What am I reading...?

What am I reading...?

So far this summer I have read All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn, Five Presidents by Clint Hill, and My Jasper June by Laurel Snyder.   I am currently reading the The Inn Boonsboro Trilogy by Nora Roberts.  It's a little light romance reading to begin summer vacation.  Yesterday I bought Separate  by Steve Luxenberg.  The secondary title says "The story of Plessy V. Ferguson and America's Journey from Slavery to Segregation."  I also just ordered Last Boat out of Shanghai by Helen Zia and The Hardest Job in the World by John Dickerson. And, of course, I ordered Conner's weekly dose of literature in the form of Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons by James Dean.  I'd say I'm headed toward the serious side with my reading and that's probably a good thing.  Serious reading for serious times.  

We just finished summer school in my little corner of the world.  I gave kids a chance to read anything they wanted for around 30 minutes a day.  The students that I had are my incoming 6th graders.  They hadn't experienced my opportunity to read anything you want for -- minutes yet.  It took them a while to get on board with this.  At first I think they had an idea that they needed to pick something that they thought I would like for them to read.  However, by around the second week of school they had figured out that I really meant choose anything and they began to make more personal choices.  I still stand behind the notion of the only way to get better at reading is to read.  Read what you want. Re-read things you liked.  

Usually during the summer I pick up old favorites, but like I said before we are in serious times and the best way that I know of for me to learn more about important, serious things is to read.  I can watch all the news shows available on all the channels I have at my fingertips.  But, I won't really understand everything until I dive into the scholarship from others who have done the work to present information about things that have shaped who we are.  I still have confidence in authors and historians to tell me things about history that I need to know to make decisions about how I want to contribute to the future.  I need to know the facts, the true facts, in order to speak to all the misleading "stuff" that students may come into my classroom with that they have heard from television or social media.  If I can hold up a book and say to them, "but, what about this," I can present credible information in a time up of much mis-information. At this point, the printed word is where I choose to go for answers.

Happy Reading! Only...6 weeks to prepare before school begins! 

So, you want to be a School Principal...

Working as a school counselor early in my career, I received a behind the scenes glimpse at what actually goes on in a school office. And, If you have not been a principal, or a school secretary, you have no idea what a principal or a school office has to deal with on a daily basis.  I didn’t, but I quickly figured it out. Principals have to make decisions about situations in a snap. Sometimes, they have time to think about what they want to do and that can make the process even more agonizing. The internal debate can go on forever and even when they make the call, the decision continues to rage within their brain.   After being a small part of those decisions for two years, I decided it was time for me to go back to the classroom. 

My  current principal, Mr. Tim Jordan, is an educator that I mentored when he began his teaching career.  I have watched him progress from teacher to Math specialist, School Counselor and now my Principal. He has gone from someone who sought my advice to someone I seek advice from, frequently.  Our history also makes me a little protective of him, even when I don't agree with him.

Principals have to consider all sides of the story, all consequences, all influences on future decisions, all the students and the parents they will impact.  And, how will their teachers react to what policies they are making.  Parents may disagree with a policy and leave their office and they may not see each other for a while, but when a principal and a teacher disagree they have to face each other in the hallway everyday.  That can get tricky. Building relationships of trust is very important. Hopefully that can be achieved, sometimes it is not.

Some of us who are teachers have administration degrees and we catch ourselves saying, “Well, if I were in charge…” Well, we don’t know what we would do because we aren’t in charge and we don’t know all the details.  Principals have to keep the details to themselves because they can not tell us the details that went into their decisions.  And, if we were in their shoes we might have come to the same conclusion.  We might not have, but we can’t ever know that.  

Principals have taken the leap that most of us will not. There is crazy bravery there.  The principal you are dealing with at the moment, may not be your cup of tea.  But, I guarantee that in the moment they make a decision, even one you don't like, they are doing what they feel is best for kids.  Maybe not what you think is best for kids, but you are not them. 

These men and women are not “Yes” people.  They do not make decisions because the decision will make them popular.  Think about all the decisions they have had to make, this year in particular. Scary stuff. Sometimes everyone in the room is in agreement. But, a lot of the time, they are not.  They do not seek to be put on a pedestal because that is not where they belong or where they want to be. As educators we are all in this together.  Principals are dedicated to their craft and for that I have respect for the task they have undertaken. 

So, for anyone reading this and considering this as a career path, I say to you, toughen up.  You're going to need to have thick skin for this job. 

So, here’s an enormous THANK YOU and HAPPY PRINCIPAL'S DAY to all these principals, some still working, some retired, that I have worked alongside.

