Awesome

Today I worked with another reading group, but it was a little different. The kids are grouped according to their reading fluency and the lowest group contains mostly lower proficiency English speakers who receive pullout ESL services during the reading time. There was only one boy left in the group for me to work with. His nickname is going to be Rockstar. I have really taken a liking to Rockstar-with his bright blonde spiky hair and skinny jeans (yes...in third grade). He is one of those boys that is always playing with something, whether it is an eraser, a ruler, a pencil, a piece of paper, or a piece of dirt on his desk, he is easily distracted by "stuff." I have been working a lot to help him stay focused as his difficulties with attention co-mingle with his difficulties in reading. His reading fluency resembles that of a younger student who exerts so much effort to sound out/figure out the words that comprehension suffers as a result.

I was excited to get the chance to work with him 1:1. I basically did the same lesson I did yesterday in the other classroom preparing him to read with some pre-reading activities. Given his skill set, and his love of drawing, I decided to take the vocabulary preparation in a different direction. As soon as I told him he would have the chance to draw, he was much more eager to join me at the back table. I asked him if he knew the different between sketching and drawing and he really got the idea that sketching was supposed to be quick rather than detailed and time consuming. For each of the vocabulary words, we discussed the meaning and I asked Rockstar to use the words in sentences. Once he was confident that he understood the meaning, he got to do a quick sketch in his reading journal to remind him what the word means. He did an awesome job! His sketches were creative and he did a good job creating a quick picture rather than getting caught up in his love for drawing. He labeled each picture with the vocabulary word.

We then did a picture walk and made some predictions about the story. Rockstar was really observant of what was happening in the pictures and made some great predictions. He struggles a lot with spelling and writing, so I helped him by starting sentences and letting him fill in the rest and then repeating the sentence several times so he could write down his predictions as his teacher asked.

Later in the day, I helped him again with fact families. I showed him how to write the 3 numbers in a triangle with the biggest number at the top and then how it is easier to write the 4 number sentences from there. He caught on in a snap and did SO well. The best part was when the lunch bell rang and Rockstar said, "Aw, I want to do more!"

Once again, don't you love it???

P.S. We start German lessons tonight and I still haven't heard anything else about the job...

That's What I'm Talkin' About!!

Today I worked with two small reading groups during class time. We did some pre-reading activities including talking about some important vocabulary words, doing a picture walk, and making predictions about the book. One group's book was about a boy and his three legged dog who was part of his dog sled team. The title referred to the dog being a superhero. I asked this group of students what it meant to be a superhero and of course I got typical responses about being strong and having super powers. Then one girl raised her hand and said that superheroes don't always have to be strong, they just have to care about people and want to help them.

Don't you love it??

A Little Teacher Appreciation

Did you know that it's Educator Appreciation Week at Borders?

Visit your local Borders store between September 29th and October 7th to receive 30% off!

Pretty sure you have to show proof that you are a teacher

(school ID is all it takes, but don't forget to bring it!)

Go get yourself some good books!

Happy Dance!

We just found out that our container with all of our stuff is going to arrive on Friday! It has been over a month since we arrived in Germany and we have been living in a hotel this whole time. We did bring a lot of stuff with us on the flight and then we got a few other big boxes delivered after two weeks, but this container has our bed, couch, kitchen stuff, and clothes!! I have been wearing the same summer outfits for six weeks now, despite the fact that the weather is getting cooler and I am ecstatic to be reunited with my fall/winter clothes!

:0)

Friend Makin' Monday

It's Friend Makin Monday again!

Today's task is to:

List 5-10 of your favorite things! These can be things you think everyone must have, a collection of things you have, or some product or miracle invention that has changed your life

***I am stealing a very clever idea from another blogger whose Friend Makin' post I just read. There was a very similar topic back in July which I have copied. Anything in blue is a new comment that I am adding today. (Makes it a bit easier, but now I have more bloggy friends who have not read this before...)***

Diet Coke! (Coca-Cola light in Germany)

I tried to give this up when we moved to Germany, because Cola Light is just not the same as Diet Coke, but alas, the addiction continues....

Kitchen Aid Mixer

My mixer is still with our shipment of stuff that has not arrived yet, but I am excited to get it back! We almost didn't bring it because of the difference in electrical outlets here, but to buy one here with a European plug costs about 500 Euros or more! The only sad thing is that I don't know if I will do as much baking here because it seems like some key ingredients (baking soda, brown sugar, & vanilla are very different...)

Sharpies in every color of the rainbow

LOVE them!

Bare Minerals Makeup

Yup, still love it. Stocked up before we moved because I can't buy it here!

Books!!!

If you check out some recent posts, you will see proof of my love for books. I have ordered from amazon.com, amazon.de, half.com, and borders.com since moving here a little over a month ago!

MacBook Pro (essential for my blogging!)

live.eat.sleep.mac

Chi Flatiron

LOVE IT

I have a new flat iron now that I bought for our ten day "look see" trip to Germany. That is how deep my obsession goes...before we even knew if we were going to move here, I bought a 120 dollar flat iron with the correct European plug so I would not have to go without one during our 10 day trip. The Chi DOES NOT work with the conversion plugs, so I didn't want to risk blowing it out. I figured even if we didn't move here, 12 dollars a day for good hair was worth it! My new flat iron is a Sedu and it's great too.

And of course, I could never live without my wonderful husband, my great friends, and my supportive family. I don't think any of them really want their pictures up on my blog, so I will just say that they are beautiful and awesome!

Today's 411

I feel like I have a lot of random thoughts today, so here they are:

• Today is the first day of fall term. Normally, that would be no big deal, but I am participating in fall term at Portland State University from Germany! (For my new bloggy friends who don't know the background, I am working on my doctorate, which I began in OR before we moved. My advisor is allowing me to continue from abroad via WEB courses and Independent study.)

