Avoiding Summer Vacation Bordem. How to keep your high schoolers academically engaged over summer break.

I know you may be trembling at the thought of having your kids home supervised or unsupervised for the next eight to ten weeks.  Summer break is peaking over the horizon, it is a black cloud of impending doom.  (And you thought those were just thunderstorms.)   However, I promise,  there are ways to keep your high schoolers academically engaged without driving yourself crazy and without spending a lot of money. 

 When you hear the famous:" Mom, I'mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm bored"! whine, rather than pulling out a bottle of real wine, with a bit of planning ahead, there are several solutions.

1.  Many kids claim that they hate reading.  That simply means they haven't found what they like to read yet.  How about having a family book club where you choose a book and read it along with your kids.  It will give you lots of dinner table discussion topics and encourage them to keep reading.  You still eat together, right? Pick the latest popular Young Adult thriller, vampire romance, zombie apocalypse tale or whatever interests your teen.  Don't force them to read something that they will hate.  My son took on the Game of Thrones books last summer.  He said they were the hardest books that he has ever read, but he couldn't put them down.  My husband and son had a great time talking through the story lines.

2.  Run the closed captioning on your TV no matter how much they complain about it.  Your teens will subconsciously read the captions as they watch.  This increases reading speed and fluency with barely any extra effort.

3.  Make them get some kind of physical activity.  They can swim, run, attend sports camps, walk, etc.  Give them a goal.  Have them walk enough miles on the treadmill to get to Canada and back.  Pressing controllers on the XBox does not count as exercise.

4.  Ask them to help you with the family budget.  Kids need to be aware of what they are costing you, and ask them to help re do the budget to save enough for some kind of reward.

5.  Ask them to take over meal planning for one night a week or more.  This not only teaches them how to cook, but to actually research, read, and use a recipe.   Set a budget and send them shopping.  Make it a challenge.  Have them research a genre of cooking, then find a recipe, and have them tell you more about the culture the food comes from.

7.  Help them get organized for the next school year by going through the junk they bring home on the last day of school and organize it into files.  Then teach them an organizational system for keeping their work together.  I can't tell you how many times kids have forgotten to turn in assignments that they actually completed because the work was wadded up in their backpack and they couldn't find it when I called for it.

Do you have more ideas?  Feel free to comment.

Young Adult Choices: Summer Reading

School is almost over!!!  I am really excited to spend more time reading... for fun!  My reading list will include several of the books on the International Reading Association's Young Adult Choices list.  I teach at a high school that was lucky enough to be part of this project.  Our students read and reviewed many of th books submitted by publishers. That means they made the list because our very own students gave them the thumbs up. How cool!.  Remember, YA isn't just for kids anymore, so read away!

Below is a partial list from the IRA, including their book summaries.  See their Website for the rest of their Young Adult Choices winners.
http://www.reading.org/Libraries/choices/ira-young-adults-choices-reading-list-2013.pdf


All My Friends Are Still Dead
Avery Monsen and Jory John. Chronicle.
This humorous collection of cartoons and drawings
depicts a variety of people and other life forms as
they deal with the existential aspects of their lives
(and deaths).

Boy21
Matthew Quick. Little, Brown Books for Young
Readers.
Finley, an introverted teen, is the only Anglo player
on his high school’s varsity basketball team. When
former basketball phenomenon Russ moves into
town after his parents’ murder, Finley is asked by
his basketball coach to befriend him. Identity,
injustice, and loss are explored through this unique
friendship.

Breaking Beautiful
Jennifer Shaw Wolf. Walker Childrens.
Following the death of her boyfriend, Trip, in a car
accident, Allie is overwhelmed, left scarred, and
unable to recall what happened. Crushed by
survivor’s guilt and loss, Allie is simultaneously
relieved to be rid of the abuse Trip imposed. As the
suspicious circumstances of the accident are
uncovered, Allie must reveal difficult truths.

Cinder
Marissa Meyer. Square Fish.
First in a series of four planned novels (The Lunar
Chronicles), this fresh retelling of the classic fairy
tale is set in a dystopian future and portrays the
heroine as a cyborg mechanic. This fast-paced
adventure includes a romantic prince, an evil queen,
a deadly plague, and a dysfunctional stepfamily.

