It's Official

My senior babies are gone . . . I'm going to miss them sooooo much!

Monday Musings: Movies, Kids & Writing

Scenes from Winfree's hometown -- the school where my mom (and Paula Deen) attended elementary school. Also coincidentally part of the campus where I now teach. It was constructed in the 1930's.

Over the weekend, I previewed the 1963 film version of Lord of the Flies so I could show it to my seniors this week. I'd heard it was a great adaptation; however, I was greatly disappointed by it. Usually, I prefer the book to any movie, and this was no exception. Although parts of the film were well done, there was so much on the page that didn't translate to the screen, and I ended up feeling cheated. The ending, especially, disappointed -- the ending dialogue was cut and so all of the subtext of Golding's denouement, with its skillful point of view shift and cutting irony, was lost. The kids will still love having a movie day, but I'm interested to hear their take on the film versus the book.

Next up in Brit Lit? 1984. I'm excited! I love teaching it, although it is a major challenge for me.

The juniors are reading The Great Gatsby in American Lit and wrapping up their Post-Modern projects this week.

Freshmen? They've just come off The Quest, which they didn't do so well with. I hate that because generally if students don't do well with it, I end up playing prison guard instead of teacher . . . and if I wanted to be a prison guard, I'd go apply for that job. Anyway, they are continuing to work on their short story unit. I'm ready to move to the second unit, which continues to explore the short story and its elements, but includes a creative-writing component.

On the writing front, I recieved an email that Truth and Consequences was chosen for Samhain's Kindle giveaway in October. More details to follow.

I'm still working on revisions to Facing It, Chris and Ruthie's book. I'm also thinking through the plotting for a new WIP, a contemporary romance. Here's one of the photos I picked up for my hero, Vince Falconetti:

I'm off to do some school plotting. Hope you had a great Monday!

Football Players Meet Romance Novels.

Scenes from My Hometown -- the walkway to my grandparents' home. It has fallen into disrepair, but my parents are planning renovations.

So what happens with macho high school football players* meet romance novels? Hilarity ensues.

My juniors are working on Post-Modernism projects in which they read any novel by any American author which falls into the Post-Modernist time period. So a few days ago, when they brought in their books, I kinda/sorta did a doubletake when I saw the purple cover of one football player's book. He held up the relatively thin paperback, with its orange-ish cover art of a secret agent and the words "Harlequin Intrigue" emblazoned across the top, and said, "I got it from my stepmom. It's okay, right?"

"Um, yeah." I glanced at the book again. "Are you sure you're going to read that?"

"Yeah! I read the back and it sounds kinda good."

I shrugged and went on to log other kids' books -- lots of Stephenie Myer and Twilight**, Sachar and Holes, Tayari Jones and Leaving Atlanta***, even one Winfree and What Mattered Most. The kids spent several days getting immersed in their books. Then, last Thursday, Mr. Football player (I'll call him Robert) looks up from his tome with a horrified expression. "Ms. Winfree! This is a romance novel!"

"Um, yeah, Robert. It is. I thought you knew that."

"No! Why didn't you tell me?!"

By this time, his football buddies are laughing and generally having a great time at his expense. I pin the most vocal (and one of the smartest) kid on the front row (let's call him Ray) with a stare. "You have a problem with romance novels?"

"No, ma'am." He gestures toward Robert's book. "It's just . . ."

"Yes?"

"Nevermind."

I thought so.

Anyway, two or three days pass. Robert is still reading his Harlequin Intrigue. His football buddies are still giving him a fit. I might, maybe, just perhaps have gotten frustrated with his tendency to talk excessively during class and said, instead of threatening him with up-downs at football practice, "Hush and read your romance novel."

So today, it's reading time. All is quiet. Robert snickers. He becomes intently engrossed in his book. He looks up. "Hey, Ms. Winfree, this is a great book."

Now, why do I just know at that point what kind of scene he's discovered?

He goes back to reading. A few minutes later, I am pulled from conferencing with a student about her book by the sounds of a small scuffle. Robert and Ray are tussling over the book, Ray leaning over dangerously in his desk to read whatever page Robert is on. I sigh, excuse myself, go separate the boys, who by now are giggling like seven-year-old girls at a slumber party.

The bell rings a little later and I notice that yet a third football player (we can refer to him as Tom) now has the book and is engrossed. He looks up. "Hey, do we have anymore of these books?"

Well, they're reading . . . that's a good thing, right?
--------

*Names have been changed.

**In my classroom, this series of books is moving beyond what was a girls-only audience. The girls have talked it up so much, the boys are picking them up.

***If you have not read this book, go buy a copy. It's a must-read.

AWOL

School is kicking my tushy. Six classes and four preps. My brain is tired.

Give me a few days to get into the swing of things again and I'll be back on a more regular basis.