• My first assignment for Global Literature is to select a children's book that is set outside of the U.S. and preferably not written my an American author. Any suggestions? I have to rely on the library at the international school, which is limited, but I would love to hear suggestions from my fellow teachers! I have to write a book report on the book and read a few chapters from my text.

• I have a skype date tomorrow night with my advisor to go over some more logistics about the courses I will be taking this term. I am so glad to finally have the chance to talk with him because emailing has proven difficult. Let's just say it takes him longer than I would like to get back to me with answers to my questions.

• I realized today how much I miss the daily hugs I used to receive from my first graders! (sigh!) I don't know if it's just the age difference/level of "grown-up-ness" between first graders and third graders, or the difference in SES status between my old school and my new school, or maybe it's the cultural difference of being outside the U.S., or maybe even the fact that I am not there at the end of the day when goodbyes are said, but the hugs are gone. When I used to take my first graders to the bus at the end of the day, I could count on lots of hugs and as much as being a teacher is about making the kids feel special, they sure made me feel special by showing me that I was important to them. I hope I did the same in return. The third graders are very sweet and polite, but less demonstrative with their affections. Writing this is making me miss one sweet little girl named Karla very much. If you remember the picture I posted from the last day of school, she was one of the girls that embraced me in a ginormous hug from the classroom all the way out to the bus. Aw, what the hay, it's a great picture, so I will post it again.

• Hopefully tomorrow I will get word about my interview for the SPED job. I asked one of the teachers today and she said she didn't know of anyone else who applied, but I think they want to interview anyway, since they did not interview me at all for the other opening I had applied for. I would LOVE to know for sure whether or not I can transition to a new position! P.S. I saw a flyer on the wall for a teaching workshop that is taking place in Switzerland about teaching students with different needs. I have this fantasy in which they will offer me the SPED job and then tell me they are sending me to Switzerland to attend the workshop....seriously, they actually sent one of the new teachers to a professional development course in Prague recently! Can you imagine???!!! Wouldn't that just be the craziest most awesome thing ever!

• I helped the third graders prepare for their presentation of healthy food choices during an assembly which took place this morning. Even though I was supposed to be working in the work room, when I heard them begin, I crept out into the hallway to watch over the balcony. They were so cute talking about their healthy choices and why each food/drink is good for their bodies.

That's all folks!

Bloggy Award!

Thanks so much to Jen from Following the Footsteps for giving me the "Over the Top" blog award! I have never met Jen, but I feel like we're friends because of blogging and that is so cool! The rules for accepting this award are to copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. Answers can only be one word! Pass the award to 6 of your favorite bloggers and alert them they have been awarded.

1. Where is your cell phone? hotel

2.Your hair? lame

3. Your mother? awesome

4. Your father? handy

5. Your favorite food? peanutbutter

6. Your dream last night? weird

7. Your favorite drink? Diet-Coke

8. Your dream/goal? doctorate

9. What room are you in? office

10. Your hobby? blogging

11. Your fear? frogs

12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? U.S.

13. Where were you last night? hotel

14. Something you aren't? outgoing

15. Muffins? banana

16. Wish list item? clothes

17. Where did you grow up? Connecticut

18. Last thing you did? read

19. What are you wearing? red

20. Your TV? laptop

21. Your pets? none

22. Your friends? far

23. Your life? rockin'

24. Your mood? hungry

25. Missing someone? many

26. Vehicle? traveling

27. Something you're not wearing? earrings

28. Your favorite store? grocery!

29. Your favorite color? green

30. When was the last time you laughed? earlier

31. Last time you cried? Saturday

32. Your best friend? tough

33. One place that I go over and over? gym

34. One person who emails me regularly? mommy

35. Favorite place to eat? LaBarca

I am passing this award to:

Kelly @ She Wears a Red Sox Cap

Mrs. Lipstick @ Organized Chaos

Nicolasa @ Low Expectations

Mrs. Bluebird @ Bluebird's Classroom

Morgan @ Confessions of a Future Teacher

Eager2teach@ My Journey Through Student Teaching

I think there is a theme here....all of these lovely bloggers are teachers!

Yay for teachers!

A Little Fitness==> How much do you drink??

Okay, let's forget the majority of liquid pleasures that are out there and concentrate for a minute on water. How much water do you drink in a given day? The typical rule is that you should drink eight 8 oz. glasses a day, which is 64 ounces. I have also read in various fitness magazines that you should drink the equivalent of half of your body weight in ounces of water daily. So, a 150 pound person, should then drink about 75 ounces of water, which would be more than those 8 glasses. Also, if you drink other beverages with caffeine or alcohol, should drink even more water to compensate. If you are not convinced about needing to drink a lot of water, check out this list of reasons why it is important for your body:

1. Weight loss. Water is one of the best tools for weight loss, first of all because it often replaces high-calorie drinks like soda and juice and alcohol with a drink that doesn't have any calories. But it's also a great appetite suppressant, and often when we think we're hungry, we're actually just thirsty. Water has no fat, no calories, no carbs, no sugar. Drink plenty to help your weight-loss regimen.

2. Heart healthy. Drinking a good amount of water could lower your risks of a heart attack. A six-year study published in the May 1, 2002 American Journal of Epidemiology found that those who drink more than 5 glasses of water a day were 41% less likely to die from a heart attack during the study period than those who drank less than two glasses.

3. Energy. Being dehydrated can sap your energy and make you feel tired -- even mild dehydration of as little as 1 or 2 percent of your body weight. If you're thirsty, you're already dehydrated -- and this can lead to fatigue, muscle weakness, dizziness and other symptoms.

4. Headache cure. Another symptom of dehydration is headaches. In fact, often when we have headaches it's simply a matter of not drinking enough water. There are lots of other causes of headaches of course, but dehydration is a common one.

5. Healthy skin. Drinking water can clear up your skin and people often report a healthy glow after drinking water. It won't happen overnight, of course, but just a week of drinking a healthy amount of water can have good effects on your skin.

