Christmas Gifts

Andi S. gave me a 2 liter bottle of Coke; Kyndall A. gave me a jar full of hot chocolate mix and marshmallows, and Olivia R. gave me a package of Christmas tree Peeps.  Thank you for your kind gestures.

Exam Review

Students are spending the next two days reviewing for semester exams in all of their classes.  This is the first year exams have taken place before Christmas vacation since I've been working here, 1998.  I think this a better schedule and look forward to starting a new semester when we return from break.

Christmas Rock Friday

Since it's our last Friday before Christmas, I've been working in some Christmas rock videos between assignments and quizzes today.  Check out Stryper's "Winter Wonderland" and Trans-Siberian Orchestra's "Christmas in Sarajevo."  Especially fun to watch is the TSO video where the song controls the lights on someone's house. 

Speech Projects

Seniors in SPE 111 have finished their research papers and multimedia projects regarding various aspects of online safety.  Some students did audio public service announcements; some did Power Point presentations, and others did videos.  Keep an eye on the district website to see the finished projects.

Early Dismissal

Early dismissal today!  After the students leave at 2:20, we're headed to the Elementary School for our annual Christmas party.  I look forward to seeing colleagues from the other buildings, the musical entertainment from the Community Cantata, and of course, the junk food!  I'll be contributing some Oreos to the buffet . . .

Verb Tenses

English 1A Students are having an absolute blast learning the twelve different verb tenses.  Did you detect the sarcasm?  Even though verb tenses might not be their favorite things to study, they're learning pretty quickly and should have them conquered by the end of the week.

Christmas Shopping

My family and I went to Champaign on Saturday to finish our Christmas shopping.  First, we went to Target, and it was an absolute madhouse!  Never again!  Traffic was a nightmare as well.  The best part of the whole day was having supper at Outback Steak House.

Smart Phone

I finally made the leap into the society of smart phone users, but I don't know if I like it all that much.  I know I'll dislike the increased monthly bill, but the providers are really pushing you into the smart phones and data plans.  Also, there's a bit of a learning curve involved.  I'm not a fan of Apple products, but I guess I just need to get over it.

Poetry Projects

Students in English II just finished their Poetry Analysis Poster Projects.  In this project, students choose a song, identify poetic elements, interpret lyrics, and provide background information on the band and/or the song.  We heard a lot of good music and learned about poetry at the same time.

Strange Word

In studying principal parts of verbs in English 1A, I've discovered some commonly misused words.  One in particular stands out, and its misuse is not limited to our Central Illinois area.  In fact, I heard an anchor on a national TV morning show misuse this word today before I came to school. 

Snuck.

No, you should say "sneaked" as the past tense of the verb "to sneak."

Snuck.
Snuck.
Snuck.

Sounds strange, doesn't it?

Chuck the Ball

My big Cubs ball fell apart; the Bears football isn't in very good shape; I never liked the Illini football, and Wolfgang is pretty worn too. The condition of these toys isn't surprising, considering how often I play Chuck the Ball with my students.  I recently bought a new baseball from Dollar Tree and another from a store called Rally House in Kansas City.  The Dollar Tree ball is rounder and a little heavier, but the Rally House ball has a Royals logo on it.  I'm not sure which I like better, but I plan to use them both quite frequently.

Freshman Speeches

Students in English IA are doing their second speech today and tomorrow.  The first speech, sharing a personal experience, was a couple of weeks ago.  This speech is about their favorite holidays.  Christmas has been getting the most speeches, but Independence Day is pretty popular too.

Senior Speech Projects

Seniors enrolled in dual credit Speech, SPE 111, are working on a big project.  First, they are doing an academic research paper on some aspect of Internet Safety.  Second, they are condensing their research into an engaging media presentation targeted at younger students.  Some students will be making videos, while others will be recording Public Service Announcements, creating self-advancing Power Point presentations, or creating something else. 

Homecoming Week

So far, this week has been going pretty well other than some questionable tactics during Musical Chairs yesterday.  The Sophomores, of whose class I'm co-sponsor, have finished their big poster and will hang it in the gym today.  Also, the sophomores tightened the points race by winning the obstacle course competition today.  Congratulations!

Winner!

I recently had a couple of classes compete with each other in writing the funniest short story.  The big prize?  The winner is featured in this very blog!  The winning author?  Kieran E.!!!!!  The story?  Dog on a treadmill.  Need I say more?  :)

Random Music Break

Enjoy!

Mr. Big "Next Time Around"

btw, I'm not responsible for any inappropriate content on Youtube, especially the comments and/or advertisements.

Wolverines!

My family and I went to the movie theater with friends yesterday and watched the remake of "Red Dawn."  I enjoyed seeing the Wolverines again and am inspired to get our trivia team, named the Wolverines because of the original movie, back into action.  Unfortunately, our mascot has disintegrated.  Time has not been kind to our namesake.

BooBoo and Poems

For those who haven't heard the news, Mr. BooBoo passed away yesterday.  He was a good dog, and he packed a lot of living into his approximate 17 year life, but the old boy was suffering from a variety of ailments, so we took him on one last ride to the vet's office.  Keep an eye out for the obituary which I will submit to Neoga News soon. 

