Erin, what grade and class?

Coke Zero does have caffiene in it. So it's not zero zero, just zero calories.

Also, I have to teach a 20 minute lesson plan in front of hiring committee and to a few students.

Suggestions on portfolio and/or lesson plan from teachers? I have computer access till 5 pm.

Erin--

I really suggest doing a short poem or a short vingette so the students have time to read and then be actively engaged in the lesson.

Some things to remember (speaking from serving on more hiring committees than I can count, and please don't be offended if your response is "well DUH!" to these; I'm just trying to cover some of the mistakes I've seen new teachers make):

• make sure you pick something age/level appropriate--not too challenging (20 minutes is super short) but also not too easy (boredom/no room for analysis or interpretation or thinking)
• don't do anything controversial--but also don't do something that's been done a billion times, like the two roads in the woods Frost poem
• make sure that your lesson is structured so that the students speak more than you do. You can accomplish this through Socratic discussion, small group work, or student-led Q&A, but make sure you don't lecture the whole time
• be friendly and learn names--I suck at this, so I have them put their names on a sticker or in front of them on the table so I can call them by name when we're talking
• make sure you're in charge without being overbearing
• ENJOY YOURSELF! They will sense it, and it makes all the difference in the world.

Good luck!

Has anyone had word of our darling Fay?

Back from camping weekend;

Did you have fun?

Has anyone had word of our darling Fay?

Just via meara's LJ posts. She's in Cairo right now.

I feel icky today, but I finally got some sleep.

Lily is getting so big and even more beautiful. She doesn't look like a newborn anymore.

I think I'll call today a success if I can make it through without smacking any customers up the side of the head.

Any day in retail is a success if you don't maim the customers.

I love those page up things, vw. I give one to anyone going away to college.

{{{vw}}} Feel better.

I need to pick up some of my favorite British tea in decaf, though. Then I'll be set.

Which tea is this, Cashmere?

We're in the midst of bottle weaning. Owen no like. He took a kitchen spatula and banged it on the coffee table this morning very angrily when I wouldn't give him one. The look on his face was priceless. I gave him a sippy cup instead.

Awww. Owen makes the cutest faces.

I severely hate today. Doctor Wordy is back. Gaze upon her works, ye mighty, and despair. Behold a single sentence, transcribed verbatim, which she intended to convey necessary information about a patient's vital signs (all identifiers removed, so I'm assuming this is HIPAA-compliant, and God, I need to vent because I have almost two hours more of this shit to do, which will take me about another five hours):

He remains afebrile with heart rates 68-107 bpm, respiratory rates 14-20 bpm, and mean arterial blood pressures earlier in the day with a range of 126 to 158 over 83-94, but this came down through the night and his systolics through the night have been 115-140 over diastolics of 68-95, but most of the time less than 80.

The fuck? Believe it or not, English is DW's first language.

I've been too lazy to buy any diet coke for the last two days. Thus, I've been drinking water instead.

I kind of like it. Caffeine free, weird additives free (well, maybe not, this being NYC tap water, but it's closer), and thirst-quenchingly good.

Between that, and the fact that I bought a bunch of fruit today and ate organic yogurt with granola and berries for lunch, it's almost like I'm becoming a health nut.

I kind of like it. Caffeine free, weird additives free (well, maybe not, this being NYC tap water, but it's closer), and thirst-quenchingly good.

The first thing that popped into my head upon reading "additives" and "NYC tap water"?

C.H.U.D. pee.

As I've admitted previously, my brain is broken....

I did have fun camping! It was nice, the weather was great, I didn't get too burned, and we had a lovely campsite.

I am WIPED today, though. Damn, it's 2 already?

Kristin, thanks! Awesome...It's a mostly Hispanic school, so I'm thinking about doing a Neruda poem; I have the Spanish original on one side, and the English translation on another. OTOH, I haven't taught that poem before, so I dunno.

Grr. I wish my school had prepared me better, but oh, well.

Em, it's English but it could be 9-12 graders. I don't know.