Oscar Excess

   I didn’t watch the Oscars on Sunday.  My husband and I haven’t seen any of the nominated movies, and I was too busy - busy being mommy, cooking dinner and giving my son a bath, and being teacher, lesson planning and computing report card grades.  But, like many women, I do enjoy viewing what the female celebrities in attendance wore for the big event.  So I did the short-cut version; I browsed through the on-line slide show, clicking away at dresses and tuxes.  Of course, I don’t quietly observe - I comment and critique, I down-right criticize.  But my criticisms remain in my living room and so I feel no harm-no foul.

   I was pleased to learn that Helen Hunt wore a dress she already owned.  She was quite proud of the fact that she wore a dress out-of-her-closet.  Of course, I always associate her with her character from Mad About You, and it makes complete sense that  Jamie Buchman (Hunt’s character on the esteemed television series) would be practical enough to wear a dress she already owned.  Helen Hunt was trying to make a point about the effect we have on our environment, and she used her influence to get a message across.  

   But, I read further, to learn that she accessorized her dress with almost $700,000 worth of jewelry.  My jaw dropped, and I still can’t get that number out of my head.  Who needs to wear that much jewelry?  Why does such jewelry even exist?  How many meals could be delivered to hungry families?  How many jackets purchased for cold children?  How many new pairs of shoes?  How many dental visits?  And how many gallons of clean drinking water?

   All of a sudden, her “recycled” dress seemed a bit hypocritical when worn with jewelry than is worth much more than many years of my salary.  But, when taken in context with the ceremony at hand, I guess it makes sense.

   For all intents and purposes, the Oscars are all about excess.  The amount of media invested in one night, the people who will camp out for hours in front of their television sets.  And it seems to me we get away from the whole point - to acknowledge achievement in film-making.

   So, there I am - a mommy and a teacher, and never one who will wear jewelry equal in value to some houses.  

The A to Z List of Things I'm Grateful For

   We know we should constantly express gratitude for the big things in life - health, safety, sound structural buildings, running water.  Additionally, I think it is the “little” things that make teaching easier and more manageable; yet these little things don’t often get the recognition they deserve.  Hence, my list of A to Z Things I’m Grateful For.

A Air conditioning.  On scorching days when my students cannot play outside we remain comfortable and cool within the air conditioned confines of our classroom.  

B Books.  There have been a few years when school has started before all our textbooks have arrived.  It makes teaching infinitely more effective when there is an adequate supply of necessary textbooks and workbooks ready for the first day of instruction.

C CDs.  It is infinitely easier to cue up a specific song using a CD rather than fast-forwarding an audio cassette.  Likewise, showing my students one scene from a video is an easy task when I use a DVD compared to the video tapes I still own.

D Digital Cameras.  I have immediate feedback, and can see if the photo I snapped of my students on the first day of school is clear.  Did the child blink or look away?  And, if one student happened to be absent the day I took photos, I can easily take the missing picture the next day and print it out, instead of waiting to finish a whole roll of film.

 E Erasers.  Erasers for pencils, for dry-erase markers, for certain pens.  Erasers make my life easier as a teacher.  And as an added bonus, they are manufactured in such cute shapes and designs!

F Four-day weeks.  I’m a firm believer that most people would work more efficiently and more effectively four-days a week.  Three-day weekends always seem to leave everyone in better moods, ready to come back to work, and really work.

G Google.  When the internet is functioning, Google is a wonderful, instantaneous tool.  When my students are engaged, are questioning and probing for further information, it’s great to be able to send a child to the class computer to google a picture of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris or to gather more information about the United States Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama.

H Heat.  On a rainy day, with a blustery wind blowing outside, a working heater creates a more comfortable room environment and lets my students and I focus on our lessons instead of the weather.  

I Ink for our printer.  Computer?  Check.  Printer?  Check.  Ink?  Not always. And without ink, what’s the point?  

J J. K. Rowling and Jeff Kinney.  These two authors created books that some of my reluctant readers want to read.  These students now believe books are a source of entertainment and that reading is a pleasurable activity, not a chore.

