England Culture Club

After school two days a week I tutor kids through the 21st Century Bridge to Success grant. One day a week I also sponsor an enrichment club. There are several clubs kids can choose from but for the past two years I have been the sponsor for the "Culture Club" where kids learn about different countries and cultures around the world.

I started this club partly to help my kids from other countries share their country's history and culture. I teach about each country for about three weeks. Sometimes we watch movies or documentaries about the country. Usually I try to get some type of food from the country we're studying for the kids to try. We also do some type of craft and learn about the history and if I can I teach them a little of the language. My Culture Club has just finished studying about England. Our art project was to make Robin Hood hats.



While making the Robin Hood hats wasn't exactly easy (it even required a call to my mom to find out how much material to buy) the kids were able to finish their hats in one session and wear their hats home.

Since we used fabric glue instead of sewing the hats we watched Disney's animated Robin Hood while we waited for the glue to dry. The following week we finished our movie and had a tea party with scones and clotted cream and Earl Grey tea with sugar cubes. I had bought the plastic coffee cups at Doll's Market (so the hot tea wouldn't melt the otherwise Styrofoam cups). All the kids wanted to take their cups home so I let them.

---Stephanie

Biztown Field Trip

Two years ago I went with my fifth grade students on a field trip to Biztown. Biztown is a grant sponsored program where students learn to write checks, and advertisements. They also learn a little of how the work world runs with breaks and lunches scheduled. Students are put into groups of five or six students into various businesses. As with my last trip to Biztown I was in the newspaper shop or as it is called in Biztown, the Courier Journal. We started to day with a town meeting where everyone sat in front of their jobs. The people who run Biztown gave us an overview of what we would be doing for the day.




Each business had written a newspaper advertisement before coming to Biztown. The newspaper employees got busy typing the advertisements and then collecting the money. With several students as "advertising executives" (including the student below that is an ESL graduate and his friend who I had in 21st Century culture club) there were some disputes over who had to type and who got to ask for money from the CPAs at the other businesses. We also had several reporters busy typing stories and interviewing Biztown citizens and even the mayor. Our photographer also was busy taking pictures of all the activities. Perry would have been proud.

The reporters had some trouble getting started with ideas for writing. They had about nine pages of newspaper to fill and the interviews were rather short in the beginning. For some of the students this was the first time they were under the gun to produce a typed piece of writing. Typos in the newspaper could be a big problem, especially with one of my ESL students as a reporter.

To get started with the interviews the students first made a list of all the CEOs and CPAs (and the mayor) as important citizens of Biztown. They divided the list into groups and each reporter went of to interview those students that were playing those roles. Because Fairmont is a small school (at least for the time being) we were at Biztown with Green Valley, another school from our school district. They were given several businesses that they were in charge of and this year that included City Hall and the mayor's position. The reporters at the newspaper were anxious to meet the mayor and the other students from Green Valley.

Each computer in the newspaper office had a different computer program on it with labels at the top of the computer screens for who was supposed to be where. The programs were simplified software to enter articles, advertisements, or as in the case of the CPA, documenting checks and deposits. The CPA even had to print payroll checks since the "employees" got paid twice during their workday at Biztown. My after school tutoring student worked hard to get everything right.

After checks were collected from other businesses for advertisements or after someone purchased a newspaper the CPA would have to enter the amounts received and hand it to the CEO to take to the bank for deposit. Part of the learning experience was remembering which checks had already been recorded and which bill had already been paid.

Our CEO was in charge of the layout of the newspaper. He decided where the advertisements and articles would be placed. He was pretty quick to figure the software out. (Did I mention he is one of my graduates?) Ironically at least four of the newspaper staff were ESL.

Biztown also had a radio station that played music upon request and did shout outs. They also had radio advertisements for the businesses. They ran the equipment and the music played through loud speakers throughout the day.

I had helped the radio station employees prepare for the day. We had named the radio station DownTown music and had come up with a jingle. The students were anxious about what kind of music they would be playing. I had to settle a dispute between the country music and the pop music groups.

All three of the following kiddos are in my READ 180 group. They were working in the environmental shop. They collected recycling and made things out of the materials that were recyclable. What they made they then sold for a profit. It was a very cute program.

