Be Ye Without Cracked Screen Be The First To Throw A Stone (AKA-People With Glass On Their Smartphones Should Not Throw Judgement)

Little known fact: I judge people A LOT. Okay, maybe if you know me that fact isn't so much "little known." But here's the deal, I know it is not nice to judge people so I try to keep it in my head and do my best to overcome this vice. It is important to me to remember that I am not faultless and need to have more patience with people.

However, one thing that drives me up the wall is cracked phone screens. This is how my internal dialog goes:

"Didn't your parents teach you how to treat nice things? You should be ashamed of yourself! Phones aren't cheap. And how long have you been using that cracked screen? Have some pride and get that fixed. That is ridiculous. It looks stupid, and you could cut your hand and/or finger. You know what? Go ahead and cut up your hand! It would serve you right for your lack of appreciation of that phone."

And I never felt bad for thinking these things because every single iPhone I have ever owned since 2010 (I started with the 4) maintained a flawless screen. I always made sure I had a case and was careful where I would set the phone down or put it in my purse.

Then Wednesday the 23rd of September 2015 happened. The phone slid out of my bag when I got out of my car. I wasn't too concerned because that does happen from time to time which is why it is in a case. I picked it up and took it inside. About 10 minutes later I went to waste some time on the phone and realized that when held at a certain angle there was a teeny-tiny chink and hairline crack across the bottom. SCANDALOUS!

Calling Apple for help doesn't do anyone any good, and I knew I would have to pay $100 bucks minimum to get it replaced anyway so up to the Apple Store I went.

Turns out that the Apple Store isn't nearly as anxiety inducing on a Wednesday afternoon as it is on the weekend. The lovely employee told me that since the crack was so minimal and could only be seen at an angle there would not be a charge to replace the phone! I couldn't believe my luck! She said I would have to come back in about three hours before a tech could get me a new phone but that would give me enough time to back up my phone to either the Cloud or my computer. Hot dog!

I left feeling relieved that the $100 I planned to spend would remain in my bank account, and I felt that perhaps the no fee switch-a-roo of phones was my "reward" for always taking such great care of my previous iPhones.

With my new phone in hand, the hubby and I headed to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida early on Thursday morning.

Then Saturday morning's Spider-Man simulator ride at Islands of Adventure happened. If a ride was going to be too rough the employees would tell us to use a locker for our things. Since this didn't happen, I had my phone in my back pocket like usual. At one point in the ride Electro hooks up a nefarious device and jolts our seats with repeated volts of electricity. The end result? My phone shook out of my pocket and the screen was for real cracked every which way. EXTREMELY SCANDALOUS!

Here I was stuck in Florida with a BRAND NEW cracked iPhone. The thing was two days old! Not to mention we weren't leaving until Sunday, so I HAD TO USE MY PHONE WITH THE CRACKED SCREEN FOR THE REST OF THE WEEKEND. Two phones in three days with cracked screens. I had become the person I usually so viciously judged.

Because my husband loves me, we headed straight for the Apple Store after landing on Sunday. I talked my way past the gate-keeper and first line of technicians. It took an hour and definitely $100 the second time around, but I managed to get home with my second new phone. I immediately ordered a super-indestructo case.

Will I continue to judge people with cracked phones screens or keep in mind that sometimes very responsible people have bad days?

I think it is safe to say that karma is a bi&*h and lesson learned.

Putting "Fantasy" in Front Doesn't Mean I Should Take Up Sports

This new year has brought with it many new experiences including my first ever participation in a Fantasy Football League. My husband has been kickin' butt in this realm for many, many years. (Between you and me, I love how much he knows about the sport and crush pretty hard when he starts talkin' football.) However, using the term "fantasy" with me always meant a fictional trip through the pages of a book. Not to mention the only sport I know anything about is hockey, and I don't know enough about that to be a power house in any Fantasy Hockey Leagues.

