Empty

Thank you for the sweet comments on yesterday's post. I appreciate the kind words about what I post and I know that the lack of comments doesn't mean that nobody is reading or that my posts aren't interesting. I also frequently read many blogs that I don't comment on, so I need to be better about that too. Sometimes even a simple comment makes me smile, so I need to do the same for all my bloggy friends out there.

Today I am back at my now almost completely empty apartment while a new team of movers takes apart our two very large wardrobes and moves out Mr. Sneaker's friend's stuff. Mr. Sneaker had a roommate for awhile when I was in the US, and that friend has since moved to Amsterdam. He postponed the move of his stuff so that he could buy some of our stuff and include it in the move with his stuff. Does that make sense? So, his movers are here today which means I need to be here while they do their work.

All I have to say is thank goodness for internet because it would be really boring here without the ability to go online, read blogs, check facebook, send and receive emails, and watch TV. Hubs is a major fan of TV, so we have been able to access all of our favorite American shows the entire time we've lived in Germany thanks to a Tivo at his parents house, a sling box, and a sling catcher. He set it up so that I can use my computer to access the Tivo, so I watched Project Runway this morning while sitting outside on the patio. Then it got really cold and started raining so I am sitting on the floor in the empty living room. I am getting so hungry, so when I am done posting I am going to head over to the closet store to buy a frozen pizza. I don't have any plates, utensils, or napkins...but I do have an oven, so I am going to make it work (as Tim Gunn says).

Other than my laptop, I also brought along my iPhone and my iPad for this day of solace. As I mentioned in a previous post, I really like reading books on the Kindle app on my phone. Yes, it's super tiny, but I have always loved very little books. When I was a child, I had several sets of very small books that I just adored. Some were fairy tales and then there was a Babar the elephant series about the different elements (earth, water, air, fire). I also collected miniature plastic Cabbage Patch dolls and little woodsy animals that had little families of animals like foxes, owls, etc. I can't think of the name right now, but I will ask my mom--she will know. I LOVED those little creatures and I think they are still up in mom's attic. I will have to dig those out when I go home for the holidays. Ok, I had to google it....they were called Sylvanian families...So cute. I had bears, rabbits, and maybe some others too.

 

Do you remember these toys?

Wow, that was a tangent.

Besides playing Words with Friends, reading The Life and Death of the American School System (which is very good and I am almost done with it), and watching some TV, if I am really honest with myself, I know that today is a great day for some paper writing. I have been slacking. One a day has been hard with so many trips and with moving, so it's time to get back into that groove. How many pages can I write in the next 6 hours??? If I really tried, I bet I could do 5. I'll get back to you on how that works out. I have been reading great stuff and I finally have  a decent outline, so I know there are good ideas floating around in my head--I just need to get them down on paper. It's really hard for me to just write without attention to minute details though, so I need to get over that and just get my ideas out. I can revise later. Does anyone else have a hard time separating composing from editing?? I always edit as I go and that majorly slows me down.

But, first it's time for some pizza. So I will leave you with a few questions....

What is your favorite kind of pizza? I like pizza with lots of veges on it, but I also like meat sometimes like sausage or ham. There are few things I won't eat on a pizza, but anchovies is one of them. None for me, thanks!

If you could bring three items with you to entertain you for the day in a boring place, what would they be? All I have to say is thank you to Steve Jobs for my three :0)

Did you collect anything when you were younger? I collected rocks (because my brother did), postcards (I did one of those chain letter projects in order to get postcards sent to me from people all over the world), little Cabbage Patch figures, and....I think that's it!

Wiped

I am wiped from a long day watching the movers pack up our life. Now I am left with nowhere to sit but the patio furniture. Thank goodness
The new tenants in our apartment bought
The chair I am sitting on or else
I would be on the floor.

So today's post is going to be a simple question...

What needs to be different on this blog in order for people to comment/say hello/give input??

I see many blogs that receive insane amounts of comments on every single post.

I feel like I hear crickets chirp...

I am just not on the giveaway
Bandwagon nor do I make really cute teachery things for people to snag, but that's just me. It doesn't mean I don't love you guys!

So your challenge for today... Talk to me! I want to know who you are so I can check out your blogs too!

Change of Plans

What was supposed to be moving day turned into everything is packed up and all of my clothes and personal belongings are moved to Mr. Sneaker's friend's house but the movers are no longer coming day.

::sigh::

We got up early to put the finishing touches on our sorting, organizing, and prepping and after a few hours of waiting for the movers, Mr. Sneaker called the company to ask of their whereabouts.

Apparently, they are coming tomorrow.

Apparently, while we were out of town, they sent an email to Mr. Sneaker at work, after which they received an immediate out of office reply email, yet they did not make any effort to try contacting us again to ensure that we got the message regarding the changed packing date.

We didn't get the message.

So, we woke up this morning and kicked it into gear...for nothing.

Mr. Sneaker has since gone off to work and I am sitting here amidst a lot of piles of our belongings in front of the TV that has decided today of all days to not work.

Fun times.