In the meantime, on a lighter note, here are a couple of poems to lighten the mood.  The first was submitted by Katie B, and the second is from Taylor G (Student of the Semester).  Enjoy!

1.  Hickory Dickory Dock
     Two mice ran up the clock
     The clock struck one
     And the other got away with minor injuries.

2.  Row, Row, Row your boat
     Gently down the stream.
     Until you hit the waterfall,
     Then you start to scream.

IMEA

I went to EIU Saturday night and watched the regional honors band concert.  Congratulations to all of the NHS students involved as well as Mr. Schulze.  The concert was excellent, and the kids did a nice job.  Way to go!

Midterm

Today is midterm for second quarter.  I'll be emailing parents momentarily and then calling those who haven't provided an email address for me.  Students still have time to pull their grades up; the quarter ends before Christmas break, and that includes Semester Exams.  Remember, you have to pass two of the three elements to pass the semester: Quarter 1, Quarter 2, Semester Exam. 

Freshman Speeches

We're nearly done with the preparations!  Students in English IA will be delivering Personal Experience Speeches next week.  Some will be funny; some will be serious, and some will be sad.  I always find the students' topic choices interesting and am looking forward to seeing them deliver their speeches.

Writing Contest

While I was absent yesterday, I had my substitute initiate a writing contest.  Due to ACT practice tests and a guest speaker, students in third hour English IA and seventh hour English II participated.  After I get my grading caught up, I'll read the entries to see who wrote the funniest story.  And what does the winner get, you ask?  Their name and/or photo in THIS VERY BLOG!!!

Poetry

Students in English II are starting to learn about poetry.  Admittedly, poetry isn't my strongest area in the realm of English/Literature, but, to quote Lynyrd Skynyrd, "I know a little," and I'm going to share that knowledge.  After I've covered the content, the students will display their knowledge via a poster presentation. The students will analyze a song for poetic elements and will offer their own interpretation of the lyrical content.  Best of all, they get to share their music selection with the class.  Credit goes to Mr. Poggendorf for the poster presentation idea and to Miss Knox, my EIU practicum student last year who created the power points for the unit.

Jigzone

I've noticed that some of my sophomores (the ones who've typed their final essay drafts quickly) have been doing online jigsaw puzzles while their less-speedy classmates finish typing.  I tried it out at home and am quickly becoming hooked.  Check it out . . .

Jigzone

Food Drive

Just a reminder to all students and parents.  The Thanksgiving food drive is under way, and each student needs to bring in a particular item to their first hour class.  Students in my class need to bring canned fruit.  Remember, there are 61 families in our community counting on our generosity.  Without our help, they can't afford to provide a Thanksgiving dinner for the families.

Stage Fright

I'm preparing the students in English IA for their Personal Experience Speech.  The first part of the unit deals with controlling stage fright, a subject I know a lot about.  I've been referencing many personal experiences where I've dealt with stage fright . . . some were from public speaking situations; some were from teaching situations, and some were from "back in the day" when I performed in a successful band.  After talking about the band so much, I shared one of our original songs with the students today.  It's a bull-riding song called "On the Devil's Back," and I thought I'd share it with you too.  Since this blog program won't let me upload audio only, I made a video with a title slide.  I hope you enjoy the song.

ACT Prep

Next Tuesday, all freshmen and sophomores will be taking a practice ACT.  The freshmen will be taking the Explore, and the sophomores will be taking the PLAN. Mr. Davis came in last week and pre-registered the sophomores; today he did the same with the freshmen. 

These tests are good practice for the students who will be taking the ACT during their junior year.  The results, which will come back later this school year, give the students an accurate picture of their performance levels.

Guitar Raffle

Well, it looks like I'll be doing another guitar raffle this year during home basketball games. This year, the proceeds will go to Art/Poetry Club.  For now, I'm looking at some potential guitars, and my fellow club sponsors, Mr. Poggendorf and Mrs. Seigel, will be contributing their input on the decision.  We're also thinking of having the club members customize the guitar case.

Writings

Students in English IA are working on their third descriptive paragraph.  For the first one, they had to describe a place; for the second they described a person.  I gave them six different options to write about for the third paragraph, and most have chosen to write about their favorite holidays.

Students in English II are finishing up their To Kill a Mockingbird essays.  I let them choose from a variety of topics relating to the novel.  Next week, they'll be starting a second essay on a topic to be revealed later.

Hopefully, I'll survive all of this grading!

Colder Weather

Besides being the title of my favorite recent country song, the phrase "colder weather" has a more obvious meaning.  I know we have a long winter ahead, and I cringe at the thought of snow, ice, and freezing winds.  Already, I miss summer! 

Conferences

Parent-Teacher conferences are available today and Friday.  Today, we'll be here until 7 pm if you want to stop past and check on your student.  Friday, we'll be here from 8-12.  Feel free to come past and say "Hi."

Writing Assignments

I'm sure I'll regret it when it comes time to grade it all, but I've started five of my six classes on writing assignments.  The students in the three sections of English IA are writing descriptive paragraphs; meanwhile, the students in my two sections of English II are writing longer essays based on our recently-finished novel, To Kill A Mockingbird.  I was really impressed with some of the topic choices made by the sophomores and am looking forward to reading their finished essays next week.

Random Thoughts

Stores are displaying Christmas items before Halloween.  That's not right.

