Back to School by Christine DePetrillo

It's Labor Day and I've been back to laboring in the classroom for about a week now.  Funny how in the middle of July I can't even picture myself sharing office space with twenty-five small humans, but after a few days back at it, it's like I never left.

Sure, it's a new set of students with a new medley of needs and talents, but the essence of the job doesn't change.

Unless you dig deep and make it change.

That's my goal this year. This is my nineteenth year teaching and I've been growing ever more dissatisfied with what the profession has become. When I think back to when I first started, I remember all the... what's the word?

Umm... rhymes with sun...

Generally brings smiles...

Leads to true learning...

Oh! I remember! The word is FUN!

We used to embark upon learning adventures that stimulated our minds and made the days pass quickly. Sometimes too quickly! No one was over-stressed. No one was anxious. No one was moving at warp speed because there was just too damn much to cover in 180 days.

And math... oh, sweet, math used to be such a delight to teach because 2 x 2 always equaled 4 and you didn't have to show you knew that six different ways with sketches and charts and essays and Google slideshows and puppets. Now I look at math instruction and wonder where it all got off track. I used to get fifth graders who could tell you their multiplication facts faster than they could tell you their names. Now they stare at the ceiling as their fingers spring into action to COUNT by seven, eight times, to get fifty-six.

Half the time they don't even get fifty-six!

Ugh.

Anyway, this year I've vowed to get back to my original teaching philosophies. The ones that used to inspire children to do well, have confidence without being a snob, and be generally nice people. I've read a few professional books over the summer, all of which have talked about growth mindset. I've also encountered quite a few mentions of helping students find their genius.

"Find your genius."

Yes, that's become our fifth grade motto for this year, because as the great Jane Goodall said, "Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference." If we help students find what they are good at, what they are passionate about, what makes them truly happy, we aren't only doing them an incredible service, we are also creating potential world leaders.

And I think we can all agree that we are in desperate (like apocalyptic-level) need of that.

I want to be chilling on my couch, watching the news, and hear stories of people doing fabulous things to make this blue marble a better place. I want to know some of those people. I want to have had a hand in raising those people.

I want to teach the future's superheroes.

So that's what I'm going to do.

Are students back to school where you live? What are your hopes for these young minds?

Toodles,
Chris
Go check out my books at www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com. I dare you.
 

Teaching Reading Again by Christine DePetrillo

I haven’t taught reading in ages. In the school where I teach, we’ve always switched classes for different subjects. While I have taught reading even in the switching model, it’s been a while since that subject was officially on my plate. I’ve been teaching math, writing, and social studies for the past several years.

Mostly I waded through math. I love numbers and computations and problem solving and how a square is a rectangle but a rectangle isn’t a square.

But teaching math? Well, that’s another story. With the standards we are required to teach, I often feel like I’m attempting to teach college-level mathematics to eleven-year olds which, by the way, is preposterous. I know I wasn’t solving for “y” until at least eighth grade.

In my old schedule, once I muddled through two periods of math, I looked forward to two periods of writing where we were writing machines, letting the creativity flow freely. Social studies always involved a trip to Revolutionary times which students consistently found fascinating.

Teaching reading this year, however, has breathed new life into my at-work experience. I’ve read so many children’s books over the summer and during these first weeks of school. I now see what I’ve been missing—the sheer joy of sharing treasured stories with children. I’m also digging the connections I can now make for students between reading AND writing because I can teach the two together to the same group of students. Our conversations have been so deep and meaningful and mature. I love hearing students’ thoughts about character, theme, and conflict. Watching them get lost in books is like watching magic happen. Listening to them talk to one another about stories is wonderful too, especially when they say things like, “I believe the life lesson the author is trying to convey to the reader is…”

Seriously. One of them used the word convey. I can die happy.

What’s really awesome is that many of these books we are sharing in reading class aren’t just entertaining for kids. I’ve laughed and cried through many of the pages, the stories truly moving and so well written. Even if you don’t teach or don’t have kids or grandkids, these are books you can enjoy just for the poignant tales they tell, the poetic words the authors use, the life lessons they offer. You might even learn a thing or two about writing.

