Book Review: I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944

Even though the "I Survived" series is recommended for grades 3-5, my 6th graders have really enjoyed various books from this author.  She does a fabulous job of taking bits of history and bringing them to life for children by using them as a backdrop for a fictional story.  I am really glad to have a few of these books in my classroom library.

The "I Survived" books are quick reads for the students, and they don't even realize they are learning.  Yet, they are.  One thing I really enjoyed about "I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944" was the use of vocabulary that clearly did not speak down to readers.  The author is fantastic about setting more difficult words in context so readers can use these clues to discover meaning for the words.  As a reading teacher, I love that I can use the book to teach an important skill.

When I first started reading this book, I was slightly concerned that the subject matter wasn't being handled in a deep enough manner, leaving me wonder about the level of respect the author had for the Holocaust. However, it all came together by the end, and the additional information past the end of the story said it all. The author intentionally let the story be just that, an thrilling yet terrifying adventure that young Max had during World War II.  The story moved along quickly, hinting at the terrors that families endured during the Holocaust.  An afterword explains that the book was meant to inspire further learning.  

The author definitely fulfilled her purpose, and I can see how the story would inspire children to learn more about the Holocaust and World War II.  I really liked the time line that was included in the back of the book, as well.  Overall, I think this book is an excellent jumping-off point for a tough subject.

My favorite part of the "I Survived" series is that the author tackles past events as well as current events. There is something for every student.  I would highly recommend each of these books to be included in a classroom or home library. They make great gifts for students or teachers!

Silent Sunday- January 26, 2014

Teaching Frustration

I love my job.  I really do.  From the time I leave my house at 6 AM until the time I get home, usually around 6 PM, I am on the go.  Everything I think about is how to help my students achieve.  When my vice principal wants to look at student data, I don't groan- I get excited.  How can I pinpoint learning opportunities for each individual student?  I spend weekends browsing Pinterest and teaching blogs, always looking for activities that I can bring into my own classroom.

There are, however, major frustrations.  Any teacher will tell you that.  In fact, for many, the frustrations far outweigh the rewards of teaching.  Over half of all teachers leave the classroom within five years.  FIVE years!  After studying to become a teacher for four years, the job becomes overwhelming in about the same amount of time.  That is crazy to me.  I guess it makes sense, though, because every good teacher I know seems to live and breathe teaching.  It becomes a part of who we are.  Teaching is definitely not a job that gets left in the office when one punches out for the evening or the weekend.

It's interesting that as teachers, we get so many mixed messages.  You are awesome.  You work so hard.  You are so dedicated.  In the same week we hear:  You are terrible.  You should be trying harder to help my student.  You are only in the classroom for the paycheck.  Ha!  I love that last one.  Seriously?  What teacher would put up with what we do in a week for the type of paycheck we earn if we didn't have a passion to be in the classroom?

This week seemed to be filled with much more of the negative than the positive.  There are particular times in every school year that is true.  For some reason, the two weeks before every grading period is intense, and the weeks leading up to conferences is always filled with criticism for the teacher.  It has been that way in every year that I have taught so far.  Of course, it doesn't help that holidays are always lumped in with breaks, and breaks indicate the end of the grading period.  Things just get crazy!  As far as conferences, my only guess would be that parents want to have a negative view of the teacher so when they hear less than perfect news about the child, it can be coming from the big, mean, witch lady who is presenting the information.  It's easier to digest that way.

It certainly doesn't help that it seems everyone in our entire building is sick- teachers, students, instructional assistants.  We have been so short-staffed that it places a burden on those who are present.  I get it; we all need to pitch in.  I'm not going to lie, though.  It adds to the pressure.  State testing is coming up quickly, and it seems that's all we are focused on at the moment.  This time of year is NOT fun, as we push the students as hard as we push ourselves.  The heat is on.  We don't have TIME for illness!  So, teachers come to work sick, they pass it along to the teachers on their team, and we go in circles for weeks.  Ug!

