Friday, April 30, 2021

Not Who You Think

A parent asked me to call and talk him through his son’s missing assignments this afternoon, and I was happy to do so. The archaic phone system at school does not allow long distance calls, and his cell number had an area code that was not local, so I used the Google Voice account I set up for contacting families when we were virtual. I tapped the speaker icon and set my phone on the desk next to me, listening to it ring and composing a voice mail message in my mind. After 5 or 6 rings, I heard someone pick up and say, “It’s probably someone calling to tell me that my car warranty has expired!” And then after a pause there was a cheery “Hello?”

When I identified myself, he laughed. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t recognize the number!”

At least he picked up!

Thursday, April 29, 2021

Probably Maybe

In this brave new hybrid world we found it necessary to combine Poem-in-your-Pocket Day with the poetry unit test. And so the usual assignment to select a poem to share, post it on our LMS discussion, and explain why you picked it, became an assessment, too, just by adding the direction to identify at least 2 poet's tools in the poem.

Despite our yearlong focus on providing evidence from the text to support whatever one is saying, most of our young poets left that out. Not only were they unable or willing to cite a part of the poem to explain why they liked it, they didn't even pull out the poet's tools from the text, preferring instead to just add a couple of terms at the bottom and hope they were right.

Many of them didn't even pretend to be certain. Um, simile? someone literally wrote, hyperbole?

Then there was the writer who chose a poem she had written herself: I think I used simile and a little bit of rhyming.

But my favorite was this one: Now I'm no expert, but I think it has a bit of metaphors.


Wednesday, April 28, 2021

Table Talk

Since I started teaching in 1993, the furniture in my classroom has always been tables-- at my request. My training was all about student collaboration, and the trapezoidal tables the school supplied have been configured and reconfigured into all manner of arrangements over the years. I reckon that those tables are original to the building, making them circa 1974, and vintage for some time now.

My feng shui of teaching has completely gone by the wayside this year, though. "You won't even recognize your classroom!" a colleague told me after a brief foray into the school back when everything was still shut tight, but getting ready for the time when the doors would be forced open one way or another. She may have been right, except that I had been there a week or so earlier, and I knew my tables were gone and replaced by two rows of laminate and plastic desks. 

Even so, I understood. It was as stark a necessity as the orange duct tape on the floors, the bucket of sanitizing wipes by the door, and the masks we all have to wear, all the time in school. But today, when one of the handful of kids I teach in person was pulling some trash out of her desk, a little flash of resentment flared. "Ugh!" I said to my co-educator. "This is the reason I hate desks! Kids are forever leaving stuff in them."

She nodded sympathetically, but I was on a roll. "There's probably trash in all of them!" I proclaimed, and stepping to the nearest one, bent over and peered in dramatically. A quarter sheet of paper was tucked way back in the corner. "See!" I announced and pulled it out, holding it aloft. Then I looked at it. 

It was a straight up middle school love note! 

The writer had my sympathy, for losing such a thing must have been very stressful. And while I'm glad he was writing in my class? Knowing just how far away his attention was from the lesson? Well!

Yet another reason to get rid of the desks! 

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Better Than All the Rest

What's the BEST thing EVER? I asked my students today in preparation to teach hyperbole. "Don't overthink it!" I advised. "Just go with your gut."

The first group latched on to the whimsy of it:

Cats, only cats. They are the superior race, and they should rule the world.

dino costumes

my blanket

vacation

the bell at the end of my last class on Friday

the pool on a hot day 

The next group went deep:

life

family and friends

love

books 

And then they went all sixth grade, too:

me

Chik-fil-a

Takis 

duct tape

Nutella 

hot Cheetos 

But of course, the most popular answer was...

VIDEO GAMES!  

But as for myself? I think I may have to agree with the other adults in the room:

coffee

chocolate

ice cream

and of course?

sliced bread 

Monday, April 26, 2021

Road Work

I took today off, but somewhere on I-85 in North Carolina it occurred to me that I could still join my school Leadership Team meeting using my phone. I had completed my driving shift early in the trip, and so I snugged my airpods into my ears and tapped the meeting app. For the next hour I listened to celebrations, professional learning opportunities, testing updates, schedule flexes, and proposed changes for next year, all the while participating via the chat. 

