The Reunion

I witnessed a reunion that almost made me tear up last week.

I had 2 newcomers last year from Mexico who were sisters. YS & ES. They were VERY different. YS, the older & more mature one is very sweet, loves to laugh, & has a lot of compassion for people. ES, a year younger, is a spaz, loves to dance, gets distracted easily, makes other people laugh (& scream), & always has a good time. They both had to transfer to another district over the summer because they moved. I haven't heard from them since the end of last year, but frequently wonder how they're adjusting & doing.

On Friday last week, I was eating lunch in the staff lounge when 2 students walked in (which is frowned upon) & said, "Ms. Schwarzlose!" I look up to see YS & one of her cousins walking right towards me. Ahhh!

I leapt up & gave her a big hug & lead her into the hallway so we could chat. Hearing her English was even better than when she left us a few months ago made me smile! She is precious.

All of the sudden, the bell rang to go to last period. One of my other students, AA, who was in Language Arts class with YS last year & would help her with translating, walked up in the hall. When she saw YS, she screamed, "WHAT?" & gave her a huge hug. Then, she looked at me with tears in her eyes, gave me a hug & hid her face in my chest because she didn't want anyone to know she was getting emotional about the unexpected "reunion." I traded contact info with YS so we can all keep in touch now!

AA misses YS's friendship this year. They were very close last year & bonded over a lot of different things. It was simply awesome to see that moment last week.

I am constantly reminded that I have a very special job here. I have unique students, from around the world, who are going through different transitions than other students. I have students who create tighter bonds simply because of class size, atmosphere, & vulnerability. :) Which, I wouldn't trade for the world. I am thankful.

Bad hair day?

As the ESL teacher, I have a few different roles on campus. One is to be an inclusion teacher in some of the different classes so I can monitor my ESL students. I go into their math class, for example, & make sure they are using their resources to break down language barriers or to encourage them to raise their hand & participate in their other classes.

Needless to say, I have the privilege of getting to know all the students at Kealing (not just my own). :)

Yesterday I walked into Ms. Lee's math class, just like I do everyday, & I hadn't been in there for 10 seconds before a student sitting behind me whispered, "Ms. S?" I didn't turn around immediately because the teacher was giving instruction. The student whispered again, this time sounding concerned, "Ms. S?"

I turned around to a worried look on the child's face, and he asked, "You havin' a bad hair day or somethin'?"

"Nope, just threw it up on my head in the hallway on the way here, but thanks."

I can't blame him. He was genuinely concerned (or was he?) & it made me laugh. The good news is, his shock proves that I don't wear my hair like this to work very often.

They Know Me Well...

I gave my students an assignment to help them better understand the "elements of fiction." To better define "elements" (or parts), I began an activity where the class pretended it was my birthday. The students had to plan a party for me & they had to think about all of the different "elements" of the party: invitations, decorations, food, games, guest list, presents, Blue Bell icecream, etc. :)

A new student asked, "Ms. S, what kind of presents would you want for your birthday?" I simply replied, "I'm not sure. More Blue Bell at the party?"

Angelica, one of my newcomers last year who didn't speak English when she first arrived, softly said, "She wants a cat," then giggled as she sat there & waited for my reaction. ;)

I loved everything about that moment. My students know things about me. Important things, like, I hate cats. Well played, Angelica. Well played.

Kealing Idol!!

I'm sorry I'm just now getting this blog published, but it's well worth the wait. :)

For the past 4 years, Kealing's AVID program has hosted Kealing Idol. Our version of a cross between America's Got Talent & American Idol. Imagine the possibilities!!

Well, the students are not the only performers, that's for sure. Every year, the teachers surprise the students with a performance at the end of the show. My first year at Kealing in May 2010, we did a LIVE performance of "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. It was truly awe-inspiring. ;) We dressed up in torn, dirty clothing, with white & green makeup on our faces, & hair all nastified, in order to resemble zombies. We did not disappoint as we creeped, crawled, & slowly dragged our way into our positions to begin dancing on stage. The students were screaming & pointing...we were so proud of ourselves. Unfortunately, not a single person got a video of that performance. :*(

BUT, I do have the most recent Kealing Idol's teacher performance to show you from May 2011. This time we showed a "pre-made" video at the show. You've probably seen the Evolution of Dance videos on YouTube, but if you haven't, they are very entertaining.

Well, we made our own, just for the students...

KEALING IDOL EVOLUTION OF DANCE!


"Yours truly" is the first performer on the video. I have another appearance later in the video. Trust me, ya can't miss it! ;)

For further enjoyment, here are a couple of Kealing Idol performances from the students in past years. I love this school...
Kealing Idol 2008
Kealing Idol 2010 (Marchelle was the winner that year & she is an AVID student!! Yea!!)

ESL Spelling Bee!!

On May 20, 2011 I was honored to take 9 of my students to the First Annual District-Wide ESL Spelling Bee at Fulmore Middle School. My director suggested we walk up to Homeslice Pizza on South Congress after the Bee so the kids could experience a new neighborhood & they could practice ordering food in English, etc. It was a day to remember!

What mode of transportation did we take to S. Congress, you may be asking? The Austin Metro. What I didn't realize is that my "mom" side would come out at the bus stops. :) Long story short, a man started giving my boys some "advice" that happened to include the F word a few times. I quickly walked right up to him & said, "Excuse me, sir, but you need to know that these kids are 12-14 years old & I do NOT appreciate you using that language around them. We work pretty hard to provide an uplifting & healthy environment for them in & out of school, so please watch how you speak in front of them." He was respectful & apologized to me & the boys. :)

I was SO PROUD of my students the ENTIRE day. I was blown away by their maturity, encouragement for one another, & their excitement/anxiety about spelling words infront of people they didn't know. Yea! It just so happens that our very own CESAR was the district CHAMPION!!! He spelled better than about 35 other ESL students in the district. Yea yea yea!

Homeslice Pizza was amazing!! They asked each of our students to spell a certain word & if they spelled it correctly, they got 10% off their order. Thank you, Homeslice!!