Day 11: August 29, 2016
Over the weekend some pretty heavy storms hit our area. Unfortunately one of those storms involved a lightning strike to my school building which caused the air conditioning units to shut down. I was thankful that I chose to wear a dress this Monday morning as the air conditioner played catch-up on a ninety degree day. It was a warm one. This dress from Francesca’s and my black lace Toms were a perfect fit for this broiler of a day.
My English class did a Close Read today of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty by James Thurber. This classic short story was turned into a movie directed by Ben Stiller a few years back and so I opened the lesson with showing the movie trailer. The movie is so action-packed and exciting that the trailer really drew the students in and sharpened their focus before reading. As we read the short story together the students were able to make connections to the movie and their own inferences to bring the story to life.
On Saturday I rented the movie to prepare for today’s lesson and let me tell you that it was one of the best movies I’ve seen in a while. The writers took several liberties to make this 1940’s story more relevant to our culture today, but the main ideas stayed the same and I loved every scene from beginning to end.
Close reading also helped me get a feel for the reading levels of my students. They were each able to read and interact with the text which gave me an opportunity to assess their individual abilities. Overall, it was a fun and interactive lesson that I plan to implement in future years.
Day 12: August 30, 2016
This teacher was exhausted today. I might have pushed myself a little too hard at the gym last night and I was nursing a bit of low blood sugar all day as a result. I tried to cover it up with a few cups of caffeine, but for the first time all year I was truly dragging by the end of the day.
In my history class, my students were performing research about the English monarchy leading up to a unit on the Tudors and absolute monarchs of England. Although this is difficult material for this age group it is one of my personal favorites. A big part of the reason I love to teach Honors World History is because I get to go so in-depth about a country that means so much to me. As a wife to a native Englishman I am beyond fascinated to learn more about the history of his homeland. Although England isn’t part of my personal history it will be part of my daughter’s heritage. I took the opportunity today as the students conducted research to interact with them, finish scoring pre-assessments, and start working on the next unit.
In the above photo I am wearing printed pants and a tribal print kimono from H&M, a basic tee from Primark in England, and a pair of Sperrys. Comfy-cute was the theme.
Day 13: August 31, 2016
One word to describe my Wednesday: INSANE.
I was extremely busy from the moment I crossed the threshold of my building in the morning until the final bell at 2:32pm. During my lunch and prep periods I was even pulled to cover other classes for teachers experiencing some issues. It wasn’t just a busy day for me it was busy for everyone on my campus. Tis the life of a teacher, I suppose.
I was dressed rather comfortably for my day on the go. I wore my Stitch Fix top from Renee C and paired it with a pair of Pixie pants from Old Navy, a white cardigan from New York and Company’s outlet shop, and my red Toms.
Day 14: September 1, 2016
I’m starting to feel the desire for Friday. It’s been a really busy week and although I am starting to adjust to my daily routine I still find that by the end of the day I’m totally knackered (a British term for exhausted for my non-British readers.)
Today my students read “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell. It’s one of my favorite short stories all year and the students always really enjoy it. We talked about elements of narratives as we read and made predictions and inferences surrounding the plot of the story. The writing nerd in me was right in my element talking about the parts of a story.
In my Honors World History classes the students each presented an English monarch that they researched over the past couple of days. I was really impressed with the effort and energy placed in these first projects and enjoyed the opportunity to witness their presentation skills and abilities.
It was a fun day, but I left my classroom ready for a long nap!
Above I am wearing an olive knit top from Primark in England, a mint camisole from Target, khaki pants from Old Navy, and Sperrys. I sealed the deal with some gold jewelry from Premier.
Day 15: September 2, 2016
With the first home game for the football team happening tonight the school was all abuzz today as the anticipation for a great game under the stadium lights was on everyone’s minds. Students were well aware of the long Labor Day weekend ahead as well and talked much of the day about their plans. It was a fun day full of school spirit, learning, laughter, and I was able to even sneak a lunch date in with my husband. This was a special day and I represented my school mascot with my outfit choice today. Go Vikings!
Which look was your favorite?
The Ameri Brit Mom
The Ameri Brit Mom 