The first week of classes done. Actually, I gave a couple of diagnostic exams and assigned a little bit of homework. Next week we really begin. This weekend I finish up my papers to hand to the kids for classroom policies and such. I also write a couple of lesson plans and do the reading for my own graduate classes. I did take a couple of pictures of my kids using the Macs to take an exam. Unfortunatly I didn't check the camera too well before I snapped the pics. Next week, I'll add more pictures of the kids.
Scott said the floor in the bathroom and laundry room looks amazing. I can't wait to see it.
I am so going to sleep hard all night tonight and not set me alarm for 5am. I found one of my students gets up at 4am and then goes to his grandmothers before school. Holy crap!
I so love the kids I can't get over how well they respond to my style. It truly makes me feel amazing that they learn and laugh and then take things seriously as well. We talked just a smidge about imaginary numbers today. I told them I couldn't talk about them that they were reserved for high school or for after school with me.
LOVE TEACHING....
Friday, September 11, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Beginning Year #2
So tomorrow we start school again. I have a new homeroom partner, new students, a new neighbor in the science room and lots of new supplies. First of all.... Thank you to my parents and all of the other people who bought supplied for my students this last summer. I have so many notebooks, folders, packages of loose leaf paper, and pencils. I am so excited to have the basic supplies so that I can give them to my students.
Scott was here this last weekend and we went to the US Open tennis tournament. What a great time we had. We met really wonderful people and we watched great tennis.
Jeff is on to his second year at RIT. He had a great summer working for Hitachi in Boston. He lived with Andrea and her fiance in Waltham. They did really well together. I went out for a weekend and we all had a nice time.
Tomorrow starts a year of teaching math to 6th and 7th grade students. I am part of a couple of committees, and I've offered to keep track of the money our school collects in various fundraisers over the year.
So, here we go. Oh... two courses at Pace taken over the summer and another two start this week. I graduate in May with a Master's degree. It's a lot of work, but I'll be fine.
Zip me an email and keep me up to date on what you are doing!
D
Scott was here this last weekend and we went to the US Open tennis tournament. What a great time we had. We met really wonderful people and we watched great tennis.
Jeff is on to his second year at RIT. He had a great summer working for Hitachi in Boston. He lived with Andrea and her fiance in Waltham. They did really well together. I went out for a weekend and we all had a nice time.
Tomorrow starts a year of teaching math to 6th and 7th grade students. I am part of a couple of committees, and I've offered to keep track of the money our school collects in various fundraisers over the year.
So, here we go. Oh... two courses at Pace taken over the summer and another two start this week. I graduate in May with a Master's degree. It's a lot of work, but I'll be fine.
Zip me an email and keep me up to date on what you are doing!
D
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Time goes so quickly
I had a great weekend. My mom and dad came to the city and stayed with me. They arrived on Friday with Scott. He drove them down and parked their van near my home. They took naps, had lunch and then ventured via the subway to my school on the Upper West Side. I showed them my classroom and talked about my students.
First we went to 46th street's restaurant Bourbon Street. After a lovely dinner, we went and saw Mamma Mia! that night. I heard my dad and my mom laugh a lot. They really liked the set and the singing. It is such an exciting show to watch. Heck, Mom didn't even fall asleep watching it. We then took the subway back to Queens. We arrived back at my apartment around midnight.
Mom and Dad slept in the bedroom and Scott and I found rest on the couch and floor in the living room. We woke Saturday to a glorious morning. We trekked down to Battery Park and bought tickets on the Circle Line to see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We did not debark at the Statue, but instead spent the day at Ellis Island. We learned a great deal, and enjoyed the museum. We came back to queens and enjoyed a NYC Pizza and a fruit salad that I made from the fruit stand beneath my apartment.
Sunday we started out early and went to the Top of the Rock. The views were great and I believe it's a better tour and experience than the Empire State Building. The lobby at Rockefeller Center is simply beautiful. Mom and Dad took lots of pictures. Dad was impressed with mom being quite comfortable with the height. Then we went and took the GreyLine Downtown tour on the double decker red bus. We saw so much and didn't have to drive in the traffic. We ate down at the South Street SeaPort. After showing mom the wooden escalators in Macy's (she really didn't know how large the store was) we went back to queens once again and ate at a local Polish restaurant.
