School Spirit Week

Monday: Mismatch Day
Tuesday: 70's Day
Wednesday: Pajama Day
Thursday: Crazy Hair Day
Friday: Halloween colors day

Monday:






Tuesday:


Thursday:


It's hard to tell but the girls both have purple and gold hair...along with mismatched bows...and combinations of braids, pony tails and buns..Sorry about Michelle's facial expressions...turns out she wasn't feeling so good...and I kept taking bad photos.

A-ha Moment

I can remember being in English class in high school and learning the definition of the word epiphany. I loved that word from the moment I learned it. And I've always loved the feeling of having an epiphany...an a-ha...whether it was about something in my own personal life, something I was studying, a method of teaching or something about the gospel.

Well, I've had one of those today. I've been reflecting on work and some other things. My school is having a rough year. Our test scores were not high enough in language arts last year and we are under a lot of pressure to bring them up. We are being criticized, observed, persuaded and forced to change how we are doing things. Change can be a good thing, and I do think there have been a few positive changes that our school has made. But I also think there have been many changes that are not in the best interest of kids or of our nation's future.

Anyway, all the criticism and focus on negative test scores has made us all feel quite incompetent and demoralized (and there's been discouragement and anger and other feelings mixed in there.) Anyway, back to my a-ha. I have been reflecting on how no one likes to feel incompetent. It may just be one of the most negative feelings I've ever had...at least for me. To know that I am working so hard and that I care so much and to be told on at least a weekly basis that what I'm doing isn't working and isn't good enough. It's a horrible feeling.

Well, anyway, that got me to thinking about my students. What message are they hearing from me and from the school? In many ways, I did feel like I was having more success with kids a few years ago and so I've been thinking about why that is. Some of it is the program we are now required to use, but some of it is me. And here's what I think it may be. In the past (before the intense pressure of No Child Left Behind got so bad in the past 3 or 4 years)... I focussed mostly on showing kids where they were and how much they were progressing. I made a big deal about how much they were learning... and really celebrated growth...even if they were still behind the grade level benchmarks or standards. Even with my struggling students, I think I found a lot to celebrate because they were learning and progressing. But now, we are constantly showing students and their parents where they are in comparison with where the standards are. This isn't entirely bad...parents and students should know how they measure up to the district/state benchmarks and standards. But it seems like the focus is on the comparison between the two. And for many of my students, that is a regular reminder that they don't measure up. There is very little emphasis placed on growth and while I personally do try to celebrate it, I'm still constantly having to show kids where they are compared to the standard. And for many of them that probably makes them feel inadequate. And what a horrible feeling that is! I understand why people have implemented No Child Left Behind and I sincerely want to believe and hope that they did it with the best interest of children at heart. I think they were thinking of the children I teach and hoping that this would give them a better start in life. Unfortunately, I think the unintended consequences of this bill have been very different from the intentions. I hope we aren't... no, I hope I am not... sending the wrong message and telling kids that they are inadequate. So now that I've realized this, I think my mission needs to be two-fold (since I personally can't get rid of the current political climate and the negative consequences of this poorly enacted law)... first, figure out how I can help my students to feel competent and to be able to see their growth in a school that is totally focused on whether a child will pass the end of year test. And second, find a way to incorporate things into my day that children will be successful at. We/I need to find a way to build confidence and competence and celebrate growth. That is my new quest.

Violin

Michelle is now taking violin lessons. When we signed Michelle and Ella up for the afterschool program at Northwest Community Center, they told me that they have free violin lessons for kids in 2nd grade and up. I asked Michelle if she wanted to take the lessons and she said she did. The class has 6 or 7 kids in it and meets twice a week for 30 minutes each session. It is taught by the Utah Symphony Outreach program, and Michelle is loving it so far.

Halloween Books

Here are a few Halloween reads that the girls and I have enjoyed:

Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi, illustrated by Gris Grimly... cute, clever story, creepy/fun illustrations

The Little Green Witch by Barbara Barbieri McGrath, illustrated by Martha Alexander... a Halloween remake of The Little Red Hen...with a fun twist at the end.

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler... a witch keeps making room on her broom for friends...until the broom snaps in two. Then they have to come up with a plan for the best broom of all.

A Very Brave Witch by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Harry Bliss... A little witch and little girl both show their bravery.

