Baby of Mine...

Okay... having a baby has become fun at last... I mean, except for that sharp pain in my hip whenever I take a step (which is often since I work in the BASEMENT of our school and have to go up and down the stairs a minimum of 4 times a day! And I coach the cross country team ... no, I am NOT running with them this year!).

But seriously, now that the nausea is gone, I am sort of okay with the stabbing pain and the exhaustion part - it's much preferable... :)

I thought I would hate getting a big belly and all but I kind of like this roly-poly feeling... and I like feeling the baby rolling around in there - which has been a new event this past week. I can't wait until Matthew can feel it too!

So - 5 months in ... halfway there ... starting to think about names, doctors, baby furniture, vaccinations, car seats, etc...

As I said... it's getting to be kind of fun!

Having a Baby...WOW!

Okay - sorry that I've been In Abscencia all summer... but I've been busying growing a whole person inside me... yes, we're expecting our first child.
First, I need to vent a little about the...

• morning sickness that lasts all day...
• the fact that last year I was running 10 miles at a time to prepare for the 1/2 marathon and now I can't even get up the stairs without losing my breath!
• the withdrawal at not being able to drink coffee (not b/c it's got caffeine but b/c now it tastes like dirt)
• a belly button that feels like it's going to explode!
• maternity clothes that are all made of polyester and look like they come from granny's closet (sorry, grandmothers out there!!!)
• people joke that I'm going to have the baby writing in their writer's notebook by the time they're 2 years old (ahem! correction: my baby will be writing in their writer's notebook from Day 1, even if I have to scribe it for them!)

...yeah, they never tell you about these things....
However, being pregnant is also pretty cool because...

• having cravings for McDonald's is kind of fun
• Matthew is so nice about filling in the blanks in the housework while I'm sleeping!
• Everyone makes a big deal about you!
• I get weekly email updates that tell me the size of my baby every week and make up funny nicknames for him/her!
• I get to hear gory birthing stories all the time now!

Sigh... I can't believe I'm going to be a mom... scary and cool. I can't wait to see how it goes! :)

Product Review: Ball Plastic Jars with Screw Top Lids!

I am just so amused at this product - and I don't know why... perhaps because I have started canning food a lot...

Anyway, you know how when you open a jar of home-made canned food, and you don't use it, you have to put the metal screw cap back on over the flat lid... and somehow, doing this seems to get sticky jam or sauce all over the cap and lid as you try to line everything up? Okay, maybe that's just me...

Well, anyway, last fall, I found these awesome plastic jars with lids that screw on, that you can put your leftover canned foods into after you open a jar. Then, you don't have to worry about a messy lid, spoiling food from a seal that isn't tight enough, or breaking a glass jar!

Once you open a jar of sauce or jam, or in my case, canned peaches... you just dump the leftovers into the Ball plastic screw-top jar, and pop it in the fridge. Also, now you can wash and store that glass jar for use later next year when you're canning again! Plus, the plastic jars come in a 4 pack, and the lids snap into each other and then onto the jar bottoms for stackable storage, so you don't have a mess in your cabinet!

I'm Amused!!

Would you Believe...?

Four years ago I didn't even KNOW there was such a thing as the Teacher of the Year award. Now, I have been awarded this honor by a "jury of her peers." Five essays and one interview panel later, I'm still in shock that it's actually ME!

Through the past four years at Windsor Locks, I've been surrounded by a core group of supportive teachers on my teams and in my department and even in other grades, departments, and buildings who have encouraged me, made me smile when I've had a bad day, and reminded me why I am doing this job.

Teaching is NOT easy. To do teach effectively, you have to be relentless at times about teaching to the standards, expecting quality, and meeting the needs of diverse classes. But you don't teach alone - along the way, so many people have been there for me to provide advice, resources, and moral support.

I want to thank a few people (and I'll miss a ton, I'm sure!) who have influenced me:

MaryKay, you taught me that a good teacher always follows through on what she assesses the students need. You can't go forward until you have gone back and corrected the misunderstandings students have about concepts.

Chris, you taught me (and I'm still trying to learn this one) that you CAN have a relationship with even the most difficult students, and still retain composure and be firm.

Jen, you taught me that we can believe in how we teach, even in the face of opposition - because it works!

Kelly, you taught me to just laugh sometimes - because it's not worth stressing about it too long (again, still learning this one).

Mike, you taught me to continue in the face of "adversity"... that it's NOT crazy to stay up till 2 am to get schoolwork done - if it needs to get done, do it! (but I'll never beat you to school!)

...there are so many others who've helped me work hard, but relax a little, look at the data, but then look on the bright side (not my strong point), think about the students, but then also take a little "me" time to refresh...

Thank you... I hope I continue learning lessons from all of you! Here's to many more years of friendship and camaraderie together!

A Journey of a Thousand Pages...

...Begins with a single word. I'd like to think that this summer institute I'm taking at Uconn is probably going to require me to read and write about 1000 pages of materials... I haven't actually counted it out yet, but I believe that to be somewhat accurate. I plan to document my trip through this universe of writing on my blog - feel free to share your comments, read the books I'm reading, and encourage me along the way... quite possibly the majority of this blog this summer will deal with this endeavor... however, there might be other gleanings of writing along the way...

I begin by exploring the idea of WHY does writing matter anyways? I'm reading Because Writing Matters by Carl Hagin of the NWP (National Writing Project); just through the introduction, I'm already screaming inside asking WHY aren't more teachers, administrators and policymakers concerned by how little we require of students in the area of writing? Much of the writing requirements are personal in nature, which is fine, as that inspires writing and the enjoyment of writing. However, our students seem to be sadly lacking in the area of critical writing skills - heading off to college, they find they are woefully ignorant of how to critique and analyze ideas and share their thoughts in writing.

I often find this to be true in my own students - especially when we turn to persuasive writing, which requires students to support beliefs/opinions with reasonable arguments. The first responses are usually: "...because.... I don't know why - just because." Or, "....because they're stupid!" Little thought is put into why the students hold certain beliefs or ideas. Much coaching is required to move them beyond mere opinion to actual defense of their opinions through reason and logic. It's startling to think that perhaps before 7th grade they never had to explain or defend their ideas? Was everything hereto for simply accepted as so just "because"?

The idea of teaching writers to think critically about their ideas and defend their stance may have to become a focus point for me next year in my teaching... but I'm only in the introductory part of the book! :) I will have to see why else "writing matters" as I continue to read...