Even though I just wrote a post about how great Eli has been feeling lately (breaking into song even) it must be said that physically he's had some challenges. He's been suffering some bowel issues. He'll love it when he finds out I've written about this. Anyway- somewhere along the line he did some research (cause that's what he does) on lactose intolerance and then convinced himself that he should cut out dairy. This causes me some distress as I am a lover of cheese. And yogurt. And ice cream. And anything made with any of these products. But I agreed to support a trial lactose free diet to test his hypothesis. Sure enough, a few weeks without lactose and he is feeling better. I have tried to point out that it's also been during a time when we've upped his fiber and fruit intake as I believe his problem may be more about the amount of starch he consumes, not the lactose. But he's firm about it being lactose. At one point I decided to make him re-introduce it. But that was doomed to failure from the start. As he drank the cup of milk he started clutching his belly. And once he starts to think he might be feeling poorly, he feels poorly. Really, who doesn't? So I decided the bring back the lactose campaign had to be more secretive. I've been sticking it into his breakfasts for a while here. Today I made pancakes with half lactose free milk, half lactose filled milk. If there are no complaints this morning, I will double my efforts this weekend. I don't want to poison him, just want to make sure we are avoiding lactose for a reason.
Whatever the lactose case may be, we've redoubled the efforts to feed the child early and often. He's spurting upward but still can't tip the scales at 80 pounds even when his clothes are wet. By law, he should still be in a booster seat, even though he's just a few years from driving. The kid is thin. If he only had my propensity toward snacking, we'd be fine.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
What a kid
Eli's in a good place these days. Frankly, he's been in a pretty good place for the past 12 years. But lately he's been feeling so good that he's been breaking into song. This morning I asked him to clean up the space around the rabbit cage. He sashayed into the room, grabbed the broom and began dancing and singing a narrative tune as he swept. When he finished I spotted a stray rabbit poop. I pointed out how it was just the size and shape to cause me serious damage if I was to step on it barefoot. On the surface it doesn't look nearly as dangerous as a stray lego, but I am recovering (slowly) from a doctor's vicious attempt to remove my plantars warts. I swear that if we ever experience a nuclear war two things will survive: cockroaches and my warts. I will not survive, but my warts will find a way to graft themselves onto the milling cockroaches. I guarantee it. This may all be too much information, but I think you'll find it worth it. You see, Eli took my (jesting) warning that if he didn't clean up that last piece of poop, it could be the end of me and made it into a song. He left for school this morning belting out these lyrics, "Oh! If I don't clean up the last little poop, my mom may step on it. And lodge it into her wart hole, where it will cause infection. Infection! And she will be poisoned and it will kill her! Woe is me! My mom will die! Of a rabbit poop in a wart hole!" Seriously walked down the block belting this out. All this after he did bother to sweep up the last poop. Love him.
Impressive work!
Every year at Avalon we ask our seniors to undertake a 300 hour project. We ask this at a time in their lives when many of their peers are just settling into a long and entertaining 'senior slide'. This can not happen at Avalon, as the kids are asked to be publicly accountable in the spring when they give 30 minute presentation on the accomplishments of the senior projects.
Each fall, when we bundle our senior class off to a small farm in Western Wisconsin to begin the senior project process on a retreat, we are met with skepticism and anxiety. The thought of identifying a topic on which to spend 300 plus hours is daunting indeed. But we've fine-tuned the process and are able to help most seniors find something that is relevant to their lives.
The winter passes with the seniors tucked into their research. Occasionally they come up for air to pull a prank, plan a prom, or contribute to the yearbook- but lots of time is spent with their heads down, making progress. Then comes spring- where each senior is expected to give a 30 minute public presentation.
Tonight I have several of my advisees presenting. Two of these young women have gone above and beyond in such a manner that it leaves me awed. Holly ended up spending 770 hours researching education reform. Her final 'deliverables' included a 45 page research paper that was built around the reading of 232 different sources. In this paper she lays out the history of the current educational system, the problems with this system, and then a blueprint for change. Along the way she brought tears to my eyes with her impassioned prose about the topic. Seriously. Tears over a research paper on education reform. I'm soft, but that took some talent. On top of that, she led the charge in a lobbying effort with the organization Education Evolving. The results of this effort was the passing of a bill that will increase the scope of PSEO opportunities and individualized learning in the state of Minnesota. Then there's Ruby- a soft spoken brilliant artist. She took on the task of studying folktales from around the world. Then she selected four tales from different corners of the globe, researched the artistic trends in those cultures, and sat down to the task of creating an illustrated retelling of the four stories. Her final product is of professional quality. She is quietly thrilled with the results.
