Eating my Brussel Sprouts

Someone pointed out to me that I haven't posted anything in awhile, so I figured I would post something tonight and give an update.

I am still cooking and a large portion of my dinners have been located via Pinterest. I don't remember everything I have made, but I will give you some of the high points. First I should probably note that the Sunday before last I decided to try a wheat-free diet for a couple of weeks to see if I notice an improvement in allergies, energy, etc. I am not calling my diet "gluten-free" because I am really only avoiding wheat based products and gluten is often found in salad dressings and other such condiments. I don't have celiac disease, so I figured a little gluten isn't going to kill me. That being said, here are a few of the things I have been eating.

Spaghetti with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Garlic, and Feta via Food and Wine - I made a few alterations to the recipe by using Quinoa pasta to make it wheat-free and exchanging mozzarella for the feta and basil for the parsley. It turned out super delicious.

Quinoa Taco Salad via gluten-free goddess - I didn't really follow the recipe per se but used it more as inspiration. For my version I used some spring mix for my "lettuce" and added some quinoa on top. Then I added some black beans and roasted vegetables (corn, red bell pepper, and red onion), an avocado, and then topped it all off with some cilantro-lime dressing.

The dressing is something I just threw together, but it turned out delicious. I put about 1/2 a carton of sour cream in the blender along with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, the juice from one lime, and a bunch of fresh cilantro. I blended it all up and it was scrumptious.

I have been craving something sweet and through the magical search feature in Pinterest, I came across these PB 'Nana Cream Bites from the Nom!Nom!Nom blog. I was super excited since they are easy and look delicious. Unfortunately I have to report that I am not a fan. I like the three flavors together but apparently not when they are frozen. Next time I might just simplify the idea down to a cut up banana with some peanut butter and a few chocolate chips sprinkled on top.

Tonight I was feeling a little tired and not really in the mood for cooking "from scratch" so I went with a go-to meal that is easy to make in a pinch. Basically it consists of spaghetti, a sauce, and some additional ingredients. This is what I went with tonight.

Quinoa pasta + sun dried tomato pasta + black olives + artichoke hearts + fresh Parmesan cheese = YUM

I also added some meatballs that I had in the freezer  to make my husband happy. The meatballs are quick and easy to make and freeze well. I base the recipe on one from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. You can find the original recipe for the New Favorite Meatballs here. I follow the recipe for the most part - substitute fresh diced onion for the dried and then I change it up by adding different herbs. Sometimes I use fresh basil and other times I might go with cilantro. Anyway, it is a good base recipe to work from and you can change the flavor easily by just adding the herbs and seasoning of your choice.

And then as a side to the pasta, I served some sauteed brussel sprouts.

I think brussel sprouts get a bad rap. They are tasty and good for you. I challenge you to give them a try!

I kept this dish pretty simple. I cleaned the brussel sprouts by peeling off the first few layers of leaves and then cut off the bottoms. Then I cut them in quarters, sliced them in to little pieces and sauteed them in 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil along with 2 minced garlic cloves and salt and pepper. They turned out pretty yummy.

So, those are some of the things that have been cooking in my kitchen lately. What have you been making?

<random side note>

Oh, and I have failed miserably at the decluttering goal I set for myself at the beginning of January.

<additional random side note>

BUT, I have been doing pretty well in my photography class. Here are a few of my favorites from the pictures I have taken so far.

You can check out the other photos on my portfolio page if you are interested.

Hominy Chili with Beans Recipe

The other night I made this Hominy Chili with Beans Recipe via Pinterest and My Recipes. It was super easy and DELICIOUS! I amended the original recipe a bit by sauteing a diced onion, a jalapeno, and about double the garlic before adding the other ingredients. I basically doubled the recipe and added about half a can of chicken broth into the mix to thin it out a little, plus I added some fresh cilantro. I think cilantro pretty much makes everything better. I used two cans of diced tomatoes instead of stewed.

And the result was delicious. I am going to guess it is pretty low and calories and fat as well. The only "fat" used was the olive oil I sauteed the onion and garlic in. I had planned to add sour cream and cheese to it, but liked it without so I left them off. Quick, easy, and healthy. Can't ask for much better.

Random product shout-out - Costco has been carrying the brand S&W, and the canned tomatoes are delicious. They taste very fresh, and Costco usually has the organic ones for a decent price. I have gotten the S&W black beans from Costco as well and they are also yummy.

An Eclectic Mix of Thoughts

So, the other day when I dropped Dylan off at school, his teacher ran over, got him, gave him a hug and told him good morning. And I thought, at what point in education do teachers stop greeting their students and letting them know they are happy to see them? Middle school? High school? And more importantly, why do teachers (myself included) stop doing this?

I am not suggesting that a middle school or high school teacher hug each of their students as they enter the room, but standing at the door and greeting them goes a long way. When I taught in an actual physical classroom, I tired my best to stand at the door and greet student as they came in AND, I tried hard to let them know I was happy to see them (even if I sometimes was exhausted and didn't feel all that happy.) Occasionally I had to make a visit to the "facilities" during the passing period and there were times when my students said they missed seeing me at the door ushering them in. So, I KNOW they notice and that it makes a difference to at least some of the students and that makes me happy. I like to know that something as little as a, "Good morning," or a, "Hello," can perk up a student's day and put them in the mood to learn.

Enough about education, let's talk about food. :) I haven't been posting my daily dinners, but that doesn't mean I haven't been cooking. So, let's take a look at some of the recipes I have come across on good ol' Pinterest lately.

