I'm back--I think!  Like many of my friends, I get carried away when I post on Facebook.  Most of my "friends" don't have time or the inclination to read those long posts, so I thought I would return to blogging.

When I began this blog THREE years ago, I anticipated writing at least twice a week.  I guess an occasional post is better than none, but my "performance" has been ridiculous.

SO--I think I'll make once per week my new goal.  Back later!

Wow! Have I really waited 6 months to post?

When I began my blog, I was confident that it would be a place I would use for sharing AT LEAST once a week!

Hmmm . . .so where do I begin?

Well, surely my biggest news is that I am now a media specialist at Muscogee Elementary. Without a doubt, my new job is a dream come true. It is also the hardest job that I have ever loved. Experienced media specialists warned me that I wouldbe very physically tired, and they were right!

When I was late one night, I explained to my husband that I had been browsing in "my library." What an honor to oversee the collection of books, to read to and teach all the students in the school, and to oversee textbooks and technology and inventory.

Yep--it's a challenging job, but in the very best way!

Hope Springs Eternal

School's out for summer! Students just THINK they're happy; teachers are the happy ones. When that final bell rang Friday before last, the overwhelming sense of freedom and release was immediate. And then, a funny thing happened . . .

We only had two days of post-planning, and I was a tad resentful of having some of my precious time taken for a workshop on our LAST day of work, but I attended dutifully. As I watched the video and listened to the speakers, I picked up an idea or two that might improve my teaching next year. A couple of issues were clarified. A few of my current strategies and approaches were affirmed. I WAS doing something right. Still, I wanted to improve.

As I returned to my classroom to finish wrapping up loose ends, I began to see some familiar materials in a new light. They were okay, but I was getting tired of them. I ran across some books that I had forgotten I even had and got excited about using them next year. As I cleaned out a few boxes and crates of accumulated clutter, I had the strangest urge to get rid of some furniture and open up my learning space. Now, lest you think that I went totally Cornerstone-wild, let me assure you that I am still occupying a bit more space than the advocates would suggest. But I DID turn my desk around so that my personal space was reduced a bit. I moved a bin on wheels which housed supplies down to the hall closet. The large bookcases that marked the entry were replaced with smaller units. And as I finished sorting, I began placing unused resources into my little "take home for the summer" box.

You see, teachers DO get weary. After 180 (179 this year, because of a snow day!) days with the same group of children, the finality of the school year is marked with delight at a job completed, mixed with a measure of retrospection about what could have been improved. And, with the 2009-2010 school year just a couple of months away, I am eager to be closer to becoming the teacher that I know I was meant to be . . .(just like I was a year ago)

Yes, the world's view of the teaching force ranges from slovenly servants to heroic angels. The total teaching population surely includes some of both. But, for the great majority, teaching is a calling to ignite a spark, to delight a mind, to tickle a fantasy--with the realization that what we do daily has ramifications for eternity. Surely that is reason for hope.


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Saturday, June 6:

I just received the latest post from CoolCatTeacher, and Vicki Davis has written a comforting article on "School Daze." She writes about fatigue, recovery, and renewal.
We'll all get there before we return to our classrooms in a couple of months, but I found it reassuring to find such an excellent educator dealing with the same issues that I face. Check out this link; you'll be glad you did!

http://coolcatteacher.blogspot.com/2009/06/school-daze-recovering-teacher-within.html

Another Milestone Reached (Almost)

I've promised to stop calling my youngest son the b_ _ _. I'm glad that I never promised to stop calling my 3 sons "boys", because they will always be "the boys" to me. Of course, I also think of them as blondes, although no one else has probably thought of them as blonde for at least 10 years.

Well, the ba _ _ has his final final at the University of Georgia on Tuesday. Although he will not be an official graduate immediately, it's just a matter of days . . .

Wasn't it just a couple of years ago that we brought him home an hour or two before Mom and Dad arrived with his two older brothers? When I said that he had a Roman nose, my mother objected, saying, "No, he doesn't! He has a pretty nose!" As he had done with his first two grandsons, Dad just sat and smiled at the sleeping baby. (Well, he never said I couldn't use the b _ _ _ word when I was referring to his infancy!)

Big brothers were happy to receive rocking chairs and Cabbage Patch babies. It didn't take long for them to lose their dolls' pacifiers and shoes, but we still have those dolls. (along with boxes and boxes of their own baby clothes)

The role of big brother came easily to the two oldest. One of my favorite memories was the occasion when I explained to them that their brother "cannot drink Kool-Aid." The youngest was in his infant seat, and the two oldest were running around with their Tupperware sippy-cups. Imagine my surprise when they came running into the kitchen to announce, "Mom! Mom! He can drink Kool-Aid!"

Well, the 3 "boys", now "men" by any stranger's assessment, have been a trio for over 20 years. We've survived broken bones, lost soccer games, totaled cars, and worse. We've celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, THREE Eagle ranks, and better.