K Kleenex and paper towels.  There have been days when our classroom is devoid of these essential paper goods.  On several occasions, I have carted boxes and rolls from home, just to make sure my students and I were equipped.  

L Laminator.  As an elementary school teacher, I think the laminator is an ingenious device.  How helpful that a machine can quickly adhere a plastic covering over a piece of paper.  That plastic covering allows me to reuse charts year after year and puts the finishing touches on Mother’s Day bookmarks and Father’s Day cards.

M Macaroni.  One noodle - so many uses.  A decoration for picture frames and tissue boxes.  A key component of handmade necklaces and bracelets.  Inexpensive and effective - a great combination for a teacher.

N Neighborhood.  My school is located in a safe, residential neighborhood.  I would not hesitate to enroll my son at this school.  We are not a school that regularly experiences lock-downs due to unsafe, criminal behavior (either within the school or the surrounding neighborhood).  

O Other activities.  Teaching in an elementary school classroom means I must be all things to all the children in the room.  It’s exhausting, switching from writing summary paragraphs to converting fractions into decimals.  I am grateful for the changes in our daily schedule that give me a break.  The grandmother of a former student who reads to my class once a week in our school library.  The visual art teacher who is a fantastic teacher, making my students engaged, productive, and eager to participate in his lessons.

P Power.  I have taught without power.  The neighborhood was without power, so we did our best.  We opened blinds, using whatever light we could.  And I always prefer to have working lights when walking up and down stairs, using the restroom at school, and teaching easily distracted students.

Q Quiet.  I choose to eat my lunch alone, in my classroom.  By the time lunch arrives, I’m craving some quiet.  And I am always especially grateful for an uninterrupted thirty-minute interval when no one needs anything from me, and I can just eat my lunch and read my paper.  (It doesn’t often happen, but when it does, I say “thank you.”)

R Rain-free days.  Rain, and its side effects - wet playground, slippery asphalt - mean students are required to spend all day inside.  Some students don’t mind rainy day schedules as it gives them an opportunity to play our indoor games.  However, teachers mind.  Our kid-free breaks are drastically reduced, and after a while, a room-full of children who haven’t had a chance to go outside is bound to create a bit of a cacophony.

S Scotch tape, double-sided.  For years, I would make posters including pictures of our class on a field trip, celebrating Halloween, enjoying a Thanksgiving feast.  Double-sided tape makes it so much easier, and faster, for me to adhere the pictures to the poster.

T Tennis balls.  My dad slices the tennis balls, and I pop them onto the bottoms of my student’s chairs.  Viola!  The chairs are now quiet as students push them in and out.  I gratefully accept all donations of used tennis balls that may not work as well for the court but do the job in the classroom.

U Ultimatum.  Sometimes an ultimatum is what it takes to get a student performing at the level I know he/she is capable of.  A parent’s threat of punishment, the possibility of losing one’s phone or video game console, is a great motivator and often results in better classroom behavior which then translates into better academic performance.

V Volunteers.  Volunteers that come into the classroom to help me and not merely to socialize with other parents.  I appreciate parents who step up, see what needs to be done, and do it (especially during high-energy days like Halloween or a cookie-decorating party before winter break).

W Wipes.  Baby wipes are incredibly useful.  They wipe off our large class whiteboard and the students’ individual whiteboards.  They clean off stray markings on desks.  They wipe off dried spaghetti on a student’s face and paint after we’ve painted our handprints. 

X Xerox machines.  How much easier my teaching life is because I have the convenience of typing up something once and having a machine generate thirty copies of it.  A machine that produces copies without turning my fingers purple (unlike mimeograph machines of the past).

Y Yesterday.  However challenging, however difficult, however painful - I am thankful for yesterday.  Because that means I’m here today.  

Z Zip it.  My students know I mean their mouths and not their zippers.  Sometimes, disruptive behavior doesn’t need a whole lot of attention, just a curt acknowledgement that it was noticed and will not be tolerated. 