Here’s some of the children’s books I’ve read so far (and the pile of to-be-reads grows every day):

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo

Eight Keys by Suzanne LaFleur

Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Absolutely Normal Chaos by Sharon Creech

Sophia’s War by Avi

The House of Tailors by Patricia Reilly Giff

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park

Mick Harte Was Here by Barbara Park

Freak, the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick

The Promise, by Nicola Davies

A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson

Mr. Lincoln’s Way, by Patricia Polacco

As I said the list is endless. I’ll never live long enough to read all of them. I’ll give it my best shot though, and I can’t wait to discuss them with my students.

What’s a favorite children’s book that has stuck with you?

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

SAFE, The Shielded Series, Book One, now available

Two More Days, by Christine DePetrillo

It’s finally HERE! That magical time of the year for teachers! The final countdown!

In just two short days, I will be officially in full-time writer mode for the rest of June, all of July, and most of August. I will not only pretend to be an author. I will eat, sleep, breathe writing. Every day. All day.

In tank tops and shorts and bare feet.

The Outdoor Writing Office will be in full swing, my favorite Adirondack chair getting used on a regular basis and carrying me from page to page in my latest manuscript. Birds will cheer me on, butterflies will applaud my ideas, and squirrels… well, they might try to steal my ideas, but The Werewolf won’t let them. He's always on the lookout.

I. Can’t. Wait.

Like, I’m seriously giddy. No more sitting down to my laptop at 7:00 p.m. after a day of teaching and trying to squeeze in at least four pages before bed time. No more chewing up writing time with schoolwork that has to get done. No more falling asleep while staring at the blinking cursor as it mocks my tired brain. No more having to pass on reading great books because I’ve only got so much time to write my own.

Just two more days…

In three days, I’ll bound out of bed at a time of my choosing, most likely 8:30-9:00 a.m. I’ll slip into comfortable summer attire. I’ll throw my unruly hair into a ponytail and forgo the makeup regimen. Maybe I won’t even put on deodorant or brush my teeth. Who knows how crazy I’ll get?

All I do know is that the number one item on my agenda for the first day of Summer Vacation (yes, both of those words deserve capital letters) is to write. Anything else I accomplish is frosting on the cake, peeps. Frosting on the cake.

I’ll of course have other Summer Vacation plans, such as traveling, hanging out with my pals, landscaping/gardening, bicycling (just bought new bikes and a bike dog leash that The Werewolf LOVES), going to concerts (got tickets to Lindsey Stirling in July which I’m psyched about), household chores, reading book after book from my favorite authors, and a boatload of preparing-for-the-next-school-year work especially because I’ll be teaching reading and science, which I haven’t taught in years.

But writing is top priority—my summer job. One I absolutely love.

What are your Summer plans?

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

The Maple Leaf Series, Books One through Six, available now! Book One, More Than Pancakes, is always FREE in ebook! 

Plans for Change by Christine DePetrillo

It’s May 14^th and in approximately one month, THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE OVER!

It’ll be my 17^th year completed teaching the same grade (five) at the same school in the same room.

So, yeah. I need some change.

But not too much because I don’t really like change.

Here’s the plan. Stay in the same grade at the same school in the same room, but change up the schedule, the subjects taught, and the room configuration. For all of the 17 years I’ve been teaching, the two fifth grades in my school have always switched classes to get students ready for switching classes at the middle school and to play upon our own teaching strengths. I’ve taught Math and Writing for most of my time at this school with a side order of Social Studies.

Next year, I’ll teach ALL the subjects and keep my own homeroom all day. This has many advantages. I can have longer periods for each of the subjects because transition time doesn’t have to be factored in. If I want to extend a period to do a more in-depth study of a topic, I can because I’ll always have the same set of students. If I want to teach a topic across disciplines, I can. If I want to take a thematic approach, no problem. Project-based learning? You betcha. Time to address the emotional-social needs of students (which seem to grow in frequency and magnitude each year) will now be available because I will have a better understanding of my core students instead of trying (often unsuccessfully) to get to know twice as many students.

I’m hoping for a better connection to my class. I want to really immerse them in learning. The kind of learning where they don’t even realize that the end of the day has arrived. I feel as if this year’s students did a great deal of “clock-watching.”

Honestly? So did I.