In the end, as frustrated as I can be at times, it all seems to work out in the end.  Something always comes along to validate my feeling that I AM a good teacher and that my students are doing well, both academically and emotionally.  We had a great laugh on Friday when I put on GoNoodle.com for a short brain break.  We danced to Raise the Roof.  The kids were commenting about how cheesy it was, but they were still laughing and dancing, having a great time.  I think we all need cheesy once in awhile to remember that we don't need to take ourselves so seriously.

Silent Sunday- January 19

        

I Wore the Shoes All Day

To others, this wouldn't seem like much of an accomplishment, but to me it means the world.  Almost three years ago, now, I came down with shingles and suffered extreme complications.  I ended up with permanent nerve damage in my feet.  For two years, I wore nothing but athletic shoes, as they were the only thing I could put on my feet without excruciating pain.  In July of this year, I finally moved into some very specific professional shoes, designed specifically for teachers by a podiatrist.  They are flat and not so pretty, but they are "real" shoes, and I cried when I walked out of the store.  This is the very shortened version of the back story.

Yesterday was another great break-through.  I wore a pair of heals!  The heal was VERY tiny, I'm guessing a half-inch, and the shoe was JUST passed flat, but I wore them all day.  AND, I didn't have pain when I came home and changed out of the shoes.  I am SO excited that I am going to get to wear something flattering to my brother's wedding in May.  This just so happens to be the outfit I had intended to wear.

Why am I standing in my classroom in my wedding outfit?  Yesterday was Fancy Friday, celebrating the last day of Spirit Week.  All week long we've dressed in different outfits to lead up to the 100th day of school.  As I left for work yesterday, my family was taking bets at how long I would last in the shoes.  None of us guessed that I would go past 10:00 in the morning.  I couldn't believe it when it was 2 pm and I finally kicked them off for a few minutes.  Even more unbelievable, I didn't switch them out for my back-up pair hidden in my bag.  After about 10 minutes, I put the shoes back on my feet to finish my day.

Each time I try a different type of footwear, I am learning more about how to control the pain associated with the nerve damage.  Over Christmas break, for example, I learned that I cannot go two weeks wearing athletic shoes, then try to jump into wearing professional wear without a transition period.  The first day back to school was terrible!  That morning I found out that I can pretty much tell within minutes if a shoe is going to work for me that day or not.  I went through five different pairs of shoes before finally putting on something that can craftily appear to NOT be an athletic shoe, even though it is.  Thank goodness for black Sketchers! 

This is another turning point for me with this frustration of the nerve damage.  So many times, my self esteem has been hit, because I truly want to fit in with the other teachers in my building.  My school is big on a professional look, and sometimes I just didn't feel like I could hit the mark.  They know about my issues, even thought I tried to hide them for the first several months I worked at my school.  They were very understanding of my needs, and I have permission to wear whatever footwear is necessary on any given day.  It sure feels good, though, to be able to blend in and not stand out as being "different."  I told Daniel that we need to remember that when the girls complain about being different.  No matter what we try to tell ourselves, there is something to the need to feel a part of the crowd.  I'm not sure we ever outgrow that.

Humor- Part 3

Earlier this week I wrote about how I didn't understand today's humor. I have come to realize that it isn't just about humor; it's about the way we live our lives in America today. First, I wrote about drinking. Then, I wrote about language. Today I would like to talk about personal accountability.

It seems that all the "funny shows" that my girls try to watch lately have a common theme.  The characters are just not held accountable for their actions.  "Boo, hoo, I think I'm pregnant," says a character on a show my daughter is watching.  "What am I going to do?"  Hmmm... I wonder why she wasn't thinking about that three minutes ago when she was jumping into bed with a guy she had just met and choosing not to use a condom because the couple didn't have one and it was the heat of the moment.  I get it.  We may have all been faced with that choice at one point or another.  It certainly wasn't set in the context of a TV comedy, though.  There is nothing funny about either the moment of decision or the moment of consequence.  It DID, however, open a door for a wonderful discussion with my daughters, even if they were rolling their eyes and saying "whatever" the entire time I was talking.  I know they heard me.

