On school mornings I am up at 5 o’clock. Not that I like getting up at that time, especially in the winter when it’s cold and very dark, but I like to read email and two newspapers before I leave for school. I also have a few chores to do, like feed all the cats, and I always eat breakfast. I leave time to sit quietly and pray before heading out the door at 6:55.
On holidays and weekends, it is another story. I’m usually up by 6 or 6:30 because I am a morning person and like to get all my chores and errands done early so I can goof off in the later part of the day. This was the way I was raised, by farm parents, who believed you made hay while the sun shined, or in other words, get your work done, and then you can play. Even during summer vacations, my mother had me up early because she was canning and freezing fruits and vegetables she had picked the evening before and I had to help. This never worked with our city-bred daughter who slept in every holiday morning because I got all our fruits and vegetables at the nearby grocer. The chores she had were limited to folding laundry and dusting.
Due to a frenetic schedule the past four weeks, all those fieldtrips and tests, I am very tired, and when I awoke at 7:50 this morning, I was not too shocked. I needed some extra sleep, but now, as my mother would say, “half the day is gone,” and the chores and errands still need to be done. My husband, bless his heart, always makes pancakes on Saturdays, and there is a leisurely feel to the morning, with the sun streaming in the kitchen window, the newspapers begging me to linger and enjoy another cup of coffee and read every page. Ok, maybe tomorrow I’ll get some work done.
California is trying to change the physical education requirements for high school students. For a long time, students were only required to take two years of PE, but in the meantime they have become out of shape and obese. When I was in high school, we took four years of PE, dressing out each day, getting out there and running around the track, throwing the balls, doing 50 jumping jacks, and taking a shower. That doesn’t seem to happen any more.
Many of my students have a grade of F for PE, and when I question them, they aren’t dressing out. All they have to do is dress out, run around the track and they can pass PE. Or so it had been. Now it seems they need to have a certain body mass index to pass PE and to eventually graduate. I think they just made it harder for kids.
…is the worst on these testing days. They’ve been sitting for 2 1/2 hours, reading, bubbling. Some are beginning to finish, getting up to go to the bathroom, needing a drink of water, just wanting to see the outside. We are not allowed to leave the classroom where we are testing until the final bell is rung, which for today is 11:20. The kids have been great, but now it’s hard to continue to sit when you know you’re finished. One little girl decided to escape to the nurse. Another girl works in the cafeteria and knows she can leave at 11.
Today is the English Language Arts portion, lot of reading, which for many is just fine. After they finish, they pull out a book and continue to read. One girl comes up to ask questions every 5 minutes, questions I cannot answer. After she finishes her test, she wants to come up and chat. That’s not allowed either. Others are still testing. I make the rounds every 10 minutes or so, checking to make sure they are in the right part of the book, marking on the right section of bubbles, not going ahead, not missing a spot, taking this test seriously.
It was a minimum day, very short periods, the day before State testing begins. Not much use to start something new, or to do something that needs to be continued the next day which I won’t have because the kids will be worn out from the morning of testing. So I decided we would do some cleaning which hadn’t been done for awhile. The kids were pretty amazed at how grimey the tables were when they rubbed the Lysol wipes across the desktop and the computer keyboard. There was some physical release in cleaning.
Afterwards we discussed attitudes towards the testing, making sure that everyone was positive and feeling like they would do well on these tests. My students always score better than the school, and even better than the district-wide scores, and I believe it’s because we tell them they will do better. I believe that what you think, you can become. My students have been fed so many negative comments, from parents and society, that I believe it’s my job to boost their confidence and help them feel good about themselves.
The testing begins tomorrow, and I have to be at school early to pick up testing materials and set up the classroom. I’ve bought some snacks because the school district will not provide those as they have in the past. A boost in confidence helps, but even moreso does the knowledge that someone cares.
