It's time for testing in our state. We're trying to create these positive and zen environments for the students so as not to overly tax them in order to reduce stress. Students are given peppermint candies to have during the test. Some of us are using essential oil diffusers to wake up the mind with essential oils. I even have my Himilayan Salt Lamp going to help remove negative energies in the room. Sitting in here right now I have never felt so very zen.
Now... I teach Science for the first hour of the day. It's quite a bit of reading and the curriculum lesson itself, I thought, was a bit heavy for the students. So I wanted to do something different, especially since in Literacy they're all taking the Reading portion of the exams. I didn't want to burden and tax them with excessive reading and processing when I was about to ask them to do this on a state exam.
As I drove to school that morning wracking my brain for what I could do it hit me. No, literally... a fist of iron just cracked my skull. In theory, when Danny Rand does his "tai chi" he centers his body so that his chi is strong. Then he uses that chi's potential energy to energize his fist, which then produces kinetic energy and knocks out Luke Cage! Sure, there's magic, blah blah blah, but there it is!
So I had this whole explanation worked out. I had appropriate clips chosen, even showing him doing the whole "calm face" to summon his chi and the fist glow. It was so cool. So then I gave the kids a quick rundown of chakras and calming the body and how when our chakras are out of alignment it can cause problems in our body. So by meditating and doing tai chi, we can center ourselves, store our potential energy to then push out into the world.
I put on some Tibetan bowl music, we meditated with spines straightened to try to align out chakras. Then we all stood together and practiced tai chi! Ended with a little more meditation and then they left.
When I saw some of my students for testing an hour later, they said they still felt good. At the end of the test, there were only 10 minutes left in class and a few of them asked me to put the music back on. They were quiet, focused, etc. So lovely.
I know it all sounds crazy, but we're going to debrief tomorrow and it hopefully put them in a better frame of mind to be successful with their stressful forward exam. GO MARVEL!
Each year I try to bring a bit more of myself into my classroom. Since finally embracing what I had been pushing away for so much of my life, I want to use it to my advantage as a teacher. It enhances my enjoyment in life and allows me to connect with students.
This year I chose to focus on my reading units in my classroom. My decision was inspired by a change in the subjects that I teach. I am first and foremost a Literacy teacher. My position, though, only covers 4 hours and not the required 5 hours (a total of 7 with 1 prep hour and 1 "team time" hour). So I always end up teaching one additional subject. My very first year I taught Science, but that was a rough year. My second year I picked up a 7th grade Literacy along with my 6th grade Literacy. Then I taught Social Studies and, in my sixth year, I am back with Science. Luckily our district just picked up a new program, so I am fully immersing myself in learning it and understanding it. We have all the resources and went through training and I am feeling really psyched. The only drawback is that my room is primarily a Literacy room, but that's my own issue to work through.
And yet... maybe it wasn't going to be an issue. I've always been drawn to Science Fiction. It is something that I absolutely love to read. Now, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy Fantasy, but I have found I am way more enamored with Science Fiction. In previous years I have catered to young adult realistic fiction, but with the flooded market and the rehashing of the same old things with new skins, I have a tendency to draw away from the market. Sadly, I found it very difficult to find Science Fiction directed at young readers that didn't just use the skin of Science Fiction as a vehicle for a different genre.
That got me thinking. . . how do we really define Science Fiction. I was shocked with what I learned. . .
Oh my goodness... no... absolutely not! Talk about pigeonholing an incredibly powerful genre of writing! Which got me to thinking. . . what if I gathered together a variety of different Science Fiction novels. . . I mean. . . all sorts of different types and let the reading groups pick what they wanted, but THEN they'd have to define what Science Fiction is. As a class we would do our own investigation into what makes Science Fiction Science Fiction! Let's say, too, that I'm straying away from the Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Science Fiction, because the kids have either read it or they have lost interest (primarily due to the movies being out).
