Teacher, Know Thy Students

The last 5 years of my teaching career, I taught creative writing to k-3rd graders.  One project that my second graders did was "Writing Their Favorite Recipes."  I had 3 second grade classes.   I simply told the students to be thinking of their favorite food that someone they know cooks.  It could be something your mom cooks, dad, grandmother or aunt.  Doesn't matter who cooks it.  In class we are each going to write down our favorite dish and its recipe. Then we are going to put all the recipes in a book and give it to our mothers for a Mothers' Day present.  The first 2 classes everything went just fine.  The children quickly got to thinking what food they liked best.  And they were excited about making a book that would be a present for their moms.

Well, I have to tell you that my son, Paxton, was in my third class. After I said what we were going to do, he immediately yelled out, "This is a stupid idea.  We are only 8 years old and don't know how to cook anything."  I tried to calm him down by saying, "I know it might not be just right, but it will be okay.  Mothers will just want to see what foods you like."  He was really getting upset now and said, "When they read our recipes they will laugh at us.  I'm not doing this."  Poor little fellow he was really freaking out about this writing assignment.  I buzzed the office and asked if the counselor could come to my room for a minute.  Mr. Scott, the world's best counselor, came right away to my room.  When I told him that it was Paxton who needed some timeout, because he was having a lot of difficulty with an assignment and was causing total disruption, Mr. Scott said, "You want me to take your son out?" I replied, "Please, just for a few minutes so I can finish explaining the writing lesson."

When Paxton and I got home after school, he said he was going to work on getting a recipe.  Poor fellow, his recipe had to be exactly right.  Something he could do.  Paxton now has a Master's degree in electrical engineering.  I should have known when he was 8 that he would be an engineer.  Instead, I thought he was going to be a lawyer, because he argued so much.

Anyway, the next day when it was time to begin the lesson, all the students wrote with enthusiasm even my future engineer.  But unlike the others, who just wrote complicated recipes for porkchops, carrot cake, Mama's Strawberry Pie, whatever they thought about how to cook their favorite dish; Paxton had practiced making something very simple and had his recipe exactly right. His recipe was how to make a coke float.

I wonder why he put a horse on his page.

 But I ran into trouble again with Paxton, when in the preface, I wrote that the recipes could be adjusted to individual tastes.  Paxton again got upset and yelled out, "No, they can not change my recipe.  It is exactly right."  
Well, it turned out to be a fun lesson. And yes, the parents did laugh when they read the recipes.

As much as I loved my son and wanted him to go to a good school where I could watch over him, I was really relieved that I didn't teach creative writing to 4th grade.

Is There an Egg Stuck up her **@?

Little Ace sitting in a nesting box.

In the late afternoon of April 15th, I noticed that Little Ace had not laid an egg, but had been sitting in the nesting box all day.  She didn't come out to eat or drink.  I told Don there might be a problem with her.  The next day she did the same thing.  I read on the internet that sometimes an egg will get stuck in a hen and, of course, if it doesn't come out, she will die. I read that one could try and soak the hen in warm water, put mineral oil up inside of her, and stick your fingers inside her to try to remove the egg. I didn't sleep at all that night worrying about that sweet little hen.

Connor with young Little Ace

Omelet

Big Foot the Copper Maran

Remember Little Ace is Andrew Connor Edward's little chicken and he is still waiting for it to turn into a rooster, like Chase's chick did.  When we are talking about Little Ace, we say he instead of she.  Little Ace is lucky to be alive.  Omelet, the nasty Plymouth Barred Rock, tried to kill her when I moved the 3 new chicks to the chicken coop.  I went out to check on how they were getting along and found the back of Little Ace's neck was almost pecked in two.  Don told me that surely that chicken was going to die.  I put all 3 of the new chicks, they were about 8 weeks old, back into the dog crate that they had been in since they were one day old. I put an antibacterial ointment on Little Ace's wound. Well, obviously, Little Ace lived.  She is the nicest, friendliest little chicken.  She is a Copper Maran, like the rooster.