The Halloween House by Erica Silverman and illustrated by Jon Agee...A counting back book (from 10 to 1) with rhyming and all your favorite Halloween creatures.

CinderHazel... The Cinderella of Halloween... by Deborah Nourse Lattimore... I love clever remakes of fairy tales... and this Halloween Cinderella is sure to delight... Cinder Hazel is the messiest Cinderella of all.

The Witch Next Door by Norman Bridwell (author of Clifford)... Some neighbors don't want a witch living next to them... so the witch casts a (kind) spell on them.

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything... Lovely repetitive book with a great ending.

The Benefits of Picture Books

I'm part of a children's literature group on Goodreads (which I love!) and links to a NY Times Article were posted there. The article talks about how and supposedly why picture book sales have been declining. I say supposedly because while I think there is some truth in what the article says, I think the article was very slanted and only considered one possible reason for the decline. Anyway,if you want to read the article here's the link:
NY Times Article

I want to point out a few things. First, the parent who was quoted in the article was misquoted and has written a response explaining her position and telling more about her children's reading lives. Second, I think the article was written in an alarmist method. I do think that many parents feel pressured to get their children reading early and to push them too soon... I have talked with friends that feel that way and I have felt it on ocassion. One friend told me that all the kids in her neighborhood were reading before they started kindergarten. My guess would be that not all of them were, but at least quite a few. Now some children do read early and some don't...and really we should enough to make her and others feel pressured. I think we should all relax a little because ultimately it doesn't matter that much whether your child starts reading at 4 or at 7...as long as they do learn to read and in my opinion, as long as they learn to love reading. So I wish parents could take some of the pressure off themselves and their kids. I love the song "Let them Be Little" by Billy Dean and wish I was better at remembering that they are only little for a short time and not to try to rush them through these stages.

After thinking about that article and reading 2 responses to it (One of the responses was especially excellent... you should check it out: Book Moot) and discussing it on Goodreads, I wanted to move beyond the article and express my thoughts as to why picture books are valuable. Here's what I said on Goodreads:

"While I still find the article a little sad, I guess I like to focus on what I can control. I certainly can't control how other people choose to spend their money (and I can't afford to buy enough picture books to personally make much of a dent in picture book sales! :)) but I can read aloud great picture books to my students and my children. I sometimes blog about my favorites and review them here on Goodreads. I also sometimes pass especially good ones on to other teachers. And if those of us who love picture books do those things then we'll raise a generation of kids who love picture books and see the value in them."

So, in no way am I trying to get kids or parents to stop reading chapter books. I love chapter books, and Michelle is thrilled to be reading chapter books now. But I would discourage pushing kindergartners and first graders to read chapter books...if they are ready and they choose them, that's okay, but I would keep a big emphasis on picture books. And I would have my kids keep reading picture books as long as they are willing and I would read picture books aloud to them until they are at least 8-10 years old. Here is why:

**Picture books cover a wide range of genres. Often once kids begin reading chapter books, they get hooked on a series or specific genre of book. This is not bad...in fact in many ways it is good. But you can often get children to read a picture book from a genre that they might not take the time to read in a chapter book. This exposes them to many new ideas and ways of seeing the world.

**Picture books contain amazing illustrations. Exposing children to great artwork engages their brains in a different way and is enriching.

**Picture books contain beautiful language. Few children reread chapter books over and over, but kids fall in love with the language, rhythm and cadence of well-written picture books and these books are read over and over. Repeated reading of well loved books increases vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, understanding of text structure, etc. OH and perhaps most importantly, it leads to engagement and enjoyment!

**Many picture books actually contain more difficult vocabulary and concepts than early chapter books.

** Reading picture books aloud builds family togetherness, bonding, etc. It leads to great discussions and strengthens love and builds an eagerness for reading. Honestly, as a teacher (and a parent) if I could get every parent to do one thing it would be to read to their kids.

**Picture books come in a wide range of levels. Some are aimed at very young children but some are truly aimed at preteens, teens and even adults. I can literally say that many picture books have brought me to tears.

A few examples are Thank You, Mr. Falker and Junkyard Wonders, both by Patricia Polacco as well as She Taught Me To Eat Artichokes by Mary Kay Shanley and illustrated by Paul Micich.

