Daily Assignment #126: Handwriting

Recently, there was an article in "The Boston Globe," titled,  "Mom, what is handwriting?" by Eugenia Williamson.  Williamson interviewed British novelist, Philip Hensher, author of "The Missing Ink:  The Lost Art of Handwriting".  After reading this article, and several others on handwriting in schools, I became saddened by the fact that handwriting, particularly cursive, is no longer part of the required instruction in some schools.  Handwriting is being left up to the teacher's discretion.   Needless to say, if something needs to go to make room for content for high stake testing it will be the 20 minute handwriting lesson.

Cursive, for my 2nd grade students, was a much anticipated skill.  They felt so grown-up to be able to write in cursive.  I would say, "Today, we are going to write the letter "t" and then you will be able to write..."  They would wiggle in their seats, sit up straight, pencils ready to go.  It was magical.  The last 2 lessons would always focus on students writing their first names in cursive.  How awesome is that!!!

You can well imagine my chagrin over this paradigm shift, even though I have been well aware of its impending arrival.  Do I think printing and cursive should continue to be taught? Yes.  There will come a day when we won't need to handwrite anything.  Until that day, handwriting needs to be taught.

Is handwriting an art form?  Maybe, but it shouldn't be completely considered outdated yet.  There are times when technology is not accessible.  Have you ever been in doctor's office and had to fill out a form, or the DMV, or a bank, the list goes on.  What if you had no idea how to form letters to complete that form.

There is something very special about reading a handwritten piece of work.  I treasure all the little handwritten notes students and parents have given me, as well as from my own children.  Thank goodness I know how to write.  I have notes and lists everywhere to remind me of things to do.

If you don't have time to teach handwriting during your school day, as Hensher recommends, tell parents to teach their children and to provide their child times to practice their writing, such as writing a nice thank you note to their teacher.

Please share this blog with colleagues and friends.  Also, take a moment to check out my book on Amazon.com:http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=linda+fobes

Best Effort,

Linda103

Daily Assignment #125: Reinforcing Standards and Expectations

Hello Everyone,

I hope you have had a wonderful, relaxing and healthy holiday.

So much has happened in a month, most notably, and sadly, the tragedy at Sandy Hook.  I have no words to express my sadness.  I can't imagine the heartache of the families, teachers, and the community at large.  They are all in my thoughts.  May it never happen again.

We all know, as difficult as it is, we must move forward.

Returning from the holiday break you've probably noticed that your students' behavior, and performance, has taken a few steps backwards.  This is a phenomenon, which I call the "2 Step," 2 steps forward, 1 step backward.  Now it is your turn to dance and you must take the lead.

Begin by reviewing the expectations with the students, hopefully these are posted in the classroom.  It is important for you, as the teacher, to be firm, clear and consistent.  This applies to behaviors, as well as performance.  Maintain your standards and expectations, especially on those days when it may feel like it is the first day of school.

Here is the toughest part--have patience and no blaming, especially that of the students.  They are doing what comes naturally--proving the teacher will not notice.  Don't blame yourself either.

Heads-up--the "2 Step" is common and will happen again after the next semester break--be prepared.

Please share this blog with colleagues and friends.  Also, take a look at my book on effective strategies on Amazon.com.

Best Effort,

Linda103                                             

Daily Assignment #124: Holidays/Semester Closure

It's that busy time year for all of us, shopping, partying, teaching, de-lousing, etc...  I recently attended a party and the topic of conversation for the young mothers was...  you guessed it, headlice.  Naturally, I referred them to my blog #123 and silently gave thanks that I don't have to worry about it.

On another note, a question was asked of me as to how many and how much of the different religious holidays should be taught in the classroom?  And, how are teachers expected to include these topics with everything else they need to cover before the December break?  Good questions.

I have selected information from Daily Assignments #27 and #96 to share with you:

Daily Assignment #27:

Some teachers select several different holidays to teach about religious/ethnic traditions.  Other teachers just share holiday traditions for one or two religions/ethnic groups.  Another approach would to be to ask for parent volunteers to teach their religious/ethnic holiday traditions.  An another approach might be to do nothing at all.

I've done it all.  For me, I found the best approach was to ask for parent volunteers to come in and do a 30-40 minute presentation.  If I didn't know the parent well, I would ask them to share with me their lesson plan in advance.  In this way, I could help them with appropriateness for the age group and timing. The parents were always well prepared.  It would be an amazing lesson and better than what I would have done.

There would be years when only one parent would come in and I would need to teach 1-2 more holidays. Then other years there might be 3 different parents who would come in to share 3 different holidays.  If no one volunteered then I would teach Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa, or a holiday that reflected the population in my class.

