adorable. <3
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Book Thief
just finished it yesterday.
i'd bought it quite a while back--maybe a year and a half or so? i knew i wanted to read it, but never got around to it. then, during a professional development day, our facilitator had us read the prologue for an activity.
i decided to use the same activity with my kids because i loved it (and that excerpt from the book) so much.
then, i started reading.
i was in the middle of another novel, but that really didn't matter. because The Book Thief totally ROCKED.
i can't recommend it enough. i've only read one other book by Markus Zusak, and it was wonderful as well. but this book was just...really beautiful. and it's so appropriate for young adults. after we did the activity with the prologue in class, i had about six kids show up with the book in tow over the rest of the course of the week. and they really seem to be enjoying it so far. that makes me incredibly excited to be an english teacher. :)
THE BOOK THIEF
by Markus Zusak
i'd bought it quite a while back--maybe a year and a half or so? i knew i wanted to read it, but never got around to it. then, during a professional development day, our facilitator had us read the prologue for an activity.
i decided to use the same activity with my kids because i loved it (and that excerpt from the book) so much.
then, i started reading.
i was in the middle of another novel, but that really didn't matter. because The Book Thief totally ROCKED.
i can't recommend it enough. i've only read one other book by Markus Zusak, and it was wonderful as well. but this book was just...really beautiful. and it's so appropriate for young adults. after we did the activity with the prologue in class, i had about six kids show up with the book in tow over the rest of the course of the week. and they really seem to be enjoying it so far. that makes me incredibly excited to be an english teacher. :)
THE BOOK THIEF
by Markus Zusak
it's been a while.
sorry. it's been much too long.
the thing is, i jump back and forth between blogs because i don't really know what there is for me to write about.
lately, i have a lot.
school's in full swing, and we're currently closing in on Thanksgiving break, which i am particular thankful for.
it's actually been a pretty fun year so far. i really enjoy the kids for the most part (although some of their parents are a different story). we actually had a Skate Night a couple of weeks ago. it was a shindig at the local skate rink put on by the PTO. they considered it a rare opportunity for parent, teachers, and students to get together in a casual setting and interact.
i hadn't roller skated in quite some time, and hadn't been in an actual skating rink in even longer. it took me a couple dozen laps to get my sea legs back.
anyway, the rink people dimmed the lights and announced that everyone should come on over to the center of the rink to do the hokey-pokey!
i knew it was a bad idea. i knew i shouldn't go.
but Jackman and Lofty INSISTED that i join them in the circle.
so i did.
it started out okay. i put in my left and right leg with minimal wobbling. i thought i'd gotten past the worst of it.
i threw my left elbow into the middle of the circle, wiggled it around, and then proceeded to hokey-pokey in an circle. it was then that i felt my feet fly out from under me. i would later describe it as one of those trust activities--you know, the one where you just let yourself free fall backward? except in this case, there was no one to catch me.
i fell backward in almost-slow-motion, and not knowing what else to do, i stuck out my left arm (because apparently i was still in hokey-pokey mode) to break my fall. i didn't bend my arm or anything--just let it hit the ground and brace my entire body weight. (which is more than i'd like to admit, lately.)
i didn't think much about the arm at the time. i just peeled myself up off the ground (with a little help from Jackman) and tried to gather up as much dignity as i could carry away with me.
the next day at school, the kids who weren't even at the Skate Night told me they'd heard about my fateful accident during the hokey-pokey. Jackman said that her kids were talking about it too. except, they didn't know my name. so they just referred to me as "that one teacher who fell during the hokey-pokey."
"oh, geez," i told her. "i really don't want to be THAT teacher."
"what teacher?"
"the teacher that fell during the hokey-pokey."
thankfully, the moniker wore off after a few days.
but the pain in my left arm only grew stronger.
this past sunday, it was almost unbearable. i got on the internet and started trying to find a doctor who might be able to help. but honestly, i had no idea what kind of doctor i was looking for.
i looked over at LB, who was also sitting in the living room at the time.
"what kind of doctor do you go to when you think your arm is about to break?"