And when it was all over and done with, I knew for sure that at least I was 70 miles closer to home.

Sunday, April 25, 2021

Luxe Life

Throughout all our rental property mishaps this weekend, we've spent quite a bit of time speculating about the nature of luxury. Experience the best of urban luxury proclaims the website of our first place. The 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit on the fifteenth floor with concrete ceilings was not as posh as I expected, especially given the Rolls Royce and Maserati we rolled our suitcases past as we navigated our way from visitor parking into the not-so-ritzy corridors of luxury living. The pool view was pleasant, as was the sunset over the western reaches of Atlanta, but still.

And when we were, well, evicted is such an ugly word, relocated to our current place, which is billed as Local Luxe Apartment Homes, we had no idea what to expect. This neighborhood adjoins Georgia Tech and the residents seem to mostly be people in their 20s. The wifi network in our unit is called Millennial Luxury, but again, the stained carpets in the hallways and the sparsely furnished apartment belies the name. No coffee maker? Is it because Millennials buy all their coffee by the cup? Perhaps, but what about shower curtain liners, dish towels, and beds that aren't broken? 

Still, the contemporary four over four buildings form a horseshoe around a pool with gas grills, ping pong table, and shuffle board, and just off the pool deck is a lounge with fireplace and plenty of comfy seating. Swanky? No. Fun for a party? Probably. And in these times? That would be a luxury, indeed.

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Mitzvah

The plans to road trip to Atlanta for my niece's Bat Mitzvah have been in the works since February. We were all vaccinated, and the idea that we might actually gather together as a family for such an important event was exciting and irresistible. So Bill and Emily and Heidi and I made a plan to rent a place, throw the dogs in a minivan, and drive south for a long weekend in April.

And we would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for...

  • the dog-friendly rental house, just around the corner from my sister's, canceling us the day before we were set to leave.
  • my sister's dog, Panda, blowing out her ACL so that no dogs could visit her, also right before we left.
  • the neighbors who complained about Lucy barking and then stood by the door, recording her barking at them, getting us evicted from the place we found on short notice.

All of these things added a lot of stress to our trip. But there were kindnesses along the way, too:

  • my sister's friends who kept the dogs all day so that we could attend the ceremony, pack everything up, and go to lunch.
  • the rental agent who evicted us, but also found us another place to stay for the remainder of our lease.

What a crazy few days it has been for us! But luckily? 

This weekend is not about us.

Friday, April 23, 2021

Most Popular

In the bottom right hand corner of my blog is a list of Popular Posts. With the minute readership I enjoy, I'm not sure if the algorithm that determines the entries on the list has to work more or less than usual, but I generally recognize why one post or another is mentioned. To be honest, I rarely even look at that feature, but yesterday I glanced over and saw a title I didn't remember: Fair to Middlin'

Intrigued, I clicked the link and was taken to the post I had written exactly 10 years ago to the day, April 22, 2011. It was the end of a week at the beach with family, one that had started with renting a van and road tripping south with Heidi, Bill, my mom, and our dogs Sonic and Isabel to meet my sister and her family. Treat and Emily flew in, too.

I got a lump in my throat reading about our last night at the beach and the dinner conversation we had, and the whole story brought back a flood of sweet memories. Coincidently, just a few hours later I was scheduled to pick up a minivan to drive south with Heidi and Bill and Emily and our dogs to join my sister's family for our niece's Bat Mitzvah.

But the strangest thing about the whole thing was that there was absolutely no reason why that particular post should be on that list. When I checked my stat gadget, no one had accessed it but me, and only because I followed the link right then. By all rights? Fair to Middlin' should have been languishing right along side the other 4,000+ posts that no one has looked at for years.

And yet... there it was.

