Adam is growing up so fast. He does so many things now where he seems like a big boy. Last night, he saw me put baked ziti in the oven and was hanging around the kitchen waiting for it to be done, the first time I'd seen him do that. He was even doing a little dance in front of the oven! Of course, I'm second to pizza. When the pizza guy comes, which is about once a week around here, he will watch from the window, help me open the door yell piece of pizza and then get in his chair and put a box in front of him. He loves breadsticks, so we get them for him and he'll grab that box and say My Butt! (yes, he calls breadsticks that, too. sigh).
I got some bad news last night about Todd's best friend Terry, whose recent stem cell transplant for his Lymphoma has not done well and things don't look good as he is on life support. I got off the phone with Todd and started crying a little and Adam crawled into my lap, gave me a huge hug, said I hug mommy. Then gave me a big kiss and said no cry mommy I love you. It was the sweetest thing. He was old enough to know I wasn't crying because of him, but he wanted to make me feel better. I told him I loved him, too and that I was just tired so when Daddy came home a few minutes ago, he ran to Todd and said Mommy tired, Mommy tired. Love this kid.
He gave me a few more hugs, keeping an eye on me. What a sweet kid. What a mama's boy ;)
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Two Years
On October 4th, Todd and I celebrated our two year anniversary. And the last two years have flown by. We have been so busy, Todd with work and me with student teaching and the kids, I didn't think we'd get to do much on our anniversary since it was on a Tuesday. And also, Todd had mentioned in the morning celebrating on the weekend. So I was very pleasantly surprised when these arrived. 
Todd is so romantic; he called Maida's and told them he wanted someone who could deliver them after I got home. The woman knew him from elementary school and offered to do it herself when she was headed home. 
Adam LOVED them as usual...flower, flower he said. Pretty. He wanted to stand on a chair and smell them. He was in Adam obsessed mode and I put a single one in a vase for him the next day to help Bobby through his obsession. Which he still had to take away from him eventually because he wasn't even eating his meals because he wanted to smell (insert Adam's big sniffing here) his flower. I love Adam's personality :) I just had to toss them sigh. Adam came into the kitchen and wanted a dead one...I let him walk around in the kitchen for ten minutes playing with it. Sad that they die, but of course one promptly went into my dried flower jar . 
Then he surprised me even more by coming home at 5:30pm to take me to my favorite restaurant, Delmonico's in Syracuse. I really thought we'd be going some place on the weekend! Bobby had made us some stuffed shells even because I told him we didn't have time to go out (which I ate the next day). We were seated in our customary corner since we started bringing TWO little kids. Little Abbey was having fun... 
Adam scarfing down the bread basket, one of his favorite things in life (OK, side note, Adam calls rolls and Italian bread "butt". He knows it's bread, but his Daddy has always said "do you have a butt" when I have Italian bread because its his favorite part and Adam just picked up on it. It's both embarrassing in public when he asks the waitress for Butt and funny.) 
My handsome husband...who loves his picture taken as much as I do! 
The kids LOVE penne pasta...more than pizza. 
And we had a family dish of Tiramisu...my favorite. Abbey's too, it seems. That girl knows how to enjoy her deserts! 
A wedding anniversary is mostly about the couple, but I think for us it's about celebrating as a family, too because of how it all happened so close together. Dinner wouldn't have been the same without the A-team. After hours desert, however, was JUST for us tehe.
I'm so lucky to have this guy; the love of my life I have never felt more like myself and never been more content or happy in my entire life. Time is flying by too fast.
Todd is so romantic; he called Maida's and told them he wanted someone who could deliver them after I got home. The woman knew him from elementary school and offered to do it herself when she was headed home. 
Adam LOVED them as usual...flower, flower he said. Pretty. He wanted to stand on a chair and smell them. He was in Adam obsessed mode and I put a single one in a vase for him the next day to help Bobby through his obsession. Which he still had to take away from him eventually because he wasn't even eating his meals because he wanted to smell (insert Adam's big sniffing here) his flower. I love Adam's personality :) I just had to toss them sigh. Adam came into the kitchen and wanted a dead one...I let him walk around in the kitchen for ten minutes playing with it. Sad that they die, but of course one promptly went into my dried flower jar . 
