Teacher's Log 2:

At Log Last . . . an Update:

I was selected to write the introduction for this week's Appalachian Teach for America Newsletter.  So, I figured I might at well kill two goats with one paper weight (that's how it goes, right?) and double up.  Here is my blurb complete with inspiring pictures:

Warning: Several of the jokes are TFA specific. I will try to explain.

The Quest for Home:

I’m currently living 1,833 miles from my home in Salt Lake City, Utah.  1,833 miles from 8-hour board game marathons,  garden picked heirloom tomatoes, and the best skiing powder on earth.  1,833 miles from my folk-the friends, family, and animals who have developed Annie mood barometers and always know when to calm the storm with quality dark chocolate and the latest Neil Gaiman novel.  Basically, I’m 1,833 miles from home . . . and it’s starting to wear on me.

Not that I’m ungrateful.  I love this adventure-the beauty here, the TFA friends, how easy it is to spy on Will Nash (For non-TFA-ers this is our neighbor the Region Director) from his home right across the street (Blinds much?), but I’m so busy this whole business of being a TFA teacher (QC Alignment, Extra Curriculars, Call All the parents?  TRACKERS!!! Freakin—Ain’t no body got time fo dat!) that I barely have time to be a human much less make a home. 

However, I know I must find my little corner of the sky eventually, so for some time I’ve been on a quest to find myself a quick affection fix in the form of a cat.  The thing I value most about cats is that they give you affection on their terms and they’re consistent about it.  You don’t have to work hard to win the love of a cat, merely have a bowl of food and be a warm object that sits still.  Then they’ll be yours forever, a wonderful ball of fluff to squeeze tight for a quick burst of joy.  In other words, cats are the exact opposite of many of my students who require me to all but donate my liver to them to win even a smidgeon of approval.  

As some of you are well aware, my cat quest has taken me on some odd twists and turns like when I caught fleas from the stray cats at institute.  Many of you may think it would be best at this point to give up and focus on something more productive . . . like maybe finding a boyfriend instead of a cat.  Or I don’t know, lesson planning?  Ha!  A wiser woman might, but I’m on the quest now.  I will find the elusive ball of cuddly joy that is meant just for me even if I have to inspect every flea ridden stray in Hazard!  I know-I KNOW that there must be cuteness to be found!  A chance at connection with another living being!

I want to find my cat because I believe that behind every flea ridden, mangy, alley wild stray lie stories of abandoned kittens weaned too early and thrown into a world with the dogs stacked against them.  And if I only strive hard enough, if I only do my best to find that one kitten I can be transformational for I will have made my mark.  I will have taken a step towards the dream that One day all kittens will have access to a quality home . . . or at least food. (For non-TFA'ers this entire paragraph is making a joke on TFA's mission statement that: One day all children will have access to a quality education.)

Now I think it behooves me to cut this extended ramble/metaphor short.  Let me only add as a postscript that last week a grey kitten with gold eyes showed up on my doorstep and I’ve been gradually taming it with spoon fed milk and chunks of Tuna.  It won’t stop purring.  On a related note one of my most stray cat-like students (i.e. a perpetually dip-chewing bubba whose smell often frightens me but who deep down just needs some lov’in) has started tweeting me to get help on his homework, and has with much pestering and make up work raised his F to a C.

One day . . . there will be a home. 

This is a picture of BG (short for Black Gold since we found her on the last day of the Black Gold festival . . . and cause she's black with gold eyes).

Isn't she cute?  And she's now been thoroughly treated for fleas!

Photo Time!

I know that some of you want to know more about my life than me rambling about cats . . . I swear I'm not a desperate cat lady.  So, since a picture is worth your father forgiving you 1,000 dollars of loan payments (that's how it goes, right?) here you go:

Here is one photo of my classroom complete with Smartboard (which I've dubbed the Dumbboard because it malfunctions so often), pretty windows, and bright yellow wall.

Here it is from another angle.  Featuring our whiteboard complete with class points, No name of shame paper collection, and the day's learning target.

And here are two of the value pillars of my classroom on which I've posted pictures of the heroes of the week who embodied those values best.

And here is the hero of the week board where I post the 1 student per week who best embodied the class values . . . and then I make them pose in an awesome cape.

Our class tracker where I keep track of class averages on quizzes and exams.  Everyone is trying to shoot for our over 80% goal.  And our class slogan: Empower Up!  Is located on the back board.

And the other two pillars.  Grit and Audacity.  Audacity is by far my favorite one.  In my accelerated classes I'm always pushing my kids to be as sassy and outspoken about their quest for knowledge as possible.

And this is the class mascot Thag, short for Pythagorus.  I found this stuffed crow buried in a cabinet in the back of my room . . . he's pretty awesome.  Most weeks he'll have an inspirational quote posted and sometimes the kids make him clothes . . . like the crown.

Here's an example of a hero of the week poster at large scale.

And here's the cape from behind.  It's got an x-squared because it's the Empower cape . . . get it? Raised to the power . . .

And here are two samples of student work.  The assignment was to design a theme park where the rides had to be at set points.  Then they had to find all of the slopes between the points, the midpoints, the distance, and the y-intercept form.  It was a really fun couple of days, especially since the kids kept trying to suck up by naming their rides such things as:  The Pulsinator or Pulse's Playful Palace.

So there you go.  Pictures aplenty.  Hope ya'll are well and I'll see you again come November.

Cheers,
Annie