Celebration

Last Sunday night we were remembering the stress that comes on the night before school. You can't sleep. You imagine a thousand different scenarios of what the next day could bring. It still feels like there are a million and one things to do.

Not for us! This year, here's what we looked like on the night before the first day of school.  We maybe even stayed up until 1, just because we could.

Andrew, the Super Genius

An article was published today about Andrew and his iDev club.

The second part hints at a project he's working on developing for next school year, to try and take his club to scale across the city.

Hide and Seek

An addendum to the last post.

There are days where to save my life I cannot get ahold of Andrew while he's at school. This includes actually going to the school to look for him. His school is MASSIVE, and half of it is a dead-zone for his cell phone. And bless his heart, he really likes to work. Some days school will be over for a really long time, and I still can't get ahold him. He's generally really good about calling right after school, but of course it's the day I NEED to talk to him that he doesn't.

On the day that I went to his school to pick up new shirts for his Christmas gift, he was supposed to be gone with his club (they go to an elementary school to teach teachers how to use their iPads) so I thought I was in the clear. I mean, what are the odds of him being in the exact spot I am? Nil. It's never happened before.

Nope.

As I was in the school store (hidden in a room...not wandering the halls so everyone can say, "hey, are you looking for Mr. Coy?" like usual) who should walk in? My husband. Of course, the one day I'm at his school trying to be unseen. He was waiting for one of his students, who was buying a treat at the school store.

Oh, the irony.

Feeding High Schoolers

Andrew promised his classes a party of sorts on the last day before Christmas Break.

I was making wheat bread for the neighbors, and giving it with a jar of jam that I had made earlier in the year. My elementary students used to love when I would bring them homemade bread, so I thought that might be good for Andrew's classes too. Most of our kids don't have homemade goods very often.

So he went to school with homemade bread and jam, apples, and carmel.

His two classes had very different responses.

Second Block, "Awe, Mr. Coy, why couldn't you bring something normal? Like chips? Or Deli meat?" They didn't eat much.

His Fourth Block Honors kids LOVED it though, and wanted to learn how to make bread, and wondered if there was a cooking class. They ate SEVERAL loaves.

Interesting.

Trying to be supportive

Sometimes I'm not as supportive of Andrew as I could should be.

He works a lot. But he REALLY LIKES to work. So who am I to say that his hobby can't also be his work?

He sent me this email today, and I tried for the life of me, to figure out what on earth he (or was he trying to imply we?) should go to. A lot of times he has teacher or technology things scheduled on Saturdays, and he tries to check in with me before committing. Was this the case? Was it a workshop so that he could be the registered Help Desk provider at his school? Were we both going to learn about the Help Desk?

I read the email at least five times.

And finally just responded with, "I don't get it...but I like you."

Turns out, this wasn't the email he meant to send. You know, the one about the Cross Country State Meet he thinks would be nice to go to.

This would be nice to go to, do you think? ///// Mr. Coy ////  Digital Harbor High School ///   Teacher / Webmaster //    abcoy@bcps.k12.md.us /     410-929-4204 _____   _     _  _     _   _____ (_____) (_)   (_)(_)   (_) (_____) (_)  (_)(_)___(_)(_)___(_)(_)___   (_)  (_)(_______)(_______)  (___)_ (_)__(_)(_)   (_)(_)   (_)  ____(_) (_____) (_)   (_)(_)   (_) (_____) ------ Forwarded Message From: Digital Help Desk <webhelpdesk@digitalharbor.org> Date: Tue, 1 Nov 2011 13:26:50 -0400 To: Andrew Coy <abcoy@bcps.k12.md.us> Subject: Web Help Desk Support Contract Reminder Your Web Help Desk support contract expired on 10/31/11. You will not be able to apply updates until your support contract has been renewed. Please contact billing@webhelpdesk.com <mailto:billing@webhelpdesk.com?subject=Support Renewal Request for Digital Harbor High School>  to request a support renewal.To automatically request support renewals, go to:  Setup -> General -> License and select "Auto-Invoice Support Renwal."This reminder will be sent weekly until your support expires or automated renewal requests are enabled ------ End of Forwarded MessageNOTICE: The information contained in this e-mail may be confidential and is intended solely for the use of the named addressee. Access, copying or re-use of the e-mail or any information contained herein by any other person is not authorized. If you are not the intended recipient please notify us immediately by returning the e-mail to the originator.

