An "F"

Yesterday a couple of girls asked me to help them with their history worksheet because they can't really read their history book. One section of the worksheet asked for three conflicts between the French and English, when they took place, and what the outcomes were. We answered all these questions.

Today the students came back with two of those three conflicts marked as wrong, which resulted in an "F" on their papers. Great. I can get A's in college yet I manage to get an F in 8th grade history. So I looked at the paper again, and the only thing I could determine is that conflict=war rather than conflict=war or problem. So we listed three wars, and I told them I hoped that was what their teacher was looking for. But really, the original answers made sense. I am realizing that I have great potential to be that mother who helps her kids with their homework and then calls the teacher upset when my child does poorly. I do not want to be that mother.

I guess it's just challenging to help these girls with their homework when they can't read the text. Usually I try to help by teaching strategies, enabling them to do the work on their own in the future (scaffolding). But I couldn't do that with this because they couldn't read it in the first place. Their teacher should really be giving them a modified assignment (and the classroom teachers do have opportunities to go to workshops on how to modify their material for ESL students). What do the students learn from me practically doing their assignment, besides that teachers are fallible creatures (and did I really want them to know that? :) )?

Tornado!

This past weekend 22 people were killed in a tornado in Evansville, IN, which is in the very south of Indiana. Also, about 5 miles from our house that same night, a tornado touched down and touch down a barn and some trees. Last night we had more severe weather, including a tornado warning for our area. We were listening to the radio when we heard that there was a storm cell right over Upland (where we live) and that all residents of Upland should be in their basements or lowest level of their houses with a blanket to cover themselves from breaking glass, etc. Dan and I were just settling in to watch an episode of Macgyver when this happened, so you can imagine how disappointing it was to sit in the basement stairs right next to Sammie's kitty litter while we waited for the okay to come out. Fortunately, there was no tornado, only thunderstorms.

Dana and Joan left Monday, after a fun and eventful weekend. We heard Wendell Berry read and answer questions Friday night, picked apples and met my parents for dinner on Saturday, and traveled to the home of Gene Stratton-Porter (a regional Indiana author - now deceased) on Sunday. We also managed to eat ice cream every single day Dana and Joan were here. :) Good times!

What a Job

Today during seventh period, we celebrated one of the student's birthdays. Alicia brought in homemade flautas (I think that's spelled correctly - anyway, flautas are wrapped tortillas filled with cheese and potato, and then fried), homemade salsa, sour cream, and lettuce. I was only going to have one, but she kept offering, so I ended up with 3! Yikes! I am so full but happy.

Now I am leaving for Indianapolis to pick up Dana and Joan (Dan's parents) from the airport! Yippie!

Another Fire

Our neighbor's house caught on fire again yesterday. The fire department said it was 10 times worse than the first one. The freaky thing is that I went over there around 4:30 to talk to William (the guy who lives there - he was doing inventory for the insurance company). He came over to our house a little while after that to borrow a flashlight. He came over again to return the flashlight, and then he came over again to call 911. Fortunately, he wasn't in the house when it re-ignited. Oh the drama. It was CRAZY!

Tired

I am at some friends' apartment right now, babysitting their sleeping girls. It's warm here and they have the Internet - yippie!

I am very tired from getting up so early and teaching/working with kids all day. I like working with ESL students, and though it takes less planning so far than at Blackford, in some ways it takes more energy. Today I taught the middle school boys for the first time, and we had a discussion on groups/fitting in, and it went pretty well. By that I mean, it was loud and crazy and sometimes off-topic, but they got into it. I also received a compliment from Isaac, who I'd talked to earlier about being in college/student teaching. During the lesson he asked me how long I would be teaching, and I told him I wasn't sure (I didn't want to say how long and then hear, "THAT LONG! WE HAVE TO HAVE YOU FOR THAT LONG!). He then told me I was doing a good job and that I'd definitely pass my class. :)

On a much sadder note, I found out about a student in one of my classes who is half my age and has already had a baby. There are more details, but I don't think it's be appropriate to put them one the blog. Sadness.