14. Reflection: Last Week of September

#64Challenge

Things are finally rolling along pretty easily. Monday was tough -- the kids really off kilter. But in general...a good week.

Blue Spaces: This week held three Gold days, so I saw my 2nd period a lot. Friday was good, though. This was the day we got into Shark Tank presentations, and the engagement (and laughter) was intense. Even Dylan jumped in and made a presentation to a group of Sharks to sell his "Telepathic Gun" idea (Shoot a hole into the earth, jump in, and go anywhere in the world you want.)  I think he actually got an investor. Hard to remember in the chaos, but yeah...it was fun.

My creative writers are working hard on their short stories. I found out one was just rewriting (word for word) The Outsiders, so we had to have a conversation. He is now going to write a story from the viewpoint of one of the Socs. I think he can do it, and do it well. He obviously loves The Outsiders.

Green Spaces: My intensive readers continue to work their way through word connotation mastery, as well as the DEAN format to identify where in the text things are described, explained, argued, or told in a narrative fashion. The wheels were really turning in 5th period -- so much so, my para was greatly impressed at the fact that everything the kids wrote down were things they decided together. They weren't waiting around for an adult to tell them. Score! This is the same class that (surprisingly) had 5 out of 16 kids come up to proficient level on STAR. Will it hold? Who knows. It was interesting, nevertheless.

 River Flow: As we come up to the end of the first quarter, I'm feeling pretty good about the direction I've taken in all my courses. I've also pulled out some new and not-yet-practiced lessons I'm familiar with -- Post-It Note Plays for Creative Writing and a deeper look at how words are used through stereotypes and microaggressions in Speech & Debate.  In Reading, we will be moving into the Global Read Aloud. A lot happening, and my focus is staying clear -- to focus on Mastery, Identity, and Creativity in all we do. I'm seeking excellence as well as joy.  No small order.

A-Ha Moment: This doesn't have to do directly with school, but I want to report it here. I have taken time to look at ideas I have, and thought about generating new ones. But in the end I've decided not to pursue National Novel Writing Month. I think there are other things floating around that I can attend to -- organizationally, as well as writing-wise. I'm now thinking of what I'd like to do to make the most of that week off over Thanksgiving.

Until next time!