Summer Time Heat

It’s summer time and I just can’t seem to be motivated to do much in this heat. 

On July 1, I started teaching my university course which luckily keeps me indoors most of the morning. 

Of course, this means that we have to go to breakfast early and I can’t get out in the yard to work in the yard before it gets too hot. On the weekend,, it was cloudy so I got outside and worked in the yard. I spend most of the day in my sunroom with the shades down to keep out the heat and I feel like I’m in a cave! 

Our blueberry crop is finally at the end of its run but we got lots of blueberries this year. Not only did we get some but so did two of our neighbors. I loved being able to share with them. We have a few figs on the tree but I'm not sure I will be able to get to them before the squirrels do.

Staying indoors has helped me get some knitting done. I started a summer sweater (the Salty Air Tee), finished a pair of socks, and knitted many charity dishcloths. 

So far, July has been a productive month! 

Summer for Teachers

Summer is approaching and now is the time to think about what you plan to do. Sometimes I’m so overwhelmed by the possibilities that I feel paralyzed from taking any action. I thought it would help to decide if I listed the possibilities.

Here are some things teachers can do over the summer:

Relax and recharge:

• Go on vacation.
• Spend time with family and friends.
• Read.
• Go for walks in nature.
• Take a yoga class.
• Get a massage.

Plan for the upcoming school year:

• Create lesson plans.
• Order supplies.
• Get organized.
• Meet with your colleagues to discuss curriculum and lesson plans.
• Attend professional development workshops.

Take professional development courses:

• There are many online and in-person professional development courses available.
• Some courses are free, while others require a fee.
• Choose courses that are relevant to your teaching interests and needs.

Volunteer:

• Many organizations need volunteers.
• You could volunteer at a local school, library, or community center.
• You could also volunteer to tutor students or mentor young people.

Travel:

• There are many great places to travel.
• Choose a destination that interests you and that you think you'll enjoy.
• Do some research to find the best deals on flights and accommodations.

Learn a new skill:

• There are many online and in-person classes available.
• Some classes are free, while others require a fee.
• Choose a skill that you're interested in learning and that you think will be useful.

Start a side hustle:

• There are many different side hustles that you could start.
• Some popular side hustles include tutoring, selling handmade goods, and dog walking.
• Do some research to find a side hustle that you're interested in and that you think you'll be good at.

Do nothing:

• Sometimes the best thing to do is simply nothing.
• Take some time to relax and enjoy the summer.
• Read a book.
• Go for a walk.
• Spend time with family and friends.

No matter what you choose to do over the summer, make sure you take some time for yourself to relax and recharge. After a long school year, you deserve it!

Summer Solstice

Yesterday, June 21 was the summer solstice. I think it is my favorite day of the year.  This day is when the sun reaches the highest position in the sky and is the longest period of daylight. I don’t like darkness so the more daylight, the better. 

I had a friend that used to throw a summer solstice party every year. She is gone now but I still miss her. 

Many cultures have festivals and rituals on the summer solstice. The US sees this day as the beginning of summer. 

Photo by Angelo Pantazis on Unsplash

Summer Routines

As summer vacation approaches, many of my special education students because anxious.

They are anxious for many different reasons which may include:

·      Lack of routine

·      Fear of the unknown

·      Isolation from classmates

·      Stressful family situation

·      Lack of food in the home

·      Vacation travel

·      Increased stress

It is a good time to talk with students about how they are feeling about the upcoming vacation. It is okay to feel excited about the end of the school year and have some anxiety about the summer. I try to stay away from the word “fear” because many students will deny feeling this way. Yet, they don’t mind the word anxiety as much. I think it has to do with growing up and being teased about being scared of things they fear.

It would be good to brainstorm why a person (keeps it from being personal) would feel anxiety about the upcoming summer vacation. They may think of things that you didn’t think about it or didn’t know about it.

It would also be good to brainstorm ways to cope with the things that are causing anxiety.

·      Maybe they could write out a tentative schedule to follow and share this with their parents.

·      If there is an upcoming trip, do some research about where you are going and talk to their parents about what they plan to do.

·      Plan a way to stay in touch with classmates and friends.

·      See if there is a school that serves breakfast and/or lunch in their community.

·      Learn stress relieving techniques to use during stressful situations at home.

What other advice would you give? Please share.

Summer Plans

In Finding One's Voice from Sioux's Page. Sioux asks,

“What are your plans this summer?”

