I Love Iowa

I love to go to Iowa, particularly the Iowa City/Coralville area. Iowa City has those wonderful midwestern values, and, because the winter weather is so brutal, there are a lot of outside things that have been turned into inside activities. The people are friendly, it is a river town, and most importantly, Sarah, Todd, JC, and Trinity reside there. (Actually, they live in North Liberty.)

It's about a six hour drive, so it's close enough for us to go over fairly often. The drive is especially nice in autumn when the leaves are changing and the rolling landscape sort of "glows" yellow and orange. Craig and I made the drive Saturday morning so we could see JC and Trinity in their ward's Primary program.

 My hero-daughter, Sarah. Beautiful inside and out. And she's wearing the necklace that was my mother's, then handed down to me, and finally given to her. I loved seeing it again.

 While waiting to pick up JC and Trinity after their Jiu Jitsu class, we got to playing with Siri on our iPhones. Sarah got a picture of Craig and me asking her questions.

Dinner at Azul's, one of our favorite restaurants!

 Making a wish on dandelion fluff after Saturday night dinner.

Saturday evening was the General Relief Society broadcast (my favorite broadcast of the year!) While Sarah and I watched it on BYU TV upstairs, Boompa, JC, and Trinity played Monopoly in the basement and Bailey snoozed on a chair.

Sunday morning we were at church at 9:00 AM for the kids' Primary program. JC gave a talk and spoke about our family fast for Braden and how it made him feel to participate.

 Sunday after lunch, Trinity and I play a friendly game of Payday.

On the drive home, the moon was rising as we neared St. Joe, Illinois. It was huge and a lovely shade of soft pink. Sadly, between the car's movement and a dirty windshield, the photos do not do it justice.

 I think this may be called a harvest moon.

All in all, it was a lovely weekend.

Octopus Dissection

A few photos from our dissection of the octopus we used in our Gyotaku project.

 Making the initial cut up the back of the head (which actually is the body.)

 After the initial cut, the children carefully spread apart the sides to look inside. The octopus were still stained with black ink from printing. In reality, they are a lilac color.

Using diagrams, the children began carefully taking out parts and determining what they were. Organs were laid on a white sheet and labeled.

 Parts of the beak on the right and the gonad on the left.

The two kiddos who were involved in the eyeball-dropping incident, just as they dissected it out. (He has it in his hands here.)

Two groups of dissectors found something I had never seen in an octopus. The group that found it first called me over and asked what it was as it did not appear in their dissection diagrams.

See that reddish brown thing? I had no idea what it was, so I asked the group to tease it out for a closer look.

Everyone gathered around to watch and see if we could identify it.

Oh, my!

A tiny shrimp!! Up inside the octopus head!

Minutes later, another group found a second one in theirs.

Our theory? Maybe when the octopus were captured in a net, they died and the shrimp, also swept into the net, were trying to survive.  Perhaps they took refuge by crawling into the octopi's heads through the flap all octopus have.

In the Beginning...

If you're thinking of the book of Genesis, that's not what this is about. Or at least it wasn't, not initially. But the more I think about it, perhaps it is. But first, let me back up a bit and explain.

This year as part of my professional development, I had to write two educator goals, a rubric to measure success, and then implement those goals. 

My kiddos are the highly able class in our building. As such, they have their own quirks and eccentricities. We work on social skills and try hard to not be the stereotypical nerd or geek and all that those monikers conjure up.

Last year, when we found ourselves without a reading buddy class due to the opening of a new school, I told my class that we would be buddy-less because all other classes were already paired up. But then CB raised his hand and asked, "Well, what about the.. um..., you know.... I don't know how to say it politely, but the mentally disabled class?"

Thunderstruck pause on my part. And then other students began chiming in with excitement about CB's suggestion.

What an idea! (And how proud I was of CB for his thoughtfulness!) The more I thought about it, the more excited I became, and so, after checking with Mrs. C, that classroom's teacher, we began a wonderful year of reading buddy-ness.

So, that was our "In the beginning..." And as last year unfolded, what occurred was a Genesis-type miracle. My students exercised leadership, compassion, and kindness. They provided service and were role models. But it was a two-way street for THEY received just as much as they gave.  It was good for all; everyone benefitted.

