FAILING MATH!

We are finishing up our third week in school and right now:

* FIRST PERIOD (7th grade): two students are FAILING and one with a D (23 students total) and this is the accelerated group! All of this is from failure to turn in assignments. I have called their parents.

* SECOND PERIOD (6th grade): three students are FAILING and four students with a D (20 students total)! Two of the D students and two of the F students will be moved next week to a lower level math program and that teacher will give me four of her high students. Of the one F and two D students left, they have some language barrier issues that I need to address and I still need to call their parents.

* FOURTH PERIOD (7th grade): five students are FAILING and two students with a D (20 students total)! I have called four of these families already. Of these, one has Spanish speaking parents, so I'll need someone else to recall them, one has emotional/coping issues that I think we'll be struggling with all year, one has low skills and mom wants him in a lower level class or tutoring and the last one is struggling with being a 7th grader, is very passive aggressive and needs a swift kick in the pants.

365 DAYS IN MY LIFE...#24

BABY! BABY! BABY!

Look who came into the world! Meet Sam's new baby brother, Michael! I haven't heard from "K" yet, but "K's" mother texted me and said "K" is tired, but very happy. Welcome to the party, little man!

365 DAYS IN MY LIFE...#23

Red Velvet Choco-Peanuty Cake-in-a-Jar

Look what I found while visiting BABBLE. They used Nutella, but I hate that stuff, so I substituted peanut butter. YUM! YUM!

1 box chocolate cake mix, prepared according to package directions
1 teaspoon red food coloring
1/2 cup of peanut butter
chocolate syrup
1 jar cream cheese frosting
chocolate sprinkles
3 pint-sized canning jars

Thoroughly wash and dry the inside of each canning jar. Spray the inside of each jar thoroughly with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.

Stir the red food coloring into the prepared cake batter. Spoon about 1 cup of cake batter into each jar. Cook one jar at a time in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or until the cake is cooked through. Allow jars to cool slightly, then scoop the top half of cake from the jar. Spoon a tablespoon or so of peanut butter into the center of the jar, top with a dollop of cream cheese frosting and squirt on a little chocolate syrup, then replace the top half of the cake back in the jar, add another layer of peanut butter, a little more chocolate syrup, then enough frosting to fill the rest of the jar. Finally add a few sprinkles.

Serve immediately or cover with a lid and store in the fridge or pop into the mail and surprise someone you love! Cakes should stay fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days, and can be mailed so long as they are topped with a canning jar lid and arrive at their final destination within 3 days.

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A WHOLE NEW BREED OF ALLIGATOR

CONFESSION TIME....

I have been feeling very overwhelmed lately and it's not just because it's the beginning of a new school year. I have been putting too much pressure of myself to know how to do it all, when in reality this all new to me.

I figured after 20 years I should have this all down, but then realized that middle school kids and curriculum are a whole new breed of alligator for me. It's ok for a veteran teacher to ask for help. I was feeling very guilty for having issues that I didn't have the solutions for.

This week I need to back up and s..l..o..w down with me and the kids. I need to do some review and be sure they really get the routines, expectations and the curriculum. I was trying to push through topics too quickly without covering them well. The curriculum map I was given is great, but it was stressing me out and I was putting too much pressure on myself to stay exactly on schedule and to do it all.

The model for the Connected Math components I am expected to follow is great, but as I have NEVER seen it done, I have just been winging it. I will ask the math coach to come in and model a lesson for me.

It's amazing the insights you can have, when you're wide awake at 3 a.m.

SUNDAY INSPIRATION

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If you read my blog...

I got this idea from Melanie. I too have been doing less blogging lately. I love it when I have the time, but with a very busy 2 1/2 year old and my job at my new school, I am finding less and less time in my day to write.

I am curious....What brought you to my blog? How did you find it?

Did you adopt or are you thinking of adopting? Are you a birthparent? Do you have some other connection to adoption? Tell me a little about yourself.

Is there anything you wish I would write about or write more/less about? What has kept you interested in it?

Thanks for the input.

LIFE IS SPINNING FASTER AND FASTER!

My life is spinning by so fast these days. I have never had a day or a week, for that matter, go by so fast. There are moments of calm, but for the most part my school day zooms by. I have to keep a close eye on the clock so that I get to everything. I force myself to eat lunch in the lounge so I actually take a break and get to know people. I am also happy with my prep time being last period. It makes a nice ending to the day.

My 4th period, 7th grade, math class is still the most challenging. I had to call three children's parents this week. The attitude just overflows from these creatures.

Next week the lab should be ready for me to use in yearbook. There are only six kids in that class, but they are very eager to get moving and one is an amazing artist. His picture of a gray wolf was chosen to be the cover this year.

On Fridays we have our Advisory group. It's a group that we help prepare for student led conferences. We show them how to present themselves to others, guide them in career opportunities based on their interests, how to write resumes and goal setting.

Next Thursday is open house so I'll be working really late that night.

Hope your week ended happily!

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SUNDAY INSPIRATION

365 DAYS IN MY LIFE...#14

MY BRAIN IS FULL!

My back hurts, my feet hurt, my book bag is full, my to-do list is a page and a half long, my desk is a mess and I'm overwhelmed with everything I have to learn. I survived the first week.

My first period, 7th graders are the accelerated group. There are quite a few gifted kids in this class. They get bored easily. With this group I will have to stay on my toes and keep it moving at a quick pace. There are a few talkers, but above all a good group to have first thing in the morning.

My 6th grade, period two group, started at 27 kids and is now down to 20, due to no shows, and they are like little bunny rabbits hiding for cover. I'm going to have a fun time with them. They just want to please and ask tons of questions, which I love. THEY ACTUALLY WANT TO LEARN!

Period three, yearbook, started at 14 and is now down to 6. This is a good thing. They ones that are left are really excited, I have two GREAT artists and a couple of computer nerds too. I also get to buy new cameras.

The last group of the day is another group of 7th graders. I only have 20 in this group. THANK GOD! They are the opposite of my first period kids. They do not like math, have very low skills and, from what I have heard, they did not have a good experience with math last year. I gave a 25 question basic multiplication test ( 5 x 4, 9 x 2 etc) on Friday and a third of them didn't pass it. I'm actually going to have to start with multiplication, long division and decimals. Their are a few that compensate for their poor skills by acting out. This group will be my challenge this year.

The other issues:

* The periods in the day have weird start/end times so they are difficult to remember....11:42-12:27.
* The high school kids get out a half hour before our kids so they hang out and cause problems.
* The kids get trained on the yearbook program on Monday, but after that we are stuck until they find me some computers.
* Their aren't enough books for all the kids to have their own.
* The air conditioning hasn't been working.

Time to get ready for week 2!

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