When you are recently divorced, the firsts are no fun...

One of my good friends gave me this advice, "When you are divorced, the first's suck."

First birthday not as a family, first Christmas, first flat tire, etc.

This week, I experienced another first. Tuesday was my oldest's birthday. She turned five, which is a big deal by any means.  

You would think that I would have been good at this now, the one year old had her first birthday in June. 

But, no. 

My oldest has been so excited for her birthday since her last birthday. When the calendar turned to October, she knew exactly how many more days until she turned five. 

My mom had offered to make dinner. 

Then, I made the mistake of texting my ex to ask him what his plans were. 

He wanted to take her out for dinner, or dessert, or something. He said that I could go with him, but, we have done dinner with the girls a few times and it is super awkward. It is even more so now that he has a girlfriend. 

So, initially, I didn't respond. My friend told me that I deserved "space and grace." 

The next day I told him he could come over for cake and ice cream after we ate. 

He didn't like that suggestion, but said he would be there. 

Of course my car broke down on her birthday, oh, and my dad had to have a heart procedure. (He should be fine.) 

It was quite a day. 

And, then about 7:00 my oldest asked where her dad was. 

I told her he would be there in about 30 minutes. He was. 

That sweet girl. She woke up at 3 in the morning and stood by my bed waiting for me to wish her a happy birthday. 

Then, I gave her a few of her presents and took her and her sister out for a birthday doughnut. It was a good start to the day. 

I think she enjoyed it. 

Yes, it was a first. We all survived. 

Happy Birthday, sweet girl. The awesome cake that my mom and dad made for her. Tie Dye/Rainbow cake. 

My Last Baby

When my soon-to-be ex told me he wanted to get a divorce, my second child, my baby girl, was only seven months old. My first thought was, how in the world would I do this all by myself? My second thought was, why now? Honestly, I was in the middle of the most important part of the year for my new job, I was about to present at a major conference and I was still trying to figure out how to juggle two kids and drive an hour to and from (with two daycare stops) work each day. Six months later, I have realized there is never a good time for a divorce.

I always knew my second would be my last baby. I had such a hard time getting pregnant the second time, I didn't even know if she would be possible. We tried for two years. And, when I finally got pregnant, I was so excited. Nine months later, she arrived! She is the absolute best baby in the world. She brings such joy to me and to the rest of the world. My dad wants her to get a job as a Walmart greeter. She loves to say, "hi and bye," to everyone she meets. Restaurants, the library, shopping--no person can walk by this baby with out a big smile and a greeting.

I survived her first birthday. I didn't want to do anything that day because it just seemed so unfair. Thankfully, my family would not let the day go uncelebrated. That day was so hard. As, I drove across town to pick up her cake, I passed the hospital that she was born in only a year ago. My how life changed in a year.

I am so grateful for my parents who have opened up their home to my girls and I. However, I can't help but to think about how much I have missed of her "babyhood." At my parents house, we don't have much down time. We eat late at night (around 7:30 most nights) and by the time we are finished eating, its time for bath and bed. When I was married, I would have dinner on the table by six and then I would have an hour to play with the girls before we had to start the night time routine.

I have missed out on the rocking her to sleep. I have missed out on the story times, the playing; because when you are a guest in someones house, there are many things that need to be done--especially when you already feel bad that you are taking up so much space. I know my parents don't mind, but I can't sit down when my mom is busting her butt in the kitchen.

Then, on those rare moments when I don't have anything to do, well, those are the weekends that the girls are with their dad. It makes me so sad.

I have about two more weeks and then I will be moving out of my parents house. I will have to figure out my new sense of normal. My new routines.

I know, this post isn't quite so upbeat or funny. But, I have a court date for the divorce and my girls are with their dad this weekend. I am a bit overwhelmed with all the changes that are about to happen, and really all I want is to see this face again. She is my greatest miracle. My last baby.

How do you know when it's over?

One day I was working hard in my office, talking to one of my coworkers. (Obviously, we can talk and work at the same time. We are talented multi-taskers.) 

My coworker, she is divorced. She has great advice. She and I have understood each other from day one. We have a lot in common. We are both from the same state, and we both worked at Big Boy. 