Last week I made this pasta with tomato cream sauce via Pinterest and The Pioneer Women and let me just tell you this dinner was an EPIC FAIL. Let me just say that the recipe is good and I think had I actually followed it, our dinner would have turned out well... but I didn't. When I went to buy the supplies, the store was out of cream so I gt half and half. I also FORGOT to get fresh basil because I usually have it in the garden but it has died due to the cold. So, half and half and dried basil are NOT the same. Plus, I had a genius idea of trying rice pasta instead of my usual. Yeah, it was slimy and GROSS.

The next night I decided t make chipotle pork tacos with corn tortillas via Pinterest and Our Best Bites and they were okay. I followed the recipe exactly, but think if I make them again (which I am sure I will), I will ramp up the amount of adobo and not cook the red onion. I tend to like the red onion fresh. Although not a grand slam, these tacos are certainly worth a try.

And tonight I made roasted tomatoes with shrimp and feta via Pinterest and Real Simple. It was quick, easy, and pretty tasty. I served it with a mixed salad (spring mix, tomatoes, carrot, beets, and black beans) and fruit salad (apple, pear, grapes, and blackberries). Dylan has never had shrimp before so I wasn't sure if he would like it. It turns out he is a big fan. He ate EIGHT pieces of shrimp plus his entire salad and fruit salad. I guess I will be making shrimp more often.

I didn't even attempt to take photos of any of the food this week. Eh, whatever. I did, however, take pictures for the photography class I am auditing, and here they are. This particular assignment was to take some photos and then play with cropping using Pixlr. It was really fun and now I am a huge fan of Pixlr. It is a super easy and fun way to touch up your photos.

So, what has been happening with you this week? Make any good recipes?

A Little on the Late Side

So, here is my belated post from Thursday's dinner. Wednesday and Friday we just had lefovers so I don't have anyting new for you there.

Thursday I decided to try the white checken enchiladas recipe I keep seeing come up on Pinterest. I'll go ahead and say, this recipe is not really my usual taste, but I thought I would give it a try and I new my husband would like it. The only thing he ever orders when we eat at Mexican restaurants is sour cream chicken enchiladas. So, I made these babies from Joyful Momma's Kitchen.

They looked and smelled pretty tastey when I pulled them out of the oven! And honestly, they were pretty good, but just not my thing. I followed the recipe exactly except for the addition of some black beans. If I were to make them again I would decrease the amount of sauce and I would add to the enchilada mixture - onions, garlic, and some spinach.

As I said, they were good, but they were too heavy for my taste. Dylan didn't like them either. He tried a bite and then opted for the green beans and corn I served as sides.  So, they got a mixed review at my house - Kyle enjoyed them; I thought they were okay, and Dylan wanted nothing to do with them.

They are worth trying if you like chicken enchiladas, but you might tweak the recipe a bit to make it fit your personal tastes.

On a random and unrelated note, Dylan and I drove to Iola, Texas, yesterday to visit my best friend since second grade (that's a long time, folks). We had a good visist and Dylan had fun playing with her kids and running around in their yard. Here are a couple of the photos I took while there.

Carson

Relaxing

What are you looking at?

That's a chicken folks!

My Journey Through the Exposure Triangle

So today I did not attend yoga or do any other form of exercise. My head still hurts from my yoga debacle yesterday. Seriously ridiculous.

I also did not make dinner. We ate leftovers and finished up all of the veggie enchiladas I made on Monday. They heat up well.

Basically today I graded papers and did some planning. I have my first LiveLessons for three weeks tomorrow. The engaging topics will be reading comprehension practice for my remediation group and research paper plans, thesis statements, and citations for my LA 8 kids. Jealous?

I also did some learning. I completed my 2nd and 3rd assignments in the photography class I am auditing. Basically they were get to know my camera and some photography jargon. You can check out my responses on my portfolio page. We are working in Module 4.

After reading through info about aperture, shutter speed, and ISO, I have decided I need photographers to write more simply. I have condensed my knowledge for you guys.

Shutter speed = how quickly your camera shutter opens and closes
Aperture = hole that lets light in
ISO = measure of the sensor's sensitivity to light

Anyone dare to guess how the above things effect the photo?

BTW - Tomorrow I am shooting for yoga, cooking dinner, AND completing the last two days of decluttering that I have blown off.

Collapsing Crow and Dinner

So I took time out to go to yoga today even though I was tired (didn't sleep well) and felt like napping instead. If you think I am going to say, I am glad I went. I'm not.
I had an awful class. I took the core class which is usually one of the easiest for me, but I guess my body WAS actually tired and would have rather I listened to it and took a nap. I know this because when I attempted my second headstand I fell... somewhat gracefully. And if that isn't enough, when I attempted Crow/Crane pose I fell forward on my head. Seriously, the front of my head. I'm not going to lie. It hurts. I did, however, get back up and finish the class because I am nothing if not a trooper.

I am hoping for some decent sleep tonight and a good yoga class tomorrow. We will wait and see how it goes.

Oh well, at least dinner was good. I made Creamy Broccoli-White Bean Soup today via Pinterest and Whole Living. I actually did take some pictures but they were awful, so I decided not to share them. :) The soup was VERY tasty. I changed up the recipe a bit by adding double the garlic and double the beans. I pureed part of the soup but not all of it because I like to have some whole pieces. I also just threw the broccoli in the stock because I didn't really see the point in steaming it first. Anyway, it turned out yum. I served it with a piece of french bread.

