Missing pieces

Missing pieces make up my life. Sounds defeatist, but it isn't. For instance, a two-year sabbatical from documenting my thoughts here is a missing piece in my life. I refer to it as a sabbatical, so I can convince myself that it is okay to not write for so long; I was collecting data, life data.

Another missing piece of my life is being at work while my daughter is at preschool. Nine hours of separation, for good reason, but still a missing piece.

103 students. They are all present, but let's get real. There are missing pieces in their learning, so that means another missing piece is added to my life.

As I take a step back and reflect on some of these missing pieces, it becomes apparent that I can't do everything and I can't be everywhere, but I can only be myself and do things with intention. Missing pieces aren't necessarily bad, and they can always be found. For instance, I'm writing now. I've continued to write even during my "sabbatical," just not really the things I wanted to write. But, here I am now.

Those nine hours away from my daughter helps her build resiliency, independence, and gives her an amazing opportunity to learn, socialize, and discover.

I casually observe my students and now that the second semester has begun, those missing pieces of their learning are being filled in as they unknowingly apply their skills to create new knowledge.

Missing pieces are not lost
In time they will be found
Be patient with yourself
and the puzzle will be solved.

The Restaurant

Summer is one of my favorite times to teach. Yes, I enjoy teaching summer school. Granted, when the first day of summer school arrives only two weeks after the school year has culminated, I always ask myself, "What was I thinking?!" But once the six-week summer program begins, I am quickly reminded how many opportunities teaching summer school presents.

The opportunities that summer school creates are the ones that I wish for throughout the regular school year. Longer class periods, manageable class sizes, relaxed students, and few "do or die" standards makes the experience enjoyable and worthwhile. I use summer school as my avenue to experiment with new lessons, innovative teaching strategies, and best of all, building relationships with students who I will eventually teach during the upcoming school year.

This summer, my colleague and I, who normally co-teach English/Social Studies during the school year, decided to combine forces again and teach a summer course called, The Restaurant. In a nutshell, the students learn both the cooking side and business side of the restaurant industry with a culminating project that has them opening up their own "restaurant," which is in competition with the restaurant their classmates' created. The winning restaurant is the one that makes the most profit from the "teacher-customers" who are invited to opening day of their restaurant.  My co-teacher focuses on food safety and nutrition, teaches the students cooking basics and kitchen safety. The section of the course that I focus on is the business side. We learn about the self-discipline and creativity that successful entrepreneurs have, as well as learning advertising strategies and writing a formal business plan.

With two weeks left in the summer school session, I am reminded that there are many creative ways to teach our students the skills that will help them succeed while still keeping them engaged. Summer school is a great opportunity for them to continue to learn in unique ways that keep the excitement of summer alive... for both students and teachers.

Baked Salmon, Week 2

Chocolate Chip Cookies, Week 3

Beginning to reflect...

The school year is quickly winding down and my first year at a new school is just about complete. As I reflect on the new journey I began in August, I am overwhelmed with things to write about. Fresh challenges arrived as I became acclimated to an environment with new students, parents, families, and colleagues. Some of you who read my past posts were excited to read about my new teaching environment and the adventures in co-teaching that I experienced this school year, but I did not make the time to sit, blog, and share.

When I came on board in August, a brand-new middle school campus was just completed. The new challenge I faced came in the form of a building. The biggest challenge for all was the new open-learning environment where the only walls that were built were the ones to protect us from mother nature. And although it was a slow start, it helped that all of the middle school teachers and students were in the same boat as I was, experiencing a new working environment.

As a new hire to a school with a strong reputation here in Hawaii, I was willing to be as flexible and innovative as I had to because I felt so blessed to have been hired. But to veteran teachers at the school, the open-learning environment quickly made people's anxieties transparent. Fears of being judged by their peers, loss of personal classroom space, and the mega-list of unanswered questions regarding how will it affect our students' learning were only a few of the barriers that made many of my colleagues feel overwhelmed and vulnerable. I understood why people were feeling this way; change is difficult. But it was more than "change" that was needed. It was a mind shift. A change in the way we think as educators. A complete 180 degree flip to our firmly-cemented teaching philosophies.

It was a rough start for many, but the amazing part about that rough start is people are beginning to make the mind-shift in order to embrace and make the most of our open-learning environment. Building capacity in others, sharing ideas, co-teaching, flexible grouping and scheduling all needed to take the front seat in order to help our students succeed. We are always telling our students that learning never ends and as teachers, we experienced this first-hand.

