Laws of School, p. 183, 436

I'm at that point in the term when it seems there is more to do than can be done. Why does this happen every semester? I think it must be a school law or something that says, "We must overwhelm our students with a multitude of assignments and presentations at the end of each semester." Whoever wrote that law really stinks...

P.S.

I just wanted to say in reference to my previous blog post--that I don't really like writing odes. It seemed right at the time to stay sort of true to the name ode, but the rhyme scheme is weird in my opinion. I prefer couplets...or ABABCDCD...or other things that flow a little better. Just for the record...

And for those of you who didn't quite understand, Joey isn't dead. He just had to go back to the "adoption agency". My parents both recently had heart surgery and they can't take care of him. Sad, I know.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend to you all!

Ode to Joe

I found out the other day that my dog had to be returned to the Cocker Spaniel Rescue. Of course I don't blame my parents for no longer being able to take care of him. Still, it really stinks. I've got a lot of good pictures and maybe even little videos of him, but I don't have time right now to go hunting for them. Still, while it's fresh on my mind, I need to give an Ode to Joe:

My Joe, a cute and friendly dog is he.
Since the 8th grade, he'd been my constant friend.
Although he smells, he's really quite funny--
The squirrels in our backyard he'd always tend,
He barked at floaties circling 'round the pool,
He learned to sit and shake and roll over,
He waited without fail for his treats.
Tree leaves get stuck on him--his face of drool.
Unsupervised, he'd sneak some of our dinner--
We found him on the table with our eats.

He used to jump up on Mom and Dad's bed.
The toilet was his place for a cool drink.
I love the floppy ears upon his head.
He got a lot of grief 'cuz of his stink.
He'd sleep in my room 'til I left for school--
Then he moved to Mom and Dad's room floor.
It wasn't fun to have him in your tent--
You'd swear he'd seen a goblin, ghost, or ghoul!
I'll miss his side-by-side-with-Daddy snore.
With hope, his life'll be happy, though different.

[Written by J.E. Stolle. 5/15/09. In the style of an English Ode. Ten lines per stanza. Iambic pentameter. Rhyme Scheme: ABABCDECDE]


Love and miss ya, Joe-Man!

Spring Creek's the Name, 3rd Grade's the Game

Just wanted to leave a short message saying that I found out I'll be teaching third grade next school year. I found out last Friday when I went to visit the principal and school facilitator. It's crazy that I'm already to this point. My BYU life is almost over. Weird...

IN OTHER NEWS...

Welcome to my new school! I got accepted to be an intern at Spring Creek Elementary starting in the fall!

On Monday morning I interviewed with panels of principals and facilitators in the Provo School District. I interviewed in two rooms which pretty much had 3 school principals in each room, accompanied by their respective school facilitators. I felt better about my interview in the first room, although the second room had my principal from Franklin in it. I really like him, and I had hoped to end up at his school. Alas, that was not my fate--and I no longer mind. I was a little unsure when I first got the call from Lynette (my liason), but not I'm really excited to be going to Spring Creek!

Spring Creek is a Title I School, which is actually all I have experienced so far in my cohort experiences with BYU. It is a new school that replaced the older Maeser Elementary, I think. It was only built in 2002, so it's lookin' real good! It's two stories tall, and it sits on the hill right about a juvenile detention center. Ha! Amber keeps saying I'll never lack volunteers because I'll have kids from the juvie who need to get their community service hours in haha. :)

Because they are Title I, they get extra money to spend on things like technology, so I will have my own Promethean Board! It's like an interactive whiteboard that's connected to the computer and a projector. See below:



You can pretty much control your computer by using an electronic pen on the board that's in the picture shown above. The large screen and projector enable you to create interactive whole class lessons. You can project worksheets and class games, create weekly flip charts of information, and of course, show movie clips at a much larger size than the average school t.v. :) I'm kind of funny about it, actually. The kids pretty much expect that I'm going to do something stupid when I use the active board. I heard the following from a student during one of my lessons: "It [the active board] always messes up when she does it!". I'm not quite tech-savvy yet, but I'm working on it! :) I believe I also get a mac laptop while I teach at the school.

I don't know what grade I'll be teaching yet. I still need to call the principal to accept the offer tomorrow. Maybe he'll tell me then. I do know that the current interns at the school are in 2nd and 3rd grade. Hopefully they'll respect my preferences and not put me above 4th!

Thanks to the fam, who fasted for me this past Sunday! Prayers were answered, and I feel good (although nervous) about my assignment.

Click to see more on Spring Creek Elementary

Back to Normal Life

Well, my practicum at Franklin is over. It was a learning experience for sure. I learned that I can manage 5th graders very well, but that it's not my favorite grade to be in. I know this is what old people say, but they really are a different generation. In terms of respect and the way they talk to teachers, things are a lot different than they were when I was in elementary school. Sometimes it makes me downright angry inside. I wish they were taught more respect at home or that they didn't have to base their interactions with others (especially with adults) off of what they see on t.v. Still, they are bright and have a lot of potential. If some of them would just try a little harder, I think they would see a big difference in their school success. I could make a list of the things I didn't like each day, but I think I need to pick out some positive ones. So, here I go.

