Frumteacher

The year is drawing to a close, sort of

2010-04-15T10:58:00.002+02:00

Spring is in the air. Pesach went by, and now the countdown for the final semester practically started. I am grading, doing paperwork, thinking of nice assignments to make their an my lives better, and I try my best to be a good teacher. MMT wrote in his comment that hopefully my sense of regret would be gone by now, and I can admit that indeed, it passed. Yesterday was a good day in school, and on days like those a tiny little voice inside me tells me "so are you really willing to give all this up?" but it is really only a tiny voice, and my answer is always "yes". The negative things in my school outweigh the positive aspects, by far, so I am glad that I won't have to worry about coming back next year. I am really looking forward to teaching less, and doing more writing from home. At the same time I am glad that I will still be teaching in my other school, since I am a teacher and will always be.

When things get more quiet in school, I will think about the direction this blog will be taking. For now, I have to run because the student of my Hebrew finals will have a puzzle tour this afternoon (in Hebrew, of course) and I still have to finish a couple of questions.

What about you? Will you continue teaching the way you do this year, or are you also looking for a change?

Time to think

2010-03-21T14:49:00.003+01:00

It's been a while, since I needed some time to think things over. You must have noticed my depressive state and the questions I had about my future in education. It was a fruitful time, in that I managed to set things straight and came to a decision...

I quit my job.

At least, I quit my job in one of the two schools I work at. It means I decided that education IS for me, or put differently, that I was meant to be an educator, but not at every price. The price I am paying at one of my schools is simply too big. I feel like the doormat of that school, and that is a sign I should resign.

The reaction of the administration showed me that I made the right decision. They told me that 'they felt sorry for me' (I answered: 'Well, I feel sorry for the school because it misses out on a very devoted, capable and once-enthousiastic teacher') and that 'they could see it coming because things were a mess' (that was my colleague in history, who has been afraid to 'share' her position as history expert since the day I entered the school, and no, I didn't even bother to answer that things are a mess in the school, and not in my classroom only).

I feel such a tremendous relief. I am already looking forward to the day I can lock the door to my classroom and say goodbye. I've given all I had, but this school was not the right place.

PS.

2010-02-19T15:43:00.003+01:00

I forgot to mention that I deleted my Facebook profile. It will take me some time to get used to the feeling of not being part of a social network anymore (at least a virtual one) and I will have to rediscover ways of connecting to people without being able to poke or IM, but it already feels much better. I spent too much time on Facebook, and I didn't like the way Facebook developed. The adds, the things people put on, I asked myself: "Would I want my daughter to be on Facebook? (I know, she's only 1, but time flies) " When I answered negatively, I wondered why I should be on Facebook if I didn't want by daughter to be on it. So that's it.

Gut shabbos!

2010-02-19T15:37:00.004+01:00

Since the return of the expert and yet another classroom incident (in which I was filmed by a student with a cellphone and uploaded to a social network site) I have been thinking a lot about my future in education. I never thought that year 5 would become what it has become for so many others: a turningpoint, not in noticing that teaching has become a routine, but in feeling that maybe I am in the wrong place after all. It's not an easy decision to make, but I must admit that currently I am more and more attracted by the thought of being a sah mom.

So today I spent mostly in the kitchen with Frumdaughter crawling over my feet, playing with a wooden spoon and pulling packages and bottles (ouch, should be more careful to put those away on a higher shelf) out of the kitchen cupboard. I haven't made challos for a long time, and am really happy that I am about to pop them into the oven in a few minutes. Nothing like a shabbos with homemade challa! Chickensoup, chicken, potato kugel and stringbeans will complete the meal.

So let me all wish you a wonderful weekend and gut shabbos!!!

The expert strikes again

2010-02-09T10:01:00.004+01:00

Yesterday we had a follow up on the visit of the expert. This time without the expert himself, but we weren't spared his useful ideas and crooked vision.

The first part of the meeting consisted of a brainstorm between teachers AND STUDENTS. That's right. Class makes a mess. Class misbehaves. Class burns down teachers. Class gets to tell teachers what they do wrong. And we are surprised that these students don't respect the authority of the school? I had to teach in my other school, so I missed the student/teacher brainstorm, and I am not sure if I had gone even if I didn't have to teach. Of course I think it's important to listen to students, especially the ones that want to learn, but inviting the kids that mess up my lessons to such a meeting seems wrong.

The second part of the meeting consisted of making a commitment to two new rules that the entire team will enforce. First, we received a list with advise from Mr. Expert. Which consisted of the following:

1. The students are not listening to what the teachers say, because they feel the school always approaches them in a negative way.

2. Start working with a 10 sec. rule. When (special ed. kid's name) misbehaves, let the rest of the class count 'til 10 before responding to his behavior. If this works, give positive feedback.

3. Tell the students what work has to be finished at the end of the lesson.

4. Rewards positive behavior.

5. Set strickt rules.

You obviously need to be an expert and make 100$ per hour in order to put these things on paper. Especially nr. 2 totally appalled me. We are talking about a class with 17 more or less special ed. students, and now we are telling the rest of the class 'that kid is special, just ignore him and we'll reward you'. How wrong is that???

Principal didn't listen to our feedback, and then there are always teachers that don't know how often they have to stress that they don't have ANY trouble with this group, and that everyone is welcome in their lessons, to see how wonderful it's going.

The two commitments we made:

1. Assign fixed places to students

2. Positivity- give positive feedback and do fun things (!!!)

I find it a gross indignation that apparently the principal believes that there are teachers that don't give positive feedback. Of course we do. But not when a student breaks down the room, attacks his fellow student or calls the teacher names.

Students have to stay until 5PM if they misbehave, but since there is nobody to sit with them, and since parents have come to school to pick up their kid because he had to go to tennis/soccer/work, this rule hasn't been put to use more than two or three times since it was announced officially to the parents.

So when I asked what the answer of the school is if, despite all our wonderful plans, students still don't comply, a deafening silence ensued.

I am getting more and more ready to leave this school. Mentally and emotionally I am moving one step closer to resigning every day. What a shame.

The return of the expert

2010-01-19T19:04:00.002+01:00

Urban school teacher, and all the other cinical commenters for that matter, was right. The expert returned today and blamed us for the whole mess going on in our school. Let me tell you what happened today.

First of all, I must say I wasn't really focused because my asthma is bothering me again so I was concentrating on breathing and not really up to arguing with him, but I do feel I am able to sum up what he said. So first of all, the guy arrived half an hour late. The teachers had already started exchanging experiences, and when he entered he sat down and listened to us for three whole minutes. So picture the situation: about ten teachers, cups of coffee + pen and paper at hand, waiting for their much needed advice, and one guy (who when I googled him turned out to be an actor, next to being a trainer, and doesn't have ANY educational background) with long hair, dressed in black, looking alternative in every way, steps up and starts.

He pointed out that from what he heard us say (during those three minutes) he sensed that we were waging a war against this class. That we weren't emotionally flexible anymore, and that we unjustifiedly perceived everything that happened in that class as a personal attack on us. That we shouldn't go back into the classroom, wanting those students to be quiet because we wanted their attention (and teach), but that we should try to sit down with them and have a chat about why things didn't work this way. That he didn't believe in more sanctions, because that would be like the Cold War with both sides only adding hostilities and armor...

And then the discussion took a pretty useless turn, focussing on only three students that were (according to him) the culprits, because two of them were bullying the third and trying to make him do weird stuff so that he would get into trouble. He said that as soon as we see that this third student is doing something weird, we should send the other(s) to the office, because it was probably him forcing him to. And if later on it turned out that the kid that we sent to the office was innocent, we should just apologize 'cause 'he will understand'.

Ok. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen. Maybe I just didn't get his point. Maybe I misunderstood what he said. But even then the whole thing was just outrageous. I feel empty, whiped and most of all let down (again) by the administration, and the school system in general.

The return of the expert was the extra push I needed. I am reconsidering my future as a teacher. At least in this school. This whole thing is just very wrong, and I don't know how to make things better :-(

Update on class from hell

2010-01-11T13:15:00.003+01:00

Today a psychologist or educational expert or something like that came to school to work with my class from hell. He discussed the issues in their class and made them think of ways to improve. I saw the list that resulted from this lesson since it was still on the board when I started teaching. Although it contained obvious stuff like 'raise your finger' or 'order', it might teach them something valuable after all. He focusses on taking responsibility for their behaviour, which I think is positive. Although he had to send one student to the office who disrupted his class, lol!

Anyway, the next step is that he'll 'work' with the teachers of the class. Wonder what we will have to change!!! I'll definately keep you updated on this one.

Snow day... PLEASE!

2010-01-10T14:37:00.004+01:00

OK, more snow this weekend and also the next few days. I'd say: "SNOW DAY!!!" I guess I wrote this before, but never as a high school student did I suspect that the teachers are secretly praying for snow days even more than the students, lol!

Wrap up

2010-01-08T14:57:00.002+01:00

Just shortly before shabbat shemot, the week in which we will start reading the second book of the Thora, I want to quickly review the past week. It was a busy, but good week:

1. Frumdaughter seems to be enjoying daycare. She started playing with the other children, and is happy and satisfied. She did pick up her first cold of the year though.

2. I am happy that during winterbreak I managed to pick up Japanese again. I missed it. Refreshing my knowledge of Hiragana and Katakana felt really good.

3. Yesterday night I went to sports class, despite the fact that I had to go there by bike in -5 Celcius. I felt really good afterwards, plus (like Japanese) since I'm a mommy sports doesn't feel like something dreadful that I have to do anymore, but more like an hour of me-time which helps me relax.

4. This week I was asked to replace our Hebrew teacher who is on sick leave. So I'll be teaching (at least trying to) teach Hebrew to the final grade students. I can't believe it. I never thought I'd be a language teacher. But as the rabbi of my school said: "If I can teach biology and social sciences, you can teach Hebrew". I hope he's right!

Gut shabbes everyone!

Toys in the 21st century

2010-01-08T11:19:00.003+01:00

Since the birth of Frumdaughter, ten months ago (how time flies!), I've entered a new world. The world of toys. I was shocked when I entered the toy store near our home. I felt dizzy and overwhelmed by the colors and sounds. A visual bombardment of stimuli. I could suddenly understand the large number of ADD cases in my classroom. It just didn't feel right. So when we wanted to buy an activity centre for the playpen, we went to another toy store which is specialized in wooden toys. Just take a look at the three activity centres down here, and see what I mean.

1. One of the activity centres that I saw in the store. Too much plastic and too many colors. Most centres even work on batteries. All baby has to do is push a button. So far for developing fantasy and motoric skills.

2. Fisher Price activity centre from the 80's, the one I played with as a child. I remember every corner of the board and every function it had. Somehow it looks much more quiet than the newer versions.

3. The wooden activity board we bought this week. I like the natural, quiet look it has. Interestingly, its design seem to have been inspired by the original activity centre of Fisher Price, including the two moving animals in the bottom of the board and the color wheel on the right.

Frumdaughter loves the board, especially the sun which rotates and has a little mirror in the back.

Light bulb moments #1

2010-01-04T13:20:00.002+01:00

B2s-day made me come up with a new series on my blog: light bulb moments. I want to write down things that work for me. In stead of only writing about what doesn't work, I want to concentrate on thins that improve my lessons and the relationship with my students. I was prompted to this approach by the book I discussed yesterday. NLP is about building rapport with your students, creating a connection and entering their minds, and thus getting their cooperation. I tried this today, and could feel it worked (I know that I was energized by winter break and will probably be less inclined to have this approach on a regular Monday morning, but still):

1) Students were off during first period because we had a New Year's breakfast (nothing worse than having breakfast with your colleagues on Monday morning, lol) and I noticed some students in the hall that had apparently missed the anouncement that they were expected only an hour later. So I got tea for my student (from hell) that I noticed sitting in the hall. He really appreciated it.

2) In my class from hell I tried a new approach. I got permission from the Stasi (i.e. the administrator that deals with the year planning and the amount of tests we're allowed to give) to give extra assignments for grades, so I made my students work most of the lesson and hand in their work. Yay.

3) I walked around more in the classroom, initiating contact with students that usually get neglected because they don't 'ask for attention' my misbehaving. I could see it also quieted down the misbehaving students, since they saw they could get attention in a different way. Yay.

Plus, the biggest yay of all: Frumdaughter enjoyed being back in daycare. I was really scared that she would have trouble getting used to being away from home after the long break, but the moment Frumhusband dropped her off, she turned her back and started playing. Sigh, I am so relieved.

New year, new book

2010-01-03T12:10:00.003+01:00

Winter break was blissful. We finally spent quality time with the family, I could catch up on some much needed sleep, and I took a mental break from teaching. It was so good to be out of school for a while.

Now, tomorrow is b2s, and it's ok. My batteries are loaded, no matter what will happen. To start the new year on the right foot, I started a new book on teaching: "NLP for teachers; how to be a highly effective teacher" by Richard Churches and Roger Terry. Who knows, maybe I would be a more effective teacher if I finally stopped reading 'how to be a more effective teacher books', but I am curious to read more about Neuro-Linguistic Programming and find out if it can help me improve my classroom management.

So, 2010, off we go! All the best to you all!

