Heroes VS. Celebrities: September 16, 2012

September 11, 2001: An infamous day in world history. A day that anyone old enough will never forget. It is crazy to me to think that most of this class was not even a year old when the attack occurred.  Next year I will be teaching kids who weren't yet born, but in my mind, I can remember it like it was yesterday.  It was the first attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor.

Each year, I do a Heroes VS Celebrities unit using 9/11 as the theme.  We talk about the difference between the two, and leave them realizing that someone like Michael Jordan may be able to play some good ball, but he doesn't do a whole lot that's heroic.  For four years in a row now, I have culminated the unit by having a few of Syracuse's finest come in and talk about what 9/11 means to the firefighting community.

I had a very humbling experience this year that I was able to share with the students to enrich the lesson.  I had an Australian friend of mine make a post on Facebook about 9/11.  At first I was baffled.  This was definitely an American event, why was she posting about it? So I messaged her.  She replied, almost offended.  I knew the U.N. was on our side when we went to war in Afghanistan, but I did not realize how wide spread the support was.  Australian soldiers packed up on September 12, 2001, and shipped into Afghanistan to fight side by side with us.  Like I said, I knew it was an international war, but this really helped to personalize that for me.  Much love and respect to all of the heroes that surfaced because of 9/11.  It's a shame it took such a tragedy to bring them to the light, but I for one am glad that they were willing step forward when we needed them most.

As for the rest of the week, we've pretty much hit our stride.  Math has continued forward in the unit. We finally finished the story we started last week from our reading book and took our first story quiz on Friday.  In science, we finished up with the Scientific Method and began learning about microorganisms, which will continue for the remainder of the first term.  

Please remember to keep an eye on the online gradebook.  As we continue in the year, this should updated no less than once a week.  I try to update it more frequently to help keep you as informed as possible.

https://syracuse.usoe-dcs.org/Login/Default.aspx

Aside from that, we'll keep moving forward with our school year, enjoying as many of the moments as possible.

"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough." ~ Rabindranath Tagore 

September 9, 2012

As I sit here and reflect on the past week, I think one of two things: either I need to slow down or I won't have enough to do for the whole year (which isn't true), or I need to slow down or else I might not have energy enough for the full year (which is probably closer to true). I say that mostly sarcastically, however, we did do a lot this week.

Earlier in the week, the kids were each given the same picture of some flowers and a view finder to select a small portion of that picture.  They then drew their selection of the picture and watercolored it.  After they had finished, we talked about perspective and points-of-view.  They all had the same picture and the same view finder, but not one of the pictures was exactly the same.  The same goes for every situation in life.  You may see the exact same thing happen, but you'll all have a different way of interpreting it.  The final moral being to make sure you consider all possible perspectives before coming to any conclusions.  How might someone else have interpreted what just happened?  Pictured below is the students' work.

During math on Thursday, we discussed Order of  Operations: PEMDAS! Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally. However they'd previously learned it, they got a bit different perspective on it as we all wrote our own songs or raps to teach the order: Parenthesis, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add, and Subtract.  Once all of the songs were performed, the class voted on them with the winning video being one that we will take some time to turn into a class music video.  Below is the preview of that song. 



I have been preparing for Friday's project for the past week by eating upwards of 3 or 4 different canned foods per day.  With as much as I'm sick of canned foods, the project was worth it!  Each student was given a label sized piece of paper.  The directions were to draw an eye or set of eyes on that and then decorate the rest of it as they wished.  We then glued the labels onto the cans.  The final product was each student's physical representation of an "Eye" Can.  These will be displayed in the classroom all year long and referenced back to.  Again, it's the "I Can" attitude that will really take you places in life. 

All in all, I'd say we've had a pretty successful week. On top of all the fun projects, we've had several math assignments, we've begun reading our first story, "The Best School Year Ever", and we began rotations. In science we were introduced to the Scientific Method and then began an experiment, "Which type of water will dissolve toilet paper the fastest?"  The analyzing of those results will take place the first part of next week, so we'll have to get back with you to let you know.  Pictured below is our homework board.  I will post at least this much every week so you can know what has happened this week and what should have been written in their planners.