I did use the pine nuts and Parmesan cheese for garnish, and I can't believe I'm saying this because I LOVE cheese, but if you are trying to cut calories, I think you could leave off the cheese and not miss it. Easy and awesome.

Hopefully I will start taking some better photos soon since I began the online digital photography class I am auditing today. I did my orientation and made my online portfolio page. Yay me! Hopefully you will see evidence of learning happening there soon.

What did you make for dinner? Was it good?

Recipe Challenge Day 2 and Other Stuff

Today was my first day back to work in three weeks. Let me just say, I had a lot of grading and webmails to catch up on, but fortunately, I am a fast worker and am pretty well caught up now! Woo hoo! The kids start back tomorrow, so I'll have lots of calls to make as well as some lessons to plan. Today I got to try working while Dylan was home with me since his school was closed, and I did have to work past my scheduled hours to get accomplished what I planned to, but I did AND Dylan and I walked and fed the ducks (which I a counting as my exercise for the day) so all is good.

And now to the good part... food. Tonight I made Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas via Pinterest and Perry's Plate. I even took some photos (although the one's on Perry's Plate are better.) The finished version was quite tastey. I did deviate from the recipe a bit as far as ingredients go. I roasted the following veggies for my version - poblano pepper, red pepper, carrots, red onion, garlic, cauliflower, corn, and black beans. Here is a close-up of the pre-roasted beauties.

I used pre-made salsa, white corn tortillas, spinach, and a cheddar-jack mix for the after roasting step. I used more cilantro than the recipe calls for and added a couple of tomates to my salsa because I only had a little salsa. I think this would have tasted even better with homemade salsa, but I worked with what I had and the veggies I needed to use. I opted out of sour cream because I just wasn't feelin' it tonight, but I am sure it would be a tastey addition.

Here it is all melted and bubbly.

I served it with some fresh fruit salad (just cut up apple, orange, and strawberries) and called it a meal. This little guy enjoyed it, so I guess I did something right.

And in other news, I have a "lead" on one of my goals for this year. One of my friends asked me to audit the on-line photography course he has put together, and I jumped at the chance! I am hoping to learn some photography tips and tricks especially since I have been trying to familiarize myself with my dad's camera and its plethora of lenses.

Oh, and I am also following the declutter and organization plan over at My Simpler Life. Today's assignment was to set up a donation station which I already have - my garage (well a corner of it anyway.) The goal is to work consistently throughout the year to get rid of the excess I have and hopeful put it in the hands of someone who might need/want it via Freecycle, giving to friends, and/or donating to charities.

So, what about you? What did you do/cook today?

2012 is Here

So, it is 2012, and I have been reflecting on 2011 and resolutions. I have come to the following conclusions.

All but the closing of 2011 was good. And even with my dad's passing, I am blessed beyond measure. I am hoping 2012 will be a year of growth and productivity and my blessings will continue.

With that said, I'm not really in to resolutions; they tend to be very specific and often short lived. Instead, I am just going to keep working on becoming a better person mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I figure that pretty much covers it all. ;)

Some of the specific goals I have are to work out consistently. I am really good at exercising hard for a month or so and then falling out of the routine and doing nothing for a month or two until I start the cycle again. That pretty much sums up me and exercise for the majority of my life, so my goal is to work on consistency. I am hoping that since I have found a yoga studio I like and can work into my schedule that I will be able to accomplish this goal. Plus, I have also seen a resurgence in my running and cycling desire, so maybe I can hang on to something for a consistent bit.

The other goals I have all center around being positive and focusing on strengthening the blessings I already have - becoming a better, more patient mom and wife, expanding my knowledge of the topics I enjoy (nutrition, gardening, sewing, fitness, technology, photography, and education) and maybe even familiarizing myself with some knew topics, and increasing my faith. I also want to work on letting go of things that I can't control... because, well, I can't control everything (even if I desperately want to.)

So with all of these things in mind, I thought I would start out the year with a fun "challenge" of sorts. I enjoy cooking and Pinterest so I am going to work on cooking some of the new recipes I come across on Pinterest and documenting my thoughts on the recipes here. I am going to shoot for 4-5 Pinterest recipes a week for a month or so, but we will see how it goes.

I tend to cook pretty healthy and don't use a lot of pre-packaged foods and people always seem to be interested in what I cook at my house, so I shall do my best to share with you all. If I am feeling particularly feisty, I might include some photos, but don't count on it.

So I shall go ahead and begin with tonight's dinner. For dinner tonight I made Yoshinoya Beef Bowls via Pinterest and Iowa Girl Eats. I didn't take any photos, but there are some good ones on the Iowa Girl's page, so you can get a peek there.

I followed the recipe as it is laid out on the site and it turned out pretty darn tastey. I served it over brown rice with Mukimame and freshly steamed broccoli and carrots. By the way, as far as vegetables go, I usually just steam them. And, if you don't have a vegetable steamer, I would suggest investing in one. It is the most often used kitchen "gadget" I have.

The men folk seemed to enjoy the meal. Dylan tasted the meat but then opted for just the veggies and the rice, but that is his normal routine; he is the most unusual three year old eater ever. At least he didn't spit the meat out. :) One bite was it though.