Disabled

bias, lied, dead, bled, deal, leads

These are the words that spontaneously came to mind while lying on my acupuncturist’s table with fourteen needles in my back.  They are words formed from the letters within the word “disabled.”

It’s a word I’m thinking about more and more as I prepare to leave my teaching career.  It isn’t a temporary leave, it’s not an extended absence.  It’s a resignation.  Retirement due to disability.

So, here’s the deal.  I can’t plan everything, I can’t control everything, and I can’t change everything.  I need to change.  And starting in March, I’ll be changing the way I spend my days.

It’s two-and-a-half years now that my legs have been under siege.  And as unfair as it may seem, as upsetting and infuriating and terrifying as it may be, it’s time for me to admit it - I am a woman with a chronic disease.  Not a life-threatening disease (thank God), but a medical condition that necessitates some life changes.

But, I don’t like the word “disabled.”  Because, honestly, regarding someone as disabled unfortunately leads to bias.

My grandmother was disabled.  She didn’t drive herself, and my grandfather was always rightfully infuriated when he couldn’t find an available handicapped parking spot near the entrance to the market.  My grandmother’s car had a blue placard granting her access to these specially reserved spots.  And she needed it.  Rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer, and strokes made physical movement difficult.  My grandmother usually had my grandfather push her in her wheelchair.  When she did walk, it was slow and laborious, and reliant on her cane.  

She was disabled, and she looked disabled.  

Truthfully, for most of my life, that is how I have viewed disability.

And that’s not me.  

Although within the last two-and-a-half years, I have spent time dependent on a wheelchair, and I have relied on a walker to get from point A to point B.  Thankfully, those days are done.  The wheelchair was returned to my doctor, and my walker is folded away and stashed in the closet (where I pray it remains).

    I am learning that there are degrees of disability, and that not all disabilities are apparent the first time you look at someone.  While I sit and write, bystanders might think I appear fine.  If they looked closely, they might see me squirm in my seat as I try to find a comfortable position for my leg.  If they followed me home, they’d see the bottles of prescriptions lined up on my kitchen counter.  If I rolled up my sleeve, they might see the bruise left from my most-recent blood-test at my bi-monthly doctor’s appointment.  And if I pulled up my left pant leg, they might notice that my calf looks rather hard and tight.  They might see the scar left from a muscle biopsy.  They might see the trail of veins snaking around my legs.  

Now, I am forced to acknowledge that I am disabled, as in unable to do certain things.  For two-and-a-half years, I have been going along, trying to ignore the pain, trying to work through the pain, waiting for the pain to go away.

It’s not going away.  All I can do is try to control it better, try to manage it better, try to spend my days not doing things that might exacerbate the pain.

So, March 1st, I will go to school as a classroom teacher for the last time.  I will say good-bye to the only school I have ever taught at.  I will say good-bye to my students, my co-workers, my profession.  

And for the first time in a really long time, I will start putting a lot more energy into myself.  

My disability enables me to do that.

The A to Z List of Things I Never Thought I Would...

    Teaching is never boring, for the simple fact that you’re dealing with human beings who are often unpredictable, irrational, and impulsive (and I mean my students and their parents).  In my teaching career, there have been several situations that have occurred, when later I am shaking my head, still in disbelief that I had to say/do/behave in a certain way.  Here I share the A to Z List of Things I Never Thought I Would...

A Attend a talent show that made me blush.  One year, the term “talent show” was used very loosely.  Instead, a parent choreographed dance routines that I was embarrassed to watch.  Young girls singing about the size of the “rock” they received, shaking their hips and pelvises in very suggestive ways.  

B Buy my own - paper towels, pencils, crayons, paper, printer ink, kleenex, and antibacterial soap.

C Clean up dog poop.  One year, a kindergarten student unwittingly stepped into dog poop before walking into our classroom.  During our morning carpet lessons, we were all very aware of an unpleasant stench.  The poop was on her shoes and had left a bit of a trail  on our carpet.  The custodian cleaned the carpet; I cleaned her shoes.