During my sleepless night, I read on the internet about hens brooding.  They stop laying eggs and sit on any eggs in the nesting box trying to hatch them. So the next morning, when Little Ace was still alive and not looking sick at all, but still sitting in the nesting box, I decided she was brooding. I moved all the other chickens into the old chicken coop and just left Little Ace and Cracker in the new coop, because some chicken (Omelet?) pecked holes in 2 eggs that Little Ace was sitting on.  Cracker is a nice chicken and grew up with Little Ace, so they are buds.

3 nights ago I read about how to hatch chicks with a brooding hen.  Of course I am starting 12 days into a 21 day process, so very little has been done right.  But the real question is, who knows how to hatch chicks best--a hen or a person?  We will see, because Little Ace is way ahead of me on this.

I read that about 15 days into the process, that I need to candle the eggs to be sure if the embryo is developing.  If it isn't, the egg will rot, then explode the rotten egg all over the other eggs, and smother the other embryos. Good grief.  Trinity said that he remembered in Charlotte's Web that the rat found a rotten egg and kept it.  It did eventually explode on him.  Bridget and I don't remember that part. I think that's a guy thing--exploding eggs :(  So tonight when Little Ace was asleep, all of us went out with bright flash lights and looked inside the eggs one by one.

I reached under the sleeping hen and removed each egg.  Trinity shined the light through each one to see if there was an embryo.  I then numbered them and put them back under Little Ace.  Right at the end, when I picked her up to see if I had missed any eggs, she gave me a gentle little peck.  Just a reminder that she was in charge of them.

The step that I did not know about until 3 days ago, was that I should have collected all the eggs and then put the eggs that I wanted to hatch under the brooding hen.  By doing that, they would all start developing at the same time and hatch in 21 days.  But I didn't know what was going on.  Remember I had been afraid that there was an egg stuck in her.  The blog I read said that it will be disastrous if they all progress several days apart.  So we are happily rolling along into a disaster.  What do hens do that don't have humans to collect the eggs so they can start at the same time?  Hopefully, all will end well and we will find out that animals can somehow survive and multiply without us.

None of them are my eggs?

 Anyway, Little Ace is sitting on 7 eggs. Five light brown ones that belong to nasty Omelet and 2 green ones that are New Sunny's, the Easter Chicken.  The original Sunny Side Up chicken died a few months ago. So all 7 eggs are half Copper Maran, because that's what the rooster is and half Barred Rock or Easter Chicken. None of them were laid by Little Ace, but she will be their mother.
Oops. We might not should say Mother. That means GIRL.

The dark brown eggs are Little Ace's.

 

After candling each egg, it appears that brown egg #5 will be the first to hatch. We could see a well defined chick embryo in it. It is very difficult to see through the shell of the green eggs, so we are not sure of anything with them yet. 

But something will happen in about 6 days; we are just not sure what.  I will keep you posted.

Flashback

Don and I went to a movie this afternoon.  It was Water for Elephants.  That was strange because I had just noticed on someone's blog profile that one of their favorite books is Water for Elephants.  I had written it down to get the book. I will likely read it even though I saw the movie first.  It is best to do it the other way around.  It is a good movie and I can recommend it.

Anyway, when we returned, our yard was full of grandsons and their friends.  I was told that tonight was Eden Gardens' fundraiser at Jason's Deli.  So I called in my order for a tuna melt and walked to get it. Jason's tuna melts are so good.