These three kiddos are also in my READ 180 class. They were working at UPS delivering supplies, and packages that students sent to each other.

The bank was a busy place with students learning how to make deposits and withdrawals. I had several students in the bank that were either READ 180 or ESL or in some cases both! It was great practice of their soft skills.

The bank CEO is also a ESL graduate. He was very careful when loaning money and making sure the loan payments were properly distributed.

The international shop was sponsored by Churchill Downs and was a gift shop. The TV station was busy filming an ad when I stopped by.

Lots of kiddos enjoyed stopping by the TV station. It seemed to be a little chaotic at times but it went well eventually.

Some of my lower English speakers worked at Walmart, the supply center. Without them the other shops wouldn't have been able to open since Walmart had all the supplies. Hmm...a little like real life in some ways.

They enjoyed getting all the things together and being needed.

We even had a restaurant. It was sponsored by Papa John's. The students were very upset to realize that they only sold lemonade and popcorn. They all had wanted to eat pizza.

Utility workers came around and read our meters...and then billed us! All the students then started to be more aware of turning out lights and such.

After everyone got their initial supplies from Walmart, they started to get replenishment. The newspaper desperately needed pencils.

At the end of the day another town meeting was called. CEOs were called up to discuss the day and give a report of how they did. It reminded me of Market Place on NPR. This was also a great economy lesson.

I was very proud of one of my READ 180 students who did a great job of being a CEO.

Our newspaper CEO received an award for such a great job, even though like the real world we didn't make much of a profit.

My student that was bank CEO did a great job also.

All of our students in 5th grade and some 4th graders were involved in some form or another.

---- Stephanie

Remembering winter

It snowed several times this winter - starting in December and then increasingly frequently and heavily in January and February. Stpehanie's school district had about a week's worth of snow days. These are various similar pictures of our home in the snow, but taken after different snowstorms.

Here's a picture of a snowplow at work down the street from us. We live in a suburb with some excellent services, including plowing of side streets like ours relatively early on. Our street is also quite wide for an old side street, which may make it easier to salt and plow.

We share a driveway with our next-door neighbor Diane. I often plowed first, but on her days off especially Stephanie got into the act, using our snow shovel and a broom to clear off the driveway. Below Diane and Stephanie join forces.

(Diane is our neighbor who knew the woman who lived in our house for 50 years before we did. When lights go on up in Vincent's room without anyone touching them - or occasionally other odd things - we say that Martha (or Mrs. Loran) is at it again. Stephanie - and to a lesser extent I - have stripped out much of the paint and wallpaper that this family had on the first floor. We still occasionally get mail for her. Diane tells us that she fell and went to a nursing home, but then came back and lived on a hospital bed in what is now our dining room before dying at home.)

This winter I actually liked shoveling. We didn't have any super heavy snows, and I always went out before it had turned to ice. Also, I sometimes shoveled after waking the dog or when I was dressed as if I was walking the dog. Either way, I would not be very cold (except for maybe my extremities). In fact, shoveling is hard work/good exercise, and so I might actually get hot pretty fast. With relatively light snow and not a huge area to shovel, I could get my part done in 20-30 minutes. Stephanie might shovel our walk and driveway much more thoroughly later. It took some of our neighbors much longer to shovel the sidewalk in front of their houses. The house, neighborhood, and area could be quite pretty snow, at least until it started melting - especially before other people had really started shoveling/plowing. One more set of winter pictures later.

-- Perry

Health time

Today Vincent – whom we picked up on Sunday night in Covington (see picture above)– goes to his psychiatrist in Jeffersonville. Later in the week he’ll go to our counselor and to our regular doctor. Today my Mother has an interview appointment with a nurse who works for the company that may provide her with long-term care insurance and then an appointment with her regular doctor scheduled (the latter may lead to other appointments). Some people theorize that some of her problems walking may reflect more than physical deterioration.