D Discard a book.  Books are sacred and should always be passed from one reader to another.  Except when a book has been on the receiving end of a glass of orange juice.  Then, there’s really no way to repair the damage, the book is soiled, and must be thrown away.

E Educate a student’s parents on the importance of spelling and learning multiplication facts.  One parent endlessly tried to make excuses for her child.  Her child didn’t need to know how to spell the fifty states and capitals - that’s what spell check was for, after all.  Her daughter also didn’t need to master her multiplication facts because she could use a calculator.  Except, students don’t use any of those tools on tests.  And, I’m hoping to teach my students not to be reliant on technology but instead, to learn these basic facts so they are well-informed and well-educated.

F Fall in front of my students.  For the last few years of my teaching career, I have taught with daily pain in my left leg.  An autoimmune disease has left me with legs that aren’t as strong as they once were.  And one day, while my fourth-graders were taking a Language Arts assessment and I was walking around the room checking on them, I fell.  My leg gave out, and I hit the floor with a thud.  Thirty heads popped up to see what had happened.  All I could do was try to hide my pain, encourage them to not mind me, and get back to their tests. 

G Get excited about office supplies.  Funds are tight in public schools, and teachers often buy many items with their own money.  However, when a stapler or a box of dry erase markers is delivered to my classroom, I am super-excited (and appreciative!).

H   Hoard.  School supplies are hard to find.  When I first started teaching, veteran teachers taught me the value of hoarding.  You always grab more than you actually need, stash the surplus in your classroom closet, and you’ve got yourself a back-up.  Because, inevitably, there will be times the school is short of orange construction paper (usually at Halloween), tissue paper (usually in December when students need to wrap handmade gifts), and green paint (usually in March).

I Ignore my students.  In September 2012, the space shuttle Endeavor flew through the Los Angeles skies.  My students and I were on the yard, hoping for a glimpse.  The flyover was later than we had originally been told.  They got impatient, and began playing.  I stayed, eyes riveted to the sky.  Most of my childhood was spent dreaming of becoming an astronaut, and this would be the closest I had ever gotten to see a space shuttle live and in person.  I was the child, screaming and pointing, hollering and clapping, and completely ignoring my students while I marveled at the sight.

J Join my students in cheering when our rainy day schedule was cancelled.  I always thought I’d be more professional, more reserved.  But, truth be told, I was just as excited as they were that they would be eating and playing outside, and not cooped up, with me, in our classroom all day.

K  Keep a low profile.  There have been moments when I 

am grocery shopping or out to eat with my family, and I don’t want to be recognized as “Mrs. Kennar.”  In those moments, I am Wendy or Mommy, and I don’t want to go into teacher-mode.  So, I have changed my route in the market, and really examined my menu all in hopes of keeping me hidden from a student. 

L Label myself a human shield.  The longer I’ve taught, the scarier our world has become, with violence infecting all areas of our lives.  My students and I have discussed the horrors that have occurred in other schools.  They know the procedures in place at our school.  And I have reassured them that, heaven forbid, the situation arose, I would be the human shield - someone would have to get past me to get to one of my kids.

M  Miss the joy of teaching.  Sadly, the longer I’m teaching, the less joyful it has become.  There are days when I don’t feel I’m teaching as much as I am preparing my students for an assessment.

N Neglect to remember - a former student’s name and the number of years I’ve been teaching.  I entered teaching truly believing I would always remember a child’s name.  Not so.  And in the event I can’t remember, I use a standby; as in “Hi, sweetie!”  And after twelve years of teaching, three different grade levels, and four different classrooms, I can’t always remember how long I’ve done what or in what room.

O Obey a rule of silence.  A very irate parent once yelled at me, with students within earshot, calling me a “lazy ass.”  I asked him to calm down, suggested we set up a conference with the principal since he was obviously very upset, but because I was at school, I could not react the way I might have if this exchange had taken place out in the world.  I needed to control myself because yelling back wouldn’t have solved the problem and certainly wouldn’t have calmed this parent down.