We bought a variety of candies for Halloween, but we'll have to buy more.  I've demolished the supply of Almond Joy and KitKat bars.

I took another night ride around town last night on my bike.  The weather was perfect, but the town was hopping!  I encountered a lot of traffic, a few students, and two trains.

Tonight will be busy.  I have a meeting after school, a haircut after that, then a trip to Effingham to watch the Scholar Bowl match.

Leaves

The last couple of weeks have been quite colorful.  On a recent trek to Toledo, the colorful leaves of autumn were really eye-popping.  I've also been watching the leaves on the ash tree in my front yard turn to a beautiful shade of gold; unfortunately, they've nearly all fallen to the ground. The maple tree in my back yard is now turning, and it is quite breath-taking as well.  I suppose I should mow my yard once more before winter to help mulch all the leaves on the ground, but I'm not going to promise that I'll get it done.

Cardinals

Well, they didn't make it all the way, but they made it a lot farther than many people expected.  Now, I guess I'll have to pull for the Tigers and transition into becoming an armchair quarterback for football season!

Cross Country

On Saturday, I made the long drive to watch the Cross Country Regionals at Carlinville.  Neoga students did an excellent job, (many set new personal best times), and they're moving on to Sectionals this Saturday.  Fortunately, it will be a much shorter drive since Sectionals are held at Mid America Motor Sports just north of Effingham.

Fractions

1/16th.   Freshmen, this is how much of your high school education you've completed.

5/16ths.  Sophomores, this is how much of your high school education you've completed.

9/16ths.  Juniors, this is how much of your high school education you've completed.

13/16ths.  Seniors, this is how much of your high school education you've completed.

Various Thoughts . . .

Taylor G. started out as my first self-nominated Student of the Week; now it seems she has retained her lofty position long enough to be Student of the Quarter.

Today is the end of first quarter, and I have a lot to grade in the next few days.

Preston P. is bringing fainting goats to FFA Zoo Day on Friday, and I'm excited to see them.  I found this video of fainting goats on Youtube and thought it was funny. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=we9_CdNPuJg

I also found this news report showing the cardboard bicycle in action.  I really want to get one of these bikes for myself!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txSboSNQINs

I'm not responsible for any inappropriate content that may appear on Youtube, especially in their ads or user comments.

I Will Buy This . . .

A bicycle made of cardboard!  The cost is projected to be $20.  How could I NOT get one?  Read all about it here  Yahoo News link

Informative Speeches

Seniors in SPE 111, dual credit Intro To Speech, started presenting their informative speeches today.  A variety of topics enlightened me and the students:  NASCAR, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, and Walt Disney's biography were just a few topics.  There will be more speeches Tuesday and Wednesday to wrap up the quarter.

Ready for the Weekend

Projected warmer temps for the weekend have me thinking about a lengthy bike ride.  It won't be long until it's too cold to get the bike out, so I need to make the most of this warm weather.  If you see me, honk or wave, but don't run me over!

Fire Drill

If you were in town this morning and heard the sirens and/or saw the fire trucks and ambulance headed to the school, don't worry.  We just had our annual Coordinated Fire Drill where the emergency personnel respond to our fire alarm and clear the building.  The students did a good job staying with their groups, for the most part, and we all enjoyed a little fresh air while the drill was being conducted.

Juice

Mr. Poggendorf had me try a juice concoction this morning.  I'm not sure what all was in it, but I saw apples, celery, and carrots in his room.  While this drink is supposed to be very healthy and high in anti-oxidants, I didn't think it tasted very good, and it looked even worse!  I know that I need to be healthier and make smarter decisions regarding food and drink, but I must say that my "power breakfast" of Dr. Pepper and a Crunch bar was much tastier!

We have a WINNER! (Two actually)

I finally got the opportunity to look at the entries in the BooBoo drawing contest that I held for the freshmen last week as a reward for their good behavior during my many absences this fall.  I spread out the entries all over the room, looked them over, and selected ten favorites.  I then put all the others away for a bit and put the top ten out again.  I looked them over and decided on my winners.  I say winners, plural, because I couldn't decided between first and second place; therefore, we have two winners.  I'll post photos of the winning entries in a later post.  All entries will be displayed around the room.

Is the suspense killing you?  The co-winners are Ethan W. and Zoey E. !!!!!!    Yay!!!!!

Classic Country Friday?

You betcha!  How about some Johnny Cash?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ynSm1Ngfn8

Just a reminder, I'm not responsible for any inappropriate comments or ads that might appear on Youtube.  In class, I use SafeShare TV which eliminates everything but the video, and if there's an ad at the beginning, I skip it.

Is there such a thing as a modern country classic?  Of course, there is.  Zac Brown Band is excellent!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oouFE51HcqM

Tom Robinson's Trial

Students in English II just finished reading the trial chapters in To Kill a Mockingbird, so today, we are taking a look at the cinematic portrayal of those chapters in the Academy Award winning film.  Gregory Peck does an excellent job portraying Atticus Finch and handling the unruly Ewells on the stand.  The absurdity of Mayella's testimony really comes to life on the screen as well.