"callie."
i had no idea what he was talking about. "callie? who the heck is callie?"
"you know. from Grey's Anatomy."
that boy seriously needs to start watching some manlier shows.
field trip tomorrow! :)
the thing is, i jump back and forth between blogs because i don't really know what there is for me to write about.
lately, i have a lot.
school's in full swing, and we're currently closing in on Thanksgiving break, which i am particular thankful for.
it's actually been a pretty fun year so far. i really enjoy the kids for the most part (although some of their parents are a different story). we actually had a Skate Night a couple of weeks ago. it was a shindig at the local skate rink put on by the PTO. they considered it a rare opportunity for parent, teachers, and students to get together in a casual setting and interact.
i hadn't roller skated in quite some time, and hadn't been in an actual skating rink in even longer. it took me a couple dozen laps to get my sea legs back.
anyway, the rink people dimmed the lights and announced that everyone should come on over to the center of the rink to do the hokey-pokey!
i knew it was a bad idea. i knew i shouldn't go.
but Jackman and Lofty INSISTED that i join them in the circle.
so i did.
it started out okay. i put in my left and right leg with minimal wobbling. i thought i'd gotten past the worst of it.
i threw my left elbow into the middle of the circle, wiggled it around, and then proceeded to hokey-pokey in an circle. it was then that i felt my feet fly out from under me. i would later describe it as one of those trust activities--you know, the one where you just let yourself free fall backward? except in this case, there was no one to catch me.
i fell backward in almost-slow-motion, and not knowing what else to do, i stuck out my left arm (because apparently i was still in hokey-pokey mode) to break my fall. i didn't bend my arm or anything--just let it hit the ground and brace my entire body weight. (which is more than i'd like to admit, lately.)
i didn't think much about the arm at the time. i just peeled myself up off the ground (with a little help from Jackman) and tried to gather up as much dignity as i could carry away with me.
the next day at school, the kids who weren't even at the Skate Night told me they'd heard about my fateful accident during the hokey-pokey. Jackman said that her kids were talking about it too. except, they didn't know my name. so they just referred to me as "that one teacher who fell during the hokey-pokey."
"oh, geez," i told her. "i really don't want to be THAT teacher."
"what teacher?"
"the teacher that fell during the hokey-pokey."
thankfully, the moniker wore off after a few days.
but the pain in my left arm only grew stronger.
this past sunday, it was almost unbearable. i got on the internet and started trying to find a doctor who might be able to help. but honestly, i had no idea what kind of doctor i was looking for.
i looked over at LB, who was also sitting in the living room at the time.
"what kind of doctor do you go to when you think your arm is about to break?"
"callie."
i had no idea what he was talking about. "callie? who the heck is callie?"
"you know. from Grey's Anatomy."
that boy seriously needs to start watching some manlier shows.
field trip tomorrow! :)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
new unit.
on the school front, we're tying up our unit on Animal Farm. i think the kids are pretty happy about that; only about 2 of them seemed to enjoy the book at all.
it really bites that they have to do all of their reading in the classroom, because it takes up a lot of time we don't have. and i feel terribly bad for the kids who read slower than the rest, because they're always behind. thankfully, the library had quite a few copies of the book, so i just sent them out as needed to get a copy, and we managed that way.
as a final project, i had the students create their own country. this turned out to be an incredible amount of fun. i'll try to take some pictures of their creations, because they were truly unique ideas. they all went above and beyond what i'd expected. we're finishing these up tomorrow, when we get back from spring break, and then we'll be doing presentations on tuesday.
after that, we start Elie Wiesel's NIGHT:
NOTE: it's also an Oprah's Book Club pick! who knew?
i'd never read this book before, and knew only that it was a memoir based around a Jewish man's experiences during the Holocaust.
i decided, since i would be teaching it fairly soon, that i should probably read the book.
and
it. was. beautiful.
absolutely beautiful. i don't say this about books very often, but it was like poetry in prose form. where Animal Farm is brusque and to the point, with very little description or figurative language, Night is rich in detail and emotion. it is simply gorgeous.