So, going back to writing educator goals, I needed to write a school-wide goal, something that would benefit our school-wide community, and I firmly believe that helping to draw Mrs. C's children into the school with benefit them and the other children in my school. Why should the  other students not be part of the win-win?

So, the goal reads as such:

During the 2012-2013 school year, I will work with the highly able students on life skills of leadership, kindness, service, and compassion. By working with Mrs. Cyr and her class, I will provide opportunities and activities designed to promote inclusiveness of others that helps draw them into the Hershey culture and community. Success will be measured by creation of activities and lessons as well as observations and a journal I will keep that records and reflects upon those things.

I am so excited to see how our beginning ends.

The Teacher's Homework

I sorted out my teaching bag this evening when I got home and looked in dismay at the huge stack of grading, Camp Tecumseh/field trip material, and planning I had to do.

Five and a half hours later, I am done. (So are four loads of laundry, completed simultaneously while I worked at the kitchen table.)

Busy evening!

Kidisms

I was putting some books away after the kids had left for the day when this caught my eye:

The shark puppet now had a stuffed lobster in its mouth!

Lost Eyeball

During Wednesday's octopus dissection. (A true story.)

Student 1 (hand extended, finger tip pointing out): "Look, Mrs. I! I dissected out the eyeball of my octopus!"

Gasp of horror.

Student 1: "Oh, no! I dropped it on the carpet!"

Distressed look.

Helpful Student 2 (starting to bend down): "I'll look on the carpet for you!"

Me: "Folks, that is so small, we'll never find it in the carpet. Just leave it."

Two stricken looks as they think about that. Add a third one when I realize that the custodian may not be too happy about sucking up octopus eyeballs when he cleans that evening.

Later in the morning...

Student 1 and Student 2 (smiling happily): "Mrs. I.! We found the eyeball!"

Me (incredulous): "Really?? Where?"

Student 2 (laughing): "Stuck to his sweat shirt! It never hit the ground."

(Okay, so how long was he walking around with an octopus eyeball on his shirt??)

Only in my class...

Postscript on Octopus Dissection

I got this email today from the mom of one of my students. I had her son, B, for 2nd, 4th, and 5th grades and then her daughter last year as a 4th grader and this year as a 5th grader. (She's a VERY experienced multiage mom!) What she wrote made me smile.

Last night before bed, S wanted to discuss the approach we would use if we were dissecting a person. Ah the bedtime chatter when your child is a multi-ager J

This mom once wrote a "The Top Ten Ways to Tell Your Child is a Multiager in Mrs. I's Class" for me and it included things like classics connections, octopus dissections, and other things we do in class.

I love that S is continuing to think about the octopus dissection we'd done that day at school and is making connections like that!

Kidisms

I love how my students can put little asides and additions into their assignments or what comes out of their mouths when they are talking to me. Here are two from today that made me smile.

1) KO was writing in his Reflective Journal about the book Pippi Longstocking. He was discussing whether or not he'd like to have her in our classroom as a student. He wrote,

"Pippi only came to school for one day because she wanted to go on winter vacation which, when I was writing this, was 79 school days away."

Oh, my! I laughed out loud when I was grading that after school today. KO actually took the time to figure out how many days are left before winter break! And, makes it clear that the number of days would be different when the journal was shared!

2) And then EP came up to talk about a book she is currently reading. She is very perceptive and has even taught me a thing or two when it comes to perspectives on literature.

"You can tell she (the main character) is sad. The author has used short sentences and low vocabulary."

It blew me away that an eleven year old girl could catch the style the author was using to subtly communicate about the character's nature!

Get Well Wishes

The first week of school, I wrote about two 4th  grade boys I had some concerns about - they just did not seem to want to let go and enjoy the class, holding back, instead, and wanting to only do the minimum to get by.

I'm pleased to say that both guys are coming along, especially the one about whom I was most concerned. He has made great strides across the board and now comes in smiling and full of confidence every morning. I am very proud of him.

I've been ill with diverticulitis and home for a couple of days. I wasn't 100% today but I came to school anyway. I must've looked a little under the weather - midmorning this little guy brought me a slip of paper:

(Okay, so he tore it off his homework - it's still very sweet!)