Consumed.

I watch you come and go
wondering what's on your mind
a quick glance to see if it's me

Heart strings pulled
like a master puppeteer
I jump, I fly, I'd say goodbye

My mind is consumed
interference
that's you

Wrong time
wrong place
but I need more

A growing addiction
no doc can cure
the remedy I already know

Thoughts, ideas
circulate around you
permanence, no matter what I do

One second
two minutes
three hours, too much

A yearning so deep
felt in my chest
and everywhere else

I'll continue on
facing the truth
of reality.

The Preschool App.

Your first kiss. The passing of a loved one. Leaving home for college. Committing to marriage. Giving birth. These are some of the things that I consider "life-changing" moments. Moments that are not only life-changing, but are also generators of immense stress. WRONG! There is no event in your life that can compare to the stress of filling out your (first-born) child's preschool application... especially when you are a teacher! Here are the top 10 list of questions running through my mind as I fill out the piece of paper that could potentially determine whether my child is headed to Harvard or The Hills...

10. Do I describe my child's personality as "fun-loving" or "fun-loving as long as there is a nap involved"?

9. Is "Peek-a-Boo" considered a developmental milestone?

8. Is my child's obsession with the song, "Happy Birthday To You" mean that she has musical talent?

7. Can I write down "nose-digging" as my child's hobby?

6. I wonder if grunting is considered as "expanded vocabulary"?

5. Will they accept "Ewwww..." as, "I have to use the bathroom"?

4. Is okay if my child can only correctly identify her colors with the use of M&Ms?

3. Cry. Stop. Cry. Stop. Cry. Stop. Signs of resiliency?

2. Do they consider, "Because I said so" an effective form of communication?

1. Is neurosis hereditary?

Happy Slicing! :)

A SOLSC Miracle!

It's been a while... August of 2012 to be exact. But of course, it would be none other than the Slice Of Life March Challenge to bring me back from the dead, (hopefully I am not a zombie). If I had a nickel for every time I came up with a reason to not blog, I'd be retired. All my excuses worked until February started to fade away and the scents of spring began to arrive as March rolled in. Email after email filled my inbox; notifications of new posts from my favorite writers, but these weren't just their regular daily posts, they were official SOLSC posts. I couldn't ignore it, no matter how hard I tried. March 1..... March 2..... I wrote in my notebook, but did not, would not log in to my computer. And here we have arrived on March 3. A beautiful Sunday, and now I can't even keep my fingers from typing! My brain is spitting out ideas left and right, while my fingertips try their best to keep in tune with my overflow of thoughts.

I figure two days late is better than 31 days late, so here I am. The following is what I scribbled down in my notebook when I was thinking about my new experiences with co-teaching. A subject that I have a lot to say and ask about! Happy Slicing, Slicers!
___________________________________________________________________________

you plus me, and them

equals three

but two of us together

engaging

taming

conquering "them"

there is so much sense to it

with you

and me

we meet

we plan

till we drain our brains

but wait!

there's more

ideas tucked away

waiting to be shared.

you teach

than I'll teach

try mine

and I'll try yours

two into one

so the third will succeed

co-teach

side-by-side

no better place to be.

Avoidance issues

Itʻs been a while... a very long while. Avoidance is probably the best word to describe my "writing" absence lately. I say "writing" absence because Iʻve continued to follow my favorite blogs, but unfortunately have not commented or updated my own. Upon the culmination of last school year, I was exhausted, to say the least. Burnt out, annoyed, frustrated, and non-motivated would be some of the adjectives I was feeling. Honestly, writing was the last thing I wanted to do. But, as the summer quickly came to its end, I packed up the last of my belongings in my former classroom and dove head-first into the deep unknown and began teaching at another school. I needed a new challenge, to refresh and renew; a place that motivated me to work harder each and every single day for my students. That place has been found, and I am truly in my element. The school that I now teach at has a brand-spanking new middle school building. Not only is everything amazingly new, but the space is an open learning space. Yup. No walls. Team teaching like you've never imagined.

My goal is get back on the horse and blog it up once again! Striving to catch up with those I haven't left comments for, return to SOL Tuesdays, and blog about my new adventures in my "wall-less" classroom (which I love, btw).

Ahh... deep breath, exhale. It feels so satisfying to be writing again.

Until tomorrow...