Anyway, my husband and I hadn't been communicating and I wanted her input. We never had been the best at communicating. However, I also had just started a new job and had a new baby. Life was hectic. 

I could almost count the number of times we fought in fourteen plus years on one hand. Perhaps this is because I avoid conflict like the plague. I think it is because my parents are so good at communicating. They love to communicate and are quick to tell each other when they are pissed off. (That scares me to death.) I forgot all that when I moved out of their house, but now that I have been living with them, I definitely have learned a few things about making a marriage work. For them, telling each other when they are pissed just works. 

So, last fall, HE threw out the "D-word." It was after an argument, but, if I really think about it, it probably was the precursor to where I am today. He had been distant. Unhappy with his job, but I figured it was just a season we were in. 

Well, back to that day--my coworker and I were discussing her divorce. It was a pretty deep discussion. I asked her, "How did you know IT was over?" 

She looked at me with tears in her eyes. She said, "You just know." 

Well, here I am knowing. 

To say this week has been easy is a complete lie. I have found out some pretty heavy information. None of it is completely confirmed, but I am slowly putting some pieces together. It is amazing what you can learn from doing some internet research and finding out a few things on social media. (It is also probably very unhealthy.)

Another co-worker today, he has also been divorced. He was surprised to hear that I was getting divorced. But, he was very sweet. He told me, "Hang on. You will find joy again. You will laugh again." 

I know. I am not rushing into anything. I can't. I am a mom. That is my priority. 

"Excuse Me. There is mustard on your shirt."

One day I will blog about the day my husband told me he wanted a divorce. The first and the second time and how I moved out...because... Today, I want to write about people's reaction to when I tell them I am getting a divorce.

You see for the first two months, no one besides my immediate family and one of my friends in my office knew I was getting divorced. I don't know why I didn't tell more people. But, when people did find out they would always say something like, "Wow. You are doing so well. I never would have known."

Well, there is a lot I would like to say to this.

Like "Thanks, I try to keep my shit together."

Or, "I am really not doing well. I am just good at pretending."

Or, "I have two girls under five. I have to keep things together."

Or, "It's because I have a great support system."

Or, "Do you expect me to be a mess? The first three weeks were awful, but I also realized life has to go on."

I usually just smile and modestly say, "Thank you."

It is just so awkward. One day I may get to a place where it is normal. Or, maybe I will make a t-shirt that says, "Yes, I am divorced and I am (almost) ok."

When I told my sister about the comments people would make, she wondered, "Do people really expect you to be walking around with mustard on your shirt?"

Luckily, I live with my parents. My mom would never let me walk out the door with mustard on my shirt. She would give me a Shout Wipe and wash my shirt after I left for work.

Seriously.

Training out of town: What is a mom to do?

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to Tyler, Texas and attend Project Lead the Way Launch Training. I have a lot of good to say about the training, but this also has meant that I have had some time to myself. Granted I am in training all day until 5:00, but the night is still young when I am done. 

As a mom of a three and a half month old, and an almost four year old--with an assistant principal husband that works the schedule of two people (because his counterpart had a(nother) baby)--time to myself has been non-existent. Moms, I know you understand. I can't even pee without an interruption. 

So what is a mom to do with no babies and no real responsibilities for three nights? Well, the first night I went to the mall, and I shopped for about two hours. I did get myself some new clothes and I didn't eat dinner until 9:00--which was crazy and very un-mom-like. 

The next night I went shopping yet again, I had to buy some presents for the girls. I bought a movie ticket and saw Bridget Jone's Baby. (I highly recommend. Super cute and funny, but did make me miss my little ones.) I can't tell you the last time I saw a "Chick Flick." 

Tonight, I went shopping again. (I may have a problem.) I needed some new eyeliner, and then I headed back to the hotel and am watching Michigan State Football and writing this blog. These are all things I have not been able to do, since who knows when. I may or may not watch my last episode of Parenthood--which I started when the baby was born. 

I have a new job. I have a new baby. I am adjusting to some new responsibilities at home and at work and these last few days have been kinda nice. I am not looking forward to the five hour drive home, but I am looking forward to seeing my little babies and my hubby. 