**

Edited to Add: Hearts Awakened releases in two weeks! I can't wait!

Sunday Check-In

Scenes from St. Augustine -- One of the many bed and breakfast inns in the historic district. but with those palms and that upstairs balcony, doesn't this look like a great place to stay?

My updated TTD for school:

1) Powerpoints for first day (I dreamed last night I'd forgotten to do this)

2) Compile updated senior project packets

3) Turn in my professional development paperwork for the leadership seminar I'm taking in September

4) Find a room mother

5) Seating charts

6) Write second units for the year to round out the first nine weeks and update my gradebook pages to be printed

7) Write rubrics/test plans for 9th and 11th grades

8) Write journal prompts and create exit slips

Tomorrow night is Open House. Wednesday is the first day of school.

On the writing front, I need to finish my blurb form for Fall Into Me. I'm stuck on the section on comparative titles. I also have not yet started a new book.

I need to update my portfolio for grad school (we're required to do so at the end of each class). The only part I really dislike is writing the rationale statements that we are required to submit.

More Pre-Pre-Planning

Scenes from St. Augustine -- This building fronts San Marco and faces the bay. It houses several shops and the A1A Aleworks. I've heard the food there is really good, although that's another restaurant in the area we haven't tried.

I pulled a sample framework from the GPS website for American Lit, but I think I'm going to teach it the way I normally do. The framework I found is chronological with the genres mixed (the traditional way to teach a survey course). It feels spotty to me, though, to hit a novel here, a short story there, etc.

A friend of mine from another high school introduced me to the concept of frontloading a survey course a few years ago. I tried it, liked it, then turned the fiction semester around so we start at the contemporary period and work backward. Last year was the first time I'd done that and it seemed to work well.

So here's my yearlong plan for 11th American Lit:

First semester: Fiction

1) Contemporary (or Post-Modern) period (short stories by Anne Tyler and John Updike)
2) Modernism: The Great Gatsby
3) Realism: The Awakening
4) Naturalism: Crane
5) Romanticism: The Scarlet Letter

Second Semester: Drama, Non-fiction, poetry

1) The Crucible
2) Colonial & Revolutionary period letters, journals, etc.
3) Transcendentalism: Thoreau & Emerson
4) Poetry: all 400 years of it

The second semseter also contains a 12-week personal research project.

I have to start making calendars for August & September soon. And set up my classroom. And . . .

Pre-Pre-Planning

Scenes from St. Augustine -- One of the side streets during our Ghostly Experience walking tour. You can just see the guide, in period dress, beyond the blonde woman. The White Lion restaurant is to the left (I've always wanted to eat there). A wine bar was to our left and the drunk guys on the porch starting making ghost noises and following us. That was funny (and meant I had yet another drunk story to share from our trip). BTW, that's my DH to the right in the green shirt and white ballcap.

I've been doing school planning. Here are the outlines for my two ninth grade classes:

9th Lit/Comp

1st Semester: Fiction
The Short Story: Last Rung on the Ladder, The Scarlet Ibis, etc.
Novel Studies: TKAM, at least one more (A Day No Pigs Would Die or . . . something)

2nd Semester: Drama, Nonfiction, Poetry
Romeo & Juliet
Need one or two high-interest nonfiction books
Poetry study/anthology

9th Writers Workshop

1st Semester:
Skills for High School Success (Multimedia presentations, technical writing)
Literary response & analysis

2nd Semester:
Research: the I-search, unless I come up with something different for research since it seems to have migrated to the 8th grade, anyway an introduction to hefty research project
Poetry anthology to correspond with 9th Lit *or* writing a webquest

Here's my new assessment idea. One thing I do know I'm going to expect of my ninth (and eleventh) graders is the maintenance of an outcome-driven portfolio, which they will use at the end of each semester to lead a parent-teacher-student conference (I think this will be my semester exam the first semester). I've been sketching out my outcomes. Each portfolio should contain artifacts that are evidence of:

1) an engaged leaner
2) an improving writer
3) an active reader
4) a student working toward high school success
5) an active thinker

with the totality of the portfolio showing that the student is making progress on the standards and adapting the habits of mind. Portfolios can be multimedia. Following the parent conference, parents are asked to write a reflective piece on the student's portfolio/presentation. This will mean actively teaching kids how to be reflective, how to use the vocabulary of reflection.

I think I'm going to go back to my old way of teaching vocabulary, which is to integrate two words daily with my DOL. This way, they are still exposed to 360 new words per year. I am horrible about not grading vocab homework. Although, I hate to not use the vocab book. I may think of a way to integrate it (the book) differently, as part of an oral or journal activity.

Lightbulb!

