Thursday, April 29

Rose #1: Today, my student with autism recited the Prologue from Romeo and Juliet almost perfectly. 7 of my ten students refused to even try, but that was almost totally wiped out by this one student's "performance."

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Wednesday, April 28

1. I did the discussion activity with the post-it notes with my other 10th grade English class and they LOVED it. We had so much discussion we almost didn't have time to read. And it was GOOD discussion. Three of my male students are at the same age now that their parents were when they had them, so we've had some really great discussions about what that feels like.

2. My senior students continue to enjoy The Alchemist, and they continue to tell me they do. This makes me smile. :)


I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Tuesday, April 27

Rose #1: I got the copy of A Raisin in the Sun that I ordered last week! It's the movie version with Sean Combs & Phylicia Rashad. I can't wait to show my kids!

Rose #2: I came up with an idea to do a fun discussion activity with my kids today where I gave them four post-it slips. Each student wrote his or her name on each of his or her slips, and then the students were required to speak at least 2 times to get credit, but could only speak a total of 4 times. It was fun to see students who haven't been involved in discussion get involved. I was being observed this morning, so I'm really glad I had the idea & that it worked!

There might be more roses today......wait and see!

I hope you stop to smell the roses today!

Monday, April 26

I have been sick, so there hasn't been much to smile about over the past week. However, I also realize that this blog is what helps me recognize those things that will make me smile, so I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things!

Rose #1: I attended my district's transfer fair today which gave me the opportunity to email with principals from other high schools in my district in case I decide I want to make a move. I only interviewed with one high school, the one closest to where I live, and it was fantastic. It really helped boost my confidence. You know how you feel when you have a really good interview? Like, oh, I am good at this! That's exactly how I felt, and I have to say, it's really improved my attitude. I was pretty cheerful on my way to work today.....which might have been more of a result of the fact that Adam bought me the Glee: Power of Madonna cd last night & I listened to it all the way to work! But, anyways, the interview was a really great experience for me and I'm proud of myself for following through.

Rose #2: My homebound student is doing so well! We are preparing for a big test in history and I decided that if I was going to be a good teacher, I better know the stuff better than her, so I went through the test she'll be taking and found all of the answers and read through different sections of the book so I could help explain things to her. She'll take the test today (Tuesday) and I can't wait to see how she does!

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Tuesday, April 20

Rose #1: A student reminded me that I needed to update my star students, so I did. I really like doing that and looking at how students have improved over the past quarter.

Rose #2: My B day 10th grade class has been carrying on some really great discussions about The House on Mango Street. I'm amazed at how much we have to talk about and how willing they are to participate.

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Monday, April 19

Rose #1: I decided to show Shakespeare in Love to my 9th grade classes. It does a good job of showing students what it was like during Shakespeare's time. My B day class started it on Friday and didn't respond as well as I wanted them to. My A day class on Monday, however, really responded to the movie. They were engaged and noticed parts of the movie that related to what we've been learning about.

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Friday, April 16

Rose #1: At our parent partnership meeting on Thursday, I awarded one of my students as most improved in English for the 3rd quarter. On Friday morning, he came up to tell me that not only did I make his day, I made his mom's day too.

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Thursday, April 15

Rose #1: I had my introductory dinner for the Eastern Virginia Writing Project's Summer Institute. I got to meet my group that I'll be working with all summer. I also got to eat dinner at the Blue Talon, which is one of the most delicious restaurants in Williamsburg. It was wonderful.

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Wednesday, April 14

Rose #1: Today, I attended one of HP's Digital Learning Events. It was held in Leesburg, VA. I got to meet Intel's Director for Global Education. It was really cool. I also learned I'd rather be teaching my students than sitting in traffic.

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Tuesday, April 13

Rose #1: Other teachers recognized that my journal activity in my classroom has been really successful and suggested that it be presented at one of our parent meetings. It's nice to know that other people are interested in what I'm doing in my classroom.

Rose #2: When I worked with my homebound student after school, she brought her Of Mice and Men paper that she'd been working on over spring break. She had done so much pre-writing and organizational work, and she had so many questions to ask me about the paper. I was really excited to see how my teaching has affected my students as far as their writing is concerned.

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today.

Monday, April 12

Ok, so it's been crazy since I got back from break! Sorry it has taken me so long, but I'm going to try get back on track!

Rose #1: My rose for Monday is that, for the first time all year, I'm starting units I actually LIKE in EVERY class! My seniors are starting The Alchemist, my juniors are starting A Raisin in the Sun, my sophomores are starting The House on Mango Street, and my freshmen are starting Romeo and Juliet. Please respond if you've read any of these or remember reading them in school. If you've read them, tell me why you LOVED them. If you learned about them in school, tell me what your teachers did to make them interesting!

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Friday, April 2

Rose #1: My students wrote papers on Of Mice and Men as a final assignment. One student came into class and said, "Ms. Oxley, I need help. I just don't know how to tie my thesis together with my conclusion." One of my best teaching moments ever. The fact that he even cared enough to ask for help, and the fact that he knew what kind of help he was looking for, really impressed me!

Rose #2: SPRING BREAK BABY! Catch ya on April 12!

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Thursday, April 1

Rose #1: My students watched a documentary on Zora Neale Hurston and they paid attention even though they weren't required to take notes. When I asked them questions afterwards, they knew every answer plus some more information I didn't ask about!

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Wednesday, March 31

Rose #1: I haven't had many students turn in their poetry projects even though they are worth 150 points and were due two weeks ago. I started wondering if the project really WAS just too difficult for them. Then, a couple of my students who aren't really star students generally turned in projects that were great. They're work impressed me and re-affirmed my belief that it really was a good project that my students were capable of completing.

Rose #2: All of my girls at Girls on the Run ran the same number of laps or more than they did at our last meeting. We're making progress!

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Tuesday, March 30

Rose #1: Three of my Key Club officers went to lunch with me today at the local Kiwanis meeting. The president spoke in front of about 20 adult members of the Kiwanis club and he did a FANTASTIC job. It was so exciting to see my students acting like mature young adults.

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!

Monday, March 29

Rose #1: This is a Girls on the Run related rose instead of a school one. We talked about gratitude today at GOTR. We talked about how what matters is our insides, not what we look like on the outside. One of my girls said that someone told her our outside bodies are just our "earth suits" and that some day, they won't matter any more, and only what's inside will count.

I hope you stopped to smell the roses today!