Oh Dear...

Forth Classroom…

I was at a community college, panicking over my BA in English.

So I went for an associate’s in medical secretary.

I helped my friend learn her medical terminology, abbreviations, grammar, and anatomy.

I helped another friend learn about computers as we had to take Windows, Excel, and Access.

All three of us struggled comically over transcription.

The Puerto Rican said that the “Puerto Rican” doctor on the recording didn’t sound right.

The Caucasian said, “Where the heck do you find the ‘send’ key?!”

I felt like the smartest person in the room for the first time in my life.

I’m Trying...

Class Rules

 1.      Stay quiet.

2.      Look at the teacher.

3.      Listen to the teacher.

4.      Stay in your seat.

5.      Answer questions.

  Prizes

 1.      One good day gets you one sticker.

2.      A whole week of stickers gets you a small prize.

3.      A whole month of stickers gets you a bigger prize.

  Punishments

 1.      Verbal warning and no sticker.

2.      Five minutes off of recess.

3.      A call home.

  Signals

 1.      Finger to lips – Quiet!

2.      Teacher points to eye – Look at teacher.

3.      Teacher touches ear – Listen to teacher.

4.      Push down with palm – Sit.

5.      Hand up – Raise your hand to answer.

6.      X with arms – STOP!

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…

Second Classroom...

My second classroom…

I taught Japanese studies.

I was twelve-years-old.

I had a whole classroom full of peers that hated me.

I was the ‘weird’ kid who was friends with all the teachers.

Many of my peers left my speech on Japan wanting to visit the country.

It was nerve wracking but wonderful.

Talk to Them...

“I hate it here.  School is too hard.  The playground is different from the one in Pennsylvania.  I don’t like Delaware.  I don’t like living with my grandpa.  I want to live with my mom and dad but they have to fix the house so we can go back.  My brother and sister and I moved down here.  My baby-baby sister is with mom and dad.  I want to go home.”

This ramble is brought to you by a displaced boy in first grade.

Sometimes you just have to listen and not just shove a lesson down their throat.

Not long after this, I sat with him again.  We worked on his reading, which is something he hates.  He still hated Delaware.  He still missed his mom and dad.  But he was more willing to participate and work with me.  He didn’t act up or whine.

Sometimes a chat can make a world of difference.

Even if the effects only lasts two weeks before he goes back to Pennsylvania…

Irish Yums!

Golden chocolates.

Foil wrapped Leprechaun coins.

Mouth melting goodness.

Ow, my Brain...

Oh no, not another

Praxis test to suffer through

Sorry about this.

Tired...

No energy

Still rather depressed at times

Creativity.

Physical Therapy...

Uneven ceiling

Wall colors strange holes in beds

Stretch, ow, strengthen, ow

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…