A Full Plate, A Rich Life.

Spring Break is here!! Who can even imagine a time when this now common momentary reprieve ceased to exist? Let's just say, students and teachers were ready ready for this break weeks ago. Ahhh. And here it is, and here I am ... at last.

Frenzied days and weeks have limited my posts and thoughts. But here is my meager update.

I imbedded my goal of Proposition 5 this week with my Honors Sophies amidst their Carpe Diem unit. Following memorized recitations of the Prologue from Act I Romeo and Juliet, they learned the detailed components of the Shakespearean/Elizabethan sonnet structure while reading, analyzing,and discussion 4 Shakespearean sonnets. Last weekend, they interviewed a family member about a moment in his/her life when s/he seized the day and did something that required courage. From the details of those interviews, they crafted original sonnets. Additionally, they played with point of view, masculine and feminine rhyme, figurative language, imagery, and onomatopoeia. The final results we incredible. The kids will be posting them soon; link to come. Stories from their loved-one touched their hearts and their classmates: war stories, love stories, life-changing foreseen and unforeseen moments. Many parents already copied, shared, and emailed these compilations inspired by Proposition 5. I suppose I can say, "It worked!"

American Litters are Into the Wild with Jack Kerouac and Christopher McCandless. Over Spring Break their project requires them to experience and document a transcendental adventure of their own. Our brainstorming today prompted great discussion of activities they will seek out: 2 of them are now committed to volunteering at a Soup Kitchen on Easter, a few of them are going to read and learn about cultures unknown to them and then hunt down a restaurant or recipes for food that they have never tried, others are planning to hike on trails never before explored, and yet others may find other places where they can bring a little bit of joy and hard work to people who need it. I cannot wait to hear and see their transcendental adventures and to read about their journeys. I know that I will document mine.

Two more exiting additions, I promise. Rather than serve on the curriculum revision and standard alignment team this summer, my path led me elsewhere. The Grading Coalition is my new professional team: examining changes in how our district grades and reports student learning. As this area is currently one of rich discussion and possible progression, I am excited to be part of it. I also committed to a conference on RTI: Response to Intervention in August, another one of my passions. So just a few more rambling from a full plate, a rich life.

Now I bit you a happy spring break as I shift fully from teacher to mommy and enjoy my kiddos for 10 days to come.

Breathing room

Is it a location or a vacancy in our personal capacity? Both. Though we can breathe in just any room, we simply breathe "better" in some environments over others. Do our schools afford children breathing rooms? Do our homes? Do our lives? The lack of breathing rooms in our lives leads us to the second perspective on this very term: breathing room. And my life, every now and again, does not contain that much needed room to think and prosper. I can only imagine you experience the same caveat in life. Though complaints arise that we live amongst the laziest generation in history, many of us are simply burdened by the "joys" of our lives entwined with too many other commitments.

Now that third quarter grades are closed, all 100 research papers are corrected, one of my graduate classes complete, and sports are in full sessions,believe it or not, I have a little more breathing room. This final quarter will be intriguing as the juniors explore transcendentalism with Whitman, Emerson, and young Christopher McCandless brought to live via Jon Krakauer followed by modernism amidst the words of Plath, Sexton, and Judith Guest. Sophies are delving from nonfiction malleable and non-malleable issues to Seize the Day poetry and drama with the timeless Dead Poet's Society's introduction to Whitman, Shakespeare,Thoreau, and Romeo and Juliet. I love my job!

Lastly, with room to breathe and a commitment to Proposition 5, I made an immediate inclusion of parental involvement and contact using the Infinite Campus messenger. I am composing weekly parent announcements indicating upcoming formative and summative assessments, titles of literature we are reading, and any pertinent additional information. My hope is that this information will extend conversation and connections at home.

Breathing room. We need it to function, to think, and to thrive. So do our kids. With all of the pressure and commitments of life, where is this esoteric room?