Kyle on the other hand ate everything on his plate as did I. So, I am thinking it is a keeper. It is a quick, easy and pretty nutritious meal. I think I will try it with chicken next. You should give it a try. :)

If you use Pinterest to pin recipes and I am not following you, please let me know so I can get you added. I need all of the ideas I can get.

I hope you all have a fantastic 2012. Feel free to let me know what you ave cooking in your kitchen as well!

The Death of Uniformity

I have been thinking a lot about education lately. Partly because school is starting but mostly because of all the budget cuts and new standardized tests being debuted in Texas this year.

I have always been a fan of the idea of public education. That as a nation we should work to educate all of our citizens. That we have a duty to provide a free education, but I have never been a fan of how the theory actually plays out in school policy, mandates, standards, school districts, and in the classrooms around the nation.

I think back to when I was in school, and as I reflect I see all of the accommodations teachers made for me in order to make the educational mold fit me as well as it could.  In elementary school I was ahead in reading and writing skills, and I remember my teachers giving me additional work in order to keep me occupied and challenged. I was also assigned to assist the ESL students with their work. As I progressed through school I became a bit more fidgety and perhaps harder to keep on task and I recall always being the student asked to run errands for the teachers. At the time I thought it was because they liked me better, but I see now that it was really to keep me occupied so I didn’t get too off-task. And by high school I had perfected the ability to sit and stare or doodle when I was done with work or was just plain bored… oh, and I was absent a lot. I am sure I frustrated the heck out of my teachers because I made decent grades (certainly not stellar) but I wasn’t living up to my potential. Honestly, I didn’t see the point. I was bored and I did enough to get in to college which is what I perceived the point of public education to be. Although I am sure my teachers did the best they could, I was disillusioned with public education even while I participated in it, but I really never could articulate why.

As I’ve gotten older and worked on the teaching end of education, I have come to realize what I feel is the crux of our educational problem – unyielding uniformity. The idea that we must teach all kids the same thing, on the same timeline, and in the same manner. The educational community pays lip service to such ideas as differentiation and multiple intelligences but these ideas rarely ever make it in to the classroom. I’m not blaming this on teachers because they are set up to fail. In their educational courses they are taught about all of these wonderful strategies and ways to make the curriculum come to life for the students, but the system is set up in such a way to make this nearly impossible – the TEKS (standards) are the same for every child, students are tested at the end of the year and are expected to perform at the same level, class sizes are huge and often difficult to manage, access to technology and resources is sparse, and in many districts teachers are provided with a teaching calendar which dictates what they are to teach when and often times how they are to teach it.

Scientifically we know that people learn differently and at different rates, so why is it we have created an educational system in direct juxtaposition of this idea? Quite frankly it is ludicrous.

So now that I have stated what I perceive to be the problem, how do I suggest we fix it? The concept is easy enough but it would require a total revamping of the educational system we have come to know. It would require our nation to embrace our differences and to develop an educational system that caters to them.

In my utopian educational system this is what I imagine:

• A variety of types of schools – traditional, trade, virtual, career based, after hours, year round, etc.

• Community involvement – pairing of students who want to learn a trade in a sort of apprenticeship with a master or masters in their area of interest.

• Flexibility in course requirements – it is ridiculous to think that all students need four years of high level math and science. Perhaps the United States should attempt a version of “tracking” where students are tested for aptitude and interest and guided into an area of study (note I said guided and not required).

• Realism – I strongly believe that all children can learn; however, not all children can learn at the same level. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Can’t we play up our strengths instead of focusing on our weaknesses?

• Realistic standards – take a look at the TEKS for various grade levels and you will note many skills, concepts, ideas that you never developed or have ever used. It is ridiculous to me to spend time attempting to teach all children skills, concepts, etc. that they will never need within their lifetime. Why not focus on realistic standards for all and allow students to self-select other standards they would like to work towards?

• Testing – testing would not be standardized. If testing were to be continued (and notice I say IF) it should test actual basic skills and chart individual’s growth from year to year instead of creating a standard that everyone must reach in every discipline studied.

• Resources – technology, staff development, job shadowing, apprenticeships, etc. would be available as needed. Teachers would have the resources they need to educate their students and help them grow.

• Creativity – creativity and problem-solving would be infused in learning. Both teachers and students would be encouraged to take risks and try new things.

I could go on forever with my wish list, but the unifying thread throughout it all is that we – teachers and students – would be seen as individuals and would not be bound by uniformity. Schools could be different and offer different courses. Creativity and individuality would be praised. Students would understand the relevancy of their education because it would actually be relevant. Students would be assessed on their educational growth and not penalized for advancing slower or faster than their peers.

Perhaps I am just being naïve and idealistic. What do you think? How would you fix the educational system or do you even think it needs fixing?

Born to Learn

So, I was searching around on the good ol' Interweb and came across this site.

So far, I have only taken a cursory look around and watched this video, but I am already a fan.


Born to Learn from Born to Learn on Vimeo.

What are your thoughts?

Wall Decor and a Cape!

Sarah and I have been sharing crafty ideas over on the awesomeness known as Pinterest, and when I saw some of the wall decor she has been making, I decided to try my hand at it too.

And I'm not going to lie, I'm kind of impressed with what I have made. I mean, they're no Monet, but they are cute and look nice in our bedroom. I am happy with that.

The first piece of wall art I made is my version of this post from kiki creates.

