My senior pictures - a look back

I ran across my senior picture portfolio collection the other day when I was packing for Paris. I thought y'all might get a kick out of seeing me back in the day. :) Check out that 80s hair! Haha!

That picture of me lying on the hood of my car was actually featured in the mall when I was a teenager. You'd think I would have been pleased with that. Nope, I was mortified and refused to go to the mall for months because I knew it was there. Hahaha!

Senior Notes

These notes make my heart full. I'm pretty sure these kids have no idea how much their words mean to me. I thought you might like seeing what they had to say. :) 

While I didn't make it to any grad parties this year because of other obligations, it was definitely nice to be invited.

End of school - What I learned episode 21

21 things I learned from my 21st year of teaching - the list

I snapped this selfie the last day of school with students. I think I look excited and happy and kinda tired too. That seems about right for this time of year.

1.  My desk will never be clean; I really should just stop trying.

2.  My graded work "out" system is working well; the "in" system still needs some tweaking.

3.  Make-up work is the bane of my existence, but I have a hard time denying students the opportunity to make up work they missed. It's the conflict of my soft heart and my rigid need to hold kids accountable.

4.  I feel like I get less done every year. Less literature, less writing, less grammar - I'm working harder every day, but I'm accomplishing less. I'm not sure why that is.

5. Discipline issues get easier overall, but the discipline problems I do have seem to center around "meanness" more than anything else.

6. I still don't have a cure for student apathy.

7. Most days, I still enjoy going to work. I feed off the energy of the students and the rhythm of our days. I like the variety of experiences but the continuity of schedule.

8. I rarely teach the same thing the same way from year to year; this confuses students who think teachers never try anything new.

9.  Students who come back to visit and keep in touch with me remind me of why I do this job.

10. No matter how hard I try, I cannot keep up with the slang. I'm working on it though.

11. Teenagers give me energy and keep me young.

12. I'm glad that my kids know they can count on me to be real with them. I think they mostly respect me for that more than anything else.

13. I miss teaching some of the classics that get axed because of test preparation, particularly Antigone and poetry potpourri and Cold Sassy Tree with my sophomores.

14.Likewise, I worry that I didn't do enough with the seniors. I didn't get all of their real-life questions answered; I just didn't have enough time. Of course, I think they'd probably argue differently.

15. If I ever consider assigning a multi-genre project at the end of the year with a presentation component again, please take me in for psychiatric evaluation.

16. I'd still like to write a book about funny and poignant moments as a teacher; let me just add that to my 'to-do' list. I guess I could do that when I retire; that would protect the innocent and the guilty. Haha!

17. Even when they drive me crazy, they are 'my' kids. Whether it's a twist of fate or destiny, my life and theirs are shaped by the experience we have in my classroom together. For most of them, I hope they look back on a positive experience. I can honestly say there are very few kids over the year that I haven't liked; maybe that's like the memory of childbirth though. You have a tendency to forget the pain because the payoff is so worth it.

18. I need to make more time to read because I want to stay fresh with the newest publications; that's hard to do in the midst of my sometimes crazy workload and personal life.

19. The last week of school is bittersweet - I'm thrilled but sad too. I have a tendency to tear up a lot, so mascara isn't usually a good decision.

20. Sweet, end of year notes from students may be the very best thing about teaching.

21.  Or it could be the tear-filled hugs as they say goodbye to me as seniors.

Here are a few pics of me with some of my very special seniors this year:

And here's a pic of me on the very last day of school with kiddos - throw your hands in the air like you just don't care! Haha!

In a couple of days, I'll be sharing some of the notes my students gave me this year. Right now, it makes me cry too much to share them today. I need a little perspective and distance first.

Peace out, teacher and kiddo peeps!

Standardized testing - a 'come to Jesus' blog post

Happy Standardized Testing Season, everyone! Since the third week of April, our school has had students engaged in some sort of standardized testing almost every day, starting with EOCs (or End of Course assessments) then AP testing, then ODP (On Demand Writing Prompts). Of course, that doesn't even count the state mandated testing that occurred at other points in the year - PLAN, EXPLORE, K-PREP, ACT - or the optional tests that students are encouraged to take - PSAT, ASVAB, SAT.

Here's a look at one of our recent set-ups for testing about 300 sophomores in the arena for EOC exams. (EOC exams occur in core content classes like English II, Algebra II, Biology, and U.S. History.) 

