Thank a Teacher

During my first year in college, I could not write an essay. I spent 11 years in the gifted program, graduated high school with highest honors, entered the Honors College at LSU, and I could not write an essay. I had no idea how to form an opinion and support it with evidence from the text. I didn't think for myself. I was ill-prepared. And I should have been one of the brightest kids in my freshman class at a state university. I was not college ready.

Fortunately for me, I am a go-getter, a self-started, and I sought help. I spoke with my professors, asked English major friends to read my writing, and worked my butt off. I graduated college four years later, a little wiser, and ready to enter the workforce. My final year of college introduced me to the term "Comprehensive Curriculum" in the same way college students are now learning about the Common Core State Standards. As a first year teacher, I analyzed this state curriculum with my recent college experiences in mind. It sucked (pardon my French). This curriculum was filled with silly activities that involved the teacher dressing up and grouped "learning" all.the.time. It was lame; my students deserved better. Our parish worked each summer to "beef up" the curriculum and improve the activities and rigor of learning, but I still knew better. Even though my students were in 6th & 7th grade, I wanted to begin making them college ready. So, we read challenging titles; we formed opinions; we found evidence to support those opinions; we talked, discussed, and learned together.

Years pass. Enter the Common Core State Standards. Everyone, give a collective gasp when you discover that these standards involved things I was already doing in my classroom. Finally! My standards/curriculum caught up to what I knew was important to success in college and careers. How did I know it was important? Because I experienced it! Today, I implement Common Core Standards in my classroom....we read challenging titles; we form opinions; we find evidence to support those opinions; we talk, discuss, and learn together. Sound familiar?

So, what's changed? With all of the recent outcry against these standards, something's got to give, right? Well, our texts are changing, but who says that's a bad thing? We are attempting to put a greater focus on non-fiction, but my students have read a novel, short stories, and poetry already this year. We haven't forgotten about the love of fiction! My curriculum does look different. We are currently using a curriculum put out by the state, but it's not required. I am planning an awesome unit for the third nine weeks revolving around study of World War II and the Holocaust which is rooted in Common Core Standards, but the choice of texts and instructional material is ALL MY OWN because I am a professional and am fortunate to work in a parish that recognizes that fact and allows me to make instructional decisions.

Why do I write this? Because, as a teacher, I'm tired of the outcry against Common Core that shows up on my Facebook newsfeed. I can't help but ask if there was as much outcry against the watered down, lame Comprehensive Curriculum we were using a few years ago. It wasn't proven to work either!! When have we in Louisiana implemented curriculum that WAS tested and proven effective? (I don't know the answer to that question...if you do, please let me know!) So many people seem so wrapped up in the political agenda of the Common Core, I can't help but wonder if they have actually looked at the standards for their child? Have you spoken with your child's teacher about he/she is implementing those standards? I'm not currently interested in the politics, or the data, or the DRAMA of Common Core. I'm interested in what is actually happening in classrooms - what our teachers are actually teaching and what our students are actually doing and learning.

I'm going to stray away from my educational commentary a bit to try to get to the point of this post. Last week I received an e-mail from our assistant principal with protocols for an intruder drill. I read through the e-mail with tears in my eyes that these drills are a reality for my students. That in the coming months, we will have practice what to do if there is danger on our campus. That we will not necessarily know if these moments are a drill or the real thing, and we will experience fear as a result of the unknown. Those students...those messy, hormone-driven, inattentive, sweet, funny, and hard-working twelve year olds that I would protect from danger at all costs are the reason for my hard work, not a curriculum, not a bunch of standards, not my VAM score or the NIET observation rubric, but those kids. All around the country, teachers are working hard to implement these new standards in a manner that is best for their students - the students that they spend hours with every day, that they love like their own children, and that they will protect from danger. I'm afraid that their hard work is going unnoticed amidst all of the drama surrounding Common Core. Here's my point - no matter your stance on Common Core, your knowledge of the standards, your belief about curriculum, please remember the teachers and realize that we are working so hard to guide and teach your children as best we can. We are here after school; we stay up late and rise early; we are researching, collaborating, planning and doing our best for our students. If you know a teacher, take a moment and show him/her some gratitude. It will mean more than you can imagine.

Here is a link to the Common Core State Standards: http://www.corestandards.org/the-standards

Here is a link to curriculum put out by the Louisiana State Department of Ed:  http://www.louisianabelieves.com/resources/library/year-long-scope-sequence

10 months

I can't believe we are just a few short months away from the twins' first birthday. It's enough to put tears in this mama's eyes. They are really getting too big too fast!! I'm daily telling them to not grow up, but they just don't listen!