i want the kids to be able to really appreciate the novel, not just for what an accomplishment it is (Elie Wiesel went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his extensive autobiographical work), but for what an absolute work of ART it is.
i have so many ideas floating around my head right now.
what i'd really like to do, before we jump into a completely new unit, is to make a transition of sorts, because Animal Farm does have a great deal in common with the events that transpired during the Holocaust. both instances are about power, and the people at the bottom not being aware of what those people in power's true motives are. the beginning of Night focuses on Wiesel's family, and the other Jewish families, and their communal disbelief that the Nazi party could be doing anything all THAT BAD. their disbelief continues until they are actually taken to Auschwitz, adn then they understand. that's a very big theme that plays throughout Animal Farm as well. disbelief that the pigs are only out for themselves, and that conditions are becoming worse on the farm than they were under the leadership of Mr. Jones.
so that's what i'm working on right now.
i'd also like to bring in some other examples of memoir writing, and have the students work on a memoir of their own, because i really believe that personal writing is incredibly important.
we'll see.
it really bites that they have to do all of their reading in the classroom, because it takes up a lot of time we don't have. and i feel terribly bad for the kids who read slower than the rest, because they're always behind. thankfully, the library had quite a few copies of the book, so i just sent them out as needed to get a copy, and we managed that way.
as a final project, i had the students create their own country. this turned out to be an incredible amount of fun. i'll try to take some pictures of their creations, because they were truly unique ideas. they all went above and beyond what i'd expected. we're finishing these up tomorrow, when we get back from spring break, and then we'll be doing presentations on tuesday.
after that, we start Elie Wiesel's NIGHT:
NOTE: it's also an Oprah's Book Club pick! who knew?
i'd never read this book before, and knew only that it was a memoir based around a Jewish man's experiences during the Holocaust.
i decided, since i would be teaching it fairly soon, that i should probably read the book.
and
it. was. beautiful.
absolutely beautiful. i don't say this about books very often, but it was like poetry in prose form. where Animal Farm is brusque and to the point, with very little description or figurative language, Night is rich in detail and emotion. it is simply gorgeous.
i want the kids to be able to really appreciate the novel, not just for what an accomplishment it is (Elie Wiesel went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his extensive autobiographical work), but for what an absolute work of ART it is.
i have so many ideas floating around my head right now.
what i'd really like to do, before we jump into a completely new unit, is to make a transition of sorts, because Animal Farm does have a great deal in common with the events that transpired during the Holocaust. both instances are about power, and the people at the bottom not being aware of what those people in power's true motives are. the beginning of Night focuses on Wiesel's family, and the other Jewish families, and their communal disbelief that the Nazi party could be doing anything all THAT BAD. their disbelief continues until they are actually taken to Auschwitz, adn then they understand. that's a very big theme that plays throughout Animal Farm as well. disbelief that the pigs are only out for themselves, and that conditions are becoming worse on the farm than they were under the leadership of Mr. Jones.
so that's what i'm working on right now.
i'd also like to bring in some other examples of memoir writing, and have the students work on a memoir of their own, because i really believe that personal writing is incredibly important.
we'll see.
spring break recap.
it's sunday, and the last day of my very short spring break.
really, it was just as long as anyone else's spring break, it just felt particularly short-lived.
i've done almost completely nothing this week, except refine and tune my resume, and work. the resume looks excelente, thanks to the feedback of my lovely sister, who happened to take an entire class over resume writing/job interviewing and the like.
now i just have to get my letter of recommendation, write up my list of references, and i'm good to go.
i started browsing for english positions in the surrounding school districts, and right now there's a whole lot of nothing. however, i have high hopes! i WILL find a job!
in the meantime, i really need to find me a job (probably in the service industry) for the summertime. i need some hours, VERY badly.
the past couple of days have been fun, though. Will came to visit, and to check out SXSW, so he's been staying with us since Thursday. we checked out a couple of shows, learned how to play Settlers of Catan (which is SUPER FUN), and just had some generally good times. he's leaving today, and i'm currently at work, which kind of sucks...but that's just the way things are.
