Two Days Down and Counting

Yesterday was the first day of school--and what a day it was.

Less than ten seconds after the tardy bell rang to start the school day, the fire alarm went off. No kidding! Kids had hardly made into into their seats before they were filing out again. New teachers and interns were at a loss as to where to go and what to do once they got there. Of course, none of the teachers knew the names of their students to call roll and most of the kids didn't know what their teachers looked to find them once everyone assembled in the right place anyway.

I didn't have a class first period, and I've been here long enough to know there likely wasn't a fire anyway. Instead, anytime the water pressure drops either at the school building or in Payson's south end, the fire alarm goes off in our building. But no announcements had been made so I began to wonder. At last, one of the counselors--and Payson's former Fire Chief--told a few teachers to stay in the building and ignore the alarm. Someone figured out how to silence the obnoxious sound that accompanies the flashing strobe light signal.

The volunteer fire department was already of their way, but they knew enough to bring a small crew just in case it was yet another false alarm. Maintenance people from the district office drove in from Spanish Fork and lots of adults stood around, staring at the gages and saying, "Yep, I think it's the water pressure."

Eventually someone realized half the school was standing around outside, waiting for the all-clear to come back and start school. Several announcements later, and teachers from inside the building going to open doors for interns and new teachers who didn't think to take their keys who were locked outside, and soon everyone was back inside with five minutes left to take role before it was time to move to second period classes.

Of course, by then, the bells had topped ringing loud enough for anyone to hear them. That's okay though. They had been set to the wrong times anyway, and no one had informed the new teachers that second lunch gets out at the third bell instead of the second one. Another round of announcements finally got kids back into class in enough time to get let out for the real start of second lunch.

We made it through to the end of an early day. Wednesdays are early-out because of teacher collaboration in Nebo school district.

Day two brought excitement all its own. Today was PICTURE DAY!

Our principal likes to do pictures right away so the kids get student ID cards and so the administration has current photos of all the little darlings in case they need to locate a person who breaks a rule. ( I threatened to take a phone away from a cute little 7th grade girl already.)

So, through most of the morning, classes were interrupted with more announcements--"Would all students with last names beginning with the letters A through B, please come to the cafeteria to have your picture taken?" Why is it that these announcements go on forever, yet in the end, we still have students--and teachers--who suddenly realize while the photographer is packing up that they forgot to go down and get their picture taken for the yearbook?

But the over-riding question is, after two days of chaos like this, will we be able to make it through the next 178, or will they be more of the same.

Back to the Torture Chamber

Like most kids, I couldn't wait to graduate from high school, finish college, and get on with my life. Although high school wasn't too bad,and elementary school had been tolerable, junior high was the worst torture I could ever imagine for someone. I wouldn't have wished my junior high school experience on my own worst enemy (I had a few whom I've since forgiven for making my life so miserable.)

So here I am, an adult, spending year 31 in (where else?) a junior high school classroom! What am I thinking?

In all honestly, I'm thinking, "Okay, another year. So what?" My lessons are planned for the week. Handouts for are copied and ready. I've made two slide presentations to accompany my lessons. I've even cleaned out my desk drawers.

Today was 7th grade orientation. My classroom was filled with students and parents for most of the morning. They seem like a pretty good group of kids. Tomorrow I'll really find out. I'll be teaching two 7th Honors English pods and two 9th grade English classes. I'm excited to have the 9th graders again. I've taught 9th grade for 29 years, so not having them last year felt really strange.

I know--some of you are thinking I'm strange. Despite the fact my own junior high experience was crummy, I still sort of like these guys and this age group. The idea of being in an elementary school and coming home with little hand-prints all over me is creepy (not to mention the number of germs those little kids spread around!) I taught Seniors once and they might as well have been AWOL from school since their brains were already of graduation the first day of school.

Junior high kids are great. Still trusting enough to be interested in what you're saying, independent enough that I don't have to wipe their noses, and becoming savvy enough about the world in general that you can talk with them like they might possibly understand what you're saying.