Daily Assignment #96:

This is also a time to bring closure to a semester and to units of study.  Knowing that this is a chaotic time, begin planning how you would like the last few days to look and feel like.  Some teachers plan class parties, a class breakfast with student exhibits/presentations, a special field trip, e.g. concert, play, movie.  Then there are other teachers that press on with learning and try to keep a low key tone because the students are already worked into a tizzy.  Having said all that, I recognize that some schools/districts have policies in regard to what should occur on those last few days.

Because this month is such a busy time my next blog will be posted on Sunday, January 6, 2013. 
Have a wonderful, joyful, holiday, whatever it may be and see you in January.


In the meantime, please refer to previous blogs for suggestions of effective strategies.  
If you haven't yet, please check-out my book on Amazon.com ----Daily Assignment: Effective Teaching Strategies.                                  
                                                            
Best Effort,
linda103                    
                                                   .

Daily Assignment #123: Head Lice,a.k.a. Head Lights

The dreaded, small, stubborn head lice are probably creating havoc in your class about now.  The minute I hear those 2 words my head starts itching.  These tiny parasites bite your scalp, which becomes itchy and then lays their eggs on strands of hair.  

Lice has been associated with filth, however, the 2 are not related.  Head lice does not discriminate as to who is clean and who is not.  They usually affect children, who pass them on to their friends.  Think of all those winter coats hanging up, stacked up, or worse yet lying in the coat area.  And then there are the weekend sleepovers, head lice loves them.

As the classroom teacher I was always anxious that I would get the dreaded lice.  I never did, even though it was a yearly issue.  Several years it was so bad I was checking the heads of parents as well.  I had a few parents screen the students every morning, while I screened parents.  We would then put each student's coat in a trash band and tie it.  At recess the students took their coats out of the bags and stuffed the bags in their coat sleeves.  We would repeat the procedure when they came back in.  We were all desperate to end the cycle.  We even bought special magnifying glasses especially for looking for lice.

Other challenges include parents who are not vigilant about combing their child's hair and cleaning the bedding, rugs, etc.  Also, if a parent doesn't tell the teacher that their child has head lice because they are embarrassed then that creates a delay in stopping the spread.  I've also experienced the parent who was indignant that their child had lice.  She refused to deal with it.  It wasn't until the principal stopped her at the door and had the nurse check her child that she finally agreed to do something.  It wasn't because her child had lice that she finally agreed to address it, it was because he wasn't going to be allowed back in the school until she dealt with it.

I had a "no tolerance policy" in my class, which was different from the district's policy.  Whether it was nit or the actual bug, the child went home.  Not all parents were pleased with this policy but if I had gotten lice I knew I would be absent for a while, which would mean a substitute.  Also, I reminded them of how it felt for the parent of the child who didn't have lice. So reluctantly, they all accepted their fate.

There are ways to get rid of the tiny parasites.  There are chemicals that can be used, but needless to say, there are pros and cons to using them.  There are also non-chemical alternatives.  With 35 years of classroom experience I have seen both methods used by desperate parents.

NIX used to be the chemical of choice, with a good combing, using a metal lice comb.  Unfortunately, we now have NIX resistant lice.  Recently, I heard of a new chemical, Sklice, which requires a prescription.  

If chemicals are not the route you want to take you might try the following, which was recommended by a parent and a  "Nit Picker" (yes, they do exist).

Step 1: Saturate the hair and scalp with Listerine (the original amber 
colored one.You don't want sugar in your hair.)Cover with a disposable 
shower cap, and let sit for hours.

Step 2: Douse the hair/scalp with vinegar.

This will help loosen the nits.

Step 4: Run conditioner through the hair to facilitate combing.(I was 
told to use coconut conditioner.We bought the Suave coconut.The girls 
loved it, and it's cheap.Double bonus.)

Step 5: The comb out!You'll need a lice comb, and you'll want a metal 
one with very small tines.I couldn't find metal at CVS, only at 
Walgreens.They sell this comb two pack, but the larger one is useless. I 
also recommend white paper towels and hair clips to section the hair.

Comb out, step A: Section the hair.

Comb out, step B: Comb through that section of hair in very small 
sections, wiping the comb on the paper towel after each stroke.Those 
spots you see, those are the nits.Make sure to always keep the same side 
of the comb up and to go at a 45 degree angles.I threw each paper in a 
plastic grocery bag.I used the ones with the small sheets, and that 
worked well.

Comb out, step C: Using a wooden skewer or similar, carefully examine 
each strand of hair and manually remove any nit you can see.

Comb out, step D: Repeat step B.

Comb out, step E: Continue repeatedly combing around the head until you 
can get a completely clean paper towel.