6. Digestive problems. Our digestive systems need a good amount of water to digest food properly. Often water can help cure stomach acid problems, and water along with fiber can cure constipation (often a result of dehydration).

7. Cleansing. Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body.

8. Cancer risk. Related to the digestive system item above, drinking a healthy amount of water has also been found to reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%. Drinking lots of water can also reduce the risk of bladder cancer by 50% and potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer.

9. Better exercise. Being dehydrated can severely hamper your athletic activities, slowing you down and making it harder to lift weights. Exercise requires additional water, so be sure to hydrate before, during and after exercise.

Are you convinced?

The difficulty with drinking all that water is that it's hard to keep track. I can easily go through a whole day and not have any water at all. What helps me is to buy bottled water in the biggest bottle I can find. I came across some at my local grocery store that are 2 liters which is equivalent to about 68 ounces. I refill the bottle daily and try to make sure it's empty by the end of the day. That way I can keep track of how much water I am drinking and make sure that I am getting enough.

There is one major snag I have encountered with this great water drinking plan....I am peeing like a pregnant woman! I have to use the bathroom all the time. Yesterday my husband and I ran errands for a large part of the day and I think I used the bathroom in almost every store we visited! Coming from someone who is not a particular fan of using public restrooms and who went an entire 10 hour international flight without going once because I refuse to pee on a plane....it is ridiculous to have to pee that much!

I know that drinking that much water is good for my body, but it's definitely challenging and annoying to manage all the restroom pit stops in between periods at school and while out in the world taking care of errands.

Do you drink enough water? Any tips to make sure you stay hydrated?

Know Thy Students

I have blogged before about the very quiet girl in one of the classes I work with who is Chinese. I will call her Lucy. At first, both her teacher and I thought Lucy was really struggling because she is still acquiring English and she doesn't talk much at all. As I started to work with her, I realized that she is quite bright, she is just quiet, which makes it hard to gauge whether or not she is completely understanding or would like more help.

I made the comment that some teachers that I have worked with in the past would automatically assume that Lucy is a "slow learner" because of her quiet demeanor. Meanwhile, she speaks and reads fluently in Chinese and is also learning English and German at the same time which is quite a feat.

Today, the teacher I work with asked me to pull a few kids to work with them on adding three 2-3 digit numbers with borrowing. She told me which children needed help and included Lucy in this group. Before the kids came to me, the teacher reviewed their math homework and gave them a quiz containing 4 multi-digit addition problems with regrouping.

Lucy was the first to finish the quiz, it took her less than a minute, and she got a 100%

Why is it, then, that her teacher identified her as someone who would need my assistance? I think it is really important to recognize that just because a child is acquiring English does not mean that they will struggle in all subject areas. Math especially, is an area where they may shine because numbers are more universal. Sure, when it comes to reading and writing in English, she may need extra help, but obviously, Lucy does not need additional support for addition because she proved herself to be a rock star!!!! For the sake of her self esteem and confidence as a learner, I think it is very important to differentiate between the times when she truly does need support and times when she can succeed on her own. I was a little disappointed that her teacher continuously puts her in my group (because she needs extra help), when clearly, there are times when she doesn't.

She.is.not.slow!

She.gets.it!

Now that I am in a world where most people speak a language that I do not understand at all, I can totally relate to other people assuming that I am dumb because I do not have certain skills and understanding in their language. This does not, however, mean that I lack those skills and understanding entirely. I am just not able to communicate what I know because there is a language barrier. I always want to keep this in mind when it comes to my teaching and ELL students.

It is easy to make assumptions about students who are new to a language and to consider them in need of extra help. Yes, we do need to teach them with certain strategies to help foster their language acquisition as well as growth in their content area knowledge, but why are they always considered as students who are lacking something when, in fact, they are so far ahead of the game in the sense that they speak not one, but two languages. As far as I am concerned they are at an advantage and will be so much better off in the future because they will have the ability to communicate and share understanding with more people than monolingual individuals.

On behalf of all the Lucy's out there, I would like to say You go girl!

Downsizing

Since we moved to Germany, I feel like a lot of aspects of life have gotten smaller and simpler. I will start with our living space. We left a beautiful, recently partially renovated (basement & kitchen), house in OR that was about 2,300 square feet and have signed a lease on a 91 square meter apartment here, which is roughly 1,000 square feet. Because our space is limited, we had to be very selective in deciding what to bring with us and I have this vision that everything will be super organized since we were able to leave some of our things (**ahem, crap**) behind in storage.

We went from a brand new large stainless refrigerator with a huge freezer drawer, to a dorm sized fridge. Granted, our "real" kitchen will not be installed until October, so right now we are still living in the hotel where things are obviously on a smaller scale, but seriously people, the appliances in Germany are tiny. Many people do have dorm sized fridges in their homes. They shop more frequently so they do not need to stuff every crevice of the fridge with food for the entire week or more. The strange thing is, although I was so devastated to leave my newly renovated kitchen, I am not finding the small fridge situation to be that bad. I am not wasting as much food because I shop more carefully, planning only for a few days at a time. The ovens are pretty tiny as well, but we have not had one in our hotel, so I have not yet experienced the pleasures of the elf sized oven...

In OR I was driving a Saturn VUE which is a mid size SUV. I loved that car and was so sad to have to sell it, but that is beside the point. Since moving to Germany, I rely on two things to get me from point A to point B. Those two things would be foot #1 and foot #2. I do not have a car here. We are staying (and will live) close enough to my school that I can walk easily everyday. We also live in close proximity to the gym and the grocery store, so I actually went an entire month here without driving once. This past weekend I broke that streak because my husband enjoyed Oktoberfest and I needed to be the D.D. I absolutely LOVE walking everywhere. Not only is it good exercise, but it allows me to be more observant of the people and things I see that I would otherwise neglect if I were driving in a car. It is a great to start my day with a little time outside and I hope I feel the same way when the winter weather comes. Luckily our new apartment is only 3 minutes from my school, so even if it's really cold, the walk is not that long.

