handwritten on April 30, 2019
In an attempt to pick my final novel for my literature class this year, I read multiple books and with a cup of coffee and a book in my hands, I found the perfect conclusion to an extraordinary year with a book about a cow.
In order to not be too lengthy, I will give a brief synopsis of the book here. The book Moo is a prose book by one of my favorite authors (Creech.) She has written multiple novels in verse-each one more whimsical than the next. But what struck me about this one was the simplicity of the topic. Two children move from the city to rural Maine and befriend a cow. This cow, without even speaking, speaks more about life than any character I have witnessed in any other book. ...
handwritten on April 29, 2019
As teachers of literature, we are always asked to focus on the "how" and "why" questions. However, I noticed today while I was letting steam come out of my ears during my afterschool club, that sometimes "how" and "why" are really not the critical questions we should be asking. Mondays are the days of speeches and forgotten notecards. And every time a student forgets their notecards, I always aske the following questions..
"Why did you forget your notecards?"
"How did you forget your notecards again?"
"Why is it that your notecards are not in your backpack?"
And funny enough, after the third person forgot their notecards this week, instead of getting angry, I finally resorted to "what"...
handwritten on April 28, 2019
There comes a time, when you see yourself at some sort of crossroads. A crossroads in which you know you are supposed to be doing one thing, or maybe you think you are supposed to be doing one thing but instead are spending time doing another. And you're in a place but you don't necessarily know if you are in the 100% correct place. But then again, if we consider life a holistic journey..I'm not quite sure we are ever supposed to be in 100% correct place for a reason. Regardless, there are people placed on this earth who naturally encourage others to find their crossroads and to conquer them. They ignite passion. They ask questions. They deepen your thinking just by speaking and often we...
handwritten on April 26, 2019
Balloon colored party hats and kazoos filled the desks this Friday morning as the rain pattered against the nonexistent windows within my classroom. Today was a class Pittsburgh day. A day that always reminds us that while the world may look like it is crying on the outside, it is simply making sure we are smiling on the inside.
For me, there was a quiet "at ease" feeling today as I dodged from my apartment to my car and my car to my classroom without an umbrella. The rain offered clarity instead of a muddiness that you get when you walk right into a puddle you miss completely. It was this sense of washing away something bad and replacing it with something good. A new spirit. New desk...
handwritten on April 25, 2019
Today was Bring Your Child to Work Day. And I always find this to be a rather unique experience. Because for those of us who forget about the fact that class size matters. This is always a strong reminder that there are teachers with 35 or more elementary students in a class. I had eleven students today out of my usually twenty one students, and there was still a huge difference. Not only a difference in atmosphere but a difference in personal expression amongst students. Students who were generally quiet came up to me to tell me a story or two. Students who never ask questions, asked questions. Students who are usually not ones to raise their hands, were so eager to raise their hands that...
