Author: Andrea

I am an instructional technology coach in a middle school in Milwaukee, WI. I have been teaching for over 20 years in many grade levels ranging from first through eighth grade. I am a lifelong book nerd.

Slice of Life: Genius Hour 3/18

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Two years ago, I attended EdCamp Milwaukee. It was an amazing experience and I had a wonderful day of learning. While I was there, I attended a session on Genius Hour. I had never heard of this idea but I was impressed by all the great ideas.

I went back to my school and immediately worked on a plan of how to incorporate Genius Hour into my day at school. Last year, I had my middle school ELA students work on individual projects. I loved the days that we worked on Genius hour and so did all of my students. This year, I have been trying to figure out how to incorporate this idea into my fourth grade classroom. I can’t believe it took me this long to get it started, but now I am so excited to start.

Today we had our second brainstorming session for my students to come up with their ideas for genius time. I suggested learning to code as one of the suggestions. I was so impressed with how focused my students were. It was so fun to hear how excited some students got when they wrote code and were able to draw pictures on the computer. I loved how engaged my students were today. It really turned my whole mood around.

I am looking forward to learning all about the topics they picked.

Slice of Life: Corned Beef and Cabbage 3/17

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

There are so many things that can make me think about my grandma. She was one of the most influential people in my life. I was the oldest grandchild by five years and so I had the privilege of being the favorite and the one with the closest relationship with my grandparents. I used to spend most weekends with them. I would call my grandma and invite myself over to their house. Then I would spend the weekend with them. 
Around St. Patrick’s Day, I think about my grandmother. Her mother was Irish, and the tradition was to find a meal with Corned Beef and Cabbage every March. Each year, I look for a traditional Irish meal around this holiday. If I don’t find corned beef and cabbage, I look for a great Reuben sandwich. 
So, when I wear a button saying “Kiss me I’m Irish” it makes me nostalgic for a time when I could share a traditional Irish meal with my grandma. 

Slice of Life: Mondays 3/16


I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

I am not usually one of those people that gets down about things. I have a pretty positive outlook and I can usually find the silver lining. But this year, with this group of students, I hate Mondays. I. Hate. Mondays. Or should I call it might-as-well-not-have-bothered-with-lesson-plans-because-of-the-bouncing-off-of-the-walls day. This group of students is full of individuals that are sweet and want to do good, but they have one of those group personalities that makes my days very exhausting.

Mondays are full of reminders of the way we do things and redirections and giving my signal for quiet only to be ignored and struggling to get their attention. This group is making me dig all the way through my toolkit, which has been built up over 15 years of teaching.  I am almost at the end of my rope with them.

I know that tomorrow will be a little bit better and by Friday we will be right on track. Then, we will go home for the weekend and it will start all over. Oh, how I hate Mondays!

Does anybody else have this challenge this year? I would love to hear from you in the comments.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/16

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

So, I did it to myself again. I have too many books going so I did not finish a single one of them this week. Also, I was back at work after missing a week because I was sick. Suffice it to say, there were a lot of things to catch up on. Plus, I was still not feeling better so I was exhausted every night. I came home and fell asleep on the couch and took a nap every day last week.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am more than halfway through All the Light We Cannot See, which I am loving so far.  I also am reading La mirada de los angeles, which is another mystery thriller from Camilla Lackberg. I love this series. I am still also reading a nonfiction book about the history of chocolate.

What’s Next?
I honestly have no idea what I will read next. I think I will probably pick up a number of middle grade titles so that I can get quickly through some of my pile. It will depend on my work load this week and how I am feeling.

What are you reading? Have any recommendations for me? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

Slice of Life: Let’s Go to the Movies 3/15

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

For fifteen years, Ramon and I have loved watching and critiquing films together. We enjoy the kind of movies that really make you think and we love animated movies. For many years, we have not gone to the movie theater because of the prices. For some reason, we chose to believe that spending that much money on a ticket to a movie was just not worth it when we could watch films for very little money at home. In the last couple of months, my husband and I re-discovered the fun of going to the movies.

There were two major things that happened that got us interested in going to the theaters again. First, a beautiful cinema opened up in our neighborhood. A great business owner restored and remodeled a movie theater that had been closed for many years. The Avalon theater is so gorgeous inside.

There is a lounge and bar in the theater and waiters are there to serve you during the movie. The seats are extremely comfortable leather chairs with a nice tray table that you can use for your snacks. Going to this fabulous place made the money spent on movie tickets worthwhile. So right before Oscar time, we were able to watch both American Sniper and The Imitation Game. (I highly recommend the latter by the way) We watched the Academy Awards with so much more interest this year.

The second thing that happened was a gift card. My sister and her husband gave us a gift certificate to Marcus theaters. That was such a thoughtful gift because they knew that we don’t often go to the theater anymore. This weekend, we went to our usual movie theater and discovered that they are remodeling and have beautiful leather reclining seats now too. I was so excited to see Kingsman. Colin Firth is my Hollywood crush and I was looking forward to seeing him in a different type of role. We loved the movie, although if you don’t like violence or crude humor it is not for you. I think the movie was similar to a Quentin Tarentino film. The dark humor abounds. We had such a nice date night and will definitely be going back to see other movies in the future. (We might even get there on a Tuesday for $5 movie night)

Since we rekindled our love of cinema, we have been watching amazing movies at home too. My husband has been busy requesting DVDs from our public library and we also rent some movies. My favorites lately were A Hundred-Foot Journey, 12 Years a Slave, Whiplash, Big Hero 6 and The Theory of Everything. I have to say that I really agree that the actors who won Oscars deserved them, and the nominations were all well-deserved also.

