True Praise

“Thou that has given so much to me,
Give one thing more–a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if thy blessings had spare days;
But such a heart, whose pulse may be
Thy praise.”

– George Herbert

How about better parents?

The NY Times published a fabulous article on Sunday regarding parents' roles in their childrens' education and success. Read it here.

TGIF

More TGIFs...I am loving this Friday ritual. So easy. And such an encouragement to read.

2ND YEAR

So, I realize that my posts at the start of my 2nd year have been a bit lacking...okay, nonexistent...but here's a brief and concise re-cap of the past few weeks in the form of a Six-Word Memoir: Two preps. Hard Stuff. Strep throat.

I started a little Friday ritual today and wanted to fill y'all in. I hope to keep this up each Friday, but we'll see about that...Enjoy! 

JWN4 and I have been reading a book together called The Gifts of Imperfection. In her book, Dr. Brene Brown discusses the inherent (and research-based) connection between joy and gratitude. It makes total sense, so in an attempt to cultivate some joy in my classroom, Fridays will now end with a "TGIF Exit Ticket." I explained that we have much more to be thankful for than the fact that it's Friday, and I invited them to share their nuggets of gratitude with me. My kids live in a neighborhood (and frankly, a world) devoid of bright light, and I just wanted- for a moment- for them to forget that.
 

  

Things I Think Are Funny

1. The fact that male students find it "noble" to walk their gal to class and then be 5 minutes late to their own, which is on the other side of the building. Keep in mind that 3 tardies = 1 Absence. 4 Absences = no Finals exemptions. Oh, the sacrifices the young make for love.

2. That even on the last day of class, students are still trying to hand me papers instead of turning them in to the proper box, which has been the procedure every day. All year. My response to them at this point: "Have we EVER turned something in this way?"

3. The fact that my new name is Miss. Not Ms. Hunt. Just Miss.
     "What's my name? Oh na na. Oh what's my name? Oh na na, Oh na na."

4. "Miss, do you want to see _____________'s fight with that sophomore on YouTube? It's awesome."


5. That my kids have adopted my language, or "Em-isms" as JWN4 calls 'em:
                       "Miss, quit being so sassy."
                       "Kapeesh?"
                       "Praise clap on 3! 1, 2, 3!"
                                                     
6. Ms. Hunt: "Alll right, if you're wearing blue jeans today, I need you to stand and be ready to share your answer!"
   Florence: "Alll right, if you're wearing a dress today, I need you to stop teaching and let us sleep."                                                     

Is it Summer yet?

I am so ready for the end of the year. It's not even funny. I am aching to be free of my first year! My kids are tired of being here, and frankly, I'm tired of having them here. Love 'em, sure. But they need to be Sophomores already! I want to start fresh with my new Freshmen! I'll be teaching English I-Pre AP and English I- Childress next year, which I am obviously excited about. 

Things to think about for next year: 

• Implementation of my Shutterfly class website: is it fair to expect my kids to check the website weekly? Even with limited access to computers at home?
• Facebook group for Ms. Hunt's classes: is this a dumb idea? Will I actually use this, or should I focus on my class website instead? Do they basically fulfill the same standards and serve the same purpose? Which would be better for my kids?
• Better use of their Writing Portfolios! (more frequent use)
• GRAMMAR GRAMMAR GRAMMAR (How to? Image Grammar, Harry Noden-read up this summer!)
• Revisit The Odyssey- yikes. This was a train wreck. Need to get them into the computer lab for research. The "Stations" activity I did with them was not too effective for Mythology background information.

2ND PERIOD MOMENT

Angelica: What are we going to do today?

Ms. Hunt: You'll see!

Angelica: But I don't want to see; I want to know!