Basketball championship

Our school basketball team won their first ever championship this week!  Some of my students were on the team.  Here's a video from the game:

Grandparents Day

Here's a video my principle took and I put together for our school's grandparents day yesterday. Pretty special. =)

A new era

Today marked a new era in American politics.  Voters elected Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States.  While people around Philadelphia were--for the most part--extremely excited about this event, I know not all the country is not as thrilled.  But regardless of if people voted for Obama or against him, today was a historical event.  Part of me really wishes I had gone to DC last night to watch the Inauguration, but another part was glad I got to experience it with my students in West Philadelphia.

At 11AM, grades 3-8 walked down the street to the University of the Sciences building.  They let us use one of their lecture halls for the ceremonies.  After some sound issues, they got the technology working.  I have to say that I felt a little emotional as I looked around the room at 100+ African American students, so enthused and passionate about our country's new leader...one that finally looked like them.  I thought back to four years ago when I was teaching in the rural farming community of Hudsonville, Michigan, and how much deeper this meaning is for my students here in Philadelphia.  With the Phillies winning the World Series, the Eagles/Steelers making it to the conference championships, and Obama getting elected, this is a great time to be in Philly!

It's pretty cool that just yesterday we celebrated Martin Luther King day, and today we swore in our country's first black president.  As I showed my class MLK's I Have A Dream speech on Friday, I got choked up as I thought about Inauguration Day.  In a way, Martin Luther King's dream was fulfilled today at the same mall he shared it with the world.

Christmas break!

Tonight, our school Christmas concert signaled the beginning of Christmas vacation!!!  It feels really, really good to be here.  As my friend Jeremy said, teachers always have a goal to look forward to.  Well, here's a big one! 

The concert went well tonight.  The kids sang well...and the ones that didn't looked adorable.  I took a few videos of the kindergartners in the front row.  Pretty cute.

Sarah should arrive home at 2AM tonight.  (she was visiting two hospital residency programs in Michigan).  Tomorrow we leave to meet up with Jim, Teresa, Walter, and Lydia in DC for lunch and hanging out.  Later that afternoon, we'll pick up Elizabeth and make the voyage to Blacksburg to spend a week with the Gardner family.  Around the 27th, we'll pack our bags and head to Michigan to spend a few days with my family.  New Year's will be filled with Hope friends, which I'm pretty excited about too.  So, let the whirlwind begin! 

Appreciating students

Do you ever have days when you sigh and say to yourself, "Ah yes...this is exactly why I have this job."?  If you don't, allow me to be the first to suggest a career consultation.  Regardless of your answer, I had one of those days today.

Just last night at home group, I asked the two guys in my small group to pray that I would invest into my students on an individual level these last five days before Thanksgiving break.  I believe God gave me that today.  Many times today, I felt overwhelmed with joy and gratitude for the students I have in my class.  Sure, there are problems and needs for growth/adjustment...but I felt I was able to adore specific student's personalities.  I found myself laughing out loud at small, idiosyncratic things about them.  And I loved it. 

The Camp Geneva counselor in me even surfaced while we were outside at snack: students were playing their favorite tag game of cops and robbers (two cops try to tag all the robbers and put them into jail before other robbers come and release them from jail).  I ran around and played with them yesterday, but today I watched for a bit.  With sudden inspiration, I walked over to the robbers and picked one of them up.  I carried her over to the jail telling her how proud I was that she felt rependant and guilty for her crimes to society.  She loved it, and soon all the robbers wanted to repay their debt to society. 

This afternoon, students were reading their fiction narrative drafts for their small writing group.  My eyes swelled with tears as I listened to a few students share their fantastical narratives of characters like Kahlia, Max, and Skull-Monger.  At first I wondered why I felt emotional about this, and I suddenly remembered my prayer request last night!  In an instant, it all made sense.  I felt so joyful to hear my students sharing their original work--stories they were excited to share and read with great expression!  Oh, would I love to feel that joy next week when I grade their final drafts...

5th grade pollsters

Yesterday, my 5th graders took a poll of the whole K-8 school to see whom they would vote for on Election Day. As it turns out, our poll of Spruce Hill accurately predicted the results of Philadelphia!! The latest figures from today showed that Obama won 83% of the votes in Philly--exactly the number we had him winning! McCain won 17% of the Philadelphia vote, while he won 14% of our school ("other" got the remaining 3%). Maybe CNN will visit our school next time they want to predict an election winner...