First snow

2009-12-17T10:45:00.005+01:00

The first snow of the year, and the first snow of Frumdaughter's life! It is lovely how different everything looks when covered by a layer of snow. This morning I enjoyed snow pictures from the beginning of the 20th century, published in the photo section of the city archive. Snow in 181895189518951895189518951895189518951895189518951895189518951895189518951895
189518951895189 5189595

The deplorable state of education

2009-12-15T10:42:00.003+01:00

Yesterday I read a vent at Miss Teacha's blog. I couldn't believe it. Everything she wrote is about me. At first, it made me feel good to know that I am not going through this alone, and that it's apparently not solely my fault that somehow my classrooms are a mess this year. But then, I realized that perhaps it had been better if it was just me being a lousy teacher. Because the fact that Miss Teacha and her commenters are experiencing problems that are completely similar to mine, point to a serious problem in today's high schools.

Let me explain. Everyone says that the fifth year of teaching will be better. Easier. So I am pretty desperate to see that it's not. From a content point of view, it is. I've been teaching the same material for quite some time now. I master it very well. I have stories and anecdotes to pick from at random. I have a whole collection of tests, exams and assignments. So yes, that makes it a whole lot easier.

But from a classroom management point of view, this year isn't better than the other years. Maybe it's even worse. Last week, for the first time in my 'career', I walked out of the classroom because I didn't see a point in teaching that class anymore, and ended up crying in the principal's office. It felt like a capitulation and a failure. Like admitting that I didn't manage what I had longed for so much: to be able to teach a regular lesson in a class full of special ed. students, occupied only with their a) phones b) Ipods c) make-up, a class without a) books b) pens c) notebooks, and to top it off a class with an amount of chutzpeh, for which I can't find sufficient words to describe it.

I mentioned before that I feel as if I am standing with my back against the wall. I have hardly any sanctions at my availability. I can give these kids FOUR grades during the entire year. After last week's explosion I've demanded more grading options, and I'll be getting maybe one or two more, but that's it. No F's for failed homework, no D's for sloppy work or an unexpected pop-quiz. The only concession from the school is that THE TEACHERS WILL GET A COURSE ON HOW TO DEAL WITH SPECIAL ED. STUDENTS. So imagine: there is this bunch of kids that never learned the basics of normal behavior from their parents (a recent study reveils that of all parents, only 14% punishes their children when they misbehave, while the rest believes 'an open conversation' does the trick), texting each other during my class, calling me names, refusing to leave the classroom after I sent them to the office, and the teachers are the ones that will have to give up their free time in order to improve the situation. So where are the sanctions for them? You don't want to know what these kids have called me. But when I ask stronger sanctions from the principal, all she tells me is that 'stronger sanctions won't necessarily improve the situation'.

As long as our schools don't demand proper behavior from their students, they don't take the needs of their students and their teachers seriously. A society doesn't say 'laws don't necessarily reduce crime', because they know that without rules, a society will go wild. So how come our schools don't see that basic truth???

Google image 11/4/09

2009-11-06T10:22:00.002+01:00

Google celebrates the 40th anniversary of Sesamestreet. On Wednesday this logo was published with our national Sesamestreet character Ieniemienie. I wonder how many different Sesamestreet characters there are, that don't appear in the original US version.

The juggler

2009-11-03T20:38:00.005+01:00

So I decided to keep on writing about all aspects of my life. I can only wish I will one day have the talent, inspiration and discipline to write like Ilana Davita, but in the mean time let me just say that I am a juggler, trying to keep all balls in the air:

* I try to spend quality time with my daughter and frumhusband

* I try to cook nutritious meals and keep the home livable

* I am working on a classroom website that I will hopefully be able to use in a week from now

* I hope to take up my sports class in two weeks

* I am trying to keep up with grading

* I try to study some Jewish topics in between

* I try to catch enough sleep

* I try not to catch the Mexican flu.

Direction

2009-10-16T10:52:00.002+02:00

Now that the holiday season is over, I am in a melancholical mood. A logical consequence of repenting, the sealing of our fate, making new resolutions and starting a new Jewish year as a mommy. Also, I have been thinking about the direction this blog is taking or should be taking. My life has changed. I am no longer 'just' Frumteacher. I am also Frum mommy and Frum homekeeper, parts of my life that are just as real as the teaching part. I want to write about all these aspects on my blog, but that will probably make it in a mishmash, uninteresting for anyone else. Should I stick to one theme? Leave out part of my musings? I don't know yet. In the mean time, the 'Frum homekeeper' in me found the most wonderful article on revach.net, a website with quick torah thoughts. A great way to start the new year, and I couldn't resist sharing it.

Post Succos Diet - The Best Diet Plan Ever

Rav Shimshon Pincus used to say if Americans were not so obsessed with dieting, America would have eaten itself out of existence a long time ago. Do you see the Chutzpah? Not only do Americans eat like no other nation in history, but we are obsessed with looking skinny, something unheard of in the past, when pleasantly plump was considered a sign of health and wealth.

To add chutzpah upon chutzpah, there are hundreds of diet plans out there, each one teaching you "the secret" to losing weight. Of course none of these secrets have anything to do with curbing your epic appetite, because after all we love to eat and surely we wouldn't sign up for that kind of plan.

There are certain concepts that we can't relate to anymore in today's day and age and this prevents us from real Avodas Hashem. For example in the age of democracy, we have no idea what a King was. The Eimas HaMalchus that made you shake from trepidation in the King's presence. Without this, our Yiras Shamayim is lacking because we don't begin to fathom how to relate to Hashem. True dveykus went out the window when the Yetzer Hara for Avoda Zara was destroyed. Similarly in an age where food is more entertainment than nourishment, we have no idea what it means to eat, B'Kedusha U'BTahara.

It is brought down in the Seforim HaKedoshim that the Gematria of the word Maachal or food is the equivalent of the Shem Hashem spelled phonetically and the Shem Havaya. It is said that the holy Apta Rov was a man of very large proportions. He would eat any food in sight to get the kedusha out of it. Sounds ridiculous to us today.

All this being said, since creating new diets is a multi-million (maybe billion) dollar industry we will propose the Revach Diet. After all its pretty easy. First you take everything everyone said until now and turn it on its head. Then you sprinkle it with a little real science, a few Maamarei Chazal, and add one or two well hidden old wives tales. Then you package it together and you are good to go. I am highly skeptical we will be invited for a tour on the talk show circuit to discuss the Revach diet and we probably won't sell a single book, but maybe we will get at least a double take for the Post Succos dieters.

Rule # 1 No Eating Between Meals - The gemara in Yuma 74b says that at first the Bnei Yisroel ate all day like chickens pecking away at garbage, until Moshe Rabbeinu came and instituted meal time for eating. (He instituted only two meals a day but let's not push it.)

Rule # 2 A Hearty Breakfast - To paraphrase the gemara (Bava Kama 92b) Run, Run, Run as fast as you can, You will never catch the Breakfast man. The gemara further says that 83 illnesses come from the gall bladder and will all be prevented by eating breakfast. Of course only cannibals and night burglars eat right in the beginning of the day. Normal people eat a few hours into the day. Forget your coffee and donut. This diet requires sitting down to a hearty breakfast of real food that may sustain you for the next few hours without having to violate rule #1.

Rule # 3 Make a Heartfelt Bracha on Your Food - It will make the food feel better and you too. Stolen food is not very healthy according to our diet, which is what your food is before make a bracha (Brachos 35).

Rule # 4 Don't Fight Over Food - Any food eyed by someone else is affected by the evil eye. Similarly don't partake in a food, even if offered, from someone who doesn't have enough for himself, even if he wants to be generous.

Rule # 5 A Torah Thought - The Mishna calls eating without Divrei Torah, Zivchei Meisim, the sacrifice of the dead. Eating the right way is like bringing a Korban, try to add a little holiness to the meal.

Rule # 6 Don't Overfill, Don't Even Fill - This is another hard one. Not only should we not overeat, but the Rambam based on the gemara says that we should not fill out stomach's more than 75%. It's hard enough to stop when we are full, but health dictates that we stop before we are full!

Rule # 7 A Ten Minute Desert - I once heard that Rav Eliyahu Lopian asked how long a meal in Yeshiva should take? When no one answered, he answered himself saying something to the effect of 15 minutes. Five minutes to eat and ten to bentch.

A few more - Don't complain about the food, eat it the way it is without figuring out how to make it tastier, try to avoid food from a bag (especially if it has ingredients with more than twelve letters in them), and try to think about the poor and separate some food for them or give money to tzedaka before you eat, which is more practical nowadays.

So before you start separating your carbs from your fats, stock up omega 3, avoid white potatoes and orange juice, and eat sugar only between midnight and 2 o'clock in the morning you may want to look more into our diet (after all we allow dairy products even on weekends). Each one of our source books was a best seller in its time, starting with the Talmud Bavli which still sells pretty well. They also include Rambam (Hilchos Deios), Shela (Shaar HaOsiyos), Rav Yaakov Emden (Siddur - Hanhagas HaSeuda), Peleh Yo'etz (Achila), Derech Seudah, Reishis Chochma and many others. Our diet plan is free, so if you are one of the people who contribute to the $35 billion dollars that American spend on weight loss products annually, you will even save some money.

Of apples and bananas

2009-10-12T15:02:00.003+02:00

This morning I taught one of my classes on Avraham avinu, the patriarch. Because I feared that most of my students wouldn't be very motivated to know more about this (in their opinion dusty) part of history, I realized I had to come up with something interesting. So I presented Abraham as a smart, couarageous kid who asked questions and came up with revolutionary answers, someone who dared to be different than the rest of the group. To point out the effect of peer pressure, I related of a psychological experiment that was held a couple of years ago in the USA. Ten people were put in a room. They were shown a picture of an apple and had to say out loud what they saw on the picture. Two of these people were just selected randomly while walking in the street. The other eight were actors. The two 'selected' ones obviously had no idea. When the actors saw the picture, they all said that they saw a banana. Research showed that because of the eight 'banana answers', also the two randomly chosen test objects said the picture showed a banana. This proved the absurd influence a group can have on the individual. Hence, yay for Avraham for standing up against populair beliefs in his times.

Talking about bananas, I went bananas this morning. I taught my class from hell, which from now on I will call my special ed. class. Most, if not all, of these students have 'something' special. Whether it is dyslexia, ADD, NLD, autism or whatelse do we have out there, they have it. I sent three students to the office (THREE!!!) but the situation hardly improved. I had planned to watch parts of the Merchant of Venice with them for a lesson about the renaissance and the ghetto of Venice, but I realize that they won't be able to hold Shylock and Antonio apart. Anyway. So after class I went to the office myself and told the coordinators that I don't have a degree in special education and thus I have no tools to work with this class. She told me she doesn't have either. Nor does the school. I am still wondering whether this news should make me happy or sad.

PS. Today's PS consists of the two gems I found when I googled for an apples/bananas picture. A song called apples and bananas, and about thirty reasons why a banana a day keeps the doctor away. Maybe going bananas isn't so bad after all ;-)

Gilad Shalit

2009-10-06T10:44:00.004+02:00

A couple of days ago this video of Gilad Shalit was released by Hamas. Shalit was kidnapped over three years ago, and this video is the first real sign of life his parents have received since then. Now that I am a mommy myself, I relate to the story of Gilad and his family in a thoroughly different way. Of course, so far I felt very sorry for them and I prayed for his safe return. I thought about him every morning when I said the blessing 'who releases captives'. But now I get a sick feeling in my stomache and goosebumps on my arms. How did his family survive these years? I don't know.

The dilemma that Israeli society is faced with after the release of this tape has been put down in words in a heartwrenching way by a soldier's mother. May those in charge take wise decisions and may Gilad turn home safely.

Recipes

2009-10-02T11:14:00.004+02:00

New recipes have been added to Frumcuisine. All side dishes that are easy and quick to assemble and that will enhance your yomtov table or other festive event: sweet potatoe pie, carrot muffins and cherry crumble kugel. Enjoy!

Google school image

2009-10-01T14:46:00.003+02:00

Apparently I missed this Google logo, which was published in September at the first schoolday of Greece. Probably only Greek users could see it, but since I loved it I am post-posting it :-)

Inspirational quote

2009-09-30T16:11:00.002+02:00

"The education of children means: stimulating the growth and development of what each child is suited for by his very nature. This quality or potential may be found in him only in very small messure, in total hiddenness; the task of the educator is to uncover it."

Rabbi Kalonymus Kalman Shapira (Piaseczno Rebbe), 1889-1943

Chovas haTalmidim

Autumn is in the air

2009-09-30T13:31:00.003+02:00

And then, suddenly, without me noticing it, we reached the end of September. Officially summer ended over a week ago, but we had a last stretch of lovely weather last week. Only this week did I start to feel a familiar feeling- the chill of upcoming autumn. The evening and mornings are cooler. Although most trees are still green, some leaves have started to change colors.

Some reasons why I love this season:

1. Frumdaughter started wearing long sleeved onesies, which make her look even more cute.

2. I rediscovered our stock of teas. Nothing beats a warming ginger tea in the morning or an 'evening mix' at night. Making a pot of tea gives such a cozy feeling.

3. I love the 'in between seasons' of autumn and spring. I missed the changes in nature that occur in those seasons, when I lived in Israel.

4. I love the autumn fruits and veggies: pomegranates, apples, pears, butternut squashes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, etc.

5. Taking out my winter clothes gives me a good reason to declutter my closet. Feeling the soft fabric of sweaters that were put away for months is comforting.

6. Autumn is my most creative season. It makes me think of new lesson plans, extra curricular project, stories to write, crafting to do, if only I had the time...

Why do you love the fall season?

Talmudic T-shirts

2009-09-29T16:11:00.003+02:00

Just wanted to share this funny link to a collection of t-shirts with quotes from the Talmud and other sources. Funny!