City of Lost Souls
Cassandra Clare. Walker Childrens.
The fifth volume in the Mortal Instruments series,
this fantasy–adventure–romance features vampires,
werewolves, warlocks, faeries, and a teenage love
triangle. Clare and the Shadow hunters try to stop
her evil brother, Sebastian, but as he is “bound” to
her beloved Jace, how can one be killed and not the
other?

Cracked
K.M. Walton. Simon Pulse.
This powerful and empathetic picture of bullying is
told from the perspectives of abuser and abused.
Through alternating narratives, they reveal a tragic
history as victims of physical, emotional, and verbal
abuse. After becoming roommates in a psych ward,
each attempts a dramatic escape from his pain.
From Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Square Fish.
From Cracked by K.M. Walton. Simon Pulse.


Dead to You
Lisa McMann. Simon Pulse.
Ethan is abducted at 7 years old from his front lawn.
At 16, he is reunited with his parents. He has no
memory of his life before he was taken. His younger
brother Blake believes he is not his brother. Mama
says the DNA test is not necessary. Is it?

Every Day
David Levithan. Knopf Books for Young Readers.
‘A’ lives a nomadic life, switching daily from body to
body. He refuses to form emotional bonds with
others until he meets Rhiannon, who touches his
heart. When ‘A’ reveals his true identity to
Rhiannon, she struggles with his constantly
changing outward identities. Can love triumph, or is
‘A’ asking too much?

The Fault in Our Stars
John Green. Dutton Juvenile.
Hazel and Gus, who meet in a Cancer Kid Support
Group, decide to take risks as they embark on a
life-affirming trip to Amsterdam. During their
journey of mutual understanding they find
friendship, happiness, and love while facing the
injustice of terminal illnesses. Love softens and
magnifies the reality and sorrow to come.

Fracture
Megan Miranda. Walker Childrens.
It’s cold—really cold—when Delaney falls through
the ice. She is under freezing water for 11 minutes
but, strangely, she awakens from a coma six days
later with no apparent brain damage. Now things
are different. Pulled toward death, Delaney tries to
find a way to understand her new life.

Getting Over Garrett Delaney
Abby McDonald. Scholastic.
Sadie has been in love with Garrett Delaney for far
too long. She finally realizes that no matter how
‘perfect’ she is for him, Garrett will never see her as
more than a friend. Sadie picks up the pieces of her
broken heart and moves on in the best possible way.

Girl Meets Boy
Kelly Milner Halls. Chronicle.
This collection of “he said/she said” stories tell of
hope and heartbreak as the problems of forming
youthful romantic relationship are explored. The
complexity and fragility of love relationships are
wonderfully constructed. Twelve of the most
dynamic and engaging contemporary YA authors are
featured in this one-of-a-kind compilation.

Planning a Stress-Free High School Graduation Party

About two weeks ago, my son decided that, yes; in fact, he does want to have a graduation party.  Keep in mind, in our area, graduation is Mid to late May.  With only two weeks to plan and host a party, I had to kick things into gear, pronto!

So, within 24 hours, I picked a venue, set a date,  ordered and printed invitations (from Walgreens; ready in a few hours), picked them up, addressed them and mailed them.  We chose to have the party a week before graduation.  There are so many parties on graduation weekend, it is difficult for everyone to get to all of them.

Next week, I can enjoy the actual graduation without running home to prep for a party.

We decided to have the party at a nice pizza restaurant in our area for several reasons:
1.  Reasonable cost.
2.  No cooking for me.
3.  Little pre-party shopping.  (Yay! I am not a fan of shopping unless it is shopping on Amazon.com)
4.  No frantic house cleaning.
5.  Easy set up.
6.  No mess to clean after.  Well, at least for us, the restaurant employees have that privilege.

We had a great turn out, and everything went very well.  My mom helped with shopping for party supplies, for the tables and the cake.

I called and ordered the balloons the day before the party.  In fact, I worked all-day the day of the party.    I stopped and picked up the cake and balloons, and I came ran home and changed and headed over to the pizza place.

For decorations, we put blue plastic table cloths on all of the tables.  (Thank you mom for cutting them all to size!)  She cut another gold cloth into strips for an accent stripe down each table.

We bought bouquets of blue and yellow (pretend they are gold) balloons and placed them around the room.  As you can see from pictures, the balloons tangled up during the car ride over to the party.  Next time I will have them put each bunch in a separate garbage bag.  It took the kids about a half hour to untangle them.

