3rd Quarter Crunch

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It's that time of year. Thought your seniors had senioritis before?

Oh no.


Now is the time that their true daydreaming, slacker tendencies make themselves known.

Thinking back to my own senior year (a short 6 years ago) I can recall football games, senior camp out, senior skip day, homecoming.... and not much about what I actually learned.

What I do remember are the great teachers that had an impact on my life, on my future and the amazing memories made on that campus. That great teacher is the kind of teacher that I hope I can be for some of these kids.

 I don't remember what my English teacher taught me, but she showed me how to work like a college student and helped me to love literature. I don't remember a bit about what my history teacher taught me, but his stories and blunt honesty will stick with me. My psychology teacher was strict but her kindness towards students who gave a damn was immense.

These three teachers in particular- Mrs. Gorski, Mr. O'Brien, and Mrs. Browning weren't especially unique in their teaching techniques. We read a lot in English, took notes in history, and read the book for psychology. It was the teachers themselves imparting the information and treating us like adults that made me want to make them proud.

Back to my students now-

How do I get them motivated that way?

As a student, I know I was different that the majority of the students I teach. I wanted to go to college and took harder classes because of it. I always completed my work and rarely missed school. My students work full-time. They miss schools constantly. They really don't like English or reading. They are mostly planning on technical schools, the military, or community college.

I want to need to find a way to make my subject relevant to their lives while still meeting benchmarks, Sunshine State Standards, and Marzano's ultimate decision that teachers have no mind of their own and need to be told how to do basic skills such as monitoring, scaffolding, and lesson planning.


The question is how?

I know I've learned a lot during this school year already...

1. Be prepared
2. Always have a back up lesson plan or idea.
3. If you're going to show a movie you better make it tie into the curriculum or be able to explain why you're showing A Bug's Life to your administrators.
4. Always ask administration before doing something questionable. Always.
5. Planning ahead is a good idea- planning Monday morning before the bell rings is realistic.
6. Lessons don't always go how you planned- some take much longer than you planned. Some are over before you even realize you have to find something else to do.
7. Students can tell when you care and will work accordingly.
8. Having other teachers to vent and laugh with is crucial. Don't get too busy to talk to them.
9. Make friends with the copy lady, media center people, attendance clerk, guidance.... They will all make your life easier if they like you.
10. Be honest with your students.


Can't wait to add more to that list!
And now, on to the lesson planning i've been putting off... Or maybe I'll wait 'til the morning.

Two pink lines

Yes, it's true.
David and I are going to be parents in a mere 6 months.

At 14 weeks pregnant I can say it's beginning to really sink in.
The morning sickness is gone replaced by fatigue. I'm beginning to notice my bump showing, and my hormones are acting crazy.

For my random readers, if you pondered my absence from blogging (not that it's often enough on a normal basis) it was partially due to this big news that we were keeping to ourselves.

Now I feel confident that I can finish out this school year on a high note and start to make the plans necessary to care for our future addition.

I will now address the FAQ that I've gotten regarding the pregnancy:

1. Do you plan on getting married? When?
Yes we plan on getting married; however, we are following the same timeline as before we found out about the pregnancy. Meaning that we will be engaged before the baby is born, but there will be no rushed wedding with a very pregnant bride thank you very much.

2. When do you find out if it's a boy or a girl? Do you want to know?
We find out in mid-march and are very excited to know. David is pulling for a boy, and I will be happy either way.

3. What are your plans for teaching next year? Coaching?
I will be telling my school next week and will know more from there! Ideally I will take two months off and david will work later hours to allow us to spend less on childcare. Coaching is really up in the air unfortunately...

4. When are you due?
August 9th!

5. Have you thought of any names?
I will say this is a loaded question. While I don't mind sharing what we like, I don't appreciate people's opinions about what THEY like for my child. What gets me even more are unsolicited options for us to "consider". I understand it is completely well meaning; however, just because you think "Riva" is a great girl's name does not mean we will. As a couple we have perused many names, and the options we've come up with are names we really like.

Boy- Payton, William, Benjamin, Jackson
Girl- Zoey, Bailey

6. How does David feel about it?
This question makes me feel like people are expecting him to be upset about the whole thing or imply some underlying issue of longevity in our relationship. Yes, he was freaked out at first wondering whether we could afford it and how it would change our lives, but David has really been a great supporter and I know will make a great daddy.


I think this post has enough shocking information for one entry so I will try to post something more satirical regarding my lovely high schoolers next time. As we approach the end of a school year, I'm sure my seniors will oblige with amusing things to document.


Happy Sunday!