Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 10: Standardized Test Proctering

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 10:

Standardized Test Proctering

My soft-soled shoes walk up and down the rows of student desks, each desk placed at least three feet apart. I check to make sure each student is working on the proper test section. I verify each student is bubbling in their answers in the corresponding spaces. Students are all facing the same way. Start time, five minute warning time, and stop time is clearly written on the white board. A clock is visible at all times for students.

Cell phones are silenced and placed on a table on the other side of the room. Water bottles and snacks are nowhere near test booklets. 

The bells are turned off for the school day. It's eerily quiet. For the most part, I only hear #2 pencils filling in circles in their best booklets, the occasional page turn, or weight shifts from student desks.

It's a high stakes test for juniors. Some of them are paralyzed with anxiety, while other students don't seem to care about the outcome of this assessment.  

Like every year, I have extra pencils and at least one extra calculator for the student who arrives unprepared. 

Suddently, I am struck by this thought: standardized testing is nearly identical to what it was pre-pandemic. I find myself searching for ways testing has changed since last year. However, the only thing that I see is different is that students santized their desk tops before they sat down to test and everyone wore a face covering. 

As I ponder all of the changes we have made in the delivery of instruction, attendance, lesson planning, grades, school schedules, desk placement, hallway pass procedures, health mitigation strategies, and connecting with students...yet proctoring standardized testing remains the same. All juniors are required to be in the building for this exam (regardless if students are "virtual only" learners and have not been physically in the building since March of 2020). It's a day that rules are especially rigid. Students seem to understand. As educators, even in a pandemic we shoulder heavy responsiblity on testing days.  

It's an exhausting day for teachers and students alike. I am grateful this testing day is over...until next year.   

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 9: Longing for Daffodils

 For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 9:

Longing for Daffodils

Last July I bought an old farmhouse and moved into an established neighborhood. With the arrival of each season, I discover new things about my house and yard. Lately, I have been anticipating spring and cannot wait to see if anything blooms. My daughter's favorite flowers are daffodils. To me, daffodils represent the end of winter and a time for rebirth. 

These daffodils grew outside the house I rented last year.
They were lovely.

.

For now, I have been walking around my yard, searching for signs of spring growth. So far, I have only seen mud and dirty patches of snow. 

In thinking about my yard and in anticipation of what it might look soon, I wrote this haiku:

Mild temperatures/

tease. Snow melts. I yearn for buds,/

hope for daffodils.      

In my daydreams I imagine that I will wake up one morning and find daffodils sprouting in my yard. However, if this doesn't happen, then I can plant my own.  

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 8: Climbing Adventure

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 8: 

Climbing Adventure

"Are you sure that's safe to climb on? Even for an adult?"

"We do it ALL THE TIME, Trina. Like hundreds of times. It's really strong." Seven-year-old Addy reassured me and then climbed up the ten foot high geometric structure. It wasn't really playground equipment but a metal sculpture.

I looked hesitantly at Steve, "Should we be climbing this?" 

He nodded, "I see people on this all the time. I think that it was specifically constructed for this. Don't worry."  

Addy didn't hesitate. She dropped her uncle's hand and ran. She flung her little body on the sculpture and scaled to the top in seconds.

"Come on, Trina! You need to climb with me. Then you can see pretend you are on top of the tower." 

Hesitantly, I touched the metal structure and gripped it with both hands. It seemed solid enough. The structure didn't sway, even while supporting my full weight. I placed both feet at the first level. 

My right hand reached for the next section. I moved up my right foot up a bit higher. My left hand and foot followed. Suddenly, I found myself scaling the structure until I reached the top, next to my spry seven-year-old friend.

"See, I knew you could do it! Good job, Trina!" I loved Addy's words of encouragement. "Think of what else you can climb with us now!" 

"It's beautiful up here. It's so peaceful," I shared. Addy nodded.

"How many times has Uncle Steve climbed up with you?" I inquired.

"He just watches.Like Mom and Dad."

How had she just convinced me to scale this with her?   

"Let's climb back down and have races to see who can reach the top the fastest. We can get Uncle Steve to time us." Before I could protest she was screaming, "SAM!! You, me, and Trina can have climbing races!" 

I gulped. I considered it a small miracle that I climbed up the structure and reached the top in one piece.

"We'll see. This is the most adventure that I have had in a long time, Addy." I replied and carefully climbed back down.

"Let's all start at the same spot. Trina, you go in the middle," Sam commanded.

"We begin at three. Wait, I mean I will count down from three." He said.

"Three. Two. One....GO!!"  

Addy and Sam quickly beat me to the top.

Although Steve didn't time us, he chuckled as he watched me race up and down the metal sculpture with his niece and nephew. 

I must have climbed up and down at least ten times before I paused to watch Sam and Addy race each other. Although climbing was fun and a bit thrilling, I was exhausted. On the other hand, the twin seven-year-olds seemed to gain more energy from climbing.

What kind of adventures have you had lately?

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 7/#SOSMAGIC: What I Know For Sure

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 7:

What I Know for Sure

Recently, the phenomenal Ruth Ayres shared a recent writing invitation: 

What do you know for sure?

What do you know is true?