It was SUPER easy to make. I made a quick trip to Aaron Brothers and picked up a Nantucket frame and then I headed to Hobby Lobby for some cute paper. When I got home, I made very small modifications to the file Sarah so graciously shared with me, and then I printed it on a piece of Vellum. Then I backed it with the cute paisley paper, framed it up and hung it on the wall in our dressing area. Cute and sweet!

After my initial wall decor creation I decided to try another project. I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to make, but I knew I wanted something to hang over our bed. I have two silver frames that are 11x14 and have been in storage (aka the garage) since we moved in our house over a year ago, so I thought I would pull them out and do something with them. After brainstorming several options, I finally decided to go with monograms.

Once I finished thinking through what I wanted the final product to look like, I made another trip to the Hobby Lobby and picked up some white spray paint, white mats, and some scrapbook paper.

I painted the frames white, put the mats into the frames, and then I started working on the monograms. To begin, I printed out a K and an A in the font size and type I liked, I taped it to the solid colored paper I purchased, broke out the X-Acto knife and started cutting around the letters. Once I was done cutting, I backed them with the printed scrapbook paper and framed them up.

This is the finished product. I think they look pretty good. Now I just need to hang them on the wall!

After spending some time decorating the walls, I decided to make something for the boy. I chose something quick and easy! I decided to re-purpose one of my old T-shirts into a cape for Dylan a la this tutorial on the Summer Institute.

So quick! And definitely worth it!

Tomorrow I am taking my sewing machine over to Sarah's house for some collaborative craftiness. I'm not sure what I am going to make yet, but maybe I'll come away with something to share.

Reflections on My First Year of Teaching Online

The new school year is rapidly approaching, so I thought I would finally take a couple of minutes to reflect on the previous school year. Last year was my first year teaching all courses online and my first year teaching with TCAH. And although it was a challenging year, it had a happy ending.

TEA threw us a curve ball last year right as the school year began which basically capped our enrollment way below what was anticipated, so many students had to be shifted to a private section (as did teachers). With all of the moving around and the 300 students I had at the beginning of the year, I was seriously beginning to think that perhaps I had made a wrong decision. But, I decided to hang in there and keep plodding away. By the second six weeks things had calmed down a lot and by third six weeks I began to feel settled and like I was beginning to get some solid ground beneath my feet. (My student load was also much lower than at the start which helped a lot).

I am not sure I would have stayed had it not been for the awesome administrators and fellow teachers... not to mention the really nice families I worked with. They were all super helpful and encouraging. I also really like the mission of TCAH and the way in which learning is laid out, so I decided to invest some more time in the school, and I am glad I did.

Overall, especially with the difficulties we overcame, I feel like I had a really good first year. 

Here are a few accomplishments I am specifically proud of this school year:

• 99% pass rate for 8th grade Reading TAKS (with 100% participation)
• Taught a few low-key staff development sessions and presented to a few visitors
• Learned how to manage my time to accomplish my daily goals
• Attended several field trips and met lots of families
• Cultivated good relationships with my homeroom students/families

Although I feel like I had a very positive year, I still have areas in which I would like to grow and improve.

Which brings me to my goals for this year:

• Really get to know all of the readings and lessons assigned to the students
• Make my live teaching sessions more interactive with students
• Increase my contact with families
• Familiarize myself with the new STAAR test and requirements
• Give more specific feedback on students' writing

Last night I was thinking about the questions I answered in my previous post about online teaching and how it is different, and I decided I left out a big chunk of information so I thought I would add it here for clarification.

Teaching in an online classroom isn't foreign to me like it is to many traditional teachers. I had the experience of working in a one-to-one laptop district for ten years prior to moving to my new online position. I taught in a traditional classroom with students in front of me, but the majority of their work was done on the computer, so I was used to using a computer to generate lessons, post lessons to a learning management system, and grade lessons digitally. So, although I was learning a new system and way of doing things last year, I already had the majority of the technology skills and experiences I needed to be successful. I think this allowed me to have a much easier and seamless transition than some of my other first year colleagues. I also think this is one of the reasons I don't "see" as many differences in face-to-face instruction and online instruction (besides the physical).

I also had the opportunity to teach and develop online courses for my previous school district, and I obtained my Master's degree via online classwork. So, I was going in to the position with some experience to reflect and pull on when needed. I am very thankful for that. I believe my prior experience really served me well last year.

I am looking forward to beginning the new school year now that I have a year under my belt. I think it is going to be an even better year for me and my students! I wish you success with your school year as well.

Faux Play-Doh

I bought Dylan some Play-Doh a couple of weeks ago and he really seems to enjoy playing with it. So in the spirit of keeping Dylan happy and occupied this summer, I decided we would try making a homemade version of Play-Doh. We used the base recipe from this site as our guide. We didn’t scent it but we added some coloring. Although I think the scented Play-Doh would be fun, I didn’t want any encouragement for Dylan to desire eating the Play-Doh… maybe we can try scenting it when he is older.

Anyway, the faux Play-Doh turned out pretty well and we have been playing with it for the last couple of days.

Here is a riveting photo of the faux Play-Doh as it is cooling. I mixed the green and Dylan mixed the purplish dough. He was quite proud of himself.

And here are some photos of Dylan having fun with the faux Play-Doh and some cookie cutters.

It has been a good time and a fun little activity for all of us.