Not only have picture books caused me to cry, they often make me laugh. I love rewritten fairy tales with a modern twist or fun new perspective. I'm writing a post on my other blog with some of my favorites listed.

And want to get in a holiday mood? NO matter whether the approaching holiday is Halloween, Christmas or the Fourth of July, there are darling picture books to get you in the mood. Gary Gustafson brings one picture book to read to the Young Men and Young Women (ages 12-17) each year before beginning our ward's Secret Santa. And they listen and feel the Spirit and are touched by how much they have as he reads and his eyes fill with tears. I fill my classroom and home with holiday books and it adds to the excitement.

I know that reading chapter books feels like a rite of passage for many kids. So, here in my home, what I do is let Michelle read aloud to me from her chapter book and then she and Ella each pick a picture book for me to read to them. When we go to the library, they can each check out one chapter book but up to 8 or 10 picture books. I certainly don't think you should make a child read picture books, but every child loves to be read to. As a teacher, I have read aloud picture books to kids in first grade up to sixth grade. And in fact, I've seen a junior high teacher read aloud picture books to kids...and that teacher had them enthralled, on the edge of their seat and eager for more! So what I'm hoping is that as parents, we keep reading and buying and checking out picture books. We are the models for our children. If we fill our homes and our lives with great books...both picture books and chapter books, our lives will be richer and so will our children's lives.

I hope that you will also read the Book Moot link. She had great things to say about picture books... as well as reviews on all kinds of books. I put 10 books on hold after browsing her site. :)

Cute hair

Gabrielle generally hates having her hair done...and I'm lazy or as I like to say instead, I'm busy. And she has so much curl that it really doesn't need to be styled. Although right now it is getting long enough that it really does get pretty frizzy/crazy looking sometimes. So I ought to try to do her hair...and sometimes I do, but she usually doesn't leave bows or anything in. So I was surprised when I picked her up from Aly's a couple of weeks ago and Aly said she asked Aly to do her hair. But it did look darling,so I had to take a few pictures.

On a normal day:


After Aly did her hair:

Crazy Girl!

Michelle is so small for her age. About 2 weeks ago, she was wearing a pair of pink knit pants that were awfully small for her... I thought they were Ella's from a year ago. But no, when she took them off she showed me that they were a pair of Gabrielle's 18 month old pants. They fit more like shorts...but still she could get them on! I thought this was pretty funny and told a couple of friends about it. So on conference weekend,she decided to model another of Gabrielle's outfits... and while both the shirt and skirt are too short... again she can get them on...and since we weren't leaving the house, she actually wore them all day long. CRAZY! I'm sure that some 2 year olds weigh almost as much as her. Oh well, who doesn't want to be petite?!

Visit with Family

We were lucky enough to have my mom, stepdad, and sister visit us a week ago. They flew in Thursday night and stayed until Tuesday afternoon. It was so nice to visit with them. The girls were so excited to see them, although Gabby felt very shy most of the weekend. But Michelle and Ella were thrilled to have Grandma, Grandpa and Aunt Suzy around. On Saturday, we had my mom's family over... my grandpa, and several of my aunts, uncles and cousins. It was nice to visit with all of them...but I was terrible and didn't take any pictures. Oh well!

Aunt Suzy came with us to parent-teacher conferences on Monday and we went to the park with us while Michelle had violin lessons. (Both girls are doing very well in school...in English and Spanish.)

We also went to the park on Tuesday. That was the only time I pulled my camera out all weekend, so they are the only pictures I have to remember the visit. But we are so glad they could come... We love them so much!






Suzy and Michelle ran several races at the park. They even had a crab walk race.

the shirts on our backs

The girls have new shirts... we made them on Thursday together. On Tuesday, we headed over to Michaels and the girls each picked out 2 iron-on patterns that they liked and two plain t-shirts. We had a busy day Wednesday, so we didn't get the iron-on shirts done. So first thing Thursday morning, before our playdate with Jolie, we made iron-on t-shirts. Michelle got a black Halloween t-shirt and a bright pink Hello Kitty t-shirt. Ella got a white glittery heart t-shirt and a black guitar t-shirt. Gabby got 3...one a jeweled star, one that says, "Future Diva" and one that has 6 glittery stars (cut off of Ella's pattern). The girls are so excited about their t-shirts and have been showing them off to anyone who comes over and telling them all about how we made them ourselves.

