Despair January 10, 2008

Today’s post focusses on two cases of despair. Let’s start with the first one. Today’s image is ‘Despair‘ painted by Edvard Munch in 1892. It’s actually the first painting in a whole series of paintings from the same scenery, displaying the same emotion of despair. Munch himself wrote about them in his diary in 1892:

“I was walking along a path with two friends – the sun was setting – I felt a breath of melancholy – Suddenly the sky turned blood-red – I stopped and leant against the railing deadly tired – looking out across flaming clouds that hung like blood and sword over the deep blue fjord and town – my friends walked on – I stood there trembling with anxiety and I felt a great, infinite scream through nature.”

The man on the first painting in this series resembles Munch, but the later paintings become more and more abstract, as if Munch tries to display only this one emotion: despair. The third painting, the Scream, is the most famous of all. Looking at it makes me shiver, but at the same time it’s a very beautiful scene.

o

I decided to write on despair today, since I felt just like the figure in the third painting. Today was my longest day of the week. I had to teach non stop from 08:30-3:30, and even my breaks were consumed by meetings and appointments with students that needed advise on their papers. I usually try to keep my breaks to myself, but because of the holidays a lot of time passed and these students really needed some help in order to be able to move on.

o

Most students were really, really hyper active. I understand. They are extremely excited because of the new surroundings they’re in. After all, they’re children. I just find it hard to get used to my new room, the new boards, the new staff room. But at the end of the day all I want to do is teach. Not them. The trailers almost exploded because of these jumping, yelling, hysterical youngsters, even climbing out of the ground floor windows and coming back with muddy shoes. I’m sure that in a week or so this will pass.

o

What really made me despair today, was the fact that me and my class from hell were sentenced to spend an hour in one of the most education-hostile environments I have experienced so far. Those of you who have followed me for a while know that managing my class from hell is a huge challenge, even under normal circumstances. It took me about two months of battle in order to get myself a room in which I could put them in a (more or less) workable setting, after having been sent to the art room and technics room. It seems that I will have to start this battle all over again.

o

In addition to our trailers, we use a few rooms in a near by elementary school. The rooms are bigger than the ones in the trailers, so the bigger classes are scheduled there. They put me in an art room, which had four clusters of 5 tables. All 27 students were supposed to grab a stool and gather around those clusters, basically having a teaparty there while I tried to teach. To top it of, the entire place was covered in sawdust, left after some kind of project, and the three tiny windows couldn’t open. I could not believe it. It was 50 minutes of suffering. I tried to interrupt the class in their party, by trying to prepare them for the exam that they’ll have in about two weeks, but they just looked at me, raised a brow and continued doing whatever they were doing.

o

I refuse to accept such lowsy circumstances. I know that my classroom management is something I need to work on, and I do, but I refuse to teach this class again in that room. That’s what I told the principal, and that’s what I told the guy who is in charge of the schedules.

As for now: I will start enjoying my weekend. I don’t teach on Fridays so I can put my books away and relax. I’ve wanted to do that since Monday morning. Going back to school wasn’t easy. For those of you that have to work tomorrow: good luck, and don’t despair

Carnival of Education January 9, 2008

This week’s carnival of education is online at the Columbus Education Association.

And guess what? I didn’t forget the deadline!

Frum Cuisine January 8, 2008

To celebrate my one year blogiversary, and because I wanted to keep all my recipes together in one place, I decided to put up a cuisine blog. If you don’t know what to eat tonight, go ahead and visit

frumcuisine.blogspot.com

What about having some nice chicken in mushroom sauce for dinner tonight?

Why today was a good day January 8, 2008

It was a bit strange being back in front of the class. This morning I taught in a tiny little trailer room that until yesterday was the lunch room of the people that were installing the toilets. Five minutes before class the last trash was moved out so I could move in. I couldn’t close the door, though, since there was no lock yet and closing it would mean being trapped with my students in a room the size of a walk in closet.

I am really satisfied with the way this first day went:

~ Right before the bell I remembered to get some whiteboard markers so that I could write on the board. I turn out to love whiteboards. I love how it keeps my hands clean.

~ My students were all excited, so I decided to just go over some old material with them to see how much they remembered after three weeks of not thinking about school. I was really surprised, in a positive way.

