Life Archives - Teaching ELA in the Middle https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/category/life/ and living life one day- and book- at a time Mon, 06 Jan 2025 15:25:58 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 https://i0.wp.com/teachingelainthemiddle.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Black-with-Book-Shelf-Icon-Education-Logo.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Life Archives - Teaching ELA in the Middle https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/category/life/ 32 32 194908938 A Presidential Funeral https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/a-presidential-funeral/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-presidential-funeral https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/a-presidential-funeral/#respond Mon, 06 Jan 2025 15:25:52 +0000 https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/?p=574 Today will commemorate the 39th President of the United States. I remember, probably because I’m well old enough, Jimmy Carter’s presidency. I also remember when he ran against Ronald Reagan, and how our school decided to celebrate that election year. Like most presidents, I recall the good and the bad that was said about him. …

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Today will commemorate the 39th President of the United States. I remember, probably because I’m well old enough, Jimmy Carter’s presidency. I also remember when he ran against Ronald Reagan, and how our school decided to celebrate that election year.

Like most presidents, I recall the good and the bad that was said about him. How he was a peanut farmer in Georgia who became President. If one looked at that accomplishment alone, it would be easy to remind our students that they, too, are not limited in their success. However, having taught in agricultural areas, I can say that farming goes beyond the stereotypical ideology that I grew up with having known. Farming itself is a success, and there are a lot of great people who are farmers. Having students research some great people in agricultural advancements would be a fantastic way to combine the two.

While Carter’s success is his being the 39th President, there were quite a few things that tainted that presidency, namely, the Vietnam War. Although it wasn’t supposed to be a war that we were in. We were supposed to only be there in a military police capacity, but that is a whole entire can of worms in itself.

I remember the sounds of the helicopters when I was a little girl as they passed overhead and my father talking about, “it’s hard to sneak in and free those soldiers when those things are that loud.” My father was a U.S. Marine. He was proud of it, and thankfully, his service ended before we became a part of what was happening in Vietnam. Many of our soldiers were imprisoned. So many, in fact, that the idea of tying yellow ribbons in remembrance was a thing. A reminder to pray. A reminder that someone was still MIA.

As federal offices close on Thursday, take time to remember, not just Carter, but to pray for those that we have in office or soon to be in office. These people that we elect have a great deal to shoulder, whether you are Republican or Democrat. We should be in prayer for them to make wise decisions regarding our country and our well-being.

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Teaching after a natural disaster https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/teaching-after-a-natural-disaster/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=teaching-after-a-natural-disaster Tue, 22 Oct 2024 06:23:00 +0000 https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/?p=561 I may have mentioned this before, but I am currently on hiatus as a middle school teacher. Although that is the case, I have been staying up to date on trends and so forth, but one thing that completely caught me off guard was seeing the devastation of some areas after Hurricane Helene. I had …

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I may have mentioned this before, but I am currently on hiatus as a middle school teacher. Although that is the case, I have been staying up to date on trends and so forth, but one thing that completely caught me off guard was seeing the devastation of some areas after Hurricane Helene.

I had planned to take a trip to add to my literary trip collection that I usually have in my classroom for when I do return to teaching, but that is something that had to be postponed as many of the roads I planned to take were washed away due to flooding and mudslides.

This made me think about how would I choose to teach after a natural disaster. When big events happen, I’ve always make it a point to allow normalcy of routines and opportunities to process. Writing can be cathartic, as many need to process through this information themselves. They may have had loved ones injured. They may have had their houses destroyed or damaged. Allowing students to find ways to help one another as some may have been fortunate to not have any damage.

In my local area, some things were hit and miss. I had one small hole in the roof of my house, but across the street, entire trees were on the ground. Tops of trees were sheared off in the wind. Down the road? Houses were crushed. Whole landscapes were changed. Power was out for us for 24 hours. Other areas, it took a week to restore. Some places more than that.

What I witnessed in my neighborhood was a lot of children playing outside after the storm had cleared. We had no internet for almost a week, even if we had power. It was nice to see people outside and not inside.