Then he surprised me even more by coming home at 5:30pm to take me to my favorite restaurant, Delmonico's in Syracuse. I really thought we'd be going some place on the weekend! Bobby had made us some stuffed shells even because I told him we didn't have time to go out (which I ate the next day). We were seated in our customary corner since we started bringing TWO little kids. Little Abbey was having fun... 
Adam scarfing down the bread basket, one of his favorite things in life (OK, side note, Adam calls rolls and Italian bread "butt". He knows it's bread, but his Daddy has always said "do you have a butt" when I have Italian bread because its his favorite part and Adam just picked up on it. It's both embarrassing in public when he asks the waitress for Butt and funny.) 
My handsome husband...who loves his picture taken as much as I do! 
The kids LOVE penne pasta...more than pizza. 
And we had a family dish of Tiramisu...my favorite. Abbey's too, it seems. That girl knows how to enjoy her deserts! 
A wedding anniversary is mostly about the couple, but I think for us it's about celebrating as a family, too because of how it all happened so close together. Dinner wouldn't have been the same without the A-team. After hours desert, however, was JUST for us tehe. I'm so lucky to have this guy; the love of my life I have never felt more like myself and never been more content or happy in my entire life. Time is flying by too fast.
Monday, October 24, 2011
First Day at Hannibal
The first thing this morning, I started the day by walking into Hannibal high school by mistake. Fortunately, the middle school is practically next door.
I walk into the office and the receptionist tells me the head secretary wants to talk to me. She introduces herself, shakes my hand, gives me a badge and asks me if I have any questions. And this is in a clean, well lit and organized office in which students are talking to staff in a normal voice. Then I walk down the clean wide hallway with matching and well painted purple lockers. Yep, not in Blodgett anymore. I knew this is what it would be like, but it still took a moment. My teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Peters, is a bit of an old-school ELA teacher stereotype, though I believe she is a couple of years younger than me, she has the teacher look with the bangs and low ponytail, looking over glasses and suit coats. She is friendly but old fashioned and spent much of the day teaching from a podium. She does get snappy with the students, but she maintains control.
Of course, not five minutes after I walk in, the math teacher walks in and says what's your name? I say Butler. She said, no You're Chrissa Duttinger. Sigh. It was someone from high school, a year ahead of me, but she married someone from my grade. Jennifer Stoutenger Pitcher. The thing is, I am certainly heavier than I was in high school, but I look a lot the same. And I always stood out ...maybe it was dark looks or being in drama or whatever. I remembered her when she said it.
Speaking of dark looks, besides the token Asian girl adopted by white people and maybe two Italian looking kids, I was the darkest person in the grade. These kids couldn't have been whiter. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
My teacher, and my ex-classmate turned math teacher, are buddies. The like to vent to each other about how bad the kids behave and how low skill they are. When Mrs. Peters asked me about the city schools, I told her that they were low level and that violence was a problem. She said to me that I'd find it wasn't so different there. Not shocked. I have found that anyone who actually hasn't spent time in a school like Blodgett genuinely doesn't realize how bad it is. But as the day moved forward, I wasn't surprised to learn that yes, her students could read and write basic sentences.
She is right...they are low level. But they have begun higher thinking skills, something in Syracuse you couldn't get them to understand. She's doing Rikki Tikki Tavi. And by the way, they shut up when threatened with detention or the office. There are no students running through the halls during class. They do talk here and there and many of them aren't too interested in doing their work. But they sit in their seats and they don't hit each other. But, they struggle. Rural poverty has definitely influenced their vocabulary and comprehension. Progress reports were handed out and many of the grades were poor, mostly because they don't do their work, though they are allowed to hand it in.
Today, the period started with a vocabulary quiz and many of them had no idea what "cunning" meant though they had been told to study it. It seems at Hannibal, the students aren't pushed by their parents to do their work at all. I sat in a student teacher conference with a father who only gets his kid every other weekend and wants to help him not fail.
These kids are not on the right path and the schools' test scores were low enough where the state has done two audits and the district will have to implement their suggestions. But I see a lot of potential. These kids would start to get a spark here and there, whereas sometimes in the city you just felt like you could never get them where they need to be because they are so far behind.
My teacher has an 11 month old named Abigail, so it was nice to have that in common. She was a lot more approachable than my last teacher; easier to read. But she isn't giving me the classroom until November 14; she has a lot more structure she would like me to follow. I am teaching Tom Sawyer. Wish me luck.