This is the way of everything I see lately.  Oh, I didn't get into college.  Hmmmm.... are you surprised that screwing around all through high school led to denial of your college applications?  Oh, I have a crappy life because I can only work minimum wage jobs.  Hmmmm.... I'm sorry that you didn't work hard when you had an opportunity to.  Who I REALLY feel sorry for are the people who did and/ or DO try to do the right thing and are still stuck in the situation.  Oh, I got caught doing something embarrassing or stupid; it must be someone else's fault.  This is all I hear anymore when I am listening to these silly TV shows my daughters have been trying out.

Sadly, I have not figured out if this is a case of life imitating art or art imitating life.  Everywhere I turn, I see the same story.  Someone on the news is trying to explain why he or she is not at fault for the situation he or she has gotten into.  As a teacher, I have heard children blame parents, brothers, sisters, and even ME for not getting their work done or turning in poor quality work.  Forget that I assigned the book report eight weeks ago.  There has to be SOME reason you didn't start reading the book until six days before the report was due!  Teachers, parents, employers.... we all hear the excuses, but how do we encourage accountability when society is so set on making incompetence so appealing?

We all make mistakes.  We have all been known to try to cover those errors by placing blame on someone else.  It's time, though, that we stop glorifying that behavior and showing people that the honorable thing to do is to own up to that mistake and take responsibility.  That is really the difference between the shows I remember as a child and today's shows.  Man, I really think I'm getting old.

Silent Sunday- January 12

Humor- Part 2

Yesterday I wrote about how certain things that it seems most people consider funny is really getting on my nerves.  On that day, I wrote about drinking.  I still cannot figure out how anyone would consider being drunk to the point of not knowing what is going on around you is funny.

It seems that my readers agree.  Maybe it is because we are all at an age where we've been able to see first-hand the consequences of our actions.  I don't remember drinking being funny when I was a teenager, though, either.

Maybe I've always been an old lady, stuck in a younger body.  If so, I'm wondering if maybe the universe would please let me keep the younger body as I continue to get older in years.  This one is falling apart as it is!

Another thing that is driving me crazy is the use of language that I don't find appropriate in a civilized conversation.  Don't get me wrong; I cuss.  I can sound like a sailor fresh off the sea when I am really upset.  But, I also know that there is a time to put that language aside.

In my classroom, students use the word "crap."  My daughters have picked up on using "frickin'," which is NOT encouraged!  TV shows use "ass" and "bitch" like they are going to be used up, and they better get it in before the words disappear forever.  I just don't understand.  I don't want to hear those words constantly.  To me, they indicate anger or frustration.

I know that adolescents are going to experiment with language.  They are going to push and see how far they can go before getting told to stop.  Since I spend my entire work day with 12-year-olds, then come home to hang out with an 11 and 13-year-old, I am quite aware of how they use language.  In my home, I choose to look the other way, for the most part.  I figure if I don't make a big deal out of the word, it will probably not have the shock value the kids were hoping for.  BUT, if I found out they were using those words at school, that would be a whole different story!

My daughters have been taught that there is a certain way we carry ourselves in different settings.  Home is the place to let it all hang out.  That, in my opinion, should be true for every person.  We all have to have a safe place to just BE.  There is a certain way to behave at a friend's house, their grandparents house, and in public as well as in school.  We've talked about these differences.

I guess to some extent I see TV as the same deal.  TV is a semi-public arena.  I "get" that I can turn a show off if the language is bothering me.  The problem is... I can't find a show that DOESN'T include the language that is bothering me.  If there isn't offensive language, the show has so much sex in it that I'm not interested.  If it's not sex, it's content that I find to be rude, derogatory, or disrespectful.  I won't even get started on how I feel about sexual content being shown ALL THE TIME.  I don't want to watch negative programming all the time.  I think it turns us into negative people.

I really want to bring back some of my favorite shows from the 1980s and 1990s.  They had a story line and didn't have to use constantly offensive words to bring in viewers.  I think the writers were more talented then.  There is a way to be classy while portraying controversial subjects.  I definitely don't mind a bit of scandal or drama, but I don't see why sexual innuendo and nasty vocabulary have to be a part of that.

Oh, well, I guess on my front porch, where I'll be sitting yelling at the kids to get off my lawn, I'll have to have a VCR to watch old reruns of ER, Party of Five, Dawson's Creek, and The Practice.  It's funny how when we are young we want to get older and have the ability to do and say what we want, then, when we get older, we don't realize how nice a little slice of innocence was.

