A Sonnet for the Class of 2016

Sonnet 2016

Your life is a book filled with memories,

ones to celebrate and ones to forget.

The high school chapter is a summary

of hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.

Before the second chapter is written,

make every opportunity count.

Always remember these words of wisdom.

Making the right choices is paramount.

Life is like music with slow and fast beats.

Find your rhythm in life and dance away.

Long, short, staccato, or just a repeat

Focus on mind, body, and soul each day.

The road you want to travel may not be

 the one path you end up on traveling.

There will be obstacles that you won't see.

If one path doesn't work, do more planning.

Now, it's time to take the book and write

the next chapters about your future life.


I wrote this poem with help from Mrs. Wallace and Mrs. Delong.

May the Fourth Be with You!

May 4, 2016

In a classroom along time ago,

      I wore a Star Wars t-shirt to school; it was May the fourth Be with You! I am a Star Wars fan just like my husband; we even have a Star Wars room filled with the action figures and the books written about the movies.  I thought about the other famous quotes said in the movies and how I could apply them to teaching.
     I'll start with Yoda's quote from Star Wars,  "Do or do not; there is not try." I either accomplish the task or fail it; just trying to do something will not bring any results. I wouldn't be able to reflect and make improvements. For example, I am already planning my curriculum for next year. I want to incorporate more formal speaking practice in each unit. The units will revolve around the senior paper and project. I want to push my students to go beyond just giving a speech about what they learned; I want them to create or do something with it by putting the idea into action!
     In the new Movie, Star Wars, the Force Awakens, Finn helped Poe escape Kylo Ren. Poe asked Finn why he was doing this, and Finn replied, "because it's the right thing to do." In education, I have to make choices and decisions that affect my students. Helping students find which path to take is the right thing to do in education. If that means throwing away the traditional approaches and implementing new ideas, I see no problems with it. Offering college classes in high school, having students make portfolios, and requiring students to read and write across the curriculum are just a few ideas. Helping students the right thing is to do.
     Also, in this movie, Finn and Rey say at the same time while they are trying to fix the Millinneim Falcon, "I can do this." I want my students to be independent learners who take risks and never give up. The senior speeches started this week, and I have made a few observations. A lot of the students do not like talking in front of a group, but when they accomplish this feat, they gain more self-confidence. I want them to believe that "they can do this." I want them to understand that failing is a part of learning, and that they must practice and practice to get something correct.
     I want to leave the last quote to you, the Oklahoma teachers, who have survived the negative remarks and insults about this profession.  "May the Force Be with You." Never lose the spirit, the energy, and the purpose of why you are a teacher. One teacher can change a student's life, but a group of teachers can change the world.

The Testing Season

February 13 & 14, & April 9, 2016

Days 230 & 231 as an Oklahoma Teacher

The testing season is almost finished. These tests are supposed  to show if teachers actually taught their students valuable information, and if the students retained the information from the class. I only played the testing game for a couple of years, and that was enough for me. These tests cost too much money. Here are some problems with the testing season.

Problem 1:
The tests take too much time, four to six weeks out of the second semester. Once the test is over
for that subject area, the students think that school is over, and it is difficult to get them to focus on
something else. Also, I have students in my AP class who don't like to have test preparation. Their attitudes change if I have them practice for the AP test. I equate this change in behavior to all the tests they have taken throughout the years. In my opinion, the AP test is the most important besides the ACT.

Problem 2:
I believe that the quality of writing has gone down because the writing part of the EOI limits the creativity and the knowledge of the students. For students, writing is only important for a test score, not for the love of expressing ideas. The purpose of writing has been lost; they don't understand the power of words, what writers say, and what people do with it.

Problem 3:
This one comes from one of my students who wrote his senior paper about testing. He said that more important concepts are left out of lesson plans. In my opinion, he is saying that tests limit the learning of students because some teachers only teach what will be on the test. If a class has higher-level students, does the teacher go beyond what is on the test to help the students? Students become bored with education and lose the reasons why learning is important.


Problem 4:
This student also said that students don't take the tests seriously anymore. They know that colleges look at the ACT scores, not the EOI scores. After students pass their required number of tests, they do not care about the other two they have to take. When testing became a way to evaluate teachers, then the integrity of the tests was lost. Maybe, we should evaluate teachers and schools on how successful students are at the college and career levels.

Problem 5:
Students should be applying what they know to create and to innovate new ideas. Sitting in from of a computer screen for a couple of hours to take a multiple-choice test only shows what students remember. We need students to apply the skills that they have learned to solve a problem. Why are we testing? What do we want students to be able to do? Will these tests help students prepare for college? These are questions to be pondered and answered.

So You Think You Can Teach?

April 16, 2016

Another Day as an Oklahoma Teacher

Since the school year is about to end, it's time to reflect about what has happened.

1. Being a teacher means trying new ideas, so what is a successful idea that I have tried and what were the results? Here's my answer.

Over the years, I have tried the newest fads that have invaded education. However, this idea is one that I created. To practice questioning skills, using the ACE strategy, and working with a group, I had may students create a board game for The Odyssey. The students had to design the board using a setting from the poem, and the game had to include game pieces, 50 cards, rules, and had to contain at least four obstacles just like Odysseus had to encounter. Everyone played the different games and filled out comment cards.

2. What is an idea that I used that ended up being a complete failure?

One of the requirements for the senior paper was to keep a log of what was accomplished and what needed to be finished. A lot of students didn't like this idea; they would rather not set goals, just throw something together and that would be good enough. They are missing the idea of reflection which they will need at the college level. I graded the logs the first semester, but I didn't have them complete the logs the second semester. For the next school year, I am going to require the logs for both semesters, but the students will have options: snapchat stories, blogs, or voice recordings. 

3. What is a major issue in education?

The major issue has been the negative talk about public education. This talk led to the decrease in school funding, which led to the teacher shortage, and now is leading to schools having to consider consolidating or closing. All of these problems have been caused by manipulative people with other agendas. They have never liked public schools or teachers and would do anything to destroy public education. This manipulation is nothing new; the agenda has been pushed for at least five years. Saying that all schools are failing is just as ridiculous as me insinuating that only some students can be successful. Teachers have the solutions; we just need to be respected for our opinions.

4. What is one idea that should be implemented in schools?

I will be implementing this idea next year. Every student should have an educational map that documents what they have accomplished and what they need to do to be college and career ready. We have to get out of the mindset that all students will go to college; I have several students who have learned a trade and will just start working after graduation. There are students who are ahead of their peers in academics, and those students who next extra help. Creating this map would help me as a teacher to see the individual needs of the students and also let the students see the big picture. They need to see what it will take to reach their goals, their dreams, and their destinations.

5.  What advice would I give someone going into education?

First, don't believe the idea that teachers get the summers off. Most of us are attending several workshops, teaching summer school, or planning for next year. I moved into a different building and attended five workshops last summer. Next, be ready to learn something new and adjust your lesson plans. What you think you will teach may change. Always reflect about your teaching. What can you do better? What are some ways to make your classroom instruction relevant to real-world ideas? Finally, never give up! People will say negative words about education to push their agendas. Just be ready to stand up for our students.

Now, you can just read my questions and answers, create your own questions and answers, or use the ones I have. It's your choice.