Both of these young women put in double the time and effort required not because they were hoping to grab some low hanging 'extra credit' from me or any other teacher. They were not trying to please us- although please us they did- but they did this work because it was amazingly relevant to goals they have set for their futures, and beyond that, they loved what they were doing! Both girls had enough credit and standards to graduate in the spring. But they undertook the senior project challenge because they saw the worth of it. They saw how they could grow and learn through it. When is the last time an adult has had the glorious opportunity to dedicate 700 hours of intense work on something that enthralls us? What an opportunity!
It has truly been an honor to work with these two young women, and the rest of the Avalon Class of 2012 this past year. They have proven to me once again that our quiet little education revolution we are staging in St. Paul is worth the time and effort we all put in to it.
Each fall, when we bundle our senior class off to a small farm in Western Wisconsin to begin the senior project process on a retreat, we are met with skepticism and anxiety. The thought of identifying a topic on which to spend 300 plus hours is daunting indeed. But we've fine-tuned the process and are able to help most seniors find something that is relevant to their lives.
The winter passes with the seniors tucked into their research. Occasionally they come up for air to pull a prank, plan a prom, or contribute to the yearbook- but lots of time is spent with their heads down, making progress. Then comes spring- where each senior is expected to give a 30 minute public presentation.
Tonight I have several of my advisees presenting. Two of these young women have gone above and beyond in such a manner that it leaves me awed. Holly ended up spending 770 hours researching education reform. Her final 'deliverables' included a 45 page research paper that was built around the reading of 232 different sources. In this paper she lays out the history of the current educational system, the problems with this system, and then a blueprint for change. Along the way she brought tears to my eyes with her impassioned prose about the topic. Seriously. Tears over a research paper on education reform. I'm soft, but that took some talent. On top of that, she led the charge in a lobbying effort with the organization Education Evolving. The results of this effort was the passing of a bill that will increase the scope of PSEO opportunities and individualized learning in the state of Minnesota. Then there's Ruby- a soft spoken brilliant artist. She took on the task of studying folktales from around the world. Then she selected four tales from different corners of the globe, researched the artistic trends in those cultures, and sat down to the task of creating an illustrated retelling of the four stories. Her final product is of professional quality. She is quietly thrilled with the results.
Both of these young women put in double the time and effort required not because they were hoping to grab some low hanging 'extra credit' from me or any other teacher. They were not trying to please us- although please us they did- but they did this work because it was amazingly relevant to goals they have set for their futures, and beyond that, they loved what they were doing! Both girls had enough credit and standards to graduate in the spring. But they undertook the senior project challenge because they saw the worth of it. They saw how they could grow and learn through it. When is the last time an adult has had the glorious opportunity to dedicate 700 hours of intense work on something that enthralls us? What an opportunity!
It has truly been an honor to work with these two young women, and the rest of the Avalon Class of 2012 this past year. They have proven to me once again that our quiet little education revolution we are staging in St. Paul is worth the time and effort we all put in to it.
Transforming education
My little school has recently won three awards. One of them, the Bronze Award as a Best US High School from US News & World Report, we're not too sure why we got it. It looks to be based on test scores. And while our students tend to do ok on standardized tests, it is not our focus. Still, we'll take an award if they are handing them out. But the other two- the State and National Promising Practice Awards- those two were made for us. They were given by organizations that are looking to promote character education. The other schools who won the state award did so because of one highlighted 'one and done' character building activity. I nominated our school not for one distinct activity, but for our practice of embedding project based learning into a multi-aged advisory based system. Students at Avalon are placed in an advisory for the entirety of their career in either the high or middle schools. These advisories are led by a licensed teacher (or two in the case of lucky people who get to job share) and consist of students in all grades in that program. My 9-12 grade advisory has 21 kids. If they stay at Avalon their entire HS career, I could be their advisor that whole time.
