I'm on the downswing. I am almost 2/3 of the way through this semester already. Holy smokes it is flying! My clinical experiences continue and have been a source of encouragement. I spent last Friday and will spend the next 4 Fridays at my middle school. The good news is that it is only about 15 minutes from my house whereas my high school was over an hour away. The better news is that I am loving it so far. The program is more organized. I am with 5 different teachers throughout the day so that I am getting a fuller experience. And I'm really enjoying the kids. They just seem nicer than the high schoolers I ran into and are eager to participate (and please!). I have to say that was a real upper. I am really not caring much for the seminars all of us prospective teachers sit through for 2 hours on Monday afternoons that accompany the clinical experience but those are only a few weeks away from being over. Maybe they are valuable for the undergrads but it is feeling like a major waste of time to me.
My "teaching writing" class is going well. I have identified grammar as a major weakness I need to improve upon. It's amazing how the philosophy on teaching grammar has changed. In fact, a lot of the theory is saying that you should only teach it pretty moderately, as opposed to all the drilling and exercises I did growing up. In spite of that, I still need to bone up on that area so I am a credible resource for my kids. And when I most needed it, my professor told me she thought I was going to be an excellent teacher. Whether she's blowing smoke or not, it felt good to hear.
Shakespeare continues. I'm through 2 of the 7 plays I need to read and I've just started MacBeth. I basically have a play per week the rest of the semester (which is beginning of December). It's going to be a grind but I definitely think it's doable. This full semester is a lot longer than that short, intense summer semester I just completed. Grueling.
I'm coming to a crossroads. I need to enroll in classes for next semester soon. I'm strongly considering stretching the rest of my course work over another year so that I student teach in Fall '09 instead of Fall '08. The reasons are primarily financial. The better half has not been able to get any kind of regularity from her desired occupation and is now looking in other directions. I've taken up a "second" job doing something I love but is not a reliable source of income. But the problem is, I'm pretty close to finishing up and I really like the people with whom I'm taking my coursework. I'm thinking I may go ahead with my classes next semester and then work towards adding classes for another endorsement, giving me the ability to teach more than English. I'm thinking that either business (not sure of the market for that in middle school) or technology might be directions I head in for my endorsement. We'll see.
Less deep and much more fun. My favorite band is having a record release party in Orlando in February. We're considering taking the kids and incorporating it into a Disney trip. Also hoping to go to Vegas with the fellas at some point in the spring, hopefully over my spring break. And finally, taking the kids to New York to visit both major league ballparks that are closing at the end of next season. So, lots of very cool stuff coming up.
Even more fun! Congrats M&J on finding out about baby #2 on the way, very exciting! And also to D&L, who have gone through hell and now heaven to finally have their first on the way. Life is about to change my friends.
Not so much fun but encouraging thoughts and wishes to Ken, who suffered a stroke recently but is whipping it's backside by all accounts.
And on my own suicide watch, I'm going to try to run a 10k in a couple of weeks. I've not run nearly as much as I should but am trying to get up to speed in time. It'll be close.
Fantasy Football Update:
Boom Kings 4-3, one game back, highest scorer in the league
Come on Sucker Lick My Battery 4-3, 5th out of 10 teams. Now is the time for a hot streak.
Nice Guy Dick Taters 4-3, 4th out of 10 teams.
The good news is I've got a shot at the playoffs in all 3 leagues. I'd settle for making it in 2 of the 3.
And I continue to pwn my poker league. After doing very poorly in the first tourney, I've since finished 3rd, 1st, 2nd and 2nd. The last 2 seconds were tough because I felt I should have won. In the first I lost with Ace King suited to pocket queens (ok, maybe I shouldn't have won but I easily could have with that hand). In the second, my pocket Aces that would have finished the tournament got beat by AT when the bozo caught his 2 outer on the river to catch up with me. I couldn't recover and it was over. So frustrating. I'm way ahead of the pack though and making a little scratch on the side.
OK, megapost complete.
Until next time.
Ace
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Funny ha ha
This will be a brief post.
I just finished reading Hamlet so this joke particularly struck me.
Final Confession
Brittany was on her deathbed, with her husband Adam at her side.
She kept trying to tell him something, but he kept saying, "Shhhh, don't worry now darling, just rest."
"But honey," she whispered, "I need to make a confession before I die... I slept with your brother, your best friend, and your father."
"Don't worry about it, sweetie," replied Adam as he wiped the tears from Brittany's cheek, "I know. Why do you think I poisoned you?"
Stolen from Comedy Central.
FF Update
Boom Kings 4-2, 1 game back of first, highest scoring team in the league.
Come On Sucker Lick My Battery 3-3, 7th overall, 2 games back of first, not doing so hot
Nice Guy Dick Taters 4-2, 1 game back of two teams, tied with one other team
I also managed to get 3rd in both of my baseball leagues, not great but in the money!
I just finished reading Hamlet so this joke particularly struck me.
Final Confession
Brittany was on her deathbed, with her husband Adam at her side.
She kept trying to tell him something, but he kept saying, "Shhhh, don't worry now darling, just rest."
"But honey," she whispered, "I need to make a confession before I die... I slept with your brother, your best friend, and your father."
"Don't worry about it, sweetie," replied Adam as he wiped the tears from Brittany's cheek, "I know. Why do you think I poisoned you?"
Stolen from Comedy Central.
FF Update
Boom Kings 4-2, 1 game back of first, highest scoring team in the league.
Come On Sucker Lick My Battery 3-3, 7th overall, 2 games back of first, not doing so hot
Nice Guy Dick Taters 4-2, 1 game back of two teams, tied with one other team
I also managed to get 3rd in both of my baseball leagues, not great but in the money!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Drive by post
I wrote a poem this weekend for one of my classes. I liked it and thought I would share...