So here I was getting ready for my first ever draft seeking advice from the hubs in hopes of not embarrassing myself. I had an absolute blast at the draft because the league is of all my co-workers many of whom have the same dearth of knowledge about the sport as I do. (Okay, perhaps they actually know more than I do. Seriously, all I know is hockey.) It was fun and exciting waiting for my turn to come to select my next player. I had all my lists ready. I marked off players already chosen. I pulled up the position tiers on my laptop in case I needed them. The casual on-looker might have been fooled into believing I was a pro when really I'm just an overachiever working hard to perform well.

I think at the end of the draft I was graded a B or B-. Hmmm...not my best but better than average! I figured if nothing else I could just adopt the mantra of a coach I knew once who had an under-performing team: JUST BEAT ONE!

Then the first week one of the season happened. And, well, I may have actually let that coach down. One of my players was injured and out before the end of the second quarter. One of my benched players had a remarkable game. My opponent will outscore me by 20 points easily, and I am no where close to being any higher than last place in my league.

Fortunately, I can step back and have a hearty chuckle at my first experience. I did learn a few things and better understand the rantings of my husband when he tracks his own players. I will continue to try my best the rest of the season even though I have a feeling it will follow in the same vein as week one.

In the end, I just need to come to terms with the fact my nose belongs in a book and no part of me belongs in sports.

Retraining the Brain

For the first time in 11 years I didn't greet students at my classroom door on the first day of school. This didn't really affect me until the latter end of the week when my co-workers donned their spirit shirts and cheered on the football team Friday night. Then I started thinking of all the things I didn't experience this first week of school. It took its toll because for years the end of the first week of school meant exhaustion and a sore throat from constantly "laying down the law" to make sure the rest of the year went well. This time? My brain felt like I was forgetting to do something.

When I leave work now, I actually get to leave work. Nothing comes home with me. Really. I have one bag, and it is really just my purse. There were no parent or student or administrator e-mails that I ignored all day that needed to be answered. There was no mountain of SpEd or 504 paperwork I needed to go sign. There were no referrals to drop in the tray for the admin to see the next day. There wasn't any last minute lesson changes to hurry up and get copied before first period. It was incredibly weird.

My brain has never been built for non-motion. That may sound odd but what I mean is that a teacher's brain runs continuously. (Even in my sleep, I often dream of the classroom.)

So now I am trying to find ways to keep my mind occupied. It isn't as easy as one would think. The truth is that I've been micromanaged for so long (as it seems most teachers are) I don't know what to do when someone trusts me completely to take care of my business. When I finish a task, I am actually done. Since I am left alone to do what I gotta do, I end up completing things with plenty of time left in my day. That isn't to say I need more to do because I am working on ways to become more involved in my new role. It is just a little unsettling to think that for years I allowed myself to be so bogged down and watched so closely.

Perhaps that is just what makes an educator an educator. We don't know any better:). What I do know is that I will never be able to 100% quit thinking like an educator. I was born that way. However, my current position is going to force me to rewire the brain a bit. I might actually have time to write more in the evenings or even read a whole book before it is due back at the library. (Then again, I might just start binge watching Netflix Original Series.)

We'll see how I'm doing come Thanksgiving Break.

Summertime Crushes

It is 20 minutes to midnight, and I am waiting for my comforter to finish drying so I can go to bed. In the meantime, I have to share a couple of crushes that developed over the past few weeks. Keep in mind that I know almost nothing (really) about either person. The reasons for the crushes are also absolutely silly. However, everyone is entitled to absolutely silly stuff in her life especially if she has been staying home the past few weeks with her little boys who insist on discussing farts and think it is hilarious to run around the house naked before bath time.

My first crush is Wilmer Valderrama. Most people know him as Fez from That 70s Show, but I never watched that. No, Valderrama has a different look around this house:

See, he lends his voice talents to this character. The show is cute and one I don't mind watching. It is a better and more enjoyable option for teaching kids Spanish than Dora or Diego. But please don't misunderstand and think my crush is on a cutsie cartoon. Honestly, ole Manny didn't really register on my radar until I saw this:

At that moment two things happened-I learned that the same guy who played Fez voiced Handy Manny and is actually Hispanic, and the fact he took so much pride in a character that kids love completely melted my heart. Since this discovery I found out here and there that he has two other shows (maybe more), and he is dating Demi Levato.