How does this build character? Well, one could argue that hanging out with me for four years is certainly a test of character. But that's not it. Within these advisories we figure out how to work together, how to support each other, how to mediate differences, and how to plan projects that will benefit the greater community. Every day in these advisories kids interact in real and meaningful ways. They are constantly accountable to others for their actions and their words. And they have the opportunity to keep others accountable as well. The multi-age format allows kids to flow through several different, distinct roles within the small community. The freshman boy who seems to be lighthearted comic relief for everyone can really take a leadership turn as he matures and has earned the respect of others. No one is stuck in the role that their 'class' has given him or her, because the group gently morphs throughout anyone's tenure. Seniors move on out into the world, and new students transfer in. It's wonderful to watch these kids grow and stretch within this safe group.
The real highlight of our system, however, is our five day service week experience each spring. The advisories spend the fall and winter planning a weeks of activities that will benefit some outside group/organization. This year we volunteered our time with the St. Paul Parks, undertaking some serious weeding out in gorgeous parks during a beautiful spring week. Students who have trouble sitting still and focusing in the school environment were given the chance to shine in a new, more active role outside. And students who had shouldered the burden of leadership under 'normal' circumstances were given the opportunity to sit back, relax, and just do as told for a change. And we accomplish impressive work at the same time.
I brought four classy students with me to the state Capitol last week in order to claim our prize. They were glad to be out of the confines of school for an afternoon. But all of them looked at this as more than an opportunity to change it up and get out for a bit- they saw it as a chance for Avalon (and themselves) to be honored for the hard work we do in our attempt to start an education revolution.
How does this build character? Well, one could argue that hanging out with me for four years is certainly a test of character. But that's not it. Within these advisories we figure out how to work together, how to support each other, how to mediate differences, and how to plan projects that will benefit the greater community. Every day in these advisories kids interact in real and meaningful ways. They are constantly accountable to others for their actions and their words. And they have the opportunity to keep others accountable as well. The multi-age format allows kids to flow through several different, distinct roles within the small community. The freshman boy who seems to be lighthearted comic relief for everyone can really take a leadership turn as he matures and has earned the respect of others. No one is stuck in the role that their 'class' has given him or her, because the group gently morphs throughout anyone's tenure. Seniors move on out into the world, and new students transfer in. It's wonderful to watch these kids grow and stretch within this safe group.
The real highlight of our system, however, is our five day service week experience each spring. The advisories spend the fall and winter planning a weeks of activities that will benefit some outside group/organization. This year we volunteered our time with the St. Paul Parks, undertaking some serious weeding out in gorgeous parks during a beautiful spring week. Students who have trouble sitting still and focusing in the school environment were given the chance to shine in a new, more active role outside. And students who had shouldered the burden of leadership under 'normal' circumstances were given the opportunity to sit back, relax, and just do as told for a change. And we accomplish impressive work at the same time.
I brought four classy students with me to the state Capitol last week in order to claim our prize. They were glad to be out of the confines of school for an afternoon. But all of them looked at this as more than an opportunity to change it up and get out for a bit- they saw it as a chance for Avalon (and themselves) to be honored for the hard work we do in our attempt to start an education revolution.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Something else I adore
I've been lucky enough to work only 3 days a week for the last decade. Decade. It's truly a gift. I get to share out my time between a job I love and a family I adore. My Tuesdays and Fridays are spent hunting and gathering for the SageMart team at the local grocery stores as well as tending to my garden in season. It also gives me a chance to workout, do the laundry, and sometimes even clean the house off the 'family time' clock. Weekends and evenings can be devoted to hanging with this great posse. I am so grateful to Jon for working 5 (long) days each week so that I can have this time to devote to the running of this family. I like to think that I do work full time. Just .6 of it receives a paycheck and a title. The other .4 might be filed under "Household Captain" and the pay comes in 'comp time' in the evenings and weekends with fewer errands and chores hanging over our heads. And I do like to think that if I were ever to get evaluated as a Household Captain that I would come out looking ok. I'm a master of efficiency and pack a lot into the 6 hours the boys are absent. I also need to give myself a little self-adoration for my management of this household's resources. I can take a look at a fridge full of leftovers and odds and ends and create a fresh new meal that no one knows was whipped up out of oddballs. I mean the kids never even questioned the presence of turnips in their tacos, they were that good!