As I walked into Jason's Deli, I saw a man with 2 boys.  I immediately recognized the boy who was about 11 years old.  I had taught him about 20 years ago, when he was in 4th grade at Judson.  Well, after you read that again, yes, you will know that that did not make sense.  I couldn't restrain myself from speaking to the 11 year old as if I had just seen him in school today.  I know I looked crazy, but he was very responsive.  After a second, I looked at his father and said, "You went to Judson and I taught you.  Your name is Byron?"  He was amazed that I remembered and recognized him 25 years later. But of course it wasn't him I recognized it was his son.  The son looked just like I remembered his father at that age.  The real Byron said, "You're Mrs. Kennedy?" And yes, I was Mrs. Kennedy when I taught him.  He asked what I was doing now.  I told him that I retired from teaching and now serve on the School Board.  He asked in a rather quizzical manner, "And you like that?"  I answered, "Well of course not.  I just wanted to make a difference in education.  I was tired of the decisions others were making for teachers and students." He introduced me to his sons and we briefly caught up on a few things.

I have run into many of my former students through the years.  But this is the first time where I have seen one with a child that looked exactly like the parent did when they were in my class.  Byron's name was so easy for me to recall, since he is the only child I ever taught named Byron.  It was one of the strangest moments of my life.  For a second I was back 25 years ago.  I left feeling 25 years younger.
Of course the reality of the situation hit me as soon as I got home. 
                      OMG, I'm that old!

Family Dinner, Easter Egg Hunt and Silly Goats--Make for a great weekend.

We all gathered for dinner, Saturday. For the past several months, I have not had the energy or motivation to clean, cook dinner and then clean up again for family holiday gatherings. This past Christmas, Don and I left town.  I ordered each of the children a gift over the Internet and didn't put up a tree or any decorations. It was total escape from the expected.  But this past weekend, I was in the zone. My 3 grown children and their spouses and the 3 wonderful grandchildren all gathered with Don and me for a dinner that I cooked. I enjoyed every minute of it. I think I just needed a break from the expectation that I will clean, cook and clean some more. Just being able to not do the expected for a few months was what I needed; so I could feel the joy of doing those things for and with my family.

For dinner I cooked:

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant thinly sliced
• 2 eggs, beaten and add a little milk
• flour
• canola oil
• 1 small can of tomato sauce
• 1 jar of spaghetti sauce 
• 1 can of diced tomato with Italian seasonings
• 1 (16 ounce) package of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 (16 ounce) package grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 lb of ground beef (optional)  I like it better without.  Don likes it with the ground beef.
• 1 diced onion
• Basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg and milk mixture, then in flour that has been salted and peppered. Fry them in canola oil until brown.
3. Brown the ground beef and diced onion in a skillet and then add a small can of tomato sauce.
4. In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce.
5. Add half of the ground beef mixture.
6. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden brown

I also cut banana peppers in half, removed the seeds and stuffed the halves with sauteed shrimp. Then covered that with Philadelphia Cooking Creme Santa Fe Blend. Bake them in the oven for about 5 mins.

I also steamed baby carrots, broccoli and diced green onion.

 

Courtney made a wonderful lemon cake. I made a dessert I remembered my mother making, Peach Delight, is what she called it--layers of vanilla wafers and peaches topped with whipped cream.  Be sure to pour the juice over the layers before you add the whipped cream, so the cookies can soak it up.

Best in Eggamation

After dinner, Bridget and Trinity helped the grandsons dye eggs.  They had a great and messy time.

Click to see the goats better.

Sunday afternoon was a fun photo session in the yard.  It was hilarious how the goats kept getting in the pictures.  They were most insistent. They literally butt in--

that's what goats do.

Bridget, Trinity, Jacquie, and GB hid the eggs and Connor and Chase hunted for them.

Cracker the Sultan hen

The rest of the afternoon the boys played in the yard. Jacquie's and GB's puppy chased the goats.  A neighbor, who lives about 4 streets over, brought her 11 year old daughter over to see the goats and chickens.  She fell in love with Cracker. They also offered to feed the animals when I leave town--WOW!

My sister Debbie and I started blogging at the same time. 

