I am the Daughter of THE King of kings and Lord of lords, and HE calls me HIS princess!
He has recently been addressing me this way...My Princess, this.....My Princess, that.....
Needless to say, I love this which is probably the reason I am hearing Him this way--He NEEDED to get my attention!
My most recent lessons are as follows:
Grow Where You Are Planted:
*He knows I wonder if my life is of any real worth, especially when I am not seaming to get through to my kiddos.
*He assures me that He can and WILL use me to touch the lives around me...if I will just let Him lead.
*Even if I cannot see the harvest of my work now, people will one day look back and remember my kindness, wisdom and love for them...
Being the helper bee that I am, I kindly informed Him that we will really have to work on that last one.... :) He understands and is in for the long hall...
I Will Work Out What's Best for You
*NOTHING happens to me without his knowledge AND permission!
*He sees my disappointment and He is there to walk with me through the hard-times.
I Have Set You Apart: Just Like Queen Esther
(I have often studied Queen Esther hoping to learn from her walk with the Lord, and here He is comparing me to her.....well comparing what I could be to her. :-P)
*I am UNIQUE.
*I have been given the ability to walk in a way that will make others clearly see I am divinely His!
My Princess--My Chosen One:
*I was chosen before the Earth was created to be HIS Princess!
*I am royalty even when I do not feel like it, AND when I am not treated like it.
Jeremiah 1:5
"Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you, Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations--that's what I had in mind for you."
I am EAGER to see what My King has in store for me.
Father,
Keep using me for your work. Help me to see my children the way you see them. Help me to have the love, wisdom and peace about me to reach them for you! I am clearly in need of your help; shape me, mold me, I am an open vessel for your hands.
Your Princess,
Mrs. ABC
Friday, December 16, 2011
This year.....
This year has been more than challenging. The year did not start with my enjoying, or for that matter, even LIKING my students. I did not know what I was going to do, but the year was not going to go over well. I took Friday, November 4th off to celebrate my birthday, wound up being sick the entire weekend and went to school not feeling well the following Monday. But on Tuesday, a crazy thing happened: I found myself smiling while sitting at my desk and watching my second period class. I held onto "that" moment for days; THRILLED that I finally appeared to be amused by the same kids I could not stand just days before.
My children have shared some insightful things with me this year, though....
After hearing that I have four cats and would have five, except we lost Ghost in February, they call me the "Crazy Cat Lady" and one students says, "Mrs. Clemens you should be the cat whisperer!" David R. was extremely proud of his comment, and laughed hysterically for about 5 minutes....COMPLETELY disrupting the flow of my lesson....but YET AGAIN....I found this humorous and instead of being annoyed with this disruption, I laughed along with him and the rest of the class.
After teaching the "I before E except AFTER C and in words like weigh and neighbor" rule, I was reviewing my second period class before their weekly test. I asked, "What is the rule we learned this week?" M. Doolittle, one of the funniest kids I have taught, says, "I before E except after C and something about a neighborhood..." I lost it...I was laughing so hard I began crying. He had no idea why I was laughing, but he was glad he could be the "class clown" again....
Another student just wrecks my nerves DAILY. He comes from a very sad home life, that I cannot fully comprehend, but most of the time I cannot register that information anyway because he irritates me so much. He is filthy, unorganized, can vomit on command WITHOUT gagging himself, and attempts to get out of class and leave school by peeing on himself. Needless to say, God was going to have to get my attention before I could change my attitude about this one...
He did just that. While praying one day, I finally began truly thinking about this boy. I was all of the sudden so heartbroken for him. I wasn't praying for him, he was just slipped into my mind. About a week later, I was shopping at Mardel, and literally stumbled into a bookshelf with a book called "Minute Motivations for Teachers". The book lists a quote and then an explanation about a kid/type of kid that would drive teachers crazy, baffle teachers, and wear teachers down. In that same explanation teachers are told how to walk the Christian walk in the situation. There is one entry about love. It simply talks about "that child" who is unlovable and how that is not really the case since God thought "that child" was worth the sacrifice of His own son, Jesus. I have to think about all the things in this kid's life. What causes him to come to me like this everyday? He is a "prisoner of war"--I just have to figure out what that war is...
In one week, there has been a DRASTIC, MIRACULOUS change in this child's work ethic and the relationship we have. I am to be used where I am.
One of my favorite shows is NCIS, and Gibbs was the leader of this Navy Investigation Team....Whenever a character was being "stupid" he would "Gibbs Slap" them....meaning Gibbs would slap the "stupid" person in the back of the head.
God gets the privilege of "Gibbs Slapping" me WAAAAAY TOO OFTEN! He simply says, "Grow where you are planted!" and "I will work out what's best for you." and my favorite, "My princess, I have set you apart!"
These are the wonderful things God is teaching me through this BEYOND trying year. IF God brings you to--he WILL take you through!!!!
My children have shared some insightful things with me this year, though....
After hearing that I have four cats and would have five, except we lost Ghost in February, they call me the "Crazy Cat Lady" and one students says, "Mrs. Clemens you should be the cat whisperer!" David R. was extremely proud of his comment, and laughed hysterically for about 5 minutes....COMPLETELY disrupting the flow of my lesson....but YET AGAIN....I found this humorous and instead of being annoyed with this disruption, I laughed along with him and the rest of the class.
After teaching the "I before E except AFTER C and in words like weigh and neighbor" rule, I was reviewing my second period class before their weekly test. I asked, "What is the rule we learned this week?" M. Doolittle, one of the funniest kids I have taught, says, "I before E except after C and something about a neighborhood..." I lost it...I was laughing so hard I began crying. He had no idea why I was laughing, but he was glad he could be the "class clown" again....
Another student just wrecks my nerves DAILY. He comes from a very sad home life, that I cannot fully comprehend, but most of the time I cannot register that information anyway because he irritates me so much. He is filthy, unorganized, can vomit on command WITHOUT gagging himself, and attempts to get out of class and leave school by peeing on himself. Needless to say, God was going to have to get my attention before I could change my attitude about this one...
He did just that. While praying one day, I finally began truly thinking about this boy. I was all of the sudden so heartbroken for him. I wasn't praying for him, he was just slipped into my mind. About a week later, I was shopping at Mardel, and literally stumbled into a bookshelf with a book called "Minute Motivations for Teachers". The book lists a quote and then an explanation about a kid/type of kid that would drive teachers crazy, baffle teachers, and wear teachers down. In that same explanation teachers are told how to walk the Christian walk in the situation. There is one entry about love. It simply talks about "that child" who is unlovable and how that is not really the case since God thought "that child" was worth the sacrifice of His own son, Jesus. I have to think about all the things in this kid's life. What causes him to come to me like this everyday? He is a "prisoner of war"--I just have to figure out what that war is...
In one week, there has been a DRASTIC, MIRACULOUS change in this child's work ethic and the relationship we have. I am to be used where I am.
One of my favorite shows is NCIS, and Gibbs was the leader of this Navy Investigation Team....Whenever a character was being "stupid" he would "Gibbs Slap" them....meaning Gibbs would slap the "stupid" person in the back of the head.
God gets the privilege of "Gibbs Slapping" me WAAAAAY TOO OFTEN! He simply says, "Grow where you are planted!" and "I will work out what's best for you." and my favorite, "My princess, I have set you apart!"
These are the wonderful things God is teaching me through this BEYOND trying year. IF God brings you to--he WILL take you through!!!!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2011-2012
Tonight is the 4th FDOS eve I have experienced as a teacher.
There are numerous challenges coming head on to my life at school this year.
1) I am team leader
1) I am team leader
2) I have a new teacher on the 7th grade English Dept.
3) The other one of my 7th grade English teachers has yet to step on campus this CALENDAR year.