~ After this review I taught about Aletta Jacobs who was the first woman to go to high school and college, and the first female doctor of the country. I read some passages from her autobiography and my students, who hardly read books themselves (and certainly not books that were written at the beginning of the 20th century) listened and asked questions about it. It was really interesting to see how they were involved and how they were angry about the way women were treated in those days.

~ We finished off with a poem, written by her father upon her graduation from medical school. Each student read a few sentences, even the ones that usually don’t want to read, and even the ones that don’t master the language very well because they speak a different language at home.

~ I can really feel that this break gave me some inspiration to try new approaches and to use new material in class. I just hope I will be able to stick to that. I also used some tricks that I learned from ‘Setting limits in the classroom’. A student was continuously drawing in her diary. I gave only one warning, and told her that I would have to take it away from her if she couldn’t put it aside, and when she took it out again I took it, only to give it back after class. It sounds so simple and logical, but before winterbreak I would have probably warned a second or third time before taking it away.

First day in the trailers January 7, 2008

So today was the first day in the trailers. After the usual dressing room crisis (it’s hard to get used to wearing professional outfits again after two weeks in sloppy clothes), the bag packing crisis and the key searching crisis (so far for resolutions to be more organised) I arrived at the trailers for a general staff meeting. We went over some new school rules, we got our keys, and we received the new timetables.

The trailers are really small and there’s NO fresh air. I can’t imagine what it will be like when the classroom is full of students. I just hope the ‘building’ (if you can call it that) won’t have a negative influence on my asthma.

After the meeting the first students arrived. It was strange to hear their laughter and yelling again, but in a strange way it also aroused the wish to prepare nice lessons and projects and to inspire them. Isn’t that beautiful?

I share a room with two other teachers that weren’t there today. I decided to make it look nice, so I brought some newspapers clippings and posters to make the walls look nice. We have two bulletin boards that are still on the floor, but I hope they will be put up somewhere this week. I plan on printing a few history quotes on the computer to put up on the wall above the whiteboard. There are lots of sites with such quotes, like here and here. Reading them makes me love history, and I hope my students will be inspired by them as well. I also found a really nice site with bulletin board ideas. I just hope that my colleague, who can be very blunt sometimes, won’t take everything down this afternoon when she gets there

This afternoon I will make lesson plans for the rest of the week, and I will make an exam that my students will take on Thursday, just to have an extra day in case the xerox machine is out of order.

Back to school tomorrow January 6, 2008

The end of this wonderful break is drawing closer. The past few days I’ve done a lot of reading, because I know that I won’t get much reading done during the school year, at least nothing that is not school related. I finished Lena Gorelik’s ‘Wedding in Jerusalem’ which I really enjoyed, and two thirds of the first book of ‘Rashi’s daugthers’. So far I really like the book. It’s actually the first historical novel I ever read, and I like it.

I also decided to study some classroom management theory, because I feel I need a boost before getting back to school (and thus my class from hell). I read the first two chapters of Robert J. Mackenzie’s ‘Setting limits in the classroom’. Before offering solutions and strategies, chapter one to five make you look at your own teaching strategies, and at the things that go wrong.

I must admit that it was kind of confronting to read about mistakes other teachers make and think ‘that’s me’.

o

A real eye-opener was what MacKenzie calls ‘the classroom dance’. Effective teachers know exactly what they expect of their students, and make their expectations clear in a very simple way. “If you don’t know how to participate in the circle, you will have to sit by yourself” or “If you don’t know how to behave during recess, you will have to sit with me and watch the others play”. Many teachers (again, this is me) are either permissive or punitive in dealing with their students. They either let disruptive behaviour happen, or they come up with a sanction that is not really fair, thus making the student want to rebel even more. Many teachers end up discussing and fighting with their students, taking up a lot of time without reaching the desired result.

o

Something else that struck me was a list of ten common misconceptions that cause teachers to have problems with managing their classes. I decided to copy these ten misconceptions to hear how many of these you have been holding for true. I can tell you that I believed all these to be true when I started student teaching, and I am slowly giving up each and every one of them.

o

1) Teaching rules is the parents’ job

2) Children should know what I expect (oh, this was my favorite one)

3) I can’t afford to take precious time away from instruction

4) If I cover my rules thoroughly in the beginning of the year, I shouldn’t need to do it again

5) Explaining my rules to children should be enough

6) Children won’t take me seriously unless I am strict

7) If children hear my rules often enough, the message will begin to sink in

8) Students resent firm rules and teachers who make them

9) When my students sense that I care, they will cooperate (this was, and still is, my main pitfall)

10) Male teachers make the best disciplinarians (I know this is not true, but the male vocal chords do help, I think)

o

What I like about the book is that is has a huge lists of questions in the back to discuss with a teachers study group. We should really stick together online and talk about these questions, don’t you think?