Another funny thing that has changed is the size of my purse. I had to include some photos to illustrate this. In the U.S. I happily toted this beauty...

It was a Christmas gift from my husband last year and I loved how its spatiousness allowed me to put my wallet, sunglasses, lip glosses, gum, and other various items inside. I also loved that it was so roomy, I could secretly carry snacks for just in case situations that merited some emergency noshing. In the U.S., when it comes to purses, it seems like the bigger, the better, right?

Now, onto my new "purse." Before we left for Germany, I went outlet shopping with my mom and I got this.

I intended to use it for holding all of my coins because in Germany, there are no single bills, there are 1 Euro and 2 Euro coins instead. Needless to say, I knew I was going to have to cart around a lot of coins, so I wanted a separate little change purse for that purpose. This little baby was $29.99 at the Coach outlet and I loved that it (somewhat) matched with my big Mama coach bag. Well, this has become my purse. It has room for my coins, my cards, and my keys and there is no reason to carry anything larger...especially at Oktoberfest because there are so many people having a huge bag just means you get bumped by every passing person and that makes me really crabby. Again, it's more simple, but it works.

I am finding that a lot of things that I thought I "had to have" or that seemed to be great because of their "larger than life-ness" are really not the best and the greatest. Or at the very least, I am finding that I can adapt to a new situation and find things that work. I never thought I could live without a dryer, and we are not planning to, but I have jumped on the bandwagon of hanging some clothes to dry. Some Germans do not own dryers at all and hang everything to dry. EVERYTHING. I have started with some of my nicer work tops and undergarments, but I am really starting to like it. I feel like I am taking better care of my clothes and that is a good thing.

I would have to say for certain things, I would probably tend to stay bigger is still better, but I am happy with my downsized life so far and am relishing in the simplicity of how we are now taking care of business in our daily lives. :0)

Mixing it Up

One of the first grade teachers was absent today, so the principal came and asked me if I could help out in that classroom during their math period. Come to find out, my school does not get substitute teachers??!! I guess if the classroom has an assistant, then the assistant takes over for the day. Works out well if the assistant is also a trained teacher like today, however I imagine that would be tough in some circumstances. It seems like the other teachers just rally to help the classroom with the absent teacher. They did not call me in to be in charge, but just to help out the assistant who is a trained high school teacher. She was teaching math to 23 kids and being that they are all at different levels and always wave their hands in the air for help, they thought it would be good to give her an extra set of hands!

It was really fun to be back with that age group and I had a really good time working with a few of the kiddos. They were working on finding the missing addends by counting on their fingers, yet that became quite tricky when the sum increased to 20 and they no longer had enough fingers! We used the number lines on their desk and I told them to pretend their finger was a little frog and we counted how many times the frog had to jump to get from the addend that we knew to the sum of 20.

At one point when she was first introducing the lesson, the TA allowed 6 kids to leave for the bathroom at once. I thought to myself, is she kidding....those kids are going to be gone at least 10 minutes! I sat there somewhat smugly thinking that I just knew first graders better than her and allowing that many kids at once was a recipe for disaster. Color me surprised when a few minutes (a completely reasonable amount of time later) the kids trickled back in one at a time and sat back down. That never would have happened with my group last year. One at a time was it or else there were parties in the bathroom including soap fights, shared stalls, and wall climbing (seriously kids got caught doing all of those things last year). I was so proud of those little kiddos for doing the right thing and not abusing the privilege.

After a 45 minute period with the first graders, I went back to third grade and taught two small groups about regrouping. The teachers had used a really great color coded strategy to demonstrate for the kids and I was in charge of helping 8 who did not do their homework correctly. It can be a bit of a challenge to teach something on the spot without any mental or material preparation, but I think it went really well. The kids seemed to get it and completed their problems correctly.

I had to stay a little longer today because I was out yesterday spending the entire day at my new apartment with the Ikea delivery men. They arrived around 9 am and my husband and I did not get back to our hotel until almost 9 pm because it took them that long to assemble our two new wardrobes and my new desk. It was a long day, but thankfully our internet got installed in the morning so we could check email and I could read some blogs during the long wait.

On the job front, I emailed the director of the school about the position because the application deadline was yesterday. His response was that they will do interviews next week once they get some logistics figured out. I have no idea if there are other candidates, but I am so anxious to at least have an interview so I can tell them how excited I would be to get the job and what a great match it is for my background (ya gotta toot your own horn in situations like that)!

Bloggy Award!

Thanks to Chrissy at Bitter Sweet Moments for bestowing upon me the "Your Blog is Fabulous" award! The rules of receiving this award are to list 5 of your obsessions and pass the award to 5 other bloggers. I am so honored every time someone thinks my blog is worthy of an award! The tough part is choosing people to pass the award to because I read and love SO many blogs.

So, I will start with my 5 obsessions and then get to the other blogs.

1. I would have to say I am pretty obsessed with blogging. The first thing I do when I get up in the morning is check to see if I have gotten any comments. Since Germany is so far ahead of the US, I usually get comments while I am sleeping, so it's fun to wake up and receive some love <3.>

2. Sweets. I absolutely love anything sweet, chocolately, peanutbuttery, or sugary. I really enjoy baking and think that in another life I would love to own a cookie/cupcake/cake shop and spend my days decorating delicious treats!!

3.Being a student. I am a perpetual student and continuously choose to enrolled in classes to improve my skills as a teacher and absorb more knowledge. I truly love learning and have taken it to the next level by starting my doctoral work. Yes, I know BIG dork :0)

4. BOOKS. I love browsing books, buying books, owning books, sorting books, and most of all reading books. I have quite the collection of "teacher" books going and despite my husband's protests that I really did not need to bring all of my books with us to Germany, I am anxiously awaiting their arrival and cannot wait to organize them in my new desk that has a nice set of bookshelves on top!