I wish I had something more exciting to say and if you have read to the end of this blog of mine, I thank you. 

Please stop asking me how much longer until I have this baby! (I have no idea!)

Why? Why is it when you get close to your due date that everyone seems to ask you, "How much longer?" Or, "are you counting down?" Or, something else just as ridiculous?

I am about to lose my mind. I have considered becoming a "shut in." I don't have the "luxury" of being on bedrest. (Please understand that is sarcasm. I feel for anyone who has to be on bedrest.) As of today I am not even 39 weeks pregnant. I understand that babies come out when they are ready.

I also am OVER being pregnant, but there is nothing I can do (that doesn't sound disgusting). No thanks, Castor Oil.

I am not saying that I don't want to meet my newborn. I am just saying that if you want to continue to ask me "how much longer," I may not be able to control my snarky-ness. And, I used to be a nice person. Pregnancy has put me over the edge.

It was especially bad yesterday when I went to church. I must have had 50 old ladies come up to me and ask me, "how much longer?" I don't know! If I knew, I could possibly have a new career as a fortune teller. But, thank you for asking.

And, I am not past my due date but here is a funny article on: 10 things Not to say to a woman who is past her due date.

At some point I will have this baby. I can't control how much longer she will choose to be in my tummy. I am just glad she is healthy and I have had a relatively easy pregnancy.

How Pregnancy #2 is WAY different than Pregnancy #1

As of today, I am almost 38 weeks pregnant with my second child.

I am three and a half years older, 34 (about to turn 35 in July) and let me tell you, this pregnancy is WAY different than my first.

I don't have hypertension, gestational diabetes or any of the other random pregnancy illnesses. But, I will tell you that pregnancy number two is so different from number one.

I am NOT nice to my husband. I feel terrible saying that and even worse putting it in writing. He gets the brunt of my complaining and general groans.

My co-workers think that I am a complete angel...but I tell them I am just nice at work.

This weekend I spent Sunday cleaning out our garage looking for random baby stuff. There are things I can't find, which with the first--everything was brand new--so it was stored in a closet. I can't tell you how many YouTube videos I watched yesterday as I had the bright idea of taking apart the carseat to wash everything. I hope I put all the straps back in the right places...

We must have one million baby outfits in size 0-3 months. Seriously, I have never seen so many onesies and pajamas. They have more than multiplied in three and a half years. Obviously, baby number two will grow out of them before she has a chance to wear them all. I think I have been doing laundry for a month. And then, where to put it all? With baby number one, I had a spare bedroom that could hold totes and baby stuff. Baby number two, your stuff has been in the garage. I washed it, so hopefully all the spider eggs are gone. No joke.

We have been blessed with diapers and really thoughtful gifts from our coworkers. This is also a crazy difference between pregnancies--my last job--there were about 25 people who were pregnant at the same time. Now, I work in an office with adults who were smart and had their children in their 20's--so my pregnancy takes them back to the 00's when they were having children.

This is just a sample of the diapers we got from my husband's work. In all, we got over 1,000 diapers! We are so thankful!

Lastly, I will say that one thing that I love is how excited "big sister" is for baby number two. (Granted, it may be short lived.) She wants to help more than ever and I know that she will be a great diaper runner/spit up wiper.

I am excited and anxious to meet baby number two. It should be any day now!

Hug your babies tight

This week has been emotionally draining. On top of being 8 months pregnant and not getting more than 5 hours of sleep a night, we have been busy. 

On Wednesday, I attended a funeral for a 18 month old. She was a granddaughter to two people who may be the nicest I have ever met. Janet is an educator who used to be the instructional coach on our campus. She moved to the district level and has since retired, but I remember attending various staff parties at her house. She is not only a mentor to many, she is like a grandma--too. She always had Diet Coke in her fridge and candy on the tables. I have never heard her utter an unkind word about anyone. Her husband Ray, is one of those people who may intimidate you at first. But, as you start to talk to him you realize he is wonderful and a totally devoted husband and father. When I was pregnant with our first daughter, my parents had not yet moved to Texas--Ray and Janet offered to babysit. 

When we heard Brooklyn--Janet and Ray's granddaughter passed away, we knew we needed to do something. 

