A Tune Without Words: For a lifetime

With all of the hubbub about state tests, sometimes I begin to forget that ultimately, I want my students to think critically and become lifelong readers and writers who engage with the people and world around them. I came back to that a little this week, with starting up third quarter independent reading ("We have to do that again? I thought we were done with that last semester!") and implementing daily journaling, with weekly blogging.

Over the Christmas holiday I bought more used YA novels to expand my classroom library, from which most of my students' independent books come. Mostly I bought a pile of Nicholas Sparks and Walter Dean Meyers. I introduced them, and my stack of new finds was gone by the end of the day (only 2 books were left for the 3rd class), with students fighting over who got some of them. I introduced The Host as a book by the same woman who wrote the Twilight series and an alien-invasion romance in which the aliens control your mind. A boy picked up on "alien invasion" and claimed it. Not saying boys can't like romance, but I don't think this book is what he is bargaining for.... Him, along with the boy who wrote in his journal that he chose The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy became he liked the movie. (If you've read and seen both, you'll understand why that's a terrible idea.)

Then the students mobbed around the bookshelf where I keep my library. "You don't have any books that I like," a student complained. "What kind of books do you like?" I asked. "Mysteries," he said, so I showed him House Rules, telling him it was about a teenage boy accused of murder. He and another girl got so excited about it that they are now sharing the book, and the girl is trying to get another copy.

I switched the Do Now to silent journaling for the first 5 minutes of class (thanks to my donors!), and so far, it's working wonders. For the most part, they actually sit there and journal silently! Starting the class peacefully is a life saver for me, and I think it rubs off on the rest of class for the students, too, since they have been forced to quiet down and engage for 5 minutes.

Friday I started student blogs, where I'm hoping they can expand one of their journal entries every week, and read and respond to their classmates'. You can see my class blog at msvanderhaak.edublogs.org. There's a list of student blogs on the lefthand side, but they're password-protected. So, for a taste...

"I'll never forget the taste of chocolate. I'll never forget the color of your eyes. I'll never forget what it is to be Mexican. I'll never forget the day i sang to you. I"ll never forget what it was to be 10 years old. I''ll never forget my name...."

"I'll never forget my mom's birthday and favorite color. I'll never forget the time I got to go to Nashville Shores with my childhood friends. I'll never forget the first time I got to hold my baby cousin. I'll never forget losing my cousin to gun violence. I'll never forget losing my granny to cancer. I'll never forget the first time I seen a snake...."

"I'll never forget my first love. I'll never forget my 15th birthday party. I'll never forget [name]. I'll never forget my first credit card. I'll never forget my dad. I'll never forget I am a child of GOD...."

"Well if I could go anywhere when I wanted it will be Mexico because I will be able to see my family again. It will be our first time seeing each other. I will go to the fair and the beach also. We will go and eat some Mexican food like tacos and some other things. We will go to some other places like the stores and buy things that see needs. It will make me happy to go and see her because she is very sick...."

"If I could take a road trip, I would go to Italy by myself maybe. I would go alone to get away and explore. I would eat their pizzas and pasta. I would like to shop and meet new people."

"If I could take a road trip anywhere, I would go to Mexico. Despite being of Mexican descent, I have never been to Mexico. I would like to know the place where my parent grew up in better. It would cool to see the cultural differences that it has compared to the US. I could also try foods that my mother doesn't know how to make, which would be an amazing experience. That's why I would go to Mexico...."

"If I had a personal robot it would be called Mrs. Pat. Mrs. Pat would be my best friend and my servant. She would help me out with my kids, help me cook, clean, and do my work for my job. She would go shopping with me and she would get to do whatever she want. She would look like a real human. She would be mixed with all races...."

"My robot servant would like Rihanna, and it will sing all of my favorite songs made by her. It will cook only meats and soul food. And read me bedtime stories as a singing tone till I completely fall asleep and well fed."

"My robot will always go shopping with me. She is going to be my best friend. It would have magic super powers that let her pick out gorgeous clothes for me. She would be able to fix me any type of food I want to eat. I will never have to pay for food again...."

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In Sunday school this morning we talked about different types of love, one of them being covenant love, which "binds us to another person because God has commanded us to love" (Aaron 45). The writer expands, "In covenant love we love those who do not deserve love, who do not reciprocate our love.... In practicing covenant love we may have to act lovingly until we begin to feel love or even if we never feel love as an emotion" (45). That was a good reminder for me to love my students first. And that I don't need to feel guilty if I don't FEEL love for all of them all the time.

***

Then during the service, my 4-year-old biggest fan crawled under 5 pews to sit by me. Before proceeding to lick my lyric sheet. Love in all forms.

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This past week we watched The Great British Baking Show, which is a fantastic show that I just want to live inside (or maybe just move to Britain). I think it inspired David a little, because yesterday he made pizza and bread, and this morning he made eggs Benedict. I'm contemplating trying some bread of my own this afternoon, but we did score some Christmas sale chocolates, so tea is already covered....

All in all, I would say that life is getting better! At least this week was better. Break reminded me that I do have loving support network and things I like to do, and that I am a real person outside of my job. This week seemed to allow a little space for that still, plus some of David and my New Year's resolutions to live a little more. So far, that's mostly translated into food, going out for Indian Friday night, working at Starbucks Saturday morning, and going to crepes Saturday afternoon. But we were out of our apartment so much! Yay us. And we're only 22. We're going to be really fun by the time we hit 30!

Now we have a jigsaw puzzle half completed (thanks Mom and Dad!), a dropped Phase 10 game out (25% off for teachers at Barnes and Noble this week!), my current novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane sits beside me, and visions of chocolates and bread are dancing in my head...along with the possibility of dragging David out for a walk in the brisk sunshine. Here's to a lovely Sunday afternoon.

Shalom,

Anneke

P.S. I'm adding some photos of our break at the end here (credit to Bette, Brian, Brandon, Caitlin, and Thomas) for anyone who hasn't seen them on Facebook - here are our smiling (and not so smiling)
faces!

Seattle, by Pike Place Market, with the Christopher