I LOVE FALL BREAK! I spent the weekend at various church events and had a potluck with friends and coworkers. Yesterday, I went to morning mass and then hung out with the refugee elders at Catholic Charities. The rest of the week I plan on watching TV, going to the gym, and spending time with my friend Bilin (visiting from Peoria).
The elders are the cutest things known to man. One man from Iran and another one from Somalia spent time practicing a skit for their upcoming talent show. The two are George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. The skit is a little hard to understand, but they are both dedicated to the performance and I'm sure it'll turn out wonderfully. After watching them practice, the elders learned about the United States' government. Part of the lesson included identifying pictures of America's first leaders. One guy (from Iran) joked with a woman (from Somalia) that the guy in the picture was her husband. While she didn't get the joke at first, the Americans in the room cracked up laughing. Her husband, you see, is playing Thomas Jefferson in the skit. After a few minutes of explaining and pointing and laughing, finally she got the joke. The 3 hour class was filled with smiles, celebration, friendship, and learning. Really, it was beautiful. Another woman got a call at the beginning of the class from her children. They had landed in D.C. and were calling to tell her that they'd be arriving in Nashville that night. She and 2 of her children came from the Congo 5 years ago, while her 2 other children stayed behind. Finally, Marie Clare gets to see her "babies." The joy she felt filled the room and many of us had tears in our eyes. While the elders are from different countries, speak different languages, and have had very different lives, they are all connected because of their status as refugees. When she shared her news, everyone celebrated. The support the elders give each other (even when they can't communicate in words) is beautiful. It reminded me that support and love can be expressed in very basic ways. Omar saying to Marie Clare, "So happy," and smiling was just as powerful as any other long list of congratulatory words.
Since it is fall break, my coworker's parents are in town from New Orleans. Last night, they took me out to dinner at Brick Top in West Nashville. We had a beautiful meal and conversation. It was nice to connect with my coworker's parents. I think seeing where she has come from will help me understand and support her even more. Her parents have generous and supportive hearts.
With two very different groups of people, I was reminded that humans are good, loving creatures. When humans love and share it with others, life becomes magical.
Paz y amor
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Reading Rocks
I am constantly amazed by the support of my family and friends. I get mail frequently and am becoming more and more aware of people who read my blog. Everyone, thank you and keep it coming. This past week, I got a letter from my 11 year old cousin. It was the cutest letter and set of computer drawings. It definitely warmed my soul.
Two weeks ago was Homecoming at Smithson Craighead Academy. Students were excited to participate in different spirit days and to cheer on our undefeated football team to another victory. Our team won the city championships last year (the school’s first year of operation) and it seems as though they are making another run for the top this year. Twin day was hilarious because so many of the students just wore their uniforms and then declared someone in the same color polo to be their twin. I had a group of boys argue about which red shirt classmate was their twin. They can argue about ANYTHING!
I’ve had teaching positions in which time seemed to drag on forever. My days here are the exact opposite. I realized that time flies because we spend SO MUCH time breaking up fights, solving problems, and getting the boys to listen before we even begin to teach. I wouldn’t say that the class is out of control (all though sometimes it is close), but our boys definitely struggle to follow what seems like the simplest instructions. If we let the boys have an ounce of freedom or fun (working in groups, using whiteboards, centers, etc.), they eventually abuse what we’ve have given them. A few of the smartest and well-behaved boys have become disrespectful and barely do any work. Their behavior makes me the most upset because they have digressed so much. Not only is their behavior hurting their learning, but also affecting other students. I’m hoping that after some serious conversations with them and a day of In-school suspension for the entire class that this week will be positive.
Miss Kline, one of the 5th grade teachers, used donorschoose.com to get over $600 worth of books donated to our classroom. We are going to have a grade leveled library filled with new, high-interest books. We started independent reading on Friday and it went pretty well. Today, the boys will be able to choose books from the new library! Their reading will only improve if they read chapter books and do so every day. We can’t rely on them to do it at home, so we are going to take time in reading class. We are SO excited. I also used money donated my grandma and a friend’s parents to buy folders for math and science. I’ve put paper in each folder and labeled them with the subject and students’ names. Like with Language Arts and Social Studies, the folders will be kept in the class. Finally, the boys will have a way to keep track of their notes and homework in all of their classes. Their learning will sky rocket! I’m excited for this week before a week-long fall break!
Paz y amor!
Two weeks ago was Homecoming at Smithson Craighead Academy. Students were excited to participate in different spirit days and to cheer on our undefeated football team to another victory. Our team won the city championships last year (the school’s first year of operation) and it seems as though they are making another run for the top this year. Twin day was hilarious because so many of the students just wore their uniforms and then declared someone in the same color polo to be their twin. I had a group of boys argue about which red shirt classmate was their twin. They can argue about ANYTHING!
I’ve had teaching positions in which time seemed to drag on forever. My days here are the exact opposite. I realized that time flies because we spend SO MUCH time breaking up fights, solving problems, and getting the boys to listen before we even begin to teach. I wouldn’t say that the class is out of control (all though sometimes it is close), but our boys definitely struggle to follow what seems like the simplest instructions. If we let the boys have an ounce of freedom or fun (working in groups, using whiteboards, centers, etc.), they eventually abuse what we’ve have given them. A few of the smartest and well-behaved boys have become disrespectful and barely do any work. Their behavior makes me the most upset because they have digressed so much. Not only is their behavior hurting their learning, but also affecting other students. I’m hoping that after some serious conversations with them and a day of In-school suspension for the entire class that this week will be positive.
Miss Kline, one of the 5th grade teachers, used donorschoose.com to get over $600 worth of books donated to our classroom. We are going to have a grade leveled library filled with new, high-interest books. We started independent reading on Friday and it went pretty well. Today, the boys will be able to choose books from the new library! Their reading will only improve if they read chapter books and do so every day. We can’t rely on them to do it at home, so we are going to take time in reading class. We are SO excited. I also used money donated my grandma and a friend’s parents to buy folders for math and science. I’ve put paper in each folder and labeled them with the subject and students’ names. Like with Language Arts and Social Studies, the folders will be kept in the class. Finally, the boys will have a way to keep track of their notes and homework in all of their classes. Their learning will sky rocket! I’m excited for this week before a week-long fall break!
Paz y amor!
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