Often we blog on the same topic.  Read her Easter blog at

http://debbiesknowledgetrain.blogspot.com/2011/04/cousin-sleepover-easter-it-works.html

Some Goat Humor

My sign for my goats new yard.  My son-in-law, Trinity's mother, Sharon made this for me.

        I will hang it of the fence; when the fence materializes.   Thanks Sharon. She even painted them to look like Gypsy and Dottie Belle.  You are a sweet heart and very talented.  Trinity is talented like his mom. My daughter, Bridget, is very lucky. 

Sharon and Me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-HXG3jfjQs&feature=related Fleetwood Mac Gypsy
This video was taken the night I brought the little kids home.  Yes, I had them in the house--in a clothes basket.  I could only feed a bottle to one at a time. Gypsy would not wait her turn.  She kept jumping out of the basket.  So Don, the same man who said he will never feed my goats, actually gave Gypsy her first bottle and I have proof!! He is a sweetheart; even if, he is not smiling.
 
I am so exhausted tonight.  I know it is because I worry about Caddo schools so much.  I need to just do the best I can and let it go. So my blog is not serious!  A friend who loves my goats sent me this joke.

High school kids sure have it all figured out!!!!

           At a high school in Colorado, a group of students
           played a prank- they let three goats loose in the school.

           But, before turning them loose, they painted numbers on
           the sides of the goats: 1, 2, and 4.

           School administrators spent most of
           the day looking for No.3.

          Now that's funny, I don't care who you are....

Changing to 4 day School Week

I have always been a proponent of year round school. Our current school calendar was set up many years ago because so many families were in agriculture and the children helped out.  But now comes Federal, State, Local and, yes, School District budget woes.  Caddo seriously needs to cut back 20 - 30 million dollars.  We must cut $20,000,000 this year.

Four day school weeks first came to my attention when my sister, Debbie, started teaching in Caldwell Parish.  Caldwell is a small rural and rather poor district.  But when I visited their district, there was an undeniable richness in the people there. Anyway, Debbie started teaching there the first year they had cut to 4 days.  Yes, parents had to adjust.  What were they going to do with their children when they are at work?  Well, to tell you the truth, a large part of our society does not work just weekdays from 9-5. So what do they do?  By the time the second year rolled around, no one, teachers, students and parents wanted to go back to the 5 day week.

But what about the academic side of this 4 day week? Well, Caddo piloted year round schools for several years and saw no difference is academic achievement.  So the district decided to keep only one year round school.  To tell the truth, Shreve Island would have shown the same achievement no matter how many days of school they had.  It was the right combination of leadership, teachers, students and parents.  You can't beat that and you can't stop them from achieving. After the budget meeting tonight, I came home and googled 4 day school week.  Wow, I didn't expect to see so much written on this.  I read the first 5 and decided to blog about it.  First, to help me get my mind around it and then to get feedback from my readers who are parents, teachers and Caddo citizens.  When I requested that staff consider this option, I got the usually dumb struck look from other board members.  They are waiting to be told what we will do.  Who are we to come up with an idea?  Oh heaven help me.  And I really mean that.  So I know if I bring an idea, I will have to push it, if I think it is a worthy idea.
http://www.caddo.k12.la.us/boardmember-contact.cfm
Call and write your board members!!!!!!!!!!!

These are my initial reasons to consider the 4 day work week.   When we start cutting, we will increase class sizes.  We will cut music and band programs.  Art programs will be cut.  Educational trips will be eliminated.  None of these ideas are good for student achievement.  We have already closed schools and moved middle school students to high schools.  I believe this will actually put our students' safety at risk and kill very good successful communities.  I reject all of these ideas.