Interestingly enough, I don't have a problem with the idea of standardized testing as one measurement of student learning. I believe that there is some merit in testing all students on a single measurement to gauge how they stack up against their peers and against basic sets of expectations. Should that be the only measurement considered when making decisions about a child's success or academic future? Certainly not. But used together with classroom performance and letters of reference and individualized writing/interviews, it can be a useful tool.

I do not believe, however, that schools (or teachers) should be punished based on the performance of their students. Other professionals are not measured by the behavior of their clientele. Attorneys aren't punished for the recidivism rate of their clients. Doctors aren't penalized for the disease and/or death rate of their patients. Priests aren't penalized for the sins of their parishioners. Nurses aren't punished for the amount of pain medicines their patients need. Personnel managers aren't penalized for workers who must be fired for bad behavior or who quit to work elsewhere. When we talk about careers where clients make most of the decisions and professionals provide services, the responsibility for good behavior falls to the clientele.  This is true in almost every case except public education.

In public education, if anyone is at fault for any problem, it must be the schools themselves, or more specifically, its teachers. Certainly, any failure cannot possibly be attributed to the incredibly high rate of poverty many students experience. I'm sure that my test prep strategies will compensate for whatever else might be lacking in the lives of the 60% of my students who qualify for free/reduced lunch. Certainly, any failure cannot possibly be attributed to the incredibly high number of parents who have been forced to work long hours and nights and weekends leaving children mainly to fend for themselves after the age of eight or so.  Certainly, any failure cannot possibly be attributed to the number of children who have experienced hunger in their lives, many of whom do so regularly even into their teenage years. It's true, any failure could have no connection to drug or alcohol use (either by parents or children themselves). Any failure could not be the result of inadequate health care or mental health support. It couldn't possibly be related to parents who are incarcerated or who are abusive or who are apathetic. I'm sure that students who are political or cultural or economic refugees will have the same amount of success as any other student. Certainly, it's not possible that students with learning disabilities or who are learning English as a second or third language could struggle on standardized exams. I see no reason why students who work for 20 or 30 or 40 hours per week wouldn't be successful on standardized exams. As you can see, the odds of success are indeed stacked against many students through no fault of their own. Those same odds against success are stacked against their schools. The problems our schools face, the problems our students face are indicative of problems in our culture and not one specific governmental entity, like public schools.

Of course, what's really at issue isn't the serious, bureaucratic, focused, funded attempt to fix any of those problems. All we need to do as a country is raise our test scores. Then, we can say that we are successful. I mean, test scores are really the primary indicator of current and future success. If those blasted teachers would just do their jobs correctly, then our children would all be knocking those test scores out of the park!  How many variations of that message have you seen in the newspaper and on the news and on social media?

Honestly, I have a problem with that line of thinking. I can teach to the test. I can give students strategies to help them take the test. We can practice sample tests ahead of time and talk about why the answers are correct/incorrect. I can even threaten and cajole and encourage them. But when it comes right down to it, the students take the test. The students have to show what they have learned. The students have a responsibility to give the test their best effort. And yet, the students have little or no incentive to perform. Most of the time, the scores on these tests have no direct impact on a student's grade or academic future. (EOCs are an exception since they do count as the final exam grade for a course at our school; ACT does have an impact on college entrance.)

Think about this truth - while I am not sitting in that desk and taking that exam, I am being judged by my students' performances. I have much more at stake in their success than they do. I care much more about the exam than they do. Doesn't there seem to be something inherently wrong with that picture?

Please don't get me started on the issue of our nation selling its academic soul to Pearson; that's another rant for another day.

Here I am in my backyard looking thrilled after a long day of testing...

If you are interested in the topic of standardized testing, you might want to check out this article.
Education Reform's Big Lie

Peace out, everybody. School is almost out for summer, and I definitely need a bit of a break. :)

Real-life talks with seniors - update

Here are the things we've been talking about in the last couple of months; these are the things they don't feel like they know. In case some of you have teenagers, you might want to talk with them about these topics or at least review them.

Money questions
      *Bank accounts + fees
      *Checking vs. savings (who needs what and why?)
      *Debit vs. credit cards (who needs what and why? how do you get? what do they mean?)
      Setting a budget while in college
      *Student loans + Pell grants + scholarships + other financial aid for school
      Credit reports (what are they and what do they measure? why do they matter?)
      *Taxes (who files? when? how? what are deductions? how to get a refund? why do some people               have to pay in at the end of the year?)
   