Whether that was my fault or theirs, I'm not sure, but I don’t want that to happen next year. I’m looking for the type of teaching and learning that brings things into the 21^st century and really ignites a passion for knowledge and discovery. I’m also hoping to arrange my classroom in a more comfortable, casual learning space. Something that promotes collaboration and innovation. I already plan to swap out my individual desks for larger tables in hopes to create a more laboratory, this-is-where-we-figure-stuff-out-cooperatively setting.  

And I’m obviously psyched to be teaching Reading again. The opportunity to talk about books with students as both readers AND writers excites me! I’ll also get to dive into Science, which will be great because I’m head of our school’s Roots & Shoots Team and really would love to get more outdoor learning into the mix. And the Science Fair? Ugh. It needs a facelift in the worst way. We've already made it digital, but the students really need opportunities to think more about real-world problems they can solve or inventions they can make. Something more than which flavor of gum lasts the longest. Bleck. 

With all the plans I have for next year, one hundred eighty days probably won’t be enough time to do it all, but I’ll channel the energy into making those days the best my new fifth graders ever had. I have all summer to strategize (while I’m not writing), and we’ll see how things go.

When does the school end where you live?  

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

The Maple Leaf Series, all six books, now available. Book One, More Than Pancakes, is always FREE in ebook! Get started today!

Conform or Be Unique?

“Always remember that you are absolutely unique. Just like everyone else.” ~ Margaret Mead

This quote really resonates with me as an educator as well as a writer. In teaching, we strive to individualize instruction and cater to the needs of all students. We see the unique talents each student has. We also see the unique struggles each student faces. Our goal is to make the curriculum accessible to all students regardless of their different circumstances. We do this on a daily basis for 180 days a year.

And yet, with all these specialized plans and accommodations and modifications and juggling acts and scripts and what sometimes amounts to a theater-level production, we eventually expect these children to grow into citizens who will be treated pretty much the same when it comes to getting a job and functioning in society. There’s a certain level of conformity that we expect them to be able to tolerate. Current trends in education with Common Core State Standards support this notion. While the standards don’t tell us how to teach, they do tell us what to teach. They strive to make sure every student masters the same information. It’s not a bad idea, however, it does squash that uniqueness. It does sort of shout, “You will learn exactly what everyone else is learning! You will be the same.”

Sometimes it all gets a little stuffy. I try to balance my classroom with some room to be different, to explore, to find the sheer joy in learning something that interests you. Unfortunately, time is short. One hundred eighty days goes by in the blink of an eye.

In the way of writing, authors love to think we’re unique, but pick up any book off the actual or digital shelf and you’ll find common themes, plots, settings, and characters. We’re probably just writing different versions of the same five stories. Another writer once told me, “There are no new ideas.” Sometimes I believe that.

Other times… I don’t.

I’m starting a new series and I’m hoping it is unlike anything I’ve written before. I’ve been studying up on different components of the writing craft, trying to reach new levels, dig deeper, expand my thinking. This series will still be romance (I’ve tried NOT writing romance and I simply can’t do it), but I’m delving into sci-fi and thriller a bit. I thought about the characters I would normally write about and am making a conscious effort to change it up. I’m leaving the present time and shooting to the future. I’m getting out of the woods and away from mountain men heroes. I’m tossing aside the sweet, feminine heroines. I’m looking to fashion a villain that isn’t a jealous ex-wife, crazy business partner, or evil mob boss.

I’m looking to be unique and not like everyone else. We’ll see how it goes. Don’t worry. There’ll still be a happily ever after, 100% guaranteed. I don’t want to go too different. Readers come to have certain expectations from an author.

I guess this rambling post has led me to conclude that you need to decide when to conform and when to be unique. There’s a place for both, don't you think?   

Toodles,

Chris

www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com

The Maple Leaf Series

More Than Pancakes (Always FREE!)

More Than Cookies

More Than Rum

More Than Pizza, Coming Soon!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of Goal Setting

We're a family of setting goals and we know that our goals often change for a variety of reasons. My eldest son, who's taught eighth grade Language Arts for sixteen years, has decided his mountain of paperwork every night--correcting homework, reading and grading papers, recording the grades, filling our government forms--has taken the joy out of teaching. He's earned a second Masters, this one in school administration. His goals have changed, and he'll be an assistant principal next year.

