After testing our levee engineering skillz (that's right. With a z), we moved on to studying the history of the Chinese language, written characters the Shang Dynasty and BEST OF ALL-- ORACLE BONES.
As usual, kids had to either pass a quiz or turn in a heaping load of homework and if they did....a cool project designed to blow their minds ensued.
How to make Oracle Bones to display in your very own homes? See below!
Materials:
Balloons
Glue
Newspaper
White Paint
Several pages with Chinese Characters
Paintbrushes
Black/Colored Paint
Glasses/cups full of water
Next:
1.Blow up a balloon and put your name on it. Balloon should be slightly larger than your head.
2. Tear 1-2" wide strips of newspaper.
3. Once you have a pile of strips, dump water on them so they're wet but not dripping.
4. Squeeze a thin line of glue on each strip.
5. Start layering the wet, gluey newspaper on top of HALF of your balloon. (And NOT the part with your name. Also, if you do one layer of horizontal, then one layer of vertical newspaper it tends to keep its form better. You also want to make sure your newspaper is as flat and smooth as possible!)
6. Wait a night to dry!
7. Paint your Oracle Bones (aka turtle plastrons) white while STILL ON THE BALLOON.
8. Ask your oracle bone questions. Become inspired and paint your answers (from the Chinese character pages) on the oracle bone.
9. Pop balloon with glorious euphoria.
10. Separate and display Oracle bone for all to see... or wear it as a helmet. Your choice.
Results in picture form will soon be posted. :)
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Saturday, March 22, 2008
American as Apple Pie
On April 12, less than a month from now, I have opted to take the state's history exam. Why? Because in order to teach 8th grade history next year(one of my options), I have to prove to the state that I'm not a moron. That should be no sweat, right?
Well, here's the fun part.
The state test covers the following:
1. Ancient civilizations (including Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, Middle Eastern....)
2. American history from colonial expansion until roughly present times.
3. Ecomonics
4. Geography
Basically, I need to know everything until to the foundation of America, and then all of America's history. Pfft. Piece of cake!
To help me study, I bought a stack of fantastic books that promised to help me unearth the lies of history books, teach me the scandalous events never mentioned, and show me the light quickly and easily. One particular textbook guarenteed to teach me America's history in 24 hours. Did it help? Yes, yes it did. But it also made me absolutely furious.
A couple points of interest. The author had a tendency, in his easily digestible chapters, to leave out what I consider important information. He could have mentioned the Oregon Trail. He could have mentioned the Louis and Clark Expedition. He didn't. You know what else he failed to mention? The Holocaust.
An entire chapter is devoted to WWII, and yet, mysteriously, the author leaves the Holocaust out. In ONE SENTENCE describing the Nuremburg Trials after the war, the author describes people being found guilty of war crimes such as "the genocide of jews, slavs..." etc. And this is the only mention. The author defines WWII as being a war of good versus evil. I can't help but ponder... which side does he see as good?
More evidence that said author is a biased, incompetent sludge-face:
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor (which was also historically inaccurate) he describes Executive Order: 9066. Japanese internment. Okay, I'm thinking, good. The author isn't going to skip over that.
But then I read this sentence: "Life in these centers was as American as apple pie, they even had Boy Scout troops."
WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I nearly threw the book across the room. Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that slavery was a cushy profession as well.
So, now I'm worried that everything I read up to that point could have been riddled with bs as well. Maybe what I now know about the Monroe Doctrine and the Missouri Compromise and the freaking Battle at the Alamo.. maybe its all wrong too.
It's a damn good thing I bought so many other books. And its a damn good thing there's Wikipedia. (OH CRAP! Maybe he wrote things for wikipedia too... Crap, crap!)
So, in the end, after I pass my test with flying colors (keeping my fingers crossed), I think I'll write Mr. Davenport a letter. Let him know that his take on history makes me glad to be a teacher. I can imagine using his book in my classes. To teach my kids not about, oh the Holocaust, or anything about history really.... but not to trust everything they read.
Well, here's the fun part.
The state test covers the following:
1. Ancient civilizations (including Egyptian, Greek, Chinese, Middle Eastern....)
2. American history from colonial expansion until roughly present times.
3. Ecomonics
4. Geography
Basically, I need to know everything until to the foundation of America, and then all of America's history. Pfft. Piece of cake!
To help me study, I bought a stack of fantastic books that promised to help me unearth the lies of history books, teach me the scandalous events never mentioned, and show me the light quickly and easily. One particular textbook guarenteed to teach me America's history in 24 hours. Did it help? Yes, yes it did. But it also made me absolutely furious.