4) The STAAR test is coming to replace the TAKS test...neither of which are any good.
5) I have a student fighting cancer.
6) I have a student who is mute.
But there are a MULTITUDE of blessing in my life as well.
1) I have a job that I enjoy
2) I have a new teacher that is proficient in English and classroom management
3) I have a curriculum to follow so I am held accountable to my students, parents, and fellow teachers
4) I have a love for teaching
5) I have a fabulous team backing me as I embark on being team lead this year
6) I have a great Inclusion Specialists to help me teach and reach my students
7) I have a student who is FIGHTING cancer!
8) I have a student who is mute--maybe he will sign....
9) I HAVE A JOB!
10) I have the favor of my God going before me into ANY situation I may walk into, stumble into, or get thrown into.
I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So I pray:
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Mrs. ABC, M.Ed
I just doesn't seem real. I am finally DONE with school, for a very long time!
It might be a good thing that I will have a break. I took four classes this summer. That is the SAME amount of classwork and studying that you would do in a full 15 week semester. I had two classes in June and two in July. So each month, I was made to complete the same coursework and homework that all other students are made to finish in 15 weeks. That is A LOT of work.
At the end of the June classes I was made to complete two 10 page papers for both of my classes and for one an exam, too. Everything was due by July 5th at 5 p.m.
I was told that at the beginning of July, my Masters Exam would be sent to me via email. I would be given 6 prompts and I would have to write three 10 page papers with at least 6 references a piece. These would be due at the end of July. MUCH to my surprise, that did not end up being the case. THE email was sent out on Monday, June 20th, and something went wrong with my email inbox. I did not get the email until the following Sunday, June 26th. BUT the weird thing is that it listed the sent date as the 20th....but it was sitting in my inbox on top of June 25th emails. The exam email said I would have until 5p.m. on July 5th. So where everyone else had--had two weeks to complete the assignment I only had ONE. Not to mention I had two other research papers and an exam all due on the same day at the same time. I did not sleep, I cried and prayed all the way through it, I do not know how I did it, but it got done. I passed both classes with an A....AND......passed all three of my exam papers, too.
During the second summer session in July, it was very apparent to me that I desperately needed a beak from school. I was lucky enough to get an assignment for one of my classes completed early, and I send it in to my professor to be graded. I was supposed to place it in a discussion posting online for my group to read and critique.....so I did that.......or so I thought.......I kept waiting for my group to post their assignments and respond to mine, but it NEVER happened....on the day the assignment was due I really started to panic, and my mind made me look at the class I posted it in....I do not know why.....BUT it turned out to be a good thing because I had posted the assignment in the WRONG CLASS.....so just minutes before it was due in the discussion, I posted it in the right place and the right class and my group was able to comment...of course, I told them about my very bazaar story.
Now for my audit. Texas A&M did not start graduation audits until 11p.m. the NIGHT BEFORE graduation!!!!!!! So I was not sure what my grades for my classes were, I didn't know if I passed, I didn't know if I would really be getting my diploma when I walked across the stage. I was pretty sure I didn't have anything to worry about, BUT I just didn't know for sure.
So come graduation day, I anxiously awaited to grab my diploma tube and open it up. There was NO green dot which was great!!!!! As I was shaking the president's hand, I was looking for the photographer.....I could NOT find him. They did not tell us where he would be and he was NOT in the same place as when I graduated last time. I am sure it will just be terrible. haha....
No matter......I did it. I am done....I have CRAZY stories to share and a beautiful graduate diploma to frame! I am so blessed!
It might be a good thing that I will have a break. I took four classes this summer. That is the SAME amount of classwork and studying that you would do in a full 15 week semester. I had two classes in June and two in July. So each month, I was made to complete the same coursework and homework that all other students are made to finish in 15 weeks. That is A LOT of work.
At the end of the June classes I was made to complete two 10 page papers for both of my classes and for one an exam, too. Everything was due by July 5th at 5 p.m.
I was told that at the beginning of July, my Masters Exam would be sent to me via email. I would be given 6 prompts and I would have to write three 10 page papers with at least 6 references a piece. These would be due at the end of July. MUCH to my surprise, that did not end up being the case. THE email was sent out on Monday, June 20th, and something went wrong with my email inbox. I did not get the email until the following Sunday, June 26th. BUT the weird thing is that it listed the sent date as the 20th....but it was sitting in my inbox on top of June 25th emails. The exam email said I would have until 5p.m. on July 5th. So where everyone else had--had two weeks to complete the assignment I only had ONE. Not to mention I had two other research papers and an exam all due on the same day at the same time. I did not sleep, I cried and prayed all the way through it, I do not know how I did it, but it got done. I passed both classes with an A....AND......passed all three of my exam papers, too.
During the second summer session in July, it was very apparent to me that I desperately needed a beak from school. I was lucky enough to get an assignment for one of my classes completed early, and I send it in to my professor to be graded. I was supposed to place it in a discussion posting online for my group to read and critique.....so I did that.......or so I thought.......I kept waiting for my group to post their assignments and respond to mine, but it NEVER happened....on the day the assignment was due I really started to panic, and my mind made me look at the class I posted it in....I do not know why.....BUT it turned out to be a good thing because I had posted the assignment in the WRONG CLASS.....so just minutes before it was due in the discussion, I posted it in the right place and the right class and my group was able to comment...of course, I told them about my very bazaar story.
Now for my audit. Texas A&M did not start graduation audits until 11p.m. the NIGHT BEFORE graduation!!!!!!! So I was not sure what my grades for my classes were, I didn't know if I passed, I didn't know if I would really be getting my diploma when I walked across the stage. I was pretty sure I didn't have anything to worry about, BUT I just didn't know for sure.
So come graduation day, I anxiously awaited to grab my diploma tube and open it up. There was NO green dot which was great!!!!! As I was shaking the president's hand, I was looking for the photographer.....I could NOT find him. They did not tell us where he would be and he was NOT in the same place as when I graduated last time. I am sure it will just be terrible. haha....
No matter......I did it. I am done....I have CRAZY stories to share and a beautiful graduate diploma to frame! I am so blessed!
Saturday, June 4, 2011
Master of Education
I will be graduating this August with my Masters degree of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. My hope and desire is to be able to create a curriculum that is literacy centered where students are made to read day in and day out in all subjects from the time they learn to read in Kindergarten and 1st grade. The statistics are impressively awful...they will knock the breath out of you.
For example:
Did you know that based on the 4th grade reading levels of the students within each state, the state government determines how many more or less jail/prison cells they will need in the future for that particular group/generation of children. SHOCKING! It makes me so sad, that someone that cannot read well, is that much more likely to be in our prisons.
Now, this fix is NOT easy. Students have to have a STRONG ORAL language base. Most children, especially those coming from low socio-economic homes, do not have this base. Linguistically "poor" first graders know approximately 5,000 words; whereas, they should be closer to 20,000 words like the linguistically "rich" children. Unfortunately the words rich and poor here generally translate into their actual monetary lifestyles too, not just their linguistic abilities.
We as educators need to help this growing trend of inefficiency come to a screeching halt. As I said, it will be harder than it really seems. BUT....if the students have to read day in and day out all different types of literature in ALL of their classes, they will have a better chance of learning to read properly and learning to enjoy SOME TYPE of reading. This could more easily translate into them WANTING to read at home.
Therefore, as a Master of Education, ;) I want to be able to create this literacy based program starting with the early years, and walked it up with the kids. We cannot just start EVERY grade level doing this program when the children in those grades have NO IDEA what to do with all of this reading that they have NEVER been able to do or enjoy. They will fail and I do not want that. So we will start with Kindergarten and then move to 1st grade, then 2nd and 3rd and so on....until every level of students is doing the literacy centered programs in school.
