Haunted House Build – Take 2

~ rdicarne ~ Leave a comment

 

sol

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. ~ Helen Keller

The haunted house build is complete, and it was a huge success!  The kids were engaged each day of the build without much redirection needed from me. (Well you always have a few!) The students presented their houses to the class yesterday and explained why they design certain features in their homes.  One house even had a witch who “flew” down from the roof on straws and landed seated in a chair.  So cool!

The kids are finishing up their personal reflections about the process and the product.  I can’t wait until Thursday to read them.  This makes me want to find a way to use Project Based Learning more often in my ELA classroom.  I am just not sure how or what to do next?  I will keep thinking though.

Please take a look at my iMovie documentation of the process.

 

 

A Mother’s Love

~ rdicarne ~ 1 Comment

Mothers hold their children’s hands for a short while, but their hearts forever. ~Unknown

October is a month filled with birthdays in my family.  I have two nieces, two grand-nieces, a dear departed sister-in-law and father-in-law, two significant others of family members, my daughter, and myself who all celebrate October birthdays – a fall frenzy.

Last week, another little soul joined the party.  My third grandchild, Isabella Marie, came into this world on October 19th.  She shares a birthday with one of my nieces, and one of my grand-nieces, and we now have a trifecta in our immediate family.  Isabella on the 19th, me on the 20th, my daughter, Angela on the 21st.  What a wonderful birthday present I received this year!

When I left the hospital on Wednesday night after seeing Isabella for the first time, I had an overwhelming urge to visit my own mother.  I knew exactly what I was going to do!  

I left school exactly at 3:15 on Thursday and headed to Yum Yum donuts.  I picked up two pumpkin donuts on the way over to the assisted living facility that my mom now calls home. I knew that she would not remember that it was my birthday, but that didn’t matter.  We were going to celebrate anyway.  

Mom was surprised to see me as she always is these days.  I told her about Isabella and showed her pictures of our newest sweetheart.  She asked me to tell her over again, and again, and again.  So I did. She wanted so much to grasp exactly what I was saying. She apologized for not remembering my birthday.  It didn’t matter.  I laughed when she told me that she thought I was 39!  I haven’t seen 39 in quite awhile.

When I saw the love between my son and daughter-in-law and their two daughters, I was reminded of just how strong a mother’s love is.  Mothers have to be strong to give life, to nurture life, to let life go its own way.

Thanks Mom, for giving me life, for nurturing me through life, for letting my life go its own way.  

But most of all, thank you for showing me how to celebrate life everyday!

pumpkin-donuts

Haunted Mansions

~ rdicarne ~ 2 Comments

sol

We just need to make that building come alive.  Together, we can figure this out. ~Sue Black

Today my ELA classes began a two-week adventure.  They started their Haunted Mansion STREAM build.  Each group of students received a Halloween Character and a box of various items.  They are working in teams to design and build a mansion by following the engineering process while documenting their process in writing.  

The room was buzzing with energy and ideas.  They perused my “shop” and looked at what they might “buy” with the Haunted House “cash” that they have earned over the past couple of weeks. Students will have another class period on Thursday to finalize their plans, then the actual build begins on Monday. What a joy it was to listen to the kids interact with each other. This is a lesson in creativity, cooperation, and collaboration. I will check in again next week and let you know how the process is going.  You can follow us on Twitter @RitaDiCarne.

 

Labor Day

~ rdicarne ~ 2 Comments

sol

“To find joy in work is to find the fountain of youth.” –Pearl S. Buck

Going back to school has always been exciting for me as a student and as a teacher.  I get to start over the way the rest of the world does on New Year’s Day.  I make resolutions and have new plans to complement my tried and true ones.  Each year I reflect on my past work, like on New Year’s Eve, and decide how I can be better than the year before.

Being a teacher is not easy.  It is a daunting task set before me each day of each school year.  I am charged with teaching students what they “need to know” while nurturing their sense of wonder. I want to encourage them to love learning while still having to “grade” their best efforts.

I want my students to rejoice in their successes and learn from their mistakes.  I want them to understand that perfection is a futile goal for it is in the mistakes where the learning takes place. Most of all I want each and every one of my students to know that they are not their test scores.  They are each unique with their own special voice and ideas that will make a mark on this world some day.

Thank you to the mother-in-law I never met

~ rdicarne ~ 3 Comments

sol #SOL

 

And suddenly you just know…It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings. ~ Meister Eckhart.

Thank you to the mother-in-law I never met on the occasion of my husband’s 60th birthday.

My husband’s mom died suddenly when he was seventeen – just one month before we started dating. Over the years I heard countless stories and saw many pictures of this woman whose life was cut short at age 49.

One story I hear almost every year at this time is the story of Chuck’s family’s emigration from Italy to America in 1956. While emigration to the US could be many people’s story, his is unique in a couple of ways. First of all, his parents and four siblings were scheduled to travel at a later time, but plans changed, and they ended up coming to America on a ship that docked on May 12, 1956. The ship they were originally slated for was the SS Andrea Doria which collided with another ship off the coast of Nantucket, Massachusetts on July 25, 1956 and resulted in the death of 46 people who were on board.

An opportunity presented itself for the family to travel earlier, so they took the opportunity. No big deal right? Well it was a very big deal because Chuck’s mom was pregnant with Chuck (her fifth of six children) and was too far along to be travelling by ship to the US. The family did not want to separate or take the chance of missing the opportunity to come to America. So they told a little fib as to how far along his mom really was in her pregnancy. She wore a big coat to hide her size whenever she left her cabin.