The other benefit of this is for the girls. STEM is really being pushed in schools right now, because that's where the jobs of the future are. I am a woman teaching Science in Middle School, which leaves me with the position of fostering a love of Science and inquiry in my students. This is especially important for the female students, because research has indicated a sharp decline in an interest in Science once girls are in middle school. Having a daughter of my own, I want to help her understand all areas of life that are open to her, including all the amazing opportunities the field of Science can offer her. I especially love that The Girl Scouts of America offer STEM badges to really encourage girls to at least expose themselves to the field. I really hope I can reach some of our future Scientists with this unit and with my Science class!
So great! I have my unit. I am ready to go... oh wait... I don't have any books! I have some books, but... not enough for a group or enough for two classes! Even if I have copies borrowed from other school libraries I cannot find enough for my classes! I am going to need to seek funding.
Let the tears flow like Niagra Falls. I made a campaign on GoFundMe, because I really need these books. I also wanted to raise the money so I could purchase the books myself. See... when you're given money for your classroom, it's more a donation to the school and not to you, the teacher. That means all my books are checked into the school system and belong to the school. So let's say I leave the school for another position or, for whatever reason, I am just no longer at that school... I lose all of the books I used to create this unit. The unit materials would not follow me and I'd have to find all new materials! It seems minor, but I hate the thought of losing an investment like this.
I'll level with you... I am a very broke teacher. My household lives paycheck to paycheck just above the poverty line. I sink hundreds of dollars into my classroom and my students every year. Pencils, post-its, glue sticks, extra paper, project supplies, books, etc. I also teach a Tabletop Game Unit as a culminating unit with costs me a great deal out of pocket, but the burden is worth it for the experience of the students.
Now, I hate begging for money. I always feel there are people out there more in need than I am, but right now... well... I care a great deal and am trying my best. I even asked authors whose books I have on my list to help me get the word out. Donate or don't, but please at least help me spread the word! It is honestly a worthy cause! Many of the messages in Science Fiction actually focus on society! Think about how that could impact our world!
So here I am... a week and some change for the doors to my classroom open to all the beautiful young minds eager to learn and I have nothing... $25 from my mom... what a nerdy thing to admit, but there it is.
As my heart breaks... I make a plea to help me... please help me... to make this happen... spread the world, offer a wee donation... offer up copies of the books... anything helps...
We were preparing to visit Friend Jim in North Carolina and he posed an exciting opportunity to my husband. It was an escape from a zombie, co-operative adventure (Raleigh Room Escapes). He had some sort of discount or something like that and is one of those people who, like me, enjoys things like that. I mean, heck, I like Murder Mystery Dinners and all that junk. So when it was posed to me, I was like OMG YES! It didn't hurt that I was somewhat familiar with the experience from non-other-than The Big Bang Theory. Here's a clip from the episode.
Now, we promised not to give up any information about the actual puzzles, so I won't go into detail about that or strategies, but I will talk about some of the other aspects.
So here's what happens. You sign up. The reservations were for no more than 12 people. Much to my socially anxious chagrin, ours filled up with lots of other strangers. We didn't know if it would be couples or small groups or whatever. We only knew that there would be 3 of us and 8 of them!
We showed up at the appointed time and had to turn over all of our electronics (or go quick lock them in our cars). If you left them with the people, they were locked safely away (no worries). Then we signed a wavier and all that junk. Upon entering, though, we met the Scientist who would be leading us through the adventure (and evaluating us). Sadly, I'm terrible with names and I forget all the names of all the people and I only took the generic business card, not the specific business cards. Either way, the guy running it and the zombie woman who was also part of it, were AWESOME and really helped set the mood for the whole experience.
We had to introduce ourselves and meet everyone (yeah, I keep digressing). Turns out the other 8 people all knew each other from work and we had a few REALLY OUTGOING guys in the group. I could feel myself pull away faster and faster and faster; to the point where I was standing back assessing everyone. Not judging, literally assessing. Looking for the strengths, the weakness, and seeing where I might be of the most use.
After learning about the rules of not touching this and making sure to keep moving forward and staying out of corners, we moved into the hallway and prepared to enter the lab! We had already been given the backstory to how the good doctor turned into a zombie and found herself trapped. We were charged with finding the clues to solve the puzzles to get the lock off the door!