Phillies Day at Spruce Hill

Today was Phillies Day at my school. Instead of wearing their uniform, students could wear Phillies or red shirts to support their home team. Since I don't own any Phillies shirts (yet), I called my friend Alan to see if I could borrow his. Not only did he let me borrow his jersey, but he had a whole uniform for me to wear! I felt so athletic and official as I strolled up to school this morning. The kids LOVED it, and I had a bunch of younger students even ask me if I played for the Phillies. All the teachers got into the action too. Almost everyone in the school had red on! I even had a big Chase Utley blanket that Sarah received when we went to a game on Mother's Day last year. Having a theme day like that was very fun...here are some pictures from the day's events:

My 5th graders

Here are some of my fifth graders from this year, posing with our class mascot Fluffy.  Everyone who visits our classroom will have their picture taken by our class photographer.  We'll put the pictures on the back bulletin board for all to see...it'll be a visual guestbook of our visitors!

First day of school

Today was my first day of school! I was pretty nervous ahead of time, but once school started, it got a lot better. I think most teachers get nervous before the first day. There are just so many variables! Even if you have taught for 20 years, the group of students coming in is different from all of them. But that's why I think teaching is so great!


I felt much more competent this time around. After being in three different schools in three years, it was wonderful to know the system and expectations for once. I left school with more energy than when I got there, which to me signals an excellent day.

In other news Google made two big announcements today: a new version of their software program Picasa and a web browser called Google Chrome! I downloaded both of them this evenin and love the new features. Picasa is more integrated with the web and tagging, while Google Chrome was built on simplicity. It's very streamlined and quite similar to Firefox (actually, it imports all your passwords and bookmarks from Firefox automatically for you!). The two companies are teaming up (their financial agreement is through 2011) to compete with Microsoft's Internet Explorer. Looks like a good step towards that!

Sabbatical no longer

My wedding sabbatical has ended: I am returning to my weekly blogging. While things haven't quite settled down in the De Boer household yet, they're close enough. Actually, Sarah asked me the other day if I felt settled. I responded that I did, and she said that she wasn't quite yet. Maybe it's the stack of five crates in our hallway? We've made progress though, and that's what counts.

I am approaching the four week mark of school. At times, it seems really far away. Other times, it seems really close! I know it'll be over before we know it. This week, my students have been pretty good. We've had a great understanding and expectation for how things are supposed to run in our classroom. The warmer weather and excitement for special events has made things more talkative in the classroom, but there are fewer conflicts.

My allergies have been awful the past week. Sarah and I made the financial decision to leave the windows down yesterday after my fauc--I mean nose kept running all night for a few straight days. Today's rain helped though; I feel leaps and bounds better than any other day this week. I even had a student bring in a note from her mom saying that she needed to stay inside during recess to avoid the pollen.

With my new move, I'm carpooling to school now! Laura (the 4th grade teacher) and I drive from Fairmount together. It's been great having company in the car and saving on gas!

Sarah and I are still developing new routines in our new life as a married couple. One of my favorites so far has been our bi-weekly trip to New Jersey, where we go to Wegman's for groceries and get the cheapest gas in the country (only $3.40 last week). We've also stopped at Bed, Bath, and Beyond to spend our gift certificates and fill out our home. Who'd of thunk shopping would be fun? Certainly not me!

I'm pretty excited about the Cubs this year. Even though they've been in a funk recently, their offense has played well. Half their starters are reliable, and the other half should only be used as middle relievers.

This afternoon, I got an e-mail from Walden (where I'm getting my masters in reading). They approved my request to take two classes at a time this summer. Consequently, my final portfolio is due on September 15. After I turn that puppy in, I'll be done!!! Can't wait.

No snow day?!?

That was the thought of every teacher and student this morning at Spruce Hill Christian School. Several inches of snow, sleet, and rain came down today...and we had school. (the problem: our administrator made the call from Florida) Only about half the school came due to weather and our buses not operating. However, 5th grade managed to take the lemon and make lemonade! We went sledding in a nearby park with the help of a local parent bringing out sleds (I can't take credit for the idea; one of the students had it). Everyone had a great time! Here are some pictures.

Field trip comes to life

Today, my 5th graders and I walked to a UPenn auditorium to see at Holocaust play called My Heart in a Suitcase. We'll be studying WWII later this year, and the kids are really interested in that time period. The show was amazing, despite its sad ending with a girl having to leave her parents in Germany. Unfortunately, they both died in concentration camps without ever seeing her again. When the show was over, the actors came back on stage with a special announcement: the main character in the story is alive and IN THE AUDIENCE! The real Ann Fox came up and answered questions from the audience. It was really neat to see, and the kids thought it was the coolest thing ever. She lives in Philadelphia, so she comes to one show a year, and this was it! What a neat experience!!!

When God doesn't cooperate

This afternoon, one of my students called and left a message on my voice mail saying that her sister had died. The family is a huge presence in our school--dad is the headmaster in addition to several students being enrolled. We had known about her sister's struggle with pulmonary hypertension for the whole school year, praying for her and her family every week. There had been several close calls, but the one this afternoon was too close. The doctors had told her she had 6 months to live...around three years ago. The illness has totally consumed the family for the last few months, and they have been a source of strength throughout it. Our headmaster has told me that God has used the situation for many, many good conversations about life and death, and we trust that He has continued plans to glorify Himself through this. It's just hard when God doesn't seem to cooperate with what we want!