Of course I am not too concerned about the details of his life. My crush starts and stops with his role as Manny. It is crazy, but since my television watching centers around channels with the word "Jr." attached to them, I guess that is just how it will be.

Crush #2 actually opens up a whole other can of worms regarding Game of Thrones. For now, I will just admit that I am simply in love with Emilia Clarke! Yes, Khaleesi is one of the most kick ass characters on the show, and that was a large part of this crush. Yet, what I really fell for was her social media presence. Her Instagram always makes me smile. She is just too darn adorable! I want to hang out with her! It is like being near her will increase my own awesomeness.


Thank you Handy Manny and Khaleesi for make summer infinitely better! For now, I must check the comforter and go to sleep.

True Red, White, and Blue

This was an American kind of weekend. Saturday was the 4th of July. That meant for 24 hours the FB posts that flooded my feed were a unified voice of the wonders of America. Everything from the origins of the nation to contemporary memes lauding how great we are replaced the numerous ignorant and often hateful posts targeting various groups, politicians, and/or policies currently at the forefront of American media. Then Sunday everyone watched as the US Women's Soccer Team gave us another reason to proudly proclaim our love for the red, white, and blue.

Of course, the 4th of July is only one day and once the euphoria of Women's Soccer abides I have a feeling I'll have to go back to scrolling through numerous posts that claim what America is or should be. That usually (and rather unfortunately) means the exclusion of a group of people or ideas that actually contribute to what makes America great.

This got me to thinkin' about my own views of patriotism and being American. I often keep my mouth shut when it comes to the whole "what it means to be American" thing because I fear the contempt and derision of others who won't even bother hearing me out before judging me. Well, Kid President says, "It is okay to disagree. It is NOT okay to be mean." So I hope those who read this keep that in mind:).

To me there isn't only one way to be American. We don't have a national religion or language. It is true we have a predominant religion and language, but to ignore the numerous cultures and beliefs that built our nation and continue to shape it is just silly. I mean it. Unless one's heritage includes that of the Native Americans, everyone's family came from somewhere else. Some of those places spoke various dialects and languages. Some of those places were polytheistic or atheistic. Some of those places produced lovely shades of people.

The thing is: people came to America because it was so different! You want an opportunity to be successful even though you were born in a lower class? Come to America. You want an opportunity to be educated? Come to America. You want a feeling of safety and security? Come to America. You simply want these things for your children? Then come to America. Sure there was a lot more to it in many cases, but these reasons are what convinced so many people to leave everything they knew and start over. I feel like a majority of Americans have forgotten that. Maybe that is why it is so easy to spew hatred? Some of us have been here for enough generations to feel superior to those just arriving who are different? What is that going to accomplish other than making Americans look like a bunch of jerks? A favorite essay of mine is "On National Prejudice" by Oliver Goldsmith. The gist: why does being patriotic mean I have to hate everyone from everywhere else? Simple answer: I don't. I can be a proud American and still value another's religious belief or skin color or language or whatever.

It is also important to support the ideas upon which this nation was built. So, yeah, I'm a pretty big fan of The Constitution of the United States of America. What I am not a fan of is how people are abusing the poor thing to elevate outdated or incorrect ideals.

The Founding Fathers knew times would change and left room for us to make necessary adjustments. If this was not the case, things would look a lot different around here. So why do we throw a fit about changing The Constitution? I'm not advocating a complete overhaul that would place a monarch back in charge; however, I'm incredibly grateful that slavery is illegal and women can vote. This is, after all, America in the 21st Century not in the 18th Century when The Constitution was born.

The last time I checked, no one walked into my church and stated that the President was now in charge and we all had to worship his way or die. Neither has my church marched into the White House declaring a theocratic form of government. (As a matter of fact, there are some serious problems right now in countries who have done these things.) So I'm going to need everyone to relax on this whole freedom of religion/separation of church and state thing. We are not being threatened by the British. Soldiers are not banging on our doors demanding accommodation. So I'm going to need everyone to calm it down just a bit about bearing those arms.

We seem so ready to bite someone's head off for infringing on our "Constitutional Rights!" First, why don't we all review them (or maybe read them for the first time) to make sure we know exactly what is being infringed upon. Then we need to make sure our torching and pitchforking isn't actually infringing on someone else's Constitutional Rights.