My grandchildren were displaced at Mom’s because she lived in the mountain area, so they were staying somewhere else. And when they were back home, they were with me having an opportunity to stay at my house overnight, something that they can’t do much of during school days. We made it as fun as we could.

Many schools in our area were out for a fall break, so the timing was better, but I know that many of my teacher friends were happy to get back to make sure that their students were safe and accounted for after the storm.

I’m hoping that I will be able to get back on track with my blogging since things are back to normal. I managed to read quite a few books that I’m looking forward to reviewing for you, plus compiling my research for some upcoming articles. Later.

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Being Sick Sucks https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/being-sick-sucks/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=being-sick-sucks Mon, 12 Aug 2024 15:53:55 +0000 https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/?p=549 Sorry I haven’t been around to blog, but I recently had a viral sickness that rivaled the flu and Covid in terms of being the worst. Two weeks of it, in fact. I don’t know what kind of odd colds are going around your parts, but I do know that this one I had was …

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Sorry I haven’t been around to blog, but I recently had a viral sickness that rivaled the flu and Covid in terms of being the worst. Two weeks of it, in fact.

I don’t know what kind of odd colds are going around your parts, but I do know that this one I had was not a team player. It knocked me on my rear!

Even my oldest son complained about it.

I’m currently still struggling to pull it together. I promise I’ll get back in there and catch up my posts soon.

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My Blogging Story https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/my-blogging-story/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=my-blogging-story Thu, 25 Jul 2024 15:27:06 +0000 https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/?p=538 I’ve always been a blogger. I found it to be a great creative outlet, and I have even encouraged my students to find a way to either blog or journal because of it. For me, blogging started out as a way to take my journaling to a digital platform. It gave me the ability to …

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I’ve always been a blogger. I found it to be a great creative outlet, and I have even encouraged my students to find a way to either blog or journal because of it.

For me, blogging started out as a way to take my journaling to a digital platform. It gave me the ability to not only share what I was going through, but to take chances with different styles of writing until I was able to craft my own writer’s voice. Grant it, it wasn’t always easy.

When I first began, it was not about teaching. It was about my struggle with my weight, exercise, and dieting, along with my affinity with a certain NASCAR driver who is now retired, and no, it was not Dale Jr. despite what people may think. I used this as a way to work through things. It became my emotional outlet.

The teaching blog? It was also my emotional outlet. A way to deal with those things that as a teacher we have to let go of if we are to move on.

I never expected teaching to be so filled with emotional heaviness, but as soon as I saw the disparaging differences in socioeconomics, I was filled with a heaviness. I first described it as a culture shock. I was surprised to see how different things were. I may have grown up poor, but I grew up in a 2 parent household. I didn’t have to go see one in prison. There were no visitations. Things were good. Wrapping my head around my students’ truths was not so easy. So I took to blogging to keep my sanity and keep my journaling in the digital realm.

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Are you ready for the slang? https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/are-you-ready-for-the-slang/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=are-you-ready-for-the-slang Mon, 08 Jul 2024 11:53:00 +0000 https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/?p=527 I know, I know, I know. As soon as you get a grasp on the slang, things will change. Or will it? The word “FLEX” has been used, but considering it was used in a Will Smith (Fresh Prince) song from the 90s, was it really new? For some reason, old things become new again, …

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I know, I know, I know. As soon as you get a grasp on the slang, things will change. Or will it?

The word “FLEX” has been used, but considering it was used in a Will Smith (Fresh Prince) song from the 90s, was it really new? For some reason, old things become new again, and word meanings change.

Skibidi Toilet pretty much became the bane of my existence, along with Sigma. The combination of that with Ohio and Rizz left me bumfuzzled. When I thought I understood it in the correct context, something changed.

Apparently, Skibidi Toilet is something that isn’t good and when paired with Ohio, it is much worse. But Rizz is charisma, while Sigma means to be in charge. You’re the big dog. Basically an Alpha, but you are all alone in your alpha-ness. You don’t need a pack beneath you to prove you are the best.

