My 6th graders wrote me a poem.
It was a surprise. They wrote two acrostic poems, one about Jo and one about me, as sort of a "Thank you" which they read at graduation. We were both totally shocked - I knew they were planning something I couldn't know about, but I thought it was extra verses of a song that I actually did know about. But, I was wrong. It was a poem. I got really emotional, and after the ceremony, as I was congratulating my students, I was going to ask if I could have a copy of the poem, and one girl handed me a copy that they had all already signed. It was an electric, emotional, exciting moment.
Here is the poem in its entirety:
Joel Abramovitz is one a kind, a better teacher is hard to find.
Oh so supportive you have been to everyone in our class, the year we spent together is something that in our hearts will always last.
Excellent at teaching with a new and exciting mind, you are smart, helpful, caring, and kind.
Learned from you this year many things, a positive and interactive way of teaching is something with you you truly bring!
[The last two lines don't fit in the acrostic]
You are leaving to Israel next year, and we will definitely miss you so, but we appreciate all that you've done for us, and we hope that's something you know!
The road of being a teacher you have only just begun, but you have made this year fun for everyone!
I think it was a great year. I'm really proud of what I learned, accomplished, and did. And now... off to Israel!
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Intergenerational Day: Preview (review?)
I just got home from Intergenerational Day. It was a day I, and the rest of the staff of TIOH, have been dreading for weeks. And it was a lovely day, and an amazing night. I'm coming off an incredible high of the evening. It was the 6th graders' last IG Day (as they are graduating in less than 3 months) and the emotions were running high, and their performance tonight was great. Jo and I were faklempt (my eyes were misty; Jo might have been legitimately crying) and after the show the 6th graders had an incredible, electric energy back in the classroom. They were singing, and dancing, and hootin' n' hollaerin', hugging each other and Jo and me and shouting and stomping feet and carryin' on. Anyways, it was really wonderful and memorable and I will try to write more on the whole IG Day process soon... But no promises...
Expect the unexpected.
Expect the unexpected.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
i'm sorry... what did you say?
Man oh man the kids were punchy today.
Judaica is the last class Tuesday-Thursday, and today I was starting the class while Jeff, the Judaic teacher, was finishing 5th grade Judaica. I was trying to quiet the class and get them focused, and one boy was reading a book, and I stood in front of the room, waiting for his attention. The majority of the class was silent, at attention, but this one kid was reading, (un)intentionally oblivious. Then he looked up, put the sheet he was futzing with down, and asked, "Can I help you?"
What ridiculous chutzpah.
Quickly regaining my cool, but feeling the blood rush to my head and the impatience and anger starting to swell, I said, "You can help me by putting that sheet away and sitting quietly."
Zing!
Judaica is the last class Tuesday-Thursday, and today I was starting the class while Jeff, the Judaic teacher, was finishing 5th grade Judaica. I was trying to quiet the class and get them focused, and one boy was reading a book, and I stood in front of the room, waiting for his attention. The majority of the class was silent, at attention, but this one kid was reading, (un)intentionally oblivious. Then he looked up, put the sheet he was futzing with down, and asked, "Can I help you?"
What ridiculous chutzpah.
Quickly regaining my cool, but feeling the blood rush to my head and the impatience and anger starting to swell, I said, "You can help me by putting that sheet away and sitting quietly."
Zing!
Monday, March 17, 2008
saying goodbye... in march
I keep thinking about the song "Saying Goodbye" from The Muppets Take Manhattan. It's a quiet, lovely Muppet song, and when I was younger I would fast forward through it because I wanted to get back to the fast-talking Muppet brand of sass.
The sentiment of "Saying goodbye, why is it sad?/Makes us remember the good times we've had/Much more to say, foolish to try/It's time for saying goodbye/" never made much sense to me, as a little kids. But now I have some perspective, and have an idea of saying goodbye, I definitely appreciate the sad sad song. And especially now, as we approach the end of the year, it rings true. Not really for me, but for my kids, who have been at TIOH for years; many of them have been there, together, since Mommy and Me, and are now preparing themselves to leave. It's only mid-March, but I think they're getting ready to part and some of them (and definitely some of their parents) are having a hard time with this.
These feelings are especially intense this week because on Friday the Middle School acceptance/denial letters will be mailed, and the kids (and many, if not all, of their parents) are on some serious edge. It's a very stress-inducing process and it's reaching the climax. Some will have a happy weekend; others, not so much. Thank god they'll have the weekend to digest and come to school Monday (hopefully) doing okay.