NPR Features Andrew Coy

Andrew was interviewed for the local NPR station for a story about Teach For America, the teaching program both Andrew and I went through to start teaching. Don't worry, they interview Andrew. And the CEO of City Schools. No big deal.

Since making the front page of the Baltimore Sun, he's been featured in a few other stories, and now he's getting sound bites.

He's basically a really hard working teacher.

Truth

A quote from a blog of a friend who chose teaching over law school, regarding her parents:


It’s pretty easy to support your child when they she is pursuing something that is challenging, elitist and lucrative. I imagine it’s far more difficult to support your bleeding-heart daughter who willingly entered into an emotionally abusive, thankless, middle-class profession that’s saturated in mediocrity. I love them both a lot. 


Thanks for all the love, Mom and Dad.

Last Day

Maybe later I'll write a post that is really insightful, and talk about all the ways that teaching in Baltimore City has shaped me as a person, and the people I've met, etc.

Today, I will simply talk about what a great day it was.
1. I woke up and thought "I never have to wake up and teach in BCPSS again. This is awesome."

2. Then I went to work. Pretty dysfunctional, as usual, but the kids were great. I used the Rizo machine for the first time since March, (something kind of like a copy machine...but not) and was chastised for doing so. It didn't break my heart to count down the hours at this point. I was gone by 12:30.

3. I came home, and hung up a picture in the bathroom. The beginning of doing things that I want done. There are pictures all over the house that need to be hung. But it took measuring twice, and still punching three holes, before this picture was hung to satisfaction. I thought I should start in places no one goes. My bathroom. My office.

4. Then Andrew came home. We went for Ice Cream at Rita's and sat by the water, and just basked in the beginning of Summer. All sorts of new things. New life with no teaching. New Summer. We each got our OWN ice-cream (this NEVER happens) and we both tried new flavors. He bought me flowers. I like him.

5. When we got home from our afternoon date, I checked the mail. Lo and behold, Allie and Zac had sent me a celebration package! I love fun mail. Almost as much as I love those Coopers!

6. I worked at REI tonight. Vernon was there, he's the outreach coordinator. He's about 65. He got me all the sleeping bags the 4th years are going to use on their back-packing trip for YW camp next week. Utah is his favorite place in all the world. He's going there next month for 17 days. So for now, I'm his favorite person at REI. We ate s'mores tonight and talked about Utah while we waited for the Car Camping Clinic to finish. I have a great job.

7. When I got home, we checked on the garden. The zucchini (which there are about 20 of) are getting to be pretty good sized. Not boat sized, but I think edible. I'm hesitant because my gut tells me that home-grown zucchini should be huge. But we picked ONE to try it out and see how "store sized" zukes taste.

8. And now I'm going to bed. With excitement for yoga, the farmers market, girls camp planning,  REI, and all the magic that lies ahead tomorrow.

Good Bye BCPSS. If nothing else, you have given me so much joy in being done. :)

The Master Graduate

Andrew graduated with his Masters degree in the Art of Teaching from Johns Hopkins University last night! We are both so excited that Hopkins is over, and that he has about a million hours back in his life each week.

Seriously.

He is wasting no time, though, and is quickly finding ways to fill the time. I think he's already got his eyes on more than few technology conferences he wants to attend. :)

 It's been really fun to have his family in town. His mom, dad, brother, sister, and grandparents came out for graduation, and we've had a wonderful time showing them some of our favorite things about Baltimore.

We're hoping they've had a good enough time that they might come back again. Maybe when it's not 90 degrees and 100 percent humid? I promise, May is usually a really nice time to visit.