What do you know by heart?

I have been marinating these questions in my head for the past few days. I thought about writing about advice I've been given or sharing a list of things I love or penning a poem about beautiful surprises. I thought about sharing some of the lessons I learned during the time of COVID or what I learned about myself when I was going through my divorce. Yet, I kept talking myself out of those ideas. 

A few years ago, as I was working through some heavy personal problems (with the help of a therapist, trusted friends, my pastor, and through my own messy writing), I learned this important lesson: I am only in control of my own thoughts, my own actions, and my own speech. 

This has not been an easy lesson for me to learn. In fact, as a woman in my mid-forties, it is still a lesson that often needs reteaching. I gently need to keep reminding myself: no matter how fiercely I love someone or want a different outcome, I am only in charge of me.

In fact, I have had to make lists of what I have control over and what I do not have control over. Continually, I must remind myself: 

• I can pray for someone. 
• I can listen. 
• I am help support someone.
• I can write about it.
• I can talk about it.

Ultimately, I am only in control of me. This applies to my relationships, my work with students, colleagues, and work load at school, and even parenting my own children.

I can live and strive to be my best self. I can be responsible for my actions, what I say, and how I show up. That's it. This is what I know for sure.  

What do you know for sure? What do you know is true? What do you know by heart? 

Today I’m joining an open community of writers over at Sharing Our Stories: Magic in a Blog. If you write (or want to write) just for the magic of it, consider this your invitation to join us.#sosmagic

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 6: Accentuate the Positive

 For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 6:

Accentuate the Positive

What's something that's been positive for you lately? This week I began my senior level English classes with this community building question.

I heard a diversity of responses from my hybrid and virtual learners:

• The weather has been great!
• I reconnected with old friends
• I got a raise at Wal-Mart
• The kids at my internship make me giggle
• We are moving to a new house
• My grades are really good right now
• I finally convinced my parents to let me go on a trip to NYC this summer 
• My friends
• I had my best time at the 100 Freestyle 
• I learned how to make a pie
• My parents got a new car so I got their old van
• I've been reading more books
• I have been using my new longboard 
• I've been spending a lot of time with my family 

Following our conversation, I shared with my class how it was good to hear about the positive happenings in their lives. I reminded them that sometimes focusing on positive things in tough times makes a huge difference. It was a good reminder for myself, too. 

For the first time in my teaching career, a portion of my students are 100% virtual, and I have never met them in person or even seen their faces. Yet, I also have students who are learning in-person. I have been working hard to connect with all of them and finding ways that they can connect with each other. 

Since the beginning of the 2020-2021 school year, I often begin my classes with a Community Building Question. Sometimes I look on-line for a question. Other times I create a question as a link to what we are studying. A favorite resource is Table Topics (Teen Edition). Asking Community Building Questions is one small way that I have been working on connecting with my students. 

What have you been doing this year to connect with your students? 

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 5: Ultimate Frisee Golfer

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 5: Ultimate Frisee Golfer

I wave. He waves. We each exchange a smile. "Good morning!" "Good morning!" 

When I am out on an early morning walk, I usually pass the same man playing frisbee golf at our neighborhood park.

I admire his tenacity. We live in Wisconsin, not exactly an ideal climate to play frisbee golf all year round. Yet, most mornings, especially when there isn't more than a few inches of snow on the ground and the temperature is above zero, he is out on the course. He often has on snow pants and boots on the course. Even on windy days, when we are both bundled up, he is working on his throw. 

I have never asked him his name. He has never asked mine. I'm not sure if he lives in my neighborhood or in a different part of town. I don't know what drives him to play early in the morning or anything he does beyond frisbee golf. However, I feel an odd connection since we find ourselves in the same park nearly every day at the same time.  

"Have a great day!" One of us usually remarks to each other. It always seems to be a genuine comment. 

He makes me ponder about people who are present in my life who I have a causal connection with. 

Who are the people you see each day but don't really know? 

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 4: A Walk to Remember

For the month of March, each day I am writing and posting a slice of my life, hosted by Two Writing Teachers. 

Slice of Life #21 Challenge Day 4: A Walk To Remember

"Want to take a walk with me? We don't have to go far. Maybe just around the block."

"Okay." I was surprised that she agreed. 

My twelve-year-old daughter and I laced up our sneakers, zipped up our coats, and put on our hats and mittens. We headed out the back door to take an early evening neighborhood walk. 

As we walked, we chatted a bit about school, about friendships, about what it was like when I was in seventh grade, and we even talked about our pets. 

"Oh, look at the sunset, Mom!" 

"So pretty. I love how the colors are so vivid. I should take a photo of that."

"You are going to blog about that, aren't you?" My daughter teased. 

"You know that I am obsessed with sunrises and sunsets. If I can weave it into a blog post, I might as well!" 

We continued to walk, this time for a bit in silence. Our walk ended up lasting about thirty minutes, much longer than a walk around our city block. 

As we approached our house, my daughter quietly said, "I want to start taking more walks with you, Mom. I like the fresh air. I like our talks. It helps."  

Although I have a good relationship with my tween, moments like these are not always common with my daughter. This walk I want to remember.