So, to prepare them, Jo ended the day today with a class talk. We went to the courtyard and sat in a circle and went around talking about our favorite (or great) things about this year. It was so lovely, so nice, so positive. It was a crazy week last week, and there was some lingering craze today, crossed with growing stress and anxiety about the letters, that it was a great way to center the kids (and the teachers) and remind them how wonderful each and every one of them are.
At the same time, it totally reminded all of them (and the teachers) that there's only 10 weeks of teaching left in the year. So, yeah, we're getting ready to say goodbye.
The sentiment of "Saying goodbye, why is it sad?/Makes us remember the good times we've had/Much more to say, foolish to try/It's time for saying goodbye/" never made much sense to me, as a little kids. But now I have some perspective, and have an idea of saying goodbye, I definitely appreciate the sad sad song. And especially now, as we approach the end of the year, it rings true. Not really for me, but for my kids, who have been at TIOH for years; many of them have been there, together, since Mommy and Me, and are now preparing themselves to leave. It's only mid-March, but I think they're getting ready to part and some of them (and definitely some of their parents) are having a hard time with this.
These feelings are especially intense this week because on Friday the Middle School acceptance/denial letters will be mailed, and the kids (and many, if not all, of their parents) are on some serious edge. It's a very stress-inducing process and it's reaching the climax. Some will have a happy weekend; others, not so much. Thank god they'll have the weekend to digest and come to school Monday (hopefully) doing okay.
So, to prepare them, Jo ended the day today with a class talk. We went to the courtyard and sat in a circle and went around talking about our favorite (or great) things about this year. It was so lovely, so nice, so positive. It was a crazy week last week, and there was some lingering craze today, crossed with growing stress and anxiety about the letters, that it was a great way to center the kids (and the teachers) and remind them how wonderful each and every one of them are.
At the same time, it totally reminded all of them (and the teachers) that there's only 10 weeks of teaching left in the year. So, yeah, we're getting ready to say goodbye.
Friday, March 14, 2008
something in the water
This week has been hazy, loopy, discombobulated. A thing of madness. Like constantly walking underneath a waterfall. Strangely hallucinatory, but in a very lucid, straightforward sense. The children have been off the wall this week, silly and serious, demanding and meek, embodying all sorts of contradictions stuffed into muddles wrapped in enigmas. It's Friday evening and I'm exhausted, totally drained. I've used all my mental and emotional and physical capacities keeping my head together and maintaining my cool.
Is it because of daylight savings time?
Is it because middle school acceptance/rejection letters come out in a week?
Is it because it's Adar?
Who knows?
All I know is I'm going to bed early tonight!
Is it because of daylight savings time?
Is it because middle school acceptance/rejection letters come out in a week?
Is it because it's Adar?
Who knows?
All I know is I'm going to bed early tonight!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Shakesperience!
Today we went on a field trip, to Glendale, to see a 90-minute Shakespeare play, called "Shakesperience!" It was a program designed for middle (and probably some high) school students to introduce them to Shakespeare. It was pretty cool actually.
It was at the Alex Theater which is the cool old theater/movie house in downtown Glendale - down the street from the almost infamous Galleria. There were a lot of schools there and they all came on busses and were sat and fed by old lady ushers (sort of like Design for Sharing, for you Royce kids). The show itself was a selection of scenes, all "on the common theme of relations between a man and a woman," from the following five plays:
1) Romeo and Juliet
2) Taming of the Shrew
3) Macbeth
4) Hamlet
Interlude - a mocking of the Julius Caesar (the play we'll be reading next month) assassination scene
5) Midsummer Night's Dream
It was a pretty good show. The acting wasn't amazing, but it was solid. They really played more towards the broader comedy in all of the scenes, even the unfunny ones (like "Out Damned Spot!" or the fight between Romeo-Tybalt-Mercutio), which I think made it much more accessible to the kids, even if some of the subtleties of the scenes were lost. But, I'm a but of a purist (snob? A rose by any other name...).
The whole thing was tied together by a "narrator" character, assuming the role of Robin Goodfellow (the real name of "Puck") who was actually the actor playing the part. More often than not he would break the 4th wall, and talk, in street speak, to the audience. It was good 11-year old humor. There was some hip-hop music in there, as well as ending the show with a pretty neato Elizabethan style dance.