I walk into the office and the receptionist tells me the head secretary wants to talk to me. She introduces herself, shakes my hand, gives me a badge and asks me if I have any questions. And this is in a clean, well lit and organized office in which students are talking to staff in a normal voice. Then I walk down the clean wide hallway with matching and well painted purple lockers. Yep, not in Blodgett anymore. I knew this is what it would be like, but it still took a moment. My teacher, Mrs. Jennifer Peters, is a bit of an old-school ELA teacher stereotype, though I believe she is a couple of years younger than me, she has the teacher look with the bangs and low ponytail, looking over glasses and suit coats. She is friendly but old fashioned and spent much of the day teaching from a podium. She does get snappy with the students, but she maintains control.
Of course, not five minutes after I walk in, the math teacher walks in and says what's your name? I say Butler. She said, no You're Chrissa Duttinger. Sigh. It was someone from high school, a year ahead of me, but she married someone from my grade. Jennifer Stoutenger Pitcher. The thing is, I am certainly heavier than I was in high school, but I look a lot the same. And I always stood out ...maybe it was dark looks or being in drama or whatever. I remembered her when she said it.
Speaking of dark looks, besides the token Asian girl adopted by white people and maybe two Italian looking kids, I was the darkest person in the grade. These kids couldn't have been whiter. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
My teacher, and my ex-classmate turned math teacher, are buddies. The like to vent to each other about how bad the kids behave and how low skill they are. When Mrs. Peters asked me about the city schools, I told her that they were low level and that violence was a problem. She said to me that I'd find it wasn't so different there. Not shocked. I have found that anyone who actually hasn't spent time in a school like Blodgett genuinely doesn't realize how bad it is. But as the day moved forward, I wasn't surprised to learn that yes, her students could read and write basic sentences.
She is right...they are low level. But they have begun higher thinking skills, something in Syracuse you couldn't get them to understand. She's doing Rikki Tikki Tavi. And by the way, they shut up when threatened with detention or the office. There are no students running through the halls during class. They do talk here and there and many of them aren't too interested in doing their work. But they sit in their seats and they don't hit each other. But, they struggle. Rural poverty has definitely influenced their vocabulary and comprehension. Progress reports were handed out and many of the grades were poor, mostly because they don't do their work, though they are allowed to hand it in.
Today, the period started with a vocabulary quiz and many of them had no idea what "cunning" meant though they had been told to study it. It seems at Hannibal, the students aren't pushed by their parents to do their work at all. I sat in a student teacher conference with a father who only gets his kid every other weekend and wants to help him not fail.
These kids are not on the right path and the schools' test scores were low enough where the state has done two audits and the district will have to implement their suggestions. But I see a lot of potential. These kids would start to get a spark here and there, whereas sometimes in the city you just felt like you could never get them where they need to be because they are so far behind.
My teacher has an 11 month old named Abigail, so it was nice to have that in common. She was a lot more approachable than my last teacher; easier to read. But she isn't giving me the classroom until November 14; she has a lot more structure she would like me to follow. I am teaching Tom Sawyer. Wish me luck.
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Next Phase
My last day at Westside Academy was kind of weird. I knew some of the girls said they wished I didn't have to go and a few looked happy about it. But when I asked each class to write me a letter telling me what they did and did not like, I was pretty surprised at all of the nice things. Many of them said they really liked having me and they would miss me. My favorite comment for improvement was to be mean at the beginning and nice later, not the other way around. I appreciate that these kids saw that my heart was in it and that oddly enough, the girls I had to get the toughest on seemed to have so many nice things to say. I need to pull them out and type them in.
Went to the college's seminar on Friday. The bleach blond pony tail chicks from Long Island talking down to our new supervisor (who was an English teacher in my old junior high and is very s-l-o-w in everything he does). One girl got snide with me and of course, I cut her down. These bitches think I'm just another chubby non-trade intimidated by their glam and cool and love the look on their face when I'm not. Anyhow, I'd take my violent middle school kids over those snots any day!
Starting Hannibal in the morning. A little intimidating. But a nice change of pace.
Went to the college's seminar on Friday. The bleach blond pony tail chicks from Long Island talking down to our new supervisor (who was an English teacher in my old junior high and is very s-l-o-w in everything he does). One girl got snide with me and of course, I cut her down. These bitches think I'm just another chubby non-trade intimidated by their glam and cool and love the look on their face when I'm not. Anyhow, I'd take my violent middle school kids over those snots any day!