Shana tova!

2009-09-29T09:52:00.003+02:00

Shana tova to all of you! Last week we celebrated the arrival of the Jewish year 5770. Although many people assume that Rosh haShana celebrates the creation of the world, in fact the birth of mankind is celebrated. As the sources say: Rosh haShana is all about recognizing G'd's kingship over the world. Without mankind to acknowledge Him as their King, there is no reason to celebrate.

After celebrating the birth of mankind and the Kingship of G'd, these past ten days were days of introspection. Culminating in Yom Kippur this period of the year is meant for introspection, for making things up with your family and friends and for resolutions to do better in the future.

Of course, like all Jewish holidays, these special occasions are celebrated with food. I made chicken soup, carrot muffins, pumpkin/sweet potatoe pie and of course honey cake. In the coming days I hope to share the recipes on Frumcuisine. In the mean time, enjoy this inspiring short Aish movie on 'growth'.

The Chinese Bamboo

Shared via AddThis

Shifting priorities

2009-09-22T10:39:00.003+02:00

Since the birth of Frumdaughter, and especially since going back to school, my priorities have changed. I used to invest all my time and energy in school. Whether it was preparing my lesson(plan)s well into the night, volunteering to organize a rally, or making challenging assignments or even websites, I would do it and love doing it.

Things are different now. On the two days I still work, I leave the house in the morning, counting the hours until I will pick up Frumdaughter from daycare. When I arrive at school, I quickly make myself a cup of coffee, look in my diary which class is expecting me first, and then walk into the classroom. Preparations have been reduced to a minimal amount of time.

True, part of this was made possible only because I have been working and organizing my materials all through the summer. But still, I feel that I walk into the classroom confidently(because it's my fifth year and I know most of the material by heart) and I am more laid back, because I know that the most important thing is not that one student trying to disturb my lesson, or making the perfect assignment, but this little wonder waiting for me to pick her up.

And you know what strikes me most? Because of this new attitude, I've become a better teacher. A more professional teacher, because I take things more easily, and am more relaxed. In a way it's unfair that as a new teacher you invest so much of your time and energy (of your life) in being the best teacher, but only once you get into the routine of teaching and become less absorbed in being a teacher, your students feel you are a 'real teacher'. It's a weird contradiction, but it makes me happy.

Goals

2009-09-15T09:55:00.003+02:00

These past days I have been writing numerous blog posts. However, between lessonplans, diapers and mashed veggies I didn't get to sitting down and posting. So another two weeks passed. I am tightroping in order to find a balance between family and work, and to find a balance in the classroom that works for everyone. Yesterday, one kid was absent from one of my classes and immediately things were different. It still amazes me how one student can influence the atmosphere in a classroom. And it boggles me that I don't (always) have a cure.

These past weeks prompted me to think about Mark Smilowitz's podcast that I mentioned earlier. I have been jotting down good and not so good things, and I have been thinking about what I want to achieve. I had to, because writing a textbook without a clear goal in mind is useless. The textbooks came back from the copyshop and they are wonderful. I hope they will help my students to

a) think about history and their own place in the chain of generations
b) learn different ideas and visions without being judgemental
c) realize that learning CAN be fun, if you do you best

I have so much more to write, but I have a load of laundry to fold and cooking to do for Rosh haShana. Before hitting the publish button though I would like to commemorate Asaf Ramon, the son of the first Israeli astronaut who died in the space shuttle crash of 2003. Tragically, Asaf Ramon died this Sunday when his F-16 crashed during a military operation. May his family be comforted among the mourners of Zion.

11 months left...

2009-08-31T22:46:00.001+02:00

The text on the image reads "never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups". That was my first day of school. I taught three different grades, one was okay but the other two were disastrous. I expected that entering my fifth year, and being a mom to top it off, would somehow make things go easier. There was just one little thing I oversaw: the malfunctioning school system that I am part of.

1) I teach combined groups, meaning three different levels are squeezed together in the same classroom, obviously because of lack of funds

2) Our school is becoming more and more inclusive. Yay to the people that decided special ed. students should be allowed in regular schools, but woe to the people that didn't think about their classmates and teachers. Was I trained as a special ed. teacher? No. Can I teach a normal lesson while being disrupted by kids with severe ADD and autism? No. I already sent the first kid (the bouncing girl from previous years) to the office because she gravely insulted me in front of the group, and this was after she was already given extra work to do at home.

3) The past decade our highschools have severely deteriorated. Students are supposed to be 'independent'. To learn because they feel the 'urge to explore'. To get a planner at the beginning of the year, so they know what will be expected of them for a test three months from then. Teachers have no possibility to give pop quizes, small tests throughout the year, or implement ways of grading homework (or more specific, to fail the ones that didn't do their homework). Imagine: I have two classes (which just 'hapen' to be the classes from hell from previous years) that will only have TWO TESTS A YEAR. I am not making this up. I will be teaching these kids for an entire year, with only two gradable tests.

In other words: I have P A R T Y written on my forehead and I don't know what to do about it. HELP!!!!!!

Ready, set, go!

2009-08-30T08:09:00.005+02:00

Although I'm one week late, I feel I am sort of ready for school (note the sort of, have to work on that). My bag is all set. I've got my diary, student lists, pens, RED pens, tissues, hand sanitizer, lip gloss, water bottle, picture of Frumdaughter, paper, referral forms. I think that's basically all I need.

On Thursday I finally went to the copyshop to hand in the textbooks I wrote. I got a first copy from the colour printer and it came out even nicer than I expected. I am so proud. I made two books (for two classes), about 70 pages each, combining text, assignments and historical sources. Together they give an overview over 4000 years of history. I am so relieved. Finally I will have material to work with, and I hope the kids will like it too. I can pick up my copies somewhere this week, so I'll need to think of an activity for which we won't need the books for tomorrow.

I went back to school on Friday to copy the materials I will need for Monday, so I won't have to stress out in front of the xerox ten minutes before the bell rings. So today will be devoted to two things:

A. Spend quality time with Frumfamily and enjoy (probably) the last day of summer

B. Make lesson plans for this week and read through Reluctant disciplinarian which I found helpful last year. I saw the lists of students I'll have and there are some tough nuts to crack, but I'll be fine.

(Mom) Guilt

2009-08-26T07:56:00.003+02:00

The fever is gone, still feel worn out, and now Frumhusband is in bed. Frumdaughter is doing fine, thank G'd. Since a couple of days I have this gnawing feeling of guilt. I feel guilty because

* I started bringing Frumdaughter to daycare (only two days a week, but still)

* I will walk Frumdaughter to day care while I don't work today because I still feel lowsy (I will head straight back to bed if I get home, but I'm scared someone'll see me)

* I didn't give Frumdaughter the attention she needed these past days when I was sick

* I let Frumhusband shlep for me and now he is sick himself

* I had wanted my handouts to be printed and ready and they are not

* I had wanted my textbooks to be at the printshop and they are not (will be this week, hopefully!)

* I will be in school only for the hours I teach because I will have to run back to daycare to feed Frumdaughter (she refuses to take a bottle) so I won't be available to students

* I didn't manage to teach Frumdaughter to drink from a bottle so that now she has to go hungry if I'm not there

* I didn't get the chance to prepare the international brainstorm on Jewish ed. I'll be joining tomorrow, if I feel well enough.

Judging this and this I am not the only parent with feelings of guilt. Certainly I only have two arms and two legs, and only this much energy to keep things going. And I probably feel extra lowsy because of this flu. But still I wish I was more energetic and managed to accomplish all, in the best way possible. I am not willing to compromise on the wellbeing of Frumdaughter, the quality of my work or other aspects in my life, yet I do know that I will have to find some sort of a balance (and most probably a new mindset too) that will help me succeed.

Sick

2009-08-25T10:15:00.003+02:00

I can't believe it... I was pretty much ready for the new schoolyear, which started yesterday. Frumdaughter went to daycare for the first time, which went quite well. I had my lessons prepared, and (nearly) finished the textbooks, which were to be brought to the printshop yesterday. But then some virus struck me and I've been in bed with a fever since Sunday. I feel SO bad about starting the year this way, for missing out on the first meeting of the year in which important information is passed, to have missed the tour through the new building, to have been able to copy my handouts and organize my cupboard. I do believe that for everything that happens there is a good reason, but I don't manage to see the usefulness of this uneventful bout of (presumably NOT Mexican) flu. Sigh...

Google image 08/25/09

2009-08-25T10:10:00.000+02:00

Today's Google image marks the 400th anniversary of Galileo's telescope.

Laundry

2009-08-17T07:32:00.005+02:00

First of all, I should have written before. I don't know what happened to summer vacation. Suddenly it's gone and half of my to do list (at least) is still there. Weird. We thoroughly enjoyed frumdaughter and tried to relax, which was wonderful.

And now, suddenly, it's one week before school starts. I am excited, in a funny way. First of all, it'll be my 5th year in front of the classroom, which makes it an exciting year since I feel like a senior now although there is still so much to learn. Secondly, frumdaughter will go to daycare for the first time this week. I feel privileged to have been able to keep her at home for five whole months, and also that I managed to squeeze all my hours into two days, so that I will be home with her most of the time. Finally, I gave up a bunch of hours, which will hopefully help me concentrate on the hours that are left and will help me make the most out of it.

This morning I woke up at 6.15, put in a load of laundry, folded away to other loads and cleaned the kitchen. I am not the same frumteacher, but either way frumteacher is back!

Things to work on this week:

* finish text/workbook for class I teach (hopefully!)

* check other materials and bring to copy shop

* prepare brainstorm for international project on Jewish history

* recover school bag from the bottom of my closet

* organize new diary

Old city tour

2009-07-10T09:13:00.004+02:00

Vacation!!! Finally. Wednesday was my last day in school. Although I envie the teachers in countries that have summer holidays for two entire months, I realize that six weeks is still pretty good compared to other branches ;-)

We finished the year with an activity week. I made a tour through the old city centre. Students were grouped and had to answer questions and take pictures of highlights on the way. It was a lot of fun. One of my favorite places from the tour was the gate of the elderly home which was built in 1601. Nowadays it's part of the university. For centuries book sellers have been operating from the gate. Walking into the small alley leading through the gate feels like walking back in time.

This vacation I will try to do the following schoolwork:

* prepare two textbooks for school 1

* revise textbooks for school 2

* collect texts on Jewish identity for grade 11

* prepare welcome banner and photo collage

* think about the questions in my previous post

Reflection

2009-05-26T17:05:00.005+02:00

For some time I have been listening to Mark Smilowitz's teacher podcasts. I think I referred to it before. Today I listened to his podcast on how to prevent teacher burnout. He had two ideas I really liked.

Firstly, Smilowitz advises every teacher to keep a diary. At the end of the day, write down two things that went really well that day, and two things you wish you had done differently. After some time, you have a great list of goals to work on, and a wonderful document to inspire yourself and strengthen yourself on days on which you feel worn out.

Secondly, he says every teacher should ask himself these three questions, in order to define his goals:

1. Why do I want to teach?

2. What can teaching do for me, and for my students?

3. How specifically am I going to achieve that this year?

I will contemplate on those questions this week, and hope to post my answers later on. It would be nice if you'd do the same and post a link in the comment section!

Time capsule

2009-05-26T11:22:00.002+02:00

Mrs. Chili was close with her guess about the picture in my previous post. The archive she mentioned is called the Oneg shabbat archive and can be accessed here. The man in the picture is Dr. Thornwell Jacbos. In the November 1936 issue of Scientific American magazine, he described his plan to create a permanent record - a time capsule - of what life was like on Earth for any future inhabitants.

Because the first known date in recorded history, 4241 B.C.E., was 6177 years previous, Jacobs suggested that the Crypt be sealed until 6177 years have passed - thus setting the date for the Crypt's reopening in the year 8113. The Crypt was officially sealed in 1940.

I was thinking of a special end of year history project and decided to make a time capsule with my students. The student of each class will have to prepare two documents: one document from his or her own time, and one document representing the period he or she studied this year. The document can either be a written record or some sort of object.

On the last day of school we will bury the capsule and open it (if all works out) in five years from now, when the last group of students will have left the school. I hope they will like the project, but I hope they will also take home the deeper idea behind it. Each one of them has a role to play. We are all parts in the long chain of history. We owe it to the past generations to take care of our heritage, and to pass it on to the future. What better way to depict this idea than a time capsule!

Ice breaker

2009-05-22T18:12:00.002+02:00

Consider this post an ice breaker after my long absence. I started working on my project and can't wait to tell you more about it. I hope to post after shabbes.

In the mean time, take a look at the picture on the left. Who is this man, and what is he doing?

Frumdaughter

2009-05-19T14:22:00.003+02:00

Dear readers,

In Jewish tradition it is common to say a special blessing when seeing someone again after a very long time. It's been quite a while indeed. I gave birth to our dear daughter, who will be known as Frumdaughter on this blog, on the 16th of March.

She is a lovely girl and we enjoy her very much. She gives me a whole new perspective on life. Needless to say, I haven't given much thought to teaching or blogging these past few months.

I did miss all of you though. I hope my loyal readers will still find their way to my blog, which I hope to keep updating again from now on. One of my blogging friends, Miss A., actually urged me to write again, which really warmed my heart.

So what are my plans? I will get back to the classroom next week, to teach five more weeks before summer break. After the break I plan to get back to teaching, but I will cut back the amount of hours. In addition, I hope to start a master's course to become a remedial teacher, something I've wanted to do for quite some time. But right now, between diapers and feedings, I will have to focus on my lessonplans for the next five weeks.