Of course, I do not want to send the kids that have not had this training to failure, so there will be a change in their curriculum as well, but it will not be so crammed with literature. If they cannot read, we need to make sure they graduate high school with that ability, which MAY mean that the students need to stop and learn to read in the 7th or 8th or 10th grades. The teachers would have to sell it like a bill of goods and they would have to make it fun....Learning to read at the grade is seemingly impossible. There are too many walls and frustrations of failure blocking any possible progress.
Anyway, enough blabbing. This is what I want to be able to do with my degree. I certainly hope that I can make this happen. I cannot do it alone; I will need a team, but I have to be able to do the research and presentations somewhere.
Please keep this idea in your thoughts and prayers along with my influence and abilities.
As my heading says....May I have all the LOVE and WISDOM I need.......to be the best I can be for these children! THIS DESIRE IS WHY I TEACH!
Sincerely,
Mrs. ABC
For example:
Did you know that based on the 4th grade reading levels of the students within each state, the state government determines how many more or less jail/prison cells they will need in the future for that particular group/generation of children. SHOCKING! It makes me so sad, that someone that cannot read well, is that much more likely to be in our prisons.
Now, this fix is NOT easy. Students have to have a STRONG ORAL language base. Most children, especially those coming from low socio-economic homes, do not have this base. Linguistically "poor" first graders know approximately 5,000 words; whereas, they should be closer to 20,000 words like the linguistically "rich" children. Unfortunately the words rich and poor here generally translate into their actual monetary lifestyles too, not just their linguistic abilities.
We as educators need to help this growing trend of inefficiency come to a screeching halt. As I said, it will be harder than it really seems. BUT....if the students have to read day in and day out all different types of literature in ALL of their classes, they will have a better chance of learning to read properly and learning to enjoy SOME TYPE of reading. This could more easily translate into them WANTING to read at home.
Therefore, as a Master of Education, ;) I want to be able to create this literacy based program starting with the early years, and walked it up with the kids. We cannot just start EVERY grade level doing this program when the children in those grades have NO IDEA what to do with all of this reading that they have NEVER been able to do or enjoy. They will fail and I do not want that. So we will start with Kindergarten and then move to 1st grade, then 2nd and 3rd and so on....until every level of students is doing the literacy centered programs in school.
Of course, I do not want to send the kids that have not had this training to failure, so there will be a change in their curriculum as well, but it will not be so crammed with literature. If they cannot read, we need to make sure they graduate high school with that ability, which MAY mean that the students need to stop and learn to read in the 7th or 8th or 10th grades. The teachers would have to sell it like a bill of goods and they would have to make it fun....Learning to read at the grade is seemingly impossible. There are too many walls and frustrations of failure blocking any possible progress.
Anyway, enough blabbing. This is what I want to be able to do with my degree. I certainly hope that I can make this happen. I cannot do it alone; I will need a team, but I have to be able to do the research and presentations somewhere.
Please keep this idea in your thoughts and prayers along with my influence and abilities.
As my heading says....May I have all the LOVE and WISDOM I need.......to be the best I can be for these children! THIS DESIRE IS WHY I TEACH!
Sincerely,
Mrs. ABC
Friday, June 3, 2011
Bittersweet
Today will forever be remembered as bittersweet. The last day of school is always filled with emotion and excitement, but this year, it really hurt. This group of kids is special! I have NEVER had a group like them, and it will be hard for any group to fill their shoes or match their awesomeness.
It still has not hit that school is over, but seeing the kids dressed up today for the awards ceremony really made me reflect on how much they have grown with me this year. They were such babies when they came to me in August, and now they are nearly grown.
This group has taught me more than I believe I will ever completely realize! They have made me a better teacher, and the kids coming behind them will be forever bettered because of this group.
This year, I focused on GROWTH instead of passing or failing skills/objective/assignments. This group of students came to me as 18 Dyslexic students, 26 Special Education students, 6 Limited English Proficient students (which is a lower number than normal), 6 complete turds (also a MUCH lower number than usual), and the rest "regular" education students.
My students came to me, almost all of them, regardless of their educational label, writing Zeros and Ones for their essay scores. The essay scores are based on a holistic rubric ranging from 0-4. Zero and One are failing scores, 2 is equivalent to about a 75, a 3 is about 85 and the lowest score one can get to be commended on the TAKS test, and 4 is the best paper, but, as I tell my students, there is no way to have a "perfect" paper so the highest grade is equal to a 95. As for the perfect paper, I say they don't exist because their is ALWAYS a way to better it through revision and editing.
By the time my TAKS test came around on March 1st, my students were worn out from writing, and I was beginning to wonder if they had listened to anything I had taught and modeled from August to February 28. We had to wait until May 23rd for our scores to be returned, and then it was the 24th before we could see their scores broken down, and I could see what grade they made on the grammar questions and what score they made on the essay. They must PASS BOTH sections of my test in order to PASS the test.
Many of my Dyslexic students and Special Education students did not pass the TAKS test, and they were distraught when they found out. I was heartbroken to tell them. BUT when I told them....I focused in on the GROWTH they have had this year. They were asked to look back at their first essays of the year, and compare the early scores with the TAKS scores...ALL of them....ALL OF THEM....improved by 2 scores!!!!!!! They came to me writing zeros and they wrote a 2 on the TAKS essay. I cannot even begin to tell you how impressive an improvement this is for these children.
They finally bought the goods I was selling and began to be excited for their accomplishments this year.
ONE of my severely dyslexic students was writing zeros when he came to me, this year. On TAKS day, he stayed until he was done which was 6:30p.m. The next day, he came to me and said that he looked up EVERY word that he wrote, to make sure that it was spelled correctly, so the essay graders would be able to read his essay without struggling. My heart broke! I was so worried. I stopped right then and there and prayed that God would allow him to pass. Silly prayer? Maybe....but IT WORKED, as well as my teaching and his learning. HE PASSED!!! Not only did he pass, but he was COMMENDED!!!!!!! I cried when I saw his score, and I am NOT a crier. When he heard that he passed and was commended, he thought that I was joking. He didn't even think he was capable of passing, and this broke my heart all over again. I thought, "What did I do wrong this year? He has NO confidence in his abilities." BUT when he realized that I was serious, he up so high I believe he could have touched the hallway ceiling, and then lunged toward me in a full-on frontal hug....we do not give front hugs! But he was just so happy.....he teared up and had to call his mom and dad to tell them the news.
The irony in his story, is that, the ONE word that he COULD NOT find in the dictionary was dyslexia and he was writing about the challenging of learning with the challenge of dyslexia! He said I was looking in the DIs and then the DEs and he couldn't find it, SO he asked his dad when he got in the car after turning in his test, and his dad helped him see that is was spelled DYslexia....he laughed and laughed about that.....
After looking at ALL the scores and improvements overall, I got even happier. This year, as challenging as it was, was SPECTACULAR! My kiddos DID listen and learn from what I taught, and growth and learning took place!
I could not be a more proud mama! Without this group I would not have found all of the wonderful ways to teach Writing to ANY learner, ANY seventh grader, ANY "labeled" or not labeled child. I cannot wait to see what next year brings.
I wish the best of luck to my sweet lovelies! I miss you all already! Good Luck in 8th grade!
~Mrs. ABC
It still has not hit that school is over, but seeing the kids dressed up today for the awards ceremony really made me reflect on how much they have grown with me this year. They were such babies when they came to me in August, and now they are nearly grown.
This group has taught me more than I believe I will ever completely realize! They have made me a better teacher, and the kids coming behind them will be forever bettered because of this group.