Starting Hannibal in the morning. A little intimidating. But a nice change of pace.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Last Day in the Westside
Today is my last day at Westside Academy. When kids heard that earlier in the week, some seemed happy (of course). but a lot of the kids seemed disappointed. It made me feel like I was successful on some level of connecting with them.
Tammy told me last week I sounded like I might miss it and that it was a fun experience for me. She's right. It has been a really interesting experience, and anyone who knows me knows I like to try or see new things every once in a while. I really like the school and the kids, particularly connecting one on one. You hear these kids stories and you understand their behavior more. I do not enjoy conducting a lot of the classes. Trying to get everyone to stay in their seat, be quiet and participate all while not setting each other's tempers off is stressful. I feel like I've learned A LOT about classroom manangemt -I finally feel like I've really found my authority there. But how much did I learn about teaching CONTENT? Well, I've learned ways to get low-level kids to understand what I'm talking about. Now I'm supposed to teach Tom Sawyer and as Todd said, I have to "work" at teaching more. Very true. I mean the teacher in Hannibal told me she assigns reading for HOMEWORK. Yeah, it'll be different.
Yesterday I spent grading and making homemade meatballs and sauce for homeroom....asked my teacher for a reference vis email so as not to put her on the spot and she said she'd be happy to. It's sometimes hard to read her, so I'm glad she feels like I did a good job.
Tammy told me last week I sounded like I might miss it and that it was a fun experience for me. She's right. It has been a really interesting experience, and anyone who knows me knows I like to try or see new things every once in a while. I really like the school and the kids, particularly connecting one on one. You hear these kids stories and you understand their behavior more. I do not enjoy conducting a lot of the classes. Trying to get everyone to stay in their seat, be quiet and participate all while not setting each other's tempers off is stressful. I feel like I've learned A LOT about classroom manangemt -I finally feel like I've really found my authority there. But how much did I learn about teaching CONTENT? Well, I've learned ways to get low-level kids to understand what I'm talking about. Now I'm supposed to teach Tom Sawyer and as Todd said, I have to "work" at teaching more. Very true. I mean the teacher in Hannibal told me she assigns reading for HOMEWORK. Yeah, it'll be different.
Yesterday I spent grading and making homemade meatballs and sauce for homeroom....asked my teacher for a reference vis email so as not to put her on the spot and she said she'd be happy to. It's sometimes hard to read her, so I'm glad she feels like I did a good job.
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Second Observation
My supervisor came in on Tuesday to watch me again. The school was nuts that day-it was a full moon that day haha. I started the day with peaking out my door because the class next door was so wild with a sub and seeing one of my students getting dragged out by the hall monitor kicking her feet screaming I HATE YOU I'M GOING TO KILL YOU. The best part? In two blocks she was back in my class asking me what's up....
Anyhow, Mr. Stone shows up mid third block to watch 4th block. He told me afterwards that I needed to wait until they are all quiet all the time...like when I'm asking for answers don't let them chat at all. The best part...he asked me why I let them work in groups at the end because they hadn't earned it. This is something my teacher told me to always do...you have to give these kids times where they are supposed to listen and times not or they implode. I told him that, politely. He told me they needed to EARN it and that I should have made them be quiet the whole block.
Yesterday, a few other teachers were in the lunch room and asked me how it went. I told them what he said and they laughed cynically. Ms Rotella said "they don't earn ANY of it...you just have to balance things". Mr. Davis said "Don't worry Carrie knows and she'll give you a good reference". That was a compliment, I think.
On the other hand, Mr. Stone told me I had what it took to be a good teacher. That made me feel good.
Two more days this week with Ms. O'Connor out on a field trip with AVID. In a way, it's easier when she's gone...the kids respect me more than any substitute. Then Mon & Tues next week and then Thursday is my last day with Wednesday being superintendent's day. I just dreamt about being in Hannibal, my next placement, but some of Blodgett students were in the classroom....hmmmm
Anyhow, Mr. Stone shows up mid third block to watch 4th block. He told me afterwards that I needed to wait until they are all quiet all the time...like when I'm asking for answers don't let them chat at all. The best part...he asked me why I let them work in groups at the end because they hadn't earned it. This is something my teacher told me to always do...you have to give these kids times where they are supposed to listen and times not or they implode. I told him that, politely. He told me they needed to EARN it and that I should have made them be quiet the whole block.