I love summer and the things that we do. Here are some of the things we plan on doing:

Joining the public library’s Summer Reading Program.

Going to Fort Wayne, Indiana and meeting up with another couple we met on a cruise. We had dinner with them every night and really hit it off.

Going to Grand Rapids, Michigan to visit the Gerald Ford Library.

Going to Chicago for a week because I’ve never been there. We will hit all the major tourist spots.

Going to Minnesota for my first knitting retreat.

Going to Wisconsin, which is one of two states, left  (Hawaii is the other) for me to bag on my list of “States Visited.”

Teaching a graduate class for Furman University.

Going camping and enjoying nature.

Hiking with my hiking friends.

What are you plans? Please share.

Summer Solstice 2013

Tomorrow begins the official summer season. It is also the summer solstice which is the longest day of sunlight we have in the northern hemisphere. In the past, I have had a friend who always celebrated the day with a party.

The weather has been kind of wacky this year. It seems like we went straight from winter into summer and skipped spring. We have also had a great abundance of rain which has about gotten rid of our drought status. With all this rain has brought an increase in mosquitos which love my hubby so he is miserable outdoors. I have not been able to do a lot of hiking because we don’t like to hike in the rain and I don’t want to slip and get hurt on the wet trails.

We have also bought a new camper and have been itching to go camping a lot. Unfortunately the weather has not been the best for camping. It isn’t bad if there are short showers which is usual here in the south during the summer but lengthy days of continuous rain is not fun. If I have to sit all day in the camper, I might as well stay at home.

The rain has been great for my lawn and my gardens though. My lawn has looked the best it ever has and my gardens (with lots of weeds) are flourishing.

The summer solstice is a good time to get out and be grateful for all that surrounds me. I’m thankful for the sun and the rain. The long day makes me appreciate all the waking hours that I have. It also makes me realize that the days will be getting shorter after that and I need to make sure I make the most of all the daylight!

Do you do anything to celebrate the summer solstice? If so, please share.

Image: 'Flight Of The Solstice Dawn'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/30674396@N00/25679815
Found on flickrcc.net

Take Time to Recharge

As summer vacation approaches, teachers need to think of ways to recharge. Too many times I have heard that teachers spend their time in classes, training, or planning for the next year. That is great if teachers spend some of their summer and if that is what they want to do. But there should be a balance between teachers’ professional time and personal time. It is this time off from work that teachers need to find ways to recharge. This is vital in order to avoid burn out from a rewarding but challenging career. Here are some suggestions:

1. Be lazy. Give yourself permission to not do anything. Take a break from household chores and responsibilities. Do something that you (or others) might consider being lazy.

2. Learn a new hobby. Is there anything you wanted to learn but never had the time? Make the time now and give it a try.

3. Read a book that you have wanted to read.

4. Take a bubble bath, turn on some music, and pamper yourself.

5. Get your hair done or get a manicure/pedicure.

6. Get out and walk in your local park or even in your neighborhood.

7. Renew friendships with those who have taken a backseat to your career. Meet them for lunch or dinner.

8. Plan a fun event with friends or relatives like a reunion, or a party at a location near you.

9. If you like entertaining, plan an evening for your close friends because you never have the time to do this when you are working. Planning and then doing can be invigorating.

10. Volunteer with a local charity (Red Cross, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, habitat for humanity etc.) Helping others always will make you feel good.

What other suggestions do you have for recharging? Please share.

Image: 'Plug your car in here'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7295874@N03/3848856497
Found on flickrcc.net

Summer Reading Plan

I decided this summer that I want to reread the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. There are nine of them and I look forward to spending my summer reading them. I read them when I was still in school (many many many years ago) and I decided I wanted to read them again as an adult. I am interested in seeing what lessons are in them which I didn’t notice at the time. Back then I read for pleasure and just enjoyed the interesting stories. Now I wonder how these could be used in a classroom. Feel free to join me!

My Summer Plans

In Catching Up from Tinkerings, Tim asks,

“And what, exactly, are your plans for the summer?”

Well Tim, I’m glad you asked! Of course this may be more than you really wanted to know but here it is.

I am giving two presentations at the Upstate Technology Conference in Greenville, SC called “Unveiling the Mystery of Project Based Learning.”

There is a Red Cross annual meeting and volunteer recognition event at Fluor Field at Westside in Greenville this week. Then I’m helping with the Volunteer picnic this month also. We are also on call every 6 weeks with our Disaster Action Team which helps families who have lost everything from a disaster.