Drawing Contest

As co-sponsor of the Art/Poetry Club, and as a reward for the good behavior of the students in English IA, I'm having a drawing contest in class tomorrow.  I need some good art work to dress up my room a bit!  I'm not going to reveal the subject of the contest, but I will give you a hint.  There's a picture in a recent blog post on here that you might want to check out.

Guilty

How could the jury find Tom Robinson guilty?  Atticus clearly showed that the Ewell's were lying on the stand and that Mayella was almost certainly beaten by her father.  There was no physical evidence that the crime Tom was accused of committing ever happened.  The prosecution's case was based solely on the testimony of Bob and Mayella Ewell, and neither one of them was convincing during Atticus's cross examination.  How could the jury find him guilty????

On Thursday, English II students will watch the courtroom scene from the classic To Kill A Mockingbird movie . . . a true classic.

Resignation Letter

No, I'm not resigning!  The freshmen are doing a writing exercise which requires them to correct a resignation letter.  In the exercise, a young man has suffered through a nightmare babysitting experience, and he has written a resignation letter to the parents of the nightmarish child.  The young man is apparently trying to use his vocabulary as a weapon, and as a result, his letter is very wordy.  The students are to re-write the letter, eliminating much of the wordiness.  I challenged them to make the corrected version entertaining yet classroom appropriate.  Tomorrow, we'll see what they created.

BooBoo

He's a legend.  Every student who has passed through my room since 1998 has heard all about this amazing dog and his many adventures.  So, it's only fitting that I supply you with a picture, right?  Here's one from a few years back where he's devouring some cat food we'd dumped in the yard for a stray kitty.  Good thing the cat wasn't around . . . Boo hates cats!

Mr. Boo is around 17 years old now, approximately.  We rescued him from the wild streets of Beecher City back in 1996, and he was at least a year old then. In dog years, he is at least 119 years old!  Go BooBoo!

Intros and Conclusions

Students in SPE 111, dual credit Intro to Speech, are working on improving their skills with the writing of introductions and conclusions.  Just as an on-ramp is important for interstate travelers, an introduction is important for audience members hearing your speeches.  Continuing the analogy, an interstate requires an exit ramp, and a speech requires a conclusion.  I hope to witness some impressive intros and conclusions during the next speech.

Techno Music and Sentence Writing

I'm teaching the freshmen to write longer, better, more creative sentences.  As part of the process, I taught them that a series of short sentences is rhythmically repetitive, and annoying, much like a techno song.  To drive home the point of the analogy, I demonstrated the difference in drum beats using a software-based drum machine called Hydrogen.  It's a free program that I discovered, and I use it a lot at home when I'm composing and recording music with my computer-based recording studio.  The kids seemed to enjoy it, so here's a link for you to the Hydrogen site where you can download the program.

http://www.hydrogen-music.org/hcms/

Enjoy!

The Trial

In English II, we've been reading To Kill A Mockingbird, and today, we've made it to the start of the trial.  Jem, Dill, and Scout have secured their seats in the balcony with Reverend Sykes; Sheriff Heck Tate is on the witness stand; Judge Taylor is chewing on a fresh cigar, and Prosecuting Attorney Mr. Gilmer is ready to start the proceedings.  This is a very exciting part of the book, especially when the Ewells take the stand.

Grading

After missing so many days because of a family emergency, I was absolutely buried with things to grade.  All last week, I worked my tail off to get caught up.  Finally, at 9:15 last night, I got it all done.  I'll finish it up by entering the data into the online grade book here in a few minutes, so you'll all be able to check your current grades.  I finished the grading just in time; two classes are handing in homework assignments today, and three other classes are having a test.  Maybe, if nothing drastic happens, I'll be able to keep up with it all.

Classic Rock Friday

As a reward for good behavior throughout the week, I take a few minutes at the beginning of each deserving class on Friday and share an excellent classic rock song (sometimes with video) with my students.  This week, I am featuring an acoustic live version of "Say You Will" from Foreigner.  The only remaining original member is the guitarist, but the rest of the group is incredible, especially bassist/harmony vocalist Jeff Pilson (who is a founding member of Dokken) and lead vocalist Kelly Hansen.  Here's the Youtube link. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i481jiOkkMBTW

If there are any inappropriate comments on the Youtube page, I'm not responsible for them.  In class, I use a site called SafeShareTV, which elminates everything else on the page and only shows the video.

Student of the Week

I've instituted a new award for Room 14 this year.  Student of the Week is a self-nominating award, and it is also a self-awarding award.  What does that mean?  If you nominate yourself and make your own award/certificate etc., I'll tape it up on my board!

Taylor G. has been Student of the Week for over a month now. Go Taylor!  Until someone else self-nominates, Taylor will retain her lofty position.

Also, on an unrelated note, three cheers for Kaleb H. for his handy computer tip that he shared with me yesterday.

A Short, Easy Chapter

After struggling through the first chapter dealing with subjects, verbs, direct objects, indirect objects, predicate nouns, and predicate adjectives, the students in English IA are ready for a change of pace.  It just so happens that we started today on the shortest and easiest chapter of the year.  Today, they are working on correcting sentence fragments; tomorrow they will work on fixing run-on sentences.  Friday will be the Chapter Review, and Monday will be the test.  Hopefully, this test will go better for them, and their grades will improve accordingly.

Stress and Food

There's probably some profound insight I could make here, but I'll leave that to more powerful intellects and just share an observation about stress levels and appetite. 