it was really nice having him here, though. we haven't had many opportunities to hang out in the past couple of years, just a day here and there, on christmas break or maybe during the summer months. it was nice to just kind of catch up.
also, it's good to have some motivation to get out of the apartment. if we don't have other people to think about, me and LB will just stay in and watch HGTV all day. maybe leave to go to the grocery store so we can make some dinner, but that's about it. we're kind of lame that way.
all in all, i wish i had some more time off. but i'll work with what i've got.
really, it was just as long as anyone else's spring break, it just felt particularly short-lived.
i've done almost completely nothing this week, except refine and tune my resume, and work. the resume looks excelente, thanks to the feedback of my lovely sister, who happened to take an entire class over resume writing/job interviewing and the like.
now i just have to get my letter of recommendation, write up my list of references, and i'm good to go.
i started browsing for english positions in the surrounding school districts, and right now there's a whole lot of nothing. however, i have high hopes! i WILL find a job!
in the meantime, i really need to find me a job (probably in the service industry) for the summertime. i need some hours, VERY badly.
the past couple of days have been fun, though. Will came to visit, and to check out SXSW, so he's been staying with us since Thursday. we checked out a couple of shows, learned how to play Settlers of Catan (which is SUPER FUN), and just had some generally good times. he's leaving today, and i'm currently at work, which kind of sucks...but that's just the way things are.
it was really nice having him here, though. we haven't had many opportunities to hang out in the past couple of years, just a day here and there, on christmas break or maybe during the summer months. it was nice to just kind of catch up.
also, it's good to have some motivation to get out of the apartment. if we don't have other people to think about, me and LB will just stay in and watch HGTV all day. maybe leave to go to the grocery store so we can make some dinner, but that's about it. we're kind of lame that way.
all in all, i wish i had some more time off. but i'll work with what i've got.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
teaching animals.
well, folks. like always, it's been a while.
the spring semester is already in full force, and i've started my student teaching, which has been...interesting, to say the least.
i'm with the same class i was with last semester, which is great, because i already know the kids and they know me. it's also a little not great, because the honeymoon period was a lot shorter this time around. they're already bored with my shiny newness, and they let me know this by treating me like any other old teacher.
for the most part, though, they're really amazing. they've got lots of interesting things to say, and BOY do they like to say...sometimes i just can't get them to stop SAYING.
i got a head start on the books we'd be studying this semester over the winter break:
yep, two typical high school classics.
i came into the picture a little too late to be able to teach Lord of the Flies, but i just got to start Animal Farm with the kids.
they weren't very excited about the whole thing.
"miss! this is a book about animals? on a farm? really?"
and the kids who'd already read it had something to say about it too:
"miss, this book SUCKS."
so as you can see, i was working against the tide from the very beginning.
we did a couple of pre-reading activities that i think the kids enjoyed. i can only hope it peaked their interest a little--maybe they'll actually WANT to read the novel.
the first activity we did had the students respond to seven statements with AGREE or DISAGREE. some of the statements were:
"All people are created equal."
"Power corrupts the people who have it."
"People who can't read are easier to control than people who can read."
and so on.
i had the kids move to either side of the room depending on their answer for each question, and then they talked it out. it was a good thing i was acting as the mediator, because the conversation threatened to move to full out heated discussion a couple of times, and i had to say, "ok, guys. this is just a casual conversation. calm down."
a few times, one of the students tried to be NEUTRAL, but that wasn't one of the options.
so in return, this student asked me, "well, what side are you on, miss?"
"i'm not on any side. i'm in the middle. i'm neutral, like switzerland."
"i thought you said we couldn't be in the middle."