Yesterday's Post Today

When I began writing yesterday's post, I had every intention of answering the question of how is online teaching different then a traditional classroom as well as giving a basic framework of my day; however, the post kept getting longer and longer and I didn't want the pressure of having to be "engaging" for a long period of time in order to keep you interested, so I thought I would break it in to two posts. :)

I, however, forgot to change the title from "A Day in the Life of Me (an online teacher)" to  "Teaching Online: How is it different" until after I had published the post. So, I renamed it after the fact. Apparently it caused a little confusion because the new name didn't update in some aggregators, etc. And, here I go again, rambling on about something not at all interesting...

So, I will finally get to today's topic. :)

I am always asked, "What do you do all day? What does your day "look" like?" Before I begin, I want to assure you that I am busy. Many times I am busier than when I worked in a traditional school setting. That being said, here is a basic break down of my day. Keep in mind, that I have flexibility to shuffle things around as I need to which happens quite often. I am big on making lists in order to keep organized. I usually make my to-do list at the end of the previous day so I know what I need to get started on each morning.

7:00am - Wake up, shower, get the boy dressed and drop him at school

7:45am - Make toast or oatmeal and sit down at my computer - logged in by 8:00am

8:00am - Check and respond to emails, check voice mails

8:30am - Check grade book and grade papers

9:00am - If I have a meeting it is usually during this time period. Last year we met as departments (middle school and/or ELA) and as grade levels (8th) somewhat frequently; we have quick "accountability" meetings each week with our supervisor to check in and see how all is going. We also have weekly training meetings on Fridays. If I don't have a meeting, I use this time to grade or plan.

10:15am - Return calls if needed. Make some calls to families - homerooms students as well as curriculum based calls and log calls.

11:15am - lunch and exercise

12:15pm - Planning for live teaching sessions, reading text, creating lessons, etc.

1:30pm -  Make some calls to families - homerooms students as well as curriculum based calls and log calls.

2:30pm - Live teaching session. This is just a place marker. The live teaching sessions are on a set schedule and last year I had four a week so some days I have a session or two and other days I have none.

3:00pm - Finish up the day - emails, grading, feedback, calls, and/or whatever needs to be completed. Check reports for attendance, participation, grades, etc. Make to-do list for tomorrow based on information in reports as well as anything left unaccomplished.

4:00pm - Done for the day :)

So again, the information above is just a guide to show how my days can be broken up. Some days I spend more time on the phone and others I might spend more time grading and giving feedback. I also attend field trips in my area 2-3 times a semester and meet with the other Dallas area teachers about once a month. I can also choose to use some of my time learning by attending training sessions or viewing training videos.

And during state testing time, I spend my time watching kids test... the logistics of state testing in a virtual setting are a whole other crazy can of warms. :)

I hope that sheds a little light on what I do for those of you who are curious. As always, feel free to ask any questions

Teaching Online - How is it different?

In my post yesterday I spent a little bit of time answering the most frequent questions I seem to get about my job; for those of you who don't know, I am an online teacher for a wonderful public school in Texas. Last year I taught eighth grade Language Arts, and I expect to teach the same this coming school year.

I helped a little with the interview process for a few of the open positions this year and the applicants seemed to ask me pretty much the same questions. What does my day look like? How is it different than teaching in a traditional classroom?

I think today I will begin by talking a little bit about how the position is different and tomorrow I will try to paint you a little picture of what my day teaching from home looks like.

How is teaching online different than teaching in a traditional classroom setting? Of course there are the obvious differences - I am at home and the kids are at their homes. But when you reflect on just that piece of the equation alone, it accounts for a lot of differences. Once I drop my son off at daycare, I am pretty much alone each day (physically that is). I don't have people popping in my office or classroom to ask me questions; I don't have my classroom phone ringing; I don't have the intercom blaring information at me or bells ringing. It is me - somewhat unstructured and uninterrupted. I am going to guess it is similar for students. Although a parent is usually with them during their school day and perhaps siblings, the interruption of fellow classmates is gone - or at least takes a different form (perhaps via emails, etc.)

So, that being said my discipline problems are pretty non-existent. Last year I had to re-direct some students to get them back on track in my virtual classroom (they were chatting off topic) and I had a couple of cases of plagiarism to deal with. Honestly, I can't say I had tons of discipline problems in the traditional classroom either, but the lack of focus on classroom management is definitely different.

I have a much more flexible schedule. Now by that, I don't mean I can work whenever. I have set hours from 8:00-4:00 with a lunch break in there somewhere, but during those hours I have a lot of flexibility when I do what. In a traditional classroom I had class periods, and I knew which students would be in each section on which days. That isn't how it is set up in my online world. I have set live teaching times (2-4 a week depending on how many students and preps) and I have set meeting times (usually in the mornings from 9:00-10:00 when they are scheduled) and then the other time I structure around what I need to get done and who I need to talk with. I like the flexibility and being able to structure my own time around the tasks I need to complete and the needs of my students/families.

It is much easier to differentiate instruction in an online course. All students are given the same curriculum to complete, but I can make additions or deletions to their assignments based on their needs. Students are also able to work at a different pace. They have a minimum of work to complete by the end of the semester, and I provide them with some pacing information, but students can choose to spend longer on one lesson than another. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest advantages of online instruction.

Teaching online is also very transparent. In a traditional school, I went in my classroom and taught and what I did with my students was not very visible to those outside of my room. Sure, I had visitors sometimes and my observations, but that was pretty much where the visibility stopped. In my online classroom, I record my live teaching sessions and post them for anyone to view. Grades are viewable by teachers, admin, students, parents, etc. What I am teaching is visible and how I am teaching it is visible. Reports can be run to see how long it takes me to grade and return feedback to students (we are given a window of time in which grading should take place). Call logs show how often I speak to families. Email logs show what I say to students and families. I am accountable for my teaching and interaction with students/families and it is all visible. I am good with that; in fact, I am GREAT with that.

