What’s New???

With 11 class days remaining to the school year, I am surprisingly energetic.  I say, surprisingly, because I am usually dragging my butt.  However, I have changed my diet, which seems to be reaping benefits physically, emotionally, and mentally.  Having osteoarthritis of both knees, my orthopedic specialist is constantly on my back about my weight.  My most recent follow up visit led me to take my doc’s words to heart.  I began by changing my eating habits during lunch, which led me to this blog.  It’s been a transformative experience.  So much so, that I began to cook in earnest, which led to the need to purchase real food. Consequently, I am no longer eating  the processed, packaged frozen stuff I had been eating in over abundance.   A dear friend who is also a professional cook told me, “What you can buy you can cook.”  So, I cook breakfast and dinner, and eat salads at lunch.  I also begin dinner with a small salad. Not only am I eating better, I have also developed a more positive relationship with food.  I was often so hungry between meals, my snacking was out-of-control; it scared me.  Additionally, my dinner meals left me unsatisfied, leading me to eat two desserts, and snack late at night, or early in the morning.

Once I changed my patterns and habits of eating, I realized that my carb-heavy diet led me to crave carbs even more.  What I needed instead was to consume protein at every meal, including breakfast.  I’ve also ramped up my water intake significantly.  I strive to consume one bottle of water before breakfast and lunch.

In addition to a new and improved diet, I’ve tried different activities in the classroom, and have met with great success. I’ll write more about them in an upcoming post.

Baggage

A long-time neighbor recently relocated permanently to Florida. I suppose news of her moving should not have come as quite a shock and a surprise: As a person in her early 80s with health and slight mobility issues, she mentioned as much last fall just prior to leaving for the winter months.   She stated that she wasn’t sure just how much longer she could continue going back and forth between Florida and Connecticut.  But it was a shock and a surprise.  Particularly in the way in which I was informed, and the events which followed.

About two weeks ago, I arrived home one Friday afternoon to discover my long-time neighbor who lived in the apartment directly across the hall from me, rummaging around in her rented storage closet.  I called her name, to which she responded with a slightly aggravated tone, “What?”. I was somewhat taken aback, not only by the tone, but, by the fact that she didn’t seem to recognize my voice.  Shock and Surprise Number One. In any event, I approached my neighbor, gave her a warm and affectionate hug, and asked her how she was doing. Having gotten past all of the pleasantries, I asked her what she was doing, to which she exclaimed, “I’m moving!” Naturally I asked to where, to which my neighbor responded, “Florida.”  Shock and Surprise Number Two. She then went on to say that she didn’t have anyone’s telephone number. Really? She and I made sure we had each other’s numbers every fall before she departed.  Shock and Surprise Number Three.  If each of the previous three shock and surprises weren’t enough, my neighbor delivered the coup de grace: She had returned on Tuesday of that same week, and was scheduled to move on the following Tuesday.  Shock and Surprise Number Four.  After a few more minutes of casual, albeit superficial conversation, I said good evening, to which my neighbor responded, “The door will be open, stop in.”

Huh? What?

I thought that for the past six years, we had been closer neighbors.  We shared meals in favorite restaurants, conversations on all sorts of topics in her apartment over wine and cheese, and phone calls about the goings-on of other neighbors.  I enjoyed her company.  But, given all that I had experienced in front of my neighbor’s rented storage closet, I was not only shocked and surprised, but also hurt.  For the remainder of my neighbor’s stay, I gave her the space she needed.  I had considered for a fleeting moment to knock on her door and offer to help her pack. However, I couldn’t get past the hurt.  Besides, she had her best friend there all weekend, helping her to do what she needed in order to move.

The following Monday, I wrote my neighbor a farewell note.  It was upbeat for the most part: I recall the good times we had had, and, my well wishes for her move.  I did, however, mention my hurt at the news, and the way in which she conveyed it to me. I also mentioned that she probably had her reasons for what she did, and therefore, decided to give her the space I thought she needed. I placed the note in an envelope, and stuck it in her door. That was that.

The next morning – Tuesday – the moving van arrived at 7:30 a.m.  By the time I arrived home at 5:30 p.m.  neighbor was gone. In a strange sort of way, I was relieved; the drama of having her across the hall, but feeling completely invisible, was over. I said a prayer for my neighbor, asking the Lord to keep her in his care.  I suppose the prayer was as much for me as it was for her, perhaps even more so for me.  A friend once told me many years ago that the prayers we say for those who have hurt us in some way is really for us and for our own healing, peace and comfort.

I shared my feelings with my Dear Mother and my Dear Brother. My Dear Mother stated that people often carry baggage with which they hurt others, leaving the others to wonder what happened.  My Dear Brother said that there was probably much more going on than my neighbor wished to share with me.  Additionally, perhaps she didn’t want to leave, but had to leave, and didn’t quite know how to say good-bye.  That being said, my Dear Brother added that sharing her true feelings wasn’t one of my neighbors fears.  My Dear Brother reassured me that her behavior towards me in her final hours in her apartment was not about me.