As the "battle of the bulge" continues, I've noticed that my eating habits are directly tied to my stress level.  When I was dealing with the extreme stress of a recent family medical emergency, I had absolutely no appetite.  I could go all day long and not feel the slightest bit of hunger. Clearly, this is not a preferred weight-loss method, but it was effective.  Now that the crisis is over, I'm back to my normal level of way-too-much-stress, and my appetite has gone berserk!  Somehow, my brain equates food to lower stress levels, even though I know better.

So, I can simplify the situation with this realization.  I can't eat my stress away, and I need to find a healthier way to manage it.  I should play more guitar, or ride my bike more often, or get back into lifting weights.  All of those activities ease my mind and make me healthier.

Cross Country and Speeches

I think I'm becoming a cross country fan!  On Saturday, I ventured to Tuscola to watch the meet and enjoyed it immensely.  I had no idea that such a nice park was located just behind the Red Barn restaurant.  I guess I'm only focused on the food when I'm there . . .

Seniors in Intro to Speech started delivering their first speeches today.  Some thought I was crazy when I warned them that speaking about a significant person in their lives might be an emotional experience, but they believe me now.  Good job on the speeches today, and I'm looking forward to hearing more tomorrow.

Open House

I enjoyed meeting several parents last night at Open House as well as seeing a lot of students in a non-classroom setting.  I discussed with many parents the opportunity for freshmen to write their own short stories in fourth quarter.  As part of those discussions, I mentioned that I wrote a short story of my own as the freshmen were writing theirs.  I'm pretty proud of it, so, if I can figure out how to upload it, I'll share it with you.  If I can't figure it out, and you're really interested in reading it, shoot me an email, and I'll send you the file as an attachment.

Quizzes, Tests, and Speeches

Just a quick heads up to parents . . .

Freshmen have a big quiz tomorrow on Subjects, Verbs, and Complements and test on Friday.
Sophomores have a quiz today on Chapters 1-8 of To Kill a Mockingbird.
Seniors have a Speech test on Thursday and their first speech on Monday and/or Tuesday of next week.

Update

I mentioned in an earlier post that I was working towards a weight loss goal.  So, after several days of choking down tuna for lunch and avoiding most of the foods I love, here's the update.  Since the start of the school year, I've lost 12 pounds.  Some of it was due to an inordinate amount of recent stress, but I don't care; it still counts!

First Speech

Seniors in the LLC Dual Credit course SPE 111 Introduction to Public Speaking are gearing up for the first speech, as well as their first test.  I hope they're ready!  Sometimes it is hard for them to adjust to the idea that even though they are in the high school building, they are really in a college course.  And, obviously, the tests, assignments, projects, and grading are designed for college students. 

Substitute

When I was a kid, I would have never said "I hate missing school."  As a teacher, I say it every time I have to be gone.  Making sub notes, worrying about the students' behavior, and playing "catch up" when you return isn't much fun.  Thankfully, Mrs. Anderson always does a wonderful job as my substitute.  She goes above and beyond the expectations we have for subs, and she always leaves a little candy for me to enjoy when I return.  How could I ask for anything more?

First Quiz for Freshmen

We had our first quiz in English 1A yesterday, and the results weren't quite as good as I'd hoped for.  We're reviewing today, and hopefully most of them will take their books home this weekend and work in a little study time.  We're moving on to our next topic on Tuesday, so, if you're a freshman, be ready!  If you're the parent of freshman, be sure to check in with your student and encourage them to be ready.

Cardinals

Is it OK if I talk baseball today?  I'm beginning to wonder if the Cardinals can repeat their glory run from last year.  Shut out twice in row?  In Pittsburgh?  What happened?  I suspect that the equipment managers messed up and left the bats in Cincinnati.

Picture Day

It's very nice to see all of the students dressed up for Picture Day.  Of course, we have a few boys sporting shorts and tennis shoes along with their dress shirts and ties, but that's OK, I guess.  They look great from the waist up! 

Personally, I'm not a fan of picture day; I always think I look dumb in photos.  That rationale is the basis for the Chuck Norris picture on my faculty ID card.  Chuck never looks dumb.

Don't Shoot That Mockingbird!!!

I'm starting the classic Harper Lee novel with my two sections of English II.  One of my favorite books, To Kill A Mockingbird, is an American classic.  I especially like the first half of the book which has the power to transport me from my physical location to a small, sleepy town in Alabama in the 1930's.  While the pacing is slow, I think it perfectly suits the setting; I can't imagine that life moved very quickly for the residents of Maycomb.  In contrast to our high-pressure, get it done by the deadline society, Maycomb would be a welcome change of pace.  Where some might see boredom, I see peace and tranquility.

Cross Country

On Saturday, my wife and I went to SIU-E to cheer on the NHS Cross Country team.  It was a beautiful day, and SIU-E has a beautiful campus.  Of course, I'm a little biased since I went there to get my Master's Degree.  Anyway, it was a fun day, and I hope the runners heard me cheering them on.  After the race, we enjoyed a tasty lunch at Pasta House and a nice bike ride on one of the countless bike paths in that area.