Thursday, April 22, 2021

Get on your Feet

I woke up this morning dreaming that I was dancing. In the morning meditation that my sister turned me on to, we have had three minutes of dancing most of the week, and there's really nothing like it for a positive start to the day. Three minutes goes by in a wink, and there is a smile on my face when I sit down to practice being present. 

Our yogi reminded us of that great Mark Twain quote:

“Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love like you’ve never been hurt. And live like it’s heaven on Earth.”

It's been so great, I just might add three minutes of dancing to my daily to-do list. 

Join me!

Playlist ideas, anyone?

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

Middle School Math

"My parents are young! They were really young when they had me!" I heard one student tell another this morning. "My dad was born in 1983 and my mom was born in 1985."

I did a little calculating: 26 and 24 is a bit young by today's customs.

"How do you even know that?" the other student responded incredulously. "I have no idea when my parents were born."

He raised his eyebrows and frowned. "Do you know how old they are?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course," the other kid shrugged.

"Then do the math!" he told her. "Just do the math."

Her eyes widened, mind clearly blown.

He just shook his head in disbelief.

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

The Wall

When you ask your students to come up with a two word alliterative phrase with their name, 

and

they

just

can't

think

of

anything.

Monday, April 19, 2021

Strange Ways

In the count-your-blessings department, all of my niece's aunts and uncles, as well as her grandmother are vaccinated and willing to travel to Atlanta to celebrate her Bat Mitzvah with her this coming weekend. On the flip side of the coin, planning to entertain out of town guests in COVID times has been challenging for my sister. Just today, she received a call from the restaurant with whom she had reserved a coveted covered patio space to let her know they were switching to a 4-or-6 course prix fixe menu that was really not a fit for our group. 

"You should call the manager," I suggested, but she told me it was the owner, a well-known chef, who had made the decision.

"We picked the place because of all the good work he has done in the food community during the pandemic," she told me, "and now we're stuck. It's disappointing."

"Maybe you could Tweet him," I said.

We brainstormed a few ideas, and eventually she crafted a <280 character message that she was pleased with. After we hung up, I tapped my Twitter icon for the first time in ages, eager to see her handiwork. Scanning my account before navigating over, I checked out my own mentions tab. There I found a Tweet from last May, from the parent of a student.

Above her daughters smiling face, she had posted: Blessings to the wonderful teachers @[ourschool] Thanks for your kindness! You made [my daughter] very happy! #teacherappreciation #QuarantineLife

Her daughter was holding an envelope with a note I had written and the small piece of candy I'd sent in recognition of the writing she had done after our school buildings had closed.

Exactly 11 months later, to the day? I feel the appreciation. And it makes a difference.

Sunday, April 18, 2021

Pattern Recognition

"I hate the Oscar movies," Heidi said last night. "They are always, always depressing."

"Maybe this one won't be!" I answered.

It was.

Saturday, April 17, 2021

Splash Down

It's been a chilly last few days here, more like March than April. Blustery winds blowing puffy white clouds across a bright blue sky have subsided to a cool gray evening, and the last fire of the season may even be crackling on our hearth this evening. 

But not to worry!

Our pool pass application came in the mail today.

Six weeks and counting.

Friday, April 16, 2021

The Best Medicine

For me, one thing that has definitely been missing from school lately is laughter. The concentration required to keep the necessary plates spinning leaves very little room for spontaneity. Add to that the natural disconnect of virtual interaction, without cameras, with kids you have never met in person and you get a bit of a humor dead zone. Or at least I have.

But today, in my last class of the day, with a lesson I had taught 4 times already, things lightened up a little bit.

Maybe it was "Fun Fact Friday", a tradition I instituted last week with this group because I see them every day, even with block scheduling, and so we need some extra chat snaps. The kids are invited to post any fun fact they know or can find, to school the rest of us. Today we learned that fish can cough, turtle are not silent, and there was a cat who went to college.

Moving on with the poetry lesson, I asked them to post their best definition of simile and metaphor. When Simile is the knock off version and metaphors are the brand you see in a well known store but never get popped up on my screen, I laughed out loud. 