Yesterday, a few other teachers were in the lunch room and asked me how it went. I told them what he said and they laughed cynically. Ms Rotella said "they don't earn ANY of it...you just have to balance things". Mr. Davis said "Don't worry Carrie knows and she'll give you a good reference". That was a compliment, I think.
On the other hand, Mr. Stone told me I had what it took to be a good teacher. That made me feel good.
Two more days this week with Ms. O'Connor out on a field trip with AVID. In a way, it's easier when she's gone...the kids respect me more than any substitute. Then Mon & Tues next week and then Thursday is my last day with Wednesday being superintendent's day. I just dreamt about being in Hannibal, my next placement, but some of Blodgett students were in the classroom....hmmmm
Monday, October 10, 2011
End of Summer With the Simmons
At the end of August, we decided to meet up with Bethany and her kids at Franklin park to hang out before school started. 
We were there for a bit, with Abbey swinging the whole time and then some older kids were playing with a football and Adam was so excited he kept getting in the middle of it. Bethany offered to go get one at Kinney and we made plans to head over to Breitbeck instead since her kids have more to do there (except Devin HAD been flirting a bit with some girl there and I think he wasn't too happy he had to leave haha). We met there and got out the picnic...love this photo of Adam and Bethany. 
Adam..being Adam... 
Abbey got Brianna to push her. 
Then Bethany took over and Adam recruited Bri... 
OK, Abbey is seriously obsessed with swinging...she was in it for like 45 minutes... 
Adam got Bri to help him on the big boy swing... 
And out came the football...Adam was having the time of his life. Devin is so good and patient with him and Brianna, too. 
Abbey joined the fun, too and Bethany a little :). 
There's so many years between our kids, but it's amazing how well they get along....it's what I pictured years ago when we were teenagers and neighbors :)
We were there for a bit, with Abbey swinging the whole time and then some older kids were playing with a football and Adam was so excited he kept getting in the middle of it. Bethany offered to go get one at Kinney and we made plans to head over to Breitbeck instead since her kids have more to do there (except Devin HAD been flirting a bit with some girl there and I think he wasn't too happy he had to leave haha). We met there and got out the picnic...love this photo of Adam and Bethany. 
Adam..being Adam... 
Abbey got Brianna to push her. 
Then Bethany took over and Adam recruited Bri... 
OK, Abbey is seriously obsessed with swinging...she was in it for like 45 minutes... 
Adam got Bri to help him on the big boy swing... 
And out came the football...Adam was having the time of his life. Devin is so good and patient with him and Brianna, too. 
Abbey joined the fun, too and Bethany a little :). 
There's so many years between our kids, but it's amazing how well they get along....it's what I pictured years ago when we were teenagers and neighbors :)
Daniel's 3rd Birthday
At the end of August, Daniel from across the street turned 3. I've mentioned the kids across the street before...Daniel is only 2 months older than Adam but it's Abbey he adores! We were invited over to celebrate his birthday with his cousins; we felt special :) Love this photo A LOT! 
Adam was kind of anti-social, preferring the pile of dinosaurs in the living room to the crowded dining room. Abbey was in and out. 
Daniel is a very animated kid and this expression is VERY him. 
This is Jonathon and Adam is so love with him. He hugs him and hates to leave, just like Q. 
Adam wasn't interested in cake, but Abbey was! 
His Dad told him to pose for me for a camera...you can plainly see how thrilled he was about that! 
Daniel had wanted his own garbage truck since he got one for Adam's last birthday! I found one...I teased his mom I was going to be the "hero" of the evening. He loved it :) 
Abbey saw her Daddy's truck pull in from the window and wanted to go home! That's their dog Baby and she just loves the kids. I had to come back to get Adam, he never wants to leaver their house. 
Adam was kind of anti-social, preferring the pile of dinosaurs in the living room to the crowded dining room. Abbey was in and out. 
Daniel is a very animated kid and this expression is VERY him. 
This is Jonathon and Adam is so love with him. He hugs him and hates to leave, just like Q. 
Adam wasn't interested in cake, but Abbey was! 
His Dad told him to pose for me for a camera...you can plainly see how thrilled he was about that! 
