A wild 4 day week.

So first let me start by saying that 8 years ago today - life changed.

Here is where I was in 2001.
Living in Flagstaff - loving college life. I was late for my desk shift early that Tuesday morning. I was supposed to sit at the desk from the hours of 7am to 10am. I ran down stairs and sat reading my book. Then I heard two people walk past me and say "We are all under attack - when will it stop". So I turned on the radio and began to listen. For three hours I could only imagine what was going on. I heard the announcers talk about a plane, and the World Trade Center, and how the towers fell. How it appeared that this was not an accident. So I continued to sit there in awe.

At 10 I went to my Spanish class. The TV was on in the classroom and so I was able to see what had happened. I didn't know how to think. I still don't know what to think. It is an experience that may not ever make sense. My professor told us to go home and call our families - to make sure everyone was okay and that we would progress as normal the next day.

I walked back to my dorm room and noticed that the sky seemed so quiet. Everything was just so quiet.

It's hard to put down in to words what that day was like. Today my students and I discussed the after affects of the 9/11 attacks. It was interesting to hear how they remember the day. These kids were around the age of 8 when this happened. So strange to think about it.

So this week we had Monday off. We did some laundry and got ready for the week.

• Tuesday was back to school night
• Wednesday was a late start and we had to work in our PLC (professional -learning - community) and that didn't go as well as we hoped. There is one person who is "in charge" of us and that person came in and sent us all into a tail spin.
• Thursday was a rally day so the kids were all excited about life - and not so much about learning.
• Today I felt like there was not enough time in the day. That and after lunch I felt ready to go home. I sometimes wonder if there was a way for me to grade papers in my sleep. It would be so nice to just wake up and have a nice little pile of graded essays.

This weekend I need to grade heeps of papers. HEEPS! but I do plan on enjoying time with the hubby and meg the cat - so it should make for a good weekend.

Something to frown at - and something to smile at.

I had a friend in a neighboring district tell me that there is a board member who is planning on banning books. What year is this?!?

I'm not sure how far this will go but I hope it fizzles in the wind.

*shakes my head and frowns*

Back to School Night went well. I did make a few jokes that no one laughed at. But that can be expected. I had a few parents who said really nice things like "My kid has never talked about a class the way he talks about yours - and he normally hates English"

And then there was the moment that teachers dream of. I see this parent and a former student coming my way - He is an awesome kid and his Mom was super supportive last year. They walk into my classroom Mrs. R gives me a big hug and then says to the entire room of parents who are starring at me like I'm crazy for hugging this woman.

Mrs. R points to the crowd "You have no idea how lucky you are to have Mrs. Parsons as a teacher, She is amazing, Best teacher ever!"

Me - smiles and says thanks.

It was AWESOME! *Grins a happy grin*

A busy day.

Tomorrow is back to school night. I always get nervous about speaking to adults. I don't know why that is. I am supposed to be one after all. But for some reason I could stand in front of 3000 kids and be happy - put me in front of 25 parents and I break out into a cold sweat. I think that part of it is because kids get my jokes. I can play and be myself in my classroom with my students.

But parents are different. They want to know who they are dealing with. And this tall funny young woman - girl to many of them - is not as hart warming as they would like to think. But there are those parents who have met me before and they make the room warm and full of the smiles that ease my mind.

So here I go for tomorrow - it will be a long night!

Fire Drills Fire Drills!

So Yesterday about 2:00 (we get out of school at 2:30) I am in the middle of teaching my Intro to Education class. We are having a really great conversation about what helping people is all about - they are about to get out a piece of paper and write their own philosophy of education - and I hear it... the sound is recognizable and I know it's about to hit... The Fire Alarm has gone off.

I teach in a portable building and so our alarms go off about 45 seconds after the rest of the schools. I say to my kids - "where are my keys - grab all of your stuff" - they look at me like they are a bit confused and then the ear splitting sounds begins in my room as well. So I grab my little red clip board - my keys - my M114 sign (we got these last year after an Eagle Scout took it on for his project. Now every classroom has a sign to hold up so students know where their teachers are) - but I neglected to grab my sunglasses. We walk out to the parking lot where we are to wait until the all clear. Then we wait. My students ask me what happens if the drill goes past 2:30 - and I assure them that it's probably just the foods room going a bit over board and we will be back to work momentarily. I was wrong. So wrong. So we continue to sit - and after ten minutes a student runs up to me -

"Mrs. Parsons, I just got a text from my friend and they said that the history department is on fire" -K
"K - I am sure that this is not the case, but there might be a building that's not doing to well" - me
"Oh Mrs. Parsons you know what I mean, wait I just got another text, yeah the air conditioning system is on fire" - K
"Well then, looks like this might take a bit longer than we thought" - me

My brain is thinking, I really hope this isn't true because it's 98 degrees outside and the blacktop is not helping. So we continue to wait... 15 more minutes. The other teachers are now beginning to walk around asking - what do we do if it goes past 2:30 we'll have a riot on our hands, the Friday of a three day weekend. And sure enough as the minutes ticked away, we began to see the natives get restless. They began to move towards the gates and murmur about what was taking so long.