I hung small rope on the window.  I used binder clips and put snapshots of our son from across them and hung the string on the window.

At the door to the party room we had a table with a framed senior picture, his football jersey, yearbook, a baby outfit he once wore for pictures, and a copy of the baby picture.  On the opposite door, we hung his army uniform.  Our son is in the reserves and leaves about a month after graduation for Basic Training.  We had guests sign his yearbook.  I also found a blue basket for cards.

We served pizza, salad, breadsticks, soda, and cake.  Other than a bit of lag time when the pizza ran out, everything went smoothly.  The food and drink costs were about the same as I would have spent on groceries for a party at home.

It was a fun stress free party!  I recommend this for everyone who wants to enjoy the day.  I wish I had more pictures of the actual party, but I was too busy socializing.

BPA is scary!

The article below is one of the major reasons that I am trying to change my lifestyle and rely less on store bought products. 

http://www.naturalnews.com/039839_BPA_phthalates_triclosan.html#ixzz2Q6KXIdMu

Source:  www.ewg.org

Recently I posted on why I am making my own deodorant.  I am also thinking of ditching my Tassimo coffee maker.  The little coffee discs are plastic, and probably full of BPA.  Thanks to my friend Tania for calling the article below to my attention.  I did not even think of my coffee discs as BPA filled. 

http://hamptonroads.com/2013/03/cancer-patients-and-survivors-are-kcups-safe

Here is my post on homemade deodorant.  No chemicals!

http://ourchangingnestnowwhat.blogspot.com/2013/03/pinterest-adventures-homemade-deodorant.html

Another Teacher's Take on the "I Quit " Teacher Resignation Letter

Last week, Gerald Conti's resignation letter to his superintendent sparked a national debate about education reform.  It was published in The Washington Post and has gone viral on Facebook.

/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/04/06/teachers-resignation-letter-my-profession-no-longer-exists/

I am not suprised that a 40 year veteran is so frustrated with his profession.  The education system has changed greatly since I started in 1989.  Testing has gone high stakes.  Many teachers complain that they are forced to "teach to the test."  Kids are different.  Parents are different. Politicians and the public defame teachers and resent that they have to pay us. Teaching is not easy.  The work is tough, and our employers have high expectations for our performance.

I am very lucky that I teach in a high performing public school with involved parents and a smart administration.  I also teach in a state that has not yet bought into the Common Core.  We do have high stakes assessments required for graduation; however, I think the testing has made my curriculum better, not worse.

At the beginning of my career, we taught by the book.  The textbook that is.  We wrote objectives for each class but they were not consistent.  I could have one set of objectives, and the teacher next door could have a completely different set for the same course.  The education students received depended upon the random luck of where the computer placed them.  My expectations for student performance were, at times, completely different from the teacher next door.

When Six-Trait Writing was introduced, student writing was more focused on grammar and marking errors with a red pen, rather than looking at the content and style of the writing.  When we began teaching writing with the traits, the content of student writing improved dramatically.  Today, I don't have to focus on the traits exclusively when I teach writing.  Because my students started learning the traits in first grade, they know what good writing is and how to apply it to their own work.  I now can focus on coaching them on developing their ideas fully, as well as coacing them to write in a mature academic style in preparation for college.

My students are over tested.  They have the required graduation assessments for the district, and they also have state required assessments.  They know the district assessments mean something, but in truth, they also know the state assessments are only measuring school performance, not individual performance.  They do not always care about their performance. It is not a matter of pride.  There is no reward or consequence for performance on our state tests, so more often than not, they do not take them seriously.  I have heard of students putting in all C's on the multiple choice section just to finish the test quickly, so they can go back to playing Angry Birds on their cell phone.

Because of testing, we are more focused on individual instruction for students who are not performing up to the minimum standards.  Students at my school, who are not performing well on reading assessments, are placed in a program, during study hall, that focuses on improving reading skills.  Each student has individual time working with a teacher with the goal of improving fluency and comprehension.  Our program is working.  Recently one of my study hall students improved so much she is no longer below grade level, she is now above grade level.

Teaching to the test is a fallacy.  Tests should measure skills actually taught in each grade and subject area.    If that is the case, then our objectives become more consistent rather than being different for each teacher.  It helps me to know what standards I should focus upon, so that I can be sure my students are developing the skills they need to be successful.  I can't just pick any old novel to read with my students. Though,  I can pick a novel that matches district and state objectives, and thus, will improve their reading and analytical skills. Because of test security, I am not allowed to see the test questions in advance, but I can see lists of skills that the tests address. 