I love that these few things happened to bring us back to something that we enjoy. Being an avid reader makes me love a good story and a good film can bring that story to life so well. Having a spouse who enjoys discussing films is priceless. I hope we will continue to go to the movies and that we won’t forget how much we enjoy it ever again.

Slice of Life: Adventures in Kidney Stones 3/14

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

I woke up to my husband screaming for me from the bathroom. I ran to the bathroom and found him huddled over the sink, trying to support himself, and going through dry heaves. My dog and I watched helplessly for a minute or so, and then I ran downstairs to get the phone. As soon as I got back upstairs, my husband collapsed down onto all fours. He kept heaving and pointed to a spot on his lower back that was blinding pain. I called 9-1-1. After a couple minutes, he was able to stand back up and by the time the ambulance got here, he was able to walk out to the vehicle and was not experiencing the same level of pain. I hopped into the ambulance with him (which in hindsight was sort of foolish) and we were transported to the Emergency Room. 
Once there, it was obvious that everyone thought it was a kidney stone. There were a couple tests and the diagnosis was confirmed. A couple hours in the ER, some medicine, some IV fluids, a lot of water, and he was ready to be discharged. We then had to call a cab to get home. 
Once home, I ushered my husband off to bed, and grabbed my phone and keys and the handful of prescriptions and headed off to the 24-hour Walgreen’s nearby. Walgreen’s at 3am is a really weird place. Of course, there was a ridiculous customer taking up the pharmacist’s time and attention. I waited about ten minutes before that man finally stopped asking stupid questions and complaining to the pharmacist about another pharmacist who had told him that he wouldn’t fill the prescription before 4am. Finally, the man left and I gave the pharmacist the prescriptions. As luck would have it, my husband hasn’t ever used Walgreen’s for prescriptions. The pharmacist had to enter all his information and then his computer froze in the middle of the process and he had to start all over again. Once he had the information in, he set about getting the prescription ready and was done quickly. 
I finally drove back home and went to bed at 4am. I am so relieved that my husband is okay. I never want to wake up this way again. The night brought back vivid memories of my father’s heart-attacks. I am glad I react well to situations like this without panic, but I don’t want to be this worried about people I love ever again. 

Slice of Life: Fish Fry 3/13

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Tonight my husband and I went out to enjoy a fish fry. There were many years in my life that I didn’t know that this is a Wisconsin thing. Those of you from other states will maybe not know that in Wisconsin, every restaurant has a Friday Fish Fry. People go looking for the best one. Tonight, we went back to a place we had not been for a few years. We enjoyed fried fish, coleslaw, potatoes, and soup. There is also usually a baked option. I love this little slice of Wisconsin life and I love that I now know that it is something special and not found everywhere. It is so neat that each place has these small customs that set it apart from other places. What is your custom?

Slice of Life: Mind Over Matter 3/12

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

It is day 19 of a weird sickness that is affecting my stomach and digestive system and wiping me out. I have come home immediately from school every day this week and promptly fallen asleep on my couch for an after school nap. This is not usual behavior for me. I was absent the whole week last week and now I really don’t know what is wrong with me. I decided tonight that enough is enough. It is time to bring out the brain’s superpowers and suck it up and start feeling better.

I went with my husband tonight to our favorite Mexican restaurant. I am pretty sure I will pay for that decision later tonight, but I am glad I decided to do so. I need to be healthy now. I am going to decide to be healthy. No more letting things get me down.

Positive thinking is going to make me better. Mind over matter. I will feel better soon. I must.

Slice of Life: Fairy Tales 3/11

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

I don’t really know what to write about. I can definitely relate to my students who sometimes cannot come up with an idea during writing time. So, you will get the mostly boring ideas that are tumbling around in my head right now. Forgive my lack of creativity.

Fairy tales are not my favorite genre. However, I love teaching them and working with students on fractured tales. Today, I started a fairy tale unit that will mostly focus on Cinderella. I want to look at versions of the Cinderella story from around the world and have my students do some analyzing. I would love to take the students on a field trip to see Disney’s new version of Cinderella, but I am not sure I will be able to work that out.

We started today with our new read aloud chapter book that I will also incorporate into the fairly tale unit. I am so excited to read Rump with my students. I hope they will love it. The best sound in the world is the giggles from a group of students when they are entertained by a funny moment in a good book.

I am also excited to see what kind of creative ideas my students will come up with for fractured fairly tales.

Slice of Life: Searching for answers 3/10

I am participating again this year in the Slice of Life challenge in which we write a slice every day in March.  If you are interested in joining in, visit the Two Writing Teachers blog for more information.

Have you ever had one of those situations that seems like it will never get resolved? That is my experience during the last several weeks. I thought that I was having another episode of Diverticulitis. It felt exactly like it did this summer. I went to my doctor and got antibiotics. I spent a week taking the meds and did not feel any better. So I went back to my doctor and then to urgent care. After a battery of tests and a switch of medication, I went to the gastroenterologist. I found out that my CT scan was normal and I do not have Diverticulitis. Although this is good news, I still don’t have an explanation for what is wrong with me.

On Monday, I called the neurologist because I thought that it might be a flare up of Multiple Sclerosis. The nurses there were pretty sure that this type of symptom would not be related to the MS. So, I am back to the drawing board.

I am so fatigued and worn out and it is so hard to get through the day at school, much less all the extra paperwork we are expected to do.

I am just hoping for an answer soon. (Or for the symptoms to stop so that I feel healthy again)