"yeah, well i'm the teacher."
i love getting to say things like that.
the spring semester is already in full force, and i've started my student teaching, which has been...interesting, to say the least.
i'm with the same class i was with last semester, which is great, because i already know the kids and they know me. it's also a little not great, because the honeymoon period was a lot shorter this time around. they're already bored with my shiny newness, and they let me know this by treating me like any other old teacher.
for the most part, though, they're really amazing. they've got lots of interesting things to say, and BOY do they like to say...sometimes i just can't get them to stop SAYING.
i got a head start on the books we'd be studying this semester over the winter break:
yep, two typical high school classics.
i came into the picture a little too late to be able to teach Lord of the Flies, but i just got to start Animal Farm with the kids.
they weren't very excited about the whole thing.
"miss! this is a book about animals? on a farm? really?"
and the kids who'd already read it had something to say about it too:
"miss, this book SUCKS."
so as you can see, i was working against the tide from the very beginning.
we did a couple of pre-reading activities that i think the kids enjoyed. i can only hope it peaked their interest a little--maybe they'll actually WANT to read the novel.
the first activity we did had the students respond to seven statements with AGREE or DISAGREE. some of the statements were:
"All people are created equal."
"Power corrupts the people who have it."
"People who can't read are easier to control than people who can read."
and so on.
i had the kids move to either side of the room depending on their answer for each question, and then they talked it out. it was a good thing i was acting as the mediator, because the conversation threatened to move to full out heated discussion a couple of times, and i had to say, "ok, guys. this is just a casual conversation. calm down."
a few times, one of the students tried to be NEUTRAL, but that wasn't one of the options.
so in return, this student asked me, "well, what side are you on, miss?"
"i'm not on any side. i'm in the middle. i'm neutral, like switzerland."
"i thought you said we couldn't be in the middle."
"yeah, well i'm the teacher."
i love getting to say things like that.
Monday, February 1, 2010
a short trip
down memory lane.
due to some vehicular bodywork that needed to be done on my lovely little car a couple of weeks ago, to fix THIS
but it turns out that this quick car-fix brought some good along to it.
i was forced to clean my car in preparation, and dug up some great CD's that hadn't seen the light of day for quite some time.
this past week, i dusted off my old copy of the Spider-man 2 soundtrack.
the first notes of Dashboard's "Vindicated" automatically brought me back to senior year of high school. which was both nice, and a little weird.
anyway, because i was in the mood, i popped in my copy of Spider-man 2 on saturday night, settled in with a bag of greasy food from Sonic, and proceeded to enjoy Spidey's plights with Doc Oc and his former friend Harry.
it was surprisingly wonderful.
speaking of Spider-man and it's surprising wonderfulness...um, pretty bad news for us Spidey lovers.
apparently, Zac Efron is currently in the works to become Peter Parker in the new Spider-man movie, which will focus on Parker as a young high schooler.
i understand why tobey maguire wouldn't want to do it anymore. the guy's already gotten a lot of crap for playing an eighteen-year-old.
but still.
ZEFRON?
i can only hope for the best at this point.
also, if they try to squeeze Miley Cyrus into this somehow...
oh, damn you Disney.
due to some vehicular bodywork that needed to be done on my lovely little car a couple of weeks ago, to fix THIS
but it turns out that this quick car-fix brought some good along to it.
i was forced to clean my car in preparation, and dug up some great CD's that hadn't seen the light of day for quite some time.
this past week, i dusted off my old copy of the Spider-man 2 soundtrack.
the first notes of Dashboard's "Vindicated" automatically brought me back to senior year of high school. which was both nice, and a little weird.
anyway, because i was in the mood, i popped in my copy of Spider-man 2 on saturday night, settled in with a bag of greasy food from Sonic, and proceeded to enjoy Spidey's plights with Doc Oc and his former friend Harry.
it was surprisingly wonderful.
speaking of Spider-man and it's surprising wonderfulness...um, pretty bad news for us Spidey lovers.
apparently, Zac Efron is currently in the works to become Peter Parker in the new Spider-man movie, which will focus on Parker as a young high schooler.
i understand why tobey maguire wouldn't want to do it anymore. the guy's already gotten a lot of crap for playing an eighteen-year-old.
but still.
ZEFRON?
i can only hope for the best at this point.
also, if they try to squeeze Miley Cyrus into this somehow...
oh, damn you Disney.
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