Halloween in the Days of Yore

One of the first Halloween costumes I remember wearing was a cat outfit. It was a store-bought costume complete with a plastic mask, the kind of mask that had a small hole for breathing. Its design meant that condensation would build up on the inside of the mask, making for an uncomfortable evening of trick or treating.

Back then; the costumes came from Kresge's, not a fancy Halloween store. As we got older we came up with our own costume ideas. The design had to be comfortable. Movement couldn't be compromised as the evening entailed a whole lot of walking.

Somewhere along the line we started using pillowcases to collect the candy. They were sturdier than any shopping bag and held a whole mess of candy.

Puzzled

What to do with the kid who doesn't do anything? That's the question of the month.

We've met with his mother and agreed he should attend homework club three days a week. Well, he didn't agree, but the adults did. There were days he showed up, usually because the counselor or another teacher waited for him at his locker and escorted him personally. We quickly came to realize...you can lead Hank to homework club, but you can't make him do homework.

His mother says he stubborn. She's right. He's apparently been this way for most of his school career.

I see a kid who is very intelligent, but not interested in what we teachers are selling. The adults in the picture are puzzled and unsure how to solve the problem.

I just hope we figure it out before he decides to drop out of school.

No Worries

I went to bed last night thinking about the Tornado Watch that had been posted for my area. It started at 8:15 and was to be in effect until 3:00AM. I watched one big storm this summer and couldn't imagine that kind of experience in the dead of night. Unsure of exactly how to prepare for the unlikely possibility of a tornado while sleeping I left my bedroom window cracked, thinking I'd hear something in time to find my way to a closet.

I don't worry too much about the weather. In fact, the only time I ever did was when I found my cat sitting in the bathtub during a hurricane. Animals often have an innate sense about danger, so seeing him sitting perfectly still alarmed me a bit. Luckily when I woke up at about 2:ooAM last night he was curled up by my side sound asleep. I smiled, turned over and went back to dreamland.

One Step Up, Two Steps Back

I stayed after to grade a few papers and quickly became depressed. It seems all that I thought I taught last week wasn't really taught at all. Or as is so often say in 6th grade, they didn't get it.

Now what? I spent part of today introducing the next step in the unit. Obviously, there's no point in going forward, the only thing to do is take a step back.

Back on Track

So, the thing about getting older is it takes a lot more work to feel younger. Well, at least that's what I'm finding. Since this time last year my once somewhat-regular exercise routine has been derailed by Achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, and the more recent diagnosis of Venous Reflux disease. Not only have these recent diagnoses made me feel old, they've also made it difficult to keep up with my already spotty relationship with running.

I've run for exercise off and on for at least 30 years. I've never been all that fast but have had some great runs along the Potomac and through DC. I've run in 5Ks, 10Ks and a few 10 mile races. I trained for a marathon, but never made it to the finish line after a flare-up of tendonitis 18 miles into a training run. For me, it's not abnormal for months to go by without a run. Life gets in the way sometimes, making it more difficult to find the time to commit to getting back into the shoes and back into shape.

Just the same, after volunteering to be a "buddy runner" for students participating in "Girls On Track" at school I found myself lacing up my running shoes one more time. My goal was to cover a mile. I knew I couldn't run the entire mile, but was determined to get from point A to point B as quickly as my out of shape body could take me. After a five-minute warm-up I settled into a nice run/walk pattern and covered the mile in about 12 minutes. It's a start...not great, not terrible...but a start. I think I'll be able to keep up with the girls next week. I do believe this could be the beginning of something.

Renovation Realities

Give me a good home improvement show and I'm hooked in for the duration. Tonight I'm watching Renovation Realities, a show that follows your average person as they try their best to complete some sort of home renovation project. Personal experience has taught me that in the world of home projects nothing is easy. Years ago I decided, with the help of a friend, to rip up the wall-to wall-carpet in my house to see what was underneath. My house was built in the 1940s so I was pretty sure there was hardwood underneath the deep pile carpeting that had been there since I'd purchased my place.

I was right, but the excitement of the discovery was somewhat diminished when I realized that it wasn't going to be as easy as carpet removal and furniture replacement. The floors needed cleaning and refinishing...a skill that I don't have the patience and strength to complete on my own.

A small problem compared to the people I'm watching tonight. They're demolishing their kitchen in hopes of a total renovation. It looks like they've got the right tools but they've also got full-time jobs, children to feed and a marriage to keep on track. Fifteen minutes into the show I know the experts will be bursting through the door any minute now, probably after the next commercial break.

Take Two

I considered yesterday's icebreaker to be a failure. No matter...I decided to give it a try again today.

Today I started by explaining why I felt it was a worthwhile activity. Not only does the icebreaker question give us all a chance to know a little more about one another, it also provides a quick opportunity for students to practice their oral communication skills. My sixth graders tend to speak in one and two word phrases. Instead of asking something like "where's the bathroom pass?" I often get something along the lines of "pass?" So when I talked about today's question, "What is the best gift you've ever received?" I reminded them I was looking for more than a one-word utterance. Uttering the word iPod wasn't going to be enough to communicate the information.

I was pleasantly surprised. They communicated their thoughts well. Even better were the gifts they'd received-a baby brother, the love of their mother, a new baby cousin. They loved their cats, dogs, birds and rabbits as well. Yup, they love their iPods and laptops too.