This year, I focused on GROWTH instead of passing or failing skills/objective/assignments. This group of students came to me as 18 Dyslexic students, 26 Special Education students, 6 Limited English Proficient students (which is a lower number than normal), 6 complete turds (also a MUCH lower number than usual), and the rest "regular" education students.
My students came to me, almost all of them, regardless of their educational label, writing Zeros and Ones for their essay scores. The essay scores are based on a holistic rubric ranging from 0-4. Zero and One are failing scores, 2 is equivalent to about a 75, a 3 is about 85 and the lowest score one can get to be commended on the TAKS test, and 4 is the best paper, but, as I tell my students, there is no way to have a "perfect" paper so the highest grade is equal to a 95. As for the perfect paper, I say they don't exist because their is ALWAYS a way to better it through revision and editing.
By the time my TAKS test came around on March 1st, my students were worn out from writing, and I was beginning to wonder if they had listened to anything I had taught and modeled from August to February 28. We had to wait until May 23rd for our scores to be returned, and then it was the 24th before we could see their scores broken down, and I could see what grade they made on the grammar questions and what score they made on the essay. They must PASS BOTH sections of my test in order to PASS the test.
Many of my Dyslexic students and Special Education students did not pass the TAKS test, and they were distraught when they found out. I was heartbroken to tell them. BUT when I told them....I focused in on the GROWTH they have had this year. They were asked to look back at their first essays of the year, and compare the early scores with the TAKS scores...ALL of them....ALL OF THEM....improved by 2 scores!!!!!!! They came to me writing zeros and they wrote a 2 on the TAKS essay. I cannot even begin to tell you how impressive an improvement this is for these children.
They finally bought the goods I was selling and began to be excited for their accomplishments this year.
ONE of my severely dyslexic students was writing zeros when he came to me, this year. On TAKS day, he stayed until he was done which was 6:30p.m. The next day, he came to me and said that he looked up EVERY word that he wrote, to make sure that it was spelled correctly, so the essay graders would be able to read his essay without struggling. My heart broke! I was so worried. I stopped right then and there and prayed that God would allow him to pass. Silly prayer? Maybe....but IT WORKED, as well as my teaching and his learning. HE PASSED!!! Not only did he pass, but he was COMMENDED!!!!!!! I cried when I saw his score, and I am NOT a crier. When he heard that he passed and was commended, he thought that I was joking. He didn't even think he was capable of passing, and this broke my heart all over again. I thought, "What did I do wrong this year? He has NO confidence in his abilities." BUT when he realized that I was serious, he up so high I believe he could have touched the hallway ceiling, and then lunged toward me in a full-on frontal hug....we do not give front hugs! But he was just so happy.....he teared up and had to call his mom and dad to tell them the news.
The irony in his story, is that, the ONE word that he COULD NOT find in the dictionary was dyslexia and he was writing about the challenging of learning with the challenge of dyslexia! He said I was looking in the DIs and then the DEs and he couldn't find it, SO he asked his dad when he got in the car after turning in his test, and his dad helped him see that is was spelled DYslexia....he laughed and laughed about that.....
After looking at ALL the scores and improvements overall, I got even happier. This year, as challenging as it was, was SPECTACULAR! My kiddos DID listen and learn from what I taught, and growth and learning took place!
I could not be a more proud mama! Without this group I would not have found all of the wonderful ways to teach Writing to ANY learner, ANY seventh grader, ANY "labeled" or not labeled child. I cannot wait to see what next year brings.
I wish the best of luck to my sweet lovelies! I miss you all already! Good Luck in 8th grade!
~Mrs. ABC
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Vocabulary Tests
Did you know that:
DRONING means... sinking in water until you die???
Did you know that:
TRANSGRESSION has TWO very different meanings?
1) An aggression that changes
MY FAVORITE: DRUM ROLL PLEASE...
2) THAT part of a car
Did you know that:
DISPOSITION has NOTHING to do with the character or demeanor of a person, but that it means something that has been displaced?
Again....
The joys of teaching 7th grade!
DRONING means... sinking in water until you die???
Did you know that:
TRANSGRESSION has TWO very different meanings?
1) An aggression that changes
MY FAVORITE: DRUM ROLL PLEASE...
2) THAT part of a car
Did you know that:
DISPOSITION has NOTHING to do with the character or demeanor of a person, but that it means something that has been displaced?
Again....
The joys of teaching 7th grade!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Men have breasts?!?!?!?!?!?
OH, the joyous discussions that come along with teaching middle school students!
In English, since out TAKS test is over, we have started the lessons about RESEARCH. My job is to teach the SKILL of Research.
My students are going to pick a non-profit organization, explain it, the people that are affected by the help and support of the organization, and how we can volunteer or donate to the organization.
In doing this research, we have searched and discussed 41 different organizations. Susan G. Komen for the Cure is one of the researched organizations.
Today, in my 8th period class, my "sweet and low" children, someone began talking about Susan G. Komen and the pink-everything that goes along with it.
Student1: Why does Susan like pink?
Student 2: Well, Susan wants a cure for breast cancer and girls like pink.
Student 3: No, the color for girls is pink like the color for boys is blue. That is why.
Student 2: Well, it's for Breast cancer and men can't have it.
Mrs ABC: Actually, men can have breast cancer.
ENTIRE CLASS: **COMPLETE SHOCK** but Student 2's face was priceless. Student 2 sucked air in so quickly that I thought he might pass out, and he said, "Men have breasts?!?!?!?!?!?"
Mrs ABC: Yes, they do. Breasts are essentially just the upper chest cavity muscles. (With this, MOST of the students grabbed their own chests!) Fortunately, they were being completely appropriate and mature, they were just shocked and surprised by this information.
Student 4: But where do men have breasts?
Mrs. ABC: Remember, I said it was the UPPER chest area...the muscles in it....
Several Students: Oh! (looking around the room with crazy suspicion that I was pulling their legs)
The class calms down and we get back to our Research information.
Student 5: Is still looking confused and concerned and looks up half-way raising his hand, and stutters to get his question out, "So, womens just have popped out muscles?"
I was in the middle of taking a drink of water. I could not hold it in. I laughed hysterically along with the rest of the class. My drink of water spewed from my face.
Mrs. ABC: Ummm, well....no.....not exactly....but I did describe breasts as muscles so I see where you are getting that description. We will go with it. NOW, moving on.....
Surprisingly, the entire conversation was a complete surprise to them and uncomfortable for them to learn...they kept themselves composed and mature the entire time, NEVER taking it out of "school appropriate".
As their teacher, I am so proud of them, but I HATE being the one that has these conversations.
After school, I marched straight to the 7th grade Assistant Principal to inform her of the conversation and the events that took place in my classroom, just in case a parent phone call comes through. She laughed with me and simply said, "Don't you just LOVE those 'learning experiences'?" :)
Whew, what a day! :)
In English, since out TAKS test is over, we have started the lessons about RESEARCH. My job is to teach the SKILL of Research.
My students are going to pick a non-profit organization, explain it, the people that are affected by the help and support of the organization, and how we can volunteer or donate to the organization.
In doing this research, we have searched and discussed 41 different organizations. Susan G. Komen for the Cure is one of the researched organizations.
Today, in my 8th period class, my "sweet and low" children, someone began talking about Susan G. Komen and the pink-everything that goes along with it.
Student1: Why does Susan like pink?
Student 2: Well, Susan wants a cure for breast cancer and girls like pink.
Student 3: No, the color for girls is pink like the color for boys is blue. That is why.
Student 2: Well, it's for Breast cancer and men can't have it.
Mrs ABC: Actually, men can have breast cancer.
ENTIRE CLASS: **COMPLETE SHOCK** but Student 2's face was priceless. Student 2 sucked air in so quickly that I thought he might pass out, and he said, "Men have breasts?!?!?!?!?!?"