A gift of the "worse" is the realization that each day is precious. We never know when a gathering of our whole little family will be the last. We may be celebrating a milestone or simply sharing supper, but whenever we're all together--well, it doesn't get any better than that!

Laptop recommendations?

I need to buy a new laptop, and I would appreciate any recommendations you might offer. The only laptop I have used with any regularity is the old IBM Thinkpad that was issued to me 5 years ago when I was a teacher in a portable classroom. It has gotten slower and slower . . .

Now my desktop at home is beginning to make a funny clicking sound. I've been saving everything that I have on both computers for a couple of months. When I'm in a rush, I just e-mail projects to myself.

I had an original target date of May 1 (Think payday!) for my purchase, but I could probably wait another week or two. The critical consideration is the beginning of summer semester at CSU.

I want a basic machine, but I might need a few more features that I don't even know about . My middle son is helping me check out several that I have seen--a Toshiba and a Dell top my curent list. He told me to check on the processors. I don't mind normal weight, and I know I don't want one of the teeny netbooks.

I figure I need a webcam and a built-in microphone. I will get the Word Suite. I use my computer for email and document production more than anything else, but I anticipate doing more multimedia production projects, especially if I'm able to get a job as a media specialist.

Any suggestions? Any computers you DON'T like? How about warranties? Or do you rely on local computer support companies? What do you think are essential features and what are features that you thought you needed and wound up not using at all?

Lightening the Load

I was privileged to attend the differentiated workshop, designed to equip teachers to become trainers in the techniques developed by Carolyn Chapman and Rita King. When I was asked to be a presenter at this year's Best Practices Institute, I was eager to redeliver some of the fabulous ideas I had just learned. THEN I discovered that Carolyn Chapman would be delivering her own material at the BPI. Well, you can imagine that I quickly changed my mind about my topic--Who would be foolish enough to be redelivering down the hall from the original author? Not I!

When I looked at the schedule, I saw that I would be giving my presentations (two duplicate sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon) on the fourth and final day of the conference. I hope that there will be a few enthusiastic participants that late in the week, but I am wise enough to recognize that many will only be attending to get credit for about-to-expire certificates.

My solution? I changed my topic to "Lightening the Load" (Go to page 39 to see the description of my session) and will attempt to give ideas about juggling daily demands, answering to administrators, working with new initiatives, and handling the host of tasks that teachers face daily. I have always said that the classroom teacher carries the load of the school district more than anyone else. We are on the front lines daily, dealing with curriculum concerns, eager and disinterested students, uninvolved and smothering parents, and demands that change (and are sometimes announced) just as we think we have "finished" an assignment.

SO--do you have any advice for others about how you handle all the demands? How do you set your priorities? How do you avoid making your family feel that they are less important than your students? How do you keep current with all the latest developments? What do you do to recharge?

NO--I am NOT asking you for all the content of my little workshop. I am full of ideas (some would substitute another word there), but I realize that I don't know it all. That reminds me of a Sunday morning long ago . . .I arrived at church with my little boys in tow. They were all decked out in their little suits and ties, and a slightly older woman stopped and asked me, "Patricia, you just look like you have it all together. How do you do it all?" And I burst into tears! Yes, I had managed to get us all to church, looking good, but the pressure valve had reached its limit! It's funny now, but the gift of that memory has served me well. Everyone is dealing with something, and it's our privilege to help others lighten their load.

Does Your School Have Technology Goals?

My 2nd grade students are very slow keyboarders. They ask where to find various punctuation marks, and some forget to put spaces between words. I realize that I entered the computer world "backwards" from my students. They have never lived in a world without them. I actually took two years of typing in high school. My mother "made" me take the first year, and she "strongly encouraged" me to take the second. I surely "rise up and call her blessed" quite often when I sit down to prepare a document. Even though the computer does so much that I used to do manually (Yes, I used to put footnotes at the bottom of a page, and I know how to center titles.), I think it helps to know HOW to do those tasks. (Ever had the computer "refuse" to perform a task and been able to "do it yourself"? I have!) So, I had a rather extensive set of keyboarding skills before I was introduced to the world of computing. My students have been confronted with the entire package--keyboarding, manipulating the mouse, following links in programs, writing, responding . . .!!!

Anyway, my school is just entering the computer age. When our current principal arrived a few years ago, she managed to create a computer lab for us with discards from other schools and the Social Security office. But sometimes I couldn't find enough working computers for all my students. Most classrooms only had two computers, and they were really old. With last year's delivery, we all have two new computers and we have our first lab with matching machines. Wow!

I think that we should have minimal goals for students to learn at each grade level. It seems reasonable to me to have a list approved county-wide. I also think it would be worthwhile for each grade level to master a specific program. That would serve two benefits: The students would arrive at middle school with strong skills related to at least 6 programs, and teachers at each grade level would become masters of the programs they teach their students.

Does your school have any guidelines for what technology you are supposed to teach your students? What do you think about having some guidelines?