Luckily, our Executive Director of Academic Achievement along with some other amazing people in our district took a little of the burden off the family--they bought food and created a sign up for the funeral dinner. We had spots to bring food, set up food, serve and clean up. People signed up in full force. There was quite a bit of food left, which is great news because the family is big and very close knit. 

I have no idea what they are going through. I feel so sad for them. I have no idea what to say. (I do keep thinking of this blog that I follow, "Life without Nash: Life after the loss of an infant." http://whennashsmiled.com/ Check it out if you have time.) 

However, as I was talking to my boss, I asked him what to say to someone who just lost a loved one. (He used to be a pastor.) He said, "Don't say I am sorry. Just let them know you are there for them and you want to help." I felt like that was good advice. 

When my husband and I went to the funeral home for the visitation--Janet and Ray told both of us, "Hug your babies tight. You never know how much time you have with them." 

I loved this advice and I made sure I hugged my girl extra tight. I have really been trying to make more of an effort to be present with my three year old. I know that there will come a day when she won't say, "Mommy, come play with me."

My precious girl with her Papa. 

Born to Teach

As my daughter has been around teachers her whole life--my mom, myself, my husband and my sister, it seems only natural for her to become an educator.

However, I really want her to be an engineer, a doctor or a pharmacist.

Last time I asked her, she wanted to be a mermaid.

She is three.

Yet, as I listen to her and I hear how she talks to others I can tell she is a natural teacher.

At daycare, after circle time is over, she actually leads a second circle time at with all the younger children. She leads them through songs and encourages them by saying, "yes so and so, that is right."

She helps her teachers manage the other students. Keeping kids in line, redirecting them when needed.

I don't want her to be bossy, but at the same time, I want her to be a leader. I want her to be comfortable speaking to large groups.

It really makes me wonder if someone can be born to teach. She emulates her teachers so well, and even when she was less than two, she idolized Miss Ashley who was the librarian who lead story time at the public library.

On Superbowl Sunday, during the halftime show--she lead my husband and I through her own version of circle time. She sat on our ottoman and read us two books. She sang us songs and encouraged us to participate.

No joke.

Taking down the Christmas Tree....

Tomorrow we go back to work after being off for over two weeks. UGH. I am tired just thinking about it. Thankfully, at this stage in my pregnancy I am drinking coffee again and I have a feeling I will need it.

One thing that I just can't bring myself to do...take down the Christmas tree. 

I was going to take it down yesterday while the hubby was at the Alamo Bowl, but I just couldn't do it. 

I think what really got me was my three year old singing, "Kris Kringle--Jingle, Jingle, Jingle." Yesterday. Yes, all the Christmas music is gone from the radio, the Christmas shows are no longer running on ABC Family and the Hallmark Channel, all the Christmas stuff in the stores is 75% off or more...but I just can't do it. 

I think if I keep my tree up a little longer, I might be able to keep that "Magic of Christmas" just a little longer for my three year old. (And myself, I love having my house decorated for Christmas.) 

The hubby told me he would help me next weekend. We have so many boxes and decorations that need to be packed up.  

However, what about the three year old? Will she be ok? She still asks "where did the Elf on the Shelf go?" I keep explaining he went back to the North Pole, but she can't quite wrap her brain around it. I would hate to traumatize her. 

I wonder if we could keep the tree around just a little longer? Maybe we will be sick of it in March? I will have a whole week off for spring break. 

Think I could convince hubby to keep the tree up until then? 

Dealing with Infertility: Adding to our Family

It is really hard for me to believe that 2015 is coming to a close. We have had a great year.

I got a new job in August as a Digital Learning Coach, the hubby is still Assistant Principal at a school in San Antonio. Our daughter is doing great in "school/daycare." She is starting to get potty trained...still having a few accidents. And, our biggest news is that we are adding to our family!

At the end of May we will be welcoming a little girl. We have no idea what her name will be, but so far, she is healthy.

It wasn't easy for me to get pregnant. We tried for almost two years and had no luck. When I started looking into the root of the issue, the first time I went to the doctor--I had been told it was probably a timing issue.