I have a grandson who, on his own, sets goals every year before school starts. He had four this year: to earn all A's, to get college credit for his advanced calculus class, to get into a STEM camp this summer and to qualify for States in wrestling. So far, Ryan's on track for all four. In fact, he's a shade ahead. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. He's been accepted at the two-week camps at both the Naval Academy and the University of Maryland. Here he is at States, an accomplishment for a sophomore, getting some tips from his coach. As a show of solidarity, all the guys who qualified for States, from his school. dyed their hair blond. Hey, they're teenagers...go figure.

Sometimes our goals as writers change, too. Like my goals for my writing career. I wanted to write a book and, after completing that task, I wanted to see it published. Like most writers, my first one was terrible and my second, while an improvement, still stunk to high heaven. My third completed manuscript was the charm, making it through the publication process. Signing that first contract was a good moment. Then after several books and novellas published with the same small publisher, my goals changed again.

I wanted to aim for a larger publisher.

Setting a goal means working hard to achieve it. Ryan doesn't earn all A's by playing video games all evening; he has to study hard. Looked as if Grandma had to work hard too. For I had a lot of improvements to make--like strengthening my voice and overcoming some amateurish habits. I read books on the craft of writing and took online classes. The bad part of my goal meant I was spending a lot of time away from living life so I could learn to write stronger. Believe me, I often asked if the sacrifice was going to be worth it in the end.

Last year I signed contracts with two Big Five publishers, each for one book. This year I was offered two more.contracts with these same publishers, who I shall call Pub A and Pub B for this discussion. These contracts were both for a series of three books, not yet written. They'd been accepted on a blurb type proposal for each book. Folks, I was thrilled. Then the ugly slipped in.

Both contracts contained "non-competitive" clauses, which meant I could not publish with anyone else while I had a book releasing with them. But...but I had two contract offers. How could I only publish with one?

My agent spoke to the contract department of Pub A. Since my series with them was for a contemporary romantic series, set in Florida, revolving around a fire and marine rescue station, and the series with Pub B was a paranormal romantic series set in Scotland, they saw no potential competition between the series. Pub A simply inserted the phrase "except for the contracted paranormal series set in Scotland." With Pub A, I was home free.

The contract department of Pub B was of a different mindset.

Their contract stated I could not publish or self-publish for six months prior to six months after a book released with them. Since there were three books, they would own me exclusively for three years.

I am a full-time writer. I typically write three or more books a year. So, what was I to do with my time while I waited for this one book to release? And what of my contract with Pub A?

To say I cried over the disappointment of it all would be an understatement. I finally told my agent to refuse the contract offer with Pub B, even though their royalty rates were higher. I'll be 66 this month, people, I'm too old to be ordered about. Then the contract department decided to change the six-months prior and after to two-months before and after, but they wanted the books closer together, with a designated word count and a one-month window for Pub A to release their book between each of Pub B's "black-out periods."

Well, for heaven's sake!

So agent lady had to go back to Pub A to ask if they'd be agreeable with this rigid scheduling process and would they put it in writing. Because if Pub A released my book a day or two before or after that window of opportunity, then I could be in breach of contract, Well, if that's not an ugly side of publishing for an author, I don't know what is!

Had I, perhaps, set the wrong goal?

Contract departments aside, my editors at both houses have treated me very well. They tweet and post on facebook about me. They've set-up blog tours and reviewers. They're all about pushing my career, knowing full well I am also with the competition. My agent called me over a month ago. An editor at another one of the other Big Five wanted to see some of my work. Did I have anything I was working on that wasn't already contracted? We both laughed. We'd had enough ugly for a while.

Visit Vonnie at www.vonniedavis.com

Full Swing

Summer is in full swing for me now. Being a teacher, it took me a few weeks to realize that I didn't need to corral the neighborhood kids into a straight line and lead them into a classroom somewhere. They don't want to learn about isosceles triangles on a sunny, hot July afternoon. They just don't.

I now have the balance of doing some school prep and a ton of writing just right. I don't wake up in a panic, thinking I'm late for classes. I've stopped keeping paperclips in my pockets.

I no longer answer to "Mrs. DePetrillo."