As for tomorrow, may we all have a smooth transition back to the working life, and may the inspiration and relaxation of the holiday season carry us through the next semester!

Teachers’ potluck carnival January 5, 2008

The first teachers’ potluck carnival of 2008 is online, hosted by meeyauw.

Transformation January 2, 2008

This is usually the part of my break that I find hardest: the transformation from total passivity to teaching-related activity. Although I decided that I didn’t want to do anything related to teaching this entire break, I know it’s impossible to stick to that resolution. Today I reviewed some papers that four students submitted before the winter break, and sent out angry mails to the ones that didn’t submit anything. I opened my agenda again, and I logged into my school e-mail.

I’d been dreading to do that for days, and now that I have I feel much more relaxed. What a great way to start enjoying the last few days of this amazing winter break. The last peaceful days before getting back to the educational pressure cooker (although I promised myself to be less stressed and more organized, prepare healthier meals, take more free time for me, yada yada yada).

Happy 2008 December 31, 2007

Dear fellow bloggers,

Although it’s customary to, at this day, look back at the year that’s lying behind us, to make up the balance, and to recall good and bad memories, I’ve decided not to do that.

What I want to do is thank you all for writing the inspiring blogs you do, for voting for my blog in this year’s bloggers competition, for visiting my blog and for leaving funny, sweet and helpful comments.

I’ve learned a lot this past year, and I wouldn’t be the same teacher (and person) without it.

Have wonderful, healthy, quiet and inspiring 2008!

Yours,

Frumteacher

Honey vanilla challah December 29, 2007

Vacation means: finally some extra time to get into the kitchen and do some serious cooking. This shabbes I made honey vanilla challah (I found the recipe here but slightly adapted it), chicken with mushroom sauce, potato knish and zuccini-filled tomatoes. Although the dishes could have used some more spices, they were quite tasty. Because of shabbes I couldn’t take a picture, so you’ll just have to believe me that the challah looked really nice… Best part: this morning the challah was still fresh!

Honey vanilla challah

Ingredients (makes one loaf)

1/2 tablespoon active dry yeast
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 1/4 to 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup of warm water
2 eggs + 1 for the glaze
4 tablespoons of olive oil + 1 teaspoon for greasing the bowl and another for the glaze
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon honey

In a large bowl using a whisk combine the yeast, sugar, salt and 1 cup of the flour. Add the warm water, 2 eggs, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, then the honey and vanilla. (Add the olive oil first, then use the same measuring spoon to add the honey – residual oil on the spoon will make the honey slide right out.) Vigorously mix the ingredients until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl halfway through, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, switching to a wooden spoon when the dough becomes too thick for the whisk. Continue mixing the dough until it is too stiff to stir.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until soft and springy, about 4 minutes. If the dough is sticky, dust with flour 1 tablespoon at a time – just enough to prevent it from sticking to the surface. The dough is done when it’s smooth and small air bubbles show under the skin. If you press your thumb into it the impression should bounce back. This is a slightly firm dough, which is exactly what you want for easy braiding later on.

Place the dough in a deep container greased with 1 tsp of olive oil. Turn the dough once to coat the top and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it with non-stick spray. Gently deflate the dough by pressing your fingers into it, then turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide into 4 equal portions, and roll each portion out into a smooth, thick strip about 20 inches long, with the ends slightly thinner than the middle. Lay these ropes side-by-side, touching only at the top.
a
I really like the 4 rope-braiding. It looks fancy and it’s really easy. This is what you need to do: starting with the outer left rope, you move each rope over the 2nd, under the 3rd, and then again over the 4th. Again, take the left rope and follow this procedure. Continue until ropes are completely braided. Combine the ends and tuck them under the braid.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the braided dough on your baking sheet and let rise until almost doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.

Just before the rising time has finished whisk together 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, this is going to be the glaze for your bread. Gently brush the dough with a thick layer of it. Place the dough in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the bread is a deep golden brown and sounds hollow when you thump it on the bottom. Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

PS. The original recipe uses warm milk in stead of water, but I wanted the challah to be parve. If you prefer milchige challah, just replace the water with milk.