Another reason I love being home two days a week is the chance to sneak into Expo. My volunteering gigs aren't that important in terms of helping kids make academic strides, but I like to think that one more adult taking time to find out how they are doing does make some kind of difference. My favorite part of being at Expo these days is seeing all the third and fourth graders toting around such huge books. Any time there is a spare moment, kids in Theo's class pop their noses into Harry Potter or The Hunger Games or whatever the latest fad might be. And the fad's lately have been challenging! These kids are not just reading Captain Underpants (although that certainly has its place) but they are making their way through some serious texts. Early and often. I am so glad to have found a school and a classroom where the culture supports some serious dedication to reading!
Another reason I love being home two days a week is the chance to sneak into Expo. My volunteering gigs aren't that important in terms of helping kids make academic strides, but I like to think that one more adult taking time to find out how they are doing does make some kind of difference. My favorite part of being at Expo these days is seeing all the third and fourth graders toting around such huge books. Any time there is a spare moment, kids in Theo's class pop their noses into Harry Potter or The Hunger Games or whatever the latest fad might be. And the fad's lately have been challenging! These kids are not just reading Captain Underpants (although that certainly has its place) but they are making their way through some serious texts. Early and often. I am so glad to have found a school and a classroom where the culture supports some serious dedication to reading!
An Ode to FruitShare
Not really, because poetry is something I don't dabble in. But I need to voice my love for this organization. Every two weeks we get a box of fresh, organic fruit delivered to our door. All the fruit comes from small farms and comes with little stories about life on that particular farm. Last delivery was turned into the most amazing avacado-pineapple-mango salsa I ever did have. I could try to replicate with fruit from the grocery store, but the quality just can not be matched and you taste that. This week it was a mixed box of strawberries, avacados, citrus, kiwis, and apples. So far I've only dug into the strawberries and they were so packed with flavor I have vowed, at least for a while, to never buy a strawberry at a store again. I can't wait til strawberry picking season begins. My freezer is empty and awaits the restocking season to begin! http://www.fruitshare.com/
The Joys of Working with Teens
I love my job. Partly because I work with an incredible team of professionals. We are a co-op, so we are our own bosses, and we treat each other well, have high expectations, and know how to have fun. What more could you ask for in a boss? But the other reason I love my job is I love the teenage mind. With all its weird logic patterns and inconsistencies. Here are two recent situations that made me laugh:
We start every morning at Avalon with an advisory check-in. I share an advisory with Carrie, my job-share partner. We have 21 kids in grades 9 through 12. We will have these kids their entire Avalon high school careers, so we get to know them well. The check-ins range from serious social issues to something such as "What was your best Halloween costume ever?" This week is Service Week, where all 'normal' learning (and normal is extremely relative at Avalon) is suspended and each advisory undertakes a week long service learning project. Our advisory is working with the St. Paul Park system, doing some gardening and other clean-up. So we started the week with a check-in about parks. Here's how the conversation went:
Me: Ok, how about for a check-in...What is your favorite park?
Student: No! How about what's the weirdest thing you have ever found at a park?
Advisory: yes! No! favorite park! Weirdest thing!
A debate breaks out, which actually, I love. They are engaged and energized. But then...
Carrie: No- favorite park. I don't think I want to know what kind of weird things you have found.
A student eagerly raises his hand to start the check-in:
Student A: A baggie full of toe nail clippings!
Carrie: Wait- it was your favorite park! Not weirdest thing!
Me: Wait! Why would anyone put their toe nail clippings in a baggy while they are in a park? But let's get back to favorite park.
Student B: Ok, I have a favorite park. Three bottles of urine!
A chorus breaks out: Ha! What? How did you know they were urine? Smell test? Taste test?
Me: Wait! Why would someone bottle up their urine in a park? Isn't that one place you could probably just let it go...
Student: Hoarders, Gretchen, hoarders.
Eventually the conversation does come back around to favorite parks- and they have some nice ones, from the corner park with a wicked playset to Glacier. All in all, that 20 minutes of advisory check-in time is some precious moments. Seriously. I love the window into the teenage head. And soul.
The second conversation happened after I had busted two of my senior guys coming back late from Open Lunch- a privilege they currently were not supposed to be enjoying, it having been revoked for issues earlier in the week. These two guys are great kids, but seniors, and close to the end, and feeling the need to stretch their legs a bit. But I busted them and I was pretty frustrated with the amount of time I was needing to spend re-directing them that week.
