SOL 2019 -- Day 14 -- PD on Pi Day

Slice of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 14 -- "PD on Pi Day"
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To celebrate Pi Day, here's one more Pi-ku poem! Happy Pi Day!




PD on Pi Day

3.  Day number
1  four
4  of PD's done.
1  This
5  week's Professional  
9  Development has been pretty good.
2  Today,
6   however, I just kept
5  thinking "PD on
3  Pi Day! That's 
5  so fun to say! Ha!
8  PD on Pi Day!"  So silly.
;-)


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JudyK :-)  March 14, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 1 -- Clickety Clackety

Slice of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 13 -- "Clickety Clackety"
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When I was a little girl, my mother would sometimes type on her manual typewriter in the evening, practicing her keystrokes and trying to improve her speed. I remember being in awe as I watched her fingers flying over the keys. Clickety clackety clickety clack, DING, swoosh. Clickety clackety clickety clack, DING, swoosh. Clickety clackety clickety clack, DING, swoosh. Again and again and again, I heard those same sounds until "Zzzzip!" Mom snatched the piece of paper out of the typewriter and quickly rolled another one in.

I looked at the paper she had discarded: "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." That same sentence was repeated over and over and over again, all down the length of the page.

I was puzzled. Our dog could be lazy at times, but I didn't know anything about a brown fox being anywhere near where we lived. Why was mom typing about a brown fox and a lazy dog? And why was she typing it over and over? What was the point of it all?

That was the night I learned about that one special sentence and how it was used by many people to practice their typing. As Mom explained it to me, I found it fascinating that one silly sentence could be so important to so many people because it contained every letter of the alphabet. How funny. How intriguing.

Words still intrigue me to this day.

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JudyK :-)  March 13, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 12 -- Looking Out My Window Today -- Pi-ku Poem

Slice of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 12 -- "Looking Out My Window Today" -- More Pi-Ku Poetry
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In honor of Pi Day on Thursday,

(Pi = 3.14159265358979323846....)

here is another, longer, Pi-ku poem! 

Looking Out my Window Today

3. The sun shines
1  down
4  and warms the earth
1  while
5  the birds flit from one
9  tree to another. Perhaps the birds
2  seek a
6  place to construct their home?
5  The grass is brown now,
3  but will wait
5  patiently as the
8  sun returns, warmer and stronger,
9  on future days. And in a few weeks -- 
7  or when it's ready -- the grass
9  will come alive and be green again.
3  And spring will
2  arrive,
3  finally.



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JudyK :-)  March 12, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 11 -- March Observations Pi-ku

Slice of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 11 -- March Observations: Some Pi-ku Poetry
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Yesterday I enjoyed reading the blog of Grace Hilsmier at For Learning's Sake. She was blogging about Pi Day being this Thursday, and how she was going to have her students write Pi-ku poetry. She explained what Pi-ku is, and gave an example of one she had written. The poetry was so clever and fun; I was instantly intrigued! Of course I wanted to try it out myself!

And here is my attempt at Pi-ku ---


March Observations: Some Pi-ku Poetry

3. Playing with
1 TIME
4 to "save" daylight
1 is
5 quite nonsensical
9 when it throws off your body for days!

3. Calendars
1 show
4 that spring will come
1 soon
5 but there are no hints
9 of its arrival yet. Where is spring?

3. We DO know
1 that
4 spring will come soon, 
1 but
5 spring isn't coming 
9 fast enough for the winter-weary.



 I think I LIKE Pi-ku poetry!  :-)

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JudyK :-)  March 11, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 10 -- Small Gratitudes

Slice of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 10 -- Small Gratitudes**************************************  




Small Gratitudes:
A few things for which I am grateful --

Sunshine
It doesn't matter what the temperature is outside; if the sun is shining, it makes me happy.

               

Dogs' wagging tails
Some dogs have "weed-whacker" wags, strong and firm, knocking into tables and people's legs. Some dogs wag their whole back end while they're wagging their tail. No matter the wagging style, there's something about wagging tails that perk up my spirit. Every time.

Chocolate
Dark chocolate or milk chocolate, M&M's or Reese's Cups, chocolate chip cookies or chocolate fudge brownies....Chocolate is a tasty pleasure.

                                                              

Evergreen trees
Winter in Ohio is dreary and gray, with weeks and weeks of cloudy days. Evergreen trees give us a little bit of freshness in an otherwise gray-brown landscape.