Daniel had wanted his own garbage truck since he got one for Adam's last birthday! I found one...I teased his mom I was going to be the "hero" of the evening. He loved it :) 
Abbey saw her Daddy's truck pull in from the window and wanted to go home! That's their dog Baby and she just loves the kids. I had to come back to get Adam, he never wants to leaver their house. 
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Alan's Birthday
A few weeks ago, Todd's brother Alan had a stroke. A pretty serious one. Fortunately, he has shown a lot of improvement, even moving out of the ICU and into a rehabilitation floor at University Hospital. Just a week before, he turned 60 and his wife threw him a surprise birthday party. By the time we got there, Alan had been having a good time! Plenty of cocktails and a joke strip tease from his wife. I didn't get many photos, but a few of the kids who had the time of their life tearing up the dance floor. Seriously. They couldn't get enough of dancing and twirling these light wands. The first one is blurry but it captures how Abbey was using the glow light. 
I didn't get a shot I "loved" but these photos give you the idea. They had the time of their life. Adam was also busy running around collecting balloons. 
They had the whole room just adoring them. They seriously didn't stop until the music did. 
Also, they were kind of obsessed with the Mardi Gras necklaces. 
Then they both had cake..even Adam...and then ran up and down the ramp. 
I made sure they wished their Uncle a happy birthday on the way out. That night, it was obvious Alan had a great time and I remember thinking how happy he looked. I am glad he had that evening since I know he has many months of hard work ahead of him.
I didn't get a shot I "loved" but these photos give you the idea. They had the time of their life. Adam was also busy running around collecting balloons. 
They had the whole room just adoring them. They seriously didn't stop until the music did. 
Also, they were kind of obsessed with the Mardi Gras necklaces. 
Then they both had cake..even Adam...and then ran up and down the ramp. 
I made sure they wished their Uncle a happy birthday on the way out. That night, it was obvious Alan had a great time and I remember thinking how happy he looked. I am glad he had that evening since I know he has many months of hard work ahead of him.
Scenes from Westside Academy Open House
Took some photos at the Open House a few weeks ago....The text book...used it once and we had to read it together! 
This is the "textbook" I've used more. The kids actually like it. 
My teacher... 
On her cell phone, getting ready. She's both serious and not, friendly and aloof. She has been the right person for this experience though. 
Alicia and her mom talking with Ms. O'Connor. She is one of our few Caucasian students....she's smart, but kind of a know-it-all! She can read and write in complete sentences though...! 
Raysan...he told me he was photogenic and gave me a grin. He works really hard and has a good attitude, despite the fact that he is one of 6 kids to a mother who is a recovering addict and their apartment burnt down over the summer with everything they own in it. When the teacher asked him if they needed anything, he mentioned they had only one "cover"....meaning one blanket for the 7 of them...but he gave it to his mom. We put in some money to buy them each their own comforter/quilt. 
Equasia, who is a ham and loves the camera and always being the center of attention. 
Yenissa works her ass off and rolls her eyes at all the students who act out in English class. They harass her because she's pretty and works hard but she has that natural talent to shrug them off and still be popular. 
Anniyah...Ms. O'Connor's favorite. She's a bit high drama for me, but she does her work. 
The clock and hand sanitizer by the door...use that stuff A LOT! 
The hallway...the science teacher Mr. Davis in the blue...Diamond is the VERY tall girl he is talking to. (Maybe she's in the background...it's Detiny you can really see on the left...she really likes me and I like her, too. She buttered up to me and told me I was the best teacher :) She isn't the greatest student, but she has moments where she is trying. 
Mr. Davis up close. He is definetely Ms. O'Connor's work husband. They worked at Shea together and were transferred together. He is really good with the students, especially the boys. And he knows it ;) Three times a week, I push into his class with my teacher for ELA support...basically help these kids read and write their labs.... 
This is Elizer with his father. There was a dinner before the Open House for the "Avid" kids...the 20 I think I've mentioned that have a lot of potential and they try and help succeed. It's nice to work with them because they are trying so hard to beat the odds. His English is so-so but he tries hard. He told me the next day his Dad loved the "Baked City". I told him it's Baked Ziti...I thought it was so cute. 
Mr. Mason the guidance counselor and Ms. Herr the prinicipal. Kids love him and can't stand her, but I point out to them they'd probably dislike most principals (to be honest, she is a bit harsh). 
Quintasia with her family..love this photo and the blur kills me. She's gorgeous and is one of the few students in my block from hell that tries. That's the thing, the kids that came that night and had an interested parent didn't really shock...they are the kids that try. It makes such a difference. 
