Me: Why do you think people choose to live or camp in Alaska? Student: Because they want to have fun there. Me: What do you think people do for fun in Alaska? Student: Play with bears. Tutor: What kind of game do you play with bears, hide and seek? Me: I think it's more like Tag.

We had a parent conference last week. Sort of. We--four teachers and a parent--were all there. Unfortunately, we spoke no Creole, she spoke little English, and we had no translator. So we sat around a round table in the small conference room and smiled at each other for 20 minutes. And asked repeatedly if the parent could understand ANY English. She smiled each time and squinted her eyes as she pressed her forefinger and thumb together to show us. "Um...no." We finally gave up looking for a translator and asked the woman if she could reschedule. This was all, of course, with many apologies. She stopped each one of us at the door, wrapped her arms around us, and kissed us on the cheek. This is why I love my school.

I'm stealing a quick minute before I surrender the computer over to my husband and get intimate with the couch for what I hope will be an entertaining Thursday night in front of the t.v. It's been a long day for me. Teaching at a struggling school is so much more work than I ever dreamed. Representatives from Tallahassee will be in our school next week to make sure we are doing what we are supposed to do. Since I teach non-English speakers, they WILL be in my classroom. My students count up to five times in the formula that determines school grades. I don't take that fact lightly. Neither does anyone else. My principal was in my room earlier this week. An administrative from the District was in today. This afternoon. On the day when I didn't get to eat lunch because I had to go to a "mandatory" insurance session. On the day when I had to scrap ALL my lesson plans because my students weren't ready for them. On the day when I had two girls in tears telling m...

While I collect my thoughts and finishing working on my new and improved site design, I thought I'd share a fun little story that happened last Friday in class. Keep in mind, these are high school juniors. Student 1: Miss, you look like a kid today. Me: I do? Student 2: (shaking head) Your hair. Me: Oh yeah? So you think I can pass for 17? Student 2: (in deep thought) Hmmm, no, but I think you could pass for 36. Student 1: Yeah, 36. Me: 36? I'm not even 36 yet? Student 2: (eyes wide open) You're not? What about 26? Is that good?

Everyone keeps asking me how I like working with high school students. The best way to describe it is that last Friday during 8th period, I asked the kids to be quiet. And they did. On the first request. In middle school that request would have been followed by several more requests, each louder than the previous one, and then the threats of phone calls home. It's night and day, people. And now I tell everyone with a middle schooler that it really does get better. I had no intentions of being a teacher, and I really don't believe I'll be doing this for the rest of my life. My passions lie in other areas, but I do believe that God placed me in this field for a reason. I spent 4 years working with 7th graders, and even though they were some of the toughest years, they were also healing for me. It was a place I needed to be to connect some dots and gain some perspective to heal some long-standing wounds I incurred during my own 7th grade year. I firmly believe my high school e...