The Gift

From the Fall Blog Challenge by Melanie Holtsman, this week’s topic is the gift.

Challenge: If you could give one gift, who would you give it to and what would you choose?

If I could give one gift, it would be a cure for lupus and I would give it to my sister. She has suffered from this for over thirty years. This disease ended up killing my oldest sister and my mother died with it also. I feel so bad when I hear of all the medical stuff my sister has to go through but I’m glad it has kept her alive all these years. She is involved in the Lupus Foundation and walks every year to raise money so a cure can be found. My blood was even given to a research group to find out why I did not get lupus and if it could help in finding a cure. If a cure could be found and it would help her, that would be the greatest gift for both of us!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'ready for the holiday'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/77485110@N00/2069160530 by: Sarah Parrott

My Life as a Scientist

From the Fall Blog Challenge by Melanie Holtsman, this week’s topic is life as a scientist.

Challenge: What is your life as a scientist like? What kind of observations do you find yourself making? Do you have a wondering? Have you ever tried to find the answers?

When I was in school I was very good in science. I loved finding answers to questions. I loved doing experiments that showed me why things happened or worked. In fact, I was so good in science that the only course left for me to take my senior year was AP Biology.

Then I started hiking and became very interested in nature. I love watching nature shows on TV and I have lots of books on flowers, herbs, trees, mushrooms, birds, and insects. I like knowing about edible and medicinal plants. I also like learning about animals and their tracks. I find myself asking all sorts of questions when we are hiking and I can’t wait to get on the internet to try to find the answers. I started carrying a small notebook with me so that I can jot down the questions so I don’t forget them.

My husband and I recently took a Master Naturalist course which has taught me to be even more observant when I’m out in nature. There are things I never noticed before which have been pointed out to me. I also learned to look at the environment in order to see what things grow under those conditions. I had been learning things individually but it helps to link the new things to conditions that I already understand.

I find myself in other situations now that I can apply the skills I learned in that Master Naturalist class. When we go on cruises, I have questions about the ocean and the animals that live there. During our travels we are in different environments and climates so I want to learn more about the flora and fauna that live there.

I think my life as a scientist is a lifelong process. I hope that I can inspire my students to feel the same way.

What is your life as a scientist like? Please share.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Big Meadows - discovery walk (found a caterpillar)'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73645804@N00/1430509591 by: woodley wonderworks

My Years as a Student

From the Fall Blog Challenge by Melanie Holtsman, this week’s topic is thankfulness.

Challenge: Our students and colleagues never knew us as children. What were you like at the grade you teach? What were your interests? Did you like school? Share a photo if possible.

I taught high school for most of my career so I will talk about my high school years.

During grades 7-9, I attended a junior high and high school did not start until 10^th grade. My oldest sister had died that summer and we were very close so this was a traumatic time for me. I was going to a high school out of my attendance area because my assigned school was so large that they had to hold 2 shifts at one school. Knowing that education was the only way out for me, I begged my parents to let me go to the school where my sister and her family lived which was about 5 miles away from us. I was able to take the public bus from my corner right to the high school and did that for 3 years. I know it was wrong to use my sister’s address but I was desperate. The school in my area was overcrowded and over run with gangs and drugs so I needed to get away from there.

It was very scary starting the first day at a new school but I was glad to see some people that I knew from my church youth group. They immediately took me under their wings and made my life so much easier. I ended up having a best friend, Bunny, who stuck with me all three years. Never one for cliques, I had many different friends from many different groups. I also became very involved in the drama club and worked backstage for every production that was done over the three years. And I remember being a “mathlete” and was part of a math competition team for our high school.

For some reason I had gotten further ahead of everyone and ended up taking all AP classes during my senior year. I took AP Calculus, AP English, AP Biology, and AP French and then was given an early dismissal since there was nothing else I could take. Since I planned on going to an out of state private college, I knew those AP courses would save me a ton of money so I studied furiously and passed all my tests with flying colors.

I felt very overprotected by my family since I was the youngest and was very determined to leave home and go very far away. I think I was so focused on studying and leaving town that I didn’t make a lot of deep friendships during high school. Even though I had many friends who were acquaintances, the only friend I stayed in touch with after high school was Bunny. Now that I look back, I guess I was in the group that would be labeled Nerds today. I wasn’t part of the popular group or any special group and stayed more to myself or on the edge of a lot of different groups.