Three people we know died over the weekend: a woman who’d been attending our church, a family friend (and college friend of Mother’s) who I’d visited twice in Rochester (NY), and one of Stephanie’s aunt who we’d last seen at her cousin’s wedding. Mom and I may try to go to Phil’s committal service in Ohio in April. We also learned that some of the extended family members on Mom’s side of the family we visited at Thanksgiving have been ill. And Aunt Sandy, my Mother's sister, also has key doctor's appointments coming up.

So, in the past week, some folks who faced health problems no longer do so, and we’ll see how medical intervention helps Vincent and Grandma Martha, among others.

-- Perry

Thursday

Today's a big day. This morning - instead of on Monday - movers come to my Mother's old house to get whatever items are left (that weren't already stolen) to take to my sister and brother-in-law's in Virginia. This afternoon a staff meeting at Stephanie's school will reveal a host of changes there (including no doubt some staff changes) in connection with the school district's $6 million in budget cuts. I will continue to try to finish a draft of a report that was due on Monday. No definite plans yet for a Vincent transfer this weekend. My speech Wednesday did OK, and I got a lot of work done and checked in with my Organizing for America colleagues Wednesday also. Dog had an accident.

-- Perry

Bumpy week

Lots going on this week:
- My manager reminded me that I had missed a (somewhat abstract) deadline Monday, which is bad in all kinds of ways, all the more so with May 14 looming. I’m continuing to figure out how to focus more at work (and at this point at home) and scale back anything else I might be doing.
- Stephanie’s principal and her peers around the school district were at a meeting this afternoon after which they were to hear the budget bad news. Stephanie opted not to call her at home to hear whether she’s still got her job.
- Mom is now waiting until Monday for the movers to come to take whatever is left of the tools, furniture, and boxes of stuff that are going to my sister’s. Someone broke in and stole some of the tools last month.
- Stephanie’s mother and stepfather are working and watching as they have their upstairs renovated and figuring out how to cope with a cold downstairs.
- Vincent – slated to come here probably this weekend for a Tuesday doctor’s appointment – called about belatedly trying to get Internet access at home and an extension for his classes (one of which he was almost finished with), which I believe timed out Monday (ironically, same day I missed my work deadline).
- Stephanie’s father and she are making some plans.
- Mom and I are talking about Stephanie and my upcoming Tallahassee visit and what we will do to help her.
- Wednesday I give my fifth and final speech for the Toastmasters “Speaking to Inform” series. It’s a blast from the past – about sociological theorist Max Weber – but we’ll see if it’s also a precursor of things to come.

-- Perry

Car accident

A little more than a week after being at Bobby’s service, we’ve been to a couple of visitations in the past weekend. More harrowing, even, was visiting one of Stephanie’s English as a new language colleagues at the same downtown hospital rehab center where I visited another church member a month after he’d had a stroke. Stephanie has been to several conferences around Indiana with her colleagues – mainly from other schools – and then last July she and one of the middle school ENL teachers, Laura, went to the READ 180 conference in Nashville together, roomed together, and went on the ghost tour together. Practically the same month, Laura had gotten married to a man she’d known less than year and moved with him and her kids out to the country. During one of the snowstorms in February, she drove off the road and suffered a head injury (also in the car was her won, who turned out to be OK). It took four hours to get her to the hospital in Louisville and she was in coma or unconscious for a couple of weeks.

We visited her Sunday afternoon. Her brother and nephew had just flown in, but her new husband – who’s been there a lot – told us most what was going on. When we got there, Laura was taking her first shower. After she came out and sat in a wheel chair, she mainly stared into space or interacted with her husband. But she did smile at a joke Stephanie made and looked over at her (although I never heard her speak). I had never met her before. (I’ve visited one other person in the hospital after she suffered a head injury, but Laura’s injury seemed even more severe . . . ) She’s obviously made a lot of progress, but Stephanie said it’s hard to imagine she’d be ready to go back in the classroom. She and her husband are obviously very religious – in an upbeat way – but – even with the progress – it’s hard not to be sad too. Laura is probably going to come out a different person, for better or worse. Laura’s husband talked about some logistical issues too – like car registration, bank accounts, power of attorney. It makes you think – puts current challenges in perspective, make you wonder how things would go if we were in their shoes.

Say a prayer for Laura and her family.

-- Perry