Welcome One And All

BREAKING NEWS:

Normally I drive just fine but every once and a while I do something stupid, like going too fast during a rainstorm.  This was such a time.  I hit a wet patch and ended up in the grass due to a lovely combination of water, stones, and stupidity (going too fast).  I crashed into a brick column.

I am not someone who has much faith in humanity.

After all, the people directly behind me and in front of me didn’t bat an eye when I acted like a moron and said “hello” to the sign.

Well, my faith was restored today thanks to these fine people:

First a woman stopped.

Then two men (complete strangers) in separate trucks.

Then a couple stopped.  They both got out of their SUV to check on me.

Then a man stopped.

Then another man.

Then another woman.

Then a couple of guys in a big truck.  I missed the name of the company on the side.

Then an older gentleman.

That’s a total of 11 people in about an hour’s time.

Fortunately I was not injured…just slightly embarrassed and not going into work.

Now, this blog is brand new and not even Cheezbot is following me.  I just wanted to share this and acknowledge the kindness of others.  Thank you to those eleven strangers who came to check on me!  I greatly appreciated your concern! <3

I’m a magpie...

You can become a child’s hero in surprising ways…

While I was waiting for names to be called at Parent Pick up, a little boy named Dell dropped the shiny silver bead he had found.

He became really upset…  

It was going to be yet another surprise gift for his mom!  Dell usually tends to pick her (and his teachers) flowers and draw pictures full of hearts.  So when he lost his bead Dell began to panic and crawl around on the floor.

I make beaded jewelry for fun…

It took me 3 seconds to find what he was looking for.  I picked it up and gave it to him…

I got the biggest smile…

And since that day, I’ve gotten a couple of hugs as well…

Erase the stigma and ignore inaccurate depictions in the media.  I’ve said it a couple of times now.

The sweetest boys have Autism!

Ow, my Brain...

Oh no, not another

Praxis test to suffer through

Sorry about this.

I hope he’s lying...

I sometimes wonder what parents are thinking when they shroud their children in ignorance…

Are they protecting themselves from having to explain the virus?

Are they bamboozled into thinking that there is no pandemic?

They vaccinate their son against the flu yet he has no idea what ‘corona’ or ‘covid-19’ is…

What does he think of these masks then?  A sudden fashion trend?

At least he wasn’t told it was all an elaborate hoax…

Seventh Classroom…

It was mostly in the library at first…

A pull out situation for English Language Learners…

Three and a half weeks were spent on ACCESS testing…

Two weeks were spent in the classroom…

Then BOOM: Pandemic…

There was no reason for me to stay at the Grad House so I left…

Well, I picked up UDairy Ice Cream and Ramen from Kumamoto in Newark, DE…

THEN I left…

So really, my seventh classroom was mostly on Zoom…

I did not end up doing the edTPA…

But I have a lesson, materials, and assessments set up to do so…

Fifth Classroom...

I was in a library at night.

It was just me and thirty-five adults and the occasional handful of kids.

China, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Haiti, and more…

Different cultures, different educational backgrounds, different English language speaking abilities…

These were my students.

I taught them English, having to provide my students with different activities and materials in order to best work with their level of competence.

I taught them American culture not for the sake of seamless integration into America but so they would better understand the strange customs of their new home.

If they failed to secure a babysitter then I assigned a book report.

Advanced students helped lower students read and write a brief summary.

I supplied children with toys, drawing tools, and entertainment while we waited.

I did this for two years before going to grad school for TESOL…

Happy Christmas!

It is Christmas time

One day I will be people-less

Cats will be my love…

Hug...?

Hug hug hug hug hug

You’re my favorite teacher

No, no please don’t leave!

Here we go Again...

Oh no, another

Praxis test to take

I must prove my worth.

Eighth Classroom...

After a long painful summer of no luck…

I finally made it as a teacher…

Kind of…

Their usual teacher just popped out her 3rd kid…

Hey, more power to ya…

I was a long-term substitute for 5th grad math…

But I have a BA in Literature…

And an MA in Teaching English as a Second Language…

What the heck do I know about 5th grade math?!

Surprisingly it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be…

The morning kids were wonderful…

Low energy, just like me…

The afternoon kids were naughty…

And so, so hyper…

But I loved their individual personalities…

And their general mischievousness…

So adorable…<3