P Pray for a student’s life.  Two years after she was in my fourth grade class, M. was diagnosed with a fatal heart condition.  She spent months in Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, awaiting a heart transplant.  My class and I sent her notes and cards and little gifts.  I kept her name inside a heart on our whiteboard; she was always in our prayers.  (She did receive a heart and is recovering).

Q Question my career choice.  There are many parts of my career I like.  I regard teaching as a tremendous honor; the opportunity to introduce children to new ideas and concepts.  However, the longer I teach, the more I question my career choice.  Many days I feel my efforts have been in vain, and I wonder if I have gotten through to any of my students.  I feel un-supported by parents, by the administration, by the district, and I admit defeat when I say there is only so much one person can do.

R Remind a student about the purpose of scissors.  In kindergarten, I have a big discussion about scissors and safety.  By the time students are in upper-grade, that conversation shouldn’t be necessary.  However, I once had a fourth-grader cut his hair with a pair of scissors.  That’s when I reminded him that scissors are only for cutting paper.

S Sit on the hallway floor.  One year, I had a student with severe behavioral issues.  He has strong anger and didn’t know how to control it or demonstrate it appropriately.  One day, he was so angry he was spouting evil desires, ways to hurt some of his classmates.  He allowed me to sit with him, to talk with him, let him vent, and try to calm him down.  

T Teach in a “wild kingdom.”  At least, that’s how it’s felt (and I’m not talking about my students).  One year a bee flew into my kindergarten classroom, another year one landed on my sweater and had to be gently swatted away.  A few times some rogue birds have found their way into our school’s main building.  One year, my classroom was invaded by rats who found their way into my classroom closet.  Traps were set, and I returned from winter break to find that the traps did work.  And another year, we learned about insects.  For within a short time span, my students and I dealt with an ant invasion, bees in the classroom, and roaches crawling on the walls and floor.

U Use a walker at school.  I once had a muscle biopsy performed on my left calf.  I wanted the surgery done during my winter break so it wouldn’t interfere with my teaching. But because of the holidays, the only day the surgeon was available was the last Friday of my winter break.  He had told me I’d probably be okay to go back to work on the following Monday.  I wasn’t.  I stayed home for a couple of days, and returned to work with my walker. 

V Visit the dressing rooms at the Hollywood Bowl.  One year, my students and I were fortunate enough to take a field trip to the Hollywood Bowl.  Some of the highlights included visits to the dressing rooms and the opportunity to stand on stage.

W Wrap presents, blindfolded.  In an assembly.  In front of several classes.  As part of  our fundraising kick-off assembly, two teachers were selected to participate in this “fun” activity.  I was one teacher.  My gift wrapping wasn’t attractive, but it was an honest effort.    

X Exchange learning the alphabet for learning to write five-paragraph essays.  I was a kindergarten teacher for five years, and each year, I enjoyed my job more and more.  Year six I was moved to fourth grade, a move that was out of my control due to my low seniority at my school site.  I exchanged happy faces for actual grades, weekly show-and-tell for weekly quizzes.

Y Yell and scream, asking to be rescued.  Early one morning I became trapped in the school elevator.  I felt infinitely better once some of my co-workers knew where I was.  Still, it took forty-five minutes and a 9-1-1 call to the fire department until I got out.

Z Zone out.  I confess, I’m not always listening attentively.  I don’t always pay complete attention when some of my students are recounting their lunchtime drama or their success on the latest level of the video game they just played.  Likewise, I don’t always listen when some of my co-workers are complaining, again.  Complaints don’t get us anywhere, unless they’re followed by actions.

"Desire, Dream, Reach, Soar"

   Those are the words engraved on a sterling silver ring that adorns the ring finger on my right hand.  Shortly before I became pregnant, my mom and I took a day-trip to Laguna Beach, one of my favorite places and a place I wanted to share with one of my favorite people.  I have nothing but fond memories of our trip, and to forever commemorate our day in Laguna together, my mom bought me this special souvenir.

