Summer time!

I spent the first week of summer finishing reports and looking over list servs that I had saved to browse when I had more time.  I took notes and was full of ideas of how to do things better!

And now,  I am just glad not to be teaching and to be thinking about all the challenges and problems our students face--and thus, that I face!  I have been editing this blog and am about half-way through.  It brings back so many memories that I have already forgotten.

I need to record numbers.  I think I had 72 students in all.  Only six passed the GED exam thus far.  There were just a handful who came into class at an 8th grade level or above in all three areas, so it is not expected to have many GED graduates.  The percentage of those who made "bundled gains" was much higher--in other words, went up from elementary to middle school level, or middle school to high school level in at least one area.

From my email to LeRoy:

AM class:  44 students enrolled, 28 increased one academic level, 4 GEDs

PM class:  28 students enrolled, 17 increased one academic level, 2 GEDs

Possibly 7 more GEDs in June, but that may be optimistic!  Several registered yesterday.  A couple need to do retakes to get a few more points.

It was interesting and sobering to realize that only 11 out of 44 in the AM class and 8 out of 28 in the PM class came in with scores above 6.0 grade level in reading, math and language--all three areas.  In other words, 75% entered the program at an elementary school level in at least one subject and in many cases, more than one.  GEDs are unrealistic goals for many of these students. 

I want to see how many students left before we were able to post-test. I'll check those numbers later.

 Yesterday one student did me a favor by coming in even after not being in class for two weeks (he had been in jail) and post-tested.  I thought we had nothing to lose and plenty to gain.  He post-tested up two levels in language!    And then there was one student who had more hours than anyone, is taking the GED exam, and I could not get him past 8th grade on the reading post-test--thus no money for program except the minimum for enrolling.

We should have had more GEDs however.  H and N were honored at the GED graduation as outstanding graduates.  A was there and very pleased to be there!  T from the last few years at Family Literacy was a graduation speaker.  H's attorneys came from Chicago which was really a bonus.

Now I need to get my license renewed.  This has not gone smoothly due to a transition to online renewal and now a new requirement of CPR certification.  I've had some moments of thinking about all the travel I could do if I were not working any more!  But I think I would regret giving up this role in my life--at least for now!

A trip to the zoo

A few weeks ago, the Family Literacy class went on their annual trip to the zoo.  B commented that he had never been to a zoo.  "Not even on a class trip?" I questioned him.  He said he had moved so often and gone to about 18 different schools and not even on a class trip had he been to a zoo.  I decided our class needed a trip to the zoo also!

So on Tuesday, B, H,  G with his daughter,  N and her two little ones,  B with her daughter, and M with her two grandchildren went to Potowatami Zoo.   I wrote out a $92 check and it was worth every penny.  The first exhibit was tigers in a pretty bleak glass cage.  B and N especially were thrilled.  B must have taken six photos of the tigers alone.  N was calling for her kids to see the tigers.  I took a photo of them all taking photos!

They spent almost two hours looking at the animals--longer than any Family Literacy class I ever took.  I had the hot dogs ready by that time and we had a great picnic.  They left with lots of thanks and hugs.  I felt so privileged to be able to give them that enjoyment--for the adults and the children.

Why are they digging that hole?

For the last week, there have been police cars in the parking lot across from our site.  It appeared as if men were digging holes--deep holes.

Today, my curiosity got the best of me.  I walked over on my lunch break and asked what was happening.  Well, it was not bodies they were looking for.  The men were testing the ground with wires and where it was soft, they assumed there were privies left from the many houses that were located in that lot in the 1800s.  I saw one privy that they had excavated--a round brick-lined hole about 12 feet deep.  They had a bin full of medicine bottles, pottery shards, a whisky bottle and a whisky jug.  The whisky bottle had a jagged, broken top or it could have been worth hundreds of dollars they said.  The jug was probably used for home-made brews.

I told the three men who made up my very small afternoon class today that we were taking a field trip.  We walked across the street and learned even more about the work of the amateur archaeologists.  They research sites at the library, get permission from the owner (in this case, the Catholic church) and then sell their finds on Ebay.  It was a great lesson in history and I was glad I was curious!