If anyone is thinking, "Yeah, well, it's only a matter of time before all these terrible things happen! America is falling apart!," please find a more productive way of helping your nation than by being ugly with words and actions. Apparently, our country lets us have a say in the government (no really-see that "read The Constitution" suggestion I made earlier). If one is tired of how things are going-THEN STOP VOTING FOR/SUPPORTING THE SAME PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING THE SAME POOR DECISIONS.

I know, I know-the problem is we don't all agree on what constitutes a "poor decision." Part of being American is at least educating oneself enough to make the most informed and best decision for the nation as a whole. Sorry but declaring everyone be or live one way according to one person's standards is not best for the nation as a whole and can lead to a very bad place (see: fascism).

Finally, the piece "Why Do We Inject Patriot Acts Into Sports?" by Ralph Strangis is an offshoot of what I am saying here. It is well done and brings a lot of things into question regarding how we honor our soldiers and veterans. And while it probably deserves its own post, I hope it at least makes people sit back and think about sincere vs. peer-pressured patriotism.

Okay, to recap my rambling:

Being American is about taking pride in a nation that welcomes everyone. Being American is about respecting and learning from, even if disagreeing with, a multitude of cultures and ideas. Being American is knowing her history and the documents that established her as a country. Being American is about understanding that this is 2015 and not 1776-patriotism might look a little different and that is okay. Being American is about continuously building the nation up not tearing it down. Being American is about learning from the good, bad, and ugly things and then finding a way to make them better. Being American is about being grateful one lives in a place where all of this can happen.

Summer Solstice? Already?

It seems like ages have passed since I packed up my life as an ELA educator and stepped into my new role as Instructional Technology Specialist.

I'll pick up at the end of one which really is the beginning of the other. Eleven years in the classroom boils down to this one photo. This is all I took with me when I left. Almost all of my books I left behind to help the next teacher. I even left my classroom library for the students to continue to enjoy.

After all, it cannot all fit in my new corner of the world:

Setting up my space was just part of the cool stuff I did during the first two weeks of summer vacation. I spent some time meeting my new co-workers who are all FANTASTIC. They accepted me with all my quirks and giddy optimism. I even was able to attend a conference with a few of them which afforded me time to really see into the great world of Instructional Technology. Which brings me to the question I have been asked by numerous people since announcing my new position: "What is it you do now?"

First and foremost: I CANNOT help you fix your computer or figure out why your internet is not working. That is one type of IT-Informational Technology. My job title is Instructional Technology. As it sounds, my concern is with instruction meaning that I still work with curriculum and lessons and all of that. I just come at all of that with an eye on what kind of web applications and programs could bring the lesson into the 21st century and beyond. Another large aspect of my job is helping teachers educate students on Digital Citizenship. (You know-safety, security, and making sure kids don't post or create anything so inappropriate it haunts them for the rest of their lives.)

By working with education tech and curriculum, I get to help teachers integrate it into the classroom in suitable ways. Technology should never be superfluous. Basically, no one should use tech just for the sake of using tech. Instructional technology should bring a new dimension to learning by providing students the opportunities to teach, share, and learn with each other in ways that couldn't happen before. All teachers know about Bloom's, well the tech version is SAMR. The ThingLink at the end of the post does a sensational job of explaining how SAMR works. One of the things I am looking forward to is learning all the other subject areas and seeing how they approach their lesson planning and execution. However, I think ELA will remain my strong suit since that is the one I know best:).

As for the Digital Citizenship, well, I think everyone can agree this is something that must be taught since digital devices are so prevalent. Students need to understand that the devices in their hands can be powerful education tools and not just toys. (In all honesty, I know plenty of adults who need to learn this as well.) Therefore, I will also be working on helping teachers guide students to becoming superb digital citizens.

So really, my new job is easy to explain. I use technology applications in planning and implementing instruction. Therefore, I am an Instructional Technology Specialist.