Of course my first response is to cut Central Office.  Hopefully, that will be done.  But it will not amount to 20 million dollars.  The first article I read said that some school districts decided not to go to the 4 day week when they realized that they would only save 5%.  Five percent of $350,000,000 is $17,500,000.  Check my math, please. That is very exciting to me in this budget crisis.  The Superintendent put it in writing tonight that it costs 1 million dollars a day to run our school system.  So 17.5 million actually seems on the low side.
http://www.caddo.k12.la.us/boardmember-contact.cfm

From the feedback I received from talking to people in the systems that are on 4 day weeks and just reading the first 5 articles; this is the information I got about the academic impact of 4 day weeks.
1. Uncertain that it made any difference in the students' achievement. 
2. School scores increased dramatically - because of these factors that make up the scores:
     1. Lower absenteeism with students.
     2. Lower absenteeism with faculty.  Substitute hiring was cut in half--not just 1/5.
     3. Graduation rates increased. Why?  They didn't get so sick of school they dropped out.
     4. Reduction in discipline problems.  I guess one less day to act bad.
     5. Students were more focused and there were less interruptions.

What do the students do on Monday when they are not in school?
     1. Churches step up and offer tutorials. One local minister has already mentioned this to the board.
     2. Students do community volunteering.
     3. Older students work or do job training programs.
     4. Younger children spend the day with grandparents. (I might have to rethink this.) Not really
     5.  Do what parents do with their children who don't just work weekdays and 8-3.

The bottom line is, we are going to have to change or cut somewhere.  The Superintendent has already recommended increasing class sizes, cutting music, art, and extra curricular activities. Also freezing all employees' salaries.  Our employees' salaries have already fallen behind our surrounding area.  We will not be able to choose the best and the brightest teachers in this situation.

To tell you the truth, I don't like any changes or cuts.  But let's get real.  Someone is going to get hurt with this budget.  Will all of Caddo share it? Or will it just be the children and the employees?
Below are 5 articles that I have read so far.  I wonder what the other board members did tonight after the meeting?
Please post a comment.  I really need your feedback.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124501288

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/06/04/national/main6548010.shtml

http://www.education.com/magazine/article/4-day-school-week/

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/09/02/four_day_week/

http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/columnists/mayo/blog/2009/02/fourday_school_week_could_work.html

Easter with Eggs and Chicks

When I was growing up, my family did the traditional Easter morning of dressing up in spring dresses and new patent leather shoes.  Mom always had an Easter hat. Oh how I wish I had a picture of Mom in one of her Easter hats. Then off to Loche Arbor Baptist Church for Easter Sunday Service.

Lenora, Debbie, Me with 2 chicks on my shoulder

Grandsons get supervised play with my chicks.

But this time of year was also about Easter eggs and baby chicks.  Back when I was a child, Daddy always bought us each a dyed chick.  They would be blue, green, orange and etc.  Today "No dyed chicks" is the only city ordinance in Shreveport regarding livestock. Of course with my mini urban farm, I don't want that to change. Anyway, yellow or black chicks are great.  Poor little chicks never did live to grow up.  We played and played with them.  Yes, now I think it is animal cruelty and I've never given an animal to my children or grandchildren for Easter.  But Lenora, Debbie and I have some great and sad memories of the chicks and rabbits we got for Easter.


When I was about 6, we had a Chihuahua named Lady, who slept with me. I loved my little chick so much that I decided it would sleep with me too.  I don't know why my parents didn't talk me out of that.  The chick slept on one side of me in a shoebox and Lady slept on the other side. The next morning, I awoke to a very tragic scene.  In the box was a beak and one foot.  Obviously, Lady had a midnight snack.





I still make pets out of my chickens.  Though my mother still tries to tell me that chickens are for eggs or for frying, not pets.

Me and Sunny the green egg layer

Getting a Reluctant Husband Involved in My Project

Having the goats and Schnauzers in the same yard just increases the chances for Diva to escape.  She escaped again and ran off in the same direction. This time it was daylight and 2 teenage boys intercepted her. Thanks goodness!  In people years, Diva is 91.  But 2 humans who are 50 & 60 something can not out run her.

The project for this weekend was build a goat house.  All we really need is to get the fence put up for the goat yard and they can stay in the goatgloo.  But since I need the help and cooperation of my dear husband, I will take what I get, when I can get it.  Saturday we were at Lowe's buying lumber, nails, roofing shingles and tools.