Happy Birthday Mom/Fern/Grandma/Great Grandma

... also known as GRANNY SLASH! (For obvious reasons. Look at that title.)

 She requested a Play-doh cake (which looks much better than last time as I fiddle with that frosting recipe.) I also gave her our favorite "Seussical" candles.

 And Jenny, who was in town for the Feast of the Hunter's Moon joined us for dinner along with Curt and Vanessa.

Happy Birthday! Many happy more!

Blessing Surprise

I have been ill with diverticulitis since Wednesday night. I am on antibiotics but I continue to feel pretty nauseated and lousy. So, I asked my husband for a blessing this morning.

Craig laid his hands on my head, and as he began, "Sister Lynn Martin Isenbarger..." I had this crazy desire to start typing and to slow the transcription machine down so I could catch and type all the words correctly!

I guess I have been transcribing enough blessings that his voice in a blessing setting of any kind triggers that reaction!

Gyotaku!!

Yesterday my class did Gyotaku, an ancient Japanese art form. Rooted in science, it began as a method for Japanese scientists to preserve specimens for study - since there was no refrigeration, they'd ink the animal, press rice paper onto it, and make a print to study after the animal decayed too much for study.

As part of our study of oceanic ecosystems, I brought in six octopus (food animals found in the freezer section at an Asian food mart) for the project. I also invited JT, mama of one of my students and an art teacher herself, to come in and help with the project.

And what a project it was - I was exhausted afterward, but that tiredness was soooo worth it!

 JT prepares the ink.

 We lay out our octopus...

 ...and arrange the tentacles carefully.

 The kids were fascinated by their creatures!

 Figuring out just how the animal should go.

 Nicely aligned.

 The children were surprised at how long the tentacles were. And, that they were not all the same length.

 JT has patted her animal dry, arranged it, and is ready to ink it.

 MC helps her ink the individual tentacles.

 The children were absolutely fascinated!

 Almost ready to make a print.

 The chop station. Children who wanted to sign their artwork with a Japanese chop designed and made them the previous day.

 The finished prints!

Next up? Matting the prints and dissecting the octopus.

Was It You?

I nearly threw the big white envelope away. Teachers get a lot of junk mail, and I could not imagine what Greater Lafayette Commerce would be sending me.

I'm sure glad I didn't.

Someone has nominated me for the Golden Apple Award.

Wow.

Just being nominated is an honor in and of itself.

And the nomination is anonymous, so I have no idea who of my current or former parents nominated me. But there's something really nice about that anonymity. It means you look at every parent and wonder, "Was it you?" And then you feel all warm and soft inside.

I seriously doubt I will make it through the process and win. But that's okay - I was nominated. A sobering yet touching thought that someone, somewhere, thinks I touched the life of their child enough to take the time to go through the nomination process.

This couldn't have been more timely - this year I am feeling overburdened by new state regulations, new hoops to jump through, and mandates that have made me wonder why I work ten to twelve hour days and Saturdays, too. I've been close to the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back several times, and it's only mid-September.

But now I feel like perhaps I have made a difference for my students. Those long days and weekend hours have benefited a child.

Thank you, whoever you are.

Mummification

A chicken + salt + plastic bags = terribly excited kiddos.

We're mummifying a chicken. Long story short, in our study of the oceans, we looked at the properties of salt and how you cannot float an egg in water until you add salt. Then the egg pops right to the surface.

We did that experiment together and then I pulled out some chunks of salt I'd gotten from the Great Salt Lake in 2005 during a drought when the lake had receded, exposing vast plains of salt. Kyle, Lisa, Craig and I had walked way out onto the flats, and I'd picked up some samples to use in my classroom.

When we put those samples into the water, we discovered some insects had been preserved in the salt and were still present seven years later. So we had a discussion about how salt is a natural preservative and how it has been used for that purpose for centuries. That led to the discussion of the mummies of Egypt and it was then that I had a light bulb moment.

We could mummify a chicken.

I had done that with my first class at Hershey but have never done it since. It would fit with what we were learning, so... I brought a chicken in and asked the kids to bring in cartons of salt.  After reading up on the Egyptian process of mummification, we started the process this morning.