Because I now have a lot of time on my hands today I downloaded and am reading this:

good stuff
Have you read it?

Travel Reads

Hi bloggy friends! I know I promised photos from Barcelona, but I am so exhausted today and have tons to do in order to prepare for the movers, so those will have to wait. This morning I packed the clothes I want to take with me on the plane and now my next goal is to get to work on Mr. Sneaker's closet. Since he travels a lot for work, he has some kind of snazzy airline status that allows him a few more bags, which is nice. I think he said between the two of us, we can bring 5 bags and the weight allowance is higher (75 pounds compared to 50). Since I left pretty much my whole teaching wardrobe in Portland, I think one bag for me will do it. I just have my summer stuff. I shouldn't say just as if that is not a lot because I discovered once again that I have way too much stuff. I made another bag of stuff to give away because I just can't deal with everything I have in the closet.

So...this is going to be a quick post with a few of my recent travel reads. I mentioned that I was reading an interesting book about reading instruction while putting in time on the elliptical and Kelly was interested to know what it is. I will preface by saying that when I say these books are "interesting" I am reading them for my paper, so interesting probably gets co-mingled with informative and useful.I do find them very interesting, but they might not hold your attention like The Daily Five or The First Six Weeks of School.

 For starters....I bit the bullet and got this book for the plane rides. I found it for 12.99 on ibooks which was cheaper than Kindle for once. I read it in about 3 days (cheated a little and started it before we left) and I really liked it. I have to say though that despite many reviewers who said it was so sad and they cried throughout a lot of it, I didn't shed a single tear. Heart of stone.... It was different than the other books in the series, but I thought that it has a nice little ending and it was worth reading. I wasn't gonna be able to wait until it arrived at the library. Not to mention, there are typically 20-30 holds on any books I want to try and get through the digital lending library for my Kindle, so I thought it was better to read it now instead of 2014.

 I also spent quite a bit of time reading this little gem on my phone. Yes, my teeny tiny iPhone was where I read most of this book. For some reason I preferred to take Kohn's commentary on tiny pages because a lot of what he said kind of ruffled my feathers. I truly think it is a great read for teachers, despite the fact that I disagree with a lot of what he said, because although his words irked me, at the same time, I found the book to be inspiring and it motivated me to rethink some aspects of my classroom. And that, my friends, was a long sentence!

Bottom line: Alfie Kohn is against behavioristic practices that reward and punish children in order to motivate them. He cites many studies that indicate when people (of all ages) are rewarded for doing something it results in decreased internal motivation to perform that task. So, he thinks that we should ditch grades, incentives, prizes etc. and focus more on Content, Collaboration, and Choices.  I don't disagree that these elements are important in any classroom, but I had a very naughty little thought while I was reading this.  He spoke to the fact that incentives and rewards result in short term compliance rather than life long character development of important social skills and understandings. I guess I view this differently in terms of teaching and parenting, but in terms of what happens in my classroom each year....I am sorry to say, but it IS short term. My students are with me for 10 months. So, during that 10 months, I am ok with rewards for certain behaviors (hello positive behavior support), I am in favor of praise, I am okay with giving consequences for poor behavior, and I do think that telling a child they can choose to behave and stay on the carpet and behave or they can choose to go back to their seat until they are ready to join is legit. Kohn would disagree. I am not saying that I don't give a rip what students do when they go on to the next classroom in the next grade level--not at all. BUT, summer happens, during which time routines and rules are different outside of school and then children enter a new classroom where rules might be different, discipline style might be different etc. So, I think teachers using behavior incentives, rewards, token economy systems etc. are all viable methods of keeping control in the classroom. Yes, I also want to help my students develop strong social skills and good moral character, but when I have 2 hours and 20 minutes to teach everything on my agenda, making sure that the kids behave is a big priority. When good behavior is a given (for most kids) we can do a lot more with the content and lessons. Kids just can't have choice in everything, especially in a classroom with 20+ other children. Choices have their place, yet there are also times when children need to do things that they just aren't internally motivated to do, but that doesn't mean those things aren't good for them. 

 

Thoughts?

Finally, I dove back into this book while working at the hotel in Barcelona. The author gives a brief history of reading instruction, which might not fascinate everyone, but is really pertinent to my paper and interesting to me. He also talks about why we teach reading, what we teach when we teach reading, and how we go about teaching reading. He talks about the difference between instruction and education and speaks of these as polar opposites. In a nutshell, when we instruct, we put knowledge into our students, but when we education, we draw learning out from within.

I really liked this diagram the author included when he talked about different approaches to teaching reading. If you divide this chart on a diagonal from the top right to the bottom left, you can separate out a very skills centered approach to reading instruction from a more holistic approach (author's term). To me, I kind of think of it as Treasures on one side, The Daily Five on the other. And, as the author points out, a balanced approach is best. 

 

Here's to being more balanced this year!