Some of the best things about my 2nd practicum experience (in no particular order):

1.Watching the students recite the Preamble of the Constitution in BOTH English AND sign language...it pretty much gave my heart chills! I tried learning to sign it and with some success. :)
2.Cups of Sonic-like ice in the teachers' lounge
3.Learning how to engage (and/or silence) 26 5th graders
4.Sharing jokes or cool rhythm patterns with them
5.Reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret
6.Playing basketball with the students at recess
7.Meeting an awesome principal
8.PROGRESSING as a teacher!

What?!

Can you find the similarity between these things? Yes, that's right! They're upside-down--a condition similar to what I feel like has happened to my life a little. Not in huge ways...but in bigger-than-small ways. The day before my month-long practicum in 3rd grade, I was informed that I would be teaching in 5th grade instead. Whoa! There's a whole hormone/attitude/size difference! I'd been mentally preparing for 3rd grade, and now that I've been in 5th for two days, I am having a rough time--in essence, I feel like my life has turned upside-down. What happened to the days of first grade? I know I will learn from this, but right now it is really hard. From simple addition and syllables to fractions and magnetism. Yikes! How to teach these things---and teach them well??

That's all for now.

Signed,

The Upside-Down

Can it be spring?

We've had the best weather recently! Sure, it's been a tad on the cold side some days, but overall it's been so nice! The grass is out (although a little brown), and the snow is mostly gone. Amber and I have enjoyed going on walks, and we went running with Amy today. We're about to go play tennis as well. When I mentioned Kiwanis Park today I got really excited because that park reminds me of spring and being outdoors playing and having fun with friends! It's such beautiful weather, and I LOVE being out in it! But will it stay? That's the question. I'm not sure that Punxatawney Phil was accurate this year. However, this is Utah--and the weather can be really weird at times. Any thoughts---is this good weather here to stay?

Stressed Spelled Backward is Desserts

Before Christmas and during finals, I got to go visit my friend Cherice. Her family makes handcrafted chocolates that they sell in a shop in Sandy, and she let me come help out in the store. When you walk in, it's kind of like walking back through time a few decades. They don't use modern equipment--they pretty much continue doing things the way they've been done for the past 4 generations or so. I guess they've upgraded to a cash register, but they still use a little heated iron to shrink wrap the boxes, etc. They keep the store very cold so that the chocolates don't melt. It was a pretty cold winter experience!







I took some chocolate home to the family for Christmas, and it was a hit! Each chocolate is hand-dipped and has its own special symbol drizzled over it in chocolate. The chocolate caramel pretzels and pecan logs are divine as well. Cherice insisted that their chocolates are better than See's, and I agree!

In the pictures above you can see the giant vat that the chocolate stays in until someone is ready to use it. The messy chocolate picture is one where Cherice is hand-dipping mint Oreos! Yum!! I had a fun time sorting orders and choosing my own chocolates to take home.

Thanks, Cherice! :)

A Piece of My Heart

Wow. It's been a long time...again. I've started some blog posts (at least one), but finished none. So now, today, on this the 14th of February, in the year of our Lord, 2009, I am going to write. What about? Perhaps about something I love--seems appropriate. Or perhaps people that I love. Yes, a big group that I love. Let me introduce you...

{I took out some pictures here for safety reasons.}

...to my first graders. Well, technically they aren't mine. But they felt like mine last semester--my babies. It was so fun to teach them and interact with them and watch them learn and grow. They are small and need things broken down into bite-sized pieces, but it was a great experience. I love 1st grade!







Yep, those were my kids! The girl in the picture with me was my mentor teacher, Marissa (Miss Crane). I was a little worried at first when I found out how young she was. Amber brought up a good point, though--being young means that you're fresh out of school with the latest and greatest ideas, trends, and methods. You're also not stuck in your ways like some older teachers can be. Do you think that the school kind of looks like the one in the show Recess? Farrer used to be a middle school, but they transformed it into a (very large) elementary when they demolished Joaquin Elem.

Anyway, this was a special experience for me. I was sad when it ended. That was a happy (and BUSY)time for me, but I've moved on. I still like to go see the students and Miss Crane occasionally, though.

In March I start my second cohort experience at Franklin Elementary in 3rd grade, and I'm super excited about it! Really--it's going to be fun...and a challenge. I have already visited the school and the class, and I have great principal, facilitator, mentor teacher, and class. I got to see the students in give book talks and do a brain dance. I participated in the brain dance. It's actually kind of funny, but they take it pretty seriously. I also got to be in music class with them for a bit. It should be fun. My mentor teacher Miss Sutton has a special technology certification which has given her a pretty unique allowance. There is a Mac in the classroom for every two students. She also has a Promethean Board--I have yet to really see these at work, so it will be a learning experience for me. I guess I'll be incorporating a lot of technology for the month that I'll be there.

Anyway, this was an accomplishment for me! Maybe I'll even post another one later today or over this long weekend. Have a happy one, all!