Believe it or not, I still get nervous when my parents visit! My students see me as Ms. Landau, but to my mom and dad I'll always be "Yellie". I was anxious to see how they would react to me in my new role! They visited my classroom last Tuesday and we all had a blast. After my kids got into the groove of reading I asked my parents to join in with their reading groups and they were able to interact with the students during small-group discussions. It was spectacular to watch my 9th graders hold their own in a conversation about the symbolism, foreshadowing, and allusions in
Of Mice and Men. And my parents were pretty well behaved, though my mom was a bit "chatty"! At one point I called her "Melissa" and one of my students could not believe I called my mom by her first name. But she was my student at that moment, and calling her "Mrs. Landau" would have been even more confusing! My parents are my biggest fans and I am so blessed to have them, whether near of far. "Always together and never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart."
Behavior!
One thing I'm working on with some of my kids is their behavior in other classes. Because I have honors, I know there is a higher standard for behavior. But recently I've heard from a few colleagues that my honors student is disruptive or talkative in their class. This is entirely unacceptable. Most of the time, these students are completely capable, and therefore are just goofing off because they know they are smart enough to do well in the regular class. But what they do not realize is that the students sitting next to them may not have the same natural ability that they do. They are therefore hurting their friends. This has become a pattern and since I want to nip it in the bud, I had a "chat" with each of my 9H classes. The discussion really revolved around something I was taught on the soccer field as a 10-year-old. There were many games that my travel soccer team won, but my coaches made it clear that true character is shown off the field, win or lose. The message they instilled in us was: "you are always wearing you jersey". This was later reiterated to me in college when I joined a sorority and was told, "you are always wearing your letters". The lesson is about representing your organizations and yourself at all times. What you post online, what you do on a regretful Saturday night, and how you act in other classes, reflects on you and those around you. What I told my kids was when they distract others in math, or science, or Spanish, they reflect poorly on themselves, their honor student peers, and even their teachers. This struck a chord with many of them as I watched them look around and realize that their elite peers were disappointed in the reputation a few of them were creating for the whole group. After that stern talking-to, I look forward to better reports from my fellow teachers in the future!
Decorating!
I love that my school has a door decorating competition! For mine I wanted to create something interactive: students can use one of the pens hung on the door and write their holiday wishes on stickie notes. I'm curious to see what they come up with, so I started them off with some "appropriate" examples.
Business Cards!
WHAT! AM I, AN ADULT? Well I don't know about that but I do have business cards thanks to a fabulous Hanukkah gift from my wonderful mother. Now if a parent stops by school or my advisees want to do a fundraiser at a restaurant, I have something to give them for future contact. I truly feel like I'm getting into the groove in my role as "teacher". I make phone calls home, I grade papers at Starbucks, I lesson plan constantly, and I interact with students every moment of each day. The only thing I wish for is MORE TIME. There is simply never enough time for all the things I want to do!
Tweeting!
One of my students actually told me that I don't tweet enough! So I plan to make an effort to have more of an internet presence. I posted about how excited I was to be grading so many perfect quizzes, and one of my students immediately responded with a "did I (ace it)?" It was adorable and I quickly sent her a message that she did indeed get an "A"! (See picture below)
All in all it was another fun week as Ms. Landau. However, the holiday season is somewhat bittersweet. I am so lucky to have a loving family and group of friends supporting me from every corner of the world, but sadly this is not the case for many of my students. I know I can be there for them in my various roles: a teacher, a mentor, an advisor, and a cheerleader, rooting them toward success. High school is tough but my kids are resilient and can make it through anything.
Cheers!
Danielle
Many of them take food home for the weekend because putting groceries in the fridge is a constant struggle for their parents or guardians. Quite a few of them have opened up to me about family members who struggle with alcoholism, bankruptcy, gambling, and drug abuse. And a select group have suffered through the loss of an immediate family member, usually a single parent, in the last three months. How can I identify with students who are dealing with so much, when my life was, in comparison, a fairytale. The answer is simple: I can listen, reflect, and help them overcome.
