Today was the first day at school that I felt caught up. Normally, I have students for all four blocks that I teach. Today, however, two of my classes were on field trips. Thus, I had an hour and a half to get things done in my classroom. I was able to finish grades for this trimester, clean the room, pack my books, organize supplies, and get ready for the end of the year. When I left I felt I could see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I asked Brett if he also could see the light at the end of his high school tunnel. He instantly replied, "NO!" It is getting close, however. One more day of classes and then a day of graduation pictures and rehearsal. I then asked him if there is anything he will miss from his high school days. That also was a quick response, "Drama!"
After last night I sure can see why! At the year end drama dinner the seniors were treated to a slide show presentation that included their baby pictures. Brett received a "not so minor" award for his role as Joe Scales in Cheaper by the Dozen. It was a role he was meant to play and he just nailed it! He was most proud, however, of his certificate for being "The Womanizer" from his last musical, Thoroughly Modern Millie. It was completely out of character for him, but he did enjoy the role!
It probably won't feel as though high school is over for him until well into September. The light at the end of the tunnel is there. He just has to keep looking!
Friday, May 31, 2013
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Field Trips
May is the month of field trips. Meg asked me today why that is. I don't have an answer for her. I know that students attention spans have definitely shorten. Maybe field trips are just the break they need before they start summer vacation. Meg has two in the next two school days. Her sixth grade class is going to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum tomorrow. It is one of the big middle school trips as they must travel to Detroit. Doug offered to chaperon and I know they will really enjoy it (once Meg gets over the shock of getting up at 4:30 a.m. to catch the chartered bus!) We have been to the Village before and it is a lot of fun.
Meg's second jaunt is a behavior reward trip to Paige's Crossing - a small amusement park with miniature golf and go karts. My students have talked of nothing else as they have to have zero write ups (excellent behavior) for the year to go, so some students are left behind. Cameron's class went bowling last week for their reward trip.
Brett's AP class went to Chicago for a day last week as a reward for making it through the year in one or more AP or dual credit class. They visited the Shedd Aquarium and Navy Pier. Brett had fun! Cal's class does not have a big field trip. Maybe the teachers are nervous about taking freshmen anywhere!! Can't say that I blame them (Ha!), but they can go on the AP trip next year and so far Cal hasn't complained.
Thus, I don't have an answer for Meg, but it does make the end of the school year fly by. I know that the students all enjoy it, so I will not ask anyone else her question. Glad that have the opportunities to explore the world outside our community!
Meg's second jaunt is a behavior reward trip to Paige's Crossing - a small amusement park with miniature golf and go karts. My students have talked of nothing else as they have to have zero write ups (excellent behavior) for the year to go, so some students are left behind. Cameron's class went bowling last week for their reward trip.
Brett's AP class went to Chicago for a day last week as a reward for making it through the year in one or more AP or dual credit class. They visited the Shedd Aquarium and Navy Pier. Brett had fun! Cal's class does not have a big field trip. Maybe the teachers are nervous about taking freshmen anywhere!! Can't say that I blame them (Ha!), but they can go on the AP trip next year and so far Cal hasn't complained.
Thus, I don't have an answer for Meg, but it does make the end of the school year fly by. I know that the students all enjoy it, so I will not ask anyone else her question. Glad that have the opportunities to explore the world outside our community!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Honors Night
Tonight was a great night for our high school senior. So, I will take this time to congratulate Brett on his accomplishments in high school - Graduating with Highest Distinction, Social Studies Department Award, Knights of Columbus Scholarship recipient, DAR Good Citizen Award, 2nd in the Senior Americanism & Government Test Program and Charles Wolf Scholarship recipient. Doug and I were beaming with pride tonight. Brett was tolerant of all of my pictures and helping him to tame his curls before the program. Brett has worked hard in high school and I couldn't be happier for him. It was very nice of the high school and local groups to reward his efforts for the past four years.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
My favorite unit to teach in FACS class is the recycling one. Most students already know a lot about recycling. Their generation is reminded of it daily and there are recycling bins throughout their schools, homes and communities. I put a little twist on it. We start by watching the original pollution PSAs from the 1970's including "The Crying Indian" and "Woodsie the Owl." They learn what PSA stands for (Public Service Announcement) and what a tagline is ("Give a Hoot - Don't Pollute.) We discuss the changing trend from Pollution toward Recycling. They can already tell me what and how they should recycle. At the end of the unit they are required to write a report, create a poster, or make a PSA to be videotaped.
