Round Two!

I am not sure how the calendar got to March already. It is not that last March seems very recent, (these adventures seems like eons ago). It is just that it seems like it is still January. I feel like I have barely started into the second half of this school year.

But, that is not what the calendar says. If definitively says today is March 1st so I begin my second year of daily Slice of Life Challenge.

It is the SOLC that got me thinking about blogging in the first place. This, plus being convicted that if I expect my students to be writing I need to be doing it too.

It is very hard for me to believe that this is my 166th post. During the school year I get into a rhythm, a pattern. There are large stretches of hiatus when we are on vacation. It is not that vacation doesn't give me ample to write about, but I have yet to make it a common practice when I am out of my routine.

I look forward to this month. To this challenge. To this community. To the great exercise of 'having' to have words to put 'out there', to publish.

Here we go!

***

(If you are just curious or looking for a writing challenge of your own, with an amazingly supportive community, check out the link for the Slice of Life Challenge. I always embed it in the logo at the top.)

Student Led Conferences

I love student led conferences.

I love having the students take the responsibility to share their learning, both strengths and challenges.

I love empowering them to have a voice with their parents.

I love how proud both the students and parents feel at the end of the conference. Regardless of the student’s ‘ability’ they were able to articulate who they are as a learner.

I love the goal setting aspect and working together, as teams, to help the student reach their goals.

And, I love that it is not me talking from 1 – 6 today and then from 1 – 4 tomorrow.

What Are You Reading?

“It’s Monday! What are you Reading?” is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It is a chance for book lovers to share their reading accomplishments as well as what is on the proverbial nightstand. She even does a giveaway. Subsequently Jen and Kellee at Teach Mentor Texts added an opportunity for those reading kidlit to join the fun. Since I read both I will post to both. Check them out, join the conversations, and discover more great books.

Must haves for my classroom library are marked with *.

*The Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima

Scat by Carl Hiaasen

Doc by Mary Doria Russell

 A Stone In My Hand by Cathryn Clinton

Let’s Take The Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson

Ah, Adolescence

I recently received an email from a student.

Can you send me the homework and class work for (dates) because I will be absent.
From, (student)

After reminding the student that it is their responsibility to check with a friend and on our student management system for any worked missed, I didn't think any more about it.

Then I got a chat from a colleague.

The colleague asked if I had seen the email and then went on to say they had forwarded it on to the counselor so the inappropriate references could be dealt with.

What?!??! I obviously missed something.

Some rights reserved by makeitgreat

I went back to the email. I read it and re-read it and didn't see anything inappropriate.

Then I clicked on 'details'.

Ah! The student had given the teachers nicknames in their address book and obviously hadn't realized those nicknames show up when you use the email addresses.

I chuckled at the immaturity of it, referring to a teacher by a body part and pointing out another's complexion challenges.

I am jealous of our counselor. I would LOVE to get to have the conversation with the student.

Middle School Dance Angst

I have a student who is fighting leukemia, for the second time in his short life. He has a fabulous attitude and terrific family. It looks like he is on the downhill side of this bout, which we pray is the final one.

He had told me at the beginning of the week (remember our weeks are Saturday - Wednesday) he was going to be out on Wednesday because he had to go to the hospital. Yesterday him mom let me know that they were going to try and push the doctors to do this round of chemo really fast so he could make it to the social that night.

Some rights reserved by Scott Beale

She went on to say that there is a particular girl he was wanting to dance with and was fretting if he should let her know now or wait until that night. She encouraged him to wait.

I sure hope he gets to be there!