Born to Learn

 "Adolescence is not a problem; it's an opportunity."


Take some time for Born to Learn

Rethinking yesterday's post

After finding out some disheartening news this morning, I realized that my recent ramblings about the amount of work I have to complete before the culmination of the school year is just plain selfish. I was told this morning that my former student, who is now in 11th grade, has been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer. His sister is currently in my class, and we spent some time talking about the situation. She said that she feels like the whole world is on her shoulders. This is a big statement coming from her because she is a student who radiates confidence, but on the inside is very reflective. Things have literally changed overnight for her, her brother, and their mother. She explained to me that her brother is scared regarding his upcoming radiation and chemotherapy treatment. I stood there and listened intently as my heart and eyes teared up. I understand some of the emotions and confusion that this young girl is feeling; my mother is currently receiving chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. However, I am at a loss for understanding how my former student feels as he is about to take on the biggest challenge of his life, or how his thirteen year old sister feels as her mind seems to wander off into the frightening abyss of the unknown. Unable to grasp their mother's feelings, I can only empathize with her; a single-parent who just last week was concerned with motivating her kids to complete their homework has now shifted her focus on the health of her son and being able to give the right attention to her daughter at the same time.

Today was another reminder for me that my small struggles are exactly that. Small. Get it done, quit brooding, and spend time on things that truly matter. Make today your best day.

Missing: Motivation

If I could buy some motivation, I'd be willing to pay a pretty hefty price. It is amazing, in a not-so-amazing way, how unmotivated I've been feeling over the past couple of weeks. My motivation tank is on "E" and there aren't any refueling stations to be found! Seriously.

We have two more weeks of school left before summer break officially starts, yet I still have so much to do. Having loads of work to accomplish isn't so good if you've misplaced your motivation. My desk looks like a hurricane blew through and FEMA is still nowhere to be found. I still have student papers to read, provide feedback, and grade before the quarter wraps up next week. My students' attention spans are shorter than my one-year old daughter's, so my patience meter has just about reached negative numbers; however, I must keep my cool and send my students off gleaming with positivity!

With summer quickly approaching, one would assume that a teacher's amount of work would subside, but that is a myth. I'll be heading to a different school in August, so my brain and heart are in conflict with one another. My brain says to start focusing on my next adventure, which means that I should be looking at curriculum maps, syllabi, and lessons I need to rework in order to make a smooth transition into my new team. My heart wants to hold on to the current school year my current students because I am already beginning to miss them terribly. I wish my brain and heart would desire the same thing, so they could work in collaboration with my body to: 1) Finish grades and report card comments; 2) Clean, purge, and pack up all that needs to go with me; and 3) Enjoy my final two weeks with the students I love at the school that will always have a place in my heart.

So, whoever is in charge of motivation out there in our big ol' universe, could you please send some my way? Hmm... why do I always have some motivation on reserve for blogging???

A love letter

Dear Summer,

I long for your immediate arrival. My students are driving me crazy, and I am eager to send them on their way. I can't stop reminiscing about your warm rays wrapped around my air-conditioned classroom freezing body, while your encouraging waves tickle my toes as I sit upon the heated sand, inhaling your fresh air. 

Looking at old photographs from last year's adventures with you makes me misty and homesick. Our bond is so special, we don't even have to travel anywhere; we can just stay home and enjoy one another's company for two and a half amazing months! Yes, I know that everything cannot be perfect, and I will still have to complete some work and plan for the upcoming Fall, but oh my, I do not mind working if I know that you will remain beside me, outside of my four-walled cave. 

We can do so many things together! I can see us shedding our pale skin together and embracing the UV rays as we catch up on our book stacks and read for pleasure. We can create new lesson plans together, ones that will tackle the old ones and bring joy to my students. We can articulate with the new middle school team I will be working with in the Fall, and overwhelm myself with fresh ideas and creative people. 

I get butterflies in my stomach just thinking about you! It seems you are so close, yet so far away. When will you hurry my way? The hubby and daughter impatiently await your return as well. Please do not stay away any longer. My heart, brain, and sanity are lost without you.

