Month: May 2012

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Moms and Dads

The most interesting conversation ensued the other day while assisting a small group of learners with some tough conversational questions during lunch time.  This group was discussing moms and dads as one student interviewed them (and in order to protect the innocent and their honest responses I’m choosing not to divulge much else here):

Why do we have moms and dads?

  • To help us clean our rooms
  • To take out the trash in their robe
  • Mostly to keep me in line and stuff like that ’cause I’m not ready to be on my own just yet…

What’s the difference in moms and dads?

  • Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have the real power ’cause that’s who I have to ask if I want something.
  • It depends on who wears pants that day.
  • Moms work at work and at home; dads just go to work and do chores.
  • Moms give medicine cause dads don’t read ‘constructions’ on anything.

If you could change something about mom or dad, what would it be?

  • Get rid of those eyes in the back of her head…scary, really scary.
  • I would make them smarter then they would know it was my brother who did it and not me all the time.

I love my work with learners; they never cease to amaze me in their responses (and I can hardly wait to see what they say about our Miller staff)!  Thanks, moms and dads, for sharing your most valuable resource with us everyday at LME!   🙂

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Coloring our world…

This is a simple THANK YOU for the sheer JOY and smiles provided this week and everyday at LaRue Miller Elementary.  Thanks for coloring our world during Teacher Appreciation Week with fan mail, paparazzi pictures, concession stand treats, classroom equipment, and tailgating celebrations…we are blessed!   🙂

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Stressed for Success…

There is much to be said for strong study skills; it’s something we stress in formative elementary years since patterns begin early.  As a student and lifelong learner (for too many years now), I have my personal study methods, all developed over prior failures and successes that work best for me.  As a mom, I try to provide a positive example to my children; they each have unique methods of their own to match their learning styles.  As an educator, I model habits and encourage personal best each day for our Miller learners.  This all sounds great, but it never changes…I still get stressed for any test no matter the success.

It’s Finals Week for my youngest daughter and she has one more to go now.  While she had to be checked out of her dorm room tonight (our car is cram-packed), she still has a test to go early tomorrow morning (thus I’m writing from a hotel room).  I’m watching her study Economics right now (not my best subject).  She’s sitting at the hotel desk in the executive chair, papers and notes spread out all over, using her visual aids, trying to ensure she’s ready for semester’s-worth of mastery.  Honestly, I’m stressed and she’s the one studying!  I’m thankful I’m not taking her final exam… 🙂

Test anxiety and stress are not uncommon; learning coping skills are critical.  I realize it’s been a stressful year with STAAR testing for our learners (and their classroom leaders).  We won’t have scores or data to better understand our outcome for a while.  I thank you for walking a challenging path with us this year as we ventured into new STAARy horizons.  As my own child likes to say, “I guess we have to sometimes be stressed for success.”

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A special conversation…

I had the privilege of sitting down the other day with four of our fabulous fifth graders who are on a passionate mission right now and they are seeking our LME help.  Madi, Macee, RaeAnn, and Karson are preparing to walk in the upcoming Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Walk-For-A-Cure on May 20th as part of their ongoing efforts to raise awareness about CF.  You see, Madi and Macee are twins who live with CF; they want their unique story shared:

  • Madi:  You know, living with CF is challenging.  It makes us cough a lot and feel bad and really tired.  We have to get up at 5:15 every morning to get our treatments done so we get to school on time.
  • Macee:  We have to be careful about germs.  A simple cold can put us in the hospital because CF affects our lungs by causing frequent lung infections that damage our lung tissue.  This makes it super difficult and sometimes impossible to breathe.

Karson and RaeAnn then shared more important facts about CF (who are also committed to helping their friends):

  • RaeAnn:  CF is a disease that is NOT contagious, but it affects the lungs and digestive system for our friends.  They have to do breathing treatments multiple times each day and take many pills called enzymes to ensure the food they eat is digested well.  Also, they can get dehydrated 20 times faster so they have to drink lots of water all the time.
  • Karson:  Because of the all the treatments and medicines they do daily, they have to see their doctors often.  We want others to know about this disease and we have to help find a cure!

There were several more facts shared and the conversation turned to this team’s proposal for our help:  They want to do a special day here at Miller to support the work currently being done with Cystic Fibrosis for a cure.  All four girls are walking in the CFF Walk in two weeks; they need LME’s help to meet their goal.  They have designed a special Hat Day for those wishing to participate.  Next Wednesday, May 16th, anyone wishing to participate may contribute $1.00 to wear a hat of choice throughout the day on campus.  The money collected from each homeroom goes directly to the CFF for a cure.  We will announce our Miller total at the end of the day.