Does anyone have an idea for a nice history project on which they can work these last weeks, and which will result in a presentation/fair/excursion during the last week? I am clueless. I won't have sufficient time to really teach new material and give a test, so I want to do something creative and inspiring. Suggestions are more than welcome!

Looking forward to being in touch again,

Yours,

Frum

PS. Painting 'Mother's pride' by Leon Caille

Google image 05/10/09

2009-05-10T14:33:00.000+02:00

Planting and building

2009-03-06T10:23:00.005+01:00

This week I've finally read a wonderful book I bought a long time ago, "Planting and building" (originally published in Hebrew as Zeriya ubinyan bechinuch). It was written by Rav Shlomo Wolbe zts"l, who passed away a couple of years ago and whom I admire very much for his teachings and for his approach to education. The book is aimed at Jewish parents and educators, but contains wisdom that is applicable for teachers in a different setting, too.
o
In order to raise a child, or teach a student, you need to processes: planting and building. With planting Rav Wolbe means that you should pay attention to the soul and the emotions of the child. Never offer anything that doesn't fit a child's age or character, for this will be detrimental. You have to nurture the child the way you nurture a seed in the ground. If you do this with the right means and at the right time, the child will start growing internally and will be able to continue growing on his own, even if the pressure of the parents and teachers is absent.
o
On the other hand, you also need to build a child. If you build a home, you need a very strong basis or the entire structure will fall. In the same way, you need to provide structure and clarity to the child from a very young age. Know what you hold important, and what kind of correction your child or student needs in order to become a better person.
o
Planting and building go hand in hand. Without planting, the child will turn into a robot, doing what you say only because you tell him to and because he fears punishment. Without building, on the other hand, the child will turn into a wild creature, doing only what his heart desires.
o
So what are the implications of this approach for the classroom? Decide for yourself what kind of rules you want to install in order to prevent your students from becoming wild creatures, and be strict about them from the beginning. At the same time, pay attention to the age and maturity of your students, and to their individual needs. A famous saying in Mishlei (Proverbs) says: Chanoch lana'ar al pi darko (educate the child according to his way). Always pay attention to the individual needs of a student, without loosing track of the bigger picture.
o
PS. Rav Wolbe finishes the book with a chapter with practical advise. He says that all parents and all teachers should pray for the wellfare of their children. I really like this idea. It makes me feel quiet and more assured that I am not the only one in charge.

No news

2009-03-03T10:36:00.003+01:00

As you probably figured from my absence from blogging and commenting, I don't have much news to share. Still waiting for the 'big event' and in the mean time trying to forget about school. I am amazed to see how easy the latter has been. When I meet students in the supermarket or at the bakery, it's as if I see someone from a different world. Teaching is totally out of my system and it feels great. Sometimes I imagine myself shlepping through the hallways with my trunk and binders and piles of paperwork, hungry because I gave up another lunch break to discuss a paper with a student or because I had hall duty, and then I feel so priviliged for being able to enjoy the peace and quiet.

I did do some school work though, so I haven't been totally lazy :-) I checked papers of a couple of students, graded a final bunch of exams, have been in touch with my sub to help her out with a couple of questions, and I have sent e-mails to my students with a link to an interesting documentary about a subject we've been learning about this fall.

A big plus of this maternity leave is that I finally have the time and energy to invest in home management. I went through all the paperwork of the past year(s), organized important stuff in binders and trashed the rest. I made a selection of useful books, which I put on display in the living room, and put away the rest in storage or sold it. Apart from creating space for the baby, it created space and quiet in my head. It feels wonderful to be able to read and watch documentaries about real historical subjects. During my hectic teaching weeks, all I managed was prepare the basics I needed for a lesson, and maybe read some extra pages on classroom management, but to really delve into czarist Russia, the Opium wars or early settlement in Israel, was out of the question.

Also, I enjoy the extra time I have for studying Jewish topics and watching online shiurim (lessons) on Jewish thought.

And although I have been a very lowsy blogger and commenter, I do think about all of you and hope all goes well in your classrooms!

Stepping out of the system

2009-02-03T16:44:00.003+01:00

Being out of the school system, fortunately for a very good reason, gives me time to reflect. Waking up in the morning with a cup of coffee, or looking out of the window in the afternoon, sipping some hot tomato soup, makes me savour the moment and the quiet that surrounds me. It is wonderful not to be surrounded by hundreds of teenagers all day, and it is a great feeling that my responsibilities are now being carried by someone else.

At the same time, I have time to reflect on my teaching. Stepping out of the classroom in the middle of the year made me realize that I haven't been teaching the way I would have liked. The main reason is probably that I am now occupied with other things, and have been sick a lot, but also because I have developed routines that I wouldn't have noticed had I continued teaching.

For example, when I was in the middle of student teaching I experimented a lot with differentiated learning and activating assignments. It's been four years since then, and I hardly ever design a nice assignment that makes my students learn in a different way. I always enjoyed designing such projects, and the students enjoyed doing something different, yet somehow because of the daily burden of teaching I didn't get to it. So I feel that I want to use this time not just to relax and start a whole new chapter in my life, but also to reflect and make plans for the next year.

If you step back and look at your teaching for a while, what would you want to do differently? If you had some extra free prep time, how would you invest it?

Google image 01/28/09

2009-01-28T13:07:00.000+01:00

Teacher on leave

2009-01-25T17:38:00.002+01:00

It's kind of strange. I called in sick this entire past week, and I'm still not fully recovered. Tomorrow is the first official day of my pregnancy leave. I can't imagine... I'll be in and around school a few more times to hand in exams and to enter grades into the computer (we still don't have access to the system from home...), but I'll be done with teaching for at least four months, and maybe even until the end of summer break.

I don't really know what will happen to my blog in the upcoming time. Although this leave offers me some great time for professional development and reflection on teaching, it will mainly demand me to focus on professional development as a mommy. Which is frightening and amazing at the same time.

For now, I sit back with a nice cup of tea and close my eyes. No teaching for the next couple of months. Amazing.

Jewish penicillin

2009-01-17T21:56:00.002+01:00

The balance of the past week:

1) Persistent cough (which has bugged me for about two months) got worse

2) Doctor prescribed amoxicillin

3) Came up with rash, turning out to be penicillin allergy

4) Started new bout of antibiotics yesterday and doubled my allergy pills to combat rash

5) Will probably spend next few days in bed, meaning my last week before pregnancy leave, meaning I probably won't get to finish my work and say goodbye to my students

PS. Fortunately chicken soup (aka the Jewish penicillin) is not on my list of banned penicillins!

Impressions of a winter weekend

2009-01-13T08:17:00.004+01:00

Zzz...

2009-01-08T21:10:00.002+01:00

THIT! In other words: Thank G'd it's Thursday! Since I don't work on Fridays, my weekend officially started tonight. I survived my first week back to school. We had a lot of discussions about the situation in the Middle East, and I hope I managed to help my students see things in the right proportions and look at both sides and see that in the end only innocent people are the victim.I was especially dreading today, in which I teach my class from hell during 7th period, and then have another difficult group (although I manage pretty well and have sort of bonded with them since a few months) during 8th period. And to top it off a meeting of the school's representative advisory body 'til 5.30 PM.

So I'm whiped and going to sleep, but I'm satisfied. Whishing you all a wonderful weekend after the first week in the trenches! ;-)

Back to school

2009-01-04T16:59:00.002+01:00

So tomorrow is back to school day. In a way, I am looking forward to it. It's been a long time since I was standing in front of the classroom. Winterbreak was wonderful, delightful. I slept, I read, we did a lot of things on our to do list, and we declogged the house. We brought an amazing amount of stuff to charity and to the garbage dump. It feels so wonderful to be surrounded by things we love, and to have gotten rid of clutter that just took up space and made us feel stressed.

The back to school season is strange, this time. In three weeks from now my pregnancy leave will start. Although I am relieved that the amount of time that I will have to stand in front of the classroom looking and feeling like a hippo is limited, it also feels strange not being able to finish the year the regular way. During winter break I spent quite some time writing documents with info for my sub, so I think that is practically covered. I am sure she'll do a great job.

So, mixed feelings here. Worry about the upcoming stress and the knowledge that the next few weeks will be kind of tough, relief that the end is in sight, while at the same time that thought makes me melancholic.

Good luck to you all when the alarm clock rings tomorrow morning!!!

Best wishes!

2009-01-01T14:15:00.002+01:00

Best wishes for 2009 for all fellow bloggers!

I'm looking forward to continue learning and sharing with you, and I hope this coming year will be a year of hope for the world in general and for the generation we are teaching in particular.

Yours,

Frum

Google image 01/01/09

2009-01-01T14:10:00.001+01:00

2008-12-26T11:33:00.001+01:00

The latkes recipe is online at Frumcuisine, just in time for the final days of Chanuka.

Enjoy the holidays and shabbat shalom!

Chanuka sameach!

2008-12-25T10:35:00.003+01:00

Today is the 4th day of Chanuka. Honestly, it's my favorite day. It's the moment when half of the candles on the menora are lit, so it's already spreading a lot of light, while at the same time there still is the promise of an equal amount of candles that will be lit over the next few days.

So far, Chanuka was lovely. We spend some time with family and friends, and made a nice day trip and did some shopping for new clothes. Today we'll go to the Jarchei Kallo, which is a yearly learning event. Each Chanuka, for two or three days, there are shiurim (lectures) on Jewish topics such as Chanuka, the weekly Thora portion, or prayer. The origins of this Jarchei Kallo lie in ancient Babylonia. During the first and second century of the common era, the Jewish community of Babylonia was the largest Jewish community in the world. There were many large yeshivos (schools where the oral and written Thora were studied) such as the ones in Pumbedita and Nehardea. But many people didn't have the chance to study in yeshiva. They had to work in order to earn a living. So twice a year there were Jarchei Kallo, which literally means 'months of gathering'. During those two months, farmers and other people who couldn't learn throughout the year would gather in the large learning centres and study.

So that's what we'll do today. It's a beautiful tradition. Now that most people are on winter break, it's nice to forget about work and other daily chores, and focus on the things that are really important in life.

Talking about Chanuka, I will try to post a nice recipe for latkes on Frumcuisine this week.

Wishing you all a lichtige & freiliche chanuka and happy holidays!

Google image 12/23

2008-12-23T10:16:00.001+01:00

Google image 12/22

2008-12-22T15:19:00.001+01:00

Tradition

2008-12-18T14:48:00.001+01:00

I just found this clip from my favorite part of 'Fiddler on the Roof' on Youtube, and I couldn't help sharing it. Enjoy!

2008-12-17T17:25:00.003+01:00

A nice collection of podcasts on education has been put online by the Lookstein Institute, part of Bar Ilan University in Israel. Although the podcasts aim on teachers in Jewish dayschools, they deal with universal topics such as motivating students, talking with parents, and differentiated learning.

Teachers and breaks

2008-12-17T16:26:00.003+01:00

Every couple of years, policy makers and thintanks launch the idea to shorten the long summer breaks all students and teachers enjoy. They argue that, if a week of summer break was deducted, students would learn more throughout the year. So far, this idea has never been put into action, and I hope this time it won't happen either. It's outrageous. We have a huge workload, don't get paid properly, and are generally looked down upon by the rest of society (to put it grimly). Okay, by the rest of society except Oprah Winfrey.
In the same plan that is now being discussed, a 7% raise of income is promised in reward for the shorter break. Probably, both plans will end up in the garbage bin soon.

I am REALLY looking forward to winter break. Actually, my break already started because I called in sick again today and will probably do the same tomorrow. Although being sick doesn't feel like having a break, it means I won't go back to school until January 5th. Blissful!

Plans for winterbreak

~ get basics for baby's room
~ read Elie Wiesel's 'Night' and finish 'People of the Book'
~ learn from Jewish books such as Mesilas Yesharim and Praying with Fire
~ spend time in the kitchen and prepare some new recipies
~ celebrate Chanuka
~ make a nice day trip or two
~ catch up on sleep
~ organize school stuff and prepare materials for sub

Something mean

2008-12-16T15:00:00.003+01:00

Today I went back to school, even though I still didn't feel well. Maybe I shouldn't have, but I felt I had to try. But when you are not well, teaching takes a bigger toll than usual. The students were loud (last week before winter break) and my voice was weak so I couldn't make myself heard. They were messy and didn't pay attention to the lecture I gave them on responsibility, and suddenly I just didn't have the energy to tolerate it and put up with the mess they made.

So I did something mean. When, after half an hour and many warnings, one of my classes still didn't pay attention, I told them to close their books and gave them an unexpected test on the material I just taught. They were shocked. I don't know if the effect will last, but at least they were quiet and working, and it didn't cost me any energy.

I guess sometimes you need to feel really lowsy in order to be a mean teacher ;-)

Flue II, so more movies

2008-12-13T20:37:00.007+01:00

I am still in bed with the flu, it's a strong one this year, one that even the flu shot couldn't prevent. So I slept a lot this shabbes and allowed myself to watch another movie Thursday night. I watched 'Everything is illuminated' based on the book by Jonathan Safran Foer. I can't believe it. I couldn't make myself read the book and now I watched the movie. I feel like a bad student that reads a summary on the internet in stead of reading the novel for class. But I loved the movie!

