Dressing and Educating: Days 100-104

Day 100: January 23, 2017

Over the weekend our school experienced a near tragedy. Seven senior boys were piled into a single vehicle that was involved in an accident. For many hours there were a lot of unknowns and the community of the school rallied together in prayer. The latest reports were good news for these boys and their recovery. To be part of a community that is so tightly knit is incomparable. These were all former students and to see the people of this town come together in support of these teenagers has been astounding. I am thankful that all seven will be okay.

It was hard to do much in the classroom today. The weight of the pain these families are facing is a hard thing to teach through. In a small school you have family connections that weave all through the student population. I had several students throughout the day related to the hospitalized seven.

I did my best to push through the emotions. We read in English and I gave a test in Honors World History. It was a long day–one that makes me want to hug my family a little tighter and say my prayers for them a little longer.

Today I wore a Lula Roe dress, leggings, and my red TOMS.

Day 101: January 24, 2017

I started a new unit in Honors World History today. As an introduction to World War I we had an informal conversation about what students already know and would like to learn about that time period. I was surprised when students could give me specific details about Serbia and Austria-Hungary, but also a little surprised by the things they did not know. It’s always interesting what they bring up in this type of discussion (especially with the information that is so readily available with technology.)

In English we continued reading and also discussed subjects and predicates in an introduction to a unit on phrases and clauses.

Today I wore my Viper Plaid Plit Neck Blouse by Skies are Blue from Stitch Fix #2. I also wore brown slacks and classic Sperrys.

Day 102: January 25, 2017

I spent my day cuddled on the couch with my daughter. Both of us were nursing fevers, and with the sudden pertussis outbreak at my school I thought it would be wise to stay home. During the morning I called our physicians to make sure my whole family was up-to-date on our vaccinations. Luckily, no one had to get any shots. It was a nice day of resting and reading.

Day 103: January 26, 2017

With a clean bill of health I returned to my classroom. In English we discussed complete subjects and predicates. We used sample sentences to identify and label these ideas. In Honors World History we talked about the culture of the early 1900s leading to the beginning of World War I. A context lesson about this era would not be complete without showing a few of my favorite Charlie Chaplin silent films. My favorite short “The Eating Machine” had students laughing harder than they ever thought they would at a non-verbal comedy.

I actually forgot to take my usual picture today as I was caught up in the day. I wore a black tunic from The Limited and coral leggings.

Day 104: January 27, 2017

Friday started with an evacuation drill. I spent a few minutes herding students to an alternate destination in 30 degree weather. In English my students took a formative assessment over subjects and predicates. They did fairly well, although I can tell that identifying the functions of different words within a sentence seems to be an ongoing struggle.

In Honors World History we had a brief discussion about Fake News-its origins and how to identify it. I assigned them an online survey for next week where they have to watch two videos and look at an infographic in order to respond to a common question. It’s the first time I’ve done something like this in Google Classroom so I am excited to see how well they do.

Today I wore my Adorra Skinny Jeans by Just Black from Stitch Fix #8 and my Annaway Cable Knit Sweater by RD Style also from Stitch Fix #8.

Which look this week was your favorite?