Many students really get into the PSAs with props, music, etc. Other students create a twist on recycling - one talked about hunting and disposing properly of bagged animals. We had one PSA all in Spanish and another with Zombies. I try and never show the previous trimesters videos or the creativity stops flowing. At the end, we take a day and watch the PSAs of the year. It is fun to hear their reactions. One group went completely out of the box and made a comic book. It was quite clever and I appreciated their dedication to it.
Tonight Brett helped me by watching my FACS classes recycling PSAs. He was able to tell me if they hit the mark, spoke clearly and seemed prepared. We had a lot of fun discussing them. Brett is a great critic and sees things that I sometimes do not (both good and bad.) I appreciated his help and had a great time with him. I will miss that next year, but I know that he will enjoy all the opportunities and freedom he will find in college. Much as my 8th graders are ready for high school, Brett is ready for his new adventure too!
Many students really get into the PSAs with props, music, etc. Other students create a twist on recycling - one talked about hunting and disposing properly of bagged animals. We had one PSA all in Spanish and another with Zombies. I try and never show the previous trimesters videos or the creativity stops flowing. At the end, we take a day and watch the PSAs of the year. It is fun to hear their reactions. One group went completely out of the box and made a comic book. It was quite clever and I appreciated their dedication to it.
Tonight Brett helped me by watching my FACS classes recycling PSAs. He was able to tell me if they hit the mark, spoke clearly and seemed prepared. We had a lot of fun discussing them. Brett is a great critic and sees things that I sometimes do not (both good and bad.) I appreciated his help and had a great time with him. I will miss that next year, but I know that he will enjoy all the opportunities and freedom he will find in college. Much as my 8th graders are ready for high school, Brett is ready for his new adventure too!
Monday, May 27, 2013
Memorial Day
The weather was not what we would have picked for Memorial Day, but we were still able to enjoy some family time. Doug treated us all to eggs and pancakes for breakfast. Brett, then, headed to the high school to practice with the band for the parade. Unfortunately, the rain caused it to be cancelled. Brett was glad to have volunteered to march and enjoyed seeing his friends, so not all was lost.
Without an early afternoon parade to watch, Cal, Doug and Cam headed to the golf course. With the gloomy weather they only saw one other golfer. Thus, they were able to make it around fairly quickly. My cousin's children were in town visiting my Aunt. The rain forced everyone inside, so they texted to get together. Meg, Cam and Matthew had fun playing Wii and Xbox. Cam purchased NBA 2K12 yesterday and it was well used today!
My parents came over for steak dinner. We decided to still hold the Heinisch family wiffle ball game beforehand. A game of Hearts produced a lot of trash talking, but a lot of fun as well. Doug's dinner was delicious and topped off with Mom's raspberry pie. All in all, an enjoyable day even if it rained on our parade!
Without an early afternoon parade to watch, Cal, Doug and Cam headed to the golf course. With the gloomy weather they only saw one other golfer. Thus, they were able to make it around fairly quickly. My cousin's children were in town visiting my Aunt. The rain forced everyone inside, so they texted to get together. Meg, Cam and Matthew had fun playing Wii and Xbox. Cam purchased NBA 2K12 yesterday and it was well used today!
My parents came over for steak dinner. We decided to still hold the Heinisch family wiffle ball game beforehand. A game of Hearts produced a lot of trash talking, but a lot of fun as well. Doug's dinner was delicious and topped off with Mom's raspberry pie. All in all, an enjoyable day even if it rained on our parade!
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Music
I feel sorry for anyone that has to take a long car trip with the Heinisch family. Our collective musical taste is as eclectic as can be. Tonight on our way home from shopping we listened to Guns N Roses, Journey, Les Miserables, Justine Bieber with Will I Am, JaySean, a James Bond Movie Theme (Skyfall) and Def Leppard. We all sang along or critiqued one another's music.
Brett enjoys playing songs that someone else can't stand. Since his musical taste includes Tennessee Ernie Ford, National Anthems of foreign countries, and rap, he can usually pick something that someone else despises. Meg is more main stream with Taylor Swift as a regular one on her playlist. Cameron has been banned from playing Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang from the James Bond movie Thunderball by majority rule. Cal is more of a classic rock listener. He will throw in some Metallica or Rolling Stones to the mix when he is with us. Doug introduced the Beastie Boys to the rotation, and he and Meg enjoy "Fight for Your Right." I have been listening a lot to the Sound Track of Les Miserable. Thus, Cameron can now sing along to "Do You Hear the People Sing." One staple, Journey, is a group that everyone can agree to.