Barcelona

Hola from Barcelona! We are staying at the Diagonal Zero Hotel and it's a really cool place. It scored major points for having an incredible breakfast spread. The hotel restaurant is very nice and the food included in the buffet breakfast is far superior to others we have had in our travels. There is an entire spread of fresh fruit that is already cut up (pineapple, cantaloupe, strawberries, and watermelon). Also a bowl of other whole fruits like apples and bananas. Usually the fruit options are not that great with not a lot to choose from or less than ripe choices, but it's great here. And, the fruit is just one section. There is also a spread of cheeses and meats, which is typical of a European breakfast, two sections of hot trays with eggs prepared different ways, bacon, sausages, some kind of cooked tomatoes, and Spanish tortillas. Another table has crepes with a divine chocolatey sauce. Yet another table has an assortment of breads and rolls with doughnuts and even some cakes. There is a fridge with yogurt and they even had Greek yogurt (my favorite!). YUM! And this is only breakfast people! We had some paella last night at a restaurant by the water last night that was seriously amazing. It took us about an hour to find the place and we were starving upon arrival, but it was so worth it.

We also enjoyed the hotel gym yesterday before we headed out to see a few sights and Mr. Sneaker is scheduled for a deep tissue massage later today at the hotel spa. Life is good. I am not really big on massages so I am going to hit the gym again while he gets in a little relaxation. I am reading a really interesting book about reading instruction so that makes the elliptical time go by pretty fast.

Today we are headed to a chocolate museum that tells the history of chocolate and has art pieces made of chocolate. Free samples? Yes please! Then we'll head to the Picasso Museum, which I am excited about. I am discovering that I am not huge on museums unless I have a decent amount of background knowledge on the subject matter, so Picasso should be fun and interesting. Yesterday we went to Parc Guell, which was designed by Gaudi and it was very cool. He does a lot of mosaic work in his structures and in a little shop nearby the park, I found some cool mosaic tiles with all of the letters of the alphabet. I got tiles with the letters of my last name for a sign to put outside my classroom. It will be a nice little reminder of our European adventures.

We are enjoying a variety of tapas (of course vacation food always ranks high on things to share) and I am excited to take in a few more cafes and sights today. I will post some pics when I get back so stay tuned!

Looking Back

I just realized that right around this time last summer, I was getting ready to leave my husband.

Well, not like that!

I was getting ready to return to Portland for the school year, while he stayed behind in Germany.

I am so glad that is over.

Thinking back, I can remembering practically bursting into tears every time I even thought about being apart from Mr. Sneaker for 10 months. Not to mention I was getting ready to start teaching at a new school in a new grade level--Kindergarten, which added to the fear/uncertainty/worry of being away from my man.

What I didn't know was that...

Living with Janine would create a special friendship that I am very thankful for.

Being apart from Mr. Sneaker would actually bring us closer together as a couple.

Teaching Kindergarten is actually quite awesome.

I would complete my first half marathon.

and

I would fall totally in love with a dog (given my tendency to not really like dogs all that much).

Don't get me wrong...it was a hell of a crazy year with lots of husband missing, paper writing, stressing, and working what felt like all the time, but following with the theme of this summer, time felt like it was on continual fast forward (and not just the one arrow fast forward, I'm talking the super speediest three arrow fast forward!).

When I think about what I did--what Mr. Sneaker and I did--I think we must have been crazy. Yet, I don't regret it. It was such a productive year that meant the difference between moving back to Portland in a few weeks and having a classroom and a job to return to and being out of work. Had I not returned and kept my place in the district, I guarantee I would not be able to find a job upon returning because they are very scarce. It meant the difference between being DONE with my core defense/year 2 of classes and just starting those classes this fall. Can I get a woot woot for being done with those classes?! If I hadn't gone back, I never would have gotten to know and work with Mrs. Bee (and that would be tragic!).

I am so happy that this year, although once again I am preparing to move back to Portland, Mr. Sneaker is coming along this time! It requires a lot more effort on the moving front, major furniture and life possession moving compared to just packing my own clothing to bring along, but I am so excited to re-establish a life in the US with my husband. Our house is still being rented and the tenants' lease goes until April, so we will probably not move back in until the school year is out (moving mid-year just doesn't sound fun). That means we are going to get an apartment in a fun area for the meantime and enjoy a new area.

Before we choose our new place, we will have temporary housing, and we just found out that one of the choices is the building Janine moved into a few weeks ago. I couldn't be happier that she and I (and Bailey!) will get to be neighbors for a few months. Her building has a fitness center and a really nice movie room with a movie theater seats and a huge screen that you can hang out in or reserve if you want to have friends over. It also has great views from the rooftop, so Mr. Sneaker and I are excited. He already has some travel back to Germany on his schedule in early September, so I see some major girl time in with Janine and our other friend Jill in the future. I can't wait to reunite with my girlies!

I feel like my life has involved moving every 9 months to a year since I started college. The task of selling furniture has come again. The pressure to eat all the non perishables that have accumulated in our pantry is back. I told Mr. Sneaker that tonight he will have a choice of boxed mac and cheese, canned chili, or frozen pizza. But, soon enough, our little European adventure will be over, so despite the stresses of once again having to move, it's probably better just to soak it in while I still can.

P.S. We leave for Barcelona tomorrow!