Household questions
     *Laundry (how to do it? what to use? why? how to read clothing labels?)
     Utility bills (how much to budget? what gets bundled together? how do you pay for it?)
     Renting an apartment (references? credit? cost? what to look for/avoid? roommates? leases?)
     *Opening accounts (utilities? cable/internet? cell phone? car insurance? health insurance?)
   

College life questions
      *Budgeting time (class + studying + friends + sorority/fraternity + family)
      *Making friends
      *Roommate problems and advice
      Joining a fraternity/sorority (why? how? should you? is it worth it?)
      Keeping friends from high school/home after you've moved away
      *Money issues (what will parents pay for? what will you pay for?)
      Going to the doctor by yourself
      Majors/minors (how to choose? can you get a job? how much school does that take?)

Isn't that a long list of worries? I've marked the items we've discussed as a class with an asterisk; we obviously didn't get around to discussing all of it.

Only four more days of school for me, three for underclassmen, and two for seniors - we can make it!


   
   


   

Real life lessons

yesterday, I started a new unit with my seniors. After hearing them complain bitterly about panicking at the thought of being on their own in a few months, I realized their panic came from ignorance. They are suddenly aware of all the things they don't know how to do to function in our society. On Thursday, I asked them to turn in the 5 things that stressed them out most about being on their own after graduation. Among the top issues - roommate questions, banking questions, and time management worries. During the last month if school, I'm going to try to address their questions daily to help them feel more confident about entering the world of adulthood. Yesterday, we talked about debit cards vs. credit cards and opening up their first bank account. Even though these are generally upper middle class kids planning on going to college, they feel woefully ill-prepared about real world skills. Don't just call me an English teacher; apparently, I'm a life-teacher. Mire to come on this in the coming weeks, but first, what do you remember not knowing how to do at that age? I'd love to be able to compare the worries then and now.

An epitaph

Have you considered how you'd like to be remembered after you're gone?  This week, my college prep seniors read and studied "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard," a poem that focuses on the lives that normal people led as the speaker strolls through a small, country cemetery. It ends with an epitaph of the original speaker, so I often ask students to write an epitaph for themselves or for a loved one who has already died. For many students, this is a challenging activity since it incorporates both the poetic expectations/requirements that we've been studying this year and a personal element that might include either fear (at their own mortality) or grief (at the mortality of a loved one). I do think it's an important assignment since it forces them to consider if the lives they're leading are ones that are indeed memorable and if their choices are accurately reflecting who they want to be.

Here is the assignment I gave them today: You are asked to write your epitaph--an original expression of no more than 50 words, that reflects your view of life and that would be engraved in stone as a marker of your death and life. You will be evaluated on the originality of the epitaph, the quality/depth of meaning, and the graphical (artistic) form of presentation. You may wish to rhyme, but it is not required. You may also wish to use various poetic literary elements like metaphor or personification. Be careful to correct your work for errors before submitting it tomorrow, 2/26/15.

Interestingly enough, I've been personally impacted by two deaths this week of people I didn't even know. How is that possible, you might ask. Well, it involves the deaths of two people close to my age who were important to people that I do know well. I won't go into details here, but suffice it to say that I have been giving quite a bit of thought this week to my own mortality. Since I assigned the epitaph to my students and since I've been thinking about my own mortality, I thought it might be useful or illuminating or meaningful to create my own epitaph and share it with you. While it definitely still needs work - this is a first draft - I'm happy with what I've written so far. I exceeded the 50 word limit, but that won't surprise y'all. I seem to have a lot to say in general. :)

Here lies a woman you thought you knew,
who wandered through life with more laughter than grace,
who saw herself critically through the eyes of others,
whose existence engraved itself in the hearts of her friends and the lines on her face.

She lived life with the depth of  a saint and the breadth of the damned,
unapologetically and undeniably both in a single breath.
She was a thinker, a maker, a mother, and a dreamer
whose impact will not be dimmed by the dark flower of death.

She lived her truth, ever striving for authenticity
in a world that judges others with impunity.
This woman traveled and learned and loved and gave little
pieces of her heart to her family and community.

