Adventures into ESL

I don’t speak Spanish, but more and more of the parents of my students do.   I had an interpreter help me with several of my conferences this spring; I mentioned in passing I’d be willing to help some parents learn English.   The next day she returned with some materials for me to use and offered to help me, she had a list of people who'd contacted her wanting to learn, but our small community does not offer ESL classes. 

 With the encouragement of one of our slicers I have begun a new adventure. Tuesday evenings, fifteen students eagerly come at the end of long hot days working in dairy barns and fields to learn English, in spite of their inept teacher. 

Tonight we worked on the verb to be.  We practiced saying, and reading; I am happy, You are  happy, She is happy.  We practiced with questions from an ESL book loaned to me by literacy group.  It works well, after I erase the answers and then make a stack of copies.

To help them to understand both written and spoken English I use sentence strips to write easy sentences and we practiced the sentences.  Later I rewrote part of the sentences using contractions.  I placed the contraction over the original words.  As I changed She is happy so it would  read She’s happy. One of the students  questioned me, “Queso is happy?”  I’m sure I looked as confused as he did.  I repeated, “Queso is happy?” I’m sorry I don’t understand.  He pointed to the chart and read, “I’m happy, You’re happy, Cheese happy?”

 Next week we’ll review the sh and ch sounds.

Summer

In March, while I was working way too many hours, facing down the terror of 42 report cards and conferences, I sliced every day.  But now, with three weeks of summer drifting away, I haven't written a thing.  I don't want my sole accomplishment this summer to be having over 70 boards on my Pintrest.
I realize I make better use of my time with a schedule.  I try to put structure into my summer each year by taking on a responsibility outside of the home.  Each summer I man the kitchen for our church's Vacation Bible School, I prepare snacks for 200 people each day.  The past two years I've tutored a student.  This year I took on teaching an English class for Spanish speaking adults one night a week. I continue to order and read a variety of professional and pleasure books. But now I need to schedule time for me-- I need to get back to writing.

New Glasses

One of my smallest kindergartners came in today, the first day after spring break, wearing new glasses.  I grinned and said, "T, I love your new glasses!  They make you look so handsome."  I watched as he showed off his special cleaning cloth.  We waited as he  importantly cleaned them with the precision of a surgeon before writing time, reading time, snack time and pickup line.  I marveled at the “magical sunglasses” at recess time.   I’ll confess to a small grin as he walked down the hall temporally blinded by the dark lenses.  Later in the day we admired the case that came with his glasses for special protection when he removed them before gym class.  I wanted to ask why he could wear them to recess but not gym but today is not for rational behaviors. 

I played the Ace when I called “anyone wearing glasses”, as a reason to join the lunch line and watched him and a few other luck friends walk importantly to be at the front of the line.  I hope he will soon forget he wears glasses and we can see our way to day with far less drama. 

Newsprint and Ink, I Miss Them

Changes in habits are not easy for me to accept.  Several years ago the Big City newspaper we’d received every morning stopped delivering to our area.  While my husband replaced his need for sports scores and articles by reading online I still miss the ritual of opening the paper to find my favorite columnists.  Three years later on vacation days I still think longingly about going to the Free Press box to get the paper and enjoy a leisurely start to my day

Last month our local afternoon paper changed delivery from daily to a 3 day a week schedule.  Once again I’m lost.  I love reading the newspaper.  As a child I remember being sprawled on my stomach on the living room floor; elbows propping up my torso, as I plugged my ears and held up my head at the same time as I lay reading the newspaper.  I was one of five children.  If I wanted to enjoy and think, I found quiet the only way I could in that old farm house.

This evening as I finished reading the newspaper and folded it up in the recycling container I sadly thought ahead to Thursday and then again Sunday when I’d again scan and read the articles that caught my eye and then filling in the other articles before I turn the page again to learn about my community and world. 

What I've Learned

Thank you for The Slice of Life.  I have learned so much.  Now I need to decide how to apply this in kindergarten writing. 

Have a list of writing ideas for those days you just can’t think of a thing to write.  I know some teachers have their students bring in pictures, but I’m in a low income school and I doubt that many children have photos of themselves, and I worry about the foster kids who don’t have many personal items.

Write even when it is hard.  Sometimes the thing that makes it hard to write is the thing I most needed to write about.

Be brave!  Pull out those memories and look at them!

I think I’ll try the Tuesday challenges.  Thanks for the wonderful experience!  I still can’t believe I did this for 31 days! 

Rain

I hear the thunder overhead and the house rattles with the booms, the sky is grey and the passing cars are punctuated by that unique splashing sound a wet pavement gives.  I love rainy days.

 After the beautiful summer-like weather we had last week I’m probably one of a few people who think this is a wonderful way to start a spring break.  As a kid being raised on a farm I knew the need for rain.  The pasture might be over grazed, the pond a little low.  The corn was curling in the hot dry summer.  A good year of well-timed rain could mean good third and fourth cuttings of hay, an assurance we wouldn’t have to buy expensive hay for the cows.

My dad was an independent roofer.  He worked out of our home, and rainy days often meant the phone rang. Mom would answer the ringing phone, the family would quiet as she'd answer; she’d take down phone numbers and addresses and make appointments for estimates.   The family would smile at the messages she would take, people who wanted Dad to come right now in the driving rain, in the thunder and lightning to fix their leaking roof.  Rain kept both family businesses providing for us. 

Rain, the giver of work and prosperity also caused Dad and the whole family to have a relaxing day together.  Unless there was an inside barn project Dad would be in the house with us, he wouldn’t be working in the field, and he wouldn’t be putting a roof on either.  A rainy day was a joy in many ways.

Now Dad is gone, and my brothers answer the phone calls.  The land is still farmed, but now it gives Mom a yearly rental income.  I’m a teacher with students who need to go out to run off some energy on the playground.  Rainy days are not quite so relaxing and calm with 26 kids who’ve just watched a movie instead of playing hard. 

Today is the start of spring break.  I have a cup of tea and a quiet house.  I love rainy days.

What is Today?

This week is the longest short school week.  I did conferences until eight pm Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.  Today we saw students until 12:00 and then after a lunch break we had conferences again until four.  I'm home now and I keep thinking today is Friday.  Well it sort of is.  We don't have school again until April 9.
 I may be rested up again by then.
At sometime during the 43 conferences I started to feel like I didn't know who I was talking to.  I tried to keep good notes of things I promised to people.  Notes of who mentioned family situations I should remember.  But right now, all I can remember are the oddly funny things parents say to me.  I wonder if I would have found them funny a week ago.  Maybe after a good night of sleep I'll slice them.
Now all I have to do is remember to remove the 5:30  weekday alarm setting.