Mr. Lowell McInturff, Wheaton

Mr. Bob Borman, Southwest

Mr. Jeff Swadley, Southwest

Mr. Mark Mayo, Southwest

Mrs. Judy Randall

Mr. Terry Winton, Exeter

Mr. Robert Taylor, Exeter

Mrs. Tina Nolan, Exeter

Mrs.Tamara Kester, Exeter

Mr. Tim Jordan, Exeter

Ms. Ashley Fly, Exeter

And, there’s one other that I want to pay tribute to… Mrs. Christy Hermansen, my sister! 

HAPPY PRINCIPAL’S DAY! 

UPDATE 6/14/22 (Now that I have been a principal for a year):  And a few principals that were not my principal directly, but have been so important to me in my teaching journey...

Mrs. Janel Riley

Mrs. Catherine Weaver

Mrs. Mindi Gates

You would think...

You would think I would have lots to say about all this "stuff" happening in our world, but I don't.  
You would think I would have lots of books to recommend, but I don't.

You would think my laundry would be all caught up, but it's not. 
You would think the sink would be empty of dirty dishes,  but it's not. 

You would think I would be all caught up on grading, but I'm not (getting closer). 
You would think I would take the opportunity to catch up on curriculum writing, but I'm not. 

I struggle with goals...lists are out the window.
It doesn't seem like the right time to write for next year...I'm supposed to giving tests this week. 

I'm sad because I haven't seen my kids in more than a month.
I'm sad because I haven't seen my students in more than a month. 

I'm mad because everyone keeps posting on social media  pictures of them seeing their kids.
What about the rules. Everyone stay home. I'm following the rules. Why aren't you?

I am tough.
I know this has taught me to invest in experiences, not things. 
I'm trying to do my best. 
Taking a breath! 
Regroup!

Begin again! Tomorrow is Monday. Whatever that means...

Books that Touch Your Heart

Some books are good reads.  Some books make you laugh.  And, some books touch your heart.  This week I have finished two books that have done that.  Tears in your eyes, trying to keep it together while your class is also reading, touch your heart kind of books.  

The first book is The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds.  The story is tough.  The main character loses his mom, his dad gets becomes injured.  He basically has to get himself through his senior year.  He doesn't feel sorry for  himself, he just takes care of business.  Through adversity he gains lifelong friendships and new experiences.  When I finished reading this book, I immediately emailed the High School English teacher and recommended it for her modern novels class.  Although, if I'm being honest... my goal is for everyone to have read it before they get to her.  

The second book is Good Dog by Dan Gemeinhart. Oh. My. Goodness. This is one I started and put back last summer.  That was a crazy thing to do because this book is amazing!  Brodie, the dog, has to make some tough choices. The choices are at a sacrifice to him. But, it doesn't matter, he has to be sure his boy is ok. He gets some help along the way.  

This is a book that some of our students will have lived through in real life. I hope not many.   I book talked this with all my classes.  One of my 8th grade girls picked it up. I want to read this book aloud... but i'm not sure I can without some help.  

Two great books this week!  I'm working on my goal of 100 in 2020.  

New Year, New Goals

New year, new goals... right!  Personal goals I have set for myself this year include being a kinder person.  I think I'm a fairly nice person.  But, is being nice the same as being kind?  I used to think so, but now, I am not so sure.  

Another goal is to get rid of the clutter.  After 32 years of marriage and three kids, there is a lot of stuff in my house, basement and garage that probably needs to go.  Of course, there are life artifacts that need to be held onto for the next generation.  But, there is also just a lot of stuff! 

I would also like to finish some home projects that have been needed to be completed for oh, probably 20 years, or so.  Sometimes you just don't get to things.  Life gets busy.  There is another show to binge watch.  There is a basketball game at school.  Such is life.  

There are creative goals I would like to reach as well.  I want to sew more quilts.  I have all the supplies anyone could ever need.  I have two sewing machines!  I need to let go of the idea that the things I sew all have to be queen-sized quilts.  Wall hangings, pillows and table runners have value also.  Sewing some smaller projects would allow me to practice the craft and give me a sense of accomplishment. 

Finally, I want to read more.  Today in class, myself and the 7th grade, had a conversation about reading goals.  They are not as excited about it as I am.   I hear them say that they just do not like to read.  To which I say something like, you just haven't found the right book.  They don't necessarily agree with that.  But, I am sticking with that argument, no matter what.  

I hope I can achieve these goals.  They don't seem difficult.  Honestly, they sound kind of cheesy, easy.  I can do this!