Humor- Part 1

I have decided that I am going to wind up turning into that little old lady who sits on her porch hollering at the kids, "Get off my lawn!"  It is simply inevitable, and I can't change that.  It is my destiny, it was written in the stars, it is all part of the grand plan.  Who am I to fight such powerful forces?

Life is just starting to frustrate me, and I can honestly see how the elderly people just get cranky.  I feel cranky.  I don't understand the world around me.  If I feel this way now, how am I going to handle life in another 40 years?  I don't understand today's humor, the way people use language, or the lack of personal accountability.

This week on Facebook there is a picture going around of a guy who supposedly passed out drunk at a restaurant.  Tom Hanks, the actor, came along and used the guy's phone to take pictures so the guy saw it when he turned on his phone the next day.  I thought the story was a little fishy, so I did some research and found that this was a staged picture.  Tom Hanks DID take pictures with this guy, but the guy was only pretending to be drunk.  You can read the story and see pictures on Snopes, as I refuse to encourage the picture to be passed around by posting it here.

There are two things that really make me sad about this picture getting so much attention and people thinking it is so funny that really bother me.  The first is, WHY is it so funny that someone passed out drunk in a restaurant?  The picture going around right now makes it look like the guy was actually passed out.  Now, if I saw that customer, I would be calling 911, not taking silly pictures.  I would expect the same from any person with a bit of empathy for others.  Come on, it's just not normal to pass out in the middle of a public place!  The person obviously needs help, not to be made fun of.

The second part of this story that bothers me is Tom Hanks agreeing to take these staged pictures.  As Daniel says, Tom Hanks is "one of the good guys."  I would have expected a little more class from him.  Why not take pictures with the guy in different poses doing something admirable or inspiring?  Seriously, the star of "Forrest Gump," who pretended to be how many characters in that one movie, couldn't come up with SOMETHING more interesting than pretending to be drunk?  Not to mention that the guy doesn't look to be drinking age to begin with, or if he is, he is just barely old enough.  It just makes me sad that we find drinking to excess, putting ourselves and others in danger, is so hilarious.  Recreate a scene from one of the actor's movies.  Don't act like you were too out of touch with reality to even know Tom Hanks was sitting with you!

Well, this post is getting pretty long, so I will stop here.  I'll talk about the language that is driving me nuts soon.  Have a great day!

I've Got a Teenager!

Well, it's official.  Andrea turned 13 on Wednesday.  She is now a teenager.  This is not much of an adjustment for me, other than now seeing her post on Facebook, because I've thought of her as a teenager for the past year.  Yes, I am one of those 12 mean moms in America who made my daughter wait until she was 13 to get a Facebook account.  I have to say the wait was so much fun.  Andrea opened her account, and I got to post a birthday wish as the first writing on her wall.  I don't know if she would agree that the wait was so fun, but I just enjoyed having something special to mark the big day.  Thirteen is a big deal.

Since Andrea's birthday was on a school night, we kept the celebration pretty low key.  Andrea's boyfriend, David, and her best friend, Ashley, came to have dinner with us.  My parents came, and a couple of the neighbor girls who we've known forever also stayed.  Andrea's favorite gift was the Slipknot t-shirt my mom found for her.  She was interested in the new guitar amplifier and Avenged Sevenfold sheet music we got her, but I think Daniel may have been more excited about that then Andrea was.  No matter, she had a great time and got some gifts that made her smile.  

The next year should be interesting.  Andrea is in her last semester of 7th grade.  She is definitely growing up and becoming a strong person.  Unlike her mom at that age, Andrea speaks her mind and will tell people exactly how it is.  I'm one proud mom!

I Was a Guest Blogger

Please visit Teacher Mom of 3 to read the post I wrote about how Daniel's bipolar disorder diagnosis has changed my view of teaching.  I am so excited to be a guest blogger on this blog!

Silent Sunday- January 5

It's Sunday!

