New Student.

We have a new student from El Salvador. He speaks no English, so in the mornings I work with him one on one to read, have conversations, and "frontload" the vocabulary for the afternoon's math and science lessons. He's a good kid. I really like spending time working with him, but it's tough communicating because I don't know any Spanish. I use my phone to translate words and phrases and have him read them.

There's a lot of research that says students who are learning English take one year to develop social vocabulary, but that they need five to develop academic vocabulary. So, it's actually much better to instruct them in their native language when it comes to subjects like math, science, and social, studies, which happen to be what I teach. I've been trying to translate as much as I can, but it's really tiring. But, seeing him succeed for part of the day is very rewarding.

On a related note, I am going to learn Spanish. For reals this time.

UPDATE: I saw this video, and it made me really want to go the extra mile for my student. I don't want someone to lose out on an opportunity to learn or feel successful because I couldn't find a way to meet his needs.

Math on the Phone.

There's a bout of pink eye going around the school. One of my students has been out all week, and so he's missed all the lessons on adding and subtracting fractions with unlike denominators (a really tricky skill). I didn't want him to come in and start from scratch, so I called the house today and gave him the lesson over the phone. He seems to understand what's going on, and tomorrow when he comes in, I'll be able to work with him some more to make sure he gets it.

The whole call, including talking to his dad, took 21 minutes. Seriously. If I could get through a lesson like this in 20 minutes with the whole class, I would be so happy. But hearing him work through the steps and talk me through his work over the phone was really great.

He's Back. Yay?

The kid that drives me insane and cusses everyone out etc. is back after a two-day suspension that no one bothered to tell me about.

I love this kid to death, but I've tried everything in the book and I'm at my wit's end trying to keep this kid on task and acting appropriately in class. I am very tired because he was back. Maybe you can guess how he decided to behave.

But, he's back in class now, so maybe that means he can actually get caught up. That's the positive from today, I suppose.

Being Positive.

Starting today, I'm going to write about one positive thing that happened each day so that I don't kill myself due to severe depression. I'll write about a couple from a week ago to catch up.

I think one of my students has oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), which basically means whatever anyone says, he refuses to do, and he will cuss, yell, insult, and basically do anything to disrupt and show that he is the more powerful person. On many occasions I've been pushed, hit, and cussed out by the kid. Yet, I drive him home sometimes and let him sit with me during resource (supposedly teachers' alone planning time) and reteach math lessons to him (he misses a lot of lessons because he will run out of class and run around the building turning lights on and off). Basically, I don't know how to deal with the kid except try to be very patient with him all the time, and believe me, I've tried everything in the book.

Anyway, one day he wrote me a "Tootle," which is something the class does to compliment other people. It said:

tottles for Msr. Lyu. Msr. Lyu is caring helpful and sweet and kind to everybody help people Learn new stuff and also He Has a girl freind and some blanket and A picture of her on the phone.

Then, he drew a picture of himself and me at the bottom. I was very happy.

I know the writing doesn't show it, but this kid is one of the top scorers in math. He just gets it. I told him that I "knew some people" at UCLA and that I would send them his name so he could get some information. He was really excited about that... I worry about him a lot, because really, no one gives him a chance at school. Maybe one day he will go to UCLA. That would be awesome.

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Ok, this is a quick story. A few students were staying with me after school today. A long time ago, at the beginning of the year, I had tried to teach the scientific method. It's been a long time since we've done any science (I'm awful, I know). Half talking to myself, I said something about how so many people were absent today (6 kids were gone), and I wondered why that was the case. One of my students who had stayed behind to work on some things says, "That's an observation. And you asked a question about your observation." Those are the first two steps of the scientific method, and she is one of the last people I would have expected to remember that (I'm awful, I know). "That's right!" Nice surprise.

A Personal Pep Talk.

We read this to a camp session and for a lot of reasons (including a "bow") I really like it. Got me thinking.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed that as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to a boil. In the first, she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She then pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.

Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"

"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

She brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. She then asked her to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, she asked her to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.

The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, Mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -- boiling water -- but each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior. But, after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?"

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity? Do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and a hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor of your life. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hours are the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate to another level?

How do you handle adversity? Are you changed by your surroundings or do you bring life, flavor, to them?

ARE YOU A CARROT, AN EGG, OR A COFFEE BEAN?

I'm not sure what I am. Right now, I feel like a carrot. Sometimes when I think about all the stuff my students are up against outside of school, I feel like an egg. I know I want to be the coffee bean, but I don’t know if I’m there.

Lull.

I have been feeling very lethargic and unmotivated lately...

While I was in camp I used to preach a lot about choice and attitude. It's really tough to actually follow through with all that stuff.

Here we go.

Smiles.

I'm going to kidnap one of my students and keep him forever.

We went to the library across the street today. I had to hold his hand because we needed to cross a busy road. Then, I helped him apply for his first ever library card. He borrowed a book on dogs and a book about leopards. He was so happy that I could have died.