   I wear the ring (one of eight) daily.  But lately, I realized that I wasn’t being true to my ring.  Was I spending my day practicing any of these verbs - desire, dream, reach, soar?   When I was honest with myself, I admitted that it wasn’t enough to merely have a desire or a dream, was I acting on it?  Was I reaching for it, was I trying to soar?

   Honestly, the answer was, “Not really.”

   I was spending my days checking things off my to-do list: setting up appointments, renewing prescriptions, paying bills, cleaning, cooking.  I was toiling away in a career I was becoming increasingly disheartened with.  And in between, I’d have moments of bliss playing and being with my son and moments of exhaustion taking care of my son (meal times, bedtime routine).  Scattered somewhere in there, was a random hour to pursue my 

desire, my dream, to write.

   My life is imbalanced, with the pendulum favoring the list of things I need to do, instead of the things I’d like to do.

   I’m going to change that.

   2013 will be a big year for me.  It’s the year I turn 37, and those numbers have always held special significance for me.  3 and 7 have always been my preferred numbers (not sure if they’re really lucky).  My birthday is 3/7.  And both my mom and my son celebrate their birthdays on 03/30.  

   The lunar new year declares 2013 is the year of the snake.  I declare 2013 the year of Wendy.  As selfish as that initially sounds, I am hoping that a focus on me will have a positive domino effect that will benefit those closest to me.  

   2013 is the year I admit I am not the same Wendy I was.  2013 is the year I admit I live with a chronic medical condition.  2013 is the year I make some changes.

   Changes that will allow me to desire, to dream, to reach, and to soar.

The A to Z List of Verbs to be Practiced on a Daily Basis

      Each day, there are certain tasks I am responsible for completing (taking attendance, assigning homework, providing instruction).  Each day, there are certain tasks my students are responsible for completing (lining up when the bell rings, pushing in their chairs, turning in assignments).  Each day, there are things I believe I should do to enhance my students’ learning and their school experience.  Each day, there are things I believe my students should do to enhance their own learning and school experience.  Here are the list of verbs I believe we should practice on a daily basis.

A Accept.  Accept who I am - a teacher who can never remember how to spell “vacuum” and who has never learned to whistle.  Accept my students as they are.  I can hope to make a change, to improve their behavior, but ultimately I can’t force them to change.  They are who they are.  And I must accept that I’m not always in control.  There will be good days and bad days, announcements over the intercom, and the raucous of the lawnmower outside.

B Breathe.  I know, it seems so obvious, but maybe that’s why we forget to do it.  Tense situations, scary situations, challenging situations - we react.  We tense up and we hold our breaths.  Without meaning to, we’ve made the situation more difficult because we are depriving our bodies of an essential element - air.  Without it, we really can’t properly deal with anything.  Slow down.  Deep breath in.  Deep breath out.  

C Create.  There is a lot during the school day that doesn’t really invite a whole lot of creativity (tests and standing in line, for example).  Yet, every chance I get, I try to provide my students with the opportunity to create.  Sometimes that means giving them an open-ended assignment and letting them run with it, see what they come up with when the guidelines are looser and they are given more freedom and flexibility.  Many times, I am impressed by their thinking and originality. 

D Dare.  Each day, my students and I need to dare to push ourselves - to try something new, to do something we didn’t think we could.  Many of my students don’t succeed to the levels I know they could simply because they don’t try; they don’t believe they’re capable.  We won’t know until we try. 

E Enjoy.  Certain tasks and situations (I’m thinking after-school meetings) are less fun and less desirable than others (I’m thinking the party on the last day of school).  But as much as possible, I must enjoy what I’m doing.  Because when I’m enjoying myself, it comes through to my students and they begin enjoying themselves as well.  They participate, they cooperate, they are engaged.

F Feel.  I know I am certainly guilty of sometimes going through the motions, and not truly experiencing the moment.  My students and I need to feel.  Feel the pride that comes with solving fifteen fraction questions correctly.  Feel the sense of accomplishment that results in running laps without having to stop and walk.  Feeling empathy for our friend when she has lost her homework.   

G Give - praise; credit; a second chance; an extra minute; a break; some space; a hand.  