5. Organizing. I love love love the container store and other such places that sell organizational bins and products. My stuff is not always super neat, but I love to really get into it every once in awhile and go nuts on making everything super tidy! Give me some plastic bins and a label maker and I am a happy camper!

Now onto some Fabulous Blogs. Instead of 5, I am choosing one really good, really funny blog to pass this award to (I can break the rules a little can't I?)

Mimi at It's Not all Flowers and Sausages

This blog is written by a hysterical teacher who actually just got her first book published which was a result of the popularity of her blog. She cracks me up with her witty writing style and funny commentaries on teaching. Check out her book here. Mimi your blog rocks!

MckLinky Blog Hop

The theme of this week's MckLinky Blog Hop is

"Why Read My Blog?"

For those of you who are regular readers, thanks for taking time out of your day to read what I have to say. I feel like I have made some friends in the blogging world and have discovered some great blogs that I always look forward to reading. I **LOVE** to read your comments and really appreciate hearing what you have to say both on your own blogs and in response to my posts. Keep visiting and leaving me "love notes."

For those of you stopping by on the blog hop, I'd like to introduce you to Sneaker Teacher! I came up with the name for this blog because I am a teacher and my husband works for adidas, so I am always wearing crazy colored, stylin' footwear to school. I also really enjoy fitness, so Sneaker Teacher embodies my love for teaching and fitness. I am 27 years old and just moved with my husband to Germany. We have been married for just over two years and have been together since our junior year at Villanova University. We do not have any kids yet, but I do have lots of kids in my life, my favorite one being my beautiful niece who makes some photo appearances every once in awhile. I grew up in CT, then moved to PA for college, OR after that and now here we are in Europe doing the ex-pat thing.

Posts on my blog are typically about:

• Teaching- I am currently teaching at an international school in Germany. I like to share about the kids that I work with, funny stories, special moments, and creative ideas
• Our new life in Germany which has been pretty interesting so far!
• The road to getting my doctorate (I am continuing a program I started in Portland from Germany, which makes all aspects of taking classes a bit more interesting)
• Books! Whether it is texts for my courses, novels, or professional development books, I like to share what I am reading especially if I think it would be helpful to other teachers
• Fitness is a smaller part of my blog, but I like to share workout ideas and some tidbits about eating
• Craftiness-occasionally I will showcase a baking experiment or some other creation
• Whatever else is on my mind!

I find that I enjoy reading blogs written by fellow teachers because I can relate to what they write about and I love to know what teaching is like in different schools and states. If you are a teacher, or a home schooling mom, or a fellow blogger I hope you will give my blog a try and become a regular follower! I love to hear comments and I feel like I blogging is a great way to meet people from all over.

Leave me a comment to let me know that you stopped by and I will check out your blog as well!

Thanks for hopping by!!

Special thanks to Grace Jacobsen for sponsoring this blog hop.

A little more on Ophelia

Yesterday I posted about the book I was reading called Reviving Ophelia. I finished it today while I was waiting for the phone guy to come at our new place. Lately, I sit there in the empty room that will be my office and read for hours waiting for all these apts. They give such large windows of time and since I don't live there yet, I have to make a special effort to be there and I definitely need some quality reading material to keep me busy during all that waiting.

Anyway....towards the end of the book, the author listed this set of questions that she has her patients respond to as a way of getting to know their "authentic selves." She recommends they write the answers in a journal, or at the very least think about how they would respond, but I am going one step further....posting them on my blog!

It kind of reminds me of some "notes" I have done on facebook which have a list of questions that you respond to and then you pass it to several friends to see what they will say. If you are reading this, TAG! You're it. Try it out. If you are not comfortable to post it then just do it for yourself. If you are going to be a brave soul and post your thoughts, leave me a comment so I can check it out on your blog!

1.How do I feel right now?

Content with life in general. Anxious about some other stuff.

2. What do I think?

I am thinking about how I can be a little more outgoing in social situations and enjoy them more. I feel like my shyness/difficulty making small talk is taking its toll.

3.What do I value?

family, education, trust, sincerity, loyalty, friendship, tradition & hard work

4. How would I describe myself to myself.

smart, organized, shy, hardworking, and dedicated, but I often come across as bitchy because I don't say a lot in certain situations. I feel like I am an old soul and enjoy things that may not be the "coolest" or most popular among people my own age. Sometimes I would rather stay home and watch a movie or read a book than go out and have drinks in a large group, but I am okay with that.

5. How do I see myself in the future?

I see myself having two children, married to John, and teaching. In the future, I would like to teach at the college level in a teacher prep program.

6. What kind of work do I like?

I like to work with kids and I also like organizational work or doing things that allow me to be creative.

7. What kind of leisure do I like?

I love to read, workout, blog, write, shop, cook, bake, & be outdoors

8. When do I feel most myself?

I feel most like myself when I am with very close friends or my mom (who is a very close friend too). I do not think that I make friends easily, but to me, the quality is more important than the quantity. I am a Cancer so I also like to be at home.

9. What kinds of people do I respect?

I woud have to say that I have a great respect for hardworking people, people who have strong family values, and people who are open to differences.

10.What goals do I have for myself as a person?

To be more independent, to obtain my doctorate so I can make a different in education, to put myself in other peoples' shoes more so than I currently do, to follow the golden rule, and to be a good mother.

11.What are my strengths/weaknesses?

Strengths: very determined, intelligent, organized, thoughtful

Weaknesses: adapting to new situations, figuring things out on my own, tendency to overreact, conflicts

12. What would I be proud of on my deathbed?

Having a successful marriage and knowing that my husband always knew he was loved

Creating a family and seeing my children become successful (according to their own definitions)

Having written a children's book

Knowing that I affected the lives of children through being a teacher

Knowing that I experienced life and didn't shy away from opportunities in order to keep within my comfort zone

Now it's your turn! At least think about how you would answer. You might learn something about yourself!