 The kids were so excited they gathered around the teaching cart to watch.

 Taking turns adding the salt. 

Look at that happy face as EM pours in more salt.

After eight-plus pounds of salt, it was time to seal the bag.

We will check it in a week, remove the wet salt, and add fresh dry salt.  The kids predicted how much salt it was going to take to mummify this chicken. Most of the students think it will take 20 pounds of salt or so.

They're in for a surprise!

The Times, They Are a' Changing!

 It's past the middle of September, so it's time to go from this...

 ... to this!

Autumn.

My favorite season of the year.

Soldiers Home Horse Show

As I drove through Soldiers Home this morning to deliver groceries to my mother, I noticed a soccer game being held on the field near the water tower.

The same site as my first horse show, both as a spectator and as a rider.

Our home was on Prophet Drive, and my sister, Leslie, and I would see horse trailers going down Soldiers Home Road on a Saturday morning, heading to the show. We would then beg our mom to take us over so we could watch.

The loudspeakers would blare western music (not country; WESTERN) as the horses and their riders would circle the ring. I can still hear bits of music and lyrics in my mind. "Cool! Clear! Water! (waterwaterwaterwater)."

It's where I saw the first Appaloosa named Abby shown by her owners, the Hartman family, who lived down Soldiers Home Road to the south. (My Abby is partially named after this horse, a horse I loved from afar as a little girl.)

It's also where I remember seeing racism first hand. A family was cheering on their black barrel racing horse. His name? Nigger. They yelled, "Go, Nigger! Go!" and I cringed as our new neighbors, who were African American and horse lovers, stood ringside and watched that horse run, hearing a very rude word yelled repeatedly while some in the audience laughed at its name. I was upset and felt like crying, and the sad memory has remained with me nearly fifty years later.

I spent many happy Saturdays at this field, watching horses in halter, saddle, and harness classes. (I just realized that, as old as I am now, I would qualify to ride in the Jack Benny class were the show still being held!) Dreaming of the day when I would have a horse and maybe even get to ride at this very show. And I did - the first time I ever showed a horse was here at Soldiers Home, on the same field where today's soccer game was being held.

My first horse show ever.

Amy and Lynn, 1971

Soldiers Home, West Lafayette, Indiana

(Notice the cast on my right hand. My horse, Nick, had stepped on my foot when I was cleaning his hoof. I fell, catching myself with my  right hand, and he then stepped on my finger, breaking it.)

Lisa - Dedicated to Teaching

My daughter, Lisa, is dedicated to the teaching profession, that's for sure. Look what she was willing to do to learn and become a better teacher!

Yeesh! My heart rate jumps every time I look at this photo. And the gal in the background making the "ok" symbol... What's that all about? "Okay, bite now" to the spider?

And I thought making my students work with octopi and squid was bad....

Fungus 2

I took groceries out to my mother this morning, and of course I HAD to check the fungus I'd looked at last week.

Still there!

 It did not appear bigger, but I could see it had been nibbled on my insects or animals and appeared a little more battered, less pristine than it had last week.

It also looked a little yellower or browner to me than it did last week. (Meripilus Sumstinei is supposed to turn brown with age.)

My mother and I are going to track it through the fall and into winter to see what happens to it. She reminded me that the "reason" they bought that home was because, when looking at it for the first time, I'd found a puffball on the bluff and had declared we HAD to buy it. I guess I've always been interested  in wild plants, fungus, and animals!

All is Well in this World

Yesterday was the 11th anniversary of 9/11. A very sad day, but with a bright spot - my student, AQ, was born on that day. THE day. As it unfolded. I can only wonder how his parents felt, being in labor and then giving birth while that played out on TV. They must've wondered what kind of world they were bringing their baby boy into.

AQ is very spiritual and a genuinely nice guy. He always has a good attitude and will work with or play with anyone, even my quirkiest students who may be difficult to get along with or have odd behaviors or mannerisms.

For an assignment in his Classical Roots book, AQ had to use several "not" prefixes to make new words and then use them meaningfully in sentences. What he wrote made me pause, holding my grading pen in midair as I read AQ's sentences. A lump rose in my throat.

I set my pen down and reread AQ's sentences a couple of times. And then I sent an email with AQ's sentences to our principal, AQ's parents, and to the teacher of our buddy class, Jane Cyr.