In an effort to keep you as informed as possible, each time we being a math unit, I am going to post a chart of the different lessons we will be covering and how they match up with our book, if they do. Though I never teach from our math book, I have passed it out as a resource for the students and parents, in case they need something besides their notes to reference. Posted below is the first unit. So far, I have taught through Order of Operations.  The rest of the lessons will come over the next couple of weeks. 

I think I'm about done overwhelming you with information.  Remember, if you ever have any questions on anything,  don't hesitate to contact me.

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." ~Aristotle

September 3: "Bullying Hurts, Big Time."

The first three days have passed, and quite honestly, I feel like I'm walking on water. I keep wiping my eyes to make sure they don't have wool pulled over them because after only three days, I feel like we have our very own Disney magic going on here.  All of the components seem to be in place for us to have a fantastic school year!  The better I get to know these kids, the better I think our year will be.

Now, normally I would take some time to tell you about what's happened during the week, but it's a little early in the year to have any substance to the writing if that is all I were to talk about. Rather, I would like to take a proactive approach on something that is a huge problem in modern society; something that cannot be if our classroom is to remain as synergetic as it started: bullying.

Let me start off with a story. It begins in about the third grade with a young boy who was a bit on the larger side, but very smart and very friendly; one of the nicest kids you'd meet.  None of that mattered. He was picked on by just about everyone for various reasons: his looks, his size, his glasses, his smarts; it didn't matter.  People found something to tease him about.  There were very few people this student considered his friend.  In fact, there was really only one person in his class.  The rest of them just looked down on him. "Fatty, fatty, two by four." "Four-eyes." "Nerd." "Loser." He had pretty much heard it all.  He worked hard to convince himself that names couldn't hurt him.  He would ignore the antagonists.  This just provoked them further to the point that he would get beat up at recess, or on his way home.  It got to the point that he felt like there wasn't much for him in this life.

When he got into junior high, he took up wrestling, a sport he was pretty good at.  He made himself some friends; enough that he felt that maybe life wasn't so bad.  Until the realization that this sport gave the bullies more rounds for ammunition.  His weight continued to be a factor: wrestling heavyweight, he was the "fat one" on the team. Being a wrestler, he was immediately gay.  He was picked on and teased his entire  school career, elementary through high school, even though he graduated near the top of his class as a two-time state placer with his wrestling.

That final line should be a giveaway if you've read my bio.  This is my story.  I was the bullied one back in school. I was picked on and teased for every reason you can think of, and no matter how hard I try, to this day, I can't find a reason for it.  I never did anything to deserve it.  I was simply myself and that wasn't good enough for the other kids.  I've now worked through most of my self-esteem issues that came from it. I feel pretty successful with where I am in life. However, not every bullied child shares my success story.

1 out of 4 students are being bullied. 1 out of 4...let that sink in. In our class of 27 students, 6 of them are being or will be bullied.    In our school of roughly 900 students, 225 of them are victims. Take this to a nationwide level, and  it leads to approximately 160,000 students a day staying home from school for fear of the bullies. The statistics only get more grim when you think that 15 to 25 students a year will commit suicide due to being bullied at school. To even type these statistics makes me physically ill.  My question would be, "How can a young child feel that there is nothing left for them in this life?" but I don't need to ask, because I know the answer.  I have been there. I have been the bullied child who often thought that his life had nothing left to offer.

This needs to stop.  There's really no other way to put it.  There is no reason for bullying.  There is no reason to put down other students. There is no reason for students to go home feeling hated. There's just not.  The bullies need to stop, the bullied need to make  their voices heard, and most importantly, the bystanders need to take a stand against it. Be a friend. Step in and stop it. Tell someone.  I don't care what you do, but do something that sends a message to the bullies that we will not have this anymore.

Bullying is something that I have no tolerance for. I will not let it happen here in my classroom. Students should have a desire to be at school, rather than a fear of coming to it.  No more poking fun, no more just kidding, no more bullying.