I really like field trips in general. One, they break the monotony of the day. Two, I get to spend time with the kids in a non-academic environment. Three, I get to wear a t-shirt.
It was at the Alex Theater which is the cool old theater/movie house in downtown Glendale - down the street from the almost infamous Galleria. There were a lot of schools there and they all came on busses and were sat and fed by old lady ushers (sort of like Design for Sharing, for you Royce kids). The show itself was a selection of scenes, all "on the common theme of relations between a man and a woman," from the following five plays:
1) Romeo and Juliet
2) Taming of the Shrew
3) Macbeth
4) Hamlet
Interlude - a mocking of the Julius Caesar (the play we'll be reading next month) assassination scene
5) Midsummer Night's Dream
It was a pretty good show. The acting wasn't amazing, but it was solid. They really played more towards the broader comedy in all of the scenes, even the unfunny ones (like "Out Damned Spot!" or the fight between Romeo-Tybalt-Mercutio), which I think made it much more accessible to the kids, even if some of the subtleties of the scenes were lost. But, I'm a but of a purist (snob? A rose by any other name...).
The whole thing was tied together by a "narrator" character, assuming the role of Robin Goodfellow (the real name of "Puck") who was actually the actor playing the part. More often than not he would break the 4th wall, and talk, in street speak, to the audience. It was good 11-year old humor. There was some hip-hop music in there, as well as ending the show with a pretty neato Elizabethan style dance.
I really like field trips in general. One, they break the monotony of the day. Two, I get to spend time with the kids in a non-academic environment. Three, I get to wear a t-shirt.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Conferences: round two
Yesterday and today were parent-teacher conferences, two days worth. I got to skip out on today because I was teaching the kids (it's supposed to be one day, so Monday was a no-school day). I'm not sure who got the better end of the deal.
The whole idea of the 5th/6th grade team (6 teachers!) sitting around a table, waiting for their next victim, is a little nerve-racking for parents. It's a lot to take in and handle. A lot of feedback. I didn't say much. I listened. I contributed when I had something really different to add, but otherwise I was just an awkward extra body.
Oh! The parents! Such kvetchers! Some of them, most of them, are actually very nice. But others, oy. It's like being in the room with a helicopter and the blades don't stop whirring and you move out of the way so they don't slice your face off, but you move too slow.
And by the end of 7 hours of conferences (one 20 minute break), my mind was pretty loopy. Like being high. High on words.
The whole idea of the 5th/6th grade team (6 teachers!) sitting around a table, waiting for their next victim, is a little nerve-racking for parents. It's a lot to take in and handle. A lot of feedback. I didn't say much. I listened. I contributed when I had something really different to add, but otherwise I was just an awkward extra body.
Oh! The parents! Such kvetchers! Some of them, most of them, are actually very nice. But others, oy. It's like being in the room with a helicopter and the blades don't stop whirring and you move out of the way so they don't slice your face off, but you move too slow.
And by the end of 7 hours of conferences (one 20 minute break), my mind was pretty loopy. Like being high. High on words.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Civilize this!
Last week, I finished teaching my first unit, conceived, planned, designed, and taught all by moi.
Ta-da!
Am I a teacher now? Not quite.
It was a unit on the origins of civilizations (not necessarily a small topic, but one we covered in a short period of time, although now I feel I could design a whole semester on this). It featured six lessons, showing the progression of human society through various typological phases:
1) Introduction; Hunter-gatherer lifestyle
2) Agriculture
3) Cities
4) Civilizations
5) Culture
6) How it all fits together (not a misnomer)
I'm really thrilled on the results. Planning the unit was cool, because I got to revisit all of my (not so) old anthropology notes and texts and articles and take a lot of information from them. I got to use a lot of typologies and characteristics and information I learned from good ole' Brantingham and Lesure and Smith et al. It also make me a true expert in the classroom. I totally convinced them I knew exactly what I was talking about (because I actually did) and there were moments when you could have heard a pin drop because they were hanging on every word I said. No joke. Like when they asked about early art, and I told them the earliest human art was found in Australia. Silence. "Really?" "How come?" "What was it?"