What did AQ write? This beautiful set of sentences:

Although our buddies are disabled, they're some of my best friends. Our buddies and I are nonrelated, but we're like family."

Thanks, AQ. You may have been born on one of the worst days in US history, but you are living proof that there is love in this world and hope for us all.

An Oceanic Ecosystem - In the Classroom

Friday my students turned our classroom into the intertidal, neritic, and open ocean zones of the ocean. I knew I would be waaaaaaay out of my comfort zone for neatness while we "lived under the sea," so I declared my desk area to be land and therefore off limits, hoping to have a little spot of normalcy for the next two weeks.

Silly me.

Sometimes I forget that I work with kids who excel at thinking things through and making reasonable requests and ideas.

And that is why my desk area is now a beach with a concession stand, complete with a beach umbrella to shade me from the sun.

 Maybe I can supplement my income as a teacher by selling hotdogs for lunch!

 The menu.

 A plate of food, ready to be served.

 Desserts and drinks. Something for every taste!

I was quite surprised that it was the boys who had the concession stand idea. (On second thought, maybe it is logical...) But it surprised me to see them actually play with their concession stand. Not shown is a grill they made on an extra desk, and they flipped burgers on it for each other. (Spatulas were made out of rulers and construction paper.) They had a blast!

 The kids put the final touches on their creation. True to their word, my desk is untouched. 

 JM and JM sample their wares. Goofy guys!

But the children did far more than the concession stand. The entrance to the classroom is covered in watery streamers that you must part to get through. (They LOVE this part of our ocean!)

 And the sink area is covered in blue cellophane with shells and fish "swimming" around it.

 I warned the night custodian that the room was a little unusual and would be that way for about two weeks. He left a note for the kids on my desk telling them how much he liked what they'd done to the room!

This is one of my favorite parts - the sea turtle hatchery!

 My sister-in-law, Cindie, gave me two metal turtles a few years ago and I use them with this unit. The kids took one and put her on the beach laying eggs (the brown paper balls.) Pretty creative!

 Blue tulle covers the back shelves and books, plus a stuffed shark is cruising the waters.

 And the kids' mailboxes have water streamers. (Those may not last too long there.)

 A net that has been trawling the ocean with its catch.

 More blue tulle hanging from the ceiling. Note the inflatable fish and the beach ball, "riding" the waves!

 The computer center is an atoll with a palm tree. (I love the red lobster at the base made out of an egg carton.)

 Mrs. LM helps EJ and AP make the fisherman's net.

 Under construction - organized chaos.

One of my favorites - an octopus made out of a paper bowl and crepe paper streamers complete with googly eyes.

Once finished, the kids were dying to show off their creation. (I admit, I was pretty pleased with it, too!) So, we invited our reading buddies to come. This is our second year with them - they are the disabled class, and my students have become very fond, even protective, of them. What happened next still makes me smile and is summed up in the email I sent to my students' parents after school.

Things went "swimmingly" today as we turned our classroom into the zones of the ocean. Many thanks to Mrs. C., Mrs. L.M., Mrs. S., and Mrs. E. for their help! The room looks terrific and you are welcome to drop by to see it. Mornings between 11:30 and 12:30 are best, but if that doesn't work for you, let me know and I'll check the planner. Feel free to bring younger siblings! (Quickly before school works, too.) The children were so excited that they wanted to share. Ms. W.'s class came down (there were some joyful reunions between long lost friends) and so did Mrs. C.'s class (our reading buddies.) Mrs. C. and the aide that came with her students both got teary as they watched the multiagers lead their buddies around by the hand and show them their zones. The "burger boys" (the group of boys who set up a concession stand by my desk in the beach zone) showed Mrs. C.'s kids how to flip burgers and hotdogs, and then let their buddies take a turn. Others pretended to swim with their buddies as they moved through the zones. It's one of those times where, as a teacher, a parent, and a human being, you get a warm fuzzy feeling about this generation and what they will do when it's their turn to be in charge of our world.

That experience watching my kiddos tenderly take their buddies around makes teaching in a wildly decorated, untidy classroom more than worth any inconvenience and discomfort.