First Week

I've spent the first week like most teachers, explaining my policies and procedures to the students and getting them broken into the routine.  The freshmen learned much good advice from the "How To Make The Most Out Of High School" booklet; the sophomores shook the dust off their pens and got back into some writing, and the seniors jumped right into Chapter 1 in their Intro to Speech texts.  All in all, it's been a good week, and this looks to be a good year.

Night Ride

As I was sitting in my recliner last night, petting my hefty Beagle and watching the Cardinals dominate the Astros, I had the sudden realization that the day had passed and I had engaged in no physical exercise.  It was nearly 9:00, but I decided that I needed to do something before I could call it a day.

So, without further ado, I put my dog, Macy May, down on the floor, and I went for a bike ride.  I have a bright, flashing, red tail light on the seat post of my bike, and a very bright LED headlight on the handlebars for safety purposes.  Fortunately, there wasn't a whole lot of traffic, so I rode in safety from my house, around the park, out to the Middle School, and then back home.

It wasn't a real long ride, but it was nice to see the town winding down its day while enjoying the cool, refreshing nighttime air.  I don't think I'll make the night ride a habit, but I really enjoyed it last night, and I went to bed feeling better since I worked in at least a little exercise.

Inner Strength

I'm spending some time discussing goal setting, focus, and responsibility with my students today.  It's always interesting, and sometimes inspiring, to hear the goals they've set for themselves and to see how hard they work to achieve those goals.  So, in the spirit of the conversation, I'm sharing one of my personal goals with you, and maybe some of you can help me maintain focus and dedication when my inner strength wanes.

Two years ago, I was heavier than I've ever been.  At the end of that school year, I had dropped 36 pounds and felt great!  Sunday, the scale informed that I was back within four pounds of my highest weight.  GRRRR!!!!

My goal is to get down to 200 pounds by Christmas, but it isn't going to be easy.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love to eat, (and somebody put an Oreo cake in the teacher's lunch room)!  So, if you see me starting to lose my inner strength, give me a nudge and get me back on track.  Much thanks to Mr. Poggendorf for getting me to walk past the Oreo cake and not eat any of it.

New Equipment

As most of my students know from last school year, my LCD projector gave up the ghost.  I made it through the rest of the school year by borrowing one from the library, (much thanks to Mrs. Ludwig).  I'm very happy and excited to now have a 47" Vizio HDTV mounted on the north wall of my classroom.  I have my PC connected to it as well as the cable TV connection that used to be connected to the old Channel One TV.

Now, I can show any video or Power Point from my computer, or we can view the cable TV feed.  No longer will students have to rearrange desks to accommodate the bulky projector cart. No longer will I have to turn of the classroom lights to see the blurry projected image.  No longer will we have to worry about the projector deciding it doesn't want to work today.

If you haven't seen the new setup, stop in sometime and check it out!

First Day

One down, one hundred and seventy nine to go!  I enjoyed seeing our returning students and meeting our new students for this school year.  My room is all set up and ready to go for tomorrow.  The recording studio is still a work in progress, but I'll get it shaped up this week.  Tomorrow, I hope my students are ready to get started; I know that I am ready and excited to begin!

I Bet You Missed Me! I'm Back!

A hot, dry summer equals hard times for farmers, and it seriously impacts my desire to ride my bike, but there is a bright side.  I haven't had to mow my yard since mid-June!

Now, fall weather is arriving, and school is about to start up.  I've done a lot of work in Room 14, so be sure to come in to check it out and say "Hi."  I'm not going to give away the big changes; you'll just have to come see for yourself.

So, enjoy your last weekend of freedom, (I'll try to do the same), and I'll see you on Monday.

Last Day!!!

It's been a very fast year . . . for me at least.  I have to commend all of our students on how well they adjusted to the numerous changes this year.  Last summer, I was unsure of how the year would go, but I was very pleasantly surprised.  Nice work, students!

I hope every one of you enjoyed my classes and learned a lot of things.  Also, I hope that every one of you has an excellent summer.  I'll see most of you back here in the fall, but if I see you over the summer, don't be afraid to say "Hi!"

As far as this blog goes, I'll probably give it a rest for the summer, with an occasional post here or there . . . maybe.  I'll be running with it again in the fall, though.

See you around!

Summer Plans

Grades are finished, and most of my end-of-the-year duties are completed.  Looking forward to the summer, I have several items on my agenda, just in case anyone is interested.

First, every weekday morning is scheduled for garden work, exercise, and driving practice with a certain teen driver.  Afternoons will be divided between reading and preparing for the next school year.  I plan to make detailed lesson plans for each lesson in each course I teach and align them with the new Common Core Standards.  That will be a huge task, but I need to do it.

I'll be teaching a night class at Lake Land's Kluthe Center campus in Effingham this summer.  If you haven't taken SPE 111 Intro to Speech, you should sign up!  In August, I'll be back to my long-standing assignment as Junior High Summer School teacher. 

Somewhere in there, I'll work in time for watching some Cardinals baseball and maybe some fishing.  Thanks to my brother-in-law, we have behind home plate tickets to see the Cards play the Royals in Kansas City in late June.  I hope they're not in a slump!

So, as you can see, I have a lot of plans.  Will I accomplish them all?  I guess only time will tell.