I went back in June and told my doctor I had a feeling something was off. She ran a bunch of tests. My thyroid was fine (darn, I was hoping that would have explained the weight gain.) She scheduled a hysterosalpingogram--basically where they shoot dye through your fallopian tubes. Sure enough one of my fallopian tubes was blocked. I also have a strange shaped uterus and my hormone levels are a little below normal. Three of the four things you can have wrong with you when it comes to infertility were present. My doctor was not very confident that she would be able to help me. I cried, a lot. I didn't want to go through IVF, but could not get pregnant on my own.

We took two rounds of Clomid. The first time, nothing except for major headaches (both literally and figuratively). I was on vacation in South Padre and had to drive to Brownsville to get an ultrasound and blood tests. Timing with Clomid is vital and you also need to be monitored for cysts. That whole thing in Brownsville was more of an ordeal than it should have been. The second round of Clomid made me super tired. So tired, I was falling asleep in church.

I didn't know until 6 weeks later that that was the round of Clomid that worked. After trying for two years, each month was so disappointing. I had convinced myself surely I wasn't pregnant. But, I was.

And now, we are going to have two girls!

This scares my hubby just a little since he comes from a family with four boys.

But, he is an amazing dad.

I am pretty psyched because I just adore my own sister.

5 things I don't miss about being out of the classroom

I have officially been in my new job for three months. Today, I spent most of the morning working in a classroom with a teacher. (So exciting, because usually I get to work with adults.) She is having her students use two apps for presenting Sock Puppets and Toontastic. I was there to help get them set up. We also were trying to figure out ways for them to save without posting to the YouTube Channel. 

Anyway, the whole point of this blog is to write about 5 things I don't miss about being out of the classroom. 

1. Lesson Plans--Our district has a common lesson plan template that looks to be very labor intensive. I don't miss having to do lesson plans, especially when I had three preps. 

2. I don't miss calling parents. I always loved calling parents about a discipline issue and then they turn it around and blame me for their child acting up. Super. Fun. 

3. Dealing with Classroom Management--no matter how fun and engaging I tried to make my class, I hated when I had to discipline a kid for something. Maybe he pushed his buddy, maybe he took someone's phone...whatever the issue, I never liked having to be the adult and step in...or write referrals. Writing referrals is horrible because of number 2....calling parents. 

4. Eating lunch in 10 minutes. Yes, I know teachers are supposed to get a 30 minute duty free lunch, but this doesn't happen. 

5. Holding "it." With my new job I have the luxury of going to the bathroom anytime I want. It is amazing. 

So, those are my top 5 things I don't miss in being out of the classroom. 

PLTW Training: Master Teacher Reflection

I have been teaching Project Lead the Way curriculum for the last 4 years, and I absolutely love it. I love the way that they teach “new teachers” curriculum—by having them go through the lessons and do the activities that their students complete.

I applied to be a Master Teacher in January. I had to make several videos and then I did some online training modules. I had to get 2 letters of reference.

I got accepted and then that meant I was able to train adults to learn the curriculum. I am going to travel to two places this summer—Spokane, Washington and Las Vegas, Nevada.

This past week I was able to travel to Spokane, and I worked with 5 teachers from Spokane Public Schools to learn one of the curriculum modules from PLTW, called Science of Technology. This is one of my favorite modules because it involves ice cream, roller coasters, making and testing glue, nanotechnology labs, and simple machines. It is a lot and when I think about how much we covered in three days I am amazed.

Since I had not trained adults before I was nervous. Luckily, I had an amazing Master Teacher (I was the Apprentice Teacher), I was able to learn so much from her. I also got to present on one of my favorite things in the world to talk about “Recruiting Girls in STEM.”

Spokane was absolutely gorgeous. It is in the mountains, they have water (and waterfalls), pine trees, some rolling hills, low humidity and abundant sunshine. My hubby came along to and loved seeing the sights in Spokane. He walked the trail, found some amazing restaurants and visited four of the campuses that were close by.

Like any teacher, this experience helped me to reflect on what I want to improve upon for my next training.