I will also be teaching a graduate class for Furman University in July. This is a practicum class where my students are teachers and we will be running a school for students with learning problems. The school only lasts a month but I think the teachers and the students both benefit from this.

On Friday nights our town has free concerts at the City Hall fountain and on Saturday nights there are free bluegrass concerts at the Depot St. market area. I hope to enjoy some of these during the summer.

I am also doing lots of knitting and spinning. I’m continuing with making prayer shawls and leprosy bandages for charities with my church group. I’m also involved in some Knit-alongs and Spin-alongs through Ravelry (an online fiber social network).

I hope this year to get my gardens in shape. I want to plant more vegetables and flowers. But my weeds are very healthy this year. I’m trying to work in the gardens at least a couple of hours each day. I will probably need about 8 truck loads (pick up truck size) of mulch and it is free from our local landfill.

Hopefully in our down time, we will do short camping trips to the Smokies or even Shenandoah. I really enjoy getting out and doing some hiking. Sometimes I need to get away from the TV and the computers. I love to sit around the campfire and knit while my hubby and I talk.

So, now, I ask you, what are you doing this summer? Please share!

Image: 'Lake St. Peter [2]'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/37153080@N00/111717653

Summer Anxieties

As our summer season arrives, everyone gets excited as the end of the school year finally comes. But I notice that some of my students are not as excited as the others. Of course, they act like they are and they grumble like the others but I can tell that the light isn’t as bright as the others.

For many of them, they know that the summer brings lots of uncertainties. Suddenly there will be no schedule, no routines, and many times nothing that they can count on. That includes regular meals, adult figures and even friends. During these times of closeness with other family members, emotions seem more magnified with no escape of school in sight.

Sometimes the social interactions with their peers only happen when they are at school. Many have the responsibility in the summer of having to care for their younger brothers and sisters.

Before my students leave, I ask them to call me once a week to let me know that they are okay. I don’t want to read about them in the papers for any reason unless it is something positive. Unless I am on vacation, I will call them if I don’t hear from them some time during the summer. Many look relieved to know that I will care about them even when we aren’t in class.

Some students don’t know when they are supposed to return to school or even if they will return to the same school. I let them know that I will call them the week before school starts so they will know what is happening.

For some of them, I actually sit down with them and help them plan a tentative schedule for them while they are home each day. Just putting some things down on paper seem to help relieve some of the anxiety they are feeling. I also print out a calendar for each month and fill out important things for them to do or remember. During these times, I am able to tell which students need this more than others. I also take the time to touch base with the parents to see if there is anything they would like to add to their child’s daily schedule and share with them their child’s anxiety.

So even though I’m extremely excited about getting time off or going on a vacation, I need to remember that others may not be feeling the same thing. I need to make sure I’m sensitive to those who can’t afford a vacation because their parents might be out of work or money is tight for other reasons. I can help these students look for positives about the summer and maybe even look for something to look forward to.

Do you have students like this? If so, how do you help them? Please share!

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

Original image: 'Day 223 / 365 - Dread'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/17642817@N00/1749448975 by: Jason Rogers

Summer Learning

As the summer arrives in full blast (the past 2 days have been in the high 90s and this will continue for at least another week), I have seen other people post on their blogs about Summer Learning. I thought it would be a good idea to jot ideas down for my own learning that will be going on.

Community Gardening – I am going to try to go help out at the community garden at least once a week if we are not traveling. I learn something new every time I go there.

Reading – I plan to try to read at least a few nonfiction books because I get in the rut of reading fiction books way too much. I have joined a Plurk book group and we are going to read How Full is Your Bucket by Tom Rath

Upstate Technology Conference – I will be doing a couple of presentations on QR codes at the local tech conference. I look forward to all that I will learn at this conference also!

Travel – We are hoping to drive to Glacier National Park and I have never been there before. We hope to visit all the national parks before we die so this would be one more off our list. I also hope to go through Wisconsin because I have never been to that state before and it would leave Hawaii as the only state I have left to see in order to have marked all 50 states off my list.

Second Life – I hope to make better use of Second Life with learning. I have neglected my learning from this source but I really enjoy it when I take the time to go there.

Knitting – I hope to continue my growth in knitting and learning new skills. I feel it keeps my mind sharp and I really find it relaxing and enjoyable.