Mrs ABC: Yes, they do. Breasts are essentially just the upper chest cavity muscles. (With this, MOST of the students grabbed their own chests!) Fortunately, they were being completely appropriate and mature, they were just shocked and surprised by this information.
Student 4: But where do men have breasts?
Mrs. ABC: Remember, I said it was the UPPER chest area...the muscles in it....
Several Students: Oh! (looking around the room with crazy suspicion that I was pulling their legs)
The class calms down and we get back to our Research information.
Student 5: Is still looking confused and concerned and looks up half-way raising his hand, and stutters to get his question out, "So, womens just have popped out muscles?"
I was in the middle of taking a drink of water. I could not hold it in. I laughed hysterically along with the rest of the class. My drink of water spewed from my face.
Mrs. ABC: Ummm, well....no.....not exactly....but I did describe breasts as muscles so I see where you are getting that description. We will go with it. NOW, moving on.....
Surprisingly, the entire conversation was a complete surprise to them and uncomfortable for them to learn...they kept themselves composed and mature the entire time, NEVER taking it out of "school appropriate".
As their teacher, I am so proud of them, but I HATE being the one that has these conversations.
After school, I marched straight to the 7th grade Assistant Principal to inform her of the conversation and the events that took place in my classroom, just in case a parent phone call comes through. She laughed with me and simply said, "Don't you just LOVE those 'learning experiences'?" :)
Whew, what a day! :)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
This time of year is TAKSing for ALL of us......
....at least those of us in TAKS grades!
Tuesday, yes, THIS Tuesday, March 1st, is the Writing TAKS test for my seventh graders. They will have to sit in a room ALL day long, answering grammar questions to the best of their ability and writing to a narrative/reflective prompt that is likely to be the WORST prompt ever to be given. :(
What I hate most about TAKS is that my sweet precious kiddos get so nervous. Their eyes fill with anxiety and proclamations of self-doubt.
They are, without a doubt, ready to meet this test head-on and blow it clear out of the water, but they do not believe that they are capable of this.
I would like you to see what I have the students go through in order to keep their brains focused.....sometimes I am not so sure it works.
The first thing they are to do is READ the prompt. Example: Write a composition about a time you tried something you thought was difficult.
They will then DECONSTRUCT the prompt. This means that they will identify the important words in the prompt and DEFINE them. Example: Write a composition (essay) about a time (single occasion for some event) you tried (attempted) something you thought (consider something carefully) was difficult (not easy/requiring effort).
Next, they will create a T-CHART. On the right side of the T-Chart they will write their ideas about the prompt. They must have 3-5 ideas per prompt. They will then pick the prompt with the most action/feeling/emotion/fabulous description. AFTER picking the best idea, they will write description words and sensory words. They CANNOT use everyday words (sad, mad, glad, fun, excited, amazing, cool, etc.) They MUST use a Thesaurus for this step. They must have 30-35 descriptive/sensory words.
After that, they will create their BUBBLE MAP. This bubble map will have FIVE bubbles, give or take. In the beginning paragraph they will have to address the prompt in an interesting way that will HOOK the reader. They will begin their story with an ACTION, DESCRIPTION, or STATEMENT/Dialogue (this dialogue will have to be full of emotion to drag the reader into the story). The next three paragraphs will be describing the event/narrative in full detail. The final paragraph MUST have a reflection in it. They have to close out the essay and then inform the reader of how they have been bettered/changed during this event or due to this event.
They have to revise using revision symbols. Circles are placed around the first word of every sentence. Triangles are used for punctuation. Rectangles are used for verbs. Explosions are used for adjectives and hearts are placed around adverbs. And they underline all FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) also known as conjunctions and all transition words (However, although because, since, until, therefore, finally, etc.)
They then double check for worn out words, and contractions. IF they have any of these, and they always have many of these, they work on correcting them for better words and interesting vocabulary.
The FINAL copy is the absolute LAST step and one that takes seemingly FOREVER to get to.....or so they think.
That is just a portion of the strategies to be used on their test this Tuesday! They have grammar question highlighting and identifying strategies as well.
I talked with them about their abilities, talents, weaknesses (and how they were WAY better than the other 7th graders on campus AND WAAAAAY better than the now 8th graders were last year. They just stared at me like deer in headlights and occasionally shook their heads blankly, as if they were not going to believe a word I said about their "good" qualities.
I believe that stress is definitely in the air for us all, but I also believe that we are going to "Fire Up the TAKS!"
Fire Up--is being used with this generation of kiddos as an emotional attack. IF they get someone angry or upset they have "Fired them up". This was not the intention of our Superintendent when she listed the theme for all district schools this past August. :) She means that we are going to catch the passion and burn the flame....caring it with us from place to place (classroom to classroom) never letting the flame burn out (never letting the learning cease).
Please keep my kiddos and ALL 4th grade and 7th grade public school kiddos, from the state of Texas, in your thoughts and prayers. They need peace in their minds and hearts!
Thank you!
Tuesday, yes, THIS Tuesday, March 1st, is the Writing TAKS test for my seventh graders. They will have to sit in a room ALL day long, answering grammar questions to the best of their ability and writing to a narrative/reflective prompt that is likely to be the WORST prompt ever to be given. :(
What I hate most about TAKS is that my sweet precious kiddos get so nervous. Their eyes fill with anxiety and proclamations of self-doubt.
They are, without a doubt, ready to meet this test head-on and blow it clear out of the water, but they do not believe that they are capable of this.
I would like you to see what I have the students go through in order to keep their brains focused.....sometimes I am not so sure it works.
The first thing they are to do is READ the prompt. Example: Write a composition about a time you tried something you thought was difficult.
They will then DECONSTRUCT the prompt. This means that they will identify the important words in the prompt and DEFINE them. Example: Write a composition (essay) about a time (single occasion for some event) you tried (attempted) something you thought (consider something carefully) was difficult (not easy/requiring effort).
Next, they will create a T-CHART. On the right side of the T-Chart they will write their ideas about the prompt. They must have 3-5 ideas per prompt. They will then pick the prompt with the most action/feeling/emotion/fabulous description. AFTER picking the best idea, they will write description words and sensory words. They CANNOT use everyday words (sad, mad, glad, fun, excited, amazing, cool, etc.) They MUST use a Thesaurus for this step. They must have 30-35 descriptive/sensory words.
After that, they will create their BUBBLE MAP. This bubble map will have FIVE bubbles, give or take. In the beginning paragraph they will have to address the prompt in an interesting way that will HOOK the reader. They will begin their story with an ACTION, DESCRIPTION, or STATEMENT/Dialogue (this dialogue will have to be full of emotion to drag the reader into the story). The next three paragraphs will be describing the event/narrative in full detail. The final paragraph MUST have a reflection in it. They have to close out the essay and then inform the reader of how they have been bettered/changed during this event or due to this event.
They have to revise using revision symbols. Circles are placed around the first word of every sentence. Triangles are used for punctuation. Rectangles are used for verbs. Explosions are used for adjectives and hearts are placed around adverbs. And they underline all FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) also known as conjunctions and all transition words (However, although because, since, until, therefore, finally, etc.)
They then double check for worn out words, and contractions. IF they have any of these, and they always have many of these, they work on correcting them for better words and interesting vocabulary.
The FINAL copy is the absolute LAST step and one that takes seemingly FOREVER to get to.....or so they think.
That is just a portion of the strategies to be used on their test this Tuesday! They have grammar question highlighting and identifying strategies as well.
I talked with them about their abilities, talents, weaknesses (and how they were WAY better than the other 7th graders on campus AND WAAAAAY better than the now 8th graders were last year. They just stared at me like deer in headlights and occasionally shook their heads blankly, as if they were not going to believe a word I said about their "good" qualities.