1. Time—There is not enough, and we are going to have to stick to deadlines better. There may need to be more homework assigned, but we also need to realize that the adults have lots of responsibilities when they head home each night—not just school related responsibilities.
2. Discussion is vital—even though we are on a time crunch, we have to allow for discussion. This is what helped our group in Spokane because they were able to see how the curriculum would work for them.
3. Advance Planning—communication between the affiliate, the master teacher, and myself is important. We have to make sure the supplies we need are there ahead of time and we need to know who is presenting what and how we are presenting it.

We had a great group of teachers and it was such a positive experience for me. If I didn’t have so many other responsibilities at home, I would seriously consider traveling and training more this summer. However, mommy, grad school, new house, wife duties—they all have to take priority. (I am ok with that.)

Here is a Flipagram that I made to highlight what we did. You can check it out, here:


http://flipagram.com/f/YA7p7KnirS

Five Things I learned from having an all-girls STEM class

This year I was lucky enough to have 24 girls in an all-girls STEM class. It was an idea I proposed to my principal almost 3 years ago and for the 2014-2015 school year we were able to make it happen.

I loved having my all-girls class. I loved them for a million reasons and I learned a lot from just teaching girls (and I was used to having almost all boys in my classes)—so they were a welcome change.

1. Girls love working in groups even more than boys do. I think it is the social aspect, but I never heard them complain when I assigned them to a group and I never had anyone ask me if they could “just work alone.”
2. Girls love to see how engineers make a difference in the world. The idea of an engineer being a super hero really resonated with them. If you haven’t seen this video, you have to check it out. https://vimeo.com/86537339
3. Girls will bring in their own materials from home. For example, when we would do Genius Hour, my girls class was the most organized, the most on task, and they brought in the most materials. I had one girl who made a dress, and bought the materials at Hobby Lobby—I had another group make ice cream and bring in all the supplies they would need—another group made a birdhouse and used some leftover materials from their recycling bin.
4. Girls can be nice to each other. Maybe it was my group of girls—they were just not the catty type?  My experience in the past with girls (even coaching them) was that they were really mean and kind of awful. My girls in my STEM class were amazing.
5. Girls don’t need boys to work with in a class. In fact, if they don’t have the boys as a distraction, they seem to be more at ease working with tools, they aren’t afraid to take the lead on the project; they are more willing to speak their mind.
    
   I don’t think I will be able to have another all-girls class this year, but I really feel that being able to have them for one year was amazing and a great experience for them and me. I know they will do great no matter what class they take or who their teacher is, but I hope we started planting some of those seeds to get them excited about a future career in STEM.

Transforming your classroom with Genius Hour

Along with recruiting girls in STEM, Genius Hour is one of my most favorite topics to talk about.

Today I had the pleasure of presenting to some of my colleagues in my district about Genius Hour, for district run conference, called Hays Fusion. I talked about transforming your classroom with Genius Hour. I have been doing Genius Hour in my classroom for the last two years. My top ten pieces of advice for doing Genius Hour are the following:

1. The launch of "doing" Genius Hour is  very important. Your kids need to buy into Genius Hour.



2. Genius Hour is not really a new idea. It has been around for quite some time (I found information that dated back to 3M’s 15% time in the 1950’s.)
   
   
3. Genius Hour can and will transform your classroom if you do it properly.
   
   
4. To do Genius Hour properly--Make sure your students understand what a guiding question is and have your students do some sort of presentation. (An authentic audience lends itself to greater presentations, if students know that they will be presenting to an audience, they will do a better job.)
   
   
5. However, there is no wrong way to do Genius Hour. If you get stuck or it is not working to your liking—REVISE it! Make changes until you are happy.
   
   
6. Do not abandon Genius Hour. Your kids really do enjoy it. (Even if you feel like they are “wasting time,” they are doing important stuff.
   
   
7. Genius Hour is not a time for you to catch up on your grading. (You need to meet with students and work right along with them. You can model your own Genius Hour projects, so they can get more ideas.)
   
   
8. If you want to do Genius Hour, join Twitter.  Some of the nicest and most helpful people are on Twitter and they WILL help you!



9. You need a supportive administrator to have a successful Genius Hour. They should know that when they come in your room, if it looks like chaos—students are learning.
   
   
10. Genius Hour can open the door for your classroom to start Project Based Learning.
     
    One way I plan to improve on my students Genius Hour experience this year is that I am going to have my students find state standards of the projects that they want to work on. That way, they can see the connections to their learning (and my administrator can see the cross curricular work). This will help them with their guiding questions.
    
