If you’re willing to share, please leave a comment and tell us why you write?

Since reading their quick writes, the wheels in my head have been turning about what  my students said.  What really is my role as their language arts teacher?  Have I really done my job if at the end of the year my students have a vocabulary that could earn them a spot on the next Jeopardy Teen Tournament, but they never pick up a book of their own choosing all summer?  Is it more important that my students be able to identify prepositional phrases or that they find a style of writing they enjoy and feel they comfortable using  form of self expression?  These are the type of questions that run through my mind day and night, and unfortunately I have yet to find the answer!

As of now, the best solution I have come up with is balance (as I find it the answer to many of my questions about teaching and life in general).  I am required to teach certain things.  There is no way around this, which means that sometimes books  must be slowed down and “dissected” and writing must graded and grammar corrected.  On the other hand, who says it is not okay to sometimes let my students just read and write with no strings attached.  Part of becoming a better reader and/or writer is practicing and making mistakes.  And so another goal for this year has been formed.  Find that balance!  Teach my students what they need to know for high school, college, and beyond.  Give them the skills they need to be good readers and writers and critical thinkers.  But perhaps most importantly, allow them to slow down and find joy in what they are doing.

In addition to coming up with their expectations for each other, I also asked my classes to brainstorm a list of things they expected from me as a teacher.  Using their ideas I also wrote a teacher creed.  Check all of them out posted below.

Happy reading,

~Ms. Cook

Ms. Cook’s Creed

I am a teacher

I believe in setting high expectations for my students and encouraging them until they reach their potential.

I agree to give my students choices, and I trust them to make good choices both in my class and in the world around them.

I will treat my students with respect at all times.

I believe in each of my students and know that all of them can and will succeed.

I appreciate my students’ unique personalities and will incorporate their learning styles into my teaching.

I am a role model for my students both in and outside of school.

I believe that laughing, having fun, making friends, and learning are all possible at the same time.

I challenge myself to be the best teacher I can be and to learn from my students every day.

I lead, I learn, I laugh, I read, I write, I listen, I speak, dream, I understand, I encourage, I teach, I inspire.

4th Hour Creed

As a class we are responsible for what we do and say. 

We will think before we act and speak. 

We are courteous, kind, respectful, awesome, smart, beautiful, handsome, spectacular, funny, and fantabulous!

 Together we will uphold the class and school rules. 

We are confident in our abilities.

 We are comfortable sharing our opinions because we know we will not be judged. 

Together, we will walk through the door everyday with a positive attitude. 

We will set goals and work hard to achieve them

 We are Ms. Cook’s 4^th Hour English class at Portland Middle School, and we will stand tall and strong in school and make it a better place to be.

6th Hour Creed

We are 7^th grade students at Portland Middle School.

 We agree to treat each other fairly and with respect.

 We believe in ourselves and work to our highest abilities. 

 We think clearly and try not to get distracted or distract others.

 No one is left behind.

 Our class will take responsibility for our actions, and be the best we can be.

 We will never give up

 We believe that our education is the key to our future successes.  Our education and our future are in our hands.

 We are awesome, cool, amazing, superior, mighty, smart,  good sports, courageous, crazy, funny and cooperative.

We are athletes, musicians, artists, and students 

We are UNSTOPPABLE!!

Similarly, my belief that I too should be an active writer, a participant in our learning community, I crafted a Teacher’s Creed of my own.  In complete this exercise, I found that this is something I would like to repeat each year and wonder how interesting it will be to see how my beliefs, expectations and vision change…or remain the same over time.

My Teacher’s Creed:
I believe in the power of each person’s potential regardless of the beautiful differences that distinguish us one from another.  I aim for excellence and hold my students in high regard.  I bring my entire heart, mind, and soul into the classroom and long for my students to do the same.  The ferocity with which I detest indifference, apathy, superiority and indolence is equaled only by the intensity with which I will support courage, creativity, respect and integrity.  I believe my students are a reflection of my success.  I aim to empower each student so he may know that the choice of failure or success is within his control.The pages of my life’s story are forever being written and revised with the introduction of each new character and the changing of every scene.  I am humbled to be joining these students as we encounter the twists and turns of this yet unknown tale.  I am a teacher.

First Hour:
We believe school should be a place that values both learning and laughing.  Our time beyond the school day is just as important to our education.  We believe that the work expected of us at home should be related to how we chose to use our time in class.  We should be heard and considered.  We should have a say in how we learn and what we learn.  We should be treated fairly, which may not always be equally.  We are in control of where we go in our lives because the choice to fail or succeed in our rests in our hands.  We should do the best we can to be alert and focused within the school setting.  Our measure of success is more heavily weighed by effort, and if we try, we cannot fail.  Assessment should part of our everyday learning process and not an isolated test or quiz that we fear.  We have the power to make choices.  We are Portland Middle School students. 

Second Hour:
We believe that the decisions we make today will affect our whole lives and how far we go in our education and behavior can determine how far we go in our lives.  No matter who we are, we all should have some set standards.  Regardless of what others do, we pledge to follow our own code of conduct.  We are like individuals with our own talents and abilities.  We will treat our fellow classmates with respect and actively help those in need.  We hope to reach for the stars academically, morally, and ethically to be the best we can be.  We should live life to the fullest because today will never happen again.  We can accomplish more together than we can independently.  Working together we have the power to change the world.  We are Portland Middle School Students!

