sorry that i'm talking about volleyball some more...
but it seems to be taking over my life!!!
after some switch ups at my school i am now the varsity volleyball coach instead of just helping out with both teams. this comes with a new set of pressures which i felt sort of when i did club vball, but i feel it even more now.... LINEUPS!!!
it's hard balancing a winning lineup and letting everyone get some playing time. the girls are NOT shy about letting me know if they want to play (which is both good and bad... sometimes i get wrapped up in teh game so i forget i have subs... sometimes i just don't want to be them in.... yikes).
today was a perfect example. i started girls who had shown up to practice the day before (all of them had also gone to the tournament over the weekend) and who had TRIED in practice. they were running for part of the time, and two of the best girls on the team flat out refused to run during practice yesterday. i decided not to start them because i felt that girls who actually came out to practice and worked hard should get the starting lineup. it meant that our game was a little shaky. we won 27-25, but JUST barely.
i guess this is something that coaches always struggle with. i mean, i know how sucky it is to be on a losing vball team (hello senior year of high school), but i also know how much it can suck to sit on the sidelines too (hello senior year of high school lol).
it's also hard to not just get frustrated when the girls are doing exactly the OPPOSITE of what you talked about in practice the day before. oh well.
overall i'm having fun! the girls are funny and athletic and always put forth their all when it comes to games. i will be ready to have my afternoons back though!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
volleyball
so i don't know how many of you guys know this, but i am one of the girls volleyball coaches at my school. it's actually a lot of fun, but it's soooooooo different. it's really hard to be upbeat encouraging to the girls when they are having a hard time. it's really hard to manage the bench and then there are ALL SORTS of attitudes. overall thought, it's a lot of fun. our record is varsity undefeated, jv 2-1. the varsity has a tournament this weekend that is gonna be INTENSEEEEE. apparently the JV tournament last weekend was LONG. from 745-4 in the afternoon. i'm excited to see how the girls do though.
this week has been a LONG week. yesterday i got to school early so that i could see what my classroom looked like after being gone for 2 days (it was pretty good!) and then we had a vball game and parents night. i was at school from like, 630-830. it was nice to meet some of my kids parents. not a lot showed up, but the few that did, it was nice to see them! my second period apparently was off the chain intense on monday. the assistant principal came down and she was like, holy crap. today i talked to them about what happened and i actually had one of my better 2nd periods, but i was also missing some of the more....energetic....kids. my 2nd period really is a handful. it is full of kids that have WONDERFUL thoughts, but can also let their behavior get the better of them. generally what they do isn't malicious (in fact i ahven't seen mean/malicious behavior from them in my room), they are just REALLY active and like to talk. it makes the class difficult to teach sometimes, but when they are on, they are ON. i knew going into my absences that the sub would have difficulties with this period, but i didn't think it would be as bad as it ended up.
oh well,
this post was mostly just rambly, it's just what i've been feeling!!
this week has been a LONG week. yesterday i got to school early so that i could see what my classroom looked like after being gone for 2 days (it was pretty good!) and then we had a vball game and parents night. i was at school from like, 630-830. it was nice to meet some of my kids parents. not a lot showed up, but the few that did, it was nice to see them! my second period apparently was off the chain intense on monday. the assistant principal came down and she was like, holy crap. today i talked to them about what happened and i actually had one of my better 2nd periods, but i was also missing some of the more....energetic....kids. my 2nd period really is a handful. it is full of kids that have WONDERFUL thoughts, but can also let their behavior get the better of them. generally what they do isn't malicious (in fact i ahven't seen mean/malicious behavior from them in my room), they are just REALLY active and like to talk. it makes the class difficult to teach sometimes, but when they are on, they are ON. i knew going into my absences that the sub would have difficulties with this period, but i didn't think it would be as bad as it ended up.
oh well,
this post was mostly just rambly, it's just what i've been feeling!!
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
quite an honor
the past few days i have been making my kids make study guides for their test. yesterday, one of the girls goes "ms b. i like you, you're a good teacher." and i was like" why? cause i'm too nice?" and she goes "no, as we were talking about all this stuff and you were asking questions, i didn't even have to turn to my notes... i just knew it! that had never happened before!"
that made me happy.
today, we played a review game (read... competition) before we actually took our tests. the kids LOVED the game. it was this fun powerpoint that had horses racing. they got really into it, maybe a little loud.. but it was on topic loud, which is nice. the other teachers around me were joking around with me during the passing period saying "it should be illegal to have that much fun!"
although.
we'll see what the tests look like. as i said before, i asked them to make study guides and told them, "if you answer what i tell you to answer on your study guides, you will do GREAT on the test" i then asked questions almost STRAIGTH from the test during our review game today. i still had people struggling. i asked questions exactly how i instructed them to set up their review guides. gah.
well, maybe this will be a learning experience for them.
that made me happy.
today, we played a review game (read... competition) before we actually took our tests. the kids LOVED the game. it was this fun powerpoint that had horses racing. they got really into it, maybe a little loud.. but it was on topic loud, which is nice. the other teachers around me were joking around with me during the passing period saying "it should be illegal to have that much fun!"
although.
we'll see what the tests look like. as i said before, i asked them to make study guides and told them, "if you answer what i tell you to answer on your study guides, you will do GREAT on the test" i then asked questions almost STRAIGTH from the test during our review game today. i still had people struggling. i asked questions exactly how i instructed them to set up their review guides. gah.
well, maybe this will be a learning experience for them.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
highlight
today was a pretty good day.