Torture chamber or not, I'm back. Now if I could only find where I put that switch to the electric chair . . .

Lu Ann Staheli Wins Utah Best of State Educator K-12

Lu Ann Brobst Staheli has been named as the Utah’s Best of State Educator K-12 at a recent Gala. Staheli graduated from Alexandria-Monroe H.S. in Alexandria, Indiana, in 1972, and the Indiana University Blooomington School of Education in 1976. She taught English and psychology at Rockville Jr. Senior High School in Rockville, Indiana, for five years before moving to Utah. In 1984, Lu Ann joined the staff at Payson Jr. High School in Payson, Utah. For the past twenty-three years she has taught English, Writing for Publication, and Reading Options. In May she earned a Masters Degree in Instructional Technology with a Library Media endorsement through Utah State University’s School of Education.

Lu Ann is a teacher of teachers. Two of her former students teach with her at Payson Jr. High, one is an administrator there, and numerous others have entered the education field. She has been a mentor to four students teachers, all of whom have continued in the field. In addition to helping students become teachers, she also has moved students to careers in creative writing and journalism, but perhaps the most successful thing she has done is encouraged a generation of lifelong readers.

During her twenty-nine years as an English teacher, Lu Ann has shared her love of reading and writing with over 4,000 students, and it doesn’t look like she is ready to stop teaching them anytime soon. “Once my student, always my student” is her personal philosophy, and her students seem to know that without ever being told. They come back to visit her classroom years later, stop her in the local grocery, and track her down via the Internet to ask her for book recommendations, tell her about their latest writing project, or share a favorite memory from a long-ago class she taught. Through shared literacy, students develop a sense of connection to Lu Ann that leads them into an adult world where books and writing are important. The fact that many of her own students have become teachers, and that she also mentors student teachers, broadens her influence even farther across the state and perhaps the world.

“Until I’ve given them a million words, I can’t teach them how to write,” describes the beginnings of an English program under Lu Ann’s tutelage. “So many students come to me—even in my Honors programs—with a limited view of reading and a fear of writing. A boring book or a single blood-red paper returned from a well-meaning teacher can halt a student’s progress toward engagement in reading or improvement in writing for years, sometimes even a lifetime.”

To help her students overcome those fears, Lu Ann begins her school year with reading. She teaches strategies and tips to improve reading skills, no matter what level a student currently tests, then she gives them plenty of time to practice those skills. She reads high interest books aloud to them, lets students read in small groups, and includes time for plenty of independent reading, providing audio books for students who need additional reading support. “The more words I can put in front of them, the more likely they will discover something—a book, short story, poem, or piece of non-fiction—anything that will hook them, giving them a reason get excited about reading and hopefully leading them to reading on their own. If it takes giving a student something new to try every day, then I’ll do it. All it takes is one book—the right one—to make a lifelong fan of reading.”

In addition to reading, Lu Ann leads her students into writing fluency. “Getting words down onto the page is hard for most people, but this is especially true of junior high students who are already a little insecure. I believe in letting students feel comfortable with writing, validating their efforts and ideas, long before I make corrections and suggestions.” A professional writer herself, Lu Ann teaches the craft of writing rather concentrating during early draft stages on the skills of editing. “Editing is the final process in writing. Too many teachers seek perfection from their students long before the work is ready. Editing too early can ruin voice, stop the flow of fresh ideas, and squelch any student desire to attempt, let alone perfect, a piece of writing,” she says. This process of building readers, then teaching the craft of writing, has found Lu Ann’s students of all ability levels not only among the highest scores on a variety of state and standardized tests, but also eventually following career paths that allow them to use these skills without fear.

“People who read succeed, or so the slogan goes. If a student reads well, school is easier for him or her. The information disseminated via teacher lectures, textbooks, and other materials becomes accessible and interesting,” Lu Ann states. “Eventually my students leave the junior high school. Most of them graduate from high school. Obviously, those who leave with reading and writing skills will move on to successful careers that add to the economy,” something Lu Ann herself does through the various employment and volunteer opportunities she follows beyond her work in the classroom.