H Hope.  Each day, I hope for a “good day.”  A day when all my students are safe and healthy.  A day when lessons are engaging, students are participating and cooperating, and we all feel productive.  It doesn’t always happen.  But then there’s tomorrow, and I can hope it will be better for each day is a fresh start. 

I Ignore.  For teachers, it’s a matter of “picking your battles.”  Which means that certain activities, certain behaviors will be ignored.  I can’t respond and react to all off-task behaviors.  Some must simply be ignored.  

J Jot down notes and ideas.  My students are expected to take notes during our daily math lessons.  They are expected to jot down review questions, vocabulary definitions, and their nightly homework assignment.

K Keep a positive attitude.  I tell my students that their effort is just as important as their outcome.  We all need to maintain a positive outlook, a belief that things will work out, that calculating the area of a triangle is not an impossible task.

L Listen attentively.  Make eye contact with the speaker.  Ask questions for more information and for clarification.  Make connections and offer valuable comments to further the conversation.

M Model desired behaviors.  I can’t make my students be courteous or polite.  But, I can “do unto others as we’ll have done onto ourselves.”  So I model what it looks like to be respectful (not laughing at others’ mistakes) and what it looks like to be concerned about our environment (recycling water bottles).  

N Nurture.  Each summer, I return to school early to open the closets, unpack my materials, and create a safe, welcoming, nurturing room environment.  I sincerely hope that each day my students feel they have entered a place where they are taken care of, where someone is looking out for them, and where they can thrive and be the best version of themselves.

O Observe others.  For some reason, children will mimic bad behavior.  I wish my students would observe all their classmates who are focused, who are following the rules, and copy that behavior.  My students can learn so much from each other.

P Produce something to be proud of.  I tell my students that everything that has their name on it, is something they should be taking pride in.  All completed work is a reflection of the student who completed it.  Make it something to be proud of.   

Q Question.  Each year, I am a bit surprised by the candidness of my students.  They are not shy about voicing their opinions and asking, “Why?”  “Why do you assign homework each night?”  “Why do we have to learn all 50 states and capitals when we live in California?”  Of course, there are respectful ways to ask these questions, but I am always somewhat heartened to hear my students respectfully questioning; that is, after all, what responsible citizens are supposed to be doing in a democratic society.  

R Read.  I sincerely believe that every human being needs to read each day.  And when I say read, I mean read in any format (a comic strip or graphic novel, a chapter book or a Dr. Seuss early reader, a fan website or a sports magazine).  Additionally, different skills are involved when one reads silently, one reads orally, and one is read to.  Each is valuable.

S Study.  We all need to study daily.  I’m not talking about long study-fests; I tell my students that a solid five minutes a day of studying multiplication facts is valuable.  I remind my students that I was an elementary school student once too.  I wasn’t born knowing all this information.  I didn’t understand equivalent fractions for a while.  I needed to study, to practice, until I learned it.

T Trust.  Our instincts.  Ourselves.  Each other.    

When guessing on a multiple choice test, a test taker’s first guess is usually the right one.    

U Understand.  Hopefully, my students understand the concepts and skills I have taught them each day.  Hopefully, I teach with an understanding that my students learn differently.  Hopefully, my students understand that I’m human too - I have stomach aches and head aches just like they do; I also have days where I want to go home, and I want my mommy.  And hopefully, I understand that my students are still children, and are learning, each day to become the best version of themselves.

V Vanquish.  Many of my students come to school with a fear of failing so they don’t try.  I therefore strive to provide my students with a safe place for them to venture a guess, to make a prediction or an inference that may or may not be correct.   I want my students to vanquish these fears, to strive without worrying about failing, to make the effort.

W Wonder.  I hope my students never stop asking “Why,” or “How?”  Our civilization is dependent on inquisitive minds to keep wondering, to keep searching for explanations.  

X Exercise.  The brain is a muscle and needs to be exercised just as we exercise our biceps or quadriceps.  Each day, I expect my students to work, to think, to analyze, to write, and to infer.  To strengthen their brains, they need to exercise them.   