2:30 - no movement
2:31 - nothing
2:32 - adults begin to look at each other and wonder
2:33 - zilch
2:34 - now we are beginning to complain
2:35 - we get the all clear - 3,400 children cheer!

I go back to my classroom and am sad that I lost the last 30 minutes of what was going to be a great lesson. But this is part of the joy of education. So I grabbed my purse, locked my door, and headed out for my own three day weekend. - I also had to take the 60 essays I have to grade too.

After a few hours of being at home I get a call on my cell phone from our fearless leader Mr. D -our Principal. It turns out that there was a problem with an air conditioning unit and sure enough there were some sparks that lead them to evacuate the school. He was sorry for the inconvenience at the end of school but that everyone had handled the situation with "Class, the Bronco way".

My Goodness what a start to a long weekend!

Ethos, Pathos, Logos

Your Morals - Your Heart - Your Mind.

Today in my Expo class we were discussing the Rhetorical Triangle and how authors have to focus on audience in order to ultimately achieve their purpose. I was talking about devices that authors use in order to achieve these goals and talked about Ethos, Pathos and Logos.

Now I would love to say that I too learned about these things in high school but sadly, I did not. I wish I had because it would have made College a lot easier. I had professors talking about Pathos all the time and I had no clue what they were talking about. So slowly I was able to figure out what was going on and with the help of a little thing called the Internet off I went!

So today when I had a student who raised their hand and asked the question "thethos, mathos what?" I took the time to provide them with a 'teachable moment' - we took about 10 minutes to explain what the words mean and how authors use them to produce an emotion from their audience.

So for those of us who have forgotten or maybe never covered this in HS.

Logos - appeal to Logic - encourages the audience to think
Pathos - appeal to emotions - encourages the audience to have emotions
Ethos - establishing credibility - appealing to the ethical views of the audience

New school year resolution

So I'm not very good at keeping New Years Resolutions. I know this about myself and embrace this aspect of my life. I didn't make one this year because I didn't think it would happen for me. So the new school year has started and I have decided that I'm going to try and blog more. I am teaching three different classes this year - English II (10th Grade) - Expository Reading and Writing (11th Grade) and a new class Intro to Education. I have been trying to be a more reflective teacher and this is a way for me to cover what I've been teaching and blog more often.

So today - we covered imagery in my English II class. We have been studying short stories and I wanted them to review the stories we have covered. I gave each student a piece of paper and had them make a movie poster for one of the stories. I got some really awesome artwork - other kids sat and tried to pick their nose. The goal is for them to use the imagery and produce a piece of work that reviews their own reading and understanding of the text.

In Expo we finished the play The Crucible. We covered how Proctor wants to keep his name and protect his children from the problems that would fall upon them if he had let the paper he signed be pinned on the door for all the town to see. The kids are not happy with how the play ends. I tried to tell them that it is indicative of the time period it was written in. After that they seemed a bit happier - but they are all mad that Abby gets away with it. I can't say that they blame them.

Because I'm on block schedule - tomorrow is the same thing all over again!

It's been a while

so let me fill you in on what's been going on in my life the last few weeks.

RESEARCH PAPERS - I have been mental - absolutely crazy grading massive amounts of research papers. some of them were really good. and it makes me feel like a much better teacher when i read those ones. And then there are the those that make me want to rip out my eyes because they have not paid one once of attention to what i have taught them for 10 weeks. Let alone all of the work we did last semester. But one good thing is that i only found one paper that plagiarised. I know that doesn't sound like a 'good thing' but in years previous i have found 4 or 5. So i think i'm getting through to them.

I have been busy with being the senior class advisor. In the next three weeks i have the following events.

28th - presidents farewell - ASB banquet
29th - 5 year wedding anniversary
6th - Casey gets into town - she stays overnight
7th - Senior reflections from 5pm to 7 - then at 7 I need to get over to the Crystal Apple awards that i have been nominated for. (Third year in a row !!)
8th - Senior Luau - from 5 to 8
9th - Senior Scholarship night
10th - Gradnight Disneyland
12th - Graduation - ball my eyes out when i watch those wonderful kids that i've known the last for years walk across the stage and enter that new phase of their lives.

It's hard to believe that i'm so looking forward to the 12th but at the same time it could stay so far away. I am unable to believe that it's been 4 years. I have been pulling my hair out thinking about what i am going to say at the senior reflections night. Nicole and I have to get up and speak to them from the advisers perspective. How do i tell them that i have loved watching them grow and learn and change into the joyful and intelligent people they are today. After all i have known some of these students now since they were 13 - now their 17 and 18 year old young adults. i know that I'm going to sit down and write multiple multiple copies and revisions of what i will say. but that's because i want to get it right. i want them to know how much they have changed my life.

I must search for the words... always in search for the words.