Watching the movie, and especially the parts about the vanished shtetl of Trachimbrod (which, as it turns out, existed for real under the name of Trochenbrod), I realized that it can be a great movie to watch in class. Especially in classes with students to whom the Holocaust is a foreign concept. The different story lines and the way the characters develop makes for a good classroom discussion. Plus the dog Sammy Davis Jr. Jr. is hilarious. Some interesting questions to start off a classroom discussion can be found here (despite the strong religious background of the site, most questions are applicable in any school setting).

For teachers that, like me, cry easily over a movie, it's good to first watch the movie at home. Nothing worse than finding yourself in tears in front of the classroom...

Flu break

2008-12-10T22:07:00.004+01:00

I'm in bed with the flu. I hoped to pull myself together 'til winterbreak, but I'm coughing and my throat hurts and I lost my voice, so I stayed home from school. In the mean time, I made the best of the situation:
a

We rented a few movies and watched The Family Man with Nicholas Cage tonight. It was the perfect movie for this time of the year, making you feel grateful for what you have. It was kind of strange to watch this 2000 movie and see the twin towers in the skyline of New York. The story goes like this: succesful business guy dreams (on Christmas Eve) about the life he could have had if he had married his girlfriend from college and raised a family, in stead of only investing in his career. Lovely!

I finished reading Outwitting history by Aaron Lansky, which is the amazing report of an equally amazing undertaking to save the world's Yiddish books. Seeing how the generation that fled from Europe to the US is slowly vanishing, Lansky wants to save their books from dumpsters and from ignorant children and grandchildren.

Expecting to recover only about 70,000 books, Lansky has so far collected more than 1,500 000 books and founded the National Yiddish Book Center. At the moment they are working on digitalizing their collection and putting it online. I can't wait! In the book I especially loved the way he describes his visits at elderly couples who first stuff him with gefillte fish, blintzes, latkes, kigel and compote, before handing him the books he came over for to pick up.

Being my students' maid

2008-12-08T17:40:00.004+01:00

More and more I start to get annoyed by being treated by my students as a maid. I don't know if it's a particular problem at my school, or some general problem in the world of high school education, but this much is clear: my students don't have any respect for their teachers, their principal and the other adults in the school and believe we are there to serve them.

First of all, this becomes apparent by the way they trash the building. They tear posters off the wall, they dump their trash on the floor in stead of in the bins, they put their feet on the table, they dump their pencil scraps on the carpet under their table, they draw on their tables and throw their trash into the trashcan without getting up from their seats, and when they are being told to behave like a mentsch, they look as if they have been just been subjected to the most unreasonable type of criticism possible.

Secondly, they believe that they can get everything the way they want. For example. I had a couple of students that missed out on a test because they were sick (or for whatever other reason). So I made a new appointment with them IN MY FREE TIME. Coming to school that day, they told me I MISUNDERSTOOD and the appointment was set for the week after because they already had a test that day. I decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, believing I am probably subject to pregnancy amnesia or whatever, and changed the appointment to this morning. I sent them an e-mail to confirm the appointment, to which I didn't receive a reply from any of them. And then this morning one of the three didn't show up, and another one told me she couldn't learn this weekend because of other activities. The one that didn't show up turned out to be at the dentist and told me his mother had sent me an e-mail, which she didn't do.

I am so fed up with being nothing more than the doormat on which they wipe their feet. And it's only Monday...!

Just me tag

2008-12-01T12:42:00.002+01:00

Recently I was tagged by Ilana Davita. I am supposed to write 7 random facts about me and then tag 7 other bloggers to do the same. So let me first tag the 7 people I can't wait to hear more about, and then come up with my own 7 facts:

- Tamara Eden
- Cupcake
- Miss Adventurous in NYC
- Thursday Next
- Rollercoaster Teacher
- Angela Powell (Cornerstone for teachers)
- Miss Teacha (whom I've tagged before and know pretty well already, but nevertheless!!!)

1. On Friday I started with my pregnancy course. I was the woman with the smallest belly and the biggest hips. Hm...

2. In my entire school there are two students I don't like. There are other difficult students, but somehow I manage to find something positive in each one of them. But with these two I just have negative associations.

3. As a child I published my own magazine (which I copied in threefold by hand and sent to family members). I still miss the drawing, cutting, and glueing and wish I had more time for crafts now.

4. These things are the first three things I do when I come home from school: put on house shoes, boil water for tea or coffee and turn on the radio or a relaxing cd.

5. After having been a teacher for 4 years now, I know that teachers look forward to winterbreak even more than the students. As a student this never occurred to me.

6. As a child I was afraid to perform or to talk in front of a group. It wasn't until I went to college and started guiding groups in a museum that I discovered it can actually be fun. So I practically earn my living with defying my biggest fear ;-)

7. Our flat is situated opposite a Korean restaurant. Every day at least three buses of Koreans drive to the restaurant for breakfast, lunch or dinner. I wonder how many Koreans there are.

Mumbai tragedy

2008-11-29T20:34:00.004+01:00

This Saturday night, after three stars came out, we hoped to hear some optimistic news from Mumbai, despite all the horrific stories published before shabbat. Unfortunately, it was not to be. The rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka (hy"d) were killed by the terrorists that invaded the Nariman Chabad House in Mumbai on Wednesday night.

The little son of the family, Moshe Tzvi, was rescued by the nanny of the family, and brought to his grandparents in Israel. Today, shabbat, was his 2nd birthday.

This event is a strong example of the power of religion. In a negative way, it can kill and destroy and inspire terrorists to take their own life and those of countless innocent people. In a positive way, it can inspire people to try to make the world into a better place. Rabbi Holtzberg and his wife were the perfect example of the latter. They ran a social centre where they served meals to Jews and Israelis that were visiting Mumbai and to anybody else that needed help, and in addition they also treated people with addictions.

This time, the forces of evil were stronger. But in the end the good will prevail. So many people around the world heard the story of this brave couple, and it will inspire them to contribute to a better world. May their memory be blessed.

Incurable chatterbox

2008-11-25T20:41:00.005+01:00

One of my students in 8th grade is a chatterbox. She is currently being assessed to see if she has ADD (which I think she does) and she is always 'present'. I like here. She is always friendly, always enthousiastic, just not a great learner. And an incurable chatterbox. That's why yesterday I sent her for detention, and in detention had her write an essay titled 'an incurable chatterbox'. I must add that the idea wasn't mine. Anne Frank writes in her diary how her maths teacher lets her write an essay with the same title. It felt kind of funny to give the same assignment about 66 years later. So this is what she wrote:

An incurable chatterbox

Once upon a time there was a girl that chatted a lot. Every day again. And she was often sent to the office. And that wasn't so good of her. And I think she herself understood that that was wrong. A lot of people told her that she shouldn't chat so much!

But she went on and on and nobody knew if she would ever stop. And then, one day, it happened again. She chatted too much so she was sent to the office again. But this time she was also given a penalty. Ofcourse, the chatterbox didn't like that, so she thought to herself: "I should try to behave myself a bit better". It helped, but not for such a long time. Because about two weeks later is happened again.

She really didn't like it, and was very upset with herself. And again she thought: "From now on, I will be a good girl and I will show that I can do it!"

Would the incurable chatterbox change now, and stop chatting so much? Would she improve? Nobody knew for sure, but after a few weeks all went well and she wasn't sent to the office and everybody saw the improvements. And even after a few months she wasn't sent to the office and she hadn't chatted as much as she normally would have. And because it went so well for such a long time, everybody knew: the incurable chatterbox is cured!

Laid back teacher

2008-11-21T10:24:00.003+01:00

The wind blows wet snow flakes against the windows. I think it's safe to say that autumn is officially over. Only three more weeks 'til winter break. I can't believe we are half through the year yet, more or less. What especially strikes is me is how little I have been writing about my students lately.

Somehow, I have gotten used to my students and the things they do (or don't do). In the beginning of my teaching career I could write an entire post about a piece of chewing gum. Now, I just give the chewing culprit a tired glance and point at the trash can. Before, I could rant on and on about how my students would trash the room. Now, I just grab some of them in their collars and let them stay to untrash my room. I've become a much more practical teacher and the little disturbances of teaching don't strike me as they used to.

In a way it's sad that the routine of teaching makes you loose that fresh outlook, but it's definately much less tiresome not to register each and every thing that happens in the classroom.

This past week me and some colleagues have been busy with a project on water. Students had to study the subject from a historical, geological, biological and science point of view. We made assignments for them, we made trips to a museum and to nature reserves in the area, and they have been working on a presentation to show their results. It was a great project, although it again showed me how limited their skills of finding information are. They barely manage to access Google and type the word 'water' but there it stops. Opening a book is something foreign to them. Which is why I enjoyed reading the latest post at Conversations in Klal.

Google image 11/21/2008

2008-11-21T10:20:00.000+01:00

The Parable of the Old Man and the Young

2008-11-20T14:43:00.004+01:00

Recently, I discovered that Wikipedia features separate sites for all weekly Thora portions. The site doesn't only tell the basic story, but also adds rabbinical sources as well as secondary literature. When I read through the portion of two weeks ago (Vayeira), I stumbled accross a beautiful poem (inspired by the story of the binding of Yitzchak/Isaac, told in that portion) by one of the greatest poets of the Great War, Wilfred Owen. I wanted to share this poem, The Parable of the Old Man and the Young, with you because last week the 90th anniversary of the ceasefire of WWI was celebrated, with the last four veterans still alive.

The Parable of the Old Man and the Young

So Abram rose, and clave the wood, and went,
And took the fire with him, and a knife.
And as they sojourned both of them together,
Isaac the first-born spake and said, My Father,
Behold the preparations, fire and iron,
But where the lamb for this burnt-offering?

Then Abram bound the youth with belts and straps
and builded parapets and trenches there,
And stretchèd forth the knife to slay his son.
When lo! an angel called him out of heaven,
Saying, Lay not thy hand upon the lad,
Neither do anything to him, thy son.
Behold! Caught in a thicket by its horns,
A Ram. Offer the Ram of Pride instead.

But the old man would not so, but slew his son,
And half the seed of Europe, one by one.

Book tip

2008-11-18T19:48:00.004+01:00

Last week I started reading 'The People of the Book' by Geraldine Brooks. Written from the perspective of a scientist specialized in examing old manuscripts, the book follows the vicissitudes of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a Jewish manuscript that was written in the middle of the 14th century. After its owners were expelled from Spain, it travelled through Europe and finally ended up in Sarajevo. It survived the Second World War and the bloody civil war in Bosnia, and can still be visited today in the National Museum of Sarajevo.

So far, I've been reading Brooks' book before going to sleep and during my hours of guarding during exams in school this past week. It's a great read, both relaxing because it's a novel similar to the Da Vinci Code, and because it describes the historical background of the Sarajevo haggadah. It's great to watch pictures of the haggadah online and recognizes elements from the manuscript described in the book.

Herschel Grynszpan

2008-11-17T20:08:00.002+01:00

Today's post focuses on the story of a young boy: Herschel Grynszpan. His name is usually mentioned in connection with the Kristallnacht. Many sources (such as the Dutch Wikipedia site, unlike the English one) even blame him for causing it. Who was he, and what does he have to do with that uneventful night in which the Nazis showed their true face to the world?

Herschel Grynszpan was the son of a Polish Jewish tailor who moved to Germany before the Nazis came to power. Born in Hannover in 1921, he grew up to be both a smart and athletic youngster. He joined a Jewish sportsclub, and studied in a yeshiva in Frankfurt. He also took up Hebrew lessons in order to prepare for immigration to Palestine. This plan didn't work out however, because his request for a visa was denied because of his young age.

Desillusioned, he tried to find a job as a technician or plumber, but because of the anti-Jewish laws he didn't succeed in finding a job in Germany. Only 15 years old he fled to an uncle in Belgium, and from there to his aunt and uncle in Paris. He didn't get a visa because he didn't have a way to support himself financially. For more than a year Herschel's uncle tried to get him a visa, filling all the obligatory paperwork and paying money in order for his request to be fullfilled. But it was to no avail. The French ordered Herschel to leave the country, in which he was now officially illegal. But in the mean time, both his German and Polish passports had expired. Herschel had no country that would accept him.

In the mean time Herschel's parents and sister had been expelled by the Nazis. Together with 12.000 other Polish Jews they were sent over the border with Poland to the town of Zbaszyn. A postcard of Herschel's sister, telling about what happened and about the horrible living conditions, reached Herschel on November 3rd 1938.

This was the last event that broke Herschel. He somehow obtained a gun, and went to the German embassy in Paris to shoot the ambassador Von Welczek. In stead of the ambassador his secretary Ernst Vom Rath showed up. Herschel shot him twice, wounding him in a life-threatening way. On November 9th Vom Rath died of his injuries. Hours later, Joseph Goebbels,the German ministre of propaganda, gave a long, virulently antisemitic speech, which led to the Kristallnacht that same night.

What happened to Herschel Grynszpan? There are different theories. All agree that he was arrested immediately after shooting Vom Rath. Most theories agree that, upon his arrest, he yelled: "Being a Jew is not a crime. I am not a dog. I have a right to live and the Jewish people have a right to exist on this earth. Wherever I have been, I have been chased like an animal." Theories differ as to what happened after the arrest. Some think (as you can read here) that Herschel might have survived his captivity both in France and in Germany, and moved to Paris after the war under a false name. Most agree thought that nobody really knew what to do with him. The French kept him in custody until the Nazis invaded France and took over. He was then taken to Germany, probably to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp after which nothing was heard of him again.