The Capitol Steps - Satire at its finest

I love teaching satire. And watching satire. And reading satire. And trying to write satire. My seniors just watched Gulliver's Travels and have been discussing satire some. Their assignment for tomorrow is to read "A Modest Proposal" which is another piece of satire by Johnathan Swift. Whenever I teach satire, I love to use these clips from The Capitol Steps. If you don't know this group, I highly advise watching these. You can see all five of my fave videos of theirs in less than 15 minutes, and it'll be time well-spent. I think it brings up some great questions about the way we do things in this country right now.

Take a look and let me know what you think. Happy Thursday!

Hoping hard for a snow day

While I love the South in general, I do not love it quite so much in February. As I awoke to another gray, dreary, Monday that followed on the heels of a rainy and windy Sunday, I realized that what I really need is a snow day. Just one. Is that too much to ask?

We had a little bit of snow last weekend...

It wasn't even enough to make the roads bad, but it sure did look pretty. It also did the all important job of giving me an excuse to not leave my house. "The weather might get bad, so I can't make it" is a common excuse 'round these parts.

As I drove to school this morning, it started snowing pretty steadily. I sat in my car on a phone call before my day began and watched the snowflakes dance and swirl all around me. The parking lot became coated with a light frosting very quickly. Chances are it won't stick. Chances are it will stop in the next hour or two. But I could still really use a snow day...

Forecast is calling for another snow 'event' Wednesday night; I might just need to pull out my snow-jammies and do a little dance to improve my odds of the ever elusive snow day...

How's your Monday going?

I was wrong

Prepare yourself for some pretty raw reactions from my perspective as a high school teacher. It's been a very hard week for me; you have been warned. This post isn't one where I'm asking for help - instead, I'm trying to express my feelings at this moment as a classroom teacher. :(
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Today was one of the most discouraging days I've spent as a classroom teacher. After 21 years of experience, I thought that very little could surprise me, but I was wrong. My state has started a teacher evaluation system that includes several new components, one of which is called 'Student Voice.' Essentially, each teacher chooses a class to answer some questions about his/her approach to teaching and the students' individual experiences with that teacher in that class. As teachers, we do not have the privilege of knowing what questions are being asked or how individual students respond because the computerized session is administered by another adult in the building and student responses are anonymous. After one of my senior classes participated in the survey back in November, I honestly didn't give it anymore thought. I felt confident that they valued my work and would recognize my efforts and skills. I was wrong. I don't know yet what I'll do in response to these results; for now, I'm simply trying to work through my thoughts/feelings. The scariest part of this for me is that I don't know what else I can give. I'm working incredibly hard and giving so much of myself already that I'm not sure how many changes I can make.

I am wounded by the results. I'm certainly nowhere near perfect, but I've always prided myself on my connections with students. This survey suggests that my relationships need work and my students need more from me; it calls into question my effectiveness in the classroom since I did not perform as well as I expected. Because of this survey, I've begun to question whether I'm delusional about my experiences with my students; I thought that was my strength. There's never been a time in my life when I questioned if teaching were right for me; I inherently knew that this was something I should do with my life. Have I been kidding myself? Am I really not the teacher I thought I was? Should I explore another career path for my life? I know this sounds radical, but I feel as if everything I thought I knew about myself as a professional were a lie. While the student voice survey will likely have little bearing on my job duties or on my overall evaluation (although I can't absolutely be sure since the state is still developing the formula by which I will be measured), that survey has forced me to examine myself professionally.

Every day, you, my students, gather 'round my desk in my personal space to visit, to share, to vent, and to explore. You sit near me because it comforts you; it makes you feel as if you belong to a special group; it allows you to focus on your work instead of your peers; it feels 'fun' to see what's happening up at my desk. You pull up chairs and stools and crowd in close or you pile yourselves and your belongings around the edges of my furniture and camp out, or you hover, shifting from one foot to the next, as you wait your turn to share your thoughts and stories with me. You visit me before school, after school, during lunch, between classes, during clubs, during your other classes when you can get away - all because you feel welcome in my room. My room feels like home to you, even when you don't want to do the work that is required of you. You seek my feedback and my attention, and I almost always give you those things. When you need a hug or a snack or a friendly ear, I'm the one who manages the time and resources to make those things happen.  If you're out of lunch money, you come for my help. If you get in trouble in another class, you come to me to tell me what happened. Even if you aren't in my class anymore, many of you stop by every single day to visit and check in and feel like you were a part of my day. Once you've graduated (or not), you come back to visit during the holidays and fill me in on your life. You message me and email me and tweet me to ask questions, and express your opinions,  and share your lives with me. We take selfies together, and I cheer for you at ballgames. You ask me for letters of recommendations and job references and life advice, and I gladly provide them all for you. You invite me to celebrate your successes and come to me for comfort when you fail. My room is a refuge for you because you are the reason I am there in the first place.