The teaching of the unit was spread over the course of three weeks, and I could see a definite improvement in my teaching as the lessons progressed. I was constantly revamping and reworking the structure and delivery of the lessons, writing new handouts and worksheets, creating vocab lists and homework, etc etc etc. It was a lot of fun, albeit a tad stressful. But I hope the students learned something.
Their final assessment is to take a stance on this question: was the development of civilizations good or bad? And then design a brochure/pamphlet arguing their case using a specific civilization (Egypt, India, or an imaginary one) for the details.
Part of the problem is my lead teacher and I got some of our signals with the timeline of the project muddled, so she assigned a big project for the ancient India unit due in a week and a half, so even though this brochure is supposed to be a smaller assignment, the kids were going, "This is too much!" "It's not fair" "You want us to fail" "I don't understand how we can do all of this!" Stuff like that. That sucked. It was like fending off small animals attacking me, many at a time. All I needed was a big stick. Wham! Bam! Slap! Whack!
Ta-da!
Am I a teacher now? Not quite.
It was a unit on the origins of civilizations (not necessarily a small topic, but one we covered in a short period of time, although now I feel I could design a whole semester on this). It featured six lessons, showing the progression of human society through various typological phases:
1) Introduction; Hunter-gatherer lifestyle
2) Agriculture
3) Cities
4) Civilizations
5) Culture
6) How it all fits together (not a misnomer)
I'm really thrilled on the results. Planning the unit was cool, because I got to revisit all of my (not so) old anthropology notes and texts and articles and take a lot of information from them. I got to use a lot of typologies and characteristics and information I learned from good ole' Brantingham and Lesure and Smith et al. It also make me a true expert in the classroom. I totally convinced them I knew exactly what I was talking about (because I actually did) and there were moments when you could have heard a pin drop because they were hanging on every word I said. No joke. Like when they asked about early art, and I told them the earliest human art was found in Australia. Silence. "Really?" "How come?" "What was it?"
The teaching of the unit was spread over the course of three weeks, and I could see a definite improvement in my teaching as the lessons progressed. I was constantly revamping and reworking the structure and delivery of the lessons, writing new handouts and worksheets, creating vocab lists and homework, etc etc etc. It was a lot of fun, albeit a tad stressful. But I hope the students learned something.
Their final assessment is to take a stance on this question: was the development of civilizations good or bad? And then design a brochure/pamphlet arguing their case using a specific civilization (Egypt, India, or an imaginary one) for the details.
Part of the problem is my lead teacher and I got some of our signals with the timeline of the project muddled, so she assigned a big project for the ancient India unit due in a week and a half, so even though this brochure is supposed to be a smaller assignment, the kids were going, "This is too much!" "It's not fair" "You want us to fail" "I don't understand how we can do all of this!" Stuff like that. That sucked. It was like fending off small animals attacking me, many at a time. All I needed was a big stick. Wham! Bam! Slap! Whack!
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Appendectomy: One year later!
Yesterday, February 5th, was the one-year anniversary of my appendectomy. Yay! It's weird to think that it's been a year since then. Most of the time I forget it even happened. On New Years Eve, I asked the friends I was with what was the best thing for their 2007, and the worst. My best was graduating college, and I couldn't come up with a "worst." Not in the sense that It was an AMAZING year, but that I couldn't figure it out. About 12 hours later, I was like, "Oh yeah. Appendectomy! That was pretty shitty."
In other news, February 5th was also Super Duper Fat Tuesday. How about that? Go Obama. Stupid Clinton (who, it came out today, gave herself 5 million dollars. Come on!). Looking forward to Louisiana, Nebraska, and Washington!
In other, other news, I taught a kick-ass parasha lesson today. This week it was Terumah, when God first commands the Israelites to build the Mishkan (Tabernacle). I brought in 4 post-biblical commentaries and the kids read them in groups and gave their own opinions as to WHY God would ask Moses and the Israelites to build a large, elaborate dwelling for God's presence (when, God is in fact supposed to be everywhere). It was a really good 45 minutes.
In other, other, other news (I feel a little like Tevye): it's also pictures week this week. Today was the 5th and 6th grade class photo. 5th grade was a mess; it took over 20 minutes (and the photographer, at the insistence of 2-3 5th graders, has us shout "Yes We Can! Cheney Sucks!"). 6th grade did it in less than 10. Whooo!
In other news, February 5th was also Super Duper Fat Tuesday. How about that? Go Obama. Stupid Clinton (who, it came out today, gave herself 5 million dollars. Come on!). Looking forward to Louisiana, Nebraska, and Washington!