Science Fair

I teach science. Therefore, the science fair is one of my responsibilities at school. We successfully survived this year without any explosions or disasters. The real success: The entire fifth through eighth grade stayed in the cafeteria for 3 hours and no one was injured or fought. Miracles do happen. :)

The kids were really good, and were really fun to talk to about all their projects. It was fun to work with my students preparing their projects, and then judge kids that I taught when they were in fourth grade. It's fun to watch kids grow.

 Judging in action!

 It's so fun to listen to them reason out their projects. 

 Love these two girls! They are such wonderful students.

 The winners! There were two divisions, 5-6 grades, 7-8 grades, first, second and third place.

One Month.

One month from today, and there will be no more moments like these during our math test today.

Education

We just got back from a panel discussion on the future of education in America.

Sigh.

I never feel like, "Oh, maybe I should stay in Education! I think I could really make a difference. I think I AM making a difference."

The problems just seem so much bigger than I am. That even if I give 500 percent, it won't be enough. And that I need to be EVERYTHING for the kids. And so it's just easier to not give even 50 percent.

But that seems kind of like a cop out.

Big Sigh.

So instead, it won't be my job anymore.  I'll volunteer at my neighborhood school. And I'll be a good volunteer. Like, a really good volunteer. And sometimes I think kids need to see volunteers, too. People who are invested beyond having a job to do.

But someone who cares about the neighborhood. And the kids who live in their neighborhood.

Don't Eat Pete

It doesn't matter what grade you're in. Every child loves Don't Eat Pete.

I played with my sixth graders on Friday. It was our "Spring Break Party" for the last eight minutes of the day.

I know, I'm such a cool teacher. Every kid dreams of having an 8 minute party. It's better than nothing, right?

They loved it just as much as my second graders. And were remarkably about ten times calmer.

Four Seasons

We love that all four seasons are a reality in Maryland. 

We are also pretty big fans of Spring. Not just because Spring Break, but it does help a little.

oh, rats.

We're in full science mode in the fifth grade.

A few weeks ago we were learning about biomes and what makes each biome unique. I was trying to help my students understand what a temperate biome might be like, by explaining that Maryland is a temperate zone.

Just that morning on my way to work, I had seen both a fox and a deer on my way to school. (I drive past a VERY large park on my way to work). And so I asked my students what animals might live in a temperate zone, if they knew that WE lived in a temperate zone.

Many hands went up.

The answer: rats.

I can't argue. They're right. But maybe someday we can expand what a temperate zone has the potential to be?

Three Days

We had Professional Development days Monday and Tuesday.

Snow Days Wednesday, Thursday, and now today.

I'm off to North Carolina today.

Sometimes I think teaching isn't so bad.

Morning Prayer

Andrew is taking a personal/sick day today. His first one this year. Isn't that incredible? He has spent 90 days straight with high-schoolers and not lost his mind.

Incredible.

Morning prayers this morning went a little something like this, "Please don't let me kids steal things from me, or destroy my room, or be really bad for the sub."

Pretty much, this is our daily prayer--minus the sub part.

Strict

This just in from one of my most trying students

Student: You're one of my favorite teachers. I like strict teachers.

Me: Well thank you! I reallly like you.

Student. Um, sure you do. I did take my medicine this morning. I mean, you're like Miss Honey on Matilda. You still make me do my work. But you're not mean. You're just strict.

So Cool

Sixth Grader: Mrs. Coy, are you wearing eye-liner.
Me: Yes.
Sixth Grader: Cool, me too. (smiling, bowing her head, and raising her shoulders.)

Oh, how we love middle-school. :)

Death of a computer

My computer decided it didn't want to teach sixth grade again, either.

It was confirmed today that it's death on Saturday was really death, not just a coma. Taking all of my first quarter grades with it.

God is just giving me all sorts of signs. "This is the end. Truly, this is your last year of teaching."

I got the message. Loud and clear.