5th period my kids rocked at their vocab quiz, then stuck with me through our boring book, then did their homework really well!
6th period i got an extra plan time causemy sophmores were taking a standarized test
7th period, while frustrating at times (one student was singing usher and outkast and all sorts of hits from when i was in middle school!!), i also looked around and saw learning going on. that is a powerful moment. you look around and everyone is on task, and EXCITED about what they are doing. kids who were sharing books would say.. NO! not there, we need to look here!! see it says here article iv (constituion !!!) it was exciting.
8th period i also got that same sense... actual learning taking place!!! one student in my 8th period class who generally gives me ar eally hard time did wonderful work.
i hope that my classes tomorrow go as well as these today did! hopefully they go even better!
in other news, our first volleyball game is this weekend... a tournament! fingers crossed!
5th period my kids rocked at their vocab quiz, then stuck with me through our boring book, then did their homework really well!
6th period i got an extra plan time causemy sophmores were taking a standarized test
7th period, while frustrating at times (one student was singing usher and outkast and all sorts of hits from when i was in middle school!!), i also looked around and saw learning going on. that is a powerful moment. you look around and everyone is on task, and EXCITED about what they are doing. kids who were sharing books would say.. NO! not there, we need to look here!! see it says here article iv (constituion !!!) it was exciting.
8th period i also got that same sense... actual learning taking place!!! one student in my 8th period class who generally gives me ar eally hard time did wonderful work.
i hope that my classes tomorrow go as well as these today did! hopefully they go even better!
in other news, our first volleyball game is this weekend... a tournament! fingers crossed!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
labor day
last night i got an e-mail from a student sending me his homework (due on tuesday!!!). i got the e-mail at 1:20 am. i'm in a whole new world these days!!!!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
"people don't care forreal"
question about the Declaration of Independence:
"Do you think the Declaration still has importance to us today? Can you think of other times in our history where this document may have been held up as an example?"
Answer:
Not as much as it use to be because people don't care forreal. In wars and in speeches just to catch the listener eye.
I found this to be a really insightful answer, especially after having many discussions about how the government doesn't listen to the people anymore!!! my american history classes really have the potential to be world changers!!
"Do you think the Declaration still has importance to us today? Can you think of other times in our history where this document may have been held up as an example?"
Answer:
Not as much as it use to be because people don't care forreal. In wars and in speeches just to catch the listener eye.
I found this to be a really insightful answer, especially after having many discussions about how the government doesn't listen to the people anymore!!! my american history classes really have the potential to be world changers!!
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
makes my day
today i got a call from 2 former students... it made my day!!
they were telling me that their new school is hard and that it is too strict!! I laughed at that one. my best student from last year also told me that she managed to land herself in ISS since she got in an argument with another girl from our class last year. i laughed when she told me, because i was not at all surprised.
anyways, today otherwise was good and bad. i actually am enjoying teaching american history. it surprises me how little many of the kids know american history... lots of the kids actually get the civil war confused with the revolutionary war... so... that's interesting. today i had two of my am hist classes and i gave them out a project to work on, and they did WONDERFUL! i loved seeing them work and get excited about it, and get RIGHT to work. of course, today's two periods generally don't have as many management issues as tomorrow's two periods. my world history classes, on the other hand, are QUITE a handful. today they were NOT fun. my other prep of world can be wonderful, but there are lots of talkers in there, i just need to give them LOTS of hands-on things to keep them occupied.
tomorrow, though, should be interesting. since we have a heat advisory we are being dismissed at 11 am (well the kids are). so i'm only going to see my periods 5-8 for half the time i usually do and then won't see them on Friday since we will again dismiss at 11. this heat is going to be the end of me. i'm over it.
they were telling me that their new school is hard and that it is too strict!! I laughed at that one. my best student from last year also told me that she managed to land herself in ISS since she got in an argument with another girl from our class last year. i laughed when she told me, because i was not at all surprised.
anyways, today otherwise was good and bad. i actually am enjoying teaching american history. it surprises me how little many of the kids know american history... lots of the kids actually get the civil war confused with the revolutionary war... so... that's interesting. today i had two of my am hist classes and i gave them out a project to work on, and they did WONDERFUL! i loved seeing them work and get excited about it, and get RIGHT to work. of course, today's two periods generally don't have as many management issues as tomorrow's two periods. my world history classes, on the other hand, are QUITE a handful. today they were NOT fun. my other prep of world can be wonderful, but there are lots of talkers in there, i just need to give them LOTS of hands-on things to keep them occupied.
tomorrow, though, should be interesting. since we have a heat advisory we are being dismissed at 11 am (well the kids are). so i'm only going to see my periods 5-8 for half the time i usually do and then won't see them on Friday since we will again dismiss at 11. this heat is going to be the end of me. i'm over it.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)