salvia morning; marigold afternoon. A day at work

Morning sun streaming though Salvia blooms at my school

The air was warm. The soil moist. The sun was low. This was the setting as I walked onto campus this morning. The salvia and yarrow in the garden area that surrounds our flag pole was teeming with life. I booted up my computer and went to photograph the moment.

As the day ended, I left my classroom and as I have for the past several months, I walked by a diverse gathering of marigolds. I sat on the sidewalk and caught that moment as well.

Marigolds in the afternoon. The work day was over.

 

 

Creeping Back to a Well Kept Garden

Creeping thyme overhanging white wall

Summer school has arrived and though I enjoyed the three week break, the garden took advantage of the time to run in its own direction. Weeds. Dead blooms. Plants in need of support.

So it is a good thing that I asked for more horticulture time this summer and that the temps have stayed low enough to get some gardening in at the school. But back to back to back horticulture classes following a pre-school day weeding session, had me a bit tired out. Each class brought a set of fresh legs while mine grew less fresh. When it was over I drank some water and walked up the hill to some creeping thyme.

I'm not sure why but of all the blooms encountered the last two days, these small flowers asked the most for my attention. Saint Ignatius would say God was conversing with me when those blooms caught my eye so deeply. The desire to respond to a garden in need of attention is a much greater call that I find difficult to ignore. It gets me to the school early to rid the flower garden of weeds and helps me to keep going as those fresh legs enter into my classroom.

Horticulture Update: 5.13.14 Spring Blooms

Daffodil Bud exuding yellow

Azalea Blooms

Redbud blooming on tree planted by a student

 

One of my favorite tulips

 

Blue bells never fail to surprise me as the plants arise from under a Dogwood surrounded by azaleas

 

 

The A to Z challenge: moving on and returning to N

The other night I took the 26 cards and moved on

1. I got the 26 randomly chosen names from my work phone extension list and sent out a rambling email to those I were going to gift the cards to the next day. The hope was to explain the project.
2. I realized I had placed "N" by two names, but had only drawn one card. So make that 27 names.
3. I placed the cards into the mailboxes at work.
4. I answered questions by those puzzled by the rambling email.
5. Realized one person chosen was a student teacher who is no longer at the school.
6. Told the second "N" that I had messed up.

If you have followed this, you may remember I had been shocked to find that I had no jazz when I got to the letter, N. So last night I once again listened to the Lewis Nash CD I bought for the A to Z challenge. And here is the doodle:

 

The Return of The Random Cards at My Workplace

As I left work, I placed this card in a mail slot in the education office. The woman, who will find it on Monday, was recently given a new assignment and no longer works in my building. I miss her smile and the ongoing joke about her unlisted job duty of watching my back. I am glad my finger pointed to her name as I placed it on the employee phone list.

From this point on, for better or for worse, I will count out 21 names and that person will get a card. That is what makes it interesting to me. People who would be on the top of a self made list will be skipped over and some people I barely know at all will get a card.

A card and a short note wishing the person a good day. I can do this. And hopefully it will brighten a day or two along the way.

Earlier today I had to talk to a man about a new ID for one of my students. Inside his office hangs one of my cards from the last time I did this. It brightened my day.

 

Wordlessly celebrating the plants we care for at school

Thoughts on testing my teaching

My students have many a river to cross and on top of that my PA Dutch grammar can baffle the average student. With that said, I can write tests that all will fail or tests on the same material, which all the same students will get A's. Too often us teachers see tests as indicators only on what students have learned. They are also an indicator on how the students were taught. If a question baffles many, then I need to try to teach the material differently or as a friend told me recently ~> ask the question differently.

My students would not be in my classroom if their only problem was test taking. I see this as my goal - to show them that a classroom can be a place that is not traumatic. So why fail them and have them leave feeling the same way about school. The other day in my bio class, I joined them at our communal table. I sat down at their level. I looked at them and said, "You have had a marvelous quarter. You have completed everything I have asked of you in and outside this room." It was the truth, however, I couldn't have said it to all my chemistry students.

"So now I need to see what you have learned in the past nine weeks. I really don't care if you have learned everything. I do care that you allow me to see what you have learned so I know how well I have taught you. You all have earned a fine grade from me. Don't fear this test." Then we reviewed.

The cool thing is this ~> when they are proud of themselves, I can be proud of myself.

Today my horticulture students were given a boatload of flowers and told to create something beautiful. They passed.