Cats' purrs
What's a good way to enjoy a cold winter Sunday evening? Listening to the gentle motor sound coming from within a contented cat lying across my lap.

  

The laughter of small children
Whether it's accompanied by little giggles or hearty laughter, the glee of small children spills out honestly and authentically. 
                                               


Rainbows
Beautiful, colorful surprises in the sky....rainbows inspire me.

                    

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JudyK :-)  March 10, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 9 -- What's Interesting So Far?

Slice of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 9 -- What's Interesting So Far?
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A old friend messaged me yesterday to ask me what's the most interesting thing so far about my new job as a GED teacher in a men's prison. I thought to myself,"Oh my! How am I going to answer that? What HASN'T been interesting about it?"

So here I am this Saturday morning, sitting down to try to figure out how to answer Sandy's question. 

To begin with, I can't possibly narrow it down to one thing. There are so many interesting things that have happened, and so many thoughts swirling around in my head, that I can't name just one thing. So I won't try to. 

However, with all the swirling thoughts, I don't really know where to start, either. So, when in doubt....make a list! :-)


Judy's List of Interesting Things About Her New Job:

1. The interview in October
I had never set foot inside a prison before, so I encountered all kinds of interesting things that day. From the time I arrived and went through security, to the tour of the facility among the inmates, it was one interesting experience after another! All the new sights and sounds could have been overwhelming.  I actually had one very brief (3 seconds) moment of panic as I wondered why I was considering leaving my beloved elementary school and a secure teaching job, to go into a world where I knew no one and knew nothing about life there. But I immediately calmed back down because I knew that, no matter what, I could do the job. Somehow, it just felt right. 

2. First day on the job and orientation
It was Christmas Eve, so it wasn't a typical day to start work anyway. From getting my picture ID made, to beginning to learn about policies and procedures and codes of conduct, to learning how to clock in and out, to receiving a "Man Down" pendant....Again, one interesting experience after another.

3. Corrections Training Academy

Corrections Training Academy graduation

This was a fascinating experience! I spent three weeks attending the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction's training academy, and learned about many interesting things. Ethics, interpersonal communication, report writing, mental health, restrictive housing, use of force, first aid and CPR, religious services, and inmate rules were a few topics. I also participated in three days of physical training where I learned about defense tactics and subject control. (Note: Those three days of physical activity were exceptionally interesting, since I am not at all athletic and am not a spring chicken anymore. In fact, I was the oldest person in the class.) I took many exams during those three weeks, and graduated along with 60 or so others. Truth be told, I was quite proud of myself for the accomplishment. :-)

4. On-the-job-training
Back at my institution after the training academy, I began to learn about how things work at my specific correctional facility, and I began to set up my classroom. I teach in an old building which once upon a time was a boy's reform school. Everything was interesting about that!

5. Teaching
I finally began teaching inmates in mid-February, and have put in four weeks now. In that time, I've learned how to do various monthly reports, and I've learned a lot about the GED curriculum. Just yesterday, I finished my first end-of-quarter reports....wow, those are a lot of work!  I'm enjoying getting to know the inmates I teach, and looking forward to working with them again after their spring break. The inmates are very interesting people!



So, there you are, Sandy -- I hope that answers your question! :-)

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JudyK :-)  March 9, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 8 -- An Equation Poem

Slice of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 8 -- An Equation Poem
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An Equation Poem

Long hard workweek + tired brain = short writing tonight

:-)

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JudyK :-)  March 8 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 7 -- Six Word Stories: The More Things Change....

SOL story challenge, March 2019
Day 7 -- Six Word Stories: "The More Things Change....."

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Six Word Stories:

The More Things Change....

No more doing children's progress reports.

Now I have "Inmate Evaluation Reports."

Things change, 

but stay the same.

:-)

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JudyK  :-)  March 7, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 6 -- Whole New World

Slice of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 6 -- "Whole New World"
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Wednesday March 6, 2019:
I sit at my desk in my classroom, eating my lunch while I check email on my computer and input data into the monthly attendance reports. My classroom is quiet; the school is quiet. The students have gone back to their dorms for "count", and then they will go to the chow hall for lunch.

This is not an ordinary public school. It is a school which is inside a men's correctional facility...a state prison. My students are adult men who are in Pre-GED and GED programs. They are inmates in the prison, and I am one of a half dozen teachers in the school.

I've spent the past couple of months learning about, and training to be in, this environment. It is a whole new world for me....such a tremendous difference from the world of elementary education, where I've taught for years. I've been teaching here at the prison for about three weeks now, and as I eat my lunch in the quiet classroom, I notice the sounds in the background....