So, if you are planning on taking a car trip with us, think of an obscure song or one hit wonder. Chances are that one of the Heinisch family has it on his or her iPod or iPhone. Practice your singing and complaining. Both will come in handy as we travel along!
Brett enjoys playing songs that someone else can't stand. Since his musical taste includes Tennessee Ernie Ford, National Anthems of foreign countries, and rap, he can usually pick something that someone else despises. Meg is more main stream with Taylor Swift as a regular one on her playlist. Cameron has been banned from playing Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang from the James Bond movie Thunderball by majority rule. Cal is more of a classic rock listener. He will throw in some Metallica or Rolling Stones to the mix when he is with us. Doug introduced the Beastie Boys to the rotation, and he and Meg enjoy "Fight for Your Right." I have been listening a lot to the Sound Track of Les Miserable. Thus, Cameron can now sing along to "Do You Hear the People Sing." One staple, Journey, is a group that everyone can agree to.
So, if you are planning on taking a car trip with us, think of an obscure song or one hit wonder. Chances are that one of the Heinisch family has it on his or her iPod or iPhone. Practice your singing and complaining. Both will come in handy as we travel along!
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Soccer Champions!
The LYC spring soccer season came to a close this morning. Cameron's team played its way into the championship game by beating two teams pretty soundly. This morning's match was against the "best team in the league" according to one of the soccer refs. Meg and I were pretty confident that Cameron would be able to pull off a victory. That is because the Heinisch family has watched Doug coach over the years, are used to his style of coaching, and believe that he is the "best coach in the league."
Doug's main goal in soccer for his teams (besides having fun) is to teach the players positions, how to hold them during the game, and how to pass. These are skills that good players need to develop, and Doug believes that every child should play every position to learn as much as they can about the game. Thus, during the regular season his best players have to play as much defense as offense. Everyone that is capable takes a turn at goalie, and all players play an equal amount. All get to take a goal kick, a throw-in and if possible a penalty kick. I enjoy watching his teams develop, learn to play as teammates and most importantly encourage one another. It is not that they do not want to win, but learning the game is the priority.
Tournament play is different. At that point, Doug puts his players in the positions that they play best. His strongest kickers take the penalty and goal kicks, the best goalies don the role as keeper, and those who have a strong arm take the throw-ins. Everyone still plays the same amount of time and, win or lose, it is a team effort.
Today's team was ready for the challenge. Everyone participated and encouraged one another. If a player went down injured, they all took a knee. When Cameron had a hand ball in goal that led to a score, no one got on him. They just pulled themselves together and chipped one in to take the lead 3-2. Even the boys that love to only play halfback, knew that they had to band together as fullbacks to stop a last minute charge from their opponents.
When the whistle blew there were a lot of cheers. Cameron's team was victorious, and there is a new soccer trophy on the awards shelf. Each one of the Heinisch children can now say that they have won a LYC championship tournament. Over the 14 years that Doug has been coaching them, there have been a lot more loses than wins. Today, however, we celebrate that the "best team" did win and know that another season of growing and learning can also be added to the trophy shelf.
Doug's main goal in soccer for his teams (besides having fun) is to teach the players positions, how to hold them during the game, and how to pass. These are skills that good players need to develop, and Doug believes that every child should play every position to learn as much as they can about the game. Thus, during the regular season his best players have to play as much defense as offense. Everyone that is capable takes a turn at goalie, and all players play an equal amount. All get to take a goal kick, a throw-in and if possible a penalty kick. I enjoy watching his teams develop, learn to play as teammates and most importantly encourage one another. It is not that they do not want to win, but learning the game is the priority.
Tournament play is different. At that point, Doug puts his players in the positions that they play best. His strongest kickers take the penalty and goal kicks, the best goalies don the role as keeper, and those who have a strong arm take the throw-ins. Everyone still plays the same amount of time and, win or lose, it is a team effort.
Today's team was ready for the challenge. Everyone participated and encouraged one another. If a player went down injured, they all took a knee. When Cameron had a hand ball in goal that led to a score, no one got on him. They just pulled themselves together and chipped one in to take the lead 3-2. Even the boys that love to only play halfback, knew that they had to band together as fullbacks to stop a last minute charge from their opponents.
When the whistle blew there were a lot of cheers. Cameron's team was victorious, and there is a new soccer trophy on the awards shelf. Each one of the Heinisch children can now say that they have won a LYC championship tournament. Over the 14 years that Doug has been coaching them, there have been a lot more loses than wins. Today, however, we celebrate that the "best team" did win and know that another season of growing and learning can also be added to the trophy shelf.
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