So, as I've posted before, I'm participating in NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) again this year. I first discovered NaNoWriMo two years ago and immediately decided to get my language arts classes involved. I wasn't

so sure how it was going to work the first year I attempted it, but by the end, I was absolutely blown away by what my students accomplished. The excitement for writing definitely flowed strong! So, my students (a new batch of them) and I did it again last year (with even more outstanding results) and, of course,

I decided to get them involved again this year too. Now I'm handling it a little bit differently this year, because I've made it optional, but we're still off to a good start. My one language arts class has almost 90% of the class participating and the other language arts class probably has about 40%. And best yet, I've had a few past 6th graders (now 7th graders) even come and ask whether they're allowed to participate again this year. :) I've participated alongside my students both years, although I've never won yet (i.e. never made the adult 50,000 word goal), but I have to say, this year, I'm feeling the most optimistic I've ever felt about potentially making it. And it's sort of funny, because prior to NaNoWriMo starting, this was the year I seriously considered not participating at all because I didn't think I'd have the time. I'm still behind where I need to be, but I'm still celebrating tonight: my first milestone (i.e. 10% completed) was reached earlier this evening! :) Knowing I only made 12,000 my first year and only 20,000 last year . . . being at over 6,000 words currently, makes me very happy! :) http://www.nanowrimo.org/NanowrimoUtils/LiveParticipant/245983.png

There never seems to be enough time in the school day! I know it's a regular teacher exclamation, Read More...

I guess it's a sign of how much I've been dealing with things one day at a time: I just realized tonight that a brief break is actually in sight! No school next Wednesday, which will be sooo nice. :) I'm at a point where

I definitely need a day just get my feet back under me again. For one thing, I've got grading to catch up on. My students are struggling a bit with hitting a lazy point themselves: late and missing work is becoming epidemic with a few of them. Tracking it all down is becoming a pain. I wish I was allowed to just

leave a 0 in my grade book when something isn't turned in, but my school presses us teachers to follow up on missing work to make sure the kids eventually do it. I personally think sometimes that ends up punishing us more than them, but unfortunately there's nothing I can do about it. I just wish my students would all realize they'd make life so much easier on themselves (not to mention me) if they just did the work on time the first time around. But oh well, getting them *all* to reach that conclusion, well, I think that's just wishful thinking!

My son's report card came in the mail yesterday. They're always addressed to my wife. I was curious, but I never open them. It's not because they're addressed to her. It's because they come in those damn perforated mailings where you have to tear the sides off and then somehow wedge a finger inside the top and slide it across to open it. I'm done risking paper cuts so I leave it for my wife. She opened it when she came home. It was a very nice surprise.Read More...

Papers await grading. A couple lessons for tomorrow still need the finishing touches put on them. A quiz needs revised. But when I came home this evening, I found the exact same lack of motivation that's been plaguing me a lot this fall waiting for me. Read More...

Today one of my colleagues and I were planning ahead for our Honing our Craft unit. We’re planning to (yet again) attempt to introduce the Talk Back journals. Last year, I totally skipped it, disappointed with how they had gone in previous years. You can scroll back to two and three years ago and read all my struggles with Talk Back journals. Kids would write about strategies, but it was always obvious that it was only for the sake of the assignment. I felt like I was eternally fishing for something.Read More...

Sometimes I wish I could rewind time. Read More...

Hmm....my last blog posting was from when last year's NaBloPoMo finished. I guess that shows how crazy things have been. Only now, with this year's NaBloPoMo starting up, am I back to making a posting, even though I honestly I don't even yet know if I'm really up to participating again this year. I'm mainly posting today just to give myself the continued option. Read More...

Seven weeks into the school year and I think I haven't caught my breath yet. I don't know where I found time to teach when I had a husband and 3 sons in this house. They are all gone and I still don't have a spare minute. I had the opportunity to go to a professional development this week that was amazing and sparked several dendrites in this overwhelmed brain. It reminded me how much better of a teacher I was when I made the time to cruise PT and glean ideas from others. Read More...

Psstt.... You know that you are being watched, don't you? Spies are everywhere. Suspect everyone, including and especially those tiny little darlings in your care. A new world order is being created that requires a numb,

illiterate society. First every home with a television can not avoid reality or enterainment shows. These programs are encoded with subliminal messages that keep people from actually thinking. The Powers Behind the Throne need to keep us preoccupied with idiocy so we will accept the new world order. As teachers we

have become the front line of defense of this order. We are not trusted with such power so scripted curriculum is the order of the day. In the halls of learning thinking is discouraged since it isn't required for the TEST. Creativitiy is also strongly discouraged since it will take minutes away from the all important TEST PREP. Recess and PE require socializing and solving problems which don't appear on the TEST and therefore useless. And lest you think you can close your doors and teach your way, there are spies just waiting to rat you out to the powers behind the throne, because they have "concerns". In contrast, people sitting in fancy offices with mood music are making the schedules, counting the minutes and taking the data from the TEST as gospel, which proclaims " Students are failing ,because of their inept, lazy teachers." " All teachers must follow the pacing chart, or you are a bad teacher. Also all students must have mastered the material ,or they are the vicitims of a bad teacher." THEY have found the enemy and it is US. Are we ready for a backlash?!?!?!?!?!!?!?