Scenes from St. Augustine -- More houses along the bay front. The white on in the middle, with the balconies, this is a villa-style B&B and there's a martini bar downstairs with outdoor seating. This is so the kind of place I'd love to hang out with Mary and Connie and people watch.

My friend Pam is a middle school media specialist. We used to teach middle school English together (the principal hated us -- we could get into trouble by breathing). A couple of weeks ago, we went for coffee and swung by the school. It was weird being there, but good to be with her. Anyway, she went into her office to get some things and one of those items was a bright yellow folder. She called it her "bright ideas" folder. When she has a neat idea, she jots it down and it goes in that file.

Oh, my heavens. Why didn't I think of that?! I'm constantly jotting ideas for my classroom and lessons and things while reading for my grad courses or talking with fellow teachers or students, then I lose the sticky notes.

Hello! I need a bright ideas folder.

Isn't that a, well, a bright idea?

Keeping Track

Scenes from St. Augustine -- I should be able to tell you the name of this house, but I can't. It's on the side street which runs off of San Marco and down between the oldest drug store and the new parking garage. I snapped it because I love the feel of it, with the Spanish-style second floor balcony and the dormers and that painted stucco.

I am within about 2K of finishing Fall Into Me. Now, if I could just sit down and go straight through those scenes. But nooooooo. It's not happening like that. That would be too easy.

Mary (MJ) can't believe I posted a countdown to school. I actually need that ticking clock to keep me focused on what needs to happen in July. That would be . . .

1) Clean out Monster #1's closet.

2) Clean out Monster #2's closet.

3) Get my classroom ready (I always do this before preplanning. Preplanning is for, well, planning.)

4) Clear book closet in mobile unit for Connie. (I am so excited about sharing a unit with her!)

5) Write year, semester and unit plans for Brit Lit, Amer. Lit, 9th Writers Workshop, 9th Lit

6) Make August calendars for above classes.

7) Turn in Fall Into Me to Anne the Editor Goddess.

Then there's the renovation TTD list for this week:

1) Paint bedroom ceiling

2) Repair wall under bedroom window (Monster #2 put his knee through my dry wall trying to look out the window)

3) Paint bedroom walls

4) Paint dresser and headboard

5) Prime bedroom floor

6) Install bedroom flooring

7) Stage furniture.

Do you make TTD lists? Or are you a play-by-ear kinda person?

You Could Not . . .

Pay me to go back and do high school all over again.

Just an idle thought.

Head over to Romance Worth Killing For tonight . . . I posted an excerpt from His Ordinary Life for reading enjoyment. It's part of my world domination plan . . . I want everyone to fall in love with the two oldest Calvert brothers.

Still Feels Like Summer

I'm having trouble transitioning to the idea of school this year for some reason. Oh, I love my job, y'all know that. But there's something off so far this year and I'm not sure what it is.

Mary F. is listing what she's looking forward to this year but I can't relate at this point.

I think it's the six classes, the hundred-plus students and the triple-digit heat. It still feels like summer when I had a less-than-refreshing summer break to begin with. So I'm teaching and I'm doing my best job, because, well, that's what I do, but my true enthusiasms isn't there yet.

I'm hoping it will be soon. There are positives -- my kids are great, I didn't have to change classrooms, etc. But inside I'm a tad blah. It'll pass.

I'm off to write and cook a late lunch. Talk later, y'all.

Testing Season

Otherwise known as "teacher hell."

Actually, it's probably not as bad as it seems. The kids have already taken my end-of-course tests, and the computers didn't die. No, that happened to the science department today -- the entire server for the state went down . . . while the kids were in the middle of high-stakes testing. I understand that was really fun.

However, I am out of my room most of the day because testing is going on in my room. No biggee -- I've floated before, so moving to another room or even several other rooms doesn't bother me.

But not being at my desk during planning?

Oh.

My.

Heavens.

I can't get anything done.

We won't discuss the number of emails I have to return. I am officially 1/3 through grading poetry anthologies. I actually enjoy grading those -- it's a nice way to get re-introduced to poets I love and poets I've never discovered.

I've avoided the urge to call in this week (I was feeling horrible Sunday, but it's gotten better as the week's gone on). I hardly ever call in -- it's too hard to get a sub. I have over forty sick days banked! I could take off the last eight days of school and still have a month of days left! (Not that I would do that. But it's tempting some days.)

Now I have to go wade through my inbox and return emails! Later, gators!

One Down . . .

Three and a half to go!

Days until Christmas vacation, that is. I'm ready. My students are ready. My fellow faculty members are ready (Connie has had a countdown clock running on her laptop since last Monday.).

Exams for three days and a half day on Friday. I can deal with that.

Homecoming last week was a blast. I'm hoping I'll have pics from that week to share with y'all soon.

Hmmm. Wonder where Connie got her countdown clock? I need one for WMM's release. Anyone know where to find one?