A couple points of interest. The author had a tendency, in his easily digestible chapters, to leave out what I consider important information. He could have mentioned the Oregon Trail. He could have mentioned the Louis and Clark Expedition. He didn't. You know what else he failed to mention? The Holocaust.
An entire chapter is devoted to WWII, and yet, mysteriously, the author leaves the Holocaust out. In ONE SENTENCE describing the Nuremburg Trials after the war, the author describes people being found guilty of war crimes such as "the genocide of jews, slavs..." etc. And this is the only mention. The author defines WWII as being a war of good versus evil. I can't help but ponder... which side does he see as good?
More evidence that said author is a biased, incompetent sludge-face:
After the bombing of Pearl Harbor (which was also historically inaccurate) he describes Executive Order: 9066. Japanese internment. Okay, I'm thinking, good. The author isn't going to skip over that.
But then I read this sentence: "Life in these centers was as American as apple pie, they even had Boy Scout troops."
WHAT?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I nearly threw the book across the room. Next thing you know, you'll be telling me that slavery was a cushy profession as well.
So, now I'm worried that everything I read up to that point could have been riddled with bs as well. Maybe what I now know about the Monroe Doctrine and the Missouri Compromise and the freaking Battle at the Alamo.. maybe its all wrong too.
It's a damn good thing I bought so many other books. And its a damn good thing there's Wikipedia. (OH CRAP! Maybe he wrote things for wikipedia too... Crap, crap!)
So, in the end, after I pass my test with flying colors (keeping my fingers crossed), I think I'll write Mr. Davenport a letter. Let him know that his take on history makes me glad to be a teacher. I can imagine using his book in my classes. To teach my kids not about, oh the Holocaust, or anything about history really.... but not to trust everything they read.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Next Year: Part II
More thoughts....
Options:
--My best friend here has openings in her school. I can be a dynamo and interview like the goddess I am.
--There is a district much closer to me which has many already excelling schools. Already excelling = less pressure? I can submit online applications there.
-- Figure out my options at the current school.
-- Eat lots of ice cream.
What would make me happy:
--Having my last year's kids again. Some of the kids are shit heads, but they are shit heads I like. They are, in essence, my kind of shit heads.
--The time to get really good at one subject instead of trying to be astoundingly brilliant at multiple ones.
--Teaching history.
--The time to put together my own curriculum binders for other subjects than the one I currently teach. The time to focus on things I want to get better at for ME, not because something is due the next day.
--Having the time to take more professional development or classes so I can learn how to be more effective and become highly qualified in more areas.
--The opportunity to help and collaborate with other teachers.
--Learning to be an AA.
-- Eating lots of ice cream.
Options:
--My best friend here has openings in her school. I can be a dynamo and interview like the goddess I am.
--There is a district much closer to me which has many already excelling schools. Already excelling = less pressure? I can submit online applications there.
-- Figure out my options at the current school.
-- Eat lots of ice cream.
What would make me happy:
--Having my last year's kids again. Some of the kids are shit heads, but they are shit heads I like. They are, in essence, my kind of shit heads.
--The time to get really good at one subject instead of trying to be astoundingly brilliant at multiple ones.
--Teaching history.
--The time to put together my own curriculum binders for other subjects than the one I currently teach. The time to focus on things I want to get better at for ME, not because something is due the next day.
--Having the time to take more professional development or classes so I can learn how to be more effective and become highly qualified in more areas.
--The opportunity to help and collaborate with other teachers.
--Learning to be an AA.
-- Eating lots of ice cream.
Next Year?
So, on Friday, I have a meeting and I'm rather excited.
I'm trying to figure out what I want to do for next year. Do I stay? Do I leave? What subject? What grade level? What would make me the happiest? I know something's gotta change.
Pros
-- My principal and vice principal are very supportive of me.
--The assistant principal frequently pops into the room to check up on frequent fliers. He is very proactive when it comes to discipline and tries to prevent situations. He also has impeccable timing and often steps into my door as I'm thinking about calling him.
--The AAs are awesome-- both help everyone with curriculum, unwrapping standards, and put together vast binders of ready to use, standard oriented activities, notes and homework. I love speaking with and collaborating with both of them. They get me. Which is great.
-- I have a reputation. Kids that I don't even know.... know me. I feel like a celebrity because I am known by the community. Parents know me, sisters and brothers know me, cousins know me. My expectations are already set. Being part of a community makes me feel like I have a family.
-- I have grown attached to a good chunk of the kids, especially the ones from last year. Even the ones who drove me nuts. I desperately want to make sure they stay on a Good Path. And not, you know, the jail/pregnancy one.