I think that is why I understand students who don’t fit in with a crowd or are different. I remember being that student and how I felt. I hope my experience during those times can help a student who is going through the same thing.

Do you feel your experiences as a student made a difference in your actions as a teacher? If so, please share.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'the professor is six minutes late'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/55779593@N00/127023370 by: Jonathan Pobre

Thankfulness

From the Fall Blog Challenge by Melanie Holtsman, this week’s topic is thankfulness.

Challenge: During this time of the year everyone is taking time to be thankful. What is one thing you are thankful for and why?

I thought about this topic for awhile and wanted to write something interesting but something that I was truly thankful for. Over the years I have written the usual stuff because I am so thankful for my husband, my family, and my health. I thought this time that I focus on being thankful for something different (even though I am still truly thankful for the things I mentioned).

I am thankful for my curious nature. Of course this leads me to learning new things. Sometimes I am cautious to start something new but eventually my curiosity gets the better of me and gives me courage to take that first step. I tend to think about what is the worst thing that could happen to me if I try and usually the consequences are minimal.

During this year I learned how to:

1. Make collards and black eyed peas from scratch (Heard how homemade was better than canned)

2. Make a triangular lace shawl (I saw someone else do it and wanted to try)

3. Join and help in a community garden (My friend was involved and kept talking about it on facebook)

4. Make chocolate zucchini bread (Bought a huge zucchini at the farmer’s market and the lady gave me the recipe)

5. Spin my own yarn (I watched a friend do this in my knitting group and thought it looked fun)

6. Be a Master Naturalist (met a friend while we were hiking who told us about the program and how interesting it was)

I’m thankful that I’m curious or I never would have tried any of these things. I look forward to new adventures that curiosity will take me on in the future.

I believe we encourage students to be careful so much that we make them scared to try. When my children were growing up, I would tell them, “No.” “Don’t do that. You might get hurt.” “Be careful. You don’t know what might happen.” What if I stifled their curiosity and kept them from learning? I notice that as I get older, I give in to my curiosity more often. I wonder if it is because I have more experience in life and realize that being curious is okay, as long as I don’t put myself in dangerous positions. Maybe that is part of growing up. Maybe that is the real message that I need to share with my students.

What is one thing that you are thankful for?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'curious roy'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/51035611977@N01/17200747 by: Stefano Mortellaro

My Life As a Writer

From the Fall Blog Challenge by Melanie Holtsman, this week’s topic is about my life as a writer.

Challenge: What is your life as a writer like? Do you write for work and or pleasure? What kind of things to you have to write as an adult? When you do write is it texting, computer, paper, journal or other?

I think I have loved writing ever since I was old enough to write. I remember having to go to a speech teacher because of a lisp that I had resulting from the loss of my two front teeth. She encouraged me to write stories with lots of “s” words. Then I had to read it aloud and when she would laugh and encourage me, I felt so good.

When I went to college, I wrote my parents a letter every day which my mother kept for me like a journal. After she passed away, I don’t know what ever happened to those letters.

Then I found out about blogging on the web and I was in heaven! I definitely like to write for pleasure. Of course the topics vary depending on the mood I’m in. I would much rather use a computer now instead of paper but if the computer is not available, I will use paper. When we go on our cruises, I won’t be blogging about the trip because my hubby worries that someone will rob our house when we are gone. Instead I will keep a paper journal and summarize the trip when I return home.

I hope that I have encouraged my students to write even after they have gone on to other grades. As an instructional tool, I would have them write in a journal the first five minutes they arrived in my classroom. I would suggest a topic or quote but they also were allowed to write about anything they wanted. I would look over their journals every Friday and they would get credit for writing at least 5 complete sentences in paragraph form. I would correct spelling and ask them to read it if I had trouble understanding it but they did not lose any credit for this because I focused on content, not grammar. It was interesting to see how their writing improved as the year progressed. When reading their entries, I also had great insight into their lives and what made them tick.