Yours truly,

(Exhausted) Seventh grade Teacher

The Outsiders

The final class novel of the school year is S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. My 7th graders anticipate this novel all year because they hear from the current 8th graders that it is an amazing book. My students get a kick out of knowing that their parents either read this book in school or saw the movie. I really enjoy reading this novel with my students because they find so much relevance to their own lives and the peer relationships that they are building. Although the story takes place in the sixties, the students are not put off by it and in fact, they gain interest in the decade. Because the students enjoy reading the book, they are very keen on picking up the various themes, characterization, and conflicts that exist within the plot. I wonder if this classic will ever be considered as outdated or unimportant to the American Canon of Literature... Or is it already outdated and we should be looking for new titles that focus on similar themes, but in more recent times? What do you think?

Indifference

Indifference was her name, I heard
and she couldn't
have cared
less.
Unconcerned for
what is
best.
No one saw her
pain and
stress.

Maurice Sendak

As I was browsing the news this morning, something immediately caught my eye. It was the announcement that children's author and illustrator, Maurice Sendak had passed away. Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are was definitely one of my favorite stories to read growing up, and one that I will read with my daughter as she grows up. Some critics felt that the story was too dark for young children, but I remember never being scared of the oversized "monsters" in Max's world because they took this young boy on an amazing journey that I too, wanted to be a part of. One thing I will always remember from reading the story was learning the word, supper. Growing up in Hawaii, there is no "supper," only dinner time, and I clearly remember my mom explaining to me what supper was. 

HarpersCollins, 1962

Scholastic Records, c. 1981

I have to admit though, there were two other Maurice Sendak stories that I loved even more. Chicken Soup With Rice: A Book of Months and Pierre. These two were daily reads for me. My parents even bought the 7" vinyl record with book set, so I could listen and read along to the clever words and catchy tunes. (music by the amazing Carole King!)

"In May I truly think it best

To be a robin lightly dressed

Concocting soup inside my nest

Mix it once, mix it twice

Mix that chicken soup

with rice!"

 Maurice Sendak's imaginative stories helped me foster a love for reading as I grew older. Good night, Mr. Sendak! Sweet dreams.

What are you reading?

I just finished these two novels :) 

Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony & Rodrigo Corral
Razorbill, 2012

  Chopsticks is a story told through a flashback of 

  pictures, letters, photographs, and other obscure 

  clues.Young love, a boy falls in love with a female 

  piano prodigy who mysteriously disappears. The 

  reader pieces the mystery together by becoming 

  engrossed in the uber-creative way in which 

  Anthony and Corral tell the story.

The Downside Of Being Up by Alan Lawrence Sitomer,
Putnam Juvenile, 2011

Sitomer's young adult novel is absolutely hilarious! I was in stitches the entire way through. Bobby Connor is to navigate his way through the trials and tribulations of adolescence and middle school, but it seems there is always someone or something standing in his way. I often caught myself laughing out loud and wondering what life would have been like as a teenage boy trying to deal with... well, you should just read the book.

Currently, I am reading Will Grayson, Will Grayson
by John Green & David Levithan 

I am only on page 19, but the characters who have already been 

introduced seem to be worth reading about, and the conversations 

between them are classic John Green.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan,
Dutton Juvenile, 2010

"Those" kids

I've been doing a lot of reflecting on my vocation as a middle school teacher lately. My introspection is fueled by the fact that I will teaching at a different school next August. Although the students will be the number one thing I will miss about my current school, I have to be honest and admit that there are students who I will miss more than others. These particular students are not necessarily the smartest of the bunch or the ones with perfect behavior; they are the students who have kept me on my toes, day in and day out. These particular students have probably endured my wrath more than others have, but every single one chooses to stay in my classroom during recess to hangout and "talk story," so I guess they realize there IS a point to my madness. :)

Prior to the start of the school year, my homeroom had already received the dubious distinction of being the worst-behaved class in seventh grade, maybe the entire middle school. Year after year, I see the same patterns occurring in the class placement. All the "behaviorally challenged" students are sent my way. I could either be upset about this or take it as a compliment. I choose the latter. In fact, these students are actually the very caring and compassionate to each other; they just struggle with self-control. Typical 21st century middle school students. Or any century, for that matter. 

And that is where my struggle lies. lays? Saying good-bye to this unforgettable group of twelve and thirteen year olds; not knowing when or where I will bump into them again, wondering what they've been up to and how they are doing. Will their eighth grade teachers accept them as they are and work with their strengths, while strengthening their weaknesses? Or will they look at these kids with scorn on their faces and sarcasm jumping from their tongues? I hope, with a little time and lots of patience, they will discover what I adore about these kids even if they need to dig extra deep to let these lights shine.