Every year I teach the story of Herschel Grynszpan to my students. First of all, in order to show what the rules of the Nazis meant to normal people like the Grynszpans. Secondly, in order to defend Herschel Grynszpan. I want to show my students that the Nazis used this case as a pretext to start the pogrom which was later called the Kristallnacht. Without Herschel Grynszpan, there would have probably been something else which could have been used by the Nazis to start off the plundering and sacking of Jewish property.

Weekend wrap up

2008-11-16T19:42:00.004+01:00

Somehow I couldn't make myself blog this week. I don't know if it's because of what happened to CTG, or maybe the pregnancy hormons, maybe because nothing special happened in school, or just because I was tired (probably a combination of all of these).

Inspired by Miss A. I decided to just make a list of what I've been doing this weekend. Hope you all enjoyed yours and are ready for a new week!

- I slept. This afternoon I took a two hour nap and it was the deepest sleep I've had in weeks.

- We had a really nice guest this shabbes and I cooked a nice meal. For the first time, I prepared flounder coated in breadcrumbs (recipe coming up) which came out really nicely and wasn't hard to prepare. The quick cranberrie pie came out great!

- I graded exams. Bleeeegh!

- I made a worksheet for my class tomorrow in which I'll show 'Das Leben der Anderen'. I found some really nice material online which can be used by teachers to prepare history lessons based on movies. I copied some questions from the DLDA worksheet.

- We had an unexpected visitor in our home last night. I don't know how a mouse can climb up three floors and enter a concrete building, but somehow this one managed to and started throwing a party in our living room. Fortunately we had a mousetrap left which did its job, so today the mouse was gone.

Kristallnacht 70 years ago

2008-11-09T22:04:00.000+01:00

Tonight, November 9th 2008, marks the 70th anniversary of the Kristallnacht, which took place in Germany and Austria in 1938. The name Kristallnacht refers to the thousands of windows of Jewish shops and synagogues that were smashed that night, but the name doesn't really cover the impact of what truly happened that night.

In 1935, the Neurenberger Laws (or Nuremberg Laws) were issued, declaring the Jews outlaws. From then on, both their properties and their bodies could be harmed, and nothing would be done against it. The Kristallnacht was the first explosion of massive violence against the Jews in Germany and Austria, based on these 1935 laws.

As I said, the name Kristallnacht is a eufemism for what really expired that night. Unfortunately, the broken windows were only part of what happened. More than 2000 Jews were killed that night, most synagogues were set to fire (and the Nazi firedepartment showed up not to extinguish the fire but to look at it) and 10,000s of Jews were taken to concentrationcamps. In the months after the Kristallnacht, large groups of Jewish refugees tried to escape to neighbouring countries, often to no avail because those countries closed their borders. Finally, the Nazis fined the Jewish community for more than a billion Mark to make up for the damage done during that night.

How does one commemorate such a night? How can we, 70 years later, truly feel what happened and show the world that it may not happen again? These questions were asked by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, and they came up with a beautiful idea. Tonight, all over the world, synagogues will leave their lights one. All night until morning prayers. Whether it's a synagogue in Moscow, Capetown or Brooklyn, the message will be the same: we will never again allow such a thing to happen. And: we are still here, thank G'd!

Coming up: what a young boy named Herschel Grynzspan has to do with the Kristallnacht.

History in our times

2008-11-06T08:41:00.000+01:00

Students and sources

2008-10-31T13:48:00.002+01:00

Following the French Revolution I taught about Napoleon yesterday. I must say that, this being my first year to teach this period, I am actually discovering Napoleon together with my students.

I expounded on the fact that Napoleon was a little, unimpressive man. Not at all the kind of hero you'd think he was, reading about the wars he won and the way he took over power in France. I showed my students an image from the book where indeed, one can see Napoleon as a pretty average guy, even wearing what looks like high heels to compensate his small posture.

Suddenly, a student raised his finger and pointed at the painting of Jacques Louis David (which I copied in this post and which can be seen in the Kunsthistorischer Museum in Vienna), saying: "But he sure looks like a hero here". The remark was correct, but I wanted to show my students how important it is to be careful with historical sources. We looked at the text written on the stones beneath the horse, reading: "Bonaparte, Hannibal, Karolus Magnus". I then explained that these texts showed the message the painter wanted to impart. He compares Napoleon with the biggest leaders of Europe. The painting, made in 1800, is a wonderful example of propaganda. Maybe it was even ordered by Napoleon himselve. We then discussed 'objectivity' and 'subjectivity'.

This class taught me some valuable lessons:

1) Sometimes, a pictures is word a thousand words and can explain something better than I could do myself with words

2) Student questions can divert from the lessonplan I had wanted to teach, but sometimes they are a great tool to explain things that I wouldn't have dealt with otherwise.

3) I am growing as a teacher. I am not stressed anymore when a student asks me a question, and I am much more flexible to teach things I didn't prepare in advance. I also feel that I have a large reservoir of stories and knowledge, from which I can draw as much as I like.

Google image 10/31/2008

2008-10-31T13:46:00.000+01:00

The guillotine

2008-10-28T20:11:00.005+01:00

I am currently teaching the French Revolution to my 13 and 14 year olds. I've been talking a lot about the basic ideas of the revolution, about the suppression of the common people and the concept of 'liberté, egalité, fraternité'. Right now I am going over Maximilien Robespierre, the Jacobins and the period of Terror. Of course, no lesson about Robespierre is complete without the story of the guillotine.

Joseph-Ignace Guillotin (1738-1814) was a French doctor who wanted to make capital punishment more human. At the time, most people were decapitated by a headsman. If his axe was sharp, decapitation was quick and painless. Often though the executioner was clumsy or the axe was blunt, thus multiple strokes were necessary to finish the decapitation. Since as early as the 13th century special devices were developed which could decapitate quicker and more efficiently. One such device was 'perfectioned' by Dr. Guillotin. His device was a triangular blade, which fell down in a construction of wooden beams. During the period of Terror, more than 50.000 French were killed with the guillotin, among them the king Louis XVI and his wife Marie-Antoinette. a

Today I showed drawings of the guillotin in class, which showed the device itself and the head of Louis XVI. I read exclamations of noblemen right before their execution, and told about the throngs of people in the marketplace that assembled to watch the execution. I also referred to the stoning of a woman in Somalia yesterday, to show that unfortunately these things still happen today. a

What struck me most during this lesson is that the class, overall, was quiet and paying attention. This group is a very busy bunch of teens, usually occupied with themselves, passing notes, drawing, following a bee that buzzes around, or other things that are not history related. Today, they intensely consumed my gruwelsome stories and asked for more. It was a powerful lesson, not just for them but for me. It taught me that stories and images are really what makes a good history lesson. So I decided to invest more time and energy in collecting them, and in making assignments to enrich the curriculum. It feels great to be inspired again!
a
Two amazing online resources for teaching the French Revolution: a

A collection of maps, images, documents and songs
Depictions of the French revolutionary crowd

Historical movies

2008-10-25T23:15:00.002+02:00

This week I received the bi-monthly magazine of the national union for history teachers, celebrating its 50th anniversary. To celebrate this special birthday, all editors listed their five favorite historical motion pictures. It inspired me to do the same, and I would love to hear which movies you enjoy watching and showing to your students.

I love using movies in the classroom. First of all, students like movies much more than documentaries. It's easier for them to identify with the characters and thus to try to put themselves in that time and place. Secondly, using historical fiction allows us not only to teach the historical material, but also to point out the historiographical aspects of the movie. What is the opinion of the writer and director about this specific event? Is the movie historically correct? Are there any anachronisms? Do we agree with the presented vision?

These are the movies I really love myself, and which can be used in the classroom very well:

1. Amadeus (1984)
Wonderful biography of Mozart. Amazing costumes, scenery and music. Great for teaching about the double monarchy of Austria/Hungary and about the 18th century in general.

2. Das Leben der Anderen (2006)
The movie gives a startling view in the life during the days of the socialist reign of Eastern Germany. The movie was made to counter the nostalgic view on the past and to show the true face of the secret police and of socialism in general. In German, but subtitled.

3. The Merchant of Venice (2004)
Beautiful costumes, and one of the few movies to give a beautiful insight in the life in the 16th century Jewish ghetto of Venice. Based on Shakespeare's story of Shylock. And of course Al Pacino as Shylock is amazing.

4. Goodbye Lenin (2003)
I love showing (part of) this movie before showing Das Leben der Anderen. The movie shows Eastern Germany during the 80's, just like DLDA, but in a nostalgic way. It makes for a great classroom discussion.

5. Girl with a pearl earring (2003)
Based on the novel with the same title, this movie depicts life in the Dutch Republic during the Golden Age. The costumes, props and sets are breathtaking.

One movie I would really like to see some time soon is Joyeux Noel/Merry Christmas, about the Christmas ultimatum in the trenches during WWI. It is supposed to be a really good movie.

The four species

2008-10-18T22:45:00.002+02:00

These past days I wasn't up to writing. First of all, we celebrated the holiday of Sukkot, the holiday of boots in which we spend seven days in little huts, share meals with family and friends and go to the synagogue. This morning we read 'Kohelet' (Ecclesiastes). This book deserves a post of its own and I hope to write it this week. The second reason I didn't write is that my students were off this week. I enjoyed my vacation and especially not thinking about school. I really needed to take school of my mind for a few days and I managed to do that really well.

One of the chacteristics of Sukkot is the four species. It's a religious obligation from the Thora to carry an etrog (a type of citrus fruit) and three different types of plants during the days of Sukkot. There are many reason for this mitzva, but there is one explanation that I particularly like because it can also be related to education. The four species can be compared to different kind of people. The etrog has a wonderful smell and a wonderful taste. The lulav, or palm branch, has a smell but no taste. The hadassim, or mirtles, have a smell but no taste. The aravot, or willow, has neither smell nor taste. Together they represent all the plants, and symbolically, all the Jews with all their different qualities.

You could say that a classroom is like the four species. Some students are great learners, others try but don't know how to learn, some don't even try. Together, they are your classroom. If one of those students was missing, it wouldn't be the same. It's the combination that makes teaching the wonderful challenge it is.

Hospital visit

2008-10-10T10:41:00.002+02:00

This afternoon I will visit one of my students who is in the hospital. About two weeks ago she was diagnosed with Hodgkin's and although the prognosis is pretty good, she had a very bad week. It will just be a short, few minutes, visit to give her a bear and a hug and to show her that I think about her, but it won't be easy.

Students shouldn't be sick. They should be sitting in the classroom, and not lying in a hospital bed. It's my second student that is severely ill within a year, and I just hope that the she will be better soon...

What do you bring for a student in the hospital?

Bouncing student or 'how Dr. Phil works in the classroom'

2008-10-07T13:24:00.003+02:00

Every Tuesday I teach a group of 13/14 year olds. Most of them have learning difficulties, or a weak form of autism. The year started off in a very nice way. They were cute, cooperative, they worked pretty nicely, but now since a week or three they are extremely agitated, busy, and they don't take their work seriously.

One girl in particular is very hard to handle. She is bouncing between the floor and the ceiling, either on her table or under it, talks all the time and tries to be the class clown. To top it of, her behaviour is no longer 'cute', but really has become unacceptable. Today, I warned her several times, but she kept talking back to me and do what she felt like, so I sent her to the office.

After class, I had a really good talk with her.

"Bouncing girl, why do you behave the way you do?"
"I don't know. Because."
"That's not an answer. We all behave in a certain way because it works for us, so it must have a reason" (this is where Dr. Phil came in ;-)
"I try to think of a reason but I don't know".
"Maybe it is because you like yourself better that way?"
"No, I don't think so. I don't like myself better that way, on the contrary."
"Aha, so it must be for the others. Do you think they'll like you better when you behave like a clown?"
"Maybe. No, I don't. I know they'll like me anyway."
"You are very right about that. You are a really nice girl. You really don't need such behaviour.'
"I just can't control myself. I don't know how to stop it".

I love the outcome of this little talk, because I can honestly see that this girl just CAN'T control her behaviour. We now agreed that she'll sit next to me in the next class, and I also talked with her mentor and it turned out that other teachers had mentioned the same problem. I don't know if the behaviour will improve immediately, but I do think this talk helped her realize what the problem is, and will maybe be a step on the way to change.

Financial crisis

2008-10-03T10:09:00.003+02:00

Although most of us are worried by the current financial crisis, and no good can be brought by it, there is one positive aspect to the whole turmoil: it makes for a very good discussion in history class.

First of all, the current crisis makes it easier for students to understand the crisis of Black Thursday in 1929. How can you explain that within a few days, the entire stock market plunged because people lost their faith in the financial market and wanted to withdraw their money? By making students collect newspaper clippings on the current crisis, and especially of interviews with citizens that lost their faith in their bank, it's much easier to explain what happened in those horrible days that in the end brought Hitler to power.

Secondly, I've collected several articles these past days on the 'collapse of capitalism'. One article even compared the current crisis with the downfall of communism in 1989. From grade 10 and up it's grade to discuss such articles, to look at the weak sides of capitalism yet at the same time criticize claims such as the one above. I had a wonderful discussion about these issues yesterday with my 16 year olds and they were wonderful. We paid attention to the role of China in the world and to the way this crisis will change the balance of power in the world.

But now, let's all hope the rescue plan will do its job and the current crisis won't be anything like the major crises we have seen in the past.

A sweet year

2008-09-28T22:02:00.002+02:00

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the two-day holiday of Rosh haShana, the Jewish new year. In contrast with the secular new year, the holiday is not celebrated with firecrackers or champagne. On the contrary. It is actually a very solemn holiday.