Throw out the bag of paper towels outside.

However much time you think this will take, triple it.  My daughter's 
hair is thick.It took 2.5 hours.

Step 6: Saturate the hair/scalp in olive oil.Cover in a shower cap and 
leave on overnight.This will suffocate the lice you missed. (Yes, you 
missed some.)

Step 7: In the morning, repeat the whole comb out.Expect it to take as 
long as it did the night before.Be prepared to wonder where in the 
*bleep* all the *bleeping* nits came from after you worked so hard the 
night before.

Step 8: Wash hair and put up.

Repeat the comb out with conditioner at least daily.Repeat the whole 
procedure every 2-3 days.Change the sheets and pillow cases daily and 
tumble dry the pillows on high between each changing.

We did everything outside.It's easier to see in sunlight, and it's less 
gross.We are fortunate to own an iPad, so I had my daughter watch 
Netflix to keep her happier.(Yes, for those keeping track, that is 5 
hours of Netflix!)We did the entire procedure on the whole family, 
despite the rest of us seeming to be lice free.In fact, we never found 
any nits on the rest of us, but we'll do the repeats on us as well.It's 
just so easy to spread within a family. Better to get out ahead of it.

We purchased a steam cleaning to clean the beds, rugs, couch, chairs, 
carpets, etc.

Before the above, we tried NIX and the Cetaphil treatment 
(http://www.nuvoforheadlice.com/Nuvo%20method.htm).I think the Cetaphil 
treatment was unsuccessful because I didn't realize how to completely 
comb out.They may say you don't need to, but I disagree.I'm hoping that 
we don't need to repeat the Cetaphil as well because this is already 
really involved.

And, of course, you can also hire a professional "Nit Picker" 

but it can be quite expensive and you still have to clean 

your house.

Now that I have made your skin crawl and your head 

itch, I would like to remind you to take a look at my 

book---Daily Assignment: Effective Teaching 

Strategies, on Amazon.com.

My next blog will be on December 

2nd. In the meantime, I hope you 

will take a look at past blogs for 

ideas to experiment with.

Please share this blog,and book, 

with colleagues and friends.

Best Effort,

Linda103

Daily Assignment #122: Update

Hello Everyone,
Last week's blog was so long I've decided to give you more time to absorb it. lol

Actually, I've been very busy preparing an ereader version of Daily Assignment: Effective Teaching Strategies.  I am pleased to say that it is now available on Amazon.com, as well as the hardcopy.  As a result, I just can't look at this computer tonight, I also need to get outside.  My apologies, but I'm sure you understand.

In the meantime, please look at past blogs for ideas and suggestions.

I'll be back on Nov. 4th, unless hurricane Sandy interferes.

Have a safe and fun Halloween.

Best Effort,
Linda103

Daily Assignment # 121: Halloween

As I walk through stores, I am taken aback with all the different Halloween costumes for children, as well as adults.  Some of them are a bit shocking and others are absolutely adorable.  I think of all the costumes I made for my sons.  We had the last minute idea costumes and then there were those that took me weeks to make, such as the E.T. costume.

Students become so excited about the Halloween customs.  For some families, and communities, Halloween is controversial because of the pagan connection, as well as for safety issues, i.e. accepting candy from strangers, walking around in the dark.  Some parents feel the ghosts and monster images are frightening for children. Modern day witches also feel that they are being misrepresented.

I think it is important to give the students background information on Halloween.  They need to understand why they say "trick-or- treat, why candy is given and why they wear costumes.
So, let me share some facts with you:

• The name Halloween comes from "Hallow's Eve"
• It is thought to have originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off roaming ghosts.  
• In the 8th century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, "All Saints' Day" incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain.
• The evening before was known as All Hallow's Eve and later Halloween.   
• Halloween evolved into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly activities such as trick-or-treating.
• In medieval times, on All Souls'Day, (10th century Christians organized All Saints' Day to recognize all dead people), people made soul cakes.  Children would go door-to-door begging for the cakes, hence trick-or treating.  For every cake a child collected, they would have to say a prayer for the dead relatives of the person who gave the cake, which helped the dead relatives find their way out of purgatory and into heaven.
• Jack-o'-lanterns:  As part of the Samhain celebration, Celts would bring home an ember from the communal bonfire at the end of the night.  They carried these embers in hollowed-out turnips, creating a lantern resembling the modern day jack-o'-lantern.  There are also Irish folk tales related to the significance of the jack-o'-lanterns.
• Another connection, The Days of the Dead, (Los Dias de los Muertos) celebrated in Mexico. This is a day for for families to remember the deceased.  It's a time marked by festivities, including parades of skeletons and ghouls.  Revelers lead amock funeral procession with a live person in the coffin. 

http://www.history.com/topics/halloween,

 http://people.howstuffworks.com/culture-traditions/holidays/halloween3.h

Celebrating Halloween in my classroom evolved over the years.  For many years the student would bring in their costumes, put them on after lunch, parade around the school, including going in an out of classrooms.   We would return back to the classroom, sing Halloween songs, have lots of treats, take the costumes off and send the sugary high and excited children home.   Everyone in the building loved to see the costumes.  It was a common practice which all the teachers would do.  The teachers worked together to get all the timing right, so that everyone one could see everyone else. 

