Track Series

I set a goal for myself for this summer and into 

This upcoming school year to expand my 

classroom library.  A request was made for me 

to include more sports books.   I snagged this 

series on sale on Amazon before summer break and finally had a chance to sit down and read it. 

I had never read anything by Jason Reynolds before.   However, friends in my PLN has cautionedme.  They told me that I need to make sure I 

have the time to read this particular author 

because once I would start, I most likely would 

not be able to stop.  

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I’m not really 

into sports lit.  Or so I thought. I figured these 

books would take me a few weeks to read at 

least.  Nope.  I read them in less than 36 hours.  

The story sucks you in.  I would say that it’s 

written on a middle school level for sure.   

The characters are younger.  But the 

relationships.   Wow. You simply can’t stop 

reading.  Everyone is intertwined in some way.

 Everyone has a unique story. The lessons and messages are beautiful and inspiring.  I would 

venture to guess that if a reader was never an 

athlete, these books may inspire them to join a 

team.   

I can’t wait to “showcase” these books in 

August. I also can’t wait to read some more of 

Jason’s work.  What a treat!!!

Book Review: Empower our Girls

Title:  Empower out Girls - Open the door for Girls to Achieve More
Author(s):  Lynmara Colon and Adam Welcome

Order the book here!
Additional information can be found here!

Subject/Scope/Type of Book:  Nonfiction.  Real truths.   Research based.   True stories/accounts.   Perfect for anyone blessed to know a young girl today.   Educators.  Parents.  Grandparents.  And an eye opener for anyone in marketing.

Prior Knowledge/Experience:
I think it would be fair to first point out several factors.   

• I come from a long family line of independent and strong women.
• I am a proud member of the 244th graduating class of the Philadelphia High School for Girls.  
• This book pretty much took me down a wonderful memory filled journey of my time in high school.
• This is just a little snippet of what it's like to be a Girls High Girl.   I could post pages and pages about Girls High.   
• I was the first girl in 150 years at Girls High to take on a leadership role as Editor in Chief of the school newspaper, The Iris --- two years in a row.   Typically, this is only a role for seniors.  I took it on as a junior and continued with it.
• Glass ceiling?   What glass ceiling?
• I am still, to this day, in touch with many of my GHS sisters.   I would not be the woman I am today if it were not for my experiences at Girls High.

Summary:
We need to be careful about the messages we are sending to our girls today.  From careers to crying and from life choices and finding our voices.    Our girls are here and there's more to being female than looking pretty and having the babies.   There's nothing wrong with wanting a career over a job.  As adults, we have tremendous power.   We need to make sure that our girls truly know their worth in an ever changing and incredibly judgmental world. 

Reactions:
I found this book to be a fast read.   Several times over you could probably hear me shouting out an "AMEN!" or a "Damn right!"

First of all, the foreword.   Oh my gosh.   Shelly Burgess.   Can I just say....

And not just like, "Oh wow!  Good point!"  More like .... "Oh no she didn't....oh yes... yes, she did!"  The foreword alone sucked me in.   Then when I got to experience the words of Lynmara and Adam... I just could not stop reading!

The book really did make me feel like I was at home.    I fondly remembered my Career Days at Girls High, the tribe of mentors I had in high school and even now.   I found myself deeply touched by each chapter, especially when the authors talked about the power of courage and the sanctity of crying.   I found myself relating because... well... I cry.   I used to get really down on myself because society teaches us that crying is a sign of weakness.   Being sensitive isn't a strength.   This past year, my principal (MALE) reminded me that being sensitive is not a sign of weakness and crying is a sign of strength .  

And while a trip down memory lane is all well and good -- I need to be thinking about my girls.  

First of all - if you think society has "moved past" judging girls vs boys - you are wrong.   Here's a photo to prove it:

My daughter will be four in September.   In shorts (specifically) she wears a size 2T.    On the left is her wearing a pair of girl shorts.    On the right, she is wearing a pair of boy shorts.   Both size 2T.  The girl shorts are.... shorter.   They're not functional for her for several reasons but mainly because she's a climber and loves to explore.   One trip up a tree or down a slide in these shorts and it's not going to end well.  If you look close enough... the boy shorts are not only longer - they're thicker.  They're practically safer.  They are definitely longer.   And they have pockets.   

My daughter is gorgeous.   Seriously.   She is.   She has this stunning smile, these big blue eyes, and fair skin.    Do I tell her she is beautiful?   Yes!   But do you know what I tell her more?   I tell her that I love her more than I tell her that she is beautiful.   I tell her that she is smart far faster than I tell her that she's pretty.   I compliment her achievements far more than her fashion.    I don't want to think her only worth is her physical appearance.   There's so much more to my Nora.   And the world will know that because she's quite assertive and quite confident in herself.   

Me on left.             Nora on right.

Nora rocking her new jammies.

I not only need to think about my girl, my biological girl.... but this book really has me "all up in my feelings" about how to talk to my GIRLS at school.   I'm already brainstorming ways to have girl chats and boy chats.   I'm thinking of strategies to help gals find their voice.    I want to talk to current and former female students and ask them what message did I send them.... what lessons beyond the curriculum did they learn....what is it they wished they knew before leaving high school and entering the very real (and often very painful) world.  