Cons
-- Our district is in a great amount of debt.
-- We may experience salary freeze.
-- We may experiencing a "tightening" of staff. IE: less teachers, larger class sizes. And less pay.
-- The commute is too damn long, and gas prices are projected to hit $4.00 by summer after which they will probably keep rising.
-- AZ as a state has no idea what to do with ELL learners. They've stupidly made bi-lingual education illegal, and now they have mandated that ELD kids be grouped according to their level of English. Which is absurd. (Don't get me started). The big question is this: since WHEN is separate equal? I thought we did away with that via brown vs. education....Which leads to....
-- I am terrified of getting the ELD cluster again. The kids are so damn apathetic and I can't handle it two years in a row. I love teaching low kids, but DAMN it, give me low kids that have at least an OUNCE of giving-a-damn.
-- I am beginning to burn out. I need to focus on one thing that I love. But in this district, I don't know if that's a possibility with the wacky scheduling.
-- In this district, we are not guarenteed a prep.
-- We are not paid extra money for when kids are split OR if we have to sub... which leads to....
-- Our school never has substitutes. Which meant for the longest time that special areas teachers had to be subs. Which stinks for everyone and creates a LOT of resentment leading to....
-- Teacher retention and morale is low. --> Huge melancholic raincloud.
-- Teachers don't collaborate, share, or help each other.
So.... what am I going to do?
I'm trying to figure out what I want to do for next year. Do I stay? Do I leave? What subject? What grade level? What would make me the happiest? I know something's gotta change.
Pros
-- My principal and vice principal are very supportive of me.
--The assistant principal frequently pops into the room to check up on frequent fliers. He is very proactive when it comes to discipline and tries to prevent situations. He also has impeccable timing and often steps into my door as I'm thinking about calling him.
--The AAs are awesome-- both help everyone with curriculum, unwrapping standards, and put together vast binders of ready to use, standard oriented activities, notes and homework. I love speaking with and collaborating with both of them. They get me. Which is great.
-- I have a reputation. Kids that I don't even know.... know me. I feel like a celebrity because I am known by the community. Parents know me, sisters and brothers know me, cousins know me. My expectations are already set. Being part of a community makes me feel like I have a family.
-- I have grown attached to a good chunk of the kids, especially the ones from last year. Even the ones who drove me nuts. I desperately want to make sure they stay on a Good Path. And not, you know, the jail/pregnancy one.
Cons
-- Our district is in a great amount of debt.
-- We may experience salary freeze.
-- We may experiencing a "tightening" of staff. IE: less teachers, larger class sizes. And less pay.
-- The commute is too damn long, and gas prices are projected to hit $4.00 by summer after which they will probably keep rising.
-- AZ as a state has no idea what to do with ELL learners. They've stupidly made bi-lingual education illegal, and now they have mandated that ELD kids be grouped according to their level of English. Which is absurd. (Don't get me started). The big question is this: since WHEN is separate equal? I thought we did away with that via brown vs. education....Which leads to....
-- I am terrified of getting the ELD cluster again. The kids are so damn apathetic and I can't handle it two years in a row. I love teaching low kids, but DAMN it, give me low kids that have at least an OUNCE of giving-a-damn.
-- I am beginning to burn out. I need to focus on one thing that I love. But in this district, I don't know if that's a possibility with the wacky scheduling.
-- In this district, we are not guarenteed a prep.
-- We are not paid extra money for when kids are split OR if we have to sub... which leads to....
-- Our school never has substitutes. Which meant for the longest time that special areas teachers had to be subs. Which stinks for everyone and creates a LOT of resentment leading to....
-- Teacher retention and morale is low. --> Huge melancholic raincloud.
-- Teachers don't collaborate, share, or help each other.
So.... what am I going to do?
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Shine
Can someone please explain to me why it is that women are such bitches?
Why is it that when you get a certain amount of estrogen in a room, all just goes straight to hell?
Now, I'm not saying all of them are. I work with a large amount of women who are phenomenal human beings, real high-quality ladies. They vent and laugh and share. When you're done speaking with them, you feel better about yourself. They are life preservers. They are rays of sunshine. They can become the reason for going to work, for getting up in the morning.
But the rest? Sweet lord tap dancin' in a tin can. What is this?
People always assume that men are competitive, but I think that truly, women are worse. Why? Because when women are competitive, it isn't always overt. There is often no obvious bravado, no chest-thumping. It's a secret war, a quiet war. A manipulative, whispery war of shadows and vicious gossip. Say one thing, do another. And smile. And lie. Oh, hi! Good morning. Fake cheer and big smiles and then? Well, just wait. Turn your back, and see what expression she makes.