When you're fighting with your parents or your boyfriend dumps you or your best friend is mad at you, I listen to you with a patient ear - not judging, not lecturing, just listening and offering my insights such as they are.  You rarely shock me, but I do worry about you and your choices. I feel the need to remind you constantly to be safe and to think about the consequences of your actions. I interact with you on social media so that I will 'get' your jokes, recognize your influences, and connect with you outside the school day. I share my life with you so that you'll know I care enough to be real. Sarcastic, self-deprecation is something I do best, partly because you appreciate a teacher who laughs at herself. If I don't take myself too seriously, you learn to laugh at your own mistakes and the ironies of life.  In my class, it's okay for you to be different, to be independent, to be yourself. In my class, you can disagree with me if you can be polite and use reason. I'm willing to be wrong, willing to change my mind, willing to consider different perspectives - because I want all of this for you. Certainly, my class is no democracy, but you will be heard there. I'm aware that the big personalities can drown out the quieter among you, so I try to include everyone even when you'd rather disappear in the back of the room. I see you for who you could be.  I am not an entertainer, but I do try to draw you in with personal stories and current events that make the literature relevant to your life. I laugh with you and tease you and encourage you and shame you and motivate you, most of the time all in a single day. I listen to your ideas, your dreams, your opinions and prompt you to set lofty goals for yourself. I give you second chances, and third chances, and twelfth chances. I allow you to be wrong in a safe place, to explore the big ideas of life, to consider what kind of future you want to create for yourself.

There are days when I have to drag you kicking and screaming through a piece of literature or into a grammar or composition concept.  You complain and beg and try to bargain with me so that you don't have to do the work of learning.  I hear how your fave teacher doesn't make you do something; I hear how you've worked hard and deserve a break; I hear how none of this will matter in the future; I hear how much you don't care and are sick of school. And yet, every day, I plug along toward an imaginary finish line  because it's the right thing to do. I take my professional responsibilities seriously, but, more importantly, I take my duty to you seriously. Some days you argue with me, on others you passively resist by sleeping or talking or playing on your phones.  Sometimes you hurt my feelings and mock me blatantly. Sometimes you curse me and challenge me and hate me. There are days when I'm the only one in the room with a clear vision of our goal and the motivation to get there.  Have you ever tried to be excited about something for 30 people in a room? It's tough, but I realize that's just part of my role. At times, I question whether you are right, and if I'm the delusional one. Still, I believe in my responsibility as your teacher and move forward for all of us.

I make mistakes. Last week, I accidentally asked you test questions about two poems we hadn't read yet. Today, I stumbled over my words, tongue-tied,  as I explained the background of a novel. Sometimes, I get emotional and am overcome by the importance of what I'm trying to do with you. Yes, I even get frustrated and impatient. When I make an error, you are quick to point out my shortcomings. You expect me to be perfect, yet I must accept my many imperfections publicly with grace and humility. I'm supposed to be caring yet objective, focused yet flexible, challenging yet reasonable. I struggle to stay relevant and motivated and reasonable and look constantly for ways to keep my approach fresh. My expectations of myself are much tougher than my expectations of you. True, I expect you to behave and participate and learn; I have lofty goals for you even when you don't have any for yourself.

Everywhere I turn, I am reminded that, as your teacher, I am not enough. Statistics say I'm not teaching you as much as kids in country X.  Politicians say that I'm the problem and should be held to higher standards. Businessmen say that I am not teaching you the skills necessary for the workplace. Academia says you aren't prepared for college because I have failed you. Pearson says you aren't performing highly enough on the ACT. My administration tells me my expectations and standards must be incredibly high, but your parents tell me I expect too much. You tell me that nothing I'm teaching you really matters and that you'd much rather play on your phone than learn. The media tells me that your success depends almost entirely on my effectiveness. Popular culture tells me that I'm a societal cliche, a virtual oxymoron. Everywhere I turn, I hear that really anyone could teach; after all, it's not that hard. And I hear that I should be grateful that I have plenty of time off. Almost no one says thank you for choosing a career that matters. Almost no one tells me that he appreciates me. Almost no one tells me that he gets how amazing and how difficult my job is. Almost no one tells me that he was influenced positively by a teacher in his life.  Almost no one treats me as a professional. Almost no one recognizes that student success is a joint effort: if the student does not care, the teacher cannot force him to learn. Almost no one offers solutions to the problems that plague our schools. Almost no one praises public education and the efforts of those involved.

