CHAMPIONS!!!

So I sponsor a club at school called Battle of the Books which is basically a big geek-fest of kids who love reading. :)  My dream come true!  All year long the kids read books and practice writing/answering questions from them in preparation for an end-of-the year "battle" between other schools in the district.  My school is a low-income school in what is otherwise a pretty well-off district (for the most part), and we kind of have a reputation...let's just say when a friend who works in district heard I got a job at this particular school she kind of grimaced and told me good luck!!!  yikes!  Anyways, it's not so bad; crazy as it is, I am happy at my school.  But other schools definitely view us a certain (non-complimentary) way.

Yesterday evening was the much-anticipated Battle.  Our kids have been working SO HARD to prepare, but I don't think ANYONE thought we had a shot.  To say we were the underdog is the understatement of the century.  Well...

Mrs. Lit Specialist, Good Luck Charm Baby J, & Me :)

WE WON!!!!!

This is super exciting for a few reasons.  First, after working SO HARD this year with the kids, to see their hard work pay off (and mine!) and see their excited smiling faces made all of those hours as a club worth it.  Second, how awesome is it to see kids get pumped about literacy and reading?  Come on.  Our society doesn't exactly celebrate achievements in reading very often... The kids are so proud of this badass trophy our school won.  Plus, what a great example to set for other kids in the school that reading is actually pretty cool.  The best part for me, though, was showing other schools in the district that we actually have some pretty amazing, smart kids and good teachers over here at my school.  We work hard too, and so do our kids.  Even Ms. Assistant Principal who accompanied us to the battle was like, "What now?!" :)

I was having some reservations about sponsoring this club again next year because it is so much work, but after seeing the kids get so excited about their win, I'm wondering if it might be worth it...

My Raspy Little Voice

Well, I DID make it through Monday, although by the end of the day I had a killer sinus headache and a next-to-nothing voice.  Since Monday is a Battle of the Books day, instead of my usual dramatic reading of Frindle I had the kids choose parts and read a chapter like a play.  They LOVED it!!!  We switched the "narrator" every few pages because, like most novels, it is narration heavy.  But it was the perfect way for me to rest my voice as well as a way to not only get the kids even more into the book, but to sneak in some fluency practice!  Man I'm so tricky... ;)  Anyways, after Battle, I pretty much went home and passed out for most of the evening.  It was clear that I would not be making it into school Tuesday.

While my voice was pretty pathetic Monday, I was surprised to wake up Tuesday and find that I had NO voice at all!  This has never happened to me, and I have to say it was a weird feeling.  I could manage a whisper, but when I tried to speak in my normal voice, literally nothing would come out.  When you're a talker like me, this is NOT a desirable situation.  I decided it might be time to head to the Immediate Care at my doctor's, and I was lucky enough to get a doctor who is unopposed to "preventative" antibiotics.  Yes, I know it's a bad idea to take antibiotics too often because you'll build up an immunity, but he must have sensed my pain and sent me home with a Z-pack prescription, a "stay home from work" note for Wednesday, and instructions to rest my voice and drink milkshakes.  Yes sir!!

I decided to follow his advice to give my voice and body another day of rest today, and took sick day #3 of the year.  Man oh man, we are certainly off to a rough start!  What will I be like come winter and actual cold/flu season??  The whole 2-days off in a row thing did mean that I had to come in this morning and drop off manuals, set up the room.  Lucky for me though the sub I requested was available, and my fingers are crossed that she was able to keep them in line better than the sub I had last week!  That's nothing against that sub, mind you, my children are of the "baptism by fire" school of thought when it comes to any new adults in their lives.

I am HAPPY to report that after a 2nd day of rest, my voice is STARTING to reappear. Now, this doesn't mean it is normal by any means, and I will still be enlisting student volunteers for a majority of our reading tomorrow.  But it's a start.  Now, to look over my lesson plans and figure out how I can teach math in a small group/guided style to prevent unnecessary voice use...hmmm...

(Note: I WAS able to use my sick days to reread Mockingjay in preparation for my book club tomorrow evening.  Thank goodness I am healthy (er...healthier...), because I would be HEARTBROKEN if we had to postpone again!  And I just have to say that rereading the book completely reignited my Hunger Games OBSESSION.  Man, do I love these books...Kinda makes me want to start over with book 1 again...For now, though, I will control myself...)

Miss Teacher Reads

I have been ROCKING through the book list for Battle of the Books!!!  Woohoo!!!  And while they are not all the best book EVER, as I felt about many of last year's titles, I'm discovering (and rediscovering) some gems in the mix.  And because I am nothing if not a list person...

Books I'm Reading:

• Ida B
• Frindle
• Tuck Everlasting

Books I've Read:

• A Year Down Yonder (5 stars)
• Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark (2 stars...)
• Among the Hidden (4 stars)
• Moonshot: The Flight of Apollo 11 (4 stars)

Books to Read:

• Hank Zipzer: The Night I Flunked My Field Trip
• Exploring the Titanic
• Lincoln: A Photobiography (SO not excited about this one, but I will feign interest for the sake of the kiddos...)
• The Face on the Milk Carton
• Hatchet
• My Side of the Mountain
• The BFG
• 1 more that is slipping my mind...

