Early Morning Wildlife

I stepped out just as the skies were lightening this morning. Zeus came with me to do his business; I just wanted to see what the day looked like. Boy, did I time it right. 

First, I heard a coyote call. I stepped away from Zeus (who was panting loudly at my side because he was JUST SURE I was going to get him his breakfast then and there...) to see if I could hear the coyote again. No such luck, but...

I heard a Great Horned Owl hooting!! I've never heard that in the two years we've been here! What a treat! It must've been in the woods across the field.  It sounded like this:

http://www.owlpages.com/sounds/Bubo-virginianus-4.mp3

As I was searching for sound clips to post, Zeus trotted into the kitchen. At the sound of the first hoot, he stopped dead, raised his head and looked around, then went over to the windows and looked out. I played a second clip, and again got the same reaction. He went from window to window, then would look at me with a puzzled look. Three clips later, he was still trying to figure out what was outside.

I wonder why he reacted so strongly? I play sound clips fairly often and have never gotten that reaction.

Facebook & Former Students

I am not much of a Facebooker - I have an account because my kids do, and it is the best way for me to keep up with all they have going on in their lives. But I rarely check my account. Tonight I did, and I am so glad...

There was an email from a former student, a girl who is a senior in high school this year. Years ago, at the end of 5th grade, she told me she hoped I would always remember her. (How could I forget Jazzy? One of the sweetest girls you'd ever meet.) She moved to Naperville after 5th grade, and I haven't seen her for 6 years, although I do hear from her occasionally.

To my surprise, I saw I had a message from her on my Facebook account. She wrote:

Mrs. I, I just wanted to let you know that I decided to go to school next year to major in elementary education. You and Mrs. Green inspired me to do so, as well as my mom. =] Jasmine

Jazzy will be an awesome teacher! She's got her head on straight and works hard to achieve her goals. Her students will be lucky to have her. Go, Jazzy!!

Earnestness

The word "earnest" describes one of my student's behavior today. And that's a good thing, a beginning point. Let me explain.

This child ... where do I begin? Multiple issues. Highly gifted, grade skipped so very young in comparison to his classmates, immature, probably ADHD, attracted to dark things.... the list goes on and on. (Bonus points for a highly supportive Mom who is very concerned about him.)

It's only the third week of school and already he is seriously behind and failing all but one subject. He's disorganized, off task, rushes through assignments, forgets to hand them in or even to do them.  ::sigh::

Today, again, he was late with two assignments. The same two that were late yesterday and I had him stay in at lunch to work on. The same two that I reminded him about at the end of the day, and that he assured me were in the backpack to go home. The same assignments I emailed his mother about and asked her to monitor last night.

Nope, not complete. One went home, the other did not. Neither were done. Top that with the boy mouthing off about bombing schools and refusing to stop when I asked him and I reached the end of my patience. 

Time for a tough talk with him, and then an email home about his behavior. Oh, and he received failing grades for both assignments - I simply am not willing to go another day on them. The line in the sand needed to be drawn, and I drew it. Very firmly.

And then.... I saw a change. I noticed he was trying really hard to stay on task. That he was trying to follow directions. He came up to me several times for odd reasons, and began pointing out the things he was accomplishing. It occurred to me that perhaps he was just as frustrated with himself as I was, and I certainly gave him high marks for trying to do better.

So I didn't comment when I had to remind him (twice) to clear his desk. Or the third time when I sent over a "buddy" to "give you a hand" (i.e. speed him up). And I complimented him when he handed in his Social Studies assignment and crowed, "For once, I am in the middle of the kids completing an assignment. Did you notice? I am not the last!" 

There was a real, very touching earnestness about him as he tried, and tried so hard to do what is tough for him: staying on task, completing work, putting things away... He really, truly wanted to do the right thing. 

I can work with that. It's a beginning point, and a positive one. I don't have to get him to the point where he wants to do the right thing - he's already there.

Tomorrow's task? Beginning to build on that desire.

War!!

What an incredible sight - a huge praying mantis taking possession of the hummingbird feeder. Thursday evening as we sat down to dinner, I noticed the insect on top of the shepherd's crook. I grabbed my camera and cautiously approached - it was about 6-7" long; they can fly, and I didn't want to have it fly at me!

 The hummers were furious and kept buzzing the mantis, feinting and darting in at it. The mantis just calmly held its ground, barely even moving despite their quick attacks. I did a quick search on the laptop and discovered that praying mantises will eat hummingbirds, tree frogs, and other small birds and animals. Was this why the birds were so agitated that he was on their feeder? They felt threatened?

The bug and birds argued for over an hour while we watched, and finally the birds left. The mantis was there until after dark. It was an incredible glimpse into nature for us.

Unforgettable Teaching Moment

I had a teaching moment this morning that will be frozen in my memory as one of the most poignant moments of my teaching career.  

We are reading "Thank You, Ma'am" by Langston Hughes. A boy tries to steal a purse in order to buy himself some blue suede shoes. We were having a discussion on what we value (after listening to Elvis Presley's song of the same name several times and dancing around the classroom...)

I was pleased that the kids were taking the discussion seriously and were offering reasonable comments about what they value. And then it was C's turn. He said,

"I value my family and the shirt in my closet that belonged to my Dad because it still smells like his cologne."

Oh, my. What do you say? (C's father died two weeks before school in a motorcycle accident.)