Third Hour:
We believe we can all be challenged to the max over time.  We believe that hunger inhibits our learning.  We believe that seventh graders should have first lunch.  We believe that it’s not easy being cheesy.  Everyday mistakes are part of our learning experiences.  If we don’t hold back, we can complete anything.  We believe that what we think is the bare minimum of what we can actually accomplish.  We are Portland Middle School students!

• butterflies of anticipation in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
• the throes of an allergic onslaught and thwarted head cold.
• admiration of my colleagues. 
• sheer excitement at the possibility each day has to offer.
• total pride in my amazing students.
• complete and utter vocal chord exhaustion.
• a renewed passion for my must-have coffee and French Vanilla creamer each morning!
• inexplicable awe at the opportunity I have to work with such talented young people each morning, and continue that journey with my own precious children each afternoon.

There’s nothing better than the first week spent getting to know new students, sharing in their stories and welcoming them into mine.  Together we are crafting a tale that will reveal itself to us as we collaboratively read, think, revise, edit, analyze and construct meaning throughout the coming months. 

If you would like to join us on this amazing journey, check out this video that is not only timely but one tangible way you can help make a difference in so many lives!  Have a wonderful weekend!

I consider myself pretty comfortable with technology.  I am young enough to have grown up with computers in school and in the home, however I still feel I have a lot to learn and my skills could definitely use some tweaking.  It is my personal goal this year to learn as much as I can about technology through the multitude of resources I have available to me.  In addition, I hope to incorporate these skills into my teaching as much as possible.  Students–I’m expecting you to hold me accountable for this   

Thank you Mrs. Cornwell, and 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hour for inviting my 4th and 6th hour to join you on your blog.  This is a wonderful opportunity for our classes to connect, and I look forward to updating frequently.

Now, two full weeks after returning to work, we’re settling in.  Earlier bedtimes (for the kids at least), alarm clocks, lockers and hourly bells now dictate our days.  I’ll admit that there are times when I think back on those days and yearn for the simplicity they held.  Yet, I also find fulfillment and excitement in witnessing the growth of my students.  I’m quickly learning that it’s all about balance and when equilibrium is achieved I’m a better teacher, mother, wife, friend – and the list continues.

In these weeks before the holiday break, I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know my students and establish the classroom routines that will carry us throughout the remainder of the year.  I’ve been highly impressed by how receptive the students continue to be considering the change they’ve endured this year. 

In upcoming posts you’ll learn a bit more about the projects we’re currently working on in class.  I strongly encourage you, whether you’re a student, parent, friend or relative, to join in the conversation here!  If you see something you enjoy or find helpful, please let me know!  If you stumble across something you dislike, do the same.  The beauty of this medium is that we can all contribute at our convenience and work together ot create a resource for one another.

Today it was a simple statement, alive with the random quality that makes middle school such an adventure, and I couldn’t let it slip away without giving it just a bit of attention.

As I called roll today, I had students give me a noun – just to be sure they still knew what nouns were now that our Daily Grammar Practice has been completed for the year.  Many students said the names of their friends, random animals, and the other most popular topic was food.  Which prompted a certain student to pipe up a few minutes later saying, “I’m so hungry I think I could even eat a vegetable.”  The seriousness with which the line was delivered made it even better.  And then (as is also true in middle school) after a moment of silent contemplation, he vocalized that no, he really didn’t think he could eat a vegetable, but he was extremely hungry.

I’m amazed by how much this job both gives and requires of me.  I never feel like I’ve “arrived” because I put so much of my success on the work of the students, which is uplifting and utterly degrading at times. 

Here, in the final weeks of the year, I find myself still searching and longing for those days when things “click” and when I can see the learning taking place all around the room.  There’ve been glimpses here and there.  I know that more are on the horizon, waiting to show themselves through random statements spoken in an otherwise silent classroom. 

At any rate, today I thought I would start anew.  We’re celebrating one of two full weeks of school in 2008 and while I’m completely exhausted, I’m also glad to have some consistency in my work schedule, and feel that we’re finally moving forward.

While the perfect pair my title refers to is something only I can see, it’s still worth sharing.  You see, my 8th grade students are a third of the way through The Giver by Lois Lowry and the if you’ve never read it, it truly is an intriguing story, albeit somewhat strange.  We’ve had some engaging discussions about the freedom to choose, a utopian (or distopian) society, as well as literary aspects such as symbolism and soon characterization.  The premise of the story is that a young boy is selected to be the Receiver of Memory for his community.   This is where the connection lies.

In seventh grade, my students have just finished reading a selection of memoirs where they worked to uncover the events in the story as well as the author’s experience.  They have since begun working to focus on a topic or specific memory from their own lives, which they will share in a memoir of their own.

I’m especially interested in the 8th grade study of memoir following the reading of this book, as I think the discussions we’ve had will give them greater fuel for their ideas.

Finally, I’d like to thank each of you for your continued work with your student.  Without parental involvement and support, my job is extremely difficult.  By emphasizing the importance of school at home, students develop an attitude of confidence and responsibility thats is, at times, directly reflected in their attitude.  I welcome your thoughts and comments and look forward to the remainder of the school year!