I might not get much recognition, but I believe in what I'm doing. As your teacher, I expect big things from you. I'm always cheering for your success, often behind the scenes. I believe that you can do amazing things, and I'd like nothing more than to help you do them. I can't make you like me or my subject matter, but I can teach you the skills and concepts you need to be successful in college or the business world.  I can't tell you what to think, but I can teach you how to think. I can't force you to care, but I can care about you. I can't make you learn, but I can offer you lots of opportunities and experiences to foster your learning. I am confident in my knowledge of my subject matter, but I thought my real skill, my real talent, lay in my relationships with students. Today, I learned that I was wrong. Were you mad at me? Frustrated by a test score? Having a hard day? Were you being funny? Playing a joke on me? Being sarcastic? Getting me back for some misdeed? Do you hate me that much? Or did you not recognize how much I'd take this all to heart? Were you sincere and sending me the message that I'm really not the teacher I thought I was?

Today really isn't that much different than any other in the last 21 years. I know the rhythm of my day before it even begins; today, I'll teach three novels, the Industrial Revolution, grammar, and composition. I can predict many of the problems I'll encounter, and I'll troubleshoot them as the day progresses. Unlike yesterday, I'll go to school today with a wounded heart. The other naysayers don't really matter, but you, my students, do matter. You don't believe in me. You don't appreciate my efforts. My confidence is shot. I'm disappointed beyond measure. I thought I was making a positive difference in your lives. I thought I was an effective teacher. I thought our relationships were strong. I thought you respected me. I thought you understood how much I really do care. I was wrong.

TL

Last day before fall break

Yeah, I think this pretty much sums it up for me right now.

Here's what my desk looks like at this very moment. Do you see the giant stack of tests and papers to grade? Do you recognize that I barely have any room to work because there's so much stuff? Gah!

Here's what I looked like on Monday, nice and refreshed after a totally relaxing weekend.

Here's what I look like at this moment. Stressed. Tired. This girl needs a break.

Here's what my class looks like at this moment. I'm giving tests and grading like a maniac all day long.


I can't wait to be on fall break for ten days, seven of which I'm spending at the beach. Can I get an amen?

All 'bout that school life

Every now and then someone will ask me what's going on in my classroom these days, so I thought I'd fill y'all in on that. (Just in case you'd like to relive your glory days of high school, right?) Anyway, my ordinary school day looks a lot like this...

1st period    8:30-9:25      English II - 10th grade primarily
2nd period   9:30-10:25    English IV College prep - 12th grade
3rd period   10:30-11:25   English II (lots of ESL students in this class) - 10th grade primarily
4th period    11:30-1:05    Planning and lunch (I lucked out with this rotation!)
5th period    1:10-2:05      English IV College prep - 12th grade
6th period    2:10-3:05      World civilization (collaborative special ed class) - 9th grade primarily

This week, my sophomores are reading Bleachers by John Grisham in class and working on online vocabulary practice; they also took the PLAN test (pre-ACT) on Tuesday.

My seniors are continuing their study of literature from the medieval period - we've worked on ballads this week and are now focusing on Arthurian legends like "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight" and "Le Morte d'Arthur."  They are also working on online vocabulary at home and finishing up their reading of How to Read Literature Like a Professor.

My world civilization class just started studying the Renaissance and Reformation, so we've been alternating bookwork and handout days with notes and lecture. I'm not sure which one they dread the most - working out of the book or listening to me talk. Lol!

Do any of you remember studying these things in school? Did you like English and history, or were you more of a math/science person? I think it's fun to hear about the things that people did/didn't like in school and why, so feel free to regale me with tales of your high school days. ;)

Our first quarter of school ends next Wednesday, then we're out of school for 10 days for fall break. I've decided to travel with a colleague to the beach, so that should be great fun. I can't wait to spend a week lounging in the sand with a book and a beverage. Sounds like paradise to me!

Homecoming Week

Since this week was homecoming week, I had the opportunity to 'dress up' each day along with the kids. While I didn't go 'all out' like many of the teenagers do, I did try to make my outfit correspond to the theme of each day. Check out what homecoming week looked like for the Purples.