His classmates, to their credit, did not make fun of his comment. Like me, they did not seem to know what to say, and sat in silence. Also to their credit is the fact that CJ felt he could risk making such a revealing comment.

Wow, wow, wow. 

They Love to Read!!

Students in my class love to read. Every last one of them. Just this week:

A 5th grader was so engrossed in her book while riding the bus home that she forgot to get off with the other kids at her stop! The bus driver had to come back and drop her off.

A 4th grader was seen at a campfire after dark. Instead of making s'mores, this student had fashioned a headlamp with a flashlight so she could read a book despite the fact that it was dark!

Ya gotta love it!

The Joke's on Me!

Today as I went to sit in my rocking chair and begin taking attendance, I noticed a box on my chair. Several kids were giggling and looking at me to see if I'd noticed. And, of course, they were all too happy to squeal on who put it there - a 5th grade girl who has been very shy and never, EVER takes risks (such as playing a joke on her teacher.)

The kids clamored for me to open it, so I carefully opened the box. On top was a note. It read, "Are you tired of us?" and underneath were lots and lots of paper cranes!! Everyone, including me, broke into laughter and we laughed and laughed for quite a while.

For those who are scratching their heads, last year we made a goal of folding 1000 paper cranes. Well, my class reached that goal and would not quit. We strung and hung them all - pteradactyls, bitty birds, normal sized... The classroom was inundated.

It became a joke among us - don't make any more cranes! But they would fold their napkins, wrappers from gum or candy bars, bits of foil, wrapping paper, ANY piece of paper they could find. And I would mock scold them for doing it, and hang up yet another strand. It went on until the last day of school.

It was a great joke to play on me when you consider the crane experience we all shared. But I truly hope I don't see ANY MORE this year!!

First Day of School!

School "daze" is right - I'm exhausted. But what a terrific day it was. I now have the original 2/3 Gifted class at Hershey again, only this time they are 4/5 graders. Three boys have chosen to return to a regular classroom in the ensuing two years, and two girls and a boy have been added, so the number of students is the same but the faces are just a teensy bit different.

I know these kids so very well, and the relationship is not the usual one of teacher/student (they know me just as well as I know them!) It's more comfortable than usual, probably because of the familiarity. 

Tomorrow I am going to bring in the hermit crabs JC and Trinity helped me choose during Grammy Camp. The kids guessed what the new class pets were, and I gave them a few hints (small and sort of hard, and vegetarian.) 20/24 guessed turtles! We also guessed on the "fuzzy vegetarian" pet coming in on Thursday. 20/24 think it's a rabbit. Pigita (formerly known as Honey) will be a real surprise!

I am looking forward to tomorrow. :)

PAIN FREE!!

For the first time since I can remember, my knees DON'T HURT. Wow. I keep waiting for a twinge, or flexing them to see if that might make them ache....

Nope! Nothing, nada. What a relief!! I  feel like running around outside and jumping over bushes and rocks and stuff!

Long story short, when I hurt my back this summer, I expressed my frustration to my doctor that every exercise I did caused something to hurt. (Walking? Shin splints and a Morton's Neuroma. Cycling? Tennis elbow in both elbows, and numb hands from aggravated carpal tunnel. Swimming? Drowning.)

He recommended I see a physical therapist named Dusti, and said she could help me feel better and design an exercise program that would work with "all you have going on."

He was right.

Dusti spent time observing, measuring and assessing me for almost an hour the first day. She says my pelvis, hips, knees, and ankles are out of alignment, including my artificial hip which has been shoved up too high up in its socket because that leg is shorter than the other. Dusti brought that down and has been correcting the angles of my hips to re-align everything else. I do odd exercises at home (like draping myself over pillows or shoving rolled up towels under my hip for a couple of minutes) that serve to get my pelvis back in place.

Dusti even had me bring my bicycle in twice, and, with the help of a hand/arm specialist (to make sure those joints were in the right position as I rode), adjusted the seat and handlebars to appropriate angles. I thought my bike was comfortable before - now it is easy to ride!

So, three weeks later of itty bitty exercises that produce BIG results, a couple of iontic treatments on the knees and back, and... MY KNEES NO LONGER HURT. 

The tailbone is another story. It is over to the side and twisted. Dusti has been working on getting it back where it belongs; currently it is taped in place (don't ask how; she was right when she said I would feel like I had a giant wedgie.) 

Dusti also found the indentation (a small but deep depression) on my back when she was taping me into wedgie mode - she said she had to be very careful taping around that as it was not normal. I honestly thought everyone had a dimple there and asked what it was. To my surprise, she explained that it was an area where the spine did not close properly, and many who have it are born with spina bifida! Apparently I got lucky as mine closed. (Although, if it might help me get some extra birthday presents in a few weeks, I could go blame my mom about it... )

Anyhoo, for those still reading, I am positively EXULTANT that my knees don't hurt, and so grateful for Dusti's help and that Dr. Morris sent me to her. I look forward to having other joints getting feeling better, and being able to do more physical activity.

Good-bye, Curt!!

Now the house is REALLY quiet. Curt moved into an apartment yesterday, after having lived with us for nearly a year since returning from his mission to Brazil. Craig and I are pretty bummed. We know that this is how life is supposed to work, and we're grateful that Curt, like all our kids, is competent and able to support himself. But still...

We had a large family because we like kids. We do not like being alone in an empty house.

Good thing school starts next week so I will have some children in my life, even if they aren't my own.

Godspeed, Curt!!