Y Yell.  Not yell because you’re angry, yell because you’re excited and enthusiastic.  At our weekly school assemblies, my class is known as the “loud class.”  when one of our friends is recognized for performing a random act of kindness or earning a student of the week distinction, we yell.  We clap, we cheer, we yell our support.  Applause doesn’t always have to be demonstrated in quiet, calm ways.

Z Zap negative attitudes, rudeness, and defeatist thinking.  I tell my students that their job is to be a student.  They are to do it to the best of their ability.  And bad attitudes that might hamper their progress need to be zapped and forgotten.  They are here to succeed.

Going Up?

   I teach at a relatively small school.  We have one main building and one elevator that requires a key.  You only get a key when you need the elevator because of medical reasons.

   Unfortunately, I need the elevator.  

   And this school year, the elevator hasn’t been fully functioning.  For several weeks, the elevator ran without lights.  I resorted to carrying a flashlight with me while riding the elevator each day.  Then, the lights were repaired, the elevator worked, and all was good.  

   It didn’t last.

   For a month, the elevator didn’t work at all.  I was told the problem was something electrical in nature, and the first repair-person called out wasn’t able to fix the problem.  A new work order was placed.  When we’re dealing with Los Angeles Unified School District, any school employee will tell you that repairs don’t happen in a timely, efficient manner.  Finally, I received word that the elevator was working again.  And for one afternoon, it did.

   The following morning, I got to work, stepped inside the elevator and didn’t step out again until the fire department got me out.  Being trapped in an elevator has always been one of my fears.  Initially, I panicked, yelling, hoping someone would hear me.  Most of my co-workers weren’t at work yet, and I wondered how long I would be trapped until someone found me.  For the first time in my life, I attempted to send a text message.  (I am a person who has always shunned texting, but with a weak signal, I couldn’t make or receive phone calls.  Of course, my inexperience didn’t help; I couldn’t figure out how to put spaces between words, so my co-worker/good friend and husband each received messages that read: “stuckinelevator.”)  Luckily, the emergency call box worked which allowed me to get in touch with someone who did contact my school’s office.

   I felt infinitely better once people knew I was in there.  Then there was just the small detail of getting me out.  As more teachers arrived, word of my predicament spread.  Teachers would greet me as they walked by the hallway, and for the most part, continue on with their morning business.  Minutes passed and those doors remained closed.  Thankfully, a good friend of mine had the common sense to call the fire department and ask for assistance.

   The elevator hadn’t moved since I’d been trapped inside.  The doors had simply closed and locked me in.  For forty-five to fifty minutes.

   By the time I got out, my hands were shaky and I felt sick to my stomach.  I desperately hadn’t wanted to vomit in the elevator and feared I would.  

   Ten minutes after I was rescued, I began to teach.

   Fifty minutes of quiet solitude, something I usually desperately crave, and I couldn’t even enjoy it.  I sat on my jacket, leaned my head against the wall, and hoped that I would be helped sooner, rather than later.

   Most of the time all I could think of was each moment.  Will the power go out?  Will I get sick?  What if I have to use the restroom?  What if I get an asthma attack?  The “What if’s” weren’t helping so I had to stop that train of thought.

   My emotions fluctuated - fear and panic (What’s going to happen to me?  How long can I safely stay in here?), then anger and frustration (I have so many other things I should be doing right now).  Later that night, safely home, I thought of the scene in a favorite movie, You’ve Got Mail, when Tom Hanks’s character is trapped in an elevator with three other people.  They began sharing life-altering “If I ever get out of here...” statements.  His life changed that night.  

   I keep thinking I wasted the opportunity.  Was being trapped in the elevator supposed to be a sign for something?  Was I supposed to have left the experience with a newfound sense of knowledge or wisdom about my life, or life in general?  

   I didn’t.  Instead, I’m back to walking, slowly, up the stairs each day because although the elevator has supposedly been repaired, I don't want to be the guinea pig to to test it.  

   And, I’m contemplating getting a newer cell phone.