Let's Go!

I love teaching fourth graders.  There’s something about turning ten that opens a child’s eyes to new ways of thinking.  Sometimes that means testing the limits and trying the nerves of their parents and teachers.  But more significantly, it means these kids are developing their own opinions and crafting their own personal view of the world.  I try not to overlook the huge responsibility that puts on me as the voice that they listen to for hours each day.

For the past ten years, every September 11^th I’ve faced my students and tried to explain why we have a moment of silence at 8:46 am.  It never gets easier, and in some ways it gets harder because these children are so far removed from 2001 that sometimes this is the first they’ve heard of (or at least processed) that horrific day.  We talk about the facts, the feelings, and the fears and I try hard to formulate answers for questions that truly don’t have answers.    

Almost without fail, the conversation eventually turns in one particular direction, and it did so again today as a boy in the back raised his hand.  I could have predicted what would come next just with one glance at his wide eyes, so his question was no surprise when he said, “So the people who planned the attacks died on the planes too?” My heart jumped a little in my chest as it does each year as the questions get deeper.

I felt the pressure of the rest of their wide eyes as they looked first at the boy who asked the question, then at me.  I swallowed and said, “Yes, they died too.  They knew they were going to die, but in their sick minds, it was worth it.”  Even though I’d already used the words radical and evil multiple times in our discussion, I began floundering over them again as I tried to explain something I’ll never even fully understand myself. 

Next came the only question harder to answer than that one: “Were there kids on the planes?” That’s another thing about fourth graders: they ask the hard questions and they know if you’re lying so you have to tell the truth.  So I did.  And then I explained to them that all kinds of people lost their lives that day: old people, young people, moms, dads, kids, firemen, policemen, and everyone in between.  Which brought the conversation full circle and I think they finally understood why we’d had that moment of silence an hour before.

I hate that we live in a world where we must have these conversations with our children.  But more than that, I’d hate to live in a world where we’re afraid to have these conversations with our children.  I don’t like my students feeling afraid or sad, but I do believe they need to feel shocked and angry, NOW, while they’re forming their view of the world.

Today while I was having this talk with my students, I couldn’t help but see the faces of those three college students who ambushed the terrorist on that train in Paris last month.   Just last week, I read in People magazine that as soon as they heard the first gunshot, one said to another, “Dude! Let’s go!” 

On September 11, 2001, those three young men were about nine years old.  I wonder if being at that impressionable age when our country experienced such a tragedy had an impact on the men they are today.  I’d dare to say it did, and I’d like to think they learned lessons from their parents and in classrooms in the days following 9/11 that shaped them into the kind of guys who were faced with a terrorist and took him on without hesitation. 

That’s why we have a moment of silence.  That’s why we look our children in the eye and say, “Yes, kids died too,” even when it’s hard.  That’s why we tell them, every single year, yes, those men were willing to die for their evil cause but that’s why we as Americans have to be just as willing to die to stand up for what’s good: freedom, faith, our families and our friends.  

I pray that none of those little boys in my classroom will ever be faced with a situation like those three young men were faced with in Paris last month. But if God forbid they are, I hope their eyes widen just like they did today and without hesitation, they say, “Let’s go!”

The only way to defeat evil is with good.  And the battle starts a lot sooner than we’d like to think.

Crock Pot of Gold

When I was 22 and newly married, I jumped right in at church and volunteered to teach the Wednesday night teen girls’ class.  Part of that meant inheriting a longstanding “soup and sandwich” supper that raised money for missions.  The idea was that the old leaders had spent all day making soup and sandwiches and the teen girls had shown up to serve the food and collect donations. 

The problem was I didn’t know how to make soup and I wasn’t even that good at making a sandwich.  Lucky for me being a teacher means creative ideas come naturally, so I reworked the concept and ten years ago the “soup and sandwich” supper became the Crock Pot of Gold Dinner.  It’s a lot less work for me and a lot more fun for everyone else, and this year we raised over $800- not too shabby for a small church like ours. 

The idea is that everyone brings a crock pot meal to share, and we place a labeled cup beside one.  Everyone samples as many as they can and places their donation in the cup belonging to their favorite crock pot.  We always hold the event close to St. Patrick’s Day, thus the theme.  It’s easy and it pretty much runs itself since everyone pitches in.

If you need any easy spring fundraising idea, I’d suggest you give it a try.  Email me for sign-up sheets and signs and look for some clearance decorations to save for next year. 

Abby tried them all!