Do you make your students write? How often do you have them write? What criteria do you have them follow, if any? Please share.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Be seeing you'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/19487674@N00/58499153 by: Oliver Hammond

A Special Book

 

This week’s topic from the Fall Blog Challenge by Melanie Holtsman, is about a special book.

“What Book Made the Biggest Impact on Your Life? Was there a book you read or was read aloud to you that you have always remembered or that has impacted your life? Tell us about the book and why it touched you so deeply.”

This may sound crazy but the first book I remember reading (and I’m sure I read others and had others read to me) is The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss. Maybe it was the first one I had ever read on my own but I remember it being a big milestone in my life. It must have been for me to remember this more than 45 years later. At the time, I think 500 was as much as a trillion in my young eyes. I couldn’t imagine owning that much of anything. I remember thinking that someday, I wanted to own 500 books that were all my own and not borrowed from the library. If I had that many books, I would not only be rich but I’d be very smart and could do anything I wanted in my life. I knew that reading books was the key to whatever I wanted. Since my mother was an avid reader, I’m sure she instilled that in me with her words as well as her actions. The fact that everyone in my family made sure I had access to the library whenever I wanted or needed books was another way I saw that reading books was important. I remember the praise my family gave me when I read this book on my own and then out loud to them. That was proof that I was a reader and my life was just beginning!

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original Picture: The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss

My Life as a Mathematician

From the Fall Blog Challenge by Melanie Holtsman, this week’s topic is about Mathematics.

Challenge: When you're not at school are you still a mathematician? How do you use math to solve problems in your daily life? How did you use it today?

I can’t imagine a day doesn’t go by that I don’t use math in some way, shape or form. Whenever I go to the store and buy something, I am using math to figure out the cost and the change. Every morning, I start the day by looking at the current temperature and the forecast so I can wear the right clothes. If I am using my checkbook, I used math to make sure my balance is correct. Even though I pay my bills online, I am using math to make sure I have enough money to pay the bills. I use time throughout the day to plan activities, for cooking, for watching TV shows. When I am cooking each day, I use measurements in adding ingredients.

I did find a wonderful site called WolframAlpha that is a lot of fun to explore because the whole site involves mathematics. There are so many examples there that show you how it can be used.

How do you use math today? Please share.

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Little Professor Hand-held Calculator'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/38565056@N00/15223525 by: jason toal

My Life As A Reader

Though I am never usually at a loss for words, I came across this Fall Blog Challenge by Melanie Holtsman with topics to write about each week. I really liked the topics so I thought I would join in the challenge. I’m already a week behind so I’m going to start with last week’s topic and then tomorrow, do this week’s topic.

Challenge: What is your life as a reader like? Do you read for work, pleasure, instructions or emails? What is your favorite author and/or genre? What is your favorite reading spot? What did you like to read when you were the age of your students?

I have been reading since I was a little girl. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t read. At an early age, I remember my parents bringing me to the bookmobile that came around our neighborhood every Saturday morning. In fact, I looked forward to that the way most kids look forward to the ice cream truck! Books became my best friend and I could go anywhere in the world through a book and be anything that I wanted to be.

I don’t really have a favorite author or genre. I guess it depends on what mood I’m in and what I’m interested in at the moment. When I need to relax, I usually pick up a romance novel that is easy to read and always puts me in a good mood. At times I love a good mystery and read books by authors like Dan Brown or John Grisham. Sometimes I want to read something off the best seller lists so I can try to figure out what makes it a best seller.

I don’t have a favorite reading spot because I read in so many different places. I read when I eat breakfast, lunch, or dinner when I’m alone. I love to read before I go to bed because it relaxes me. I also like to read in the car when we are traveling. I usually have a book in my bag that I keep close by in case I have an opportunity to read.

When I was a student, I loved to read fantasy books where the hero was usually a person my age. I loved to imagine that I was the hero in the story and could do all that this person was doing. I loved books that took me to places I’ve never been before. Since my sisters were so much older than me, I was on my own at home without playmates so books became my closest friends and I was never bored or lonely.

How about you? How would you answer these questions?

Posted on the Successful Teaching Blog by loonyhiker (successfulteaching at gmail dot com).

Original image: 'Lost on stairs'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73491156@N00/1435420692 by: Éole Wind