 

In a Reflective Groove

I recently celebrated my 48th birthday.  Yippee!!! Now, many women would not hazard to make a public pronouncement such as the aforementioned. However, I feel truly blessed for each year the Good Lord grants me on Earth.  So, there…I said it…I’m 48!

It’s funny; each birth year brings new gifts.  For example, in my search for ways to make lunch and dinner salads more balanced, nutritious and not-boring, I was blessed to stumble upon a wonderful blog.  Not only did I achieve my initial goal, but I also have discovered a new way to eat in order to lose some weight, and, more important, to become healthier in the process.

I am also blessed with wonderful friends who are suggesting that it’s time to move on from my present place of employ, and to place myself on a tw0-year career plan.  I am seeking a leadership position which will allow me to remain in the classroom.  While teachers are certainly leaders in their own right, I want to parlay my strong skills in pedagogy, and lead a school’s academic program.

Last, and speaking about my place of employ, I am learning to focus less on the parts over which I have no real control – my colleagues, the leadership of the school, and the day-to-day administrative sloppiness – all of which used to lead to a truck-load of frustration for me – and more on the parts over which I do, which is, my teaching. I communicate via email with colleagues only when they communicate with me, or, when I need something, which isn’t very often.  Additionally, I have created alternative lunch spaces for myself.  I do eat one to three times in the dining room with colleagues, but, on the days I don’t I eat in my classroom, and I’m fine with that.  It provides a quiet place to decompress, and to ready myself for my next class.

So, that’s where I am.

Adding Engagement to the Crossword Puzzle

I like crossword puzzles. My students like crossword puzzles. The aspect I don’t like is that many of them list the word in English, and all the student has to do is write said word in Spanish.  Not very engaging, not very challenging.

On the other hand, what if students actually had to create meaning with the target language via collaboration and critical thinking?

Thus the reason I like the crossword puzzles which accompany the textbook series I am currently using with my middle school Onesies: Buen Viaje.  Albeit a somewhat outdated series in terms of pedagogical approach and content, the crossword puzzles are, in my opinion, on the money. What makes them different?  They include clues, written in the target language, so the  student actually has to use critical thinking and language skills to not only process the clue, but to also determine the correct word based on the clue.To make the crossword activity collaborative, students work together in pairs or in groups of three.

The results? Magical!  The students were busy figuring out what the clues said in English, looking up words they had forgotten, reasoning with their peers as to why the answer was this and not that, and, based on my observations, had a good time.

The downside to all of this is that I no longer have the disc/software for the Buen Viaje crossword puzzles. The upside is that I can create my own crossword puzzles via Crossword Forge.  Albeit an expensive tool, Crossword Forge allows me to create customized crossword puzzles like the ones above.

I like taking tried and true tools, and using them to promote learning.  I think the above activity accomplished this.

Not doin’ it for you no mo’

There’s nothing I look forward to more than Black History Month. In fact, I look forward to Black History Month with the same anticipation and joy as my own birthday. For the past three years, I have attempted to share that joy with my colleagues. In 2010, I posted a “Black History Fact of the Day”, for 28 consecutive days. In 2011, I posted a “Black History Month Reading List”, which highlighted books by and about Black Americans, citing their achievements in the arts, politics, education, math and science, the military, and sports. In 2012, I created a Multicultural Resource website for the use of the teaching faculty.

A few folks remarked positively about the Black Facts and the reading list. On the other hand, only one teacher has used the Multicultural Resource website. By the way: I invited colleagues to pass along books for the reading list, and to add/share resources for the website. NO JUICE.

So, this year, my colleagues will have to celebrate Black History Month without my help. As a result, it will be far more enjoyable for me.

Why I’m not participating on my school’s diversity committee

If you asked me five years ago, I would be been as happy as a pig in the sunshine to participate. Fast-forward five years, to today, my answer is NO. Here’s why:

1. Too much unexamined racism – both personal and institutional
2. Too much token diversity programming versus making changes to teaching and learning. But, that would require doing Number One.
3. The psychosis of race is too deep to expect the leadership to have a Come to Jesus moment and wipe the slate clean.

I’ve struggled for years and years, without any support or recognition, to bring my school to a new phase in their diversity journey, and to what end?

Too many independent schools are stuck in a diversity time warp 20 years out-of-date. School leaders still think that affinity groups, multicultural assessments, and diversity committees will solve their diversity problems when in reality what is needed is:

1. An examination and eradication of White Privilege; and
2. Culturally Responsive Pedagogy, which focuses on good teaching and quality relationships between students and teachers.

So, there it is. Instead of becoming angry, frustrated, and emotionally drained, I will focus my time and energy on my family, friends, self and classroom.

2012 in review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 4,500 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 8 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.