked fish. Paper fish.
Jo is barely crying at all when we drop him off in the mornings and is quite content when we arrive to pick him up, often playing with the other children or listening to a story. I am very glad that he is adjusting more quickly than we anticipated. I am increasingly positive that this experience will be good for him.
LK and I are pulling 13 hour work days and then all the family stuff on top of that. It is exhausting, but I hope that as he becomes more comfortable with reading curriculum guides and learns more of the teacher jargon, he will feel more comfortable planning lessons. I remember those first few days of the first placement where I was sure the students could tell that I had no idea what I was doing and just hoped that everything would work out. I at least had curriculum courses and a supervising teacher to provide some guidance, he is being baptized with fire.
There are people who are natural teachers, who are able to explain or support other people in learning well without a lot of training or instruction. LK has that gift. I have seen it in the way he interacts with our kids and with others. I see it in the way he thinks about planning lessons and how his students will or will not understand an idea. He asks the necessary questions without having been told what they are.
I really hope that we can survive the first 6 weeks and get to a place where this commonality is something we can enjoy rather than just endure. Because there is something really special about being able to share the things you love with your spouse. We have had the blessing of music for our entire relationship, we have enjoyed a short commonality in teaching while he was teaching band in TO, and now we have that overlap with Fi too. What a blessing!
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