We got to bed at a decent hour, because I had to work on Monday morning. They left after rush hour was over so that the drive would be easier. I think they enjoyed their time here. They frequently commented they were happy to not feel rushed.
First we went to 46th street's restaurant Bourbon Street. After a lovely dinner, we went and saw Mamma Mia! that night. I heard my dad and my mom laugh a lot. They really liked the set and the singing. It is such an exciting show to watch. Heck, Mom didn't even fall asleep watching it. We then took the subway back to Queens. We arrived back at my apartment around midnight.
Mom and Dad slept in the bedroom and Scott and I found rest on the couch and floor in the living room. We woke Saturday to a glorious morning. We trekked down to Battery Park and bought tickets on the Circle Line to see Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We did not debark at the Statue, but instead spent the day at Ellis Island. We learned a great deal, and enjoyed the museum. We came back to queens and enjoyed a NYC Pizza and a fruit salad that I made from the fruit stand beneath my apartment.
Sunday we started out early and went to the Top of the Rock. The views were great and I believe it's a better tour and experience than the Empire State Building. The lobby at Rockefeller Center is simply beautiful. Mom and Dad took lots of pictures. Dad was impressed with mom being quite comfortable with the height. Then we went and took the GreyLine Downtown tour on the double decker red bus. We saw so much and didn't have to drive in the traffic. We ate down at the South Street SeaPort. After showing mom the wooden escalators in Macy's (she really didn't know how large the store was) we went back to queens once again and ate at a local Polish restaurant.
We got to bed at a decent hour, because I had to work on Monday morning. They left after rush hour was over so that the drive would be easier. I think they enjoyed their time here. They frequently commented they were happy to not feel rushed.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
My first Panic Attack in NYCity
No worries... I lost my keys.(found them)
Before I leave anyplace I make sure I have my phone and my keys. Note that my keys are attached to my "wallet" that has my driver's license, credit cards, metro card and cash. It also holds my Dunkin Donuts card so I can get some free coffees sometimes. As I was getting ready to leave work this evening, I couldn't find my keys. I looked in about 8 or 9 places, but couldn't find them. I was stressed a bit. I told myself that they were just in a place I hadn't looked yet.
I called Scott and vented and swore a bit. I was safe and at my school, however, I had nothing else. He was ready to drive down and rescue me with a set of keys and money. But... I again traced my steps and found my keys... but for those 10 minutes, I was scared. I would have been stuck.
Then, I had an angel meet me waiting for the train. A lady asked me how my day was as we waited for the train on the platform. It was a simple question from a stranger. We talked for about 4 minutes, and then her train came and off she went. What a great moment for me. I love NYC.
Before I leave anyplace I make sure I have my phone and my keys. Note that my keys are attached to my "wallet" that has my driver's license, credit cards, metro card and cash. It also holds my Dunkin Donuts card so I can get some free coffees sometimes. As I was getting ready to leave work this evening, I couldn't find my keys. I looked in about 8 or 9 places, but couldn't find them. I was stressed a bit. I told myself that they were just in a place I hadn't looked yet.
I called Scott and vented and swore a bit. I was safe and at my school, however, I had nothing else. He was ready to drive down and rescue me with a set of keys and money. But... I again traced my steps and found my keys... but for those 10 minutes, I was scared. I would have been stuck.
Then, I had an angel meet me waiting for the train. A lady asked me how my day was as we waited for the train on the platform. It was a simple question from a stranger. We talked for about 4 minutes, and then her train came and off she went. What a great moment for me. I love NYC.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Pictures from the Overnight Adventure
NO! I did not kidnap my students and take them to Berkshire. However... they are blindfolded in a rope maze in the middle of the woods.
Read my next post to read about the trip we made.
Always so much to share
I went to see a show last night! I saw "Exit the King." The comedy play stars Geoffrey Rush. He was Captain Barbosa in the Pirates movies. Susan Sarandon was also in the play. I always think of her as the mom in "Little Women" or the nun in "Dead Man Walking." movies. Some broadway plays and musicals have tickets for college students that are only $26. It makes it affordable to go to see a show. Before the show, I had a small pizza at an Italian restaurant, while I sat at a table out on the sidewalk in Manhattan.
The week's big events were that I finished the Spring Semester at Pace Univ and I went on an overnight with the students in my 7th grade.