Mandarin – I need to continue to practice my Mandarin that I have been learning over the past 3 years. When I take too much time between classes, I tend to lose a lot of my learning and I will try to spend at least 30 minutes every day to review my lessons.

Of course my daily learning will take place from reading the blogs that I have subscribed to as well as free online sessions that I join.

What learning do you plan to do this summer?

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

Original image: 'party in the sky'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26720971@N02/3970279665 by: Dene' Miles

Summer Reading List

I love keeping track of the books I want to read, am currently reading and have read on Shelfari. I can also read summaries of the books and reviews by other people.

Here are some books that I would like to read this summer:

The Numbers Behind NUMB3RS by Keith Devlin - “The companion to the hit CBS crime series Numb3rs presents the fascinating way mathematics is used to fight real-life crime Using the popular CBS prime-time TV crime series Numb3rs as a springboard, Keith Devlin (known to millions of NPR listeners as “the Math Guy” on NPR’s Weekend Edition with Scott Simon ) and Gary Lorden (the principal math advisor to Numb3rs ) explain real-life mathematical techniques used by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies to catch and convict criminals. From forensics to counterterrorism, the Riemann hypothesis to image enhancement, solving murders to beating casinos, Devlin and Lorden present compelling cases that illustrate how advanced mathematics can be used in state-of-the-art criminal investigations.”

The Intentional Spinner: A Holistic Approach to Making Yarn by Judith MacKenzie McCuin - “Offering a blend of technical knowledge, history, and easy-to-use tips, this inspiring collection of spinning wisdom deftly explores the three fundamental areas of yarn production: understanding fibers, managing yarn structure, and making yarns that precisely meet the spinner's needs.”

Fierce Conversations: Achieving Sucess at Work and in Life One Conversation at a Time by Susan Scott – “The master teacher of positive change through powerful communication, Susan Scott wants her readers to succeed. To do that, she explains, one must transform everyday conversations employing effective ways to get the message across.”

The Art of Learning: A Journey in the Pursuit of Excellence by Josh Waitzkin – “Through his own example, Waitzkin explains how to embrace defeat and make mistakes work for you.”

No Idle Hands (1988):The Social History of American Knitting by Anne L. Macdonald – “Drawn from diaries, letters and personal reminiscences, No Idle Hands tells an intimate and sometimes hair-raising story of hand knitting in America from Colonial times onward”

In addition to these books to improve my mind, I plan to also do light reading from authors Nevada Barr, Traci Peterson, Maggie Sefton, and Nora Roberts.

What is on your summer reading list?

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

Original image: 'Barter Bookshop, Alnwick'

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29376648@N05/2842485322 by: Sandra

Summer Activities

In Summer Dreams from Our own International Multiples Club, Stephanie shares,

“Then I happened on two calendars put together by our local school district. These calendars have suggested activities for every weekday from the first non-school Monday in June to the last non-school Friday in August. And most of these ideas are cheap or free! AND they will reinforce things that my children have learned this year. AND they will provide a distraction. How could I not be excited?!”

When I read this, I thought it was a great idea!! I also thought it would be a great idea to do for my own classroom. Since I would know what skills and topics were taught, it would be a great way to reinforce the lessons learned during the year and hopefully it will keep students engaged in learning. I remember as a child being so excited that summer had arrived but it wasn’t long before I was complaining to my parents that I was bored and there was nothing to do.

Here is the Greenville County School District Summer Activity Calendar.

I loved looking at the suggestions that were mentioned!

I also thought of other activities that could be done this way. Here are some other ideas:

· Choose a topic for the week (ex.: cars, horse, dinosaurs, reptiles, insects, nutrition, cooking)

· and gear activities to focus on that topic. Activities can include an art activity, cooking activity, and a field trip.

· Choose a project and create something new. Each day could involve one step of the process.

· Keep a journal for each day and keep a record of your actions.

· Young children: Choose a letter for the day and see how many things you can name all day using that letter. They can end the day by drawing some pictures of the things they remember.

· Pretend you bought an island in the Pacific Ocean and you let people come live there. What rules would you make? How would you set up the place so people can live peacefully together?

· Think of something children would like to support (anti litter campaign, no smoking etc.) and come up with a short video promoting their cause.

If you have time, check out the calendar and see if any activities tickle your fancy. If you have any other suggestions, please feel free to 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: woodleywonderworks

My Plans for the Summer

Now, I know summer officially begins in another week or so but as soon as school is out, I consider it summer.