Yes, I made this mistake. I had laryngitis and the only way to have a voice was to talk much deeper than normal. Pair that with me stepping in front of a male student about to harrass a female, and well, one thing led to another, and I proclaimed that I was the Alpha in my classroom. I was dominant. My room. My rules. I was in charge.

Don’t do that. You will never live it down.

Just trust me on this.

The best thing to do is to demand that they use regular language in the classroom unless they are prepared for whatever consequences for using the slang may be. Just keep up with what is trending. Otherwise, it could get quite interesting.

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How I like to spend the 4th of July https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/how-i-like-to-spend-the-4th-of-july/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-i-like-to-spend-the-4th-of-july Mon, 01 Jul 2024 12:32:00 +0000 https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/?p=520 Of course, spending July 4th with family is a must. It has to be with family, and it has to include grilling out. We may come up with some crazy kind of game with the kids, or become kids ourselves chasing each other around with the water guns, but just know that it will involve …

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Of course, spending July 4th with family is a must. It has to be with family, and it has to include grilling out.

We may come up with some crazy kind of game with the kids, or become kids ourselves chasing each other around with the water guns, but just know that it will involve being outside and having a blast just hanging out with family and friends.

For the food, it’s going to involve an absolute feast. We will definitely have grilled burgers, but the grilled hot dogs and the potato salad are going to be the stars of the show.

I’ve made the same potato salad for years. If you want the recipe, you’ll find it here.

The same goes with the chili for the hot dogs. You’re going to need a beer for that one. Find the recipe for the chili here.

Once you’ve made those, just know that people will be beating down the door to get to your next cookout.

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Summers are getting shorter for teachers https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/summers-are-getting-shorter-for-teachers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=summers-are-getting-shorter-for-teachers Thu, 20 Jun 2024 05:04:00 +0000 https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/?p=516 With the trend of year round school, that means that summers are getting shorter for teachers. I don’t know about you, but our school year now starts in July for teachers (2 weeks worth for some districts). This past school year was nice having a ten day break between each 9 weeks, but our district …

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With the trend of year round school, that means that summers are getting shorter for teachers. I don’t know about you, but our school year now starts in July for teachers (2 weeks worth for some districts).

This past school year was nice having a ten day break between each 9 weeks, but our district decided to do away with that and just have two long breaks when we normally would have them (Christmas and Spring Break). Without school ending early, its still a long year with a short summer. With so many taking courses during the summer to pursue Masters, it really leaves no time to relax and unwind. It was one of the reasons why I created my ideal travel destinations with long and short trips.

The best way to take a vacay or break is to go on some short day trips or trips that do not require a long length of travel time to get there and back. By doing this, you can get out and have some fun, but you are not going to be as exhausted when you get back. Short energizing trips are just as great as those longer trips.

What’s your favorite short trip destination? Comment below.

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Why did I become a teacher blogger? https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/why-did-i-become-a-teacher-blogger/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=why-did-i-become-a-teacher-blogger Thu, 13 Jun 2024 12:18:00 +0000 https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/?p=509 Why did I become a teacher blogger? Considering that I love writing, and I teach ELA, I thought that I would take that to the internet. Truthfully, I went searching for information on classroom ideas, and I realized that while there were many blogs about Elementary and even High School, but Middle School seemed to …

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Why did I become a teacher blogger? Considering that I love writing, and I teach ELA, I thought that I would take that to the internet.

Truthfully, I went searching for information on classroom ideas, and I realized that while there were many blogs about Elementary and even High School, but Middle School seemed to be left out of the loop. Especially when it came to ELA teachers.

You’ll also find that I do try to cover different trends with teaching reading and writing to middle school. Middle school is its own animal, so to speak. Elementary is cute and high school is more elevated, but middle school requires a special type of teacher. Plus, these days, finding ways to engage middle school students in the middle of the “Skibbidi Ohio Toilet Rizz Tuesday Tuesday So Sigma” era of slang can be challenging as well.

For that, I offer my blog.