Anyways, Battle of the Books is up and running, and going great.  We have about 15 kiddos this year, and many of them are already gung-ho about the books.  We are reading Frindle together in shared reading style at meetings, which I am absolutely LOVING.  We didn't do this with any of the books last year, but it's been a good way to model writing the questions and recording important information from the text.  Plus. it's am amazing, hilarious book that I ADORE reading, and am elated to share with an audience who eats it up as much as these readers.  Hands down the best part of coaching Battle of the Books is when kids come up to me both at meetings and during the week and say things like, "Miss Teacher!  I'm halfway done!  Look!!"  or "Miss Teacher, this book is GOOD!!"  Gets me every time.  :)

Oh, and btw, to whomever invented books on CD, thanks.  Thanks a million.  I would never make it through this whole list without you!!!

No, I do NOT live and sleep at school.

Dear parent who believes it is perfectly acceptable to pick up her child at 4:20 from a club that ends at 4,

I am already dedicating 1 hour of my time every Monday to share my love of reading with your child and 14 others.  I cannot stay outside with your daughter for an extra 20 minutes.  And while I would be understanding if this were just a one time thing and you got the times mixed up, or even if you apologizes, I am really failing to understand how you can show up late and basically tell me, unapolegetically, that you can't be at school until that time because you get off work at 4.  I'm sorry, I get off work at 4 too!   Please don't act like it's my responsibility to stay with her and like it's a big inconvenience to you that I would even ask you to be ON TIME.   If your daughter needs to be picked up, find a way to get her home!

Maybe I will feel more understanding later, but right now I am annoyed.  Mostly because it frustrates me when other people don't value my time or acknowledge that I just might have a life outside of school or other things that could and should be occupying my time, like, oh i don't know, preparing for tomorrow.  Your daughter is welcome at my club.  I love reading with kids and that's why I offer my time.  But please, when you look at me, see a human, not a child care robot.  Apologize when you are late.  Make an effort to make other arrangements.  And do not treat me like I OBVIOUSLY have nothing better to do than babysit your daughter pro bono.

Sincerely,
Miss Teacher
Battle of the Books Sponsor

^I apologize.  This is a rant.  But honestly, it's not the time that is the issue, it's the attitude...

Book Review: Home of the Brave

Wow.  That's all I can say about this book.  Well, almost all...I've never been a person of few words! ;)  Another Battle of the Books pick, Katherine Applegate's Home of the Brave wasn't the first one to fly off the B.O.B. shelf in my classroom.  Most of the students grabbed for Wednesday Wars, Maximum Ride, or Wait til Helen Comes, and I have to admit I was with them.  This was at the bottom of my list of the B.O.B. "to-read's."  However, having read this amazing book in just a couple hours, it is definitely the BEST youth novel I have read in a long time, and I have read some pretty stellar ones lately! 

Written in a beautiful poetic free verse, Applegate spins a tale of a young Sudanese refugee, Kek, who finds himself suddenly dropped into snowy Minnesota.  Kek's story is one we can all relate to: that of an outsider who is conflicted in every possible way, who doesn't seem to fit in, and who desperately wants to find his place in the world, but who isn't sure what that place is.  As Kek learns both English and these strange American customs, readers will laugh and cry along with him.  From putting a set of dishes into the washing machine to breaking down in tears in the grocery store at the sight of so much plentiful food to rejoicing at the idea of free school in which one can sit at one's own desk and chair, Kek's journey is powerfully moving.  Not only is it one that any young person who has ever felt isolated or misunderstood could relate to, but it has the potential to open students' eyes to ideas they may know very little about: poverty, refugees, civil war, prejudices, etc. etc. etc. 

In short, Applegate's story is beautiful and powerful, and as I finished reading it, I was left with one thought: "I want to share this book with every child I can..."  A quick read and well worth it; definitely 5 stars!!

Book Reviews: Esperanza Rising

As part of my new role as one of the coaches for Battle of the Books, I have to read the same books the kids are reading for the battle and help write questions on them.  Yes, it's one more thing I have to do, but the list of books has some great ones on it, and as I told my brother yesterday, "Reading kids books is amazing!  I was at page 60 a few minutes ago, and I'm already on 100!  I'm never reading grown up books again!"  Anyways, I digress.  Tonight I finished Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, a beautiful coming of age story that truly shows both the realities of poverty and racism as well as the strength of children and families to endure.  Esperanza and her mother lose all their money, posessions, and even their father/husband in Mexico.  They are forced to flee to America and start a new life as farm workers.  This book depicts an emotional, heart-wrenching story of hardship, starting over, and the power of love and children to endure.  I sincerely loved this book.