I hear:

• metal keys clicking in door locks, and wooden doors opening and closing
• bits of conversation and laughter from correctional officers passing in the hallway
• the buzzing of the metal crash gates being opened, and the loud CLANG of the heavy gates as they close
• keys jingling in the pockets of employees walking past my classroom door
• the hum of the heater blower
• the ticking of the clock on the wall
• static-y voices flowing from walkie-talkies
• heels clacking on tiled hallway floors
• the distant voice of a teacher talking to another
• the hum of the floor buffer being run by an inmate in the hallway

Huuummmmm, click, bzzzzzz, CLANG, swishhh, jingle, clack, bzzzzz, CLANG, tick, hummm, ch-ch-chhhhhhh, bzzzzz, CLANG: These are the lunchtime sounds of my new world.

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JudyK :-)  March 6, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 5 -- Text Snippets Poetry?

Slice of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 5 -- "Text Snippets Poetry?"
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I was looking at the page on my phone where the beginnings of text messages are displayed, and it reminded me of a "spine" poem. That gave me an idea. I wrote down the beginnings of the texts (with sensitive or personal information left out), and in so doing, it seems I've created a "text snippets" poem. Is this a new type of poetry? Is this a poem at all?  I don't know, but I think it's interesting anyway. What do you think?



Text Snippets

You have a good week too!
Okay
Hi all!
Please bring my snow boots....
I know :(

Now we are back on the road....
We are going to....
Just a reminder....
:-)

Thank you, S!
<3
Love you too
Thank you, A!
Thanks, S!

Haaaaaaaaaaaa!
Thanks
Don't have any room for it....
You have used all of your data....

Absolutely.
Okay, thanks!!!
{Two thumbs up emojis}
Thanks, R!
Happy Valentine's Day! <3

Oh they are so adorable!
Thank you!
Library items are overdue.
I forgot to attach this picture....
:-)  :-)  :-)



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JudyK  :-)  March 5, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 4 -- Monday

Slice of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 4 -- "Monday" (An acrostic poem)
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MONDAY


Moving slowly at first

Optimism for the days ahead

New week beginning

Developing a flow

Awakening the brain

Yawns fading away



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JudyK  :-)  March 4, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 3 -- The Decision

Slice of Life story challenge, March 2019
Day 3 -- "The Decision"
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Yesterday's story continues today, in the form of Haiku.

August 6, 2018 -- The Decision

Deadline is today.

To apply, or not apply?

That is the question.

Could I do this job?

Weighing pros and cons all day.

I need a change! But...

Do I want THIS change?

Considering all options...

Then I push "submit."

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JudyK  :-)  March 3, 2019

SOL 2019 - Day 2 - Hmmmmm....

 

Slice of Life writing challenge, March 2019

Day 2 -- "Hmmmmm...."

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Seven months. It's been seven months since my life started to take a different turn. Seven months since that fateful day when a seed of an idea was planted in my brain, a seed for an opportunity that seemed impossible at first, but now has become my reality. My life is so different now. So very VERY different ....But that is a topic for another day.

The day my life began to change was in late July of 2018, when I was visiting my cousin MarySue in a nearby city. On summer break from my teaching job, as well as taking a few days off from my summer tutoring, I was enjoying having a few days of down time with MarySue. MarySue, who is retired, was also enjoying a little down time from her other life obligations. It was a beautiful hot, sunny summer day, and we had spent several hours lazing in the pool at the apartment complex where MarySue lived. Relaxed and refreshed, it was late in the afternoon when we exited the pool and began to dry off. MarySue's neighbor Kim, who had just gotten home from her work as a case manager at a nearby prison, joined us poolside. The three of us chatted happily for a while, and then the topic of work came up. And that is when Kim uttered those fateful words: 

"There's a full-time job opening for a GED teacher where I work."

Kim was looking directly at me. Both she and MarySue knew how badly I wanted to get a full time teaching position. My current teaching job, as much as I loved it, was not full time. It had the same demands and took up the same amount of time as a full time job, but paid only part-time pay. And after years of working in that position, as well as working extra jobs to help make ends meet, I was looking for a change.

But being a GED teacher? I had taught in elementary school for my entire career! I had experience teaching many grade levels, due to being an Intervention Specialist, but I had never taught high-school-level subjects. 

