Catching up and Teaching

Wednesday blog prompt: Look at the pictures on your walls. Pick one and write about it.

There is a sketch of me that was done by an artist in Piazza Navona which is in Rome, Italy. I have never had anyone do this of me before and it was a little scary. We didn’t know that he was actually a pretty famous artist and had done famous people including Dennis Rodman until after he had finished my sketch. I can’t believe that we didn’t get his name but I think we were in shock when we found out about him. The sketch is actually the best I’ve ever seen of myself (of course it makes me look pretty good as well as thin) so I’m proud of it.

Thursday blog prompt: Are you grateful for right now?

I am very grateful for my life right now. I’m healthy and happy and all’s right with the world. I love my husband and I love being with him. Dinner turned out well and he really enjoyed it too. My knitting is waiting for me when I am ready to work on it. I’m getting caught up with things waiting for me on the computer. It just rained which means I don’t have to go out and water the lawn. My parents and sister who live far away from me are doing well healthwise right now. My bills are all paid. I finished my 4 mile exercise walk before the rain so I am feeling pretty good right now.

Teaching:

I am back in the classroom teaching Nature of Learning Disabilities. I am always nervous the first day of class but I get over it pretty quickly. I really like the students in my class and they seem interested in what I have to say (or else they are faking it really well!). Besides the basic content about Learning Disabilities, I’m also incorporating a lot of technology in the lessons because I feel it is so important. This week my students was introduced to our class wiki, started a blog, signed up for Google Reader, and Plurk. I’m very pleased with all that they have done so far. The only glitch we had was that I found out their textbook is a later edition than mine so I have to redo some lessons with the current edition of the book. But part of teaching is being flexible and ready for anything. If this is the worst thing that can happen the whole time, I’m very happy.

Achievements: Yesterday and Today

Tuesday’s blog prompt: Achievement connotes accomplishment of something noteworthy, after much effort and often in spite of obstacles and discouragements. What do you feel is your greatest achievement?

My greatest achievement is being a teacher and making a difference in someone’s life. I have met former students who have told me that I influenced their lives and it makes me feel so proud of what they have done with their lives because I believed in them and taught them so much. When they were in my class, all of my students had to write “I am a Born Winner” on their papers before I would accept them. Many have told me that it has helped them later on in their life. Even when I was a little girl, I had always wanted to be a teacher and continue to teach now on the university level to other teachers. My husband told me the other day that he thinks all teachers just have it in their blood and will never stop teaching until they die. I wanted to share a message on facebook that I got this morning from the parent of a former student:

“It is so great to touch base with you! You look comfortable in that lounge chair! Hope all is well with you. You would be so proud of David. My husband John and I went to see him preach this weekend. I was in awe to see how good he was and how he seemed to move the congregation. I'm just so proud. HE'S a BORN WINNER.!!!
My husband would love to meet you. He's CTE director of … County Schools. He has told me many times that he wished he had a few Mrs Hensleys at …. High. I told him there's only one!
We have 4 more years till retirement. He has said many times he would quit if it weren't for the kids. You would not believe the stuff he has to put up with! I often tell him ,"Well, Mrs Hensley would do this or that" He will say ,"Thats a great idea!"…
So glad David found you!
I will always love you for what all you did for David. And thats the truth!"

Wednesday’s prompt: Now is the time to ask yourself what you intend to accomplish today. Write it down and then follow up later in your post as to what on your list, if any, you did.

Here is what I hope to do today but they are not listed in any particular order:
(those in italics are completed)

1. Weed flower beds (completed by 9:30am)
2. Buy pine needles and spread them (after 2 trips to Lowes - completed by 2:30pm)
3. Wash clothes (completed by 2:30pm)
4. Fold clothes
5. Knit (completed by 11am)
6. Read (completed by 11am)
7. Work on presentation (completed by 11am)
8. Go buy some more yarn
9. Start packing for trip
10. Read blogs in Google Reader (completed by 3:15pm)

Also in the day I have completed the following which was not on the list at the beginning of today:
Went to Post Office
Went to Burger King for lunch
Dragged brush to the street
Cooked dinner
Washed dinner dishes

Original image: 'Smart Board Technology in Jay's Classroom' http://www.flickr.com/photos/24813863@N00/405027932

Happy Teaching Memory

I was asked by TJ Shay from TJ On a Journey: It has been one year since your retirement... Looking back, is there one happy teaching memory that rises to the top of the list? (crossposted on my Successful Teaching blog)

I had a boy come to my ninth grade learning disabilities self contained classroom who didn’t even know the alphabet. He looked disgusted with school the first time I saw him and refused to do any reading or writing work. Of course I didn’t know how little he could do because the achievement test he took the previous year was a multiple choice test and he had a lot of lucky guesses, which elevated his scores. I suspected that the scores weren’t accurate and called home to brag about how I enjoyed having this boy in my class because he contributed so much to class discussions. This mother was so relieved that he wasn’t in trouble and shared with me that the student didn’t even know the alphabet. She went so far as to say the previous teacher had told her not to help her son because as a parent, she had no educational background and was confusing him. I was horrified and came up with a plan of action so we both could help him in school and at home. In fact, I had lessons for him to work on in the summers too. I didn’t see this as doing anything extraordinary because I felt this is why I became a teacher. By the time he graduated, he could read on a second grade level and fill out job applications. At graduation, he came up to me with a dozen long stem red roses and with tears in his eyes, thanked me for teaching him to read. His mother said that this was all his own idea and he bought them with his own money. I was floored by this because I never expected it. Since I had this boy for four years, I developed a strong bond with the whole family over time and we are still friends 25 years later. After graduation he enrolled in the literacy program in our county to continue working on his reading. He found a good job and even brought his first pickup truck to my house to show us. I was so proud of him. I have been thrilled to see his son go through school and graduate. My student told me that because I didn’t let him give up in school, he was able to encourage his son when times got tough. I will never forget the lesson that this family taught me: that I can make a difference by teaching and it doesn’t have to be anything spectacular or extraordinary and it is so important to work together to achieve success. (When I write this, I realize how much I miss the classroom and now live vicariously through other teacher’s lives by reading their blogs!)

Photo credit: Original image: 'Roses 20' by: Karl Eschenbach