And probably the most important difference I have seen between my traditional teaching experience and teaching with TCAH is parental involvement. In the brick and mortar schools where I taught, it was always such a chore to get parents interested in what their students were doing or learning in school. In my experience teaching with TCAH, the students' education is more a collaboration with the family than just me and the student. It is a partnership where the parent works at home with the student, and I assist them all in helping the student learn a concept and be successful. Parents are able to log in and view the students' lessons and grades at any time. They know what the student is learning and are involved in the process. I LOVE that.

As I see it, those are the major differences between teaching online and face-to-face. I hope you noticed that I didn't spend much time focusing on technology or not physically seeing the kids. To me those are given and neither make much impact on my teaching. Good teaching is good teaching - online or off. Building relationships with students is something that good teachers do - online or off.

Come on by tomorrow and I'll give you a peek into my day as an online teacher. As always, if you have any questions, please ask!

Online Teaching - What's it all about?

Last year I started a new teaching position with Texas Connections Academy as an online teacher. I have been planning to write some reflections on my first year as an online teacher, but yesterday I decided that perhaps before I reflect on the school year, I should clarify what I do.

Inevitably when someone new finds out what I do, I can tell they are confused and then I get a barrage of questions. So, I thought I would take the time to answer some of those questions now and see if I can paint a more clear picture of what online teaching looks like (at least from my perspective).

The first question I ALWAYS get is about logistics. Where am I and where are my students? It seems that the classroom where students sit in rows of desks is so ingrained in peoples' minds that they have difficulty imagining students learning in any other setting. Well, I am at home in my office where I spend the majority of my school day. I teach from my computer with help from the good ol' Internet, some software, and my telephone. The students are at their homes (or really where ever they work on school work). To learn and accomplish their lesson goals the students need basically the same tools I do - a computer with an Internet connection, their books (or access to online ones), and a phone.

What do I DO all day? Well, I teach. :) I grade papers. I plan lessons. I teach live sessions via an online classroom and Adobe Connect (think Elluminate - what I use is similar but proprietary). I call students who are struggling or who I need to speak with. I answer emails with questions about concepts or assignments. I answer the phone. I talk to parents who need help motivating their students, further challenging their students, or need some help with teaching strategies. I look at reports and see how students are performing on tests, concepts, etc. I attend field trips. I create lessons or clarifying assignments/instructions. I analyze TEKS vs. lessons to make sure all concepts are taught in enough depth. What I don't do is just sit around all day.


What kind of kids do I have? Do I have all of the BAD kids? No, I don't have all of the bad kids. In fact, I have a lot of really GOOD kids. I have students who didn't fit the mold of the traditional brick and mortar school for various reasons or I have families who wanted to try something new. I have competitive athletes, musicians, chess players, actors - students whose schedule makes it difficult to attend school during "normal" school hours. I have students who are autistic, have Asperger's, are high energy - students who might find it difficult to function in a "normal" school setting. I have students who are BRILLIANT and needed something more tailored to their needs. I have students who live in very rural settings and getting to a "normal" school is a chore. I have students whose religious views are perhaps not the mainstream views of the majority. I have students who have had social problems with bullying or "fitting in." I have families who made the decision to do online schooling so they could be more involved and aware of what their students were learning. I have some good, sweet kids.

How do you make that one-on-one connection with so many students? (this one is for you Darren). The same way I do in a face-to-face environment - I talk to them. :) At my school we are "required" to have so much synchronous contact whether in our virtual classroom, on the phone, or in person (at field trips). We also make curriculum based calls to assess how students are learning concepts. In all honesty, I talked to some of my students more last year than in a brick and mortar school. In a traditional classroom when you have large classes, the quiet students who aren't struggling just kind of get overlooked while the teacher is dealing with students who need remediation or those who are discipline problems. It isn't "as easy" to overlook them in an online environment.


How do I know the students are the ones doing the work? Isn't it easy for them to cheat? Sure, it is easy for them to cheat. Let's face it, if they want to, it is easy for them to cheat in a traditional school. So, how do I know they are doing their work? I don't know that every single assignment is completed by the student, but it is easy for me to tell when short answers or essays aren't completed by students. In most of the learning units there is what is called a "portfolio" assignment which is basically either a writing assignment or an application of a skill. If students haven't done the prep work, they are going to struggle with the portfolios. Teachers also conduct curriculum based calls where we ask students about what they are learning. In Language Arts I might ask a general question like, "Tell me about the story you are reading?" or I might ask something more specific and higher level like, "How does the antagonist in story x compare with the antagonist in story y?" The curriculum based calls are logged in a database and can be tracked, so teachers, admin, etc. can see if students are consistently missing questions. Students know they will be accountable for information (most of the calls are not scheduled) and talking to the kids gives the teachers a chance to get to know them.

Those are the main questions I seem to get from people. Perhaps I will write a "day in the life" post before I compose my reflection as well. I think it is important for the public to begin to clearly visualize what online learning is all about and embrace that it is a viable learning opportunity for many.

Feel free to pose further questions in the comments and I will try to get them answered.

A Work in Progress - Alphabet Boxes

I have decided I am that mom that is always doing stuff with their kid in order to stay sane.

