Auntie Up

We haven’t seen Josh since he returned from his world travels. Understandably, he’s been working extra hours to catch up on the time he missed while in Africa. Even so, we have been exchanging texts with him, looking for a mutually convenient time to get together and catch up. Tonight he initiated the contact:

hey hey guys im free on thursday! still down for dinner?

Yep, we answered, how about 5?

yeah! is it ok if i bring my girlfriend?

Of course, we said, but it was a bit of a surprise, considering we didn’t know he was seeing anyone. He must like her, though, if he’s ready for her to meet the aunties!

But Who's Counting?

I had a four day weekend last week because of the snow; this week a combination of the MLK holiday and my annual physical provide another short work week, and the following week there is a teacher work day and a CLT retreat resulting in one more 3-day teaching week.

Who knows how I'll feel when February dawns that Friday promising a couple of full weeks ahead? (Unless, of course, it snows again before Presidents Day and our family Oscar holiday.) In any event, I'm confident that those 6 weeks to spring break after that will fly by in a productive blur, as will the nine weeks left in the year when we return.

This is the point in the school year when the teeter totter tips toward seventh grade for my students. The second quarter is ending, and soon they will select their courses for next year. Fortunately, they don't realize it, but I sure do.

They Say So Much

"Do you like sad songs?" a student asked me yesterday.

"Yes," I answered without hesitation.

"Then you should hear Train food," he told me. "It. is. sad." He looked me directly in the eyes, and I believed him.

I handed him one of the post-it notes I was carrying around as I helped students clarify the claims for their essays and find evidence to put in the outline. "Write it down and I'll listen to it," I said.

"It might have bad language in it," he warned me.

"I've heard cussing before," I assured him taking the pink square of paper and tucking it in my pocket.

I wondered what this child who pushed everyone away and had already lived such a hard life could find so sad.

When I checked out the song I found that it was by a young rap artist named XXXTentacion who was killed in a robbery attempt early last summer at the age of 20. Train food is a track on his posthumously released album and tells the story of a young man kidnapped by death and left on the train tracks to die. It has haunting background sounds and ends abruptly with what is presumably the death of the narrator. It's almost too sad to be sad, but it is pretty eerie, especially given the artists early death.

More importantly, I could see why my student found it so moving, and I'll be glad to have something to talk with him about. Who knows? Maybe we'll even find a connection.

Make Sure to Stretch

I'm hosting a student teacher from now until April. Fortunately, she seems like a person who can roll with whatever comes her way, which is good, because middle school and its denizens demand flexibility. This week was a perfect example:

Her university orientation was scheduled for Monday to prepare her to start in my classroom on Tuesday, but both days were canceled because of the snow. Wednesday we were back on time, but it was a scheduled early release, but she started anyway and went through the professional learning with me and my CLT. Yesterday was a full day, but today there was a 2 hour delay because of light snow overnight. 

"I think I've seen every possible schedule in the last 3 days!" she laughed this afternoon. "And it's been awesome!"

News that Matters

Today was the first day of my new intervention period group, comprised of eight kids who struggle not at all with disruptive behavior, but rather with organization and efficient use of class time. We began with a review of a few tools they might use to know what was coming up in their classes so that they might be prepared, a concept which seemed completely foreign to all of them.

"This is the weekly newsletter," I said pointing to the screen, "Both your parents and you get it every week."

This was news to all but one. He scratched his head thoughtfully. "I think my mom prints it out and gives it to me," he conceded.

His friend chuckled. "You actually read a newsletter?" he asked incredulously.

I moved on. "Take a few minutes to look over it on your iPad," I directed, "and then I'll ask you to share with everybody anything important or interesting that you notice."

A little later I did just that.

Crickets.

"Really?" I asked. "Nobody sees anything that might be good for us to know about?"

The silence stretched on.

Finally I broke it myself. "What about this science test?" I pointed. "Or this social studies project? Or this essay in English? Did you know about those?"

Everyone shook their heads, but they did not seem dismayed.

"Doesn't that worry you?" I said. "These are for tomorrow."

"Nope!" answered one guy cheerfully.

I looked at him in surprise. His tone was open, and not disrespectful in the least. I didn't get it.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because it's going snow tonight!" he told me.

Speed Teaching

After 2 snow days, today was a planned early release day for professional learning, so the kids went home at 11:54. In my opinion, it was just the way to ease us back into the swing of things. And, it may be counterintuitive, but 24 minute classes might actually be as productive as the 43 minute sessions we usually have. With such an abbreviated time, students and staff alike are focused on getting the lesson and activities done, and no one has any time to lose interest. Plus, the way the sixth grade schedule is set up, I see everyone between 8 and 10, and then my teaching day is over and the meeting, planning, grading, professional learning begins.

Works for me!

Unprecedented

After the snow day yesterday, we expected our school system to call a 2 hour delay and call it early for today. With melting snow during the day and sub-freezing temperatures through the night, the roads were sure to be treacherous in the early morning hours when everyone is getting to school. Sure enough, the word came down right around three yesterday afternoon: there was definitely a delay, but with the caveat that they would look at conditions in the morning.

How shocked was I, then, when my friend Mary texted at 9 o'clock last night to report that we were closed again today. As it turned out, we were the only system in the immediate metro area to cancel-- everyone else went with the delay.

Oh, I'm not complaining, but?

THAT

never happens!