Monday -- camo day. I don't own any camo myself since I'm not much of a country girl, but my boy bestie was willing to let me borrow one of his old uniform jackets. It's handy to have good friends who will hook you up with the necessary outfits. All day long, my male students wanted to know where I'd gotten my obviously army issued clothing. ;)

Tuesday -- superhero day. Here I am posing with my friend, Candy, who was also wearing her BatGirl tshirt. Since we were twinkies, we had to take a pic together in the hallway. Ironically, another friend of ours took the first pic, but we liked our selfie shot better. Hahahaha!

Wednesday -- luau day. Whew - Wednesday was a rough day. I barely managed to snap any picture at all. This shot of me lying in my living room at home after work was all that I wound up with from that day. It wasn't really a luau outfit, but a one shoulder large printed floral dress that I covered up with a black cardigan to make school appropriate. As I told one of my senior girls when she asked me where my coconut bra was, "Girl, coconuts don't grow that big." Lol -true story.

Thursday -- 'merica day. Just like I don't own any camo, I also don't own anything with the American flag on it. Call me crazy, but I'm not a fan of flag printed clothing. (IMO, flags belong on flagpoles.) Anyway, I tried to follow along with the day by wearing red, white, and blue instead. It wasn't especially original or flamboyant, but my outfit got the job done.

Friday -- purple and gold day. I'm still looking pretty tired here, aren't I? I sported my homemade spirit shirt and bandanna with jean floods and the decorated shoes that one of my students made me last year.                      

Another student brought in a crown and tutu that she asked me to try on before class. As you can see, I thought it was hilarious. I'm grinning like a maniac. All fun and all good...I'm just super classy, you know. Can't you tell from my outfit?

We finished the day with a pep rally outside at the stadium old-school style. Not all of the kids were really 'into' it, but I certainly enjoyed it. The weather was gorgeous, and I loved being outside.

Unfortunately, the Purples fell short of victory at the game Friday night and lost to McCallie (TN) by a score of 21-20. It was a heartbreaking loss, but the opposing team pulled out all the stops in the last 5 minutes of the game and won. Unfortunately, many of the McCallie fans (mostly parents) acted like total asses at the game, but that's just how it goes sometimes.  This is the pic that ran in our local newspaper on Saturday morning. Any loss is difficult, but our kids had been on a 48 game winning streak, one of the longest in the country and only the second longest streak ever in our state history. Even though we've won three straight state championship titles in football, these kids really wanted the win against McCallie too. (Fwiw, we're a public high school with a 40% free/reduced lunch rate and 30% tuition base while McCallie is a private boarding school where families pay $42,000 for their kids to attend.) There'll be another game next week, and I sure hope that our kids recover from the loss and give it all their heart as they have for the last 48 games. Whatever the outcome, I'll continue to be a diehard fan for years to come.

Hope you enjoyed this walk down the high school homecoming memory lane! Go Purples!

WWI Commemoration

Last weekend, the fella and I attended a WWI seminar at Western Kentucky University in my hometown. It was a day of lecture, presentations, and memorabilia that commemorated the 100th anniversary of the beginning of WWI with the infamous Guns of August. While it was a much more cerebral activity in comparison to how I usually spend my Saturdays, I did enjoy the information.

First, we had a few Danish for breakfast and watched a WWI era plane fly over the campus.

Next, we wandered around the new Augustein Alumni center where the event was being held.

Several speakers informed and entertained us including Dr. David Lee, Dr. Jack Thacker, and Mary Lucas. I ran into several former professors and was introduced to my tablemates who were all connected to me in less than six degrees. (Kevin Bacon moment, anyone?) It always cracks me up that people I haven't seen for a decade seem to still know me. Compliment or slam? I'm not sure.

We enjoyed a box lunch and were entertained by members of Western's music department. They sang and performed various songs/skits from theWWI era.

Finally, a retired air force commander presented a lecture on the use of airplanes in WWI.


We concluded our day with a drive around campus. Here's a shot of the alumni center where we'd spent the day. WKU sure didn't look like this when I was a student there, but it certainly is beautiful now.

All in all, I'm glad the fella and I decided to attend this seminar. While I wouldn't want to spend every weekend like that, I did think it was a worthwhile way to spend a Saturday and look forward to sharing a few tidbits of new info with my history students this year.