What will your verse be?

Excuse me.    I know that you are busy stomping on bubble wrap to relieve stress after assessing assessment assessments and the assessors themselves.

May I interest you in a little inspiration?

It's free.

The last time that I remember watching Dead Poets Society was years ago...on the big screen.   I was an awkward teenager who was excited at the thought that there was all of this marrow to suck out of life and that boys would write me sheaves of poetry.   It's not likely that I was seriously pondering a career in education at the time.   I was thinking about boys and rosebud gathering, not inspirational teachers.   Yawn.

I'm kind of excited about watching the film as a teacher.   Mr. Keating had some great ideas about connecting literature to life and making the beauty of language unfold before them.   Remember the earthy coziness of the poets' lair and how much fun it was for the boys to carry on with their education outside of the classroom?   Awesome.   When kids take the reins, it's a great day.

I think that it's because of this film that I skipped so many of  my college English classes that were held in a windowless bank building.   Literature and life without a single ray of sunlight or glass portal to the natural world.   It was making me dumberer.   And grouchy.   But this is all beside the point.

Here's the rub.

   

What will your verse be?   It's up to you.   

But...I beg you.

Please don't be the person who put the "ass" in assessment.

Yes, I said "ass," but so did Shakespeare, so that means it's okay, right?

Let's not let anything make "fools of us all."

Signed,

Little and Fierce

Starting from Scratch

On the evening of Saturday, April 16, 2011, a tornado ripped through the middle school where I have been a teacher since 1999.   Although my classroom did not seem to suffer wind damage, the contents were unrecoverable.  

Just about 40ish feet through these doors is where we duck and cover during drills.

If you know teachers, you know that most of us like "stuff."   We save anything we think we'll have the slightest chance of needing later for a potential lesson, no matter how obscure the item.   With the exception of one possession, which I will reveal to you at a later time, bits and pieces of my classroom will most likely have a new life fertilizing soil somewhere...an idea that I quite like.



Do you want to hear the best news?   No one was in the school building at the time.

Do you want to hear the next-best news?   My amazing friends are helping me restock my classroom already!

In order to have a quick and easy way to maintain a shopping list for my classroom, I first thought of Amazon.   I would be able to keep track of my purchases and have receipts when any insurance money comes back to me.  

Because so many people have offered to help me out right now, I created a baby registry, so they could shop easily as well.   Yep, a baby registry.   And you have to name the father.   That's Mister Tornado to you.

So what's with the blog?   I thought that it might help me consider what really makes a difference for my students.   Am I replacing everything?   Nope.   I'm starting with my greatest hits, and adding some new teaching tools as well.

What's in it for you, Dear Reader?   If you're a parent, you may also find some tools to use at home.   If you are a book lover, you may enjoy it as well.   If you have ever had to start anything over from scratch, you may be my audience.   If you're a teacher, bless your heart.   Take some of my ideas that you like and make them your own.   And teachers, if I list an item that you also have success with using in your classroom, let's trade some tips!

If you just like "stuff," I'm your girl as well.   For fun, I will also post items that I do not have a need to replace now and then.

Item #1 that does NOT need replacing: Green, plastic triceratops pincher toy.   No, I never used this in class.  I bought it because it reminded me of a long-ago trip to Walt Disney World during which I spent the day goosing my good natured grandmother with a similar toy.   Is this a must-have item for you?   It's available at http://www.dinosaurcorporation.com/grabbers1.html