I hope to make this my best school year yet, in turn making it the same for the students in my class.  I will play a large part in this with my lessons and activities, but I believe the students play an even larger part. There may be 27 students, but we are one class. For the next year, we are a family, and we will treat each other as such. We will carry each other for our successes, and we will pick each other up when we are down. We may not always be best friends with every student, but we will always treat them with the respect we would want, with the respect they deserve. Hands down, zero tolerance, NO MORE  BULLYING.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Disney Way

When Chris Dallin was the board president at our school, he introduced the faculty to the idea of doing things the "Disney Way".  With the theme of my classroom decor this year being Disney, this is something I would like to introduce to you.  When you visit Disneyland, you are going to what has been deemed as the "happiest place on Earth," and to most, it truly is, but what makes it that way?  The simple answer would be that by entering the amusement park you are transported to a fairy tale.  Entering the grounds, you are suddenly surrounded by princes, princesses, pirates, fairies, dwarves, spells, curses, etc, but there is so much more to the experience than that.

Disneyland is a well oiled machine, in both the literal and metaphorical senses.  Every employee, from the man who busses you to the park, to the woman who is playing Cinderella, is wearing a smile that captivates you. They are more than willing to hug the children, give you directions to a ride, or better yet, become the lead duck that takes you there.  They are not just people playing the characters within the park. When their job starts, they ARE the characters within the fairy tale.  This same motif goes for every employee of the park including the janitors, the sales associates, and the food service crew.

I have a friend who has spent several summers working with Disney.  He told me a story that really brought this concept home.  An older coworker of his came into work day in, day out, with the classic Disney smile on her face. She made the children laugh, and helped give the adults the ease they needed to really enjoy this time with their families.  She would be on her feet from first thing in the morning, until the park closed.  She helped mold countless experiences within the park, never once losing her Disney smile or attitude.  When the end of the day came, and they were riding the bus back to the sleeping quarters, he witnessed her take her shoes off and rub her feet.  The expression on her face and her body language showed that, even though she wasn't Snow White or Cinderella, the part she played in the park experience really took a toll on her both physically and mentally. Yet, everyday she would wake up, put on her full costume, and enjoy every minute of her job, knowing that she was helping to create the "happiest place on Earth."

Now, let's relate this concept to the classroom. There are several roles being played here in our room: the teacher, the student, and the parent. If even one of them isn't played well, it will change the outcome of the experience. A well rounded education involves all three parties.

The teacher is the center of the production.  It is my job to make sure that the classroom is the well-oiled machine that Disneyland is.  I am here to make sure all of the preparations are made to make each and every day as smooth and pleasant an experience as possible.  This starts with preparing the lessons and gathering supplies. It includes teaching the whole class, as well as the individual student, in both the core curriculum and character development. In addition, I maintain the gradebook to show what is going on in the classroom, as well as evidence of student learning. It is my goal to maintain a positive relationship with all the students so they can feel comfortable coming to me with anything from a question on the assignments to much deeper questions on life.  No matter what is going on outside of the classroom, it is my promise that I will be here, with my full costume on, maintaining that magical experience.

The students' role is much more simple.  Respect is a two way street. Students in my class will be shown respect. In turn, they need respect me enough to honor the classroom and school rules in all areas of the school whether I am present or not.  This respect is not an option.  It is a necessary part of their role if they want school to mimic the  "happiest place on Earth."  If this respect is given, it will allow a lot more leniency for the "fun" to come.  It's no different than going to Disneyland; there are rules and expectations that are set to make the experience pleasant for everyone.  Some of the rules are set by the parents, and some ofthem are set by the park, but all are necessary for that memorable experience.  The only other thing I ask of the students is that they always put their best foot forward in both their behavior and their efforts with their school work.  As long as they try their hardest the whole year, asking whatever questions they can along the way, I will be proud of all of my students as they walk at sixth grade graduation.

Finally, there is the role of the parent.  I am a firm believer that the classroom cannot succeed without support from home.  This support needs to be in both the education of  the student as well as discipline.  Good behaviors should be reinforced just as much, if not more than negative behaviors should be modified. Parent support is crucial in this effort, as I am working with 27 students at a time, and you can focus on your child.  Parent support is also a strong part of the students' education. There are a lot concepts the students are going to bring home, across all subjects, and the students may need extra help or more time to practice their new skills.

Just as I am here for the students, I am here for the parents. Feel free to come to me at any time if you have any questions on any of the material.  I know where you're coming from when you say you haven't done some of this in years, and I am more than happy to help you understand the material as well, if it means a better understanding of the content for the students.  So long as we all keep the "I can" attitude, we can make magic.