    
    
    I could write so much more, but I won’t. If you would like to view my presentation it is on slideshare at the link here: http://www.slideshare.net/kcampbell2/transforming-your-classroom-genius-hour-presentation
    
    
    
    Please feel free to let me know if there is anything I can do to help you and your class with Genius Hour!

A letter to my 8th graders

Side note: Since I have had this blog, I have enjoyed writing my students a blog post to reflect on the year.


This year I am feeling particularly sentimental as I am saying goodbye to my 8th graders who I have had for three years!


Dear 8th grade students of Lab 199,


What a long way we have come! I am so impressed with all of you. I can't believe how much you have grown and changed over the last three years.


When we first met, I was pregnant with my first baby. I had no idea what to expect and I worked so hard to get you into routines--when I came back and the sub had let you do whatever you wanted for three months, that made me so sad. After that summer, when 7th grade started, I was able to see you growing into the people that you are today.


Some of you, we had disagreements. I think you like arguing with me. A few of you had to do a little more of Learning.com than I would have liked, but I worked to make sure each day was a new one.


Now, you are moving on to high school. My "baby" is now 2 and a half. Thank you for oohing and ahhing over her baby pictures and asking me how she is doing. I love that about you. I also love how many of you asked me for mothers day advice--asking me "what does a mom really want?"


You helped me through this year--a transition, where my hubby no longer works at the same school as me. You ask me how he is doing, and tell me that you do miss him. I miss him, too.


I have seen you come into your own. Some of you had some big changes happen in your life--divorces, moving to a new house, loved ones have become sick, loved ones have passed on, and then the good things--new puppies, new babies, new hobbies, new friends...


You have learned a lot about STEM. You have completed some awesome projects and never given up. Some of you have never stopped working and learning even on Fridays during Genius Hour. You could have taken the easy route, but continued to work hard. Your hard work will pay off. 


I also loved the handful of letters you wrote me for teacher appreciation week. I loved hearing thank you and I appreciated it more than you will ever know. I cried when I read your notes, and when my 6th graders came in for advisory--they thought they were dealing with a crazy person.


Thank you for getting me. For knowing when to cross the line--yes, the one behind my desk, and the one by the door.


You all mean a lot to me. I feel like I say it every year, but this one has been my favorite.


Thank you for dealing with me for three years. (And no, I am not moving on to high school with you. Neither you or I want that.) Be safe this summer.


:) Love, Mrs. Campbell

PBL Tip: Project Manager

I am lucky enough to be a teacher, and I am even more fortunate to have a sister who is also a teacher. We both teach middle school. She's an 8th grade Language Arts teacher, and I teach middle school STEM.

We talk everyday and compare notes about our classes. She was starting a project this week where they are integrating Language Arts and Social Social Studies, and her kids are creating a movie about a period in time.  It's her first try at project based learning, and she was a bit nervous.

She said the first day of the project was not good. Her kids were not buying in to the project. They were off task. They were messing around. 

She needed some help.

I told her to "have her kids elect a project manager. This person can then meet with you daily, they can grade their group, they can be the ones who remind people to be on task, etc." 

I have found once you create that sense of ownership, you have buy-in. 

I have done this in my class when they have a huge project. 

I told her, "you can switch your project  manager each week, after a couple days--but they have to meet with you--makes the kids feel important and needed."

So, I talked to my sister again yesterday. She said the project manager tip saved the project! It has made a huge difference!

Glad I could help, sister! 

Recap: Spring break with my 2 year old

Spring Break this year has been a little off.

Hubby's spring break was the week prior, which means it was the first time in about 9 years that we haven't been off together. It's been weird. Our schedules have been off at our house for 2 weeks, and I am a little worried about Monday morning and waking my girl up for her trip to Nana and Papa's.

On the other hand, it has been wonderful for me to spend some one on one time with my daughter.
We have been very busy.