"Oh, I don't know, Kim. I don't know anything about teaching GED classes!"

Kim's voice was calm and matter-of-fact.  "It's all the basic subjects that you already know how to teach. It's reading, writing, math, science, and social studies. You can do it!" 

Hmmmmmm. I probably could teach GED classes. What I didn't remember about math and science and anything else, I could relearn, couldn't I? Okay, yeah, maybe.

I was still ready to quickly dismiss the idea. "But what about the commute? I live an hour drive from here. There's no way that I'm interested in driving two hours every day just for work. I would hate that. No, no way!"

"You can stay with me!" my cousin piped up. I looked at MarySue, whose face was alive with excitement. "You can stay with me, Judy. And you'd be teaching full time!" She was grinning ear-to-ear as she elbowed me in the arm. "Oh c'mon, Judy. It's FULL TIME."

I was out of excuses. Was this job opening something I should seriously consider? Could I really do the job? Did I really want to change my teaching career so drastically? Did I really want to change my LIFE so drastically?

Hmmmmmmmm....

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JudyK  :-)  March 2, 2019

SOL 2019 -- Day 1 -- Here I Am Again!

Slice Of Life Writing Challenge 2019
Day 1 -- Here I Am Again!
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Today, I get back to writing. 

I wasn't going to. I wasn't going to worry about blogging. I wasn't going to stress out over writing. I wasn't going to do the Two Writing Teachers SOL writing challenge at all this year. I had already decided that. My life is just too crazy right now; how could I think about committing myself to a month-long challenge?

But then today came. March 1. The beginning of the writing challenge which I have enjoyed so much for the past two years. And I found myself thinking...what if? What IF I could do it? What IF I could handle all the changes in my life AND still write and read and comment every day? I could at least TRY, couldn't I?

And so, here I am, trying. 

Onward I go!  :-)


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JudyK :-)  March 1, 2019

Slice of Life Tuesday - So Many IEPS (three six-word stories)

Slice of Life Tuesday — So Many IEPs (three six-word stories)


*****

So Many IEPs

Writing IEPs continually
Hours on end.

All week long
Writing, writing, writing.

Not finished,
But I’m so done.



😜
*****
JudyK  April 24, 2018

SOL Tuesday - Flutter (an acrostic poem)

Slice of Life Tuesday -- Flutter (an acrostic poem)

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Flitting and flying,

Light as a feather,

Unequivocally exquisite,

Truly delicate, with

Tissue-paper wings, and

Eye-catching color:

Resplendent butterfly




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JudyK  April 17, 2018

SOL Tuesday - Graffiti, The Sequel (a haiku)

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SOL Tuesday -- Graffiti, The Sequel (a haiku)

I still have a few 1st and 2nd graders that occasionally visit my small group room first thing in the morning, and they still like to leave their mark. Here is the latest version of their graffiti: 

(Thare is a shark in the water.  But don't worry, you can still hav a happy day!

For some reason, I find this to be quite amusing.)

This latest graffiti inspired me to write a haiku.


Children's Graffiti

Colorful greetings, 

Reflections of whimsy, and 

new passions revealed.

:-)

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JudyK  April 10, 2018

SOL Tuesday -- I Would Rather

SOL Tuesday — I Would Rather


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My writing today is inspired by another slicer, Aileen Hower, who wrote that she borrowed the "I would rather" idea from other slicers during the March challenge. (This was Aileen's post today: https://aileenhower.wordpress.com/2018/04/03/i-would-rather/ ).  I enjoyed reading all the other "I would rather" posts during the March SOLSC challenge --- it's such a fun way to get to know a person --- and wanted to try it myself at some point. That "some point" has become today!

So here I go!

I would rather                             Instead of

Stay up late ............................................ Get up early


Clean the bathroom ................................ Do the grocery shopping


Sing ........................................................ Dance


Take a picture ......................................... Be in a picture


Spend time in the sunshine ......................Play in the rain


Be a passenger in a car ........................... Drive a car


Drink water ............................................ Drink pop


Color with colored pencils ...................... Color with markers


Make a card for someone ....................... Buy a card for someone


Eat dinner someone else has made ......... Cook my own dinner


Go to the doctor for a checkup ............... Go to the dentist for a checkup


Wear comfortable clothes ........................ Get all dressed up


Spend a quiet evening at home ................ Go to a party


Enjoy nature outside ................................ Stay inside for long periods of time


Light a candle .......................................... Curse the darkness


:-)
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JudyK  April 3, 2018