Grammar Lesson My Way

I have been researching ways to teach grammar and mechanics to my students; ways that would not include multitude of worksheets. Here are my musings while reading and studying English grammar on a snowy day:

You need a subject and verb.

If you want details

try adding an adjective or two;

but if you do, don't forget the order:

interesting, small, ancient, round, green, Asian, wooden Jade.

You wan to sound smart, don't you.

And if time or frequency is what you need,

try an adverb;

they are your friends.

But determine which one it is

as their place in a sentence is often different.

Are you still with me?

Maybe you feel adventurous, and want to combine two sentences;

check the FANBOYS; they will always help you.

Argh! Couldn't there be just one simple rule to follow?

No, because you need a correct place 

even for the interjections.

Now that your sentence is mostly done,

think about punctuation.

Did you ask? command? or just make a statement.

Did you quote, "my teacher always taught us this way?"

And remember to put the end punctuation before the quotation mark?

What about the dashes and hyphens?

Wonder if even your teacher has mastered them......

Maybe, maybe not, but my teacher sure knows

how to use those editing marks! 

They must be her best friends, as she sure spends a lot of time with them.

Hmm, maybe I need some new friends??

Forgiveness in the classroom--is it necessary?

Slice of Life
http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com

My classroom policy has always been that every morning starts fresh--no matter what happened the day before. But I had not really thought about forgiveness as a tool for classroom management; not until I read an article by Michael Linsin published by the Smart Classroom Management. (Why Forgiveness Is a Powerful Classroom Management Strategy)
I started thinking; where do I usually hear about forgiveness? Church, among friends and family, maybe even among colleagues; but with my students? Well, I have apologized when I did not get the papers graded fast enough or when I had misplaced a student's paper. But using forgiveness to manage my classroom??? I would have to think deeper:

I started thinking about the student or students whose daily plan seems to be to disrupt the classroom. Not really by being mean, but by constantly finding reasons to get up, make a comment, blow a nose (just to make a sound), poke the person next to him/her, or just move the chair enough to make everyone lose their concentration. How do I respond? What tone do I use? Does my response encourage and propel further disruptions? Am I feeding the students' need to misbehave?And then, what do I need to change if I want to practice forgiveness in my classroom?

According to Michael Linsin,

• Although forgiveness is a remarkable de-stressor, it isn’t simply an internal, personal decision you make and keep to yourself. No, you must share it with your students.
• You must show them through your quick smile and open, welcoming body language that every day is a new day and that the mistakes of the past are truly forgotten and gone forever.
• Greeting your most challenging students with a kind word, being in their company with no strings attached, sharing a story with the one who spent the previous afternoon in time-out . . . these simple actions have power.
• Radical forgiveness—that which is given fully and freely with no expectation of anything in return—can be a remarkable tonic for your classroom.

So, what shall I do tomorrow in my classroom?

• I will continue to enforce our classroom rules and policies
• I will smile more 
• I will show with my words and my behavior that past mistakes are truly forgotten and forgiven (just remember: this is new and I am in training)
• I will make a conscious effort to greet my most challenging students  with kind words, and making myself available to these students (even when I don't have to)
• I will practice radical forgiveness in my classroom
• I will pique my students' interest by designing a sign: Radical forgiveness happens here (picture to come in a future post). It just might start an interesting conversation  in my class.  

Will I be perfect tomorrow and this week? Absolutely not! But, I have started something that can sow seeds for years to come. I am sure I will still get frustrated and make sarcastic comments, nevertheless, I have started my journey to irrigate my classroom with forgiveness and kindness Perhaps, I will need a bracelet that I can snap to remind me of the power of my words--both positive and negative.