Here's what's up with the babies at ten months:

Harper

-Four teeth! I am pretty sure some new ones will be poking through any day now because she has been gnawing on those fingers again.
-Harper is finally crawling well. She's been an army crawler for a while, but now she often gets up on her knees. She's also pulling up occasionally.
-Harpy is not our morning child. Although she's chipper when she's awake, she does not enjoy when daddy wakes her up in the morning to go to Mrs. Vickie's!
-Harper has so many precious tricks. She will copy me when I say, "Ah!" She plays peek-a-boo with a cloth, tickles Maddex and laughs, AND last night when I put her down for bed, she started waving her hand and said "bah bah." That child said bye to me when I put her to bed!!! Smartest baby I know.
-Harper's ready for her 12 month clothes. Heck, we might even skip to 18 months!
-She is best at feeding herself. We are still mostly on puffs & mum mums. I've tried a couple of small finger foods with the babies, but they're still getting used to this chewing thing.

Major

-Major finally has four teeth, too! His last two took a while to break through after Harper's. I miss their gummy grins, but we are loving their buck teeth!
-Major is a killer crawler and pulls up on everything. Thankfully he gets down easily these days! I imagine he'll be walking before he's one.
-Our buddy boy is so sweet and gets so excited when he sees one of us or a fun toy. He starts bucking and waving and squealing. He's also so sensitive! He pooches that bottom lip out and cries so pitifully...it'll break your heart!!
-Major is still pretty comfortably in 9 month clothes, but he's also slowly moving into some 12 month stuff.
-Major hasn't quite picked up on how to feed himself. He loves his sippy cup though and is adjusting well to that.
-Major's duck face is my favorite. I think I caught it in one of the pictures below.

We had a fun time taking pictures today...you can tell by the pictures (and their blurriness) that the babies are getting more mobile! Enjoy!

Girls are smiling!

Lol Harpy

And we're moving

duck face

It's blurry - but so cute...Major reached forward and grabbed Harper

and was kissing (or biting) her arm :)

twin pose

Ready to get down!

My next blog...Why my 2-year-old is crying: Maddex edition. Stay tuned!

Nine & Thirty Months

I took the kids to the doctor on Friday for their well visits. It just so happened that the twins turned 9 months and Maddex was 2.5 at the same time! It also just so happened that all three were sick at their well visit! Dr. B thinks they had some sort of respiratory virus - they've just had the snots and a cough but have all still slept pretty well and been in good spirits. I was really nervous about taking all three to the doc by myself - the twins were getting shots, but Maddex wasn't.

When we got there, Maddex was not happy. I kept having to reassure her that Dr. B was just going to listen to her chest and look in her eyes and ears. She ended up being a great little patient! We were there for an hour and a half! Thankfully, my children were angels!!!!! The only toys I had were spoons and my bracelets, so that's what the twins played with. I ended up letting them sit/crawl on the floor because they were NOT staying in their carseats for that long!! We had a great visit, and despite the sickness, everyone looks awesome!

My favorite moment was when the nurse asked if Maddex is speaking in 3-4 word sentences. She promptly puts down her cheerios and says something like, "I'm gonna put these right here. I want to read this book." Show off ;)

Here are their specs:

Maddex

-28 lbs
-2 ft 11.5 inches (almost 3 feet tall!)
-Her head is 50 cm & BMI is 46%
-She is measuring right around average on everything (50-75%)
-We are going to work on potty training soon! We got her a little potty to practice with, but Dr. B said we are at a good age to just start feeling it out. So, that's what we'll do. I'm really in no rush.

Major

-19 lbs 15 oz
-28 & 1/4 inches
-Head is 47.5 cm
-He is right at 50% in weight & height. His head was around the 98%.
-We are going to work with the twins' learning how to feed themselves soon!

Harper

-20 lbs 9 oz
-28.5 inches
-Head is 48.5 cm
-She is measuring 75-90% on height & weight. Her head is off the charts!
-I'm not sure that I blogged about Harper's head. After her 6 month visit, Dr. B wanted to do a CT scan to see why her head was measuring so large & she has a very squishy soft spot. We took her in right near the end of the school year. Getting a 6 month old to lie still for long enough for the scan was not easy! Thankfully, we were able to keep her still and they got the scan without having to sedate her. Results showed that one of the spaces b/w membranes around her brain was larger than the other. This happens in around 15% of infants, so it's not something to worry about. If I had to guess, our other kids might have this also since their heads always measured big! We were thankful to have an answer, and that it was nothing serious.


Here are pictures of the kids being so good at our doctor visit & their official 9 month pictures.

Sporting their LSU gear on National College Colors day

Happy buddy!

9 months already!!!

Big sis in on the action

Buddy says, "I've had enough!"