Photo Credit

I don't think I've been this excited to see a Sunday since before this school year started.  I am SO ready to head back to work and tackle the second semester.  This has been an amazing winter break, but I am definitely hitting that point that I am getting as bad as the kids.  Yesterday I was even known to whine "I'm bored!" a time or two.... or three.  Yes, there comes a time when too much break time gets to be.... well, too much.

Counting my student teaching experience, this is my 4th year in the classroom.  Up until now, I have never actually taken time during breaks to forget about work.  I have always had some project going or some stressful event.  One year I was teaching summer school in the mornings and heading out to sometimes three job interviews in the afternoons.  It was exhausting and not at all enjoyable.  In the end, I got hired where I am now, so it was worth it.  I have found my home.

By not working for the past two weeks, I am rested, refreshed, and renewed.  I have so many great ideas about how I can make changes that will lead to better learning when my students return on Tuesday.  I am going to add some work stations for individual learning during independent work time.  I have figured out a (hopefully) more effective plan for tutoring.  We are starting literature circles again, which was one of my favorite parts of the day last year.  Yep, there is a lot to look forward to!

I had a lot of fun during winter break.  We played disc golf MANY times, which was fantastic.  I found that I slept so much better on the nights that I had been out on the course in the morning.  This has encouraged me to try to get some walking, Wii dance games, or yoga in each day.  Just 15 minutes, and not crazy attempts at a cardio routine that is going to tear up my body.  But, enough movement that will balance the brain exhaustion that I feel when I get home after a long day of teaching.  There really is a big difference between being physically tired and being mentally tired.  Hopefully with this new plan I will experience both, but in a positive way.

Tomorrow I head into my classroom to prepare for the students to return on Tuesday.  I love the time in my classroom when it is quiet and I can reflect.  It is truly a second home to me.  I'm going to be putting my desks back in order (they were moved for cleaning over break), making copies for some of my new ideas, and meeting with some coworkers to figure out some plans.  I'm sure there will be several teachers in the building, so as usual it will become somewhat of a social time, as well.  

I thrive on routine, and I am definitely ready to get back to it.  This is going to be an exciting semester with a lot of learning.  There are only 10 school weeks until the state tests.  It's time to put the nose to the grindstone and make sure the students are prepared.  To be honest- I'm not worried at all.  I have an amazing group of students and their growth this year has been amazing.  I just hope they are as excited to start school again on Tuesday as I am!

Book Reviw: 8-Bit Christmas

In this story, a third grader wants a Nintendo Entertainment System for Christmas.  There is only one family in the entire neighborhood who has one, and Jake desperately wants to be next.  Set in the 1980s, this is one of the cutest Christmas stories I have read in a long time.

Perhaps because I also grew up in the Chicago area in the 1980s, I found the cultural references to paint such a vivid picture.  I was transported to a time when life was so much different than it is today.  Who else remembers singing The Superbowl Shuffle over and over again?

This would make a great addition to any Christmas collection.  It can be purchased at Amazon in both Kindle and paperback formats.  I really think I might buy this as my passable Christmas gift next year.  (A gift meant to be passed from family member to family member each Christmas). 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!  By now, you are probably getting as tired of hearing that as I am, but it had to be said.  I have decided to try to get back into blogging.  I've been slowly posting again on the Life With Karen Facebook page.  I don't think anyone has looked at it lately, but I don't blame them since it's been so long since I've written.

I also decided that this blog is for me.  I know.... I've said that before.  This year I really want to believe it.  In fact, my word for the year is "True."  I want to be true to myself.  I want to explore who I am, what I think and believe, and what I feel without worrying about what others will think or say.  If I want to write about nutrition and exercise, post my short stories, or make every post about my disc golf game of the week, that's what I want to do.  I hope you read it, but if you aren't interested there is always next time.  Seriously, I've been putting myself last to please others my entire life.  I want to live for ME this year!

As I was browsing through my old blog posts this week, I stumbled across a tab I had forgotten I added.  It is a collection of short stories I've written.  I have to say, I really enjoyed going back and reading some of those.  I hope you will, too!

Well, here's to a fabulous year to all of us.  I wish you the best in 2014.  I hope that as I reach my goal of being true this year that it will inspire you to do something that is different and challenging.

What is your goal or word for the year?