In addition to teaching, Lu Ann has long served her local community. As a member of the staff at Alan Osmond Productions, Lu Ann was an Associate Producer for Stadium of Fire, a member of the Spanish Fork Arts Council, State Coordinator for the National Council of Teachers of English’s Promising Young Writers program, on the Speaker’s Bureau for the League of Utah Writers, and has been on the Middle Level and Young Adult Book Selection Committees for the Children’s Literature Association of Utah. Lu Ann served as coordinator for the Spanish Fork City Arts Council Writer’s Workshop and the Nebo Young Writer’s Conference. She is often called upon by church groups, book clubs, and other members of the local and state community to present workshops on literacy, give book reviews, or serve as a judge in writing contests. She has worked on district and state textbook and media adoption committees, as well as helping to write the previous state CORE for Secondary English Language Arts. Past-President of the Utah County League of Utah Writers and freelance editor for WriteWise, Deseret Book, and Covenant Communications, Lu Ann edits for several local and nationally published authors. She is currently a member of the Payson Jr. High School Accreditation team, and works for the One Heart Foundation and TheFamily.com.

Lu Ann has earned several awards and recognitions through her teaching career, including Nebo Reading Council Reading Teacher of the Year 2006, Christa McAuliffe Fellow Utah 1999, Utah English Language Arts Teacher of the Year 1999, Excellence in English/Language Arts Instruction 1999 from the Utah Writing Project, and Celebrate Literacy Award 1996 from the Utah Council IRA. She was selected for the USWest/UtahLINK Teacher Network Project 1995, the Marquis Who’s Who in American Education for several years, and has previously been nominated for both the Disney Hand Award for Outstanding Educators and the Huntsman Awards for Excellence in Education.

Beyond the classroom, Lu Ann continues to teach reading and writing to former students and the community at large. Through her two weekly newspaper columns, "Read All About It" and "Out of the Best Books," Lu Ann shares her love of books and her expertise when it comes to literacy issues. In addition, she writes two subscriber-based e-zines, several blogs, and publishes book reviews in three national educator magazines, Library Media Connection, The SIGNAL Journal, and The ALAN Review. She has taught classes and workshops for her school, district, and state organizations, including her popular workshop “Recipe for the Reluctant Reader.” As a Senior Editor for the Precision Editing Group, she teaches Mastery Writing classes for BookWise Publishing. Her own publication record in the area of education includes an invitational chapter in Teaching Ideas for 7-12 English Language Arts: What Really Works (Christopher-Gordon Publishers), Books, Books, and More Books: A Parent and Teacher’s Guide to Contemporary Adolescent Literature, and Teaching Secondary English: One Day at a Time, as well as featured articles in the Utah English Journal.

Past-President of the Utah Council of the Teachers of English Language Arts and the League of Utah Writers, Lu Ann currently serves on the board of the Nebo Reading Council and the UVSC Forum on Children’s Literature. Through her newspaper column and personal donations, she helped the Nebo Reading Council build a library collection for the Nebo School District Young Mother’s School in 2008.

WINNER 2008 Best of State Education K-12

I just found out this morning that I have been named the winner of Best of State K-12 Education.
You can see my name listed at: www.bestofstate.org. Just scroll down to the Education section.

Precision Editing has posted this blog about my win: http://writingonthewallblog.blogspot.com/2008/05/editor-wins-2008-best-of-state-award.html

Yesterday I participated in the hooding ceremony for my Masters of Education in Instructional Technology, with a Library Media endorsement from Utah State University.

It's been a great weekend!

It's Not on the Test

As my classes were frustrated this morning while the school computer system froze during the state U-PASS tests, I checked my email and found this little ditty from a friend of mine. If you are a teacher, you'll probably appreciate the sentiment.

Click on this link to to watch IT'S NOT ON THE TEST