The Good Life

I figured out the "video upload glitch," so here we go!  I proudly present to you the 1950's style sitcom which my students in Fall semester Media Studies created.  We did this project as a prelude to our studies of the TV industry, and the kids got first hand experience in every aspect of TV production.  I gave them a very basic framework and turned them loose!  Of course, I was acting as Executive Producer, watching over and guiding every aspect, but the work was all theirs.  Kyle designed the virtual set consisting of several rooms in the characters' houses while the writing team cranked out the script.  The actors and actresses worked really hard to learn their lines, acquire various props and costumes, and rise to the occasion in front of the camera.  The editing team then went to great pains to replace the green screen with Kyle's virtual sets and then arrange the various clips into a finished product.

Due to standard classroom lighting, which is not anywhere near proper studio lighting, the chroma key (green screen) software displays some digital artifacts or visual noise.  The uneven lighting in the room caused bright and dark spots on the green screen which were too much for the software to handle appropriately.  So, even though their are some imperfections, they arose from situations beyond our control.

I am very pleased with the finished video and am even more pleased with the work ethic and enthusiasm displayed by every single student involved in the project.  Nice work!

Officer Elections Class of 2015

Last week, Mrs. Johnson and I held officer elections for next year's sophomores.  The results, you ask?

Morgan Partlow---President
Maddie Gibson---Vice President
Casi Blazich---Secretary
Kelsey Beard---Treasurer
Jordan Probst---Student Council Rep
Olivia Ott---Student Council Rep

Congratulations! 

Exam Day 1

Halfway through the day . . . I enjoyed the donuts, but I'm not enjoying all of the grading!  After a short break to eat a hasty, not tasty, lunch of some peanut butter crackers, I'll get back to it. 

Exams and a video in the works . . .

Today is the final day of exam review.  Each class is having self-guided review in study halls in Room 14 today.  Odd numbered classes, 1st, 3rd, 5th, and 7th hours, will have exams tomorrow, and even numbered classes, 2nd, 4th, and 6th hours, will have exams on Wednesday. 

Well, three hours have elapsed since I typed the preceding paragraph.  I've been trying to upload the video of the 1950's style sitcom created by students in Fall semester Media Studies, but I have not been successful.  I'll keep working on it, though, and will post it as soon as I figure out the glitch.

Exam Review and Unexpected Visitor

Today is the second day of Exam review in Room 14.  Yesterday, we reviewed third quarter material, and today we are reviewing fourth quarter material.  On Monday we will have a very quiet study hall, and students will be self-directing their studies.

Kellie K. made an unexpected visit to my room this morning, and we negotiated a deal.  She said that she'd read my blog if I included her in it.  So, that's what I'm doing.  Hi Kellie!  :)

I also learned how to insert pictures in my posts.  Chuck Norris appears solely for the amusement of Reed H. who presented me with his own award for "Most Chuck Norris references Made This Year."

The Dunk Tank

Three cheers for the PBIS team and the year-end celebration they planned for yesterday.  Several students finally put their "Chuck The Ball" skills to use when I was in the dunk tank.  Of course, Mrs. Eddinger had to help them out since they weren't throwing hard enough, so they've got some work to do on their throwing skills before next year.

Mr. Poggendorf and I supervised the lawn games . . . washers, bean bag toss, etc.  I got a bit of a sunburn, but we really had a good time, especially since we dominated all competition at washers. 

What a fun afternoon and a great way to wrap up the school year!  Of course, we have to buckle down to get through reviews and final exams, but the celebration was a refreshing break from routine . . . especially since that water was so cold!

Seniors' Last Day and Art Club

It's been a long road for the graduating seniors, but they're near the end; today is their last class day.  Good luck with all of your future plans, and I'll see you at graduation!

Yesterday afternoon, Art Club had its year-end activities.  First, we assembled in Mrs. Schafer's room and had cupcake wars.  Billie, Gabe, and Kierstan won first place with their "cemetary" cupcakes; Alex, Hailey, and Jared came in second with their multi-colored cupcakes, and Reed, David, and Jordan finished third with their giant "space monster" cupcake.  Ms. Curia and I were the official judges.  After the cupcakes, we adjourned to the Art room where Ms. Curia led the students in tie-dying shirts and socks.

Winding Down

The students in English II are taking their last test today, not counting the final exam, while the students in English IA are reading their last short story of the year.  The seniors in Intro to Speech are doing their final speeches, and I'm as busy as a bee trying to keep up with all of the grading. 

Tomorrow should be an interesting day with the shortened class schedule and PBIS year-end celebration in the afternoon.  We'll see if the kids have honed their "chuck the ball" skills . . .

Time Travel

Last week, the students in English 1A read the Ray Bradbury short story "A Sound of Thunder."  This is one of my favorite stories, and it always reminds me of our family misadventure on the dinosaur ride at Disney several years ago.  I don't know why they have such a scary ride at the world's happiest place!

Anyway, the students went to the computer lab today to research time travel, a major plot element in Bradbury's story.  They found a lot of interesting information from Einstein, Steven Hawking, etc.  Wouldn't it be incredible if the scientific theories came true someday?

Awards Night

The annual Academic Awards Banquet was held last night, and it's always been one of my favorite events here at NHS.  In addition to the desert buffet, I really enjoy seeing the students recognized for their hard work and success.  Congratulations to you all!