Instead, I've taken up a permanent residence in an Adirondack chair on my patio. My laptop and The Werewolf are my only colleagues each day. While I talk to both regularly, neither reply, which is good. It means I haven't lost my marbles yet.

At least not all of them. There's still time.

I've sprinkled in the perfect amount of socializing too. I've had beach dates. I've met people for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I've gone to concerts. (Harry Connick, Jr. most recently. Sigh.) I've weekended in Vermont and had a beach house overnighter with some girlfriends.

I've socialized with fictional characters too. Lots of them. They enjoy visiting me, telling me their tales, insisting I write their stories. The summer is so productive for me as a writer. I almost forget what it's like being a teacher. Almost.

I'm currently polishing a short story called One Night in The Labyrinth. It's about a graphic novelist and a toy designer who meet at a Comic Con-like event. Both Star Wars fans and in touch with their inner children due to their jobs, fall in love they must. (Say that last part in your best Yoda voice.) I'm hoping to submit this story to a publisher who had a call for one night affairs. If it doesn't get picked up, I'll self-publish it. I've had a blast writing it and look forward to the next project.

The good news is there's plenty of summer left, which means plenty of writing still to do!

How do you like to spend your summer?

Toodles,
Chris
www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com Adult Romance
www.christymajor.weebly.com YA Romance
www.christineteaches.weebly.com The Writing Teacher 

Whoohooo!

Okay, I’m one day away from the metamorphosis into Summer Chris (see June 4^th post). I can feel School Chris loosening up on the reins. She’s already let some of her students call her by her first name. A very big deal. Her classroom is packed up and tidied. Her desk is cleared off. All papers have been returned to students. All lockers have been emptied. She waits for tomorrow, 3:05 p.m. to be exact, when Room 211 will be closed for business.
 

And though she’ll no doubt bounce around the room Daffy Duck-style, yelling “Whoohoo,” this time comes with a bit of sadness too. Another set of fifth graders are being shipped to The Middle School. Gasp! They’re ready for it. I know they are, but a part of me wants to keep them for another year. Maybe two. I’ve come to like these kids. They’ve grown on me, and I wouldn’t mind hanging out with them for a little longer.

Many of them will come back to visit, and it’s fun to hear what they’ve been up to and what they’re learning, but they’ll never be “mine” again. I know many of them are nervous about going to middle school. They have doubts, concerns, fears. What they don’t know is that I’m nervous too. Nervous about the new fifth graders I’ll be getting. I only know the new kids as fourth graders. I’ve only seen them quickly in passing in the hallway or out on the recess yard where they were no doubt acting like…well, like fourth graders. They haven’t achieved that fifth grade cool that I so love.

I’ve been watching the fourth graders warily this week, trying to decide if they’ll get my jokes or will I end up making some of them cry? I hate when that happens. I can be kind of sarcastic and most fifth graders get it, but these fourth graders? I don’t know. They look sort of…fragile.

And just thinking of how far my current fifth graders have come and having to start all over from square one with the new batch makes me cringe. Ugh. It’s like backtracking, and I’m solidly a moving forward type of gal. Sure, I can improve upon the lessons I did this year, but what if my tricks don’t work on this new crop? What if I don’t connect with them?

What if they don’t like me?

I somehow have to charm another whole set of forty-five kids, get them to respect me, and teach them everything a fifth grader needs to know. Aww, shucks. Can’t I just keep the kids I have?

I, of course, realize that I can’t keep my darlings. I must pass them off so they can expand their horizons, and I’m sure the new kids will work out just fine. That doesn’t stop me from worrying just a little about that day looming at the end of August—The First Day of School. Crazy, right? Here I am, just a day away from the beginning of my Summer vacation and the conclusion of a successful school year, and I’m already anxious about the new school year ahead.

Clearly, I need this Summer vacation, right? Time to unwind, regroup, plan my battle strategy for those new fifth graders. They will like me, and I’ll like them, and that’s just how it’s going to be.      

So, I’ll wish my current students farewell and good luck tomorrow. I’ll put School Chris away. I’ll listen to “Summertime” by D.J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince when I get home like I do every year to kick off the Summer vacation, and I’ll dance around my house in celebration.

 
A part of me, however, will wonder what next year brings…

Who was your favorite elementary school teacher? Why?

Chris
www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com
www.nighteternal.weebly.com