I believe that stress is definitely in the air for us all, but I also believe that we are going to "Fire Up the TAKS!"
Fire Up--is being used with this generation of kiddos as an emotional attack. IF they get someone angry or upset they have "Fired them up". This was not the intention of our Superintendent when she listed the theme for all district schools this past August. :) She means that we are going to catch the passion and burn the flame....caring it with us from place to place (classroom to classroom) never letting the flame burn out (never letting the learning cease).
Please keep my kiddos and ALL 4th grade and 7th grade public school kiddos, from the state of Texas, in your thoughts and prayers. They need peace in their minds and hearts!
Thank you!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Roger "the cat" Clemens
Roger is the newest member of our family.
He was abandoned on the streets of Forney in August or September of 2010. Orphaning a kitty is NOT okay with the Clemens of Forney, especially when we ALREADY know the kitty-cat's name! This HAD to be remedied.
Colt and I decided to start calling Roger into our backyard and then spending time with him petting him and feeding him. This worked like a charm. Before too many days passed, Colt decided to create a "Roger hole" so he could enter the back yard. I would take Roger to the fence and push him under...through his "Roger hole" and Colt would grab him on the inside and push him right back out. This allowed him to see it was there, that he could fit through it, and in order to be with us in the backyard, he would have to come through on his own. He visited ALL the time.
Eventually, Roger got to where he knew the sounds of our cars, and would race us home when we turned in on our street. He would bound through the neighbors' yards and stop in the grass next to the garage. Once we stopped the car he would say hello to us and then walk himself to the backyard. Randomly, one day, just before Halloween, I came home to find Roger already on the patio, waiting for me and singing me a pretty song. This cat, was clearly, ALREADY spoiled rotten.
Roger, being a LARGE, 15 pound cat, needed a "house" big enough for him. He HATED the wind and needed shelter from it, so Colt went to Wal-Mart and purchased a dog house for him. We bought a soft and comfy pillow and placed it inside. Roger LOVED his bedroom. He would come in at night, and snuggle in, and then leave after his breakfast was given and promptly devoured the next morning.
Over the next month, Roger decided he should be an inside cat and proceeded to invite himself into the house, with THREE other cats...one being VERY protective, VERY Alpha-male, Ghost. This new visitor was NOT in the least pleasing to Ghost. He was not having any of it. However, Roger came in as a complete Gentleman. At no point, did Rogey try to attack, over-ride, or demolish the almost seven pound, sure he is the most ferocious of all beasts, Ghost. Over Thanksgiving Break, Roger was 100% adopted. He was taken to the vet and moved inside.
He is now, VERY sure that he wants to be an inside cat, but at first it was all we could do to keep him from escaping through any open crevasse in the house. Since there are not many of those, so called "crevasses" in the house he tried to be sneaky around doors and windows.
But this video is a recent clip of Roger just being Roger and rolling and playing on the CARPETED, INSIDE, PADDED floor! He is the KING or so he believes.
Roger has really opened up in the last several days. He really misses Ghost, but he is thrilled to be able to run around and be himself.
Colt was yelling about doing a "great job" and Roger sang right along with him. Colt would say, "I did good!" and Roge, would mew and meow right after him. He was so cute. Colt yelled out 3 or 4 times, and Roger repeated him every time....
I love that you are a part of this family Roger! You are a great addition. I LOVE YOU!
He was abandoned on the streets of Forney in August or September of 2010. Orphaning a kitty is NOT okay with the Clemens of Forney, especially when we ALREADY know the kitty-cat's name! This HAD to be remedied.
Colt and I decided to start calling Roger into our backyard and then spending time with him petting him and feeding him. This worked like a charm. Before too many days passed, Colt decided to create a "Roger hole" so he could enter the back yard. I would take Roger to the fence and push him under...through his "Roger hole" and Colt would grab him on the inside and push him right back out. This allowed him to see it was there, that he could fit through it, and in order to be with us in the backyard, he would have to come through on his own. He visited ALL the time.
Eventually, Roger got to where he knew the sounds of our cars, and would race us home when we turned in on our street. He would bound through the neighbors' yards and stop in the grass next to the garage. Once we stopped the car he would say hello to us and then walk himself to the backyard. Randomly, one day, just before Halloween, I came home to find Roger already on the patio, waiting for me and singing me a pretty song. This cat, was clearly, ALREADY spoiled rotten.
Roger, being a LARGE, 15 pound cat, needed a "house" big enough for him. He HATED the wind and needed shelter from it, so Colt went to Wal-Mart and purchased a dog house for him. We bought a soft and comfy pillow and placed it inside. Roger LOVED his bedroom. He would come in at night, and snuggle in, and then leave after his breakfast was given and promptly devoured the next morning.
Over the next month, Roger decided he should be an inside cat and proceeded to invite himself into the house, with THREE other cats...one being VERY protective, VERY Alpha-male, Ghost. This new visitor was NOT in the least pleasing to Ghost. He was not having any of it. However, Roger came in as a complete Gentleman. At no point, did Rogey try to attack, over-ride, or demolish the almost seven pound, sure he is the most ferocious of all beasts, Ghost. Over Thanksgiving Break, Roger was 100% adopted. He was taken to the vet and moved inside.
He is now, VERY sure that he wants to be an inside cat, but at first it was all we could do to keep him from escaping through any open crevasse in the house. Since there are not many of those, so called "crevasses" in the house he tried to be sneaky around doors and windows.
But this video is a recent clip of Roger just being Roger and rolling and playing on the CARPETED, INSIDE, PADDED floor! He is the KING or so he believes.
 |
| Outside Roger....He came "home" with this collar...someone dressed him for Halloween. He HATED it!!!! |
 |
| Roger Big Eyes |
 |
| Rogey rolling and LOVING being an "inside" kitty. |
 |
| Outside Roge....playing with his homemade jingly/stringy toy. |
 |
| Rolling and playing in the grass...... |
Colt was yelling about doing a "great job" and Roger sang right along with him. Colt would say, "I did good!" and Roge, would mew and meow right after him. He was so cute. Colt yelled out 3 or 4 times, and Roger repeated him every time....
I love that you are a part of this family Roger! You are a great addition. I LOVE YOU!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Ghost Cat...
February 12, 2011
Let me introduce you to our Ghost Cat!
He is a very lively, active, entertaining cat. He loves to chase laser lights and run in gigantic circles. He loves to jump high and jump often. He loves to sit in Colt's lap purring loudly and "making muffins" (knead). He loves to drink water from the running facet, and will, although accidentally, nearly trip whomever he is trying to beat to the sink. He loves ice cream, pizza, ice in his water bowl, and a recent favorite was his Whiskas wet food pouches....NO seafood, JUST poultry, and of course, anything in a cup that is not meant for him. These are just a few of the things that Ghost perfected.
When in a fight, play-fight, or play session with his siblings he would always win....EXCEPT when playing with Zizzy. He would let her win! He would lay still after "struggling" to beat her, and allow her to prance off in victory. When playing with or fighting with Linky, he would roll and tumble and jump in such a way that Link could not keep up. Mind you some of Link's short comings are derived from his being an insanely obese kitten, but to win, Ghost would rare his front right paw backward and proceed to slap Link or any other cat in his space, repeatedly. All of this would happen so fast, the cats would just sit there completely stunned. In turn, Ghost would be crowned the victor.
Many times Colt and I would order pizza for dinner and have leftovers for a snack or another meal later on. Fresh, hot pizza was appetizing to Ghost, but the alluring nature of the cold pizza was just too much for Ghost to ignore. He would jump up to whichever surface had the pizza and would try to steal it from the consumer. Once, Colt was eating a slice of cold pizza out of his own right hand while leaning his left elbow on the bar in the kitchen. Ghost jumped up to the counter and walked briskly to Colt's hand and proceeded to eat the pizza right out of Colt's hand. By this I mean, Ghost took the pizza directly out of Colt's hand and walked away to eat his "prey".
