Where does the time go?

Summer is in full swing. I've spent much time at home, in Maine, and even took a week-long trip to Montana. As I travel around collecting experiences, I am constantly trying to keep up with all the information my social networks feed to me. I am experimenting with Google+ as the place to center all my updates, both the ones I receive and the ones I send. I hope to become familiar enough with Google+'s ins and outs so I can use it in the classroom this fall.

My students already have a gmail account and are familiar with Google docs. We use Edmodo as a way to share links, assignments, pictures, and ideas. I often hear from them that they tire of having to login to too many different locations. Will Google+ help to cut down on the number of logins or screens they need? Perhaps. Google circles are an interesting way to share information and already I have a circle labeled 'Students'. I envision using circles for different classes and project groups. A number of educators are brainstorming ways to use Google+ in the classroom and as we become more familiar with the network I feel confident it will become a regular tool in my toolbox.

What a way to start the day!

The end is near...

I'm glad all my friends made it safely through last night's tornadoes.  It was pretty wild out there for a while.  It's been pretty wild in here too, lately.  The end of the school year is always a difficult time for my group.  They know the stability of school will give way to the freedom of summer and there are many reasons why this may not be exciting for them.  During the time leading up to the last day, my students tend to be more easily aggravated, quicker to explode, faster to judge, whine, and insult.  Tempers run high and patience is worn thin!  It's a yearly phenomenon but it never gets any easier. 

Besides trying to wrap up all my end of the year responsibilities, I start making lists of things that need to be done over the summer, for next year.  I reflect on my progress and start planning for improvement come fall.  Behavior plans and minute sheets are adjusted, schedules are worked out, and lessons are tweaked yet again.  One challenge that comes with teaching the same group for several years in a row is developing new units.  I can't teach the same lessons every year, it's more like every 4-5 years.  I start planning for the fall in the spring!

I am really set on making lessons dynamic and engaging.  I find that my boys are especially engaged on a deeper level when they can move around, solve problems, and create new ways of doing things.  I'd like to find ways of combining active lessons with technology  to build problem solving skills.  I need to find resources for these kinds of things.

Gardening 101

It makes perfect sense that we would schedule our gardening day on the chilliest one we've had lately.  The kids are never dressed for the weather and quickly began to complain about the tortures I was deliberately inflicting on them. In the end, they did go outside and complete the task at hand.

We enlisted the assistance of a local community member when we began planning.  She recruited a few local landscaping companies to donate loam to our efforts.  The companies were more than willing and two dumptruck loads of loam soon appeared outside our room.  We have enough dirt to fill a swimming pool!  We're hoping that the Going Green Committee will continue with their plans to create a garden and use what's left over. 

Our maintenance worker, Walter, offered up an idea to continue our lesson once the veggies are grown.  He's an avid gardener himself and cans his tomatoes if he can't use all the fresh ones.  He'll use the canned tomatoes for homemade sauce and other meals.  I'm hoping we can have cans donated as well, and do that at the end of the growing season.

It's been one of those days

My students tend to complain no matter what the task at hand.  Most days I just shrug it off, because it comes with the territory.  To them, the grass is always greener, until they get there, and realize the OTHER grass was greener, and it's my fault they're not there.  It's fairly comical, until you see similar conversations take place between adults.  What has to happen in order for a school culture to become one of mistrust, doubt, and even nastiness?  I see more bashing and breaking down than I do building up, and this refers to adults as well as students.  Both groups complain about the "way things are" yet their own actions are what continue the cycle.
What do other schools do to assist their faculty to become self-reflective?  What are administrators doing to be sure their staff are able to step outside of the moment to see a bigger picture?  We are working so hard to pass on our 21st century skills to our students, but I wonder if perhaps we the educators should be briefed in them first.

Growing Gardens

I had been trying to think of an outdoor project I could do with my class that would be low cost, fairly simiple, yet keep my active group engaged.  I read an article about raised square plot gardening and decided to give it a go.  My students tend to complain about any and every idea, activity, and field trip we have so when the only comments I received were "Ugh, I wore white today," I knew I had a winner.
I posted an Edmodo poll to see what plants interested the students the most, then picked the seeds up at the local hardware store.  The girls directed me to the local lumber store, Butler Lumber, where we bought the plywood and 2x12s needed for our garden box. 
This past Monday afternoon, we took the time to plan our steps then build the box.  Mr. Matt Buma, my co-worker, has experience in carpentry and took the lead with the students.  One student was incredibly put off by the idea of using any sort of power tool, but the rest took turns drilling pilot holes, drain holes, and screwing the pieces together. 
A local bus driver and parent, Gwen, heard we needed gardening supplies and arranged for a couple local landscaping companies to donate loam.  We're waiting for that to be delivered this week so we can get to planting.  So far, this has been a fun project.  It gets the kids working outdoors and discussing things like what their plant needs to be healthy, and exposes them to a new process.  Maybe they'll even think twice about where their produce and flowers come from the next time they're in the grocery store.

SCORE Program Adventures

Friday was a gorgeous day, so we decided to work on our essays outside.  Shaniqua made a new friend while we were out there.  She named him Charlie.