I still don't know, however, why there have been so many police cars in the parking lot--unless they too are curious!

Happy Mother's Day

We have three sixteen year olds in class right now.  All three are very quiet, uninvolved, and dependent on me for direction.  Two of them have fallen asleep in class.   Over the weekend I texted two of them, one to say that I was pleased to see him smile before he left one day and the other to say that she had written a very nice essay.

To my surprise, I received Mother's Day greetings from both of them by text!  M, the pregnant young lady, was in class this morning and actually offered suggestions for class work.  We'll see if P, the young man, comes tomorrow and if his involvement also improves.

The moral for me--texting is the way to communicate!  And a bit of positive feedback improves an attitude quite a bit!

C loses it and we lose him!

It's been almost a month since I have written in this blog.  There is much I could write about--the GED graduation for one and I will do so later.  For now, I'll follow up on C, the man I wrote about before, when I felt I had a glimpse of his basic humanity and was sorry for my attitude towards him.

The story continues.  On Tuesday there were four police cars across the street.  There have been four shootings in our neighborhood, two of them fatal.  Maybe that is why there was a stronger police presence.  In any case, C went crazy.  He started complaining about the b.... which I at first thought was his reaction to my asking him to check the goals in his folder.  But then he started stalking around the room using the f word over and over again.  He got himself a cup of coffee and sat in the window for a bit.  Then he started walking again.  I said something like "I think it's time you left, C" and he walked out.  I locked the door.

The students were pretty sure his reaction was from seeing police outside.  Once before he had talked about someone out to get him when a police car was in front of the building.  At that point, however, he went out to talk to the police and returned.

Our volunteer who is a pretty big guy himself said, "That was pretty scary."  W, who is an ex-con, also was pretty uncomfortable.  I was not scared, but I sure didn't like it.

I had difficulty reaching him by phone that night and was forced to leave a message with his mother that he should not return to class.  I sent him a letter terminating his participation.  We have begun to keep the doors locked after class begins.

I am sad that C did not belong in our class.  I am concerned that he was not screened out earlier.  He made me uncomfortable from the day he walked in.  He never participated in class work and found it difficult to work on his own.

I hope he will not show up at the door again.  But it is too bad that there was not a place for him.

J's poem

 I thank you, my teacher, my friend, that helps me improve my skills.

As I write with this pencil in my hand, the time you give to me is important.

So I am very happy to learn to brighten my future. 

I know it is good for me and never foolish to reach my goals.

Success turns gold.

So my ears hear as you speak to learn.

If I don't understand what you are trying to teach me, I will raise my arm.

Ms. Mary, I am very happy to learn.

Thank you for the time that I earn.

This is J's poem.  His career goal is to be a writer.  The original draft was written as one long sentence in one solid paragraph with many misspellings.  He, too, was someone I was able to give individual time last week with lowered attendance.  He cannot do math at all and his writing is pretty undisciplined.  But he wants to do well so badly.  How can I give up on him?  

Recognizing someone's humanity

Last week I had a lesson in recognizing the humanity in all of us.  We have a new student who looks like a homeless person.  He is disheveled, scarred from burns, and very gruff.   When I have asked him to join in group work, he put me off in a very cross way, saying that he can't switch from one thing to another like that.  I decided to let him do his own thing--in a sense, giving up on him.  His skills are very low and he had been coming in late and leaving early.

Thursday we had just four students.  I spent a lot more time with each one and he responded to that attention.  Before he left he told me he had been thinking about his telling me he wouldn't do the work I suggested for the group and he apologized in his own way.  He began to tell me more about his life than I really wanted to know--his common law wife who was infertile, his wanting children, his best friend in jail, etc.  I felt ashamed of my own unwillingness to recognize the vulnerability in him.  After all the experience I have had in this job, I should know better.

Today he called the secretary of the adult ed department to leave a message for me that he needed to be excused for his absence.  Our own phones are not working properly and he knew I was not home to receive his call.  I appreciated his taking that responsibility.