Next it was to write some similes about homework, your best friend, and your family. Here's what we got:

My family are a bunch of wild banjos And yes i mean banjos 🪕 

Me and my best friend are like Mountain Dew and Doritos. 

Doing homework is as fun as smelling rocks 

Doing homework is like when your mom asks to see your phone. 

Doing my homework is as much fun as listening to my fish cough. 

When the bell rang, we were all laughing. 

I have to credit the co-educator I work with-- she and I have gone a long way to make our special education inclusion class a supportive place to learn. I also have to give props to the creative group of students we have in that class. Somehow, we make it work, and today? 

We made it fun.

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Ba Dump Bump

The Chat Snap prompt of the day today was Tell us about your favorite animal. Use some poetry!  For the most part, the young poets were happy to play along. A little rhyme, a haiku, some similes and metaphors, perhaps even a quick acrostic poem-- that's all I was hoping for, but as always, there were a few kids who were reluctant to participate. 

"What's going on?" I asked one student who still hadn't posted 10 minutes or so into the class. 

"I can't think of anything," he said flatly.

"Well, what's your favorite animal?" I responded.

"Iguana."

"Oh! That's cool!" I told him. "Do you have an iguana?"

"No." he answered.

"Really?" I said. "Then do you wanna iguana?"

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Perchance to Dream

Sometimes I listen to a meditation or podcast as I'm falling asleep. Quiet voices and music replace any restless thoughts or residual anxiety left over from the day: they help me fall asleep and stay asleep. One of my favorites is The Memory Palace. Created and hosted by Nate DiMeo, the show is an anthology, briefly told and beautifully written, of little-known true stories, each packing an emotional or intellectual punch at the end. 

I always make sure to go back and listen to every episode when I am awake, but at night, I set a timer for no more than 10 minutes, and Di Meo's soothing voice and elegant rhetoric calms my turbulent mind. Last night, I forgot the timer, and I woke in darkness after dreaming of voting rights, revolutions, starlings, and swans; I had sleep-listened to ten episodes. I tapped pause, and drifted back to sleep, which might have been dreamless or not.

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Cat-astrophe Avoided

My phone chimed right before the class change this morning. I was a little anxious when I saw it was a message from our neighbor across the way, my imagination fabricating all sorts of local disasters that he might be reaching out to report. Fallen tree? Burst pipe? Sink hole? Break-in? Too much mail?

I anxiously tapped in my passcode and opened the app.

I wanted to tell you guys that I keep seeing your two cats in the window when I practice the piano. I love them!

Monday, April 12, 2021

Undedicated

As part of our fiction unit, the young writers in our classes were asked to dedicate their children's stories to someone who helped or inspired them. The addition to their books was purely optional, but we wanted them to realize that although writing can be hard and lonely, publishing is a chance to celebrate one's accomplishments with pride and gratitude.

Most of the dedications were sweet and predictable-- honoring parents, siblings, and other family members. A few were to teachers past and present, a couple were to pets, and one was to a duckling. Some were super snarky: 

I dedicate this book to absolutely no one! 

I dedicate this book to ME ME ME!

And the best one, in my opinion, just happens to fall into that category. It was to me (or not to me, as the case may be).


Sunday, April 11, 2021

Making the Grades

Despite the fact that I know better, the final project of the third quarter stretched right up until the last day of the term for most of my sixth graders. That left 80 or so children's stories for me to assess and comment on over the weekend, so that my grades will be finished on time. In my own defense, I want to say that concurrent learning played a role-- I feel like I earned my paycheck twice over just getting some writing submitted from every student, virtual and in-person.

I am lucky to have a co-teacher in one of my sections who is willing to tackle some of the grading, but at 6 PM on Sunday evening, I'm not even halfway done. It's true that there is a bit of a learning curve when it comes to applying a complicated 8-point 8-section rubric to a piece of writing in a way that is fair and gives constructive feedback to the young writers. As such, my pace has quickened a bit as the task has progressed. 