Pace classes are done for a few weeks. It feels wonderful to have some space and time in my head to not be doing my own homework in addition to grading my students' work and planning my students' lessons. Whew... nice.
The trip we took was to Princeton-Blairstown Center. It was in NJ, about a 2 hour bus ride on a school bus. When we were there, we did teambuilding activities and games. One of the favorites that my team did was to create a circle, toss a ball in a specific pattern and to repeat the pattern with multiple balls going at the same time. We never quite got it perfect, but they really wanted to try over and over.
Several students who have focus issues were focussed on the bugs. They were not able to ignore the bugs around them. I had one student who tucked his pant legs into his socks, tucked his sweatshirt into his jeans and cinched his belt (too tight) and then pulled the strings on his hoody sweatshirt so that he was completely covered. Of course he couldn't participate in the activities like that. So instead, he would undo his hoody and then slap and swat at the bugs without paying attention to the activity. He slapped his glasses off of his face several times because he was just wild with his arms due to the bugs.
Then there was the student who thought we were going to sleep outside. There was a nightwalk and then a campfire and then we were going to be sleeping in our cabins. So as he headed to the night walk, he carried his sleeping bag. One of the teachers noticed and told him to leave his bag at her cabin and pick it up on the way back after the night's activities. He didn't realize he didn't need his sleeping bag. So we go and do all of the activities. Then, when he arrived in his cabin, he told his cabin leader that he didn't have any bedding for his cot. That means he completely didn't put together that he had left his bag before the activities. Very curious how a student can forget something like this. It's part of the adventure.
The most difficult parts were the lack of sleep (girls were up late, using restrooms in the middle of the night and then up early to shower) and not helping the students solve problems the camp facilitator gave them to do.
Mr. DeWolf and I did a blindfold walk helping each other walk thru a maze of things with one being sighted and the other blindfolded. It was really hard for me to take my glasses off, don a blindfold and trust him in this wooded, uneven ground, lake nearby area. We did a great job. He lead me and I was able to completely trust and listen to his directions. We were a good team.
Enjoy the week!
The week's big events were that I finished the Spring Semester at Pace Univ and I went on an overnight with the students in my 7th grade.
Pace classes are done for a few weeks. It feels wonderful to have some space and time in my head to not be doing my own homework in addition to grading my students' work and planning my students' lessons. Whew... nice.
The trip we took was to Princeton-Blairstown Center. It was in NJ, about a 2 hour bus ride on a school bus. When we were there, we did teambuilding activities and games. One of the favorites that my team did was to create a circle, toss a ball in a specific pattern and to repeat the pattern with multiple balls going at the same time. We never quite got it perfect, but they really wanted to try over and over.
Several students who have focus issues were focussed on the bugs. They were not able to ignore the bugs around them. I had one student who tucked his pant legs into his socks, tucked his sweatshirt into his jeans and cinched his belt (too tight) and then pulled the strings on his hoody sweatshirt so that he was completely covered. Of course he couldn't participate in the activities like that. So instead, he would undo his hoody and then slap and swat at the bugs without paying attention to the activity. He slapped his glasses off of his face several times because he was just wild with his arms due to the bugs.
Then there was the student who thought we were going to sleep outside. There was a nightwalk and then a campfire and then we were going to be sleeping in our cabins. So as he headed to the night walk, he carried his sleeping bag. One of the teachers noticed and told him to leave his bag at her cabin and pick it up on the way back after the night's activities. He didn't realize he didn't need his sleeping bag. So we go and do all of the activities. Then, when he arrived in his cabin, he told his cabin leader that he didn't have any bedding for his cot. That means he completely didn't put together that he had left his bag before the activities. Very curious how a student can forget something like this. It's part of the adventure.
The most difficult parts were the lack of sleep (girls were up late, using restrooms in the middle of the night and then up early to shower) and not helping the students solve problems the camp facilitator gave them to do.
Mr. DeWolf and I did a blindfold walk helping each other walk thru a maze of things with one being sighted and the other blindfolded. It was really hard for me to take my glasses off, don a blindfold and trust him in this wooded, uneven ground, lake nearby area. We did a great job. He lead me and I was able to completely trust and listen to his directions. We were a good team.
Enjoy the week!
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