The door opened and in we went. I'll stop there and say it was pretty crazy. Everyone seemed to do things that mostly helped, but there was a lot of dead weight. It was also interesting, because I assessed my own value in a group and as someone who has been told they aren't the best in group settings, I was someone who was valuable. I'm just valuable in a way that the loud, outgoing, clear leaders in the group don't realize. I'm in the minority of people willing to listen to others (p.s. Just because I don't do what you recommend, doesn't mean I didn't listen and take it into consideration).
That was the biggest problem, though. The other 8 people showed next to 0 interest in the other three people. I say next to 0, because it wasn't a complete 0. They only had interest when something was shouted or an answer was being stated. I was laughing inside at my own ability to point out how to solve a puzzle, but my own inability to actually solve it. Besides, too many cooks in the kitchen. . . once they swarmed me, I backed away and pulled out. When I was actually confronted by our helpful doctor with solving a puzzle, my anxiety was too high to put solving anything to go use. I couldn't understand his clue to solving it and, to be honest, I'm horrible at those kinds of puzzles.
What I'm trying to say is that sometimes what looks like clear leaders or the loudest in the group, aren't always the cornerstones to success. They also have a tendency to forget about others, because their focus is on their, like, one or two friends and their own agenda. I had my fingers in so many pies in there, I was a jack of all sorts of junk. Calling out the attack, moving people, pointing out clues, recalling important info, setting up for the solving of many of the puzzles. I even became a zombie wrangler, when my other roles were finished. Granted, I think the zombie was getting tired of the guy who took over. No offense, dude, but I would never want to work with you. Please stop saying you're from Wisconsin.
At the end of it all. . . we didn't make it out. According to our guide doctor, we literally needed 10 more seconds. Yeah, we were entering codes into the final lock when the buzzer sounded. But hey, we got way farther than I thought we would! A total rush. So much so that when I exited the room and people were gathering for the final meeting, I had a mild post-event-panic-attack. My head was spinning and the adrenaline had faded and I felt like I was about to cry. On the flipside, that's how intense the whole process is! It's so boss!
After we all congregated in the main area, our lead doctor debriefed with us, telling us our roles. He went through everyone. I remember I was credited with finding many of the puzzles, and immediately latching on to.... oop... a very specific puzzle. Our Friend Jim was really good at repeating people. I loved that and I can't seem to let it go. Makes me laugh, because it just doesn't seem like him. He also sacrificed himself for the group. My husband, though, was an Apocrypha solver. He'd come up with these really off-the-wall connections to solve a puzzle that somehow seemed to work. Of course, that totally fits him as a person and the book he's writing. Loved it!
As we left, another group was getting ready to come in and we did say it was awesome! I would do this again in a heartbeat. It's good, though, knowing your role going into something like this. I am one of those people who slips into the most-needed position. If I don't see it, I'll ask, but that's who I am.
Please attend these (especially the Raleigh one. . . I think they said there's one in DC, too). It was awesome. It was fun! It totally tests your skillZ! I saw a 007 one in Milwaukee that I'm debating over checking out. It was really a worthwhile time, fun, memorable, and a great way to push yourself to interact with people in a positive and productive way.
A great time was had by all! Thanks Raleigh Room Escapes!
It's time for testing in our state. We're trying to create these positive and zen environments for the students so as not to overly tax them in order to reduce stress. Students are given peppermint candies to have during the test. Some of us are using essential oil diffusers to wake up the mind with essential oils. I even have my Himilayan Salt Lamp going to help remove negative energies in the room. Sitting in here right now I have never felt so very zen.
Now... I teach Science for the first hour of the day. It's quite a bit of reading and the curriculum lesson itself, I thought, was a bit heavy for the students. So I wanted to do something different, especially since in Literacy they're all taking the Reading portion of the exams. I didn't want to burden and tax them with excessive reading and processing when I was about to ask them to do this on a state exam.