Five days after arriving in their new homeland, Chuck’s mom gave birth to her fifth child, her fourth son. The joke for many years was since he was born in the US he could be president some day!

So today – 60 years and five days after that memorable arrival, I thank the mother-in-law I never had the chance to know for her bravery and determination, and for raising such a fine man. She was determined to keep her family together and make the sojourn to this new land as a complete unit. She was brave to make that trip being so far along in her pregnancy. I can’t imagine worrying everyday about the chance of going into labor and delivering a baby on board ship. Most importantly, she raised a son who knows (among countless other things) the value of hard work, that family comes first, and that love is eternal.

Expiration Dates

~ rdicarne ~ 7 Comments

sol #SOL

Aging is not lost youth but a new stage of opportunity and strength. ~ Betty Friedan

Last week I attended the wedding of the daughter of high school friends. It was so wonderful to share this happy day with them just the way they shared the wedding days of both my son and daughter almost four years ago. Time seems to move more quickly these days. Wasn’t it only yesterday that we were getting married, having babies, going to school shows and soccer games? But I digress.

As I was making my way around the reception space, I ran into a guy who went to the same elementary school as me. We graduated from the eighth grade together, and I hadn’t really seen him in at least 30 years. We engaged in small talk about our kids, our aging mothers, and I of course expounded on how wonderful it was to be a grandparent. We only spoke for about five minutes, but in that short time I was taken aback by something he said. “Don’t you feel like our expiration date is coming up?” Wow, I have never thought about my life in those terms.

No, absolutely not! I do not think about expiring any time soon. Don’t get me wrong. I know the decision is not mine, but I am certainly not dwelling on the end of my life. I am not even sixty for crying out loud! I am enjoying this phase of my life. My husband and I get to do whatever we want whenever we want without having to worry about kids, college tuition, or having dinner on the table every night – just to name a few things.

Oh sure, we worry about our kids and grandkids. Who doesn’t? But being freed of some of the responsibilities of raising a family gives us more time to pursue things that have been left on the back burner for too long (like this blog). No, we are not looking at our expiration dates or “best by” dates. Each day is a day to celebrate the good things life has brought us, to work through the challenges that may come our way, and to plan for future adventures together. The only “date” I am looking at is the one I have planned for this weekend with my husband.

Writer’s Block

~ rdicarne ~ 3 Comments

 

sol #SOL

You only fail if you stop writing. ~ Ray Bradbury

I sat at the computer but could not write.
The blank page was staring at me
teasing,
taunting,
mocking me.
So cruel.

I know there must be thoughts inside.
The words are there but they are
failing,
deserting,
betraying me.
So unkind.

I am in a writing funk.
My mood is like the weather
damp,
gloomy,
Chilling me.
So disheartening.

I will not let this overtake me.
The sun will shine again
inspiring,
encouraging,
motivating me.
So hopeful.

Every Pen Has a Story

~ rdicarne ~ 2 Comments

sol #SOL

Everyone has a story. ~ Neil Labute

Every day during the month of April, my ELA class begins with a poem prompt – a mentor poem. After we read the poem aloud a few times, the students take turns “noticing” things about the poem – its form, rhyming or not, topic, word choice etc. As the month goes on the “noticing” really induces great discussion about author’s craft.

The students then try their hands at writing in the form of that poem. Sometimes they work in pairs, sometimes alone. They usually have a choice. I always write with them and sometimes share my “best” lines with the class.

This poem was inspired by “Every Cat Has a Story” by Shihab Nye.

Every Pen Has a Story.

The blue one from Beneficial Bank
was her favorite.
It wrote in blue ink
She always used it
to write in her writer’s notebook.

The green one from Lansdale Catholic
was only used at faculty meetings.
It wrote in black ink and had a syllus tip too.
It seemed important.

One pen sat
at the bottom of her schoolbag.

One pen sat on her desk
waiting to get the chance
to correct papers.

One pen wrote
in gel ink.

One pen was all dried up.

A Friend

~ rdicarne ~ Leave a comment

The only way to have a friend is to be one. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Finds you when you need them the most
Reminds you of your best qualities
Interested in your well-being
Enables you to be yourself
Never expects anthing in return
Deserves your unending thanks

I am so thankful for my friends.  I hope that sometimes I am the friend they need.

Truly Me

~ rdicarne ~ 2 Comments

sol #SOL

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Who am I? Who do you think I am? Who do they think I am? What does it matter?

It is so hard to stay true to yourself, or at least the person you think you are, when others are beating you up or trying to hold you down. There is only one me albeit an ever evolving me.

Deep down I know exactly who I am – faults and all. Most times I dwell on the faults. Yet I expend so much time and energy trying to live up to some fictional version of me. A version created by those around me who think they know who I should be, who judge who I am. A version created by the need to live up to others expectations instead of my own wants and dreams.

I like the person I am. Oh sure, I could weigh less, exercise more, or eat healthier. But that just addresses the shell of who I am. Not my core.

I am sensitive, and I have been known to cry easily.
I am serious, and don’t take the world around me lightly.
I am creative – always looking for new ways to express myself
I am compassionate, and always try to put myself in someone else’s shoes.
I am loyal – loving the same man for nearly 43 years – a rarity these days
I am a mother – so very proud of my grown children
I am a nona – loving my grandchildren to death for they have stolen my heart.

This is part of who I am. Don’t look at me and assume to know who I am or how I feel.
Dig deeper, or you may just be wrong.