Summer is my busy time. Since I retired from teaching in public school, I now teach on the university level in the summer. This is my time for teaching teachers. I love teaching so much that I felt that by sharing my knowledge and expertise with other teachers, it is a way to pass it on. Of course, the best time to teach teachers is during the summer when they aren’t focused on their own classrooms as well as real life.

So, I need to get busy with planning my lessons!

One course that I’m teaching is a practicum where I will supervise 5 teachers and about 20 special education students. I will observe the teachers and evaluate lesson plans. I really enjoyed doing this last year and one of the comments on my evaluation was that the teacher/student learned more in this course than any other course. I believe the reason is that he was able to bring together all that he had learned and actually apply it. It was a real life situation.

The other course is a Procedures course which will be a hybrid course of online and face to face. There weren’t enough students to meet daily face to face so the university wants me to teach it as a tutorial where we only meet five times. But I need to make it as rigorous as if we meet face to face every day. This will be a challenge. I’m hoping to record some presentations on slideshare and post them on the wiki as part of their weekly assignments. As you can tell, I’m still working on them.

I’m also planning on doing more hiking and camping than we did last year. I really missed it but we did a lot of road traveling. This year we plan to stay closer to home and remember why we love living where we do.

We recently got our ham radio license so I am going to learn more about ham radios and how to use them. I’m wondering if they have a place in the classroom and how a lesson can be working in with it. This will take some looking into and I will let you know how it goes.

I plan to do a lot more yard work and gardening. I’ve put off a few years some things that need to be done. This is a good time for me to do it. We planted tomato plants earlier than we did last year so hopefully we will be able to enjoy them longer. I hope to freeze some to use in the winter too. We also have a ton of figs coming in and I hope to freeze some of them too.

Of course when all my teacher friends are working, I really miss them. Now that summer is here, my friends can come out and play! I’m excited about scheduling some lunches so we can catch up on what’s been happening.

In a couple of weeks there is the Upstate Technology Conference and I will get to visit with some of my online friends in person. I look forward to the 2 day event and learning lots of new stuff. I’m not presenting this year so I can attend more sessions. I might present next year though.

So, what do you have planned for the summer? I have big plans but we will see how it all pans out!

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

Original image: 'party in the sky'
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26720971@N02/3970279665 by: Dene' Miles

Summer Refreshment

Now that summer is approaching, it brings back memories of summers where I was so overwhelmed with my free time that I didn’t know which way to go. I thought I would give some suggestions for some people who are trying to think of some options. Maybe I will mention something that you haven’t thought of before.

Take a course for recertification. I always found it easier to take a course in the summer than during the school year when I was teaching. Just for a little self promotion – I will be teaching two courses at Furman University this summer: Edex622 Nature of Learning Disabilities and Edex 962 Learning Disabilities Practicum. If you need either of these courses, I would love to have you in my class.

Learn something new. You can check out the hobby stores to learn a new craft or you can go to a home improvement store to learn how to do something on your house. Maybe you could find a language course to take.

Visit or call the people in your life that has had to take a back seat to teaching. I know that I have let some friends fall to the wayside during the school year because I haven’t had enough time for them. I try to schedule a lunch with them at least one time during the summer. Good friends are hard to find and I can’t afford to lose any of the ones that I have.

Get out in nature. Find a local state or national park near you and explore it. It is amazing how much that nature can do to rejuvenate you. I find being outdoors and enjoying nature helps me put my life in perspective.

Come up with a list of things you want to do at home while you have time this summer. Then prioritize it and don’t try to do all the things at one time. Splice in some fun after you accomplish each thing. You will find that you won’t be as overwhelmed and maybe even surprised at how much you can actually get done.

Plan a get together with some school friends. During the school year, I never really had time to socialize with my friends that I worked with. Sometimes it is good to get outside the work place and get to know them better.

Do something for an elderly person. I know that I have an elderly neighbor who is over 90 years old and lives alone. During the summer I like to check with her to see if she needs light bulbs changed, or things moved. She hates to ask for help so I enjoy offering to help her. Some of the things seem minor but I know they are big things for her and she appreciates it.

Do you have any other suggestions that you can add? I’d love to hear them.

Original image: 'Lake St. Peter HDR [2]' http://www.flickr.com/photos/37153080@N00/111717653 by: Rick Harris