Gypsy encouraging Don.

Dottie Belle and Gypsy checking it out.

The sleeping shelf in the back

Don was up before I was Sunday and I found him in the backyard near the future goat yard.  He was ripping apart his first attempt at the back wall of the goat house.  He was so ready to quit--in a very bad mood. What had I gotten him into?  Thank goodness his mood improved after I got out there and helped.  Mostly he is frustrated because he is a perfectionist and this little goat house is going to be far from perfect.  But I said that Dottie Belle, Gypsy and I don't care what it looks like; just shelter from the rain and a place to sleep.  I even did some nailing.  Of course Don drove at least 3 nails to my 1--likely an even higher ratio.  He even complained that I was leaving hammer marks on the wood and if I kept doing that he was going to quit.  He really wanted a reason to quit.  The wood siding we are putting on the house is reclaimed from my daughter's house.  So my hammer marks just add to the antiquing.  Don is likely worried that anyone who looks at it will think he made the hammer marks.  Whereas I'm just proud that I actually drove a few nails!!!

My ideal goat house.

I pulled up a picture from the internet of what I want the goat house to look like. As we were working, I told Don to go look at it on the computer. He had seen it several months ago.  He did and came back to report that ours will not resemble that one.  That was not news to me.  But there will be steps so Dottie Belle and Gypsy can get on top.

Nailing on the felt.

Later in the day, my grandson Connor and his friend Michael helped out.  I think Grampa enjoyed that.  Doing things like that with grandchildren is what they will remember about their grandparents--not the hammer marks or how crooked the goat house is.  The boys lost interests about an hour or so and soon Don did too.  But we have made great progress in just one day.

Back wall up and we finished this side.

Why Sandy was Born on April 17.

On April 16, 1968, my mother and I were standing at the calendar counting the days until the due date of her sixth child.  It seemed to me, at age 13, that Mom had been pregnant for a year. Mother was so tired and I was tired of her being so tired.  We counted 6 weeks until the due date of May 25th.

Me and Sandy

All the girls in the family had been wishing for another girl. This would make 5 girls. But remember back then you didn't get an ultra sound and know the baby's gender before it was born.  So we wished until the last minute. We wanted her to be named Samantha Annette Murphy after the witch on the TV show Bewitched. We could call her Sam.  Mom and Dad didn't seem to like that name.

Anyway, when Mom and I counted that she still had 6 weeks, I said, "No, you are going to have her tonight."  Mom said, "No.  We wouldn't want that to happen.  Babies born that early don't survive."
I said, "Oh yes. She is coming tonight and she will be okay."   

It was a school night so I had to go to bed early.  Later that night, Mom went into labor.  She wanted to wake me up before she went to the hospital. But she always put school first, so she left us all asleep.  Her 6th child, born in the early hours of April 17th, turned out to be a very health girl.  She and the doctor had obviously miscalculated. Mom and Dad named her Sandra Elaine.

I was determined to go see the new baby at the hospital. Back then to get on the maternity ward one had to be 15 years old.  Dad and I decided it would be okay if I appeared to be 15.  At 13, my parents did not let me wear makeup.  But to appear 15, they let me wear Mother's makeup.  I got all dress up and thought I looked at least 15, maybe older.  I did get to go see the new baby through the window of the nursery. But the next day when Dad went to the hospital, the nurse told him that his little girl was not allowed on the maternity ward.  I really was very deflated that she could tell that I was not 15.

I carried Sandy everywhere.  Mostly we went to church.  Even if Mother didn't go, I still took Sandy.  Once I over heard an elderly lady say, "That girl is too young to have a baby."  But I loved babies and especially my baby sister.

So Happy Birthday, Sandy.  Hope you like April 17 as your birthday instead of May 25th.  I just couldn't wait that long.