A Great Friend and a Great Gift

On Wednesday evenings, I meet with a few other women from my church for a small group. We often think that we need to be serious and discuss serious topics, but we often end up laughing, and then laughing some more. Yes, we share events from or lives, encourage and pray for each other. I come home tired, but refreshed in my spirit! These meetings definitely irrigate my soul.
This past December, Penny gave all of as this book for Christmas:


For more information:
see Amazon website

This book is written by Melody Rose, one of the founders of BraveGirls Club. At first glance, it just another pretty book to look at. But as you start reading it, you realize that this book is about encouragement, healing, nourishment and fun! Its illustrations and words feed my soul!

Here are a few quotes from the book:

• Every day we can make progress toward our own big and little dreams. no more waiting, okay?
• If you've had a day when you've done all you can and you still feel defeated, please dear one, give yourself some grace.
• It is okay to leave the past behind. You won't fly the way you were meant to fly or to the heights you are meant to reach until you do.
• Comparing takes away our joy and our gratitude and our authenticity. Instead of comparing, practice feeling happy about another's abundance. And feel grateful and happy about YOURS, too.

This is a book that you want to read or just browse when you are feeling a little blue--or a lot. You will find something in the book to encourage you and lift your spirits.

But, this post would not be complete without talking about Penny! Penny is one of those friends who seems to understand what people need. She has this gift of looking a little deeper. We were all blessed, and continue to be blessed by Penny's Christmas gift. And we all like the book so much that we decided to read it together on Wednesday evenings! I am expecting serious thoughts, reflections, and of course, lots of laughter to continue to feed and irrigate our souls and spirits. 

My word for 2013 re-defined

IRRIGATE

I wrote about my words for 2013 last week. All week I have been thinking about my words, and I decided that I need to simplify my words!!! Here is the simplified version of my word for 2013:

The word for my teaching life came so easy, but I struggled with a word for the rest of my life. But somewhere in the middle of the week everything started coming together. I asked myself why I made this whole "assignment" so complicated? There really is just one word for me this year: IRRIGATE! What does it mean for me outside of school?

• irrigate my soul
• feed my soul with the right stuff
• build from the inside out
• irrigate my body
• keep it healthy
• feed it by sleeping, nutrition, exercise (thank you fitbit)
• irrigate my spirit
• engage in interactions and reflections that nurture and grow my spirit
• serve others as it feeds my spirit as well
• ask God what He wants me to do, and then have the courage to do it
• irrigate my mind
• laugh and then laugh again
• have fun
• dream (as you are nver too old for dreaming)
• maybe a new hobby
• write more (waiting for March :-))
• learn from others

There might be even a few more to add to the list. Excited to see how irrigation will go this year!!!!!
(Here is what I wrote one week ago about my life as an educator)
IRRIGATE

As I was thinking about my life as an educator, C.S.Lewis' words really hit it home for me. "The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." So, how am I going to "irrigate" at work? I was re-reading my post that I wrote in December (you can read it here) where I talk about the challenges that I face to try to educate a new generation of students. 
Here are a few things I believe I can try this year to irrigate:

• play with curiosity
• teach with joy
• be passionate about what I believe in
• show interest (and then some more interest) in what my students find interesting
• try something new in the classroom = be open to new ideas

Word for 2013

I could not just come up with one word; I had to choose two--one for me as an educator and another one for just me J


IRRIGATE

As I was thinking about my life as an educator, C.S.Lewis' words really hit it home for me. "The task of the modern educator is not to cut down jungles, but to irrigate deserts." So, how am I going to "irrigate" at work? I was re-reading my post that I wrote in December (you can read it here) where I talk about the challenges that I face to try to educate a new generation of students. 
Here are a few things I believe I can try this year to irrigate:

• play with curiosity
• teach with joy
• be passionate about what I believe in
• show interest (and then some more interest) in what my students find interesting
• try something new in the classroom = be open to new ideas

GOALS

This is just for me! C.S. Lewis said, "You are never too old to set another goal or to dream another dream." Yes, I like and respect C.S. Lewis. His wisdom still touches me. And I believe goals and even dreams are going to be part of this year for me!

What are your words for the year 2013?