Pad pad pad
soft sound of
full grown chocolate dog
searching for perfect nap
Pad pad pad
furious pounding of
baby hands and knees
hearing daddy's voice
Pad pad pad
churning rooster tail of
powder and cinders grinded
by racing baserunner
Pad pad pad
friendly tapping of
knuckles on felt after
Aces fill up with sevens
Hope you enjoyed it!
Until next time.
Ace
Pad pad pad
soft sound of
full grown chocolate dog
searching for perfect nap
Pad pad pad
furious pounding of
baby hands and knees
hearing daddy's voice
Pad pad pad
churning rooster tail of
powder and cinders grinded
by racing baserunner
Pad pad pad
friendly tapping of
knuckles on felt after
Aces fill up with sevens
Hope you enjoyed it!
Until next time.
Ace
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Marching on
Tomorrow I finish up my clinical observations at a local high school, the culmination of 35 hours spent primarily with one English / reading teacher. It has been very interesting.
First, a bit about the school and classes. The school is a large one that has failed the No Child Left Behind standards for the last 6 years. There are a large number of students where they are more comfortable with Spanish than English. Additionally, there are a large number of students from poor households, where their parents immigrated from Mexico or Central America with around a 4th grade education. The specific classes I've been with are 3 reading classes, which are essentially remedial classes with many students that likely have undiagnosed learning disabilities or ADHD. There have also been 2 other classes that are English classes, with a slightly higher level of aptitude, although some of the same behavioral issues.
The teacher I have been with has taught for 33 years and reminds me of a grandmother. She's fairly small and while the students don't exactly run over her, she doesn't exactly have them eating out of the palm of her hand. This is the first year in several where she has not had all remedial reading students, so the English classes are a delight for her. My first several sessions were observing standardized testing, which wasn't very compelling. More recently, I've seen some lessons and learned a few things about various teaching strategies and tools. Overall, the teacher has been sort of unprepared, seemingly winging it since she has so much experience. But it hasn't made the greatest impression on me.
The issues with the kids have been really eye-opening. So much energy gets spent on playing cop that it is difficult to spend much time on instruction. This has been the most disappointing aspect for me. I'm definitely interested to see how my middle school experience, which I'll start in about 2 weeks, will compare to what I've seen at the high school. I also plan to talk to many of my friends who teach to get their insights as well. That said, I have turned in my student teaching application for next fall with a request to be placed in a middle school. I may change my mind ultimately as to what level I'd like to teach but that's where I'm leaning right now.
Otherwise, classes are moving ahead. Hard to believe I'm already 1/3 of the way through the term. One of my courses is really good, I think I'm going to enjoy the Shakespeare course also. Then I have my observation classes, which seem pretty useless besides the actual observations. We spend a couple hours in small groups or listening to presentations that I have not gotten much value out of so far. Hopefully this will improve. I also have a state test this weekend on my knowledge of the things English teachers should know. In seeing the practice test, I predict a spectacular failure on this. We'll see, but I'm not at all optimistic.
A bit of a downer post, to reflect my mood over the past week or so. But I keep fighting through it. Eventually we'll get back on the upswing.
Until next time.
Ace
First, a bit about the school and classes. The school is a large one that has failed the No Child Left Behind standards for the last 6 years. There are a large number of students where they are more comfortable with Spanish than English. Additionally, there are a large number of students from poor households, where their parents immigrated from Mexico or Central America with around a 4th grade education. The specific classes I've been with are 3 reading classes, which are essentially remedial classes with many students that likely have undiagnosed learning disabilities or ADHD. There have also been 2 other classes that are English classes, with a slightly higher level of aptitude, although some of the same behavioral issues.
The teacher I have been with has taught for 33 years and reminds me of a grandmother. She's fairly small and while the students don't exactly run over her, she doesn't exactly have them eating out of the palm of her hand. This is the first year in several where she has not had all remedial reading students, so the English classes are a delight for her. My first several sessions were observing standardized testing, which wasn't very compelling. More recently, I've seen some lessons and learned a few things about various teaching strategies and tools. Overall, the teacher has been sort of unprepared, seemingly winging it since she has so much experience. But it hasn't made the greatest impression on me.
The issues with the kids have been really eye-opening. So much energy gets spent on playing cop that it is difficult to spend much time on instruction. This has been the most disappointing aspect for me. I'm definitely interested to see how my middle school experience, which I'll start in about 2 weeks, will compare to what I've seen at the high school. I also plan to talk to many of my friends who teach to get their insights as well. That said, I have turned in my student teaching application for next fall with a request to be placed in a middle school. I may change my mind ultimately as to what level I'd like to teach but that's where I'm leaning right now.
Otherwise, classes are moving ahead. Hard to believe I'm already 1/3 of the way through the term. One of my courses is really good, I think I'm going to enjoy the Shakespeare course also. Then I have my observation classes, which seem pretty useless besides the actual observations. We spend a couple hours in small groups or listening to presentations that I have not gotten much value out of so far. Hopefully this will improve. I also have a state test this weekend on my knowledge of the things English teachers should know. In seeing the practice test, I predict a spectacular failure on this. We'll see, but I'm not at all optimistic.
A bit of a downer post, to reflect my mood over the past week or so. But I keep fighting through it. Eventually we'll get back on the upswing.
Until next time.
Ace
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Congrats!
Congrats to my friend from college "Tree" who gave birth to a gorgeous daughter Mallory over the weekend. I'm glad everyone's doing ok - her older sister will get the hang of having a sister around soon! Here's a link to pictures of the little beauty.
I'll be back soon to give an update of my own, including the conclusion of my clinical observations at the high school level.
Until next time.
Ace
I'll be back soon to give an update of my own, including the conclusion of my clinical observations at the high school level.
Until next time.
Ace
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