It's that Giving time of year again in room 219!

Once again it's that time of year where the Global Perspectives in Literature Honors students (formerly Humanities) embark on their charitable journeys. This year we have students who are volunteering in so many different capacities--from planting trees to helping the sick to helping the homeless to helping the animals. I am always sooo proud of my students inside the classroom, but when they happily step outside of the classroom on their own, to experience the real world and possibly never be the same again, it is absolutely humbling. I admire them all and can't wait to read their papers and their posts which will all appear periodically below in the "comments" section of the 219 blog. Ready, set, VOLUNTEER!

Happy Halloween?

Has it really snowed on Halloween? Am I really looking out at my backyard and not New Milford's courtyard? What a short strange year it's been so far....

Charity begins at New Milford High School

Hi guys!

For those of you who are spending some time with your charities during the holiday break, please feel free to comment/post on this blog! I'd love to hear about it before you even start writing your research paper-- also, I am sure your classmates would LOVE to read what you have been spending your time doing at your charity locations!

Hope to hear from you all soon!

WE ARE BACK FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR!

Coming soon:

The Other Wes Moore
One Name, Two Fates

a memoir by Wes Moore

"The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine.

The tragedy is that my story could have been his." -- Wes Moore

Is Miss Schiff really leaving =( ???

Oh, no our life is about to change

our emotions are up and down the range

of sadness, grief and suddenly fear--

Collentine's return is almost here!

It's been so good with a teacher whose young,

she knows what we listen to and where we come from.

With Collentine you never know,

is her joke for fun or your source of woe?

Just when someone knew our first names

Here comes Collentine and her last name games!

On Moaty, on Tiu-y, on Dickman on Teets

On Rizza on Ruby, on Rocky on .....

WHAT RHYMES WITH TEETS?

Yes back comes the teacher we love to hate

because Miss Schiff has to go and graduate!

So take a breath cuz it's gonna be rough

as we watch Miss Schiff pack up her stuff.

Perhaps we'll be kind and not make a scene

OH NO THERE'S THE LATE BELL AND

HERE COMES COLLENTINE!

It's snowing in the gym wing!

It's snowing in the gym wing

who knew that it could be
so cold inside a building

yet outside so sunny.

There's a blizzard in the art room

down there you'll catch a chill.

Out in the courtyard kids are sweating!

Let's pray for a fire drill!

You need warm boots in Italian,

a scarf in chorus and band,

a sweater down in guidance

and mittens on each hand!

It's snowing in the gym wing
"cold" is now the golden rule;

Do you think we could complain enough

to get a snow day called in school?

A "tail" of two cities

I am not really sure what happened but there I was, just standing straight up minding my own business, alphabetically like usual-- and a little dustier than usual if I do admit to it myself-- when suddenly I feel something yank me from position and I am flying through the air toward some kind of bright light! One minute looking at the floor...the next minute swinging up and looking straight ahead towards a doorway! Floor...doorway...floor...doorway...floor...doorway! That's when I realize someone has grabbed me off my spot on the shelf and has me in their hand! Where am I going? Will I ever be right side up again??? Just as I start to feel nauseous, I am upright again. Some blonde lady opens me up and begins to stare at me. She just stares and stares and stares. Occasionally she turns one of my pages. She seems quite interested in me. Once in a while she puts me on her lap as she leans over to get a sip of soda. The sun feels warm on me (especially with my jacket on! LOL) and this lady seems to be enjoying the sun, too! Occasionally she answers a text message or makes a phone call. Suddenly, however, just when I am beginning to like this new life (and I thought she was enjoying my company, too??!!) she shoves me into a bag next to a dog leash, a box of cookies and a beach blanket! It's dark in here for quite sometime until she finally takes me out and I see a beautiful lake, a man fishing and a cute little puppy! Wow, this is what all the other books were talking about: life out of Barnes and Noble! Who knew? But wait, suddenly there is an intense pain shooting through me...my "skin" is ripping and I'm getting slobbered all over! OMG the dog is eating me!!!