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Walking away from teaching https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/walking-away-from-teaching/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=walking-away-from-teaching Sun, 12 May 2024 12:25:16 +0000 https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/?p=489 It’s time to wave the white flag and surrender. I just can’t do this anymore. I tried to tough it out and thought that perhaps it was nothing more than a rough spot in the road, but soon it became obvious that it was so much more than that. A student that I don’t teach …

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It’s time to wave the white flag and surrender.

I just can’t do this anymore.

I tried to tough it out and thought that perhaps it was nothing more than a rough spot in the road, but soon it became obvious that it was so much more than that.

A student that I don’t teach this year, but whom I would teach next year, begged me to stay. I told her that it wouldn’t matter. God has a way of moving me forward, and I’ve been praying for Him to do just that. I want to try something new, or perfect something old. Either way, if I stayed, He would only make me more miserable until I complied.

I have wanted to step out and do more, but I’ve been so afraid to take that leap. I would love to take what I’ve learned through teaching and to apply it to a different subject. Despite what we think as teachers, we do gain skills that we can apply to so many other situations. Our multi-tasking, peace making, teaching, counseling, negotiating, and even computer skills can be used in a variety of settings. I’m excited to be able to move forward.

For me, it’s business. I’ve wanted to run my own business for such a long time, and now that I have the space (thanks to my son for buying me a home that we are perfecting the perfect studio space for me) I can do just that. Plus, I’ve already found new clients. It’s a win-win for me.

For those still stuck in the trenches… I’ll be praying for you. This group of students is so very different. It’s the age we are in. Not actual age in years, but this generation.

Besides, there are only so many skibidi sigma Tuesday toilets I can take.

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Story Time: Sharing my passion https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/story-time-sharing-my-passion/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=story-time-sharing-my-passion Sun, 25 Feb 2024 13:17:56 +0000 https://teachingelainthemiddle.com/?p=484 Sometimes my students manage to find me online by accident, and sometimes they go digging through Google like they are detectives on a mission. I don’t lie to them when it comes to my passion, but I am often surprised when the realization of what I tell them in my beginning of the year spiel …

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Sometimes my students manage to find me online by accident, and sometimes they go digging through Google like they are detectives on a mission. I don’t lie to them when it comes to my passion, but I am often surprised when the realization of what I tell them in my beginning of the year spiel finally sinks in midway through the year.

Each year, at the beginning of the year, I share with my students that I write. I have written numerous books. I have a website online that some will eventually find that has links to my books on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. I even have copies of my books in my classroom.

This year, a handful of my homeroom students became infatuated with trying to read all of my books. They also provided me with the encouragement I needed to finish a book that I’d been struggling to finish for almost three years. I was stuck. I shared with them an idea I was toying with, and they said, “Do it!” So I did. I changed up my point of view, and the book practically finished itself easily. I even dedicated the book to them.

I have fallen into a vicious cycle of devouring every genre of book I can get my hands on through Kindle Unlimited and writing. Reading and writing have taken over my life. I keep a notebook handy for jotting down important things I have to do and scribbling inspiration when it strikes. My students have asked about the notebook, and I tell them that when you have something that you believe in, you should find a way to achieve it. Hence, my notebook.

If I am in the middle of my day and inspiration strikes, I write it down. Everything goes in that notebook.

  1. To do lists
  2. Conversation ideas
  3. Book ideas
  4. Blog post ideas
  5. Things that I need to learn to improve
  6. Research
  7. Chapters I’ve written to type up when I get home (written during my lunch)

I started a Goal book this year that has, currently, 68 things that I want to accomplish this year with room to write down up to 140. If something strikes me as I want to do this, it goes in my goal list. I can transfer my goal list to next year. So far, I have accomplished quite a few of my yearly goals. It’s a win for me. I’ve also read nearly 47 books this year. When I tell my students, they look at me in awe.

We should all have goals and passions that we are working toward. At the beginning of the year, I had my students write down their goals. Some will find that they have strayed far away from their goals. Some will find that they are on track to accomplish their goals. Staying passionate about who you are and what you want to do is the key to success.

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