In other, other news, I taught a kick-ass parasha lesson today. This week it was Terumah, when God first commands the Israelites to build the Mishkan (Tabernacle). I brought in 4 post-biblical commentaries and the kids read them in groups and gave their own opinions as to WHY God would ask Moses and the Israelites to build a large, elaborate dwelling for God's presence (when, God is in fact supposed to be everywhere). It was a really good 45 minutes.
In other, other, other news (I feel a little like Tevye): it's also pictures week this week. Today was the 5th and 6th grade class photo. 5th grade was a mess; it took over 20 minutes (and the photographer, at the insistence of 2-3 5th graders, has us shout "Yes We Can! Cheney Sucks!"). 6th grade did it in less than 10. Whooo!
Sunday, January 20, 2008
The year of a bore, and Barack Obama
I won't start off this post by apologizing for not posting since last year because, well, that's lame.
In fifth grade literature we started a dual book group project. Jo (my mentor/lead teacher) divided the class into half, by reading abilities, and she took the high readers to read "Dragonwings" and I'm working with the low reader reading "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" (an old favorite of mine). We finished two weeks of this. I think it's going well.
On one hand, it's really cool, because I get a group of ten kids all to myself for 4 periods a week. They read aloud, I read aloud, we do vocabulary worksheets, comprehension questions, talk about interesting passages, reflect upon our own experiences, etc: basically really exciting/fun stuff. And I'm in charge. I get to set the pace, the tone, the direction, the meaning, tell them what's important, what's not important, help them, keep them in line (it's a super tough group to keep focused), and basically be their full-on teacher.
On the other hand, I have no fucking clue what I'm doing. I'm flying by the seat of my pants, and haven't had the time to stop and breathe and think about a long term goal/objective/enduring understanding the kids should walk away with (and I'm being trained to do that, so I guess I need some more work on that). I also have a hard time keeping track of the various needs each student has. It is a pretty ow group, and the problem is they're all low in different areas. Some are smart, but super lazy. Others have serious comprehension problems. Others just can't make sense of the words and need help with the actual reading. Others have processing issues. Others can read and understand but can't demonstrate that. And I'm worried that I'm boring or the book is boring or they just don't care. They probably don't. And they're so needy. They don't listen when I talk and then ask the same questions over and over and over again. I think I'm getting better at dealing with them, but, why knows?
They are adorable though.
In other news, how disappointing is Hilary's win in Nevada yesterday? I totally thought Barack had that one in the bag. He really needs to win in South Carolina, or else Tsunami Tuesday is going to be a wash in the wrong direction.
In fifth grade literature we started a dual book group project. Jo (my mentor/lead teacher) divided the class into half, by reading abilities, and she took the high readers to read "Dragonwings" and I'm working with the low reader reading "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" (an old favorite of mine). We finished two weeks of this. I think it's going well.
On one hand, it's really cool, because I get a group of ten kids all to myself for 4 periods a week. They read aloud, I read aloud, we do vocabulary worksheets, comprehension questions, talk about interesting passages, reflect upon our own experiences, etc: basically really exciting/fun stuff. And I'm in charge. I get to set the pace, the tone, the direction, the meaning, tell them what's important, what's not important, help them, keep them in line (it's a super tough group to keep focused), and basically be their full-on teacher.
On the other hand, I have no fucking clue what I'm doing. I'm flying by the seat of my pants, and haven't had the time to stop and breathe and think about a long term goal/objective/enduring understanding the kids should walk away with (and I'm being trained to do that, so I guess I need some more work on that). I also have a hard time keeping track of the various needs each student has. It is a pretty ow group, and the problem is they're all low in different areas. Some are smart, but super lazy. Others have serious comprehension problems. Others just can't make sense of the words and need help with the actual reading. Others have processing issues. Others can read and understand but can't demonstrate that. And I'm worried that I'm boring or the book is boring or they just don't care. They probably don't. And they're so needy. They don't listen when I talk and then ask the same questions over and over and over again. I think I'm getting better at dealing with them, but, why knows?
They are adorable though.
In other news, how disappointing is Hilary's win in Nevada yesterday? I totally thought Barack had that one in the bag. He really needs to win in South Carolina, or else Tsunami Tuesday is going to be a wash in the wrong direction.
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