And I'm happy again

Today, I kind of remembered why I'm a teacher.  My lessons weren't particularly stellar (Fridays never are--specials, test, review for test, silent reading...), but the day just went great.  My troubling studnet had a complete personality change yesterday and had two FANTASTIC days in a row.  After what we've been going through, this change is amazing and I frequently find myself holding my breath as though I'm watching a ticking time bomb, just waiting for it to go off unexpectedly.  But thankfully, nothing set it off and he was a completely different kid.  I'm not sure WHAT changed, but he was friendly, respectful, kind, and funny.  And I remembered how much I really do like this kid when he's "on."  And it's amazing how different my emotions were with him being in a good mood.  Everything was fine.  I was happy, I enjoyed teaching, I enjoyed my students.  Even when other students were off task, I was more patient and better able to laugh things off.  I was less stressed, and I just plain LIKED IT today.  There have been enough days lately where I just DIDN"T LIKE IT that I'd been doubting whether or not I'll be able to make it for the long haul.

Some things that made me smile today:
-This kid getting 100% on his behavior points chart today and being so ecstatic.  I was so ecstatic that I asked him if I could give him a hug and he said sure. :)  Suddenly we're BFF.
-My hilarious guided reading group today during which we were discussing voting and they got onto so many side bars about elections and the president etc. that I was liracking up.  I love when they are distracted, but talking about something KIND OF related!
-My kids being thrilled about the new books I got yesterday.  I put new ones in some of the kids' book boxes with post-its on them saying, "I KNOW you will like this book.  Let me know what you think!"  They loved it.  And I remembered how easy it is to show them that I care and make them smile.  When some of these kids constantly feel like they don't matter or no one cares about them, I know that part of my job is to let them know that I do. 
-Being observed by an ed student who's also a mom in the school and having her tell me she enjoyed being in my room and observing my teaching
-Getting things all set for my re-implementation of Daily 4 (I decided Read to Someone was a disaster waiting to happen...), including a new display of my anchor charts

Well, it's nice coming home on Fridays in a good mood.  It reminds me that even though my lows are incredibly low, the highs are so worth it.  I will not give up on this one child--maybe God knew that I needed this refresher and reminder of his wonderful personality to make it through the days when he just can't let that personality shine for all those reasons I am trying so hard to understand.

and we're back

Okay.  I'm hoping to get to bed early tonight, so I'm not going to get into everything that's been going on.  But after last Monday's somewhat bleak posting, I feel I should briefly update.  Monday (last) was a real low point for the year so far.  It was just one of those days where enough things went wrong to make you wanna throw in the towel.  Between a whole new level of behavior problems with my "difficult student," the rest of the class being off-task in general, a really irritating display of unprofessionalism geared at me from a colleague, and my car being keyed in the parking lot one night I was working late, I was about done.  Thankfully, the next day my team stepped in and helped me out enough that I could get things back together.  I've been working hard the last week on reteaching expectations, enforcing rules, and gaining control of my class (minus 1 who I am OUT OF IDEAS for).  In general, it's going well.  Although I never dreamed we'd need assigned carpet seats in 5th grade...but that's besides the point.

Anyways, things are going a little better.  It's still really draining, and I am constantly wishing that this one kid would just get sick and spend a day at home, because he is so exhausting.  Every second I am making choices on how to handle his behavior, and I'm just never sure if I'm doing the right thing.  I spend half my time and energy on trying to keep him in line, or dealing with him when he has a melt-down, a tantrum, or does something crazy...but that's life I guess, or at least teaching.  I'm crossing my fingers that SOMETHING changes and that maybe someday we'll be able to get through a day without any real disasters...wishful thinking...

On another note, I'm in the middle of an expository writing project that some of my students are enjoying as much as I am (I say some, but that's really the best you can hope for in 5th grade!).  We're writing about someone in our life who we think is a hero.  I'm modeling each step of the process and am enjoying writing about my hero as much as I'm enjoying hearing about my students' heroes.  I'm looking forward to seeing the final product, although we are nowhere near that point. 

Tonight I spent the true elementary educator's evening in my kitchen making playdough and doing experiments on "buoyancy."  This I learned:  when you read a lesson plan for a lab on the internet, always always ALWAYS try it at home first.  They're not always as simple as they sound!  Cross your fingers that the few experiments that look like they WILL work actually do tomorrow...

Finally, today was the first day of Battle of the Books meetings.  While part of me knows it was crazy for me to take this on this year, another part of me is so glad I did.  Reading with kids who love reading and are volunteering to take part in this club/competition is so refreshing.  I need something like this back in my life--spending time in small groups with kids who want to learn.  During guided reading, I spend most of my time meeting with my approaching grade level groups and deferring my on and beyond students to my aid and lit coach.  I miss reading with kids who are strong readers and love engaging with texts and having discussions as much as I do.  So, even though the time committment is huge (and I have to read all the books for the battle too...eek), I am confident that the payoff will be well worth it. 

Anyways.  Off to find some fabric scraps in the basement because I promised my future fashion designer student I would bring her some to work into her designs...and then bed.  Bon nuit :)  Let's hope I have no more "I'm going to quit" melt downs anytime soon!