Today, Colt and I had to make a very hard decision. In the past year, Colt's sweet, intelligent, and special kitty cat, Ghost, became increasingly ill.
Over the past 6 or so months Ghost has lost weight. He went from being about 8 pounds to 6.3. He is only 6 and a half years old, therefore, his weight is extremely alarming.
Let me back track....
Last summer, Colt and I had Ghost tested for fear he was becoming sick, after all of our tests came back negative, the vet told us that he was probably suffering with some kind of cancer: stomach or intestinal. But we were informed that it could be either Inflammatory Bowel Disease or Kidney Disease, too. All of these scenarios left us with a sick baby Ghoey, and the knowledge that he would not be with us for as long as we were intending.
Over the past week or so, maybe two weeks to encompass it all, Ghost has taken a turn for the worst. We just didn't want to believe it. He was no longer as playful; he did not demand facet water, and he was throwing up undigested food, more and more. He stomped jumping from counter-top to counter-top, even though this was one of his favorite past-times. He began just easing, sliding his way down the counter doors to the floor.
Last night, after feeding him at about 7 p.m. he seemed to be doing fine. However, all of that changed about 5 hours later. Just after midnight he vomited up, what appeared to be everything he had eaten for the entire day. He then dry-heaved four more times: just after two, just before 4, just after five, and while in Colt's arms at 7:20 a.m. He was not himself, Ghost was not looking at us, he was not with us. His eyes were damp and darkening with the intensity of pain. He would not move. He refused food and water, he was hissing and growling at his siblings, as well as, me! He NEVER growls at me or Colt. He would come sit with us, he wouldn't let us hold him. We saw him go into dark corners by himself, and he would his if we came in to move him out.
This was NOT our sweet baby. Something has really changed and turned for the worse, so we made the decision to call the vet. We made an emergency appointment and went in. The vet said that she could not feel any tumors or lumps in his intestinal track, but that she would not be able to necessarily feel if there was something in the stomach. However, due to our discussion about his recent behaviors, actions and misfortunes, she told us it wasn't good.
We were not about to let him continue suffering, so we had to make the final decision to let him rest in peace. This is by far the HARDEST thing I have every had to endure. We love Ghost so very much, we are going to miss him with ALL of our hearts! These memories are truly bitter-sweet, for there will never be any more, but he was blessed with the best life he could possibly have being the "son" of Colt. He is now out of pain and is with us in our hearts daily.
This is very difficult for Colt since he has been with Ghost longer than he has been with me. Ghost had to accept me into the family before there was any hope of sticking around. I am forever grateful of his love!
Goodbye my Ghoey! I LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!
Let me introduce you to our Ghost Cat!
He is a very lively, active, entertaining cat. He loves to chase laser lights and run in gigantic circles. He loves to jump high and jump often. He loves to sit in Colt's lap purring loudly and "making muffins" (knead). He loves to drink water from the running facet, and will, although accidentally, nearly trip whomever he is trying to beat to the sink. He loves ice cream, pizza, ice in his water bowl, and a recent favorite was his Whiskas wet food pouches....NO seafood, JUST poultry, and of course, anything in a cup that is not meant for him. These are just a few of the things that Ghost perfected.
When in a fight, play-fight, or play session with his siblings he would always win....EXCEPT when playing with Zizzy. He would let her win! He would lay still after "struggling" to beat her, and allow her to prance off in victory. When playing with or fighting with Linky, he would roll and tumble and jump in such a way that Link could not keep up. Mind you some of Link's short comings are derived from his being an insanely obese kitten, but to win, Ghost would rare his front right paw backward and proceed to slap Link or any other cat in his space, repeatedly. All of this would happen so fast, the cats would just sit there completely stunned. In turn, Ghost would be crowned the victor.
Many times Colt and I would order pizza for dinner and have leftovers for a snack or another meal later on. Fresh, hot pizza was appetizing to Ghost, but the alluring nature of the cold pizza was just too much for Ghost to ignore. He would jump up to whichever surface had the pizza and would try to steal it from the consumer. Once, Colt was eating a slice of cold pizza out of his own right hand while leaning his left elbow on the bar in the kitchen. Ghost jumped up to the counter and walked briskly to Colt's hand and proceeded to eat the pizza right out of Colt's hand. By this I mean, Ghost took the pizza directly out of Colt's hand and walked away to eat his "prey".
Today, Colt and I had to make a very hard decision. In the past year, Colt's sweet, intelligent, and special kitty cat, Ghost, became increasingly ill.
Over the past 6 or so months Ghost has lost weight. He went from being about 8 pounds to 6.3. He is only 6 and a half years old, therefore, his weight is extremely alarming.
Let me back track....
Last summer, Colt and I had Ghost tested for fear he was becoming sick, after all of our tests came back negative, the vet told us that he was probably suffering with some kind of cancer: stomach or intestinal. But we were informed that it could be either Inflammatory Bowel Disease or Kidney Disease, too. All of these scenarios left us with a sick baby Ghoey, and the knowledge that he would not be with us for as long as we were intending.
Over the past week or so, maybe two weeks to encompass it all, Ghost has taken a turn for the worst. We just didn't want to believe it. He was no longer as playful; he did not demand facet water, and he was throwing up undigested food, more and more. He stomped jumping from counter-top to counter-top, even though this was one of his favorite past-times. He began just easing, sliding his way down the counter doors to the floor.
Last night, after feeding him at about 7 p.m. he seemed to be doing fine. However, all of that changed about 5 hours later. Just after midnight he vomited up, what appeared to be everything he had eaten for the entire day. He then dry-heaved four more times: just after two, just before 4, just after five, and while in Colt's arms at 7:20 a.m. He was not himself, Ghost was not looking at us, he was not with us. His eyes were damp and darkening with the intensity of pain. He would not move. He refused food and water, he was hissing and growling at his siblings, as well as, me! He NEVER growls at me or Colt. He would come sit with us, he wouldn't let us hold him. We saw him go into dark corners by himself, and he would his if we came in to move him out.
This was NOT our sweet baby. Something has really changed and turned for the worse, so we made the decision to call the vet. We made an emergency appointment and went in. The vet said that she could not feel any tumors or lumps in his intestinal track, but that she would not be able to necessarily feel if there was something in the stomach. However, due to our discussion about his recent behaviors, actions and misfortunes, she told us it wasn't good.
We were not about to let him continue suffering, so we had to make the final decision to let him rest in peace. This is by far the HARDEST thing I have every had to endure. We love Ghost so very much, we are going to miss him with ALL of our hearts! These memories are truly bitter-sweet, for there will never be any more, but he was blessed with the best life he could possibly have being the "son" of Colt. He is now out of pain and is with us in our hearts daily.
This is very difficult for Colt since he has been with Ghost longer than he has been with me. Ghost had to accept me into the family before there was any hope of sticking around. I am forever grateful of his love!
Goodbye my Ghoey! I LOVE YOU FOREVER!!!
 |
| Ghost Christmas 2010 |
 |
| Link....Ghost.....Aziza The happiest of ALL kitty-cat families! |
 |
| Ghoey and Linky snuggling.... Too precious.....So much love! |
 |
| Ghost lounging in his favorite room, my office, in his sunlight! |
 | |||
| Look at those EYES!!!! He just wanted to "read" you..... I love you Ghost.....I will miss those sweet, beautiful eyes..... |
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
Ugh.