I need to be doing something, and I like hanging out and interacting with him so watching television is short lived. Now don't get me wrong, Dylan gets to watch one of his "shows" when he wakes up (right now he is in love with Diego) and he gets to watch a show before he goes to bed, but in between those hours I need us to be busy.

We do all of the "regular" things - color, paint, play with Play-Doh, read, go places (park, library, store, etc), but sometimes I want us to do something different, perhaps educational, and fun for both of us which leads me to the inception of the alphabet boxes.

When I proctored TAKS testing this year, I was stationed at a Sylvan Learning Center, and since all I could do was wander around and watch the kids test ALL DAY, I observed things. One such thing was some alphabet sounds teaching tubs. After testing I looked at them more closely and discovered they came from Lakeshore Learning. I thought they were seriously cute and fun and EXPENSIVE so I didn't think of them much after that.

That is until I saw this post about making letter boxes via "scavenger hunts" with the children.

I thought it sounded like something Dylan and I would enjoy making, so we made a trip to Hobby Lobby and procured some supplies to get us started - small boxes Dylan could open and close, sticky letters, and a few little items to start. Dylan had fun choosing our supplies, and when we got home we looked around for some other things to add to the boxes.

So, this is what they look like.

I know... not too exciting, but the fun part is making them and then adding the contents. Dylan also really likes emptying them and going through the boxes which is really the whole point - associating the alphabet sounds to objects.

Here are some of the sample contents.

The "B" box has birds, a bell, a blue bead, a basket and a basketball (which is Dylan's favorite).

The "D" box has a dinosaur, a donut, a dog, a donkey, a picture of Dylan, and a picture of Daddy.

We still have a couple of empty boxes (K, N, Q, V, X, Y, Z) and a few boxes with only one or two things, hence the work  in progress title. I am hoping we can work on adding items for quite some time.

Here is Dylan examining the contents of one of his boxes (BTW - although Dylan hasn't put any of the things in his mouth, I know they are choking items so he only plays with them while he is supervised).

If you have any suggestions for contents, I would love to hear them!

Keeping busy

I have been meaning to post here countless times, had ideas running through my head, and then have just never followed through. They were all serious ideas about the state of education, technology, and the world in general, etc., but don't worry, this post won't be about serious stuff. I do plan on writing a reflection on my first year of online teaching sometime soon... but not yet.

In this post I am just going to show you what has been keeping me busy this summer (besides Dylan that is)... fun, frivolity, and learning new things.

Sarah introduced me to Pinterest and since I have been some what obsessed with it. If I am on my computer, I am probably on Pinterest or pinning things to one of my boards, and as I have been searching around, I have found countless recipes, sewing patterns, and DIY projects I have wanted to try. So, here is some of what I have been doing.

Cooking - I always cook, but Pinterest has allowed me a quick, easy, and visual way to search and catalog recipes, so I have made several new things over the last couple of weeks. Here are some of the recipes we have enjoyed at my house.

• Pasta with Pesto Cream Sauce
• Cucumber Mint Salad
• Chocolate Zucchini Bundt Cake
• Tilapia with arugula, capers, and tomatoes
• Cherry limeade
• Spicy pasta salad with sliced Gouda

Sewing - I bought a sewing machine about two years ago, made a couple of things, and then got frustrated by my lack of sewing talent. I am working on learning and honing my sewing skills and have made the following items over the last couple of weeks.

My first attempt back at sewing was to make a little eye pillow. I get headaches a lot and sometimes coolness helps so I used a pattern by Amy Butler. I made the pillow and case for it. It is filled with flax seed, rice, and dried lavender from my garden. It smells great and stays cool for quite some time after being in the freezer (sorry no pics of this one).

My second attempt was to make a little tote bag. I used tutorial #6 and came out with a pretty cute little tote for myself!

And then I made Dylan a little tote bag so he can carry it when we go to the library for his books and videos.

After I finished the little tote bags, I thought I would try something new, so I made a set of eight cloth napkins, and they turned out really cute! I didn't really use a tutorial or pattern for these. Basically they are 16 inch squares sewn together. :)

 

I have been thinking about sewing some reusable produce bags for awhile, and when I came across this little tutorial, I figured it was time. So far I have only made one, but I plan on making a few more this week. It was SO EASY! I haven't added the drawstring to this yet. I had planned to use the ribbon in the photo but it wasn't long enough so I just sewed it on as a cute embellishment. I have a matching green string I plan to use instead.

The most complicated thing I have sewed is a travel car mat for Dylan. I used this tutorial as the basis of the one I made, but I changed it up a bit.

Here it is all rolled up.

Stretched out ready to roll up.

And here it is rolled out and ready to be played with.

I know it may not look like much, but Dylan was excited with it. He said, "You made me a road!" I think it will come in handy when we travel or go out to eat.

And lest you think I have only been sewing and cooking, I also tried my hand at being handy/crafty. I read this tutorial awhile back about making chalkboard paint and then I saw a tutorial about making an outdoor chalkboard and the little wheels in my head started turning. I finally decided that I would recycle the bi-fold door we removed from our laundry room into a chalkboard for Dylan.

This is what I came up with…

This is the back off the door. Dylan can draw on all four door panels. 

Dylan took time out from running naked through the sprinkler to draw on the chalkboard. It may not be the most beautiful thing, but Dylan picked the paint colors and he loves it which is the important thing.

I have a few other projects in mind before the school year starts. I’m having fun and learning to be crafty!