English IA

In addition to being one of the sponsors for the Class of 2015, with Mrs. Johnson, I also teach all of them in this course.  We started the year by studying a pamphlet entitled "How To Make The Most Out Of High School."  After that, we began studying various aspects of grammar.  Former students would recognize this section of the course as the same content I used to teach in "Usage" class.  We focus on learning the parts of the sentence, writing complete sentences, improving those complete sentences, and ultimately writing better paragraphs by using all of that knowledge.  Along the way, students write several paragraphs and receive one-on-one guidance through the process.

For this course, students present a Personal Experience speech. I decided to increase their public speaking experience by adding a second speech this year, "My Favorite Holiday."  These speeches took place right before Thanksgiving.

Second semester began with William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.  As always, many students complain and grumble at the beginning, but just a few short weeks later, and most them sing a different tune!  There are still some who don't like the play, and that's fine; at least they've read it and formed a legitimate opinion.  After finishing the play and the test, we enjoyed watching the classic movie version and then contrasted the movie and the written play.

For fourth quarter, we've been reading short stories.  We do a different story each week and take a test after every third story.  A big project for this section of the course is the students' opportunity to attempt writing their own short stories.  It's taking me a long time to read and grade 58 stories, but I'm plugging away at it and enjoying their work.  I like this project so much, that I even did it with them this year, writing and sharing my own short story.  Be sure to ask to see your student's story after I've returned it.

English II

The sophomores started the year by reading one of my all-time favorite novels, Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird.  After finishing the novel and taking the test, the students then watched the movie, one of the best productions to ever come out of Hollywood.  To conclude this lengthy unit, I instructed them on writing formal essays, focusing on a contrast between the novel and the movie.

It was around this time that an EIU practicum student, Ms. Kelly Knox, began working with me and the students in 1st hour.  Her first unit was another essay which asked the students to identify issues and offers suggestions for school improvement.

Next, we moved into the How To Speech unit followed by Ms. Knox's Poetry unit. She did such an excellent job, I implemented the unit into 6th hour class and have permanently added it into my course plan.  To wrap up this unit, and first semester, students were tested and then given the opportunity to display their poetry knowledge by creating posters analyzing song lyrics of their choice.

Second semester began with William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar.  After completing the reading and the test, students experimented with writing in different genres, something I learned in my EIU night class this semester.  The task was to announce Caesar's assassination in at least three different genres.  They were allowed to choose from text, facebook status update, email, tweet, newspaper article, tv news report, personal letter, telephone call, diary/journal entry, encyclopedia/Wikipedia entry.  They did such an incredible job that I had to take samples to show my professor, Dr. Binns!  She was as impressed as I was, so we shared the students' work with my fellow students.

Finally, we've been spending 4th quarter by reading various short stories.  After every three stories, we have a test, and the last one is coming up next week.

Intro to Speech

I've taught two sections of a dual-credit course this year.  Students enrolled in SPE 111 Introduction to Speech and received NHS English credit as well as three semester hours of credit at Lake Land College.  The content is exactly the same as when I teach the course as an adjunct faculty member at LLC's Kluthe Center in Effingham.

Students delivered three speeches, "Significant Other," about a person of their choosing, along with informative and persuasive speeches on topics of their choosing.  Since the NHS semester is longer than that of LLC, I add extra content.  Fall semester students completed research papers and created multimedia presentations about Internet Safety, while Spring semester students begin work on a Selling speech today.

My First Blog Post Ever! / Media Studies

Greetings from Room 14!  I suppose it's a little strange to start something new like this at the end of the school year, but the idea hit me some time ago, and now I have the time to pursue it, so here we go!

I think I'll start this off with a retrospective on some of the highlights from Room 14 this year.  For now, let's look at some of the cool stuff that happened in Media Studies class back in the Fall.

In addition to text readings covering the history and current status of various media industries, students were happy to see me move into the 21st century by introducing Power Point presentations for each chapter.  These presentations increased student interest and facilitated more discussion and participation from them.

More exciting though, was the wide variety of guest speakers the students were able to hear and the projects they completed.  Some guest speakers were local, and they came into the classroom in person.  I would like to thank Penny Weaver from the Mattoon Journal Gazette and Greg Powers from Lake Land College's Radio/TV program for taking time to visit with us.

Other speakers came to Room 14 via Skype video conferencing.  These guests included Rick W., an advertising executive who visited us from his high-rise office in Atlanta; Scott Licina, former owner of Fangoria magazine and current owner of music news website Kikaxe Music, came to us from his basement office in Chicago; and Tyler Bates, one of THE TOP movie and TV soundtrack composers in Hollywood, took time from his super-busy schedule to speak to us from his studio in Hollywood!

As for projects, we did several of those as well.  Students learned to use music production software, Sony Acid, to compose songs and record their own DJ introductions.  Also going along with our radio and recording industry curriculum, I shared my collection of music from independent bands and indie labels, as well as introducing them to Pandora Internet radio.

Best of all, in connection with our discussion of the TV industry, the students created their own 1950's style sitcom!  They wrote it, shot it, edited it . . . they did it all!  It took a lot of time and effort to get this one done, but it turned out really cool!  If I can figure out how to do it, I'll upload the video here for you all to see.

Stay tuned for future posts about my other classes.