Scary Stats

I am reading a book called Reviving Ophelia, which is written by a therapist and is about many of the struggles girls encounter their teenage years. I highly recommend this book to parents who are raising daughters and teachers who work with adolescent or pre-teen girls. I was always a good kid growing up, always got straight A's, never had a time when I didn't get along with my parents, and never really had a tough time during my teenage years, yet when reading this book, I am becoming aware of many aspects of my experience that I never really tuned into before.

One concept that is very interesting is the author's explanation of the "authentic self" versus the "false self." She discusses how girls typically abandon their authentic selves in an effort to fit in and be accepted. She describes many factions of the "self" which include physical selves, emotional selves, thinking selves, academic selves, social selves (with regards to family & peers), and spiritual selves. All of these parts of a girl's selfhood are at risk of being changed because of messages they get from society and peers.

Another section that really caught my attention was about a study conducted in Rhode Island in the 90's. Teens were asked to respond to questions about circumstances under which a man

"has the right to have sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent."

80% said that a man has the right to use force if the couple is married

70% if the couple plan to marry

61% said that force is justified if the couple had prior sexual relations

>50% said that force is justified if the woman led the man on

31% said it was justified if he knew the woman had sex with other men or if he was so sexually stimulated he couldn't control himself, or if the woman was drunk

<50% thought that if a woman dresses seductively and walks alone at night, she is asking to be raped

"Clearly at least 80% of these teenagers didn't know that a man never has the right to force sex!"

Definitely left me with some things to think about!

Mail Call

I am so impressed with Amazon's international shipping! The receipt from my online order said that my books would arrive around October 5th, which is the week after class starts, but when we went over to our new apartment today to put some light bulbs in the new light fixtures, my package was waiting right outside the door! In Germany, the delivery person will leave your package with a neighbor if they ring you and you are not home. I guess the neighbor accepted my package and just left it outside our apartment door. What a nice surprise. I ordered on Sept. 6th, so it really didn't take that long. I was kind of preparing to ask my teacher for an extension on the assignment for the first week because it requires reading from the text, but now I don't have to.

This week is crazy because of some deliveries we are getting at our new place. I am working tomorrow afternoon instead of in the morning because I have to be at our apt. from 8-12 for the phone/internet person. Then I am taking the whole day off on Tuesday because the stuff we ordered from IKEA is being delivered and assembled, which could take awhile considering it's two huge wardrobes and a desk. Luckily, I only work 3 hours a day and the teachers I work with are very flexible so I was able to switch around my schedule for the week and add some hours on other days.

I am really hoping to hear back this week about the SPED position! The application deadline is Tuesday, so I am expecting to either get an interview or hear about the next steps very soon!

Guten Tag!

This is a traditional German dress called a dirndl. They are surprisingly colorful and somewhat (gasp!) sexy! Apparently they are meant to be very flattering on a woman's figure regardless of her size. Isn't that every woman's dream? I was trying this on at a department store, but I didn't get it. My friend and I just did a little photo montage to have some fun. There were so many options and they are not cheap. This one cost about 79 Euros, but the one I really liked was a little nicer quality and cost 130 Euros. Many people wear dirnels to Oktoberfest or other beer festivals. I am not sure yet if I actually want to buy one, but I have to admit it was really fun to try them on yesterday!

Take it to Your Seat

I am currently in the process of making the Math version for grades 3-4 of these "Take it to Your Seat" games for the third grade teachers I work with. Although pretty time consuming to make initially (great activity for a parent volunteer or classroom helper!), I love having these types of activities on hand for students to use at their seats for some independent work that is a little more fun and interactive than plain old paper and pencil worksheets.

I have both the Phonics K-1 and the Grade 1 Math versions and used them both in my classroom last year. Sometimes I would do a game day where students would all be working on different games and other time students could select the games when they finished work early or had extra time.

The games are designed in color and are on perforated sheets which make them easy to tear out of the book. The directions are simple and the games are really cute and fun. It is different depending on which set you get, but the ones I have required gift bags and manilla envelopes as the containers for the game pages and pieces. The math ones I am working on now require pocket folders. A cute colorful image with the name of the game is laminated and glued to the front of the bag/folder/envelope and the directions are laminate and glued to the back. Inside the bag/folder/envelope the students will find all the materials required to play the games and several copies of the student worksheet. I like the fact that these games require students to document the work they did rather than just play a game and not be accountable for the content. When my students would play, I would have them turn in their worksheet so I could make sure they were solid on the concept. I have other games that don't have that built in accountability and I always felt like my students could be quite unproductive while working on them. These games also store quite easily because of the materials used. I have other games that use file folders and the pieces always fall out. I found that the items stayed inside the manilla folder and gift bags and things did not get lost as frequently. Once laminated, the pieces tend to stay in good condition as well for many years of use.

Another cool aspect about these games is that they are available for many different subject areas and grade levels. If I had struggling students, I could purchase the games meant for a lower grade, or if I had some high flyers, I could purchase math or science games geared towards more advanced level students. They can be a great way to add some modifications to a curriculum to build in extra practice or challenges for students who need either one!

Back to School--German style

Yesterday was the first day of school for German children. I am working at an international school, so our schedule is different than the typical German school schedule and more like the schedule I experienced in the U.S. School began Aug. 24th and the last day is June 25th.

I could tell something was going on because on the typically empty streets that I walk on my way to work, I saw several families and children carrying enormous cones. I was a bit confused, but found out that they are a special German tradition for children on the first day of school.

I found out that these cones are called Schultütes which means school cones. They are traditionally given by parents or grandparents to students in Germany on their first day of school. These cones are filled with all sorts of treats, yummy sweets and school supplies.

Click *here* or *here* for some easy to follow directions for making your own!

