ANNIVERSARY... Coming up (tomorrow) on the anniversary of the day that I almost lost my mom... I got the call about 2pm on the Friday before the November break (from one of my adopted mommies) that my mom was in Intensive Care and waiting for a pacemaker. I was in the middle of a big meeting at the time and after composing myself, calling for my driver to meet me at home, scooped up things to work on, rapidly packed a few bags for the week and started speed dialing the cell phone on the way to the hospital.

It's been almost a year and I was wondering why this week I have been rather pre-occupied and unfocused... Took until yesterday, during a meeting and my masters' class to realize what it was about. My Mom was fine and I spent the whole week pampering her-- putting in a shower head so she could shower without raising her arm, cleaning, cooking and collecting food.

My mom usually hosts Thanksgiving (a tradition) so she had let the pantry run down to make space for things... needless to say, we needed sustenance and did not have the energy nor was it recommended by the doctors' for her to be out amongst crowds while recovering. I joked with her that there were eaiser ways of getting me to spend time with her (she is a bit sarcastic, like me). We had a great time and my boyfriend came up every day and went back almost every night to tend to the house and the cat.

This year, I just have to plan where and when to have dinner. What a difference a year makes.

NERVOUS DAY...
Have the Grad Gram workshop today and as always, I am nervous. No matter how many ways I try and get the information out to parents, I always have people very upset in March and April and even June, when they discover that the deadline was back in November (so we can plan for the rest of the book), and that they "NEVER HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT IT".

My students rock this year! We are having a good time working on authentic items for NPR, posting on the website for reference, and soon we will be working on entries for a national contest. I try and find ways to support the CA standards, using authentic items that reach beyond our classroom and school walls. Along the way we learn, and practice, the skills so that they eventually become second nature.

I wish that we could get a few new machines to round out the older ones we have been forced to use, but that is coming. Also, our ventilation system went out yesterday and well, with no windows and a door that was hung backwards (against the wind) it's a bit like a sauna in my room. Today is writing day and most of the time students are on task and writing the whole time. Today they are a little off task and not doing what they should be doing... With the Digital Generation, they are used to multi-tasking and it is increasingly difficult to have them focus on one task for more than 15 minutes, unless it is getting into trouble or something that they choose to work on.

All in all, things going well. Need some printer cartridges, and some new software -- all coming soon. Just have to find the time to get the order together and get things turned in... All about time.

WHAT IS WAVE? WAVE is Writing And Vocabulary Enrichment. Every Monday, each grade level gets a new word to work with. We have students predict the definition, mark how well they know the word then rotate through three different activities designed to make meaning from the word. Each student has a notebook and we keep track of all the words we have learned. 8th Grade has the most uncommon words, 6th grade the most common and 7th has those inbetween SAT words.

Every Wedensday, we respond to a quote or a situation involving character counts in part two of the vocabulary book.

THURSDAY AND FRIDAY are saved for Commonplace Books. Commonplace books are based around student-selected artifacts which are pasted into the commonplace book and then responded to in writing on the following pages. The entries are then shared on Fridays using a variety of techniques. The commonplace books are not diaries, rather a writing that will be shared with others to help build community.

FRUSTRATION RULES THE DAY....

I am not used to working and school full time. The transition has not been easy. I am shorter with my patience and myself. When things don't work, it is extrememly irritating. I am also not as tolerant of interruptions in my clas and typical middle school issues with student behaviors. I just don't have that much patience any more. It's better on Thursdays and Fridays. but Monday - Wednesday is tough... Best to just stay on task and take it easy on the teacher. Have to learn to deal with stress.

My Brother

My brother is a wonder. I still remember the day that he came into my life. It was the night that I pulled my first all-nighter and couldn't sleep - I was so excited to meet him! I thought every day about how I would get to hold him in the rocking chair in his room-- how I would read to him and show him around the street in my wagon, hold his hand when we went walking on hikes, and spending time helping him learn about all the things I knew. I had to go and spend the evening with some other family as he was born, but then... I got to go to the hospital to see him. It was back when they didn't allow anyone other than the husband into the room, but my mom had an outside room, so I got to see him through the window.

I still remember holding him (briefly) for the first time in my blue, cartoon animal print dress that tied at the shoulders and posing for yet another of our infamous family photos. It was one of the best days of my life, although I slept in a lot the next day as my brain was a little bit fuzzy from the lack of sleep and the sudden feeling of responsibility and no longer being alone - I was now a big sister and I had someone else to share my families journey with.