Jokerman

A dear friend, colleague, and mentor passed away this month. He taught high school English and I have been teaching writing classes to his 10th graders. We collaborated on course content and focus. He used to waltz into my classes and apologize, until he realized that I liked having him present during my lessons. I thought the world of his teaching; thus, his feedback was something I took to heart. I miss him.

The school's director asked me to take over his 10th grade English classes until a replacement was hired. I have found this a blessing. Though the task requires extra work, I am thoroughly enjoying it. Working with grieving students daily has helped me in coping with my own grief and given me a greater sense of purpose and responsibility to the school community.

In the classroom...

My classes are moving along. The youngest ones are rambunctious and loud. There are only eight of them, but in my small classroom we are a crowded bunch. Some of the other teachers are assisting me in working with them because their needs are so varied.

My 4th graders are currently reading Robert Kimmel Smith's novel, Jelly Belly. The story centers around an overweight boy who is sent to a camp to lose weight for the summer. My students are grappling with the concept of affectionate overindulgence and are just beginning to understand that sometimes people show love in ways that are unintentionally damaging. Borrow, lend, dishonest, scold, and warn are among our recent vocabulary words. (The students particularly enjoyed pretending to "scold" and "warn" me for hypothetical misconduct.)

The middle school students composed stories about bizzare things that happened to them at home. Then we read "The day it rained cockroaches" and students became entranced and appalled by the description of six inch African roaches. The middle school bunch adore talking in any form and eagerly read aloud and give oral presentations.

Lastly, my high school writing students recently finished compositions in which they described a challenge they overcame and how their lives were affected by it. We are working on clarity and have eliminated about 10 words from their written vocabulary: make, take, have, go, say, do, put, good, bad.... We also focused on writing effective hooks. One class period, the students each read the opening page of a different novel. They reflected on how the author grabbed their attention and we compiled a class list of strategies for composing effective hooks. I am starting to see stronger beginnings in their writing, but not all students are quick to implement their learning.

We recently held parent/teacher conferences. Most of mine were with the parents of my 10th grade students. Families were concerned with the low grades on students' report cards. I enjoyed meeting the students' relatives and was happy to hear many of them were thrilled that their children were receiveing focused training in writing skills.