I'm not worried that I won't finish; I'm just sad that I have to.

Saturday, April 10, 2021

The In-Between

The days I love most are the ones where we can throw our windows open and let the fresh air in, free from the HVAC-- no dry forced-air heat or refrigeration. Oh, don't get me wrong: I appreciate a warm and cozy house in winter, and the cool relief that air conditioning offers from those blazing humid days of summer is irreplaceable.

But--

A cool cross breeze and the sound of the birds?

That's mighty nice.

Friday, April 9, 2021

Falling Action

News today that Prince Philip has died. I just saw him last night on The Crown, forcing his son, Prince Charles, to marry a woman he didn't love. Well, we all know how that story ended. 

The same can be said about most of the intriguing dramas that television show presents: it's all a matter of history, and many of the main players are gone. In addition to Princess Di and Lord Mountbatten, Princess Margaret, the Queen Mum, Margaret Thatcher and her husband Dennis, and a whole host of minor characters have all gone to their reward in real life. I suppose the fact that the Queen and Phillip have lived until now, both in their 90s, she having reigned for nearly 70 years, made the narrative a bit more compelling, and certainly more remarkable. 

And although it's not surprising for a man of 99 to pass away, one does feel a little sadness about knowing how that particular story ends.


Thursday, April 8, 2021

Good and Tired

In the before times, we always left Lucy some treats and puppy puzzles to keep her busy until the dog walker came when we went to work in the morning. A tired dog is a good dog, was our motto. In the year we spent at home, neither treats nor dog walker were strictly necessary; Lucy had all the company and exercise she needed. (Sometimes, even, too much-- we walked a lot in those early shutdown days.)

Now that we've returned to our schedule, the puzzles have reappeared, but they may not be quite as necessary as they once were. When we rise from our beds before the sun, Lucy stays asleep until one or the other of us calls her for first out or breakfast. And though she seems to appreciate the treats when we leave? More evenings than not, when we return home, she bounds over to them and starts to snuffle and chew, because she hasn't touched them during the day.

Our dog walker, too, confirms what all the signs point to. When we leave? Lucy goes back to bed and snoozes for much of the day. When the door opens for her walk, she staggers bleary-eyed down the stairs to greet the day anew.

Well.

Evidently the inverse of our precept is true: A good dog is a tired dog. At least ours is.

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Coulda Woulda Maple Suga

Maple Syrup Making Also Boomed as a Pandemic Hobby the headline read. The article detailed how all the sugaring equipment has been bought-up and back-ordered. When the tree sap begins to flow, it's an official sign that spring has arrived, the governor of New Hampshire is said to have noted.

Immediately, I visualized myself with a mallet and and pocketful of spiles, tapping maples all over the neighborhood, filling my tin buckets, and setting up a turkey fryer to boil the sap down. Even a cup of amber syrup would be grade A to me, but

Dang it! 

My working from home ended a couple of months too soon.

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

The Work Cut Out for Me

I was unprepared.

What is poetry to you? I asked.

Just more writing.

Specific words that rhyme and are too fancy to understand

Poetry bores me.

Usually it is something confusing with some meaning people want us to decode though the lamp was white for normal reasons.

I don't have feelings for poetry.

I like poetry but not when it's in school.

I see poetry as another writing-ish unit.

 They said.

I'm so surprised! I told them. Do you like music? Songs?

Oh yes! They certainly did.

You know that's poetry, right? Words, rhythm, repetition, rhyme, feelings?

They were skeptical. So much so, that one of them wrote her haiku about it:

Though it may be true--
I will never admit it.
Songs are poems?

Just yesterday I was celebrating the arrival of National Poetry Month, but now? I see it could be a long month!

Monday, April 5, 2021

Fire to Light Our Tongues

April is National Poetry Month, and for me it's a bit like the flip side of October-- instead of chill air and ghost stories, every where I look is new life and, well, poetry. I spent the morning yesterday reading Naomi Shihab Nye, Marie Howe, and Dorianne Laux. The words just found their way onto my phone screen, so what could I do?