I’m so proud of these young ladies for proactively working on a global mission at the local level; they are making a world of difference in their special way by sharing the facts with everyone and working to find a solution together.  HATs-Off (or on, in this case) to you, Miller learners, for setting the standards so high!  I look forward to seeing lots of hats next week on Wednesday!  🙂

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Field Day Success!

As mentioned before, here’s a short peek at our recent LME Field Day Event.  Many, many thanks to our outstanding Specials Team, our Miller parents, the MHS student volunteers, and all the community support we received on various levels to ensure an extraordinary day of physical challenges and fun!  EnJOY!  🙂

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You know you’re an appreciated teacher if…

It’s true…you can walk our hallways this week at LME and see evidence our teachers are definitely appreciated!  Down came the beautiful student art gallery and up went the all-star decorations for a week of fun.  Take the clever classroom door displays and posters our room parents created and decoratively displayed throughout each hallway.  Our own front office display is evidence enough we are loved; in fact, there are multiple examples of fun evidence all over the building.  Each day is a special baseball-themed event and everyone is invited to participate (several were dressed today as fans in their favorite team shirts and ball caps and provided fan mail to teachers).  Here’s the playbook for the remainder of the week:

  • Tuesday:  Trading Cards and Paparazzi pics
  • Wednesday:  Concession Stand Snacks and vendors (red/white/blue)
  • Thursday:  Special Classroom Equipment and uniforms
  • Friday:  Home Runs and avid fans

Our extraordinary PTO and room parents have ensured teachers have treats all week including two luncheons and special surprises along the way.  The most important part, though, is how our learners share their appreciation everyday with our teachers.  Not a school day goes by that a staff member does not share a precious story, picture, or experience with a learner.  Thanks for sharing your MVPs  (most valuable players), your learners, with us everyday at LME!  🙂

Note:  We’ll roll some beautiful Field Day footage sometime this week for your enJOYment…such a great day last Friday!

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Success, no less…

“Success is a ladder that cannot be climbed with your hands in your pocket.”  This is something I’ve heard all my life (yes, a long time now!). 🙂  I even have this saying embroidered and hanging in my office.  While we encourage learners and classroom leaders every day to strive for personal excellence and success, it is often the pure willingness to keep trying that brings the greatest success to all involved in the learning process—whether it’s school work or life work.

I’ve often heard Mrs. Bass share one of her favorite quotes by Alex Haley during a discipline intervention:  “Anytime you see a turtle up on top of a fence post, you know he had some help.”  🙂  After a short explanation (especially to young learners who might need the visual), she goes on to prove the point that it takes all of us working together for success—for turtles on fences and learners in classrooms.  We sometimes need a helping hand, so it’s important to never be afraid to ask for help!

As we inch closer to the final instructional day this school year, here’s hoping we take our hands out of our pockets, keep trying, and help each other to reach our personal “fence posts” of success . . . and no less!

Note:  LME Field Day is tomorrow; we look forward to a great event!

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There was definitely some BEACH BLANKET reading going on around Miller today!  With Beach Boys music coming from one hallway while others were outside enJOYing the warmer temperatures, learners and leaders embraced the opportunity to read, read, read!  EnJOY this short display of several photo ops!  Happy Reading!  🙂

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Thank you, Mr. Falker!

I had the privilege this morning of being a mystery reader to a group of learners who specifically requested a favorite story of mine, Thank You, Mr. Falker, by Patricia Polacco (she’s one of my personal favorites).  Knowing they would want a little background about the writing of this story, I did my homework and learned some amazing things.  It turns out, Ms. Polacco experienced her own struggle with reading and this particular story honors the teacher who took special time to offer help.  With her dyslexic, dysnumeric, and dysgraphic tendencies, she required special reading assistance.  Mr. Falker, her teacher and “hero,” was the one who made it “available in those days.”  She notes: ” To this day, I remember the first day that words on a page had meaning to me…Mr. Falker had reached into the most lonely darkness and pulled me into bright sunlight and sat me on a shooting star.  I shall never forget him…”  She talks about how this personal academic struggle destroyed her self-confidence while she was being teased by a bully, feeling dumb and so sad to “be different than the others.”  Her teacher was the one who rescued her; what a powerful testament!  Believe me, the conversations and the emotions raised during our story time made for interesting observations!  I walked away wiping tears and feeling more confident in these little learners becoming champions for others!  🙂

As we celebrate National Children’s Book Week, I challenge each of you to take a moment and share a favorite story with your child.  Revisit and reflect on your own challenges growing up and share these with your learner.  Be an active listener because your child has much to tell you!  Here’s hoping we all celebrate a teacher who becomes a “hero” to your child just like Ms. Polacco did with hers…thank you, Mr. Falker!  🙂