The portion of the school year that resembles "going through Hell" has arrived! This year, there is a kink in the plans...one of the three 7th grade English teachers on campus is out due to emergency surgery over Christmas Break, and the other teacher, besides myself, is brand-new to Writing/English. Therefore, all plans of success for the 7th grade English students on the upcoming Writing TAKS test, Tuesday, March 1st (24 school days from this coming Monday 1-24-11) is based on MY thoughts, opinions, and decisions. EVERYONE is waiting to hear what I THINK we should do! YIKES!
Last week, the students took a "practice" TAKS test. The district calls them Benchmarks. The students had all day to take the test, but they MUST be complete by the end of school which is NOT the way the real TAKS test works.
After the scantrons were graded and the scores were input to the computer system, I received my "official" copy. I just about flipped! The break down of overall passing per teacher looked like this: The new teacher: 78.4% passing; the sub for the teacher that is currently out: 79.3% passing; and my score: 67.7% passing! I could have been in tears if I had not been so shocked and exasperated. The district passing average for all 7th grade Writing students was 76%.
Well, the next day, after sleeping off the steam, I realized there was an error with MY numbers. I am a teacher on the Inclusion team at school. This means that all students who are labeled as exceptional, or having a disability, are in my classroom. These students can function properly in a general education setting and are continuing to prove they can be successful in a mainstream classroom. They receive support in every general education class they take, from the Inclusion Specialist, a certified Special Education teacher.
If a student is receiving Special Education services in Writing I can have them take any number of TAKS tests based on their ability levels and strengths. They can take REGULAR TAKS (like the general education students), TAKS Accommodated (fewer questions, bigger font), or they can take TAKS Modified (half the number of questions, even-bigger font and a different writing prompt). With TAKS Accommodated (which most of my Special Education kiddos take) they have to make a score of 50% to pass their questions portion of the test.
This 50% passing rate was NOT factored into my other numbers. The scoring sheet ONLY factors passing as 70% for ALL students. This is a problem. 3/4 of my exceptional students actually passed which brings my overall student passing percentage to the 80ish% mark. I could not be happier with my children.
There were several knuckleheads that did not do what they were supposed to do and they bombed the test which did not help my ratings, but those students are now REQUIRED to be in tutoring with me for two afternoons a week for a full hour each session. They have already told me that they will NOT mess up on my test. They do not want me to retain them in the 7th grade!
Ha! The simple things in life that make us freak out, and the simple things in life that makes us so happy! Although my job is crazy, hectic, chaotic, and as-of-right-now extremely stressful, I could not ask to work in a better place, with more loving, helpful, supportive people. My academic team, and my English department co-workers are PHENOMENAL!
Last week, the students took a "practice" TAKS test. The district calls them Benchmarks. The students had all day to take the test, but they MUST be complete by the end of school which is NOT the way the real TAKS test works.
After the scantrons were graded and the scores were input to the computer system, I received my "official" copy. I just about flipped! The break down of overall passing per teacher looked like this: The new teacher: 78.4% passing; the sub for the teacher that is currently out: 79.3% passing; and my score: 67.7% passing! I could have been in tears if I had not been so shocked and exasperated. The district passing average for all 7th grade Writing students was 76%.
Well, the next day, after sleeping off the steam, I realized there was an error with MY numbers. I am a teacher on the Inclusion team at school. This means that all students who are labeled as exceptional, or having a disability, are in my classroom. These students can function properly in a general education setting and are continuing to prove they can be successful in a mainstream classroom. They receive support in every general education class they take, from the Inclusion Specialist, a certified Special Education teacher.
If a student is receiving Special Education services in Writing I can have them take any number of TAKS tests based on their ability levels and strengths. They can take REGULAR TAKS (like the general education students), TAKS Accommodated (fewer questions, bigger font), or they can take TAKS Modified (half the number of questions, even-bigger font and a different writing prompt). With TAKS Accommodated (which most of my Special Education kiddos take) they have to make a score of 50% to pass their questions portion of the test.
This 50% passing rate was NOT factored into my other numbers. The scoring sheet ONLY factors passing as 70% for ALL students. This is a problem. 3/4 of my exceptional students actually passed which brings my overall student passing percentage to the 80ish% mark. I could not be happier with my children.
There were several knuckleheads that did not do what they were supposed to do and they bombed the test which did not help my ratings, but those students are now REQUIRED to be in tutoring with me for two afternoons a week for a full hour each session. They have already told me that they will NOT mess up on my test. They do not want me to retain them in the 7th grade!
Ha! The simple things in life that make us freak out, and the simple things in life that makes us so happy! Although my job is crazy, hectic, chaotic, and as-of-right-now extremely stressful, I could not ask to work in a better place, with more loving, helpful, supportive people. My academic team, and my English department co-workers are PHENOMENAL!
SILLINESS!
While sitting in my office, grading papers, listening to Colt talk to his mother, I had a great laugh!
His mom, Bev, was asking about Xbox Kinect. He was talking about the EZ Active workouts and she said that she had read on my blog about something different than that.
He stopped in mid-conversation, looked baffled, and asked, "Alyssa has a blog?" He looked over at me and said, "You have a blog? When do you post on this blog?"
Ha! We have talked about my postings on here, yet he still does not remember. I am going to attribute this to the fact that he NEVER listens.
:)
His mom, Bev, was asking about Xbox Kinect. He was talking about the EZ Active workouts and she said that she had read on my blog about something different than that.
He stopped in mid-conversation, looked baffled, and asked, "Alyssa has a blog?" He looked over at me and said, "You have a blog? When do you post on this blog?"
Ha! We have talked about my postings on here, yet he still does not remember. I am going to attribute this to the fact that he NEVER listens.
:)
Monday, January 17, 2011
No Pain...No Gain...
Today, I am realizing the title statement is OH SO TRUE. Colt and I bought Kinect for Xbox 360 today. We were very skeptical at first, but after playing Kinect Adventures we realized this is going to be how we "waste" the majority of our time.
We are SOOO sore.
Today, we:
1) floated and soared through the rapids, and up over top of rocks and earthen ledges
2) we threw, kicked, and head butted balls to tear down hay stacks at the end of the "hall" that contained our points
3) we flapped our arms to fly so we could catch pretty bubbles
4) we stood in a glass box under the ocean and proceeded to fill in the holes the fish kept making in our glass caging by thudding the glass with their noses/heads/fins at full force.
5) we even had our booties kicked by the EA Active 2 trainer. She will be whipping (quite literally) us into shape within days....
All in all, today was a great day and a very productive day. I must say, that I believe, I am the only person, besides my husband and best friend, Jessie, that can say we accomplished so many DIFFERENT and imaginative things today.
I am going to have to find a way to get the pictures the Xbox took of all of us playing on this blog. Many of them will have you rolling in the floor....our faces, poses, and tongues hanging out are simply PRICELESS!
Boy, oh boy, am I going to be sore tomorrow!
But I just feel so good!
We are SOOO sore.
Today, we:
1) floated and soared through the rapids, and up over top of rocks and earthen ledges
2) we threw, kicked, and head butted balls to tear down hay stacks at the end of the "hall" that contained our points
3) we flapped our arms to fly so we could catch pretty bubbles
4) we stood in a glass box under the ocean and proceeded to fill in the holes the fish kept making in our glass caging by thudding the glass with their noses/heads/fins at full force.
5) we even had our booties kicked by the EA Active 2 trainer. She will be whipping (quite literally) us into shape within days....
All in all, today was a great day and a very productive day. I must say, that I believe, I am the only person, besides my husband and best friend, Jessie, that can say we accomplished so many DIFFERENT and imaginative things today.
I am going to have to find a way to get the pictures the Xbox took of all of us playing on this blog. Many of them will have you rolling in the floor....our faces, poses, and tongues hanging out are simply PRICELESS!
Boy, oh boy, am I going to be sore tomorrow!
But I just feel so good!
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