Monday-Austin Zoo (Highly recommend for little ones! She got to see a tiger up close. I loved when she growled at the tiger.)
Tuesday-Cinderella at Alamo Drafthouse (It was baby day and I was glad my two year old wasn't the only one making noise.)
Wednesday-Gym and a trip to Southpark Meadows in Austin to play on the playground
Thursday-Shopping, Puppet Show at the San Marcos Library and planning flowers in the afternoon
Friday-Gym, HEB, and time to rest. (Where did the week go?)

Now, it is raining. We had been waiting all week for this "alleged" rain, and now its here.

Plus we have been watching my sister's two dogs (maybe that's why we were gone so much)....I can't do three dogs. It is way too much work and way too hard to walk all three of them...even when Kedzie has the little one.

There is a little part of me that is glad to get back to our routine, and I am really excited for the summer. I think we are going to have so much fun!


Naptime and Duke and Murphy have taken over poor Chauncey's bed.

Presenting at my first conference...some reflections

Back before Christmas, I applied to present at the Texas Project Lead the Way Conference. The conference was to be held in Corpus Christi and this year I have really gotten to pursue my newest passion—recruiting and retaining girls in my STEM program (And helping others to do the same.) As I have started my Masters Degree this year, I have really enjoyed learning from my girls and I wanted to share some of my action research.

I had worked on my presentation for about 5 hours, and I had the hubby proofread it and formatted some changes. I was fairly happy with it.

And then it came to my actual presentation.

First, the presenter that was before my session went a teeny bit long. However, she is an energetic presenter. I enjoyed hearing what she had to say AND to her credit, she did help me set up the projector along with the speakers.  I am so thankful for that because I was having some technical difficulties.

Then for some reason my mouse on my laptop became disabled. (It still is!) This was a bit of an issue when I wanted to show my Youtube Video—however a gentleman in the front row was sitting right there and he helped me with the middle secret mouse—you know the button on the keyboard of a laptop?

I refused to be one of those presenters that fumbles around and wastes peoples time while they try to get a video to buffer. But, then I had another video that I really wanted to show, and I could not find a way to embed it. It was this Verizon Commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP3cyRRAfX0, I was able to show it and it really is one of my favorites.

Some thoughts about my presentation:

1. It was really fun to present about a topic that I love.
2. I probably shouldn’t have used a baby picture of my daughter where she wasn’t wearing a top (especially when talking about equality for women). Thank you audience member for pointing that out.
3. I hadn’t prepared for a couple questions. One lady kept asking questions and I kept saying, “I will get to that….or that answer is coming up.” Please give me a break, lady. Another question that was asked was, “Can you legally separate and create boys and girls classes?” Truly, I don’t know if it is illegal. Everyone is doing it. That must make it right?
4. I am so glad I presented. When I graduated from high school many years ago, I would have never gotten up and talked to a room of about 50+ adults. (Adults are scary….kids I can handle.)
5. I hope people left with something to think about and some ideas for recruiting and retaining girls in their STEM programs.

To the lone girl in my STEM class

Dear Lady,

I call you "lady," (its probably not the most politically correct) but you are the only girl in our whole cast of boy athletes...minus the 2 or 3 boys who are more artsy and less fartsy than the others.

I want to let you know that I think you are brave. It is not easy to be the only girl in a class of all boys. I admire you and I see so much potential in you.

I am afraid that I am not doing enough. I can't protect you from the comments that the boys make under their breath, or the times that you work alone…when everyone else has a partner.

I want to encourage you, and I try not to gush at the fact that you work so hard. I know that your hard work is going to get you farther in life than having a pretty face. Luckily, you have a pretty face and a strong work ethic.

You make me want to shelter my own daughter, but push her at the same time. I know she will be the only girl in her kindergarten class that can use a soldering iron, know how to make a series circuit and how to write computer programs before she can read. I want to teach her about "girl power" and how to stand up to those "mean ol' boys."

I hope I can convince you to stay with my class again next year, although I don't blame you if you pick another elective.

I don't know if this means anything, but because of you--I plan to work even harder to recruit more girls in my classes for next year.

I hope you realize that even though you are the only girl, you don't have to be the first one to help me--or to offer to clean up after everyone leaves…even though I appreciate it.

So for now, just know I am cheering for you. You aren't totally alone…I am here, too.

Sincerely,

Your teacher