I saw some pretty interesting designs on my way to work yesterday. These are typically hand made for children and are decorated according to what they like. I saw one with dolphins on it, cutout letters spelling the child's name, and various other decorations. I can only imagine how exciting it is to open a Schultüte on the first day of school knowing it was made especially for you! Children then proudly carry their Schultütes with them to school (and surely show them off to their friends).

Even though I don't have kids yet, this might be a fun tradition to start to honor our time in Germany. It could also be a fun first day of school activity. I can imagine having the kids make and decorate their own and then placing some fun treats or school supplies inside when they are at lunch so they could return to find some surprises!

Job Update

I heard from one of the 3rd grade teachers who I currently assist that the principal spoke to her about the options for a new TA....

Which would indicate to me that I possibly will be hired for the SPED position!

She also said that right now I am the only qualified applicant, so things are looking good. The application deadline is next Tuesday, but I have a feeling it is going to work in my favor.

The principal of the elementary school also spoke with me about it today in the hallway and sort of seemed apologetic that they did not even interview me for the first grade maternity leave opening, but like I said before, I just kind of feel like the way that it's working out is the way it's meant to be.

I am already brainstorming ideas of how to help these students that are needing extra support, even though I don't know the kids/ages/subjects yet. I think I am just trying to feel prepared to work with high schoolers! Yikes :0)

I am anxious to get our shipment which includes all of my teaching resource books and some teaching materials so that I can be ready.

Ok, I am acting like I already got the job and I haven't yet, so that is enough!

I went shopping today for my Back to School supplies to be ready for my fall term grad courses. The stuff I got is so funny to me. The planner is in German and has an Ice Age theme (like the kids' movie), but pretty easy to figure out. I need something to get myself organized not only for my assignments but for many appointments for our new apartment like the washer/dryer delivery, the installation of the lights, the IKEA delivery, and the internet installation.

Still keeping the fingers crossed and hoping for some definite news soon!

Sometimes Apologies are not Enough

Anyone else appalled/disgusted/shocked by Kanye's stunt at the VMA's on Sunday night? If you haven't heard about it, when Taylor Swift was called on stage to accept the award for Best Female video (or something like that), Kanye stormed the stage, grabbed the mic, and proceeded to proclaim that Beyonce should have won because her video is one of the best of all time. Poor Taylor stood there quietly shocked and lost her chance to say her speech because time ran out.

I just have to say that I am SO sick of celebrities who behave poorly with no regard for the consequences and then issue an apology written by their publicist and think that all is good. Did Kayne apolpogize? Yes, he did. Does that change the fact that he ruined Taylor's big moment and she can never ever get it back? No, it does not. What he did was rude, uncalled for, unacceptable. Why he was not stopped, excorted off stage, and removed from the event, I have no idea!

I read that perhaps this was staged in order to give a little bit of wow factor to the VMA's this year. What do you think? I would not put it past MTV, however I don't really see the point in staging something like that. Britney Spears tearing off her tuxedo suit to reveal a nude sparkly outfit....sure, but playing an egptistical man against a young, innocent country singer seems like a lame way to add some sizzle to the event. Sure, Taylor ended up getting a lot of attention for it, but most people were thinking "poor Taylor" rather than "yea her video was great."

Based on what I read, Taylor was spotted sobbing back stage, which she probably would not have done had she known Kayne was going to do that. If they planned it without letting her know, that still would have been really cruel. I think what happened is that Kanye is an a@s with a self centered approach to life that makes him feel like he can do whatever he wants because of his fame and money. It makes me sad that often celebrity status brings with it such a propensity for self indulgence and self centeredness. I do not think that his apology is enough. Yes, it is important to say you are sorry and acknowledge poor behavior, but when behavior is as rude and deplorable as Kanye's, the apology does nothing to make up for what actually took place.

There are many ways that people can respectfully express themselves and their opinions such as blogs, interviews, talk shows etc. The way he chose to share his opinion was just wrong.

Friend Making Monday

I have not participated in a Friend Makin' Monday in awhile, but this week's topic of Fall Shows at Amber's blog caught my attention! Because of my husband's wonderful talents and tech savvyness, we are able to watch all of our favorite U.S. shows here in Germany with the help of a Tivo stationed at his parents house in California and a Slingbox which allows us to stream the shows from the Tivo to our computers. He also has a Sling Catcher which will allow us to stream the shows to our television once we purchase one. We end up watching the shows the day after they air in California, but I am okay with that because I have a lot of free time in the afternoon once I am done working.

Anyway...onto my favorite shows....

There are lots, so I am just going to list them:

1. The Biggest Loser!!!

2. Grey's Anatomy

3. Desperate Housewives

4. Top Chef

5. Project Runway

6. Nip/Tuck (guilty pleasure)

7. America's Next Top Model

8. Gossip Girl

9.90210

10. Melrose Place

Mostly I am super pumped for the new season of The Biggest Loser. It is my favorite show and I get so attached to the contestants. Towards the end, I cry during every episode, especially the makeover show.

If you are visiting my blog for the first time, leave a note to say hello!

On the Job Front

The director of the school pulled me out of class this morning to inform me that they did not select me for the first grade maternity leave position. He said they interviewed someone on Friday and offered that person the job. I had my suspicions that the person who had previously done a maternity leave assignment would be the front runner for this position based on her history with the school and I think I was right. I do think it is a bit unfair to only interview one candidate, but it is what it is. Sometimes formalities need to take place when there is really a plan already in place.

He did share with me that they have a Special Needs position available, which I already knew but had not applied for yet because I was waiting to see what would happen with the first grade position before doing so. After talking with him, I did get a sense that perhaps there was a little strategizing on their part to get me to apply for the Special Needs position because, let's face it, special education is not as desirable for most teachers as a position in general education is and they are actually pretty lucky to have someone at their fingertips who is qualified and skilled for that type of work. Had they selected me for the first grade post, they may not have had any applicants for the SPED post which they want to fill soon for a mid October start date.

