Day 69: November 28, 2016
Monday after a long Thanksgiving break is rough. Not only was I physically exhausted long before usual, but today was also a tragic day for my city. At just after 9:30am a man of Somali descent crashed his vehicle into a crowd of pedestrians on the campus of Ohio State University. He emerged from his vehicle armed with a knife and began to stab people around him. Luckily, within minutes a security guard responded and neutralized the suspect quickly.
Although the fatality numbers were limited to the suspect it was still a tragic day as many students and faculty members of the nearby college were overcome with fear as they went to work and/or school. As a city the reality of threats and radical behavior have become real and security has been increased as a result. It was a strange day and I spent much of my off-periods tuned in to local news and browsing social media to ensure that my friends were all safe. It was such a strange and emotional day.
I was wearing a pair of LulaRoe OS leggings, a navy dress, beige cardigan and boots.
Day 70: November 29, 2016
I came in ready to start some new content in my classes today. In English, I introduced the Young Adult novel that my classes will be reading for the next several weeks. Not a Drop to Drink was written by Mindy McGinnis and last school year she visited with our students who had just finished reading her book. Every year the students leave my introduction lesson excited for this post-apocalyptic novel.
In Honors World History, I introduced the Industrial Revolution unit with a discussion of primary sources about the Agricultural Revolution in England. We discussed the Enclosure Movement and how it led to urbanization and the dawn of the industrial age.
I was wearing a silver sweater from Kohls, black pants from The Limited and black TOMS.
Day 71: November 30, 2016
This morning the Guidance Department at my school took my English classes to the computer lab to complete a survey about their needs and goals. As a result, I had some unplanned free periods to catch up on grading, planning, and data crunching. I was beyond grateful for this time as I was feeling a little overwhelmed about everything I needed to do outside of the regular activities of the classroom. As a teacher these types of days are golden!
In History, we spent more time investigating sources about the Enclosure Movement. Students were asked to decide if it was a positive or negative era in British History using evidence from the provided sources. We held an informal Socratic seminar where each student had the opportunity to voice their opinion and respond to the others in the class.
I was wearing navy slacks from Old Navy, a mint green scarf, matching camisole, a silver sweater and my favorite Sperrys.
Day 72: December 1, 2016
I officially ended my tutoring group for Air Make up testing today. For the past month I’ve been staying several days a week for an extra hour and a half to tutor students who failed last year’s state tests. It’s been a very positive experience and has helped me as a teacher as I’ve taken the opportunity to examine the tests at a greater length.
In English today we continued reading Not a Drop to Drink by Mindy McGinnis. We discussed the mood in the beginning of the story. In Honors World History, students were assigned reading last night and so we addressed the reading through questions and class discussion.
Today I wore a new sweater/tunic from The Limited, a blanket scarf, khakis and black boots.
Day 73: December 2, 2016
TGIF!
In English, my students were introduced to a new writing assignment. Once a quarter I assign them a writing prompt on Vantage, an online writing tool that my school has purchased for the past three years. Students are able to submit writing on this site and receive feedback and space to improve that writing. This is a valuable tool when utilized alongside class material and instruction. I always set a deadline for the writing to be finished and take the highest score for each student as they are able to submit their writing numerous times during the allotted window. This time around they are writing an argument and were given three prompts to choose from.
In Honors World History, we started our Friday as we usually do by watching CNN Student News and discussing worldwide news stories. Then, we jumped into our curriculum and reviewed the content from the week. I also introduced a new project in that class. Students were given three options for an Industrial Revolution project. They could write a story, make a poster, or create a presentation.
Today I wore a printed tank from Stitch Fix #6 , a cardigan from Stitch Fix #3, jeans from Stitch Fix #8 , and ankle boots.
Which outfit was your favorite this week?
The Ameri Brit Mom
The Ameri Brit Mom 