The best of votes, the worst of votes...

The votes are in, we know the "win,"

Merridew's jealous all over again.
And that Dickens guy,
though up in Heaven,
is impressed with the taste of period 7!
Just 3 votes for Caesar, that's hardly a thing,
it's like once again he can't be the king.
I'd hate for Shakespeare to think you were cheats,
I'd never want to read: "Et tu, Teets?"
So hail to Lucie, Carton and Darnay,
it was a landslide, from the very first day.

A picture is worth 55 words...

All this week seemed to be filled with just waiting...

waiting for the week's rain to stop falling down

waiting for the sun to finally come out

waiting for Friday to get here too

so that I can get home

because I love my husband

and puppy so much

and because they're

waiting for

me.

Black and White

My question to the Holocaust survivors...

Yesterday the students watched
a video of Elie Wiesel going back to Auschwitz.
He used to be 15-- in black and white.
Today he is 82-- in living color.
He approaches Auschwitz, on a bus this time,
riding, silently, staring out the window.
Underneath a bright blue sky
birds are chirping,
grass is waving bright green in the breeze--
but it doesn't seem to fit.
Everything I've seen and learned
of the
Holocaust
is in
black and white.
Photographs of the victims,
the perpetrators,
train tracks,
the camps,
barracks,
Hitler...
all images of gray and black and white--
such a dark and black time seems
fitting to stay that way...
Elie gets off the bus and
steps on to the dirt path that
leads back to his dark past.
Birds fly overhead and white cumulous clouds
brag a bright beautiful day.
I never imagined birds chirping
while the
Holocaust went on.
I never painted the sky blue as I read the books
and watched old newsreels.
How did the sun have the guts to come out
back then?
How did any bird find a song
as it flew above what was happening below?
Yes, black and white seems much more fitting
for such a time and place in the world...
How did anyone find "technicolor" in the world again?

"Found Poem"

(What a word!) (17)

Anguish (7)
"All Jews outside! Hurry!" (13)
parting...forever (27)
Night. (18)
Flames. (25)
"Men to the left! Women to the right!" (27)
My father wept. (16)
We settled in. (17)
Never. (32)

"Auschwitz camp's stolen sign recovered in 3 pieces"

Since beginning to read Night, by Elie Wiesel, my 9th grade class has been mesmerized. This, in large part due to the experience and effort of student teacher, Ms. Schiff. She comes in every day ready to impart the lessons Wiesel has left us through his memoir; the students come in each day ready to learn them.

Arbeit Macht Frei.
"Work sets you free."
We discussed these infamous words one day as we read about Elie first seeing them upon entrance to Auschwitz.
Arbeit Macht Frei.
I could tell the students were uneasy. They knew what it didn't mean.
A student mentioned hearing that recently the sign had been stolen.
Miss Schiff did her homework-- and then gave us some.
"Read these articles," she said. "Let's hear what you have to say. Blog about it."
Arbeit Macht Frei.
I recalled discussing this act of theft in G&T last year and I remembered my heart sinking,
"What next?" I had thought to myself...
Tonight, the article I have for Miss Schiff's assignment reads in part: the theft was "an attack on the remembrance of the Holocaust...a desecration." It goes on to say that apparently the theives had split the sign into three; perhaps to sell it three times and make three separate profits.
They must have been thinking:
Money sets you free.
Poor them.
Because we know differently.
The truth sets you free, and the truth is only this:
love, compassion, dignity-- for all and to all.

Still sunny after all these months...

When I look outside

at the

sun Sun SUN!

I wonder what

I'm doing

in here.

That azure blue sky

covered

by the slate gray

ceiling of

New Milford High.

working working working

teaching teaching teaching

waiting waiting waiting

for the

sun Sun SUN!

and all of a sudden

there it is--

Santa Claus in March!

I never stopped believing...

And we're off....

Thoughts on today March 6, 2010:

Sunny
blue sky
dog barking
window cleaning
front doors open
this is spring
time to smile
stop waiting
it's here
in your
own
backyard!