Although I am sure I would have really liked teaching first grade again, I am excited about the prospect of the Special Needs position and I really hope they select me for it. I would never have the chance to work with older students in the U.S. because my certification is only for elementary and the rules are strict and enforced now so teachers are highly qualified for any specialty area they are teaching. For some reason I feel like I am in the middle of things working out the way they are supposed to and falling into place according to some bigger plan. I submitted my cover letter and resume before leaving work today and I am hoping to hear from the director soon either asking for an interview or to hire me (just dreaming!).

Fingers crossed!

The Glory of Books

I think I have mentioned in the past that I have an obsession with books, especially crisp, new books with smooth, uncreased spines. When it's time for me to hit up the bookstore to get textbooks for a new term, I am always excited to get my hands on some great, intellectually stimulating reading materials. Living in Germany makes it a little more difficult to saunter into the bookstore at Portland State and select my books, so I have been placing numerous orders from amazon.com, borders.com, and half.com in order to get all the books I need. I began by having the books shipped directly to me in Germany, but discovered that they are going to take a long time to get here, even with expedited international shipping.

My next idea actually came from my husband whose colleague will be traveling to Portland in a few weeks and returning right before my classes start. I was able to order some more of the books I need and have them shipped to the office in Portland where he used to work. His friend is going to receive them and pass them to his colleague so that he can bring them back on the plane. This way, I was able to take advantage of some shipping deals. I am trying out Amazon Prime for three months (for free). If I cancel before the three months is up, I will avoid paying the $79.00 fee. In the meantime, I can take advantage of free upgraded two day shipping. I have a feeling I may be ordering lots of books in the not so distant future, so I might as well take advantage of this offer.

My teacher still has not posted the texts for one class, but so far I have quite a few textbooks coming. I have not yet finalized my course selections for Fall term, but these are the options:

• Global Literature (completely online course). I will need access to lots of children's books in addition to the class "text," but I got an advanced copy of the reading list from the teacher and fortunately, the library at my school has many of the options, so I don't have to buy them all. Woo hoo! I am also thinking of posting the weekly book lists like I did below with my textbooks so you all can see some of these great "global" options.
• Multicultural & Urban Education
• Issues in Education
• Leadership Seminar (which is a requirement for the doctoral program and I may be Skyping into parts of this on the weekends)
• Multiple Ways of Knowing Your Learners (also an online course). This course is part of a 5 course certification series for differentiated instruction. I am still debating if I should take this course now or wait until next year to begin this series. Only one class is offered per term, so I have to take them across a whole school year.

Here are some of the textbooks that my teachers selected. I sure hope they are good because I certainly spent a lot of money on them!

If I take all of these courese, that is 16 credits, which I mentioned in a past post might be borderline crazy considering I am applying for different positions at my school which would increase my hours. I am optimistic and hopeful that I can pull it off, but I may end up dropping that one differentiated instruction course and saving it for next year. Even though I already ordered the books, I am sure the textbooks will be the same next year so I can just hold onto them for later use.

I am really excited to get started on the classes because I can't believe after all my organizing, list making, emailing, planning, and hoping that I am actually really beginning my doctoral work. I have no idea how long the whole process will take, but I know that if I start it, I will finish it and it is really exciting to think about the possibilities that the future holds!

Decisions

I found out today that my school has posted an opening for a .75 Special Needs teacher. I was really excited to see this because one of the women who works in special services had talked to me about the possibility, but then nothing came of it. They want to hire someone to start the position in mid October. I talked with that same woman today to get a little more information about the position and I am excited and torn at the same time.

Special education at this school is quite different than the systems I was trained on in the U.S. They don't use IEP's and there is not an emphasis on paperwork, rather they just try to make it work for the kids who are struggling. There are no students with severe disabilities, mostly students with learning disabilities or speech and language disabilities. Their program currently has two teachers that either push in or pull students out of the classroom to help them with their work and they need another person to help manage the schedule and caseload they are working with.

The first aspect that made me cringe just a little is that the position they are hiring for will work with all grade levels including middle school and high school. I am not opposed to working with these different age groups, but I don't have much experience with those students either. The real clincher was when she showed me the schedule they are working with and several of the classes they push in for are H.S. Physics. Yikes, not a class I would ever like to revisit! She said I had no need to worry about my own skill level in the various subjects because they both learn along with the kids and often take the textbooks home to "study" the material. I think this position would be a cool, new challenge, but I am not really sure I want to have to study to keep up with the kids I am supposed to be helping.

I already applied for the first grade maternity leave, but there is a chance I won't get that because there were several applicants. This is definitely an example fit for the phrase, "Beggars can't be choosers" because this is a teaching position, not an assistant position, and it would mean more hours and more pay. Not sure the details on those two aspects, but definitely more of both. I guess I know in my heart it would be silly not to apply. If I got this position, I would learn a lot and it would be a great challenge. I guess I am almost torn about which position I would want more. I don't really know the answer to that. I love first grade, and that position means working full time which I would really like. The SPED position, is more of a specialist position, which means working 1:1 and with small groups which definitely has its advantages, but it is not full time which means less money. Have I mentioned that about 45% of your salary goes to taxes? I am currently in a "mini job" so I make so little that I avoid taxes, but the high tax rate is definitely something to consider, especially when accepting a position that is not full time, yet still taxed. I might not even get to take home a lot more money than I am currently!

I have always hesitated at the thought of becoming a Learning Specialist in the U.S. because of all the paperwork and legal issues, however this is a golden opportunity to put my master's degree to work in a completely different special education environment. I think my strategy is going to be to apply for the second opening and then rely on fate to determine which one I get. I sure hope they would want me for at least one of the two. If, by some great fortune, they think I would be great at both, they can fight it out and make the tough choice for me! And if, for some reason, I don't get either, I will continue being the 3rd Grade Teaching Assistant which I love doing. I guess it's a win-win, I just like things to be easy and settled rather than up in the air!