Tomorrow, I am introducing the April portion of the 100 Day Writing Challenge to my students, and can it be a surprise that our challenge is to write a different poem every day? A task that is daunting, but definitely doable, for any who are willing. Each day, a new form is introduced, along with models and some suggested tools. And, as Mary Oliver reminds us, "You do not have to be good." 

Nope, you just have to be willing.

With all that in mind, I sat down this evening to craft a set of instructions to help these young writers get their arms around the project. My directions started out quite matter-of-factly, but as I typed, the words seemed to veer off on their own. It is a poetry unit, after all; perhaps that's to be expected.

Here is the "Fine print" as I presented it to my class:

  • During the school week, challenges will be posted every 2 Days, and locked at midnight on the second day. 
  • Each assignment is either labeled "Required" or "Recommended" 
  • You will have some time in class to complete the required poems. 
  • Writers are encouraged to try as many poems as possible. 
  • There will be a test at the end of the unit. 
  • This challenge is both easier and harder than it looks. 
  • You will surprise yourself and love at least one of the poems you write. 
  • I believe in the poet in you.

See what I mean? 

Sunday, April 4, 2021

Bring it Spring!

The sun was shining, the air was soft and warm, and it was a perfect day to tidy up our outdoor spaces. As we swept and stacked and rinsed and hung and planted all I could think was...

70 degrees is so much better than 40.

Saturday, April 3, 2021

A Good Reminder

One of the unexpected delights of last year's growing season was the pot of lemon grass we had out on our deck. I purchased the plant on a whim when I was filling my cart with herbs and flowers for the hanging baskets. It turns out that fresh lemon grass is nothing like the woody stalks that are sold in Asian markets. I found i could clip the ends of the tender, flat blades and use their fragrance and flavor to punch up all sorts of summer salads and marinades. 

Perhaps my favorite use was a version of the Thai classic larb, made with local organic ground turkey. The lemon grass along with a generous sprinkle of fresh basil, mint, and cilantro really made the dish sing, and summer tomatoes and cucumbers completed the feast. 

Before last year, I never remember even seeing lemon grass plants for sale, and so when I spotted it in a garden catalog in January, that seed packet went straight into my basket. And it turns out, that lemon grass is actually pretty easy to grow. I have seven sturdy little plants that are already four inches tall, just waiting for the threat of frost to lift, so that they can leave the grow light and start reaching for the sun and the sky. 

They know that summer's coming, and they help me remember that, too.

Friday, April 2, 2021

There Is That

We had our nephew Treat over for tonight before he leaves Sunday for his cross-country road trip. It was great to see him and hear about his plans for camping and hiking and visiting friends on his way back and forth from coast to coast. Our pets, too, were very enamored of him-- both cats and the dog nuzzled and rubbed and rolled all over him. 

"I don't remember them being so affectionate," Treat noted at one point in the evening when all three of them were gathered around him by the fire.

"Well," I said, "it might have something to do with the fact that you are the first person we've invited for dinner in over year. You're quite the novelty!"

Thursday, April 1, 2021

There'll Be Days Like This

Today's been kind of a bummer. Still tired from driving seven hours yesterday, I was kind of dragging when I got up. 

We had planned to get together with our neighbors to celebrate the Nats home opener and share the wings brought back, but the game was postponed because of COVID, then a couple people bailed, and the weather was kind of raw and gray, so we just delivered wings instead, promising to reschedule when it's nicer out. 

We spent a little time dismantling the dining room office that I used to teach remotely. It's nice to have the space back, but a little bittersweet to commit to returning to the old daily grind-- this past year has me hankering for something new; I just haven't found it, yet. 

And even our daily walk has been put off-- a neighbor's unit is flooded, and we've been helping out, manning the wet vac and donating extra towels. The dog downstairs is baying, his mournful howl floating up through the floor. He sounds a little like I feel. Who knows what we want?

But I don't worry, 'cause Mama said...