Of course, I did my nails for the occasion. J

Twice 16

Last week I turned 32.  The math teacher in me sees numbers in terms of patterns, factors and multiples and for that reason I keep thinking, “that’s twice 16.”  Half my life ago I turned 16.  I’m not sure 32 could possibly feel any farther from 16.  In reading class, we ask our students how a character changes throughout the novel.  In the novel of my life, how have I NOT changed since 16?  Just the thought of it leaves me shaking my head and thinking, “if only I had known then what I know now.”  There is so much I wish I could go back and tell my sixteen-year-old self, now that I’m twice as wise. 

There are so many things I would say…

• Watch out- those morning Mountain Dews are addictive. 
• Stop wasting your money on those bad highlights.  You look ridiculous. 
• There’s no need to be ashamed that you’d rather listen to Reba than TLC. She’ll still be on your playlist when you’re thirty, along with Goo Goo Dolls.   But you can go ahead and nix TLC.
• Don’t take for granted one second of living across the hall from your sister- you’ll miss it in ways you can’t yet imagine. 
• It really does not matter whether or not you have a boyfriend- in a few years, you’ll find out God already has a man picked out for you and he certainly isn’t sitting across the room in English class. 
• Trust your gut without exception or apology- it won’t steer you wrong.
• Don’t worry so much (or at all for that matter) about what other people think. 
• You know those few people you can truly be yourself around?  They’re the ones that matter.  Anyone who makes you feel like you have to be someone you’re not just isn’t worth your time. 

And last, but perhaps most importantly: “Don’t take yourself so seriously.” You know that perfect life plan you’ve got planned out in detail?  Ball it up and throw it away.  You are not in charge.  That’s the part where 16-year-old me would have stopped listening, because that wouldn’t have made any sense at all.  Turns out you need at least double the life experience of a teenager to even come close to realizing this truth. 

Oh, how I thought I was in control- of everything!  My classes, my friends, my parents, my plans, my future, my LIFE; I just knew that I was in the driver’s seat and as long as I kept a firm grip on that wheel, things would continue to go my way.  As it turns out, I’m not the driver and I’m not even sure I’m a front seat passenger; some days, it feels more like a dark ride in the trunk.  But you know what?  The ride is a lot more enjoyable now that I’ve realized I’m not fully in charge of the speed or even every turn.  I wish somehow I’d been able to learn to sit back and enjoy the ride a few years back. 

Of course, that’s not how life works.  You have to endure your teen years to get to your long-awaited twenties… then comes the pleasant surprise that your thirties are even better than your twenties.  I’m counting on the fact that this is a trend, and not just a fluke.  I saw the question posed on social media the other day, “Would you rather fast forward ten years or rewind ten years?” and I simply thought, “Neither.”  Right here is fine… and I’m thankful it hasn’t taken me twice this life experience to realize it. 

Half my life ago I was 16.  I was pretty, smart, and funny and on a good day, I MAY have believed one out of three.  Makes me wonder how I’ll look back on these days when I’m 64.  What kind of advice would that version of myself give for today?  I’m willing to bet the theme would be the same, “Don’t take yourself so seriously.” So for this year, I’m making a promise to my twice-as-old self: “I’ll surely try.”

ACC Math

In North Carolina, March means basketball.  Everyone has a “team.”   And if you’re a kid and you don’t have a team, you pretend to be a fan of your teacher’s team just so you can get in on the banter.  My coworkers and I spend the Friday of the ACC tournament doing ACC math, and the graph outside my room of favorite teams is always mounted on yellow paper and a little heavier on the Wake Forest tally than a general population survey would reflect. 

I’ve never been too good at encouraging holiday fun in my classroom.  That’s one reason I teach upper grades instead of primary grades (the older kids are a little more forgiving if you aren’t into crafts and glitter).  But if March Madness counts as a holiday, it’s hands-down my favorite.  I’ve always spearheaded the “ACC Math” push on my grade level the second week in March.  I have one coworker who isn’t from around here and she has yet to figure out what all the hysteria is about.  When I start pushing worksheets and activities with basketballs and brackets her way, she still looks at me like I’m a little bit crazy.

Maybe I am… But I’m betting some of you are too.  So for all of us who take March Madness both seriously and literally, I’ve got a new product in my TPT store.  I used actual player names and team statistics from the 2014-2015 basketball season, and I plan to update the document annually by March 1^st, so purchase now and be covered for ACC Tournament week year after year (this year it’s March 10^th-14^th). 

Start planning now because there are 60 math problems (4 for each of the 15 ACC teams) suited best for 4^th and 5^th graders in my ACC Math Task Cards.  Topics covered include multi-digit addition and subtraction, long division and multiplication (including multiplicative comparisons and multiples), measurement conversion, and rounding.  Recording sheet and answer keys are included.  

Happy March Madness and Go insert your favorite team here!!!                  (…if you don’t have one…pick fast if you live in NC!)