I hope that this year is a magical experience for everyone.  Sixth grade is the last year of elementary and should be the best experience yet!  Just remember, "I can" and you will.  I will close with a poem.  It's called The Victor by C.W. Longenecker.  Hopefully, it will help motivate our "I can" attitudes:

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch you won't.
If you think you'll lose, you're lost.
For out in the world we find
Success begins with a fellow's will.
It's all in the state of mind.
If you think you are out classed, you are.
You've got to think high to rise.
You've got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win the prize.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man.
But sooner or later, the man who wins
Is the man who thinks he can.

Honoring Officer Penrod

Stan Penrod, the DARE officer for Syracuse for the last 7 years, has decided to retire from him duties in the DARE program to move onto other things within the department.  In honor of him, I wrote (and spoke if you were at his gathering tonight) the following:

When I think of the qualities of an ideal person I think of someone who is selfless, compassionate, rational, values truth, practices the Golden Rule, and holds themselves to the highest possible standard. In short, I think of someone like Stan Penrod. To become an officer requires a lot of these qualities in and of itself, but to become a DARE officer takes it a step further. Take a big gruff and tough man, and throw him in the midst of hundreds of eleven and twelve year olds, and you get someone who not only cares about the safety of now, but the safety of the future. You get somebody who cares about all people big and small, old and young. You get someone who is an ideal human being. You get someone like Stan.

Now, I’ve only been teaching a few years, but I can tell you this much, I have never seen a group of students so involved, and so with it, as when they sit in front of Officer Penrod. He takes a topic such as drugs and alcohol and presents it in a way that really captivates these students. He didn’t just walk in and say, “Don’t do drugs”. He engaged them. He made it real to them. He brought the truth to them in a way they’re going to remember it. How does he do it? Through stories that the kids can relate to. He’ll tell a story about the effects of Marijuana, but he’ll make it Grace’s grandma that was smoking it. He’ll tell a story about a student not too much older than them that’s destined to be a famous football player, but ruins it through the use of drugs. He’ll use humor to really capture them through stories that really get his point across such as the Dino Dog, or the drunk driver who thought he’d been hit by a drunk driver.

As a teacher, I know I’m making a difference in the world. As an Officer, I’m sure that Stan realizes he is making a difference. As a DARE officer, he takes the difference I make as a teacher, and the difference he makes as an officer, and rolls it all into one big change. He is a role model to these kids. He is a person these kids should strive to be. He is loved and adored by these kids from the minute he walks into the room, and only builds that relationship stronger as his time with them goes on. He is a friendly, positive relationship with a cop, which is so commonly misconstrued in this day and age. He is the change I want to be in this world. I only hope that I can grow up to make half the difference that he has. I am happy to have had the opportunity to get to work with him, even if just for a few short years. We will truly miss Stan as our DARE officer, but we certainly wish him the best no matter where he goes. I’m sure that whatever is next on his plate, he will be making just as big a change in the world, no matter what he does. Thank you for everything Stan, you really are the man.

May 11, 2012

Yup.  That hair style about describes this week!  Ha! We had the National Science Truck visit our school this week and this picture came from that experience.  The kids learned some science topics in what these marines made a real fun way.

As of Thursday this week, we are two thirds of the way through our end of level testing.  We have taken both of the Language Arts tests and both of the Math tests.  I feel pretty good about what's gone on so far, the math tests especially.  We weren't really certain about what to expect coming into this test with it being the new Common Core, but having watched the math test especially close, I hope the kids did as good as I feel like they could have.  I have confidence that they will!  They're a real smart bunch when they want to be!  With those four tests out of the way, we only have two to go: the two science tests.

There are several things coming up.  First and foremost is the 6th Grade activity.  Each student was supposed to have their permission slip and money back by today (Friday May 11).  I did not, however, get them all in, so please make sure those are returned ASAP.  The walking field trip is this coming Thursday, May 17.  The movie is still to be finalized, but it looks like we're looking at either Rio or Kung Fu Panda 2, both of which are really cute movies.