This is the "textbook" I've used more. The kids actually like it. 
My teacher... 
On her cell phone, getting ready. She's both serious and not, friendly and aloof. She has been the right person for this experience though. 
Alicia and her mom talking with Ms. O'Connor. She is one of our few Caucasian students....she's smart, but kind of a know-it-all! She can read and write in complete sentences though...! 
Raysan...he told me he was photogenic and gave me a grin. He works really hard and has a good attitude, despite the fact that he is one of 6 kids to a mother who is a recovering addict and their apartment burnt down over the summer with everything they own in it. When the teacher asked him if they needed anything, he mentioned they had only one "cover"....meaning one blanket for the 7 of them...but he gave it to his mom. We put in some money to buy them each their own comforter/quilt. 
Equasia, who is a ham and loves the camera and always being the center of attention. 
Yenissa works her ass off and rolls her eyes at all the students who act out in English class. They harass her because she's pretty and works hard but she has that natural talent to shrug them off and still be popular. 
Anniyah...Ms. O'Connor's favorite. She's a bit high drama for me, but she does her work. 
The clock and hand sanitizer by the door...use that stuff A LOT! 
The hallway...the science teacher Mr. Davis in the blue...Diamond is the VERY tall girl he is talking to. (Maybe she's in the background...it's Detiny you can really see on the left...she really likes me and I like her, too. She buttered up to me and told me I was the best teacher :) She isn't the greatest student, but she has moments where she is trying. 
Mr. Davis up close. He is definetely Ms. O'Connor's work husband. They worked at Shea together and were transferred together. He is really good with the students, especially the boys. And he knows it ;) Three times a week, I push into his class with my teacher for ELA support...basically help these kids read and write their labs.... 
This is Elizer with his father. There was a dinner before the Open House for the "Avid" kids...the 20 I think I've mentioned that have a lot of potential and they try and help succeed. It's nice to work with them because they are trying so hard to beat the odds. His English is so-so but he tries hard. He told me the next day his Dad loved the "Baked City". I told him it's Baked Ziti...I thought it was so cute. 
Mr. Mason the guidance counselor and Ms. Herr the prinicipal. Kids love him and can't stand her, but I point out to them they'd probably dislike most principals (to be honest, she is a bit harsh). 
Quintasia with her family..love this photo and the blur kills me. She's gorgeous and is one of the few students in my block from hell that tries. That's the thing, the kids that came that night and had an interested parent didn't really shock...they are the kids that try. It makes such a difference. 
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Rudy's/Labor Day Weekend
Labor Day weekend...a month ago now. I wanted to take the kids to Rudy's because they love the rocks so much and I love...the food. Let's be honest. Abbey loves the fries....
Adam would barely sit to eat because he's old enough to realize what he REALLY wants to do is outside the door. So Daddy ended up taking him out first since Abbey is a slow eater, the only one in our family really. :) 
I brought the camera because I realized I hadn't taken pictures of my kids in a while, especially together. But I got a few with Todd in it, too. Like this one. 
Not great, but like I said, i don't have a ton of photos of the A-team together! 
I do like this one... 
Not many pictures of Adam grinning. Usually, he sees the camera and I don't get his smile. 
Love this picture. 
It was weird. The storm clouds came out and it sprinkled for a minute. 
Then it started to pour....Adam didn't care but Abbey was not happy as I carried her as fast as I could to the car! Rudy's, like the Drive-In, is one of my favorite parts of summer in Oz. I think the kids might agree.
Adam would barely sit to eat because he's old enough to realize what he REALLY wants to do is outside the door. So Daddy ended up taking him out first since Abbey is a slow eater, the only one in our family really. :) 
I brought the camera because I realized I hadn't taken pictures of my kids in a while, especially together. But I got a few with Todd in it, too. Like this one. 
Not great, but like I said, i don't have a ton of photos of the A-team together! 
I do like this one... 
Not many pictures of Adam grinning. Usually, he sees the camera and I don't get his smile. 
Love this picture. 
It was weird. The storm clouds came out and it sprinkled for a minute. 
Then it started to pour....Adam didn't care but Abbey was not happy as I carried her as fast as I could to the car! Rudy's, like the Drive-In, is one of my favorite parts of summer in Oz. I think the kids might agree.
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