October... Already?

I am currently on the Bolt Bus heading to Washington, DC. My ultimate Frisbee team is competing in the Regional tournament this weekend in Upperville, Va. so I'll be staying with some teammates in DC.

School has been pretty hectic. My classes finally stopped shifting around though, and my rosters appear to be set for the rest of the semester, at least. My 10th graders seem to love Raisin, which makes me so happy. I just gave my first quiz, and my kids seem to know their stuff. They listen! Yes! I am glad I started off the year with the play because my students LOVE to read it out loud. Even though many of them are reluctant readers and struggle with inflexion, many of them are really trying to portray the characters' emotions as they read. It's exciting. One student in particular, Tiara, is a phenomenal Mama. Her classmates love when she reads, and I have to say I do too!

My self contained class is going to be a constant struggle for me. I am still figuring out how to modify my lessons to fit their individual needs. My school is WAY out of compliance in special ed. (hmm perhaps that is why I have never seen a SINGLE IEP for ANY of my students????). Go figure. We watched The Village (I know, not a great film) last week. I am trying to get them thinking about the major themes of The Crucible--hysteria, and also the role panic and fear play in tearing a part a community. My AP looked for modified versions of the text, but none seem to exsist. So, I ventured down to Barnes and Noble and purchased the Spark Notes for the play so we can read summaries after reading each scene. I am still determining what I want them to read and what we will just skip. I'm going to show the opening scene of the Daniel Day Lewis and Winona Ryder version, which is incredibly dramatic next week, so I am hoping that will engage them. (Winona Ryder as Abigail is unbelievable. So creepy and evil!)

My professional duty this year is to work closely with my students' guidance counselor-- calling parents, meeting with students, and other outreach type tasks. I went up to her office 4th period, but she was not there. My AP then shared some tragic and disturbing news. Apparently, last June, the counselor's husband went out to the store to grab some groceries. He never came home and had been missing all summer. Police found his body last night-- he had been murdered. I couldn't really believe what I was hearing. Only yesterday were we laughing and smiling with the two students we were meeting with. It's unbelievable.

On a more uplifting note... One of my 10th grade students from last year-- we'll call her E-- transfered to a different high school. Her mother forced her to change schools, because she thought my school "was turning her gay." (She had a girlfriend at the school.) Outrageous, I know. Her mother essentially neglected her, so I reached out to E to listen and give her my full support during a difficult time in her life. I hadn't heard from E until her girlfriend and friend stopped me in the hall last week. Both of them said E wanted to relay a message to me.... "Thank you, Ms. Brady, for your support and everything you did for me last year. I'll email soon." A few simple words. But they meant so much to me and made my day. If I can make even the smallest difference in one student's life, I will feel like my job here is meaningful.

I hope to post more soon. Until then, thanks for reading.