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Filed under: Yankees

any tricks?

Here in St. Louis we abide by the old rules: kids have to tell a joke (trick) to get their candy. Laura was amazed when she moved to other parts of the country and learned that kids do not, in fact, have to say anything at all to get candy. (She was even more shocked to find that we Hayses usually found a good movie at the theater on Halloween so as to avoid the trick-0r-treaters altogether.)

So Sophia and Ira need some good jokes. Do you have any cheesy jokes you want to share? …appropriate for a six and a four year old. Geez, it’s bad when I have to reprimand my blogging audience to keep it clean.

On a similar note, we’re really homesick for Brooklyn right now. We loved this time of year in Brooklyn. It was on Halloween that we met and got to know Jodi, Anson and Roan. We’ve spend every Halloween since with them hanging out on our stoop on Hoyt St. The neighborhood kids would come and hang with us as well. We would order pizza, drink soda and hand out candy to any and every one. (Oh, and Jodi would get hit on by pre-teens.) We’re gonna make new memories and start new traditions here in The Lou (get ready Pribish clan!) and we’re excited about that. But to all our Halloween compadres back in bklyn: BOO!

Filed under: Brooklyn, family, friends, holidays

pennants and tees, tees and pennants

Okay, so it’s time I post some pics of the pennants and tees you sent my way. This post is long overdue so I hope you’ll forgive me.

I can’t tell you how cool my room looks thanks to the pennants and tees. Not only do my kids love the room but my colleagues do as well. And this past Thursday and Friday, I had parent-teacher conferences and every parent who showed up (14 of 22, not bad!) said something like, “So these are the colleges I keep hearing about.”

So here are some pictures to help you visualize the room. Someday I’ll take you on a video tour of my room but for now, check out the pictures. And if you don’t see the tee or pennant you sent me, never fear, it’s up somewhere in the room. It just may not have been captured in these set of pictures.

Filed under: Uncategorized

anyone out there?

Okay, so this video is 13 minutes long. I so know you don’t have 13 minutes to kill but the stories are good. I promise.

Filed under: teaching

love me some office max…and lone star lifer!

A friend of mine is a blogger who calls herself “Lone Star Lifer.” Not long ago, she wrote a post about what I’m up to and went on to nominate me as the teacher who should win a $100 Office Max gift certificate. My friend must be pretty convincing. I won. She called me with the news today. I was totally excited. She asked, “What will you use the money for?”

COPY PAPER! Woo-hoo!

She went on to say that she’s sending me more stuff like books and such. Lone Star Lifer is going above and beyond and I’m so incredibly grateful. She then went on to say that there is yet another Office Max giveaway but that she was ineligible to nominate me again.

So what do you say you go over to Lone Star Lifer’s blog and find out where you need to go and what you need to do to score me some more change to spend at Office Max? Pretty please?

———-

This is a conversation I had with a student today.

Student – Mr. Hays, I told my mom I want to go to Yale University.

Me – Yeah?

Student – Yeah, so then we looked it up and Mom says that it’s in Connecticut. She said that’s a long way from here but that if I really want to go there, she would help me get there.

Me – So do you really want to go there?

Student – Well, didn’t you say it’s one of the best colleges there is?

Me – Yes.

My student looks at me like I’m crazy and says – I want to go to the best school there is, Mr. Hays.

Point taken. Reach for the stars, my dear students, reach for the stars.

Filed under: friends, teaching

overwhelmed…with joy

Okay, let’s get real. Yeah, I’m pretty overwhelmed with all the things I need to do right now. I’ve got three classes worth of grad work due in two weekends. On Friday, I have to turn in my next set of five week lesson plans that cover five teaching subjects. And I desperately want to start building a culture of success in my classroom but most of my students have yet to get over their fear and distrust of academia. I’m constantly thinking about how I can partner with them so they can start feeling comfortable in school.

But even with all that bearing down on me, I’m overwhelmed with joy today. My Donors Choose project was funded in a week and a half. And it was no small project! Thanks to many of you, my students will soon be enjoying new technology that will enhance their learning experiences. On top of that, a friend wrote a very encouraging blog. It is certainly too much but I sure appreciate others going to bat on my behalf. And even though I’m not spending as much time as I would like with my family these days, I’m encouraged at how well, how happy they all are. Laura’s amazing and the kids are doing well. As I wrote to a friend the other day, “Opal’s fat. Real fat. And so very, very adorable. Ira’s the life of the party trying to make any and everyone laugh. And Sophia’s still her sweet self…all the while looking for ways to run the show.”

So yeah, there’s stress but joy overflows.

Filed under: Blogging, family, teaching

donors choose project

I proposed a project to the Donors Choose folks and they accepted my proposal. So….my first project is up and running on their website. I know you guys have given a ton already but this would greatly enhance my teaching and the learning experience of the kids. Click on the picture, check it out and give a bit if you can!

http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=320442

Filed under: Uncategorized

superstars

In each one of these kids is a brilliance known and unknown. My hope is to highlight and enhance what brilliance may already be discovered or be a partner in helping them find the brilliance that may not yet be discovered. These, my friends, are Superstars.

Filed under: teaching

tgif!

I wrote this to my friend, Casey, who is sending me a NYU pennant.

It’s 7:40 and in exactly 25 minutes my class will be humming with the activity of excited yet anxious 4th graders. They’ll be excited because, well, it’s Friday. Who doesn’t get excited about Fridays? [Right. Ministers don't. Kinda forgot about that feeling.] Anyway, they’ll be anxious because they took a math test on Wednesday and the goal is to always reach a class average of 80% on tests. They are so ready to know if they reached the goal. They didn’t. They got a 79.23 average. D’OH! So close but the reality will help spur them on. For whatever reason, they have really bought into my plan of producing high level work and it will kill them today to see the red dot just below the 80% mark on the public tracker. As a teacher, it will be great to hear the moans as they walk in the room and discover the red mark. They want to do good. For now, they want to do right by me. And that’s fine. But now it is my job to move them to where they want to do well for themselves. And that’s where all the college pennants and such will come into play. I’ve got a ton already and am anxiously awaiting others. Thank you for even caring enough for these faceless, random 4th graders to send goods our way. With your help, this is going to be a great year.

Filed under: teaching

I CAN

This is just one way my students are going to start imagining their post high school options. Everyday they’ll look up on the walls of their classroom and be surrounded by university gear.

At some point, they will be required to pick one of the colleges and write a report about it. They’ll then share that report with the class.

Thanks to Clay from Arkansas and Cyndi from NYC for sending these. I’m so ready to receive more, more, more! Yeah, I’m greedy.

Bring it.

Filed under: teaching