…when the music blared, the cameras flashed, and the kids shimmied across the concrete dance floor. Ah, prom. We have experienced lovely warm weather for a couple of weeks now, but yesterday the temperatures dropped, and the wind roared out of the northwest. After the sun went down, it turned downright winter like. But that didn’t stop the girls from coming out in strapless gowns, open toed sandals, and no coat.
This young lady knew to bring a second pair of shoes which was a great idea for last night due to the dance floor being concrete. Some of the girls were running around barefoot, and I’m sure their feet are sore this morning. Of course, even the girls who remained in those high heels might be feeling it this morning. Although the sun had not set yet, this girl had already talked her date out of his jacket.
I had to go home at 8:30 due to the cold, and I was wearing a sweater and a jacket. No strappy prom gown for me.
This time to San Jose, California. We took 31 juniors to Santana Row and Westfield Mall so they could get a feel for how other cities design their shopping areas. The science teacher requires this class to design a city, from the ground up, for their end of the year project. She takes them to the waste water treatment plant, too, so they will understand utilities.
Our students have travelled so little, and not seen even much of their own town, much less other, better designed towns, that we decided to show them something different this year. They all marvelled at Santana Row, and how all the restaurants had tables set on the sidewalks with linens, cutlery, and salt and pepper shakers. One student commented that could not happen in Fresno, because someone would steal everything. Also, they were impressed with how quiet it was, that no one was screaming obscenities. Ah, my kids come from some interesting neighborhoods.
I enjoyed the day, seeing new stores that we do not have in Fresno, and, like the kids, did some shopping. I love toys, so bought some finger puppets at a great little paper store.
Because we require the students to professionally dress for our fieldtrips, they are treated much better than most high school students who show up in their usual school attire. I was especially vigilant about that for this trip since we were going to a much more upscale location. I don’t want my kids to be mistreated.
It’s prom time here, and I would guess most high schools are in some throes of youthful passion for this annual tradition. My students are wanting to talk of little else. I had to put the kibash on a loud discussion about limousines this morning during third period:
How much will it cost?
How many people will fit?
How can we collect the money from each person?
Who do we want in our limousine?
When I mentioned the chance of cooler temperatures, some were stunned. The prom is outdoors so the chance of rain can bring anxiety. Last year’s prom, held at the same location, had rain at the end of the evening and so the kids ended the evening all crammed under a small covered patio. It was the first prom in 14 years that I did not attend, but I don’t intend to have that happen again. My husband and I always enjoy the evening, seeing the kids all dressed up, and getting lots of photos for the next year’s yearbook. The kids know my husband and his photography skill, so they are always ready to pose for him. It’s a fun evening. I’m like the kids, hoping for a mild evening, weather-wise as well as behavior-wise.
After a grueling week, I decided to do only what I wanted to do today. I grocery shopped in the morning so we will have food to eat this next week, then I worked out in the backyard because the temperatures have gotten so warm and it just feels good to be outside. Also, even though I don’t have a green thumb, my backyard had become a little overgrown with some wild grasses and also the nandinas near the fence needed thinning. Here I am, in the thick of things.
After I filled the green container, I decided to spend the rest of the day reading a new Mary Higgins Clark book, “Where are you now?”This is my idea of a perfect Saturday.
This week we took the sophomores to Monterey and Salinas to study biology and writing. It’s nice to combine two lessons in one trip, and this one is perfect for that. One of the teachers was able to get free passes for the students to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium to study marine biology. For many of our students, this was the first time they had been to the Pacific Ocean.
After a morning of looking at sea creatures, we drove to Salinas to visit the Steinbeck Center which allows you to walk right into many of John Steinbeck’s books, such as “The Red Pony,” “Of Mice and Men,” and my favorite, “Cannery Row.” The pickup and camper that Steinbeck drove around the country, getting the stories he told in “Travels With Charley,” is also in the center. It’s always fun to imagine him sitting there, at the small pulldown table, writing on his portable typewriter, also on display.
Because I am not fond of going to the doctor, and I am even less enamored with hospitals, much of this video appeals to me. Although some of the technology would probably have some flaws, overall, I like what I see. I’m ready for the future.