Of course, my new position has me all crazy excited and ready to go. I want to meet and plan and research and devise and all the other things I can do in anticipation of the fall. Yet, I still need to remember to enjoy my summer. While I wait for the new school year to begin, I set a couple of fun goals for myself. I stumbled across the concept of Sketchnoting and came up with this:

I want to be proficient in digital Sketchnoting before the school year starts. Also, it turns out that Pinterest is apparently a great tool for organizing ideas for ed tech and other lesson ideas. I had an account when it first started, but thought it was a waste of time and deleted it. Well, some of my new co-workers encouraged me to give it another try. Then an edublogger I like actually posted about Pinterest for educators the other day. Along with Sketchnoting, I will be building my Pinterest boards to become useful resources for ideas.

If I can get my act together, I might even remember to post more often. Chances are I will get a work blog going and people will be able to follow my adventures in my new position. Only time will tell. Speaking of time, it is a quarter past midnight. Yikes! Good night.

(Just scroll over the picture to get the links to work.)

The One Constant in Life

Next August I will set foot in a new building with a new job, challenges, and adventures. After 11 years in the classroom, I will no longer be a high school English teacher. I am leaving the students I love. I am leaving the campus I know. I am leaving the district that raised me. This absolutely terrifies me in the best way possible:).

Teaching was never a choice for me. It will always be something I was simply born to do. If you know me, you know this to be 100% true. I have the heart and mind of an educator. It never stops. I think about my students and their successes long after they leave my class. I lay in bed at night reworking and adding to lessons because I saw or read something that I want to share in class. Getting in front of a bunch of teenagers and making a fool out of myself so they can better understand an author's purpose is second nature to me. And I must admit, I'm not bad at what I do.

So the decision to resign my post was not an easy one at any point and time. To be honest, I resigned this time last year angry at the system for ruining education. There was no fun to be had thanks to unrelenting standardized testing and policy-makers who seemed to enjoy making educators miserable. I was convinced no one ever had or would view me as a professional in my field. Why should they when so many tout how much better it is to home school or charter school or private school? It hurt and was rather insulting to think that all of my studies and education amounted to nothing. It seemed evident that the only thing anyone required was a wind-up monkey of sorts to churn out a curriculum soaked in testing remediation. It felt even more wretched knowing my colleagues across the nation were experiencing similar situations. I was in a very dark place and not sure what to do, so I quit.

Then one evening I received the following e-mail:

"Thank you so much! I fell in love with this book. The ending is so dramatic, I love it. By the way, I knew Lord Henry's influence was going to ruin him. If he wouldn't have pointed out the pleasure behind Dorian's youth and beauty and how it would all eventually fade, none of this would have happened. Anyways, thanks once again. I shall be buying my own copy soon enough (:"

See, this young lady was originally rather peeved at me for assigning her The Picture of Dorian Gray. In a few sentences, this student reminded me that affecting change can sometimes happen in small but incredibly important ways. I decided to wait one more year to see if I could find the light in the darkness. After all, no great teacher goes into teaching for the money.

So here I am a year later and no longer angry. No one will ever understand the pure joy and crazy frustrations of teaching unless he or she actually steps into a classroom and, well, teaches. Therefore, all that anger I felt was really quite wasted. It only made me miserable, and many opinions still did not change. Then I was left with a new problem: me.

I know that every year I matter to 150ish students, and when one adds that up over 11 years it turns into a lot of people. Yet, I believe I can do more. My passion for the classroom has stalled. I know there is more to learn and to teach. Then it occurred to me that if I were able to train/teach teachers, I could indirectly reach so many more kids. AND, if I found a way to help shape and mold curriculum, I might actually start making systematic change!

Three paths unfolded before me at this point: building curriculum strictly through English/Language Arts, building curriculum through cross-curricular instruction, or building curriculum through educational technology. All three would be a step upward in the education chain and require me to leave the classroom. Yet, I have never been more certain that it is time for something different.

That is why Wednesday I accepted the position of Instructional Technology Specialist in a neighboring school district.

Leaving the classroom will be hard and disappoint many of the students I see year after year. I am sure there will be questions and concerns and anger and hurt feelings. None of which am I looking forward to. I have to believe that in the end my students will understand why this move is necessary to help me grow as an educator, and I hope they know (and never forget) that I will continue to care very much about them long after I leave the classroom.