Why are there not more women politicians? I know some who'd be fantastic.
Why is it this way?
Why don't I see the menfolk acting like this?
I can see several reasons.
1. They don't care. They have either enough self-confidence that they don't need to put anyone down, or if they don't have a lot of confidence, they are too mellow to really care.
2. They don't want to waste the energy.
3. If they do want to compete, they make it into a fun game, something that unites them more instead of tearing each other down.
Why do women tear each other down? Why must we always be better than someone else? Why can't we just be honest with each other? Why are we always so defensive? Why is it that we always feel like we have something to prove? Why can't we just be happy with ourselves, our progress?
Why can't I just ask a simple question and get a simple answer? Why can't I ask a question without someone assuming it's a loaded one? Why can't we just talk? Why can't we just be real with each other?
Why is this so damn difficult?
When I think about myself, two truths emerge.
1. I love to learn.
2. I love to be helpful.
I went into teaching because of these two things. (Not because I "simply adore the children", although, of course you have to enjoy the little demons to teach.)
But, these core ideas aren't the same for everyone, and I realize that. Some people see education as a buisness, teaching as a competition.
And you know, I'm not perfect. I have a lot of work to do. I am not as efficient as I could be. I don't differenciate as much as I should. I'm still learning to be more patient. I'm learning ways of being more helpful. Of communicating better with my students and my peers. But, I'm aware of my faults. And I'm trying to be better each day, a day a time.
I just wonder-- why can't more of us just... try to reach and pull each other up? Why don't more of us feel good about being helpful instead of hurtful? Why do we assume that if we help someone else shine, that that makes us shine less?
Its like that old proverb about love. You know the one-- the more love you give, the more love you get? When you help someone, when you make someone feel better, or collaborate, or share, or just be a decent human being.... you both shine more brightly.
Why must we always try to take on all the credit to ourselves? Why must we all try to outshine each other?
Why is it that when you get a certain amount of estrogen in a room, all just goes straight to hell?
Now, I'm not saying all of them are. I work with a large amount of women who are phenomenal human beings, real high-quality ladies. They vent and laugh and share. When you're done speaking with them, you feel better about yourself. They are life preservers. They are rays of sunshine. They can become the reason for going to work, for getting up in the morning.
But the rest? Sweet lord tap dancin' in a tin can. What is this?
People always assume that men are competitive, but I think that truly, women are worse. Why? Because when women are competitive, it isn't always overt. There is often no obvious bravado, no chest-thumping. It's a secret war, a quiet war. A manipulative, whispery war of shadows and vicious gossip. Say one thing, do another. And smile. And lie. Oh, hi! Good morning. Fake cheer and big smiles and then? Well, just wait. Turn your back, and see what expression she makes.
Why are there not more women politicians? I know some who'd be fantastic.
Why is it this way?
Why don't I see the menfolk acting like this?
I can see several reasons.
1. They don't care. They have either enough self-confidence that they don't need to put anyone down, or if they don't have a lot of confidence, they are too mellow to really care.
2. They don't want to waste the energy.
3. If they do want to compete, they make it into a fun game, something that unites them more instead of tearing each other down.
Why do women tear each other down? Why must we always be better than someone else? Why can't we just be honest with each other? Why are we always so defensive? Why is it that we always feel like we have something to prove? Why can't we just be happy with ourselves, our progress?
Why can't I just ask a simple question and get a simple answer? Why can't I ask a question without someone assuming it's a loaded one? Why can't we just talk? Why can't we just be real with each other?
Why is this so damn difficult?
When I think about myself, two truths emerge.
1. I love to learn.
2. I love to be helpful.
I went into teaching because of these two things. (Not because I "simply adore the children", although, of course you have to enjoy the little demons to teach.)
But, these core ideas aren't the same for everyone, and I realize that. Some people see education as a buisness, teaching as a competition.
And you know, I'm not perfect. I have a lot of work to do. I am not as efficient as I could be. I don't differenciate as much as I should. I'm still learning to be more patient. I'm learning ways of being more helpful. Of communicating better with my students and my peers. But, I'm aware of my faults. And I'm trying to be better each day, a day a time.
I just wonder-- why can't more of us just... try to reach and pull each other up? Why don't more of us feel good about being helpful instead of hurtful? Why do we assume that if we help someone else shine, that that makes us shine less?
Its like that old proverb about love. You know the one-- the more love you give, the more love you get? When you help someone, when you make someone feel better, or collaborate, or share, or just be a decent human being.... you both shine more brightly.
Why must we always try to take on all the credit to ourselves? Why must we all try to outshine each other?
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
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