The plain shirts prior to all that ironing:


A few of the completed shirts:

Comprehension

Sometimes I get discouraged about some of the trends in public education. Those of you who know me well know how deeply I care about my students and how passionate I am about teaching. Don't get me started talking about school unless you are prepared to get an earful! :) And one of my biggest frustrations is our high stakes testing and all of the ramifications from this high stakes testing...for me, but especially for my students. Thanks in part to this testing, our district has adopted a basal reading program. And it has both strengths and weaknesses. But the part that I am most frustrated by is the way it teaches reading comprehension...I think it covers way too many skills and strategies and goes way too fast...never giving students the chance to master any of the strategies and make them their own before rushing on to another skill and strategy. It goes against everything that I think is most important. If I were to choose one thing that I think is most important for me to teach these children, it is to understand what they are reading. If they can read well and truly comprehend what they are reading (by using strategies such as drawing conclusions/making inferences, determining what is important, connecting the text to their own life, understanding the text structure, asking questions about what they are reading, evaluating whether what they are reading is factual or not and so on...) then they can go on and learn about almost anything in this amazing world. Not only is reading fun, but it is one of the most important ways to continue to learn and gain new knowledge. So imagine my dismay that the program I have to use does not do a stellar job at teaching these skills, at least not in my opinion (which is based on the research I've read as well as my 13 years of teaching experience). While I can't completely disregard the program, after several discussions with my administrators and our literacy coach, I have reached a compromise. I will continue to teach the skills and strategies that the basal recommends, but I will focus on 5 to really help the kids become solid in. I will do this in a variety of ways, through think alouds as I read, modeling, small group instruction but also by incorporating comprehension practice on these 5 strategies during their independent practice time/centers each day. So on Monday of every week, they will find the main idea and details of a text we read. On Tuesday, they will record what they know about the text structure. On Wednesday, they will write down questions they have about the text. And so on. I'm introducing one at a time and practicing it until they become confident in that strategy and then adding another to their repertoire. And I may make some changes as the year progresses, but if they leave my class as confident readers who understand and can respond to what they read, I will feel I have been successful.

Bees Game with friends

Way back at the beginning of September we went to a Bees Game with our good friends. It was so much fun...to watch the game, talk, eat, ride the train, let the kids play and be with such great friends.

Here we are watching the game. Love the photo of Stacie and Jeremy.



The kids all really enjoyed riding the train. And it was fun for me because I saw both a current student and a previous student while I was on the train.


The kids, except Gabrielle, all ran around the field after the game. I love that we have friends that our kids love and that we enjoy being around. Our families have become so close. We are so truly blessed...with friends from our neighborhood, friends from work, and friends from church. I couldn't ask for a better life!

dinner with Ricardo

This post is way overdue, but I wanted to record the fun time we had with Ricardo and Cassandra and their family. Ricardo and Alfredo worked together back in Maryland and were good friends. Ricardo was perhaps the first person Alfredo knew that was LDS. When Alfredo and I went on our honeymoon to DC, we stopped to visit with Ricardo and Cassandra. They are truly lovely people. Well, we have seen them a few times in the past decade and exchanged Christmas cards. And now they live here, so in August we were able to have them over for dinner. Their two children are now teenagers, so we were afraid that they would be bored. But they (and their cousin that came with them) were so kind to our girls and who knew that the zipline would be such a big hit with them?! :)

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon

This is a great story. It's like a collection of folktales with an overarching story connecting all of them. It is about a father who tells stories and a mother who feels stories are useless because they can't feed the family. (Given their circumstances...I wonder which I would have been... I think stories are very valuable...but would I become like the mother/wife who values their physical sustenance more than their mental growth? Hmm...) It is about a young girl Minli, who goes out to meet the man in the moon to change her family's fortune. As she goes, she meets a variety of characters, including an evil green tiger and a loving dragon that can't fly. But most importantly, Minli learns two valuable lssons...first, if you keep those near to you happy, then those far away will come... in other words... seek to bless your family first, and then others. And the second lesson is that the key to peace and happiness is thankfulness. Such a beautiful story... it is written for children/young adults (about age 10 and up) but really could be enjoyed by all... as well as reminding us each of what is truly important.