The downside of doing this was that some costumes would tear or rip, leaving a child in tears.  Also, several times, a student would leave a part of their costume in school, or worse yet the whole costume.  The school would close and the parent, sometimes angry, would be in a panic mode trying to replace the costume, while the child is crying, hysterical mode.  Needless to say, we stopped the practice.

 My classroom Halloween celebration, sans costumes, evolved into something that required parent volunteers and a great deal of timing.  However, it was awesome, if I do say so myself.

I set up 5 activity stations around the room.  Each station was manned by a parent.  Each student was given a ticket, which were shaped like a ghost, with the numbers of each station. I divided the class into 5 groups.  One group had the numbers 1,2,3,4,5 on each of their tickets.  The next group's numbers were 2,3,4,5,1.  The next was 3,4,5,1,2.  Next 4,5,1,2,3 and the last group 5,1,2,3,4.  In that way, the students started off in groups at the 5 different stations, which were also numbered 1-5.  

The students then rotated through the stations.  (One of the stations was decorating a brown paper lunch bag, which they put all their activity products in to take home.)  When they completed all 5 stations, they turned their ghost ticket in to sit and watch the cartoon version of "The Headless Horseman."  This gave the adults time to clean-up and for the children to calm down before dismissal.  If they didn't want to watch the movie I had Halloween themed coloring worksheets for them to do.

I'm sure you have lots of ideas for the activities.  Here are a few I used:

1. Handpainting:   Never do it on their face because they might be allergic and/or they may not want it as part of their Halloween costume later.
2. Paint and decorate small gourds.
3. Bats using clothespins, felt and magnet tape:  This is then used to close the brown paper lunch bag and once home they can stick it to the refrigerator.
4. Folding heavy paper into a small box and filling with popcorn, raisins and peanuts.
5. Witch cupcakes.  Make chocolate cupcakes ahead of time.  Use green colored frosting for face, black string licorice for hair, corn candy for nose, chocolate chips for eyes, chocolate sugar cones for hat.
6. Egg carton spiders.
7. Jack-o'-lantern cookies.  Use orange frosting, corn candy for face.
8. Feet ghost on black paper.  Trace socked feet with white chalk on black paper, color in with chalk or white crayons, cut-out, string for hanging.
9. Halloween magnets:  Using foam craft, or wooden shapes, students paint, decorate and glue onto a magnet or a clothespin with a magnet.
10. Paper plate mask.
11. Tootsie Pop ghost.
12. Styrofoam paper cup witch: stick a Popsicle through for arms, polystyrene ball for head, black yarn for hair, green and black paint, black felt for hat, wiggle eyes.
13. Goop: you know, that slimy stuff.

Make sure the students' names are on everything, including the bag they take everything home in.

This version of a Halloween celebration can be great fun.  These activities do take planning, preparations ahead of time and timing.  If an adult doesn't understand, or know how to do an activity, don't put them at that station.  Also, have extra volunteers to help.  I tried not to be responsible for a station so that I could supervise everything.  This Halloween celebration can get quite expensive, I asked the parents to be responsible for the supplies for their station.  They were more than happy to help.  Each year that you do this it gets easier.  The students loved it.  In fact, former students still say they remembered how much fun it was.

I hope this has given you a new way of thinking about a class Halloween celebration.

Please share this blog with colleagues and friends.

If you haven't already, check-out my new book on effective strategies on Amazon.com.

Just type in Linda Fobes.

Best Effort,

Linda103

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Daily Assignment #120: Oops

Dear Friends and Colleagues,
I apologize for not blogging for the last 2 weeks.  I have not had easy access to the internet.  I'm afraid this dilemma continues.  I will try to post my next blog on Oct. 21st.

In the meantime, I hope you will take a look at my past blogs.

Best Effort,
Linda103

P.S.  I hope you will take a moment to view my book: Daily Assignment: Effective Teaching Strategies, at Amazon.com, just type in Linda Fobes.  When you do purchase a copy please write a review.  Also, I need to get the word out about my book.  I would really appreciate your help in spreading the word.   Thanks for your support.