Also, coming up this next Friday, May 18, is a surprise party for...well, it's a surprise so I shouldn't reveal too much.  I'll send a little more info home in an e-mail, but you should have received a flyer for it today.  If you can at all make it to this event, please do to help support the man (or woman, it's a surpise remember :) of the hour.  Your support would be greatly appreciated by all.

We have a few other things going on, that honestly, I'll admit, I should probably know more about than I do, but with all of the tech support my crew has been giving lately in the auditorium, I feel a bit disconnected.  DARE Lagoon Day is May 25, which is also the same day as our 6th grade talent show.  Please use the talent show as motivation to get the kids to come to school for the first part of the day so we can mark them there.  The state frowns upon having too many people missing on any one day.  Graduation is also coming up, but I don't have too many details for it.  I know they are trying to put together a slideshow that I have sent home both an e-mail and a flyer on.  They are needing your help putting together the pictures for it.  Both the e-mail and the flyers will tell you how to contribute.  If you did not get either, please let me know, I'll get you a duplicate.

With that, there's not a whole lot to say other than let's keep up the great work and keep moving foward with strength.  There's only two and a half weeks left before we are no longer a class.  Hopefully, we've built on existing friendships and created new ones.

"There will always be people you can't believe you were friends with, boys you can't believe you kissed, and people you can't believe you lived without...people change but if you're lucky a certain few will change you." ~ Unknown

April 27, 2010

Oy veh...

I feel like I have so many things to type about!  I don't even know where to start. These past few weeks have just been cruising by.  For starters, I realize they're not our class, but I would like to give a quick shout out to Mrs. Dezember's and Mrs. Johnson's classes. Under my direction, they performed the second of our sixth grade plays for the year and did a fantastic job with it.

I also owe some kudos to our two students who won our class spelling bee and competed in the school bee: Congratulations Isaac and Ashlee! You guys did a great job!

We're on the verge of a long list of final things coming up and/or past.  We presented our final book reports this week.  We will be taking our final spelling test next week.  We have a few final prjects going on right now: the country report for writing, and a constellation project for science.  The kids should also be really close to finishing their puppets in Arts and Tech.

Remember that we have an optional parent teacher conferences coming up this next week, May 3 and 4.  As I've said in previous e-mails, at this point in the year, anything I would have to say has been said, so if you have a reason to come and chat (ie. questions about jr. high, etc), feel free, but I'm not scheduling any of the times, so just drop in.  I will be here until 5:00 both nights.

We sent home a flyer this week talking about a few DARE Days in the area.  The first one coming up is DARE Days at Boondocks on May 4 and May 11.  The second one was DARE Lagoon Day on May 25.  DARE Lagoon Day is one that a lot of students choose to get checked out of school for.  This is fine.  Because of scheduling, however, this is also the day of our sixth grade talent show.  What we usually ask anyway, is that the students show up to school so we can mark them here, and then get checked out, so that the state doesn't get upset by our attendance that day.  This works out well, considering Lagoon doesn't even open until 9:30. The talent show is another incentive for the students to be here for at least that little bit and then get checked out for the day.

We are quickly approaching end-of-level testing.  I think I sent the schedule in an e-mail, but I'll post it here as well so that it's permenantly referenceable:
Monday, May 7 - LA 1 - 10:30-11:45
Tuesday, May 8 - LA 2 - 8:45-10:00
Wednesday, May 9 - Math 1 - 2:15-3:30
Thursday, May 10 - Math 2 - 1:00-2:15
Monday, May 14 - Science 1 - 10:30-11:45
Tuesday, May 15 - Science 2 - 8:45-10:00
If at all possible, let's not have any tardies or absences these days so we don't need to worry about making them up.

The final end of year activites that you'll need to know about are the Graduation, which will take place on May 29 at 1:30 in the afternoon, and the 6th Grade Activity, which will be on May 30, which also the last day of school. As more details on these things are decided, I will make sure they get passed on.

I think that about covers it.  The end of the year is so quickly approaching.  I really can't believe it!  I can't have waited this long to post a blog without at least mentioning my trip to Holland.  It was great to finally get myself out of the country.  I will leave you with the most awesome picture of a monkey from the Apenheul (a free range monkey zoo). Thanks for all you do to support us here in the classroom!