I am grateful that, where I work,  I have the academic freedom to create lessons that truly help my students meet the objectives for their grade level and beyond.  Critical thinking skills are still a strong part of my curruiculum.  My lessons are designed to lead students to the water, but they still have to learn how to take a drink.  If a student doesn't get it the first time, I take them back to the water, but maybe on a different path.  I still have the freedom to choose the best path. It is too bad that in some states, bureaucrats are dictating the path.  Those are the states that will lose the best teachers.

 

Cinnamon Roll Smoothie: Weight Watchers Friendly

I should call this a shake. It tastes like a cinnamon roll.  It is delicious and Weight Watchers friendly.

I am having it for dinner.  I have already used most of my points today.  I don't mind.  Did I mention that this is my favorite.

Combine one serving of vanilla protein powder with one cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk.  I like EAS and Body By Vi.  Add 1 T of Sugar Free vanilla pudding powder,  and cinnamon to taste.

I have been using Mason Jars with my $12.00  blender.  Thank you Pinterest!

Blend until the cinnamon is fully blended in.

Enjoy!

Relational Aggression: This is Bullying Too!

When I was in eighth grade, I was part of a clique run by queen bee, Christine Earle.  We had slumber parties, mall trips, skating parties, and long phone conversations.  I loved my friends, and I really loved being part of a group.

That was until the day I found out I was suddenly and mercilessly kicked out of the group.  One day I had friends; the next day I didn't, and it was all because of a pair of jeans.

Calvin Klein designer jeans were the thing to have in 1980. At the time, Brooke Shields was starring in her famous jeans commercials, and pointing her butt toward the camera to show off her label.  At the slumber party, three of us decided to put on our Calvins and pose for a Brooke like picture. 

The problem was, Christine didn't have a pair of Calvins.  She happily snapped the photo at the moment, but was apparently seething inside.  I had no idea what kind of Pandora's box of  anger we had opened with that silly little picture.

Since I had suggested that we take the picture, I was the one to feel her wrath.  My first indication of trouble was when I went up to chat with the group at their lockers between classes; they ignored me. They wouldn't even speak to me.  Soon after, I found out that the group had planned to go out to lunch together following an early school dismissal.  This time I wasn't invited.

I was devastated.  I spent many lonely walks home debating with myself. What did I do?  I spent the rest of the school year feeling very alone.  I found other people to eat with, but we were not really friends.

One member of the group was still my friend when the others were not around to notice.  She started walking home with me.  She gave me a poem to help me through.  Still, she couldn't talk to me in public.

Suddenly, a boy started calling me inviting me to a non-existent party.  Of course it was Christine's boyfriend disguising his voice.

My self-esteem soon plummeted to zero.  On April 1st the girls gave me a note apologizing and telling me they wanted to make up and be friends again.  Of course, it said April Fools at the end of the letter.

Relational aggression is, according to about.com,  "(R.A.) is a form of bullying common among tweens, and especially tween girls. The behavior describes an individual, or a group of individuals, who try to hurt a peer, or sacrifice another's standing within their peer group. "

As discussed in the book, Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, Girls who dole out the R.A. often do so to exert control over their peer group.  A target is chosen as sort of a sacrificial lamb so the queen bee can show what happens when another questions her power.  Once a girl becomes a target, in my opinion, the relationship can not be repaired.

This type of bullying is harder to detect.  Moms who have been through themselves it can often recognize this bullying immediately.  Teachers usually don't notice.  It is not like the typical bullying portrayed in the movies where one student physically harms another.  This type of bullying is silent.  Most of the harm comes from excluding and ignoring the target.  

However, the pain can last a lifetime.  Women like me, who have been excluded, often find that they don't trust other women.  Relational aggression does not always end during the tween years.  Women can be victims of it well into adulthood.

I will never know what happened to Christine.  I don't care.  Her bullying did affect me for years, and it probably subtly still does. It took me well into my 30's to find a true best friend.  Even if your daughter isn't being hit, pinched, or tripped does not mean she hasn't been bullied.  

Moms, watch your daughter for behavior changes.  If she suddenly goes from being a social butterfly to an introvert, there is a problem.  Hug her.  Take her out on a mom/daughter date.  Watch a movie together.  She will need you.