TEACHING 101: September 2008

Friday, September 12, 2008

Things that make you laugh....well me anyway

I've said before that 7th graders have a mind of their own... today they proved it! A girl walked up to me and asked me my first name, to which I gave my normal response-Ms. She said well I was reading this book and the character's name was Erin Bennett and I just wondered if that was you. Huh? Do I look like a fictional character??? To which another student replied, her name is Ms. Barnes (who actually teaches next door to me) and "I said no my name is Ms. Bennett." He said your name is Ms. Bennett?" Yes, we've been in school 4 weeks now and that has been my name the whole time. Well I couldn't help but laugh. These kids are great!!! What a cool job :-)

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Time for Parents

So parent teacher conferences are next week and i'm trying to pump myself up. I do enjoy meeting with parents because it really gives you an insight to where the kids are coming from. It always puts things into perspective for me. One thing that makes me laugh, is thinking about my first p/t conferences. I went back to my old high school and subbed for 3 weeks while they were looking for a full-time teacher. During my second week there, I was asked to hold p/t conferences. I didn't even know the kids nor could i explain the reasons for their grades, but i was reassured that i could do it. During one conference in which i was confident of the student's name, the parent asks me "do you even know my child's name?" I confidently replied, "why yes, that's John." To which she replied, "his name is Brandon." I have never been more embarrassed. But I survived and I definitely smile everytime conferences comes back around.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

HUH?

7th graders are definitely a different breed :-) As a basketball coach, I have to have physicals from all of my players before they can participate in athletics. After telling a girl I still need her physical, she replies by asking if she has to go with her mom when her mom goes to pick it up? ummm..... thats a yes!

Making a Difference

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing.He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.One day he was walking along the shore.As he looked down the beach,he saw a human figure moving like a dancer.He smiled to himself to think of someone who would dance to the day.So he began to walk faster to catch up.As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and the young man wasn't dancing,but instead he was reaching down to the shore,picking up something and very gently throwing it into the ocean.As he got closer he called out,"Good morning! What are you doing?"The young man paused,looked up and replied,"Throwing starfish in the ocean.""I guess I should have asked,why are you throwing starfish in the ocean?""The sun is up and the tide is going out.And if I don't throw them in they'll die.""But, young man, don't you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it.You can't possibly make a difference!"The young man listened politely.Then bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea,past the waves and said-"It made a difference to that one."

The Secret Life of Bees

What a great book! I told myself I wouldn't go see the movie until I finished the book. After seeing some of the trailers for the movie, I found myself visualizing those actors as the characters in the book. This book is about a young girl named Lily who lives with her father and their made Rosaleen. She is a white girl living in the south in the 1960s with a black maid. After the maid is put in jail for insulting a white man, Lily breaks her out and off they go! They run away looking for Tiburon, South Carolina, to which the only tie they have is the city's name on the back of a picture that belonged to Lily's mother. What they find are three bee keeping sisters and a wonderful experience. This is book is an easy read that you won't be able to put down until you've finished the very last page.

Raise the Roof

This book is a must read for any real lover but especially sports fans. This book tells the story of Pat Summitt and the 1997-98 Lady Volunteers undefeated basketball season. This was the third straight national championship for Pat and her volunteers. This was an inspirational book because although Pat has been coaching over thirty years now, she admits that she had to change her approach with these girls because they were more sensitive than any other group she ever coached. Pat talks about winning the national championship the previous year but not engraving the team's record on the ring because being 29-10 was her worst coaching record to date, even though they still won the championship year. I really enjoyed this book, especially because this is my first year to coach and it really hits home with a lot of issues that I have already faced. Raise the Roof is more than a basketball book but really shows how a team came together with their coach to reach a common goal and shock the college basketball world.

Intervention????

These students were given a chance to memorize numbers of Pi, in order to throw an actual pie in my face. I found that extra tasks like these really help inclusion kids feel apart of something. These students include special education and other learning disabilities but I have found that hands on activities work really well for them. The great thing about these kinds of activities is the fact that they work for almost all of my 7th graders. Anything I can do to get them up and moving around and have them involved in their own education, the better and harder they work!!

TEACHING 101

Friday, September 12, 2008

Things that make you laugh....well me anyway

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Time for Parents

Sunday, September 7, 2008

HUH?

Making a Difference

Favorite Movies

Favorite Books

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