On Rosh haShana we celebrate the creation of the earth and (as a logical consequence) the kingship of G'd over that world. This makes it, in fact, a very universal holiday. The result is a solemn, yet thoroughly happy atmosphere. Lots of symbols are connected to Rosh haShana, mainly focussing on the wish that the next year will be a good year. For example, a sweet apple is dipped in even sweeter honey, to express the wish that the upcoming year will be a sweet one. Pommegranates are served because we hope our merits will be as bountyful as the seeds in this precious fruit. Other people serve the head of a fish, hoping that we will be 'at the head and not at the tail'.

I would like to wish all of you a very sweet, healthy and peaceful new year, a year of inspiring others and of being inspired, a year in which we will take better care of planet earth and a year in which we, edubloggers, will continue learning from each other.

Ketiva we chatima tova leshana tova umetuka!*

* May we all be inscribed for a good and sweet year

A good fall

2008-09-26T09:03:00.002+02:00

This week fall officially started. Every year I love this season more. Not only because it's the season of the major Jewish holidays, but also because of the spicy air and the crispy leaves. I love how the trees slowly change colors, and how the sun still warms me, while the morning air is already chilly.

Fall started off pretty well in school too. This week was a good week. I gave my cfh (which is becoming so less and less) a pop quiz this Tuesday. I decided to apply some tactics that suddenly came to my mind when I was thinking about teachers I had when I was young. I didn't pass every student to hand out the tests individually, but placed piles on the front seats and let the students take one and pass on the rest. This saved a lot of time. Then, in stead of letting them begin straight away (and being bombarded with questions the rest of the hour) I told them to quietly read the questions and ask me anything that was unclear. After those first few minutes, I wouldn't answer any questions. It was Q-U-I-E-T, sheer bliss. Then, when students were ready, I told them to leave the test on their desk and just relax for a few minutes until everybody was done. This too worked. In stead of talking, taking out stuff, playing games together even though talking was not allowed, they just relaxed and were quiet. They knew that talking with their test still on their desk would give them trouble.

One developing challenge is a different class, which is in general a wonderful class but has a few 'bad boys' in it. Since a week and a half, they are showing up late. We have moved to different rooms for a few times, and they claimed that they were 'confused' about which room I'm teaching at. After class, two (good) boys came up to me and told me the rest of class had made this plan to try to skip as many minutes from my class as possible. I was grateful for them to point it out, and I wondered whether I am to naive.

To be clear, I obviously told this class that this was the last time I would accept this kind of behaviour, that this is our classroom for the rest of the year, and that next time I won't let them in of they come late and they have to go to the office.

The thing is that I always give students the benefit of the doubt. I think that is a positive thing, which in the end will force students to choose positive behaviour. In this case, in stead of unrightly blaming them that they intentionally skipped, I gave them the benefit of the doubt and believed what they said. But sometimes it probably means I'm naive, and don't see plans such as these. How much benefit of the doubt do you give your students?

Exhausted because...

2008-09-22T20:20:00.002+02:00

In fear of becoming boring, posting the same every day, I must tell you again how tired I am. I could sleep all day.

There is a good reason though. I'm pregnant! It's such a wonderful and exciting period, and a bit scary too. We're really thrilled and at the same time I dread for all the practical implications it has for the future, e.g. work. Mainly ofcourse, we're grateful and looking forward to it.

Then, secondly, there is another good reason. I still feel that my administration is utterly uneffective in dealing with disruptive behavior. I feel that my students lack the most basic forms of civilization, and I feel that currently our school is run according to the laws of the jungle. I am so tired of fighting against a system that doesn't work, students that don't get the right directions at home, I am tired for having two MA's yet being treated as dirt by students that are only 14 and can hardly write their own name. It frightens me how the only thought that makes me happy is to leave this school (the other school goes really well).

But then again, maybe it's just the hormones and I'm being overly sensitive... ;-)

Google image 09/22/08

2008-09-22T20:19:00.000+02:00

To my brave student

2008-09-18T18:17:00.002+02:00

Dear brave student,

It's 11:15 PM. You are probably in bed right now.
I hope you are asleep. I'm afraid you're not.

I know you're afraid to go back to school.
Your classmates will bully you, reject you for being yourself.

They will blame you for coming to my class today.
All by yourself.
While the rest of them took a break and skipped school.

My dear student,
do you know you are my hero?

Lesson in ethics

2008-09-17T19:32:00.002+02:00

Today I worked on a really nice project in one of my schools. It's the Jewish month of Elul, the month that proceeds Rosh haShana, Jewish New Year. It's a tradition to blow the shofar (ram's horn) every morning in the synagogue throughout the entire month. The job of the shofar is to wake us up: in order to be ready for the new year, on which every person is judged by G'd, we have to work on our characters and our observance and improve ourselves, become better people.

In my classes I did a cheshbon nefesh project today, which could be translated as a soul search project. Adapted slightly it could be done as an ethics project in basically any school. At the beginning of class, I presented my students with a colored paper and an envelope. On the paper they had to write a letter in which they made two resolutions that they wanted to work on the next few weeks. One resolution had to be easy (e.g. I will say my morning blessings with extra attention, or I will call me grandparents more often) and one more difficult one (e.g. I won't get angry when I feel frustrated, or I will not fight with my sister).

Next, they had to insert the letter into the envelope, self address it, close it, and give it to me. I didn't read the letters. They were totally personal. The only person that is going to read them is my students themselves. Because after the holidays are over, in the end of October, I will mail the letters. It is easy to make resolutions before the holidays, but how hard is it to keep them up when that period is over? So, in a few weeks from now, a reminder will drop on their doormats asking them: "So? Did you forget me? Have you been working on these resolutions? And are you a different person now?"

It was nice to see my students reflect on their resolutions, illustrate their letters and decorate the envelopes. They are already looking forward to getting mail, and at the same time they know they have some real soul searching to do these coming weeks!

Year 4 IS different

2008-09-16T08:42:00.005+02:00

We are well into year 4 and I can feel it's different. Preparation takes me far less time than in previous years, even if it's for classes I am teaching for the first time. Paperwork remais challenging, but is not as overwhelming as it used to be. Dealing with disruptive students is still exhausting, but it doesn't really affect me personally the way it did in previous years. I know better what I want my classroom to look like. I'm not saying that it actually looks that way, but I don't end up cleaning the classroom on my own at the end of class like I did in the past.

I wonder what it is. Why does this 'click' come at year four? What's the difference with year three? I vaguely remember the feeling of going to 10th grade (which is the 4th year of high school). I felt much more grown up, secure, and confident walking through the hallways, sitting in class and doing homework, knowing that I was now an experienced student. Perhaps the teaching proces slightly reflects the process students go through.

For now, I enjoy the blissful feeling of walking into the classroom, knowing exactly what to teach and therefore being able to concentrate more on other aspects of teaching. Despite my cfh, I can say I love year 4!

Culprit bonding

2008-09-10T10:37:00.003+02:00

Yesterday was a really, really good day. It was my first good lesson in my cfh. Even if the rest of this year's lessons will be a complete failure, I will have this one positive experience that can keep me going (of course this is easy to say now, and I'd rather see that all classes are like yesterday's class).

The two culprits that I had sent to the office were quiet and cooperative. I guess I did impress them with not giving in these past lessons. I spoke to both of them privately after class to compliment them on their great behaviour. One of them said: "Yes, I liked class much better this way too". It was good to be able to give them some positive attention, in stead of yelling at them.

Another girl, let's call her the beauty queen, was amazingly quiet too. I sent her to the office last week and had a really good talk with her on Monday. I told her that she is a very bright girl, but when she spends all her time trying to impress the guys (not surprisingly these happen to be the culprits) she won't pass this class and this year.

These three sources of disturbance being neutralized (at least for now) the lesson went amazingly well. We started a new subject (absolutism and Louis XIV) which they enjoyed. I had them write notes and told stories and it all went really really well. What a boost of adrenaline!

Apparently, with this good lesson I spent all the luck of the day, because when I went home I had a flat tyer and in the evening we locked ourselves out of our home so we had to call a door guy from out of town who charged 150 dollars to let us enter our home.

Google image 09/10/08

2008-09-10T10:30:00.000+02:00

Organizing skills

2008-09-08T23:14:00.000+02:00

Reading the comments to my previous post made me courageous to go back into the arena today and give my best again. I know I've said this a often, but without this blog and its faithful readers I wouldn't know how to cope with the stress of teaching. And I would miss out on all those precious gems that I read on other blogs.

Today was a good day (knocking on wood). Cfh was pretty ok. I sent one girl to the office. She's been trying to impress 'the guys' since the beginning of the year and I felt we needed a talk about it. She agreed with all I said, especially when I told her she's an excellent student but her grades are dropping because she's more interested in the guys. So that was good. The two culprits behaved very well this time, so I complimented them after class, which they seemed to like. After an instruction of about twenty minutes I gave them a creative assignment. The 'good' traditional students that like to learn started complaining that they preferred a regular test, but the other ones, that aren't textually oriented enjoyed doing something different. They had to make a speech, banner, play or anything else that Abraham could have used in proclaiming his monotheistic faith in the polytheistic surroundings in which he lived. Especially the students that do poorly on traditional tests came up with amazing ideas. I will have to use more assignments such as these, that's for sure!

Now that the year really started, I have been asked for several extra-curriculars. I've been having doubts about whether to do it or now, but in the end I decided to accept since I declined some extra-curriculars last year. I will join the teacher-student council (no clue how that's called in English) and I will be the mentor of a class. Both exciting new features of being a teacher. The work will bring along a lot of paperwork- not exactly my strongest point. Although I am more organized than in the beginning, I still have trouble keeping my administrational act together. I still lack the ultimate system that will keep track of all my activities. So I was wondering: how do you all keep track of your school related administration? Do you keep it at school or at home? And what kind of filing system do you use?

Something's wrong

2008-09-05T10:52:00.003+02:00

For the past few days I've been thinking about the current state of our educational system. Reading Jose's most recent post, I can see I'm not the only one.

Yesterday was another tough day. It's only week three of the new schoolyear, but again I had to send a student to the office, a bunch of my students locked themselves in the men's restroom, my cfh agreed on a collective laugh salvo at a set time, students whined, complained and didn't work, got up without asking, chewed gum. Again, this sounds too negative and of course there were good classes and good students but the overall image is one of a major mess.

It made me wonder. Am I a lousy teacher? Should I give up the teaching profession and look out for something else? It's a question that pops up in the back of my mind now and then and immediately I find myself pushing it away. No, I'm not ready to give up just yet. I know that I am a dedicated teacher. I see that I do reach students. I know that I'm not a 'bitch' or a 'tyran' and that this is part of the reason that my classroom management is not what it could or should be, but I think this character trait also makes me accessible and approachable.

But. I do feel something is very wrong with our educational system. I know we don't live in the 20's of the past century. I know concepts such as 'respect' and 'authority' are not obvious anymore. Students don't respect the authority of their teachers as a natural given. I wouldn't be able to imagine the things going on in my school if I hadn't been teaching and seeing it with my own eyes. The total letargy, the lack of responsibility for their own property and that of others, the defiance, I could go on and on.

Partly these problems were caused by the education our students have been getting for the past decades. They have been taught that it's all about what they think, what they want. It's like the internet. They get to do whatever they like, with one click. How can we expect them to sit in a classroom and suddenly let somebody else decide what's going to happen for the next 50 minutes?

Secondly, these past years we've become an inclusive school. The goal is to keep as many special needs students in a regular school setting as possible. I now have classes in which a third of the students has ADD, PDD-NOS, NLD or some other kind of addition next to their name. There are students with large question marks behind their names, because they possibly have all of the above or something not yet diagnosed. In theory, the idea of being inclusive is wonderful. In practice, it's bogus. We haven't been educated to teach with these students in an effective way, thus disadvantaging both the regular and the special needs students.

Then there's the lack of funds. Teachers get paid nothing for the work they do, which is often physically and emotionally draining. I even believe that the low salaries add to the belief of the students that teachers are losers. But the lack of funds is also reflected in the poor state of the buildings, the equipment and materials. I am teaching in trailers. Yesterday I had to teach a group of 10 students in a trailer with one tiny window and just enough space to squeeze in ten desks. We don't have computers. We have one beamer for the entire school. And new cutbacks are coming up.

So I am wondering. Aren't we running a race that can't be won? We are trying to give the best we can, while being paid a lowsy salary, facing students that haven't been taught to respect their elders, in rooms that are stripped of the basics needed for a challenging lesson?

Nighty night

2008-09-02T20:25:00.002+02:00

Although today is my easiest day of the week, I am whiped. First period was great. I love the class. They are so interested and I love to challenge them and make them think. The other classes were draining. CFH of course didn't behave. I didn't send anyone to the office. I gave back a test they flunked last week, but the low grades didn't impress them. I couldn't finish a sentence because of the bouncing, talking and questioning that was going on. Another class bombarded me with questions too, mainly about the legitimacy of my subject. I hope throughout this period they will see that they can learn something valuable in my class.

The rest of the afternoon I spent copying my textbooks and workbooks (more on that in another post), while the xerox literally ate whole chapters and spit them out all wrinkled and chunky. It's 20:30 now and I'm off to bed.

The early hour (children's bed time) made me think of a really cute Bert and Ernie movie that I loved watching as a child. I didn't see it for at least 20 years. Nighty night!