Me: Guys. This is getting really old. I am moving beyond frustrated.
They offered some excuses, which even they knew were lame and we went back and forth for a while. It started getting a little tense. Then:
Senior 1: Wait. Gretchen. If you could do what you would like to do to us right now, would you get fired?
Me: Good question. Yes.
Senior 2: What would you like to do?
Me: Well. You asked, so....
And I told them. But I don't think I want to put that in print. It wasn't outrageous, just honest. And they laughed and realized how close to the end of my rope I actually was. Their attitudes changed, I got something that seemed real close to an honest apology and we all went about our day with smiles.
I think in a different high school setting, that convo with those boys could have escalated into a stupid power struggle which would have gotten us all nowhere. But since I have known these fools for years and I do respect them and trust them and know that they do make good choices 90% of the time, we were able to get to a place where we all understood each other and figured out how to keep working with each other. At least for the time being. Still five weeks to go. Hoping I never have to do what I told them I wanted to do. Cause I would get fired. Which in my case would mean I'd have to help fire myself. And I would.
We start every morning at Avalon with an advisory check-in. I share an advisory with Carrie, my job-share partner. We have 21 kids in grades 9 through 12. We will have these kids their entire Avalon high school careers, so we get to know them well. The check-ins range from serious social issues to something such as "What was your best Halloween costume ever?" This week is Service Week, where all 'normal' learning (and normal is extremely relative at Avalon) is suspended and each advisory undertakes a week long service learning project. Our advisory is working with the St. Paul Park system, doing some gardening and other clean-up. So we started the week with a check-in about parks. Here's how the conversation went:
Me: Ok, how about for a check-in...What is your favorite park?
Student: No! How about what's the weirdest thing you have ever found at a park?
Advisory: yes! No! favorite park! Weirdest thing!
A debate breaks out, which actually, I love. They are engaged and energized. But then...
Carrie: No- favorite park. I don't think I want to know what kind of weird things you have found.
A student eagerly raises his hand to start the check-in:
Student A: A baggie full of toe nail clippings!
Carrie: Wait- it was your favorite park! Not weirdest thing!
Me: Wait! Why would anyone put their toe nail clippings in a baggy while they are in a park? But let's get back to favorite park.
Student B: Ok, I have a favorite park. Three bottles of urine!
A chorus breaks out: Ha! What? How did you know they were urine? Smell test? Taste test?
Me: Wait! Why would someone bottle up their urine in a park? Isn't that one place you could probably just let it go...
Student: Hoarders, Gretchen, hoarders.
Eventually the conversation does come back around to favorite parks- and they have some nice ones, from the corner park with a wicked playset to Glacier. All in all, that 20 minutes of advisory check-in time is some precious moments. Seriously. I love the window into the teenage head. And soul.
The second conversation happened after I had busted two of my senior guys coming back late from Open Lunch- a privilege they currently were not supposed to be enjoying, it having been revoked for issues earlier in the week. These two guys are great kids, but seniors, and close to the end, and feeling the need to stretch their legs a bit. But I busted them and I was pretty frustrated with the amount of time I was needing to spend re-directing them that week.
Me: Guys. This is getting really old. I am moving beyond frustrated.
They offered some excuses, which even they knew were lame and we went back and forth for a while. It started getting a little tense. Then:
Senior 1: Wait. Gretchen. If you could do what you would like to do to us right now, would you get fired?
Me: Good question. Yes.
Senior 2: What would you like to do?
Me: Well. You asked, so....
And I told them. But I don't think I want to put that in print. It wasn't outrageous, just honest. And they laughed and realized how close to the end of my rope I actually was. Their attitudes changed, I got something that seemed real close to an honest apology and we all went about our day with smiles.
I think in a different high school setting, that convo with those boys could have escalated into a stupid power struggle which would have gotten us all nowhere. But since I have known these fools for years and I do respect them and trust them and know that they do make good choices 90% of the time, we were able to get to a place where we all understood each other and figured out how to keep working with each other. At least for the time being. Still five weeks to go. Hoping I never have to do what I told them I wanted to do. Cause I would get fired. Which in my case would mean I'd have to help fire myself. And I would.
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