This book will open your eyes.   

This book will make you think.

And I can almost guarantee you that you will never see a toy section of a store the same again.    Seriously.   Go check it out... after you buy this book.    Buy it.   Don't borrow it.   It's important enough to own.   Trust me.

2018-2019 Reflection

I think we all go through this.... sometimes (usually in February, if we're being honest) - we feel like the school year is never going to end.   Ever.  And then before you know it, you're grading final exams and wondering where on earth the year went.

This year was extremely challenging for me.    I had a lot going on in my personal life which definitely had an impact on my health as well as my energy.   Who are we kidding... those two go together.  

The first challenge - which sounds so silly - was adjusting to life in a classroom of my own.   I had an amazing para educator, but my partner in crime for over 10+ years ended up getting an office.   We didn't have a fight.   We didn't divorce.    She's a busy chick and our department chair and when she was offered a place of her own, she took it!    It was weird at first, but we ended up doing our Action Research together which meant we spent most Wednesday's together.

The second challenge - learning the ninth graders.   These kids were/are pretty cool but they brought a lot of challenges.    Something I need to reflect on this summer is how on earth to deal with cell phones.   This will be addressed later... and maybe in an entirely new post altogether.

The third challenge - health/personal.   My daughter started pre-school.   One of the kids in her class is pretty much allergic to everything and another kid comes from a home that does not believe in vaccinating, preventing... and in my personal belief... hygiene.   So either Nora was getting sick or she was a vector and getting us sick.    In addition to this, my son was demonstrating some struggles and he was diagnosed with high functioning autism.    Take this, plus the stress of life as a teacher in general, and my father getting pretty sick (was just taken off breathing machines this week!) -- my thyroid decided to take a crap which increased my pain ( x 1000 ) and decreased my energy.   

Let's get the highlights addressed!

• Amazing para-educator.   We were able to differentiate instruction, master classroom management, do centers, and so much more.
• Reading The Maze Runner.   This book was definitely (according to their surveys) the favorite read of the year.   
• Watching The Maze Runner movie.  The kids were blown away at the differences between book and movie.
• Increase in reading comprehension levels.
• Increase in reading fluency levels.
• Increase in vocabulary skills.
• Learning proper writing traits.
• Black Out Poetry (a hit!)
• Prime Time sessions
• Lots and lots of laughs
• Watching students come into my classroom as introverts and growing in their confidence.
• Dismissing a good amount of kids to regular education
• Amazing administrative support
• Writing letters to my students (must do this again!  And again!)
• Being blessed with a new projector apple TV thingie!    It even has volume, ya'll.  VOLUME.
• Amazing IEP meetings - all year!!!!
• TIME to stay late and work at least once a week thanks to hubby's new job.
• Being one-to-one with students having laptops --- saved sooooooo much time ... and paper!

Now that it's summer... I have an official list of things I'd like to work on.   I added to this throughout the year and now it's time to start planning it out.

• I'm curious to do some sort of online journaling with students - even if they write to me in a shared Google Doc.   What scares me about this is that I'm a mandated reporter (and you most likely are as well if you're reading this) and I'd hate to find out someone wrote something with a "red flag" and I didn't see it.
• Now that we have laptops and I know what they're capable of - I want students to have a Language Arts folder on their laptops so that we can take notes, save things, do screen shots, etc.   Work smarter, not harder.
• Notebooks.   Ah... notebooks.   I don't know why this happens.   I don't even know how it happens sometimes... but students need to learn how to use notebooks.   Folders aren't very reliable.   Things fall out.   Go missing.   Etc.   Binders are a dream that turn into a nightmare.  They break.  Get beat up.  Etc.   I use notebooks.   What baffles me is why kids do not go in page order.   Do I have them number the pages?    Example:  I'll say, "Take out your notebooks and turn to the very next blank page."  I'll even walk around and see that the kids are there.   And then some fool will claim they don't have the notes later in the week and they do have them.... like 71% in their notebook when it's only the third week of school.   Things that make me go hmmmmm.
• I want a new desk and room set up.   Even thinking about brining in a futon and coffee table for book chats.   I can't get rid of my desk (sorry, Joy!) - but I do need to also come up with a system where kids don't go behind my desk.
• I want to teach e-mail etiquette next year.   Getting emails like, "Why my grade drop?"  And "hey i did this but you gave zero" = not cool.    In addition to teaching this skill, I want to practice it daily - including checking e-mail and e-mailing case-managers.   This will help my colleagues as well for writing samples and transition planning.
• More book chats
• Have a whole new way of planning for iLit now that I finally feel comfortable with it
• More hands on activities
• Student handbook activity -- will tie this in to the cell phone thing
• Using more library databases in classroom.   Especially culture grams --- because this year I was shocked to learn how many students did not know that Russia is NOT a continent and there ARE in fact seven continents...
• And of course... even more student ownership 

PS:  Teachers do not have summers off.   It's 10:46pm on June 18th... I've been "done" with school since the 13th and I'm planning in my office while everyone else is snoring.