1-0

2008-09-01T19:03:00.002+02:00

Today was a good day. I felt very strong this morning. I dressed in a combination I loved. I decided not to accept the disturbing behavior in my class anymore. In my CFH I sent three students to the office. I know, it's a sign of weakness and it's not the way I like it, but there are three students in my class that make working for me or the other students impossible. After kicking them out, teaching went much better, although the classroom was still a bit restless. After class, I went over to the mentor of this class and told him about what happened these past lessons. I didn't even have to mention names. He already had tons of complaints of others teachers about these same students. Later today I heard that they were in trouble again, and mentor and administrators will call the parents. Let's see what happens.

Kick off meeting at my other school went well. I was asked to be the mentor of one class, I still have to decide whether I will do it. I am not sure whether I'll have the time for it, on the other hand I think it will be a nice challenge. After the meeting at this school I went back to the other school for a meeting with the special care coordinator and the mother of my mentor student. It was a very fruitful meeting and we agreed on some steps to be taken. Altogether it was a very productive day.

Moments today that made me feel I've grown as a teacher:

~ I went to the mentor of the CFH culprits in a very early stage. I won't wait anymore for things to get out of hand. 1-0 for me.

~ I prepared the mentor student meeting very well and knew exactly what I wanted to say and ask

~ I can teach for hours without huge amounts of preparation. I have stories and knowledge at hand and I feel more secure getting questions from students.

Blog love

2008-09-01T18:15:00.000+02:00

This morning my day was made when I read Miss A.'s blog and saw that she awarded me the blog love award. I feel so honored! And the funny thing is that I feel exactly about her blog the way she feels about my blog. I find it amazing how I have bonded with Miss A. over the past months and even years. I had never expected to find people online that would be so professional, supportive, caring and inspiring.

To pay the tribute forward, I chose five bloggers that inspire me every day and make me grow as a teacher or person:

1. California Teacher Guy, for always looking for the good in every student, thinking of creative ways to inspire his students, and for his love of life and nature. Oh, and because he is the only teacher I know that loves teaching so much that he traveled through mountains and deserts to live in a little cabin and teach.

2. Cupcake, for being so open about her classroom management struggles and the love-hate relationship with her geniuses. She makes me feel that I am not alone out there.

3. Repairman, for being my online mentor. He is always there when I need hands on advise or some encouragement.

4. Ilana Davita, for finding the perfect balance between teaching related posts, religion and cooking, three things that are very dear to me. Plus she is a great photographer.

4. Thursday Next, for being such an inspirational writer with an eye for the beautiful details of every day life.

A positive post, for a change!

2008-08-29T08:15:00.004+02:00

Reading my last posts, I realize that being a teacher it is so easy to step in the negativity trap. You could call it the teachers' lounge virus. Once you start being negative about your classroom, your students and your school, it's so easy to stay negative, to stop looking for solutions and to forget the positive moments. If it wasn't for blogging, I might have found it hard to stay positive. Being surrounded by lots of teachers that a) complain b) gossip about their students, c) believe that their students are there to bring them down and d) are not trying to invest into new ideas, materials and methods, makes it hard to be different.

Here in blogosphere it's a totally different situation. The support I keep getting from my readers, the thought provoking posts I read on other blogs, are all ways to keep me fresh and motivated. I love reading what other teachers go through, how they relax after a long day in the classroom, and I love getting the advise I do after ranting about my challenging sweethearts.

To make up for my rants of the past days, I will focus on the pearls of two weeks back to school.

:-) On the first day of school, to girls walked up to me. I taught them last year. They went out of their minds when they saw that my colleague will be teaching their class this year, in stead of me. These girls started my class last year in a very negative way. They didn't work. They didn't take notes. They wanted to drop the class. When I talked to them, I found out that my colleague had convinced them of the fact that they are stupid and they can't pass her class. It took me 3/4 of a year to get them to work, but in the end they did and they passed nicely. They were confident again and willing to work for history, in stead of drawing poodles all 50 minutes and accepting that they 'can't learn history'. So now they're back with my colleague. They told me that for the first time in for years, they had enjoyed coming to history class last year, and now they dreaded it. I had a long talk with these girls, telling them that she can't make them fail her class because they showed me last year that they are capable of passing it. It wasn't me, I said, but it was them that did the work. I gave them my phone number, asking them to call me after history class whenever they had questions and didn't understand the material. I hope they will!

:-) For some classes I write my own course material, since there are no textbooks available. It does take up a lot of work, but when I see my students work with the material, it makes up for everything. One of my students walked up to me when I was on duty in lunch hall, and he told me had really enjoyed the material. He had shown his dad and his sister, and they were impressed as well. I could hug him, if it wasn't for the law and for all of his classmates standing there.

:-) I've been writing textbooks for my other school for the past three years. At the beginning of each week, I would make copies of new pages that I had written the days before. And now, five years of history material is ready. I corrected mistakes and printed the entire package, which I will bring to the print service today or on Monday. This year, my students will receive a real textbook and workbook. I am so proud!

:-) Said work on the textbooks was completed successfully despite our main computer being attacked by a trojan horse. We are trying to get rid of it, but so far it's still there. I try to be sad about having a virus, but in stead I keep seeing that little wooden horse, with a bunch of scared, sweaty soldiers inside, waiting for nightfall. It makes me smile. It is something I will have to mention in history class.

:-) In my high school class I am teaching on identity and history this year. Their syllabus came out really nicely. They will have to read some difficult sociological articles. I invited the professor that wrote the main article, and he accepted to come to class and discuss the article with my students. I am really excited! It will give them an academic experience, and a challenge they don't automatically get every day.

What to do next?

2008-08-27T10:24:00.003+02:00

Teaching in part of my classes goes smoothly. We're covering the material, having nice discussions and the atmosphere is good. In my CFH 08-09 the atmosphere is different.

Sitting in my armchair I can take some distance and map the sociogram of this busy group in my mind. The main culprits of this class are two boys, that have a huge arsenal of ways to get me distracked from my teaching, to disturb the learning process and prevent their fellow classmates from learning. There is one more boy that wants to be part of their little gang, and then there is one ADD girl that keeps bouncing up and down (and in all other directions).

I've tried the next few tactics in order to make the behave:

1. Warnings, both with my eyes, arms, or voice.
2. Different seat
3. Time out in the hallway
4. Extra work during class time
5. One way ticket to administration
6. Talk after class

So far, none of it has worked. My tools are extremely limited. In the trailer rooms I teach in, there is no place to really isolate them from the rest of the group. I have to use the seating arrangement of the teachers that 'own' these rooms, and can only modify it slightly. Calling parents is not accepted in our system, so that's not an option either. I feel that these kids have thousands of tools to disturb my class (making noises, moving, throwing things, talking, cheating, stuffing pens up their noses, etc.) and I lack the adequate tools to deal with these kids.

What would you do in this given situation? I need a solution for these two culprits, that are not impressed by me and my measures (and the administration) whatsoever, and for the ADD girl that is goodwilling but unable to control her body and her behaviour. If these three sources of unrest are treated with in an effective way, I am sure the rest of the class will be allright too.

What to do, what to do....

PS. Post on my positive experiences is coming up this week, too!

Monday morning tempest

2008-08-25T15:44:00.002+02:00

Ask me where the weekend went, and I honestly couldn't tell you. The moments between lounging in my chair on Thursday afternoon and entering the schoolyard this morning seem to have disappeared in one big whoosh. And I am drained, after only one day in front of my cutie pies.

Especially my junior high class (let's call them CFH 08-09) was absolutely nerve wrecking. There is a group of three boys that find themselves extremely funny, brave, cool and anything else a 14 year old boy finds important. Then there is the ADD-crowd, bouncing between their chair and the ceiling (and basically any other place in the rooms). Today I had this one girl that I already warned several times, sent to a different seat, given extra work to keep her busy, and yet she managed to 'drop' her pen in a way that made it land in the other end of the room.

Obviously, the students that are willing to learn give up by this time, and start doing things for themselves. They are right. I let this entire class stay for another 10 minutes during lunch break to make up for the time I had to wait for them, but I wasn't happy about it. The good ones were punished with the bad ones (although one could argue that such is life. and besides the entire class WAS way too loud) and the culprits were still acting out (so I had those few stay for some additional minutes).

When I cam home, all I could do was eat a quick lunch, drop into bed and sleep for two hours. How crazy is that. It's only week 2 of the schoolyear and my other school didn't even start yet. How am I going to survive? I will now have a strong coffee, a nice piece of bitter chocolate, and plow my way through two piles of books. One pile on classroom management, the other one on the material I'll teach tomorrow. I will have to make them sweat.

Coffee break

2008-08-21T17:36:00.007+02:00

Thursday evening. I'm in the new armchair that we bought two weeks ago and that is now my little work area. Behind me are my books, binders and piles of schoolwork that are now assembled in one place. I'm sipping a fresh cup of coffee and relax. My first week is over and I survived!
a
This week was actually a pretty good one. Although I am still on holiday from my other school, I am exhausted (don't know how I will survive after September 1st) but satisfied. Today I taught six periods with only a short lunchbreak in between, but it went alright.
a
One of the classes was my class from hell of two years ago. The groups proces slightly changed. Some students moved to different classes, others joined, and obviously the children grew up (at least physically). Because they made some remarks right before summer break, I decided to inform their mentor of our troubled relationship, and I am glad I did (this mentor is actually a colleague who is very difficult to bond with, she can be very blunt and sarcastic and let me discover the wheel all by myself these past years, but she owed me a favor after I helped her out with something).
a
She had a chat with them before my class, and she made them promise to behave. I guess it impressed them a bit that this time I was in control, and a step ahead of them, so indeed they were okay. They are still a very busy, difficult group of young people, and I believe there is also a lot of bullying going on in that group, but at least this first lesson went alright. I am teaching a subject that they hate, and I hope that through a new approach they will appreciate not only me as a teacher but also the subject I teach.
a
The other classes too were fine. I like the high school groups I teach, but also the younger ones went pretty well. I had prepared enough material to keep them busy and in Tuesday's difficult class I managed to suppress some annoying behaviour. I eventually sent one student (one of Tuesday's roosters) to the office, which was something I really needed to do in order to show him that I wasn't afraid to do so. He kept triggering me even after warnings and after being sent to a different table. I told the group that they are way too confident about themselves, thinking that now that they finished their freshmen year, they can sit back and relax. Even this first week hardly anyone did their homework. But I decided to make them sweat. I gave them loads of homework and will give them a decent test on Tuesday. Hah!
a
And now, sitting back in my chair, I think back to the lovely tea place 'Cup of Tea' that we went to in Marseille. The old harbour behind us, the little café stacked with books and the green tea and lattes we had. It was bliss. These moments will help me relax after a long day like today.
a
How do you relax after a long day of school?

First day

2008-08-19T19:04:00.002+02:00

I'm home from my first day teaching. Overall I am pretty satisfied. Let me just make up the balance and see how it went:

~ Two out of three classes went really well. I started of with a group of 16 year olds that were a bit busy and were making fun in the beginning, but soon I started challenging them with difficult articles, asking them to really think, and I could see I made a click. The other class was a group of 13/14 year olds. We have three levels in my school and these are the most basic level. Since a year I feel that I manage to connect pretty well to this particular kind of children. I like their primary reactions, their (often) superficial kind of thinking, and the way they can surprise me when I don't expect it. I love them. I feel I can reach a lot with that group this year (knocking on wood in the mean time).

~ The third group I taught was not that wonderful. 13/14 years old as well, but the top level. Not only are their hormons racing through their bodies (and thus they are acting out because they want to be liked by their fellow students) but they also feel overly confident about themselves. A difficult bunch of noise and movement to work with.

As for this challenging group, I don't know yet what to do in order to stay on top of them. I didn't start with a rules sermon, but addressed the rules when violations occurred. I kept stressing I only listened to students that raised hands, and I managed to ignore the ones that didn't. I allowed them to pick seats (I was transferred to a different room right before class so couldn't prepare a seating plan) but told them I would change the plan if their behaviour would be out of control. The two 'roosters' of the class immediately started testing me. One of them asked for a hall pass to blow his nose, and when I refused he made nose-sounds for a minute or two. It stopped when I ignored it. I think it's important to challenge this group from the beginning, showing them that I expect them to work and maybe even giving a test already next week. I've got to show them I am serious about it and that they have to work.

What I find difficult, even though this is year 4, is to silence a noisy group. When there is only one culprit (or just a few), I manage to warn them, change seats, or whatever. But when an entire group is noisy, and about ten separate conversations are going on, I don't know how to silence them. I don't have a loud voice or impressive posture, so that doesn't help. How do you do it?

Back to school... sigh...

2008-08-17T22:13:00.004+02:00

Tonight I will be lying in bed, with my head on my pillow and my eyes staring at the ceiling, knowing that my vacation is over and I have to go back to school. I know it's ridiculous. I'm not a freshman, excited about his new books and his new bag and his new pencils and the teachers he'll have and the new ride to school. This is my third year in this school (and the fourth in my other school, which is still on holiday), yet I feel a bit anxious. I don't know whether it is the knowledge that in about twelve hours from now I will be sitting in one room with about thirty colleagues, sitting through a boring meeting in which people speak up that enjoy hearing themself, or maybe it's facing a new bunch of classes and not yet knowing how they'll be.

At the same time, I feel like going back. I have worked a lot on my lesson plans and I feel confident about (most of) them. I can't wait to teach what I know to my students and see how it inspires them to think. I look forward to being greeted by students in the hallways and to students stepping into my room during their precious break, for just a quick chat or an encouraging word.

I think this means I am a real teacher now. It will all be fine.