Please pray for their family, our class, and our school as we grieve this situation.

2 Corinthians 5

Our Heavenly Dwelling

1Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7We live by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

Soccer champions!!!

Tonight Laura (4th grade teacher) and I went to our school's championship soccer game. We were playing the team that had one the previous four years, and WE WON!!! A 1-0 shutout, no less. The kids got pretty into the game, and it was encouraging to see how unified they became in pursuing a common goal. We even made signs during some free time in class today. Here's a video I made of the night's festivities:

Missing a hubcap, but we've got marathon pictures!

Tonight, Sarah and I went to the local grocery store. When we returned to the car, I was dismayed to find out that my right front hubcap had disappeared! We drove around the parking lot looking for it, but were unsuccessful. Why just one? And why even take one? Kind of rediculous...and annoying. Any ideas where I can pick up an extra hubcap for a Chevy Prizm?

In more positive news, we started our classroom ballroom dancing lessons today. Despite the mixed response at first, kids mostly enjoyed the time. The big issue was holding hands and dancing with a partner, but thankfully, the instructors are easing them into it. So far, no partners.

Jim and Teresa Sorge are coming to Philadelphia! Sarah and I know both of them very well--I lived in the same building as Jim for all four years in college, while Sarah danced almost every day with Teresa. Teresa will be starting her masters in dance at Temple in either January or September, and Jim is job hunting. If anyone knows of an open position for a biology, chemistry, french major who is brilliant, let me know!

The official marathon pictures are now online. Sarah and I will be ordering one of us crossing the finish line, even though it is the most expensive 5x7 I will probably ever buy in my life. If you want to see them, visit this website. Our bib numbers are 7648 and 7649.

Ballroom dancing? At school?!?

Yep, starting on Monday, the 4th and 5th graders at Spruce Hill Christian School will begin learning ballroom dancing from two professional dance instructors for a combined gym class on Monday afternoons. This is the first time our school has done something like this! Laura (4th grade teacher) and I broke the news to students yesterday, to mixed reactions. 4th grade was super excited about the opportunity and cheered. My class, however, couldn't believe the school would subject them to such torture. I explained how thousands of 4th and 5th grade kids in New York City have completed the program and enjoyed it, but that sales pitch was unsuccessful: "But we're not like those kids! We're different!"

Fortunately, Laura had rented Mad Hot Ballroom, a documentary on the dance program in the New York City schools. We watched it together, and the students' concerns shifted to "do we HAVE to do this??" to "who will be my partner?" I saw that as a good sign. After talking one-on-one with some of the major voices of dissension, students agreed to give it a try. The movie helped a considerable amount; here's a preview:



Personally, I'm pretty excited about this opportunity. We'll be learning the cha-cha, salsa, tango, and swing! The schools who have done this before describe how behavior issues within the class decrease, boys start treating girls with more respect and dignity, and how kids love it! My students really enjoy dancing, but their definition of dancing is mostly hip hop. I hope this helps them expand their world view a bit, as well as help them mature into fine gentlemen and ladies!

Soccer game

Yesterday, Mrs. McGreevy (4th grade teacher) and I attended one of our school's soccer games. A few of my 5th graders are on the team, which goes up to 8th grade. Unfortunately, we lost, but one of my students scored one of the two goals!!! Here are some snapshots from the event:

Two of my students.

Another student with a soccer player's younger brother.

Two excited teachers.

Updates

Yeah, it's been a while. I'd like to provide a full update on what's transpired since my last posting, but unfortunately, I don't have the time for such luxuries. Know that I want to, however!

My marathon training with Sarah continues. The cooler weather has made for the initial mile to be unpleasant, but my sweat pores are much less active when the temperature is below 80 degrees! This morning we ran for almost 17 miles before church (our time was about 2:50). I'd say it was our best yet. We have a 20 mile run scheduled for October 28--the day before Sarah's 24th birthday! That will be our longest before the marathon. Most of our friends who have done a marathon before tell us that these long runs are the hardest, since you aren't in a race or anything yet. Today felt really good as we did it, however. We brought our iPods, but didn't allow ourselves to use them until the final 4 miles, which worked well as a distraction when our bodies were starting to feel it. In hindsight, perhaps the Sunday morning run wasn't the wisest decision, since we struggled to stand up for singing, communion, and greeting... Still, there are few feelings that compare with the satisfaction of knowing that you gave it all you've got. I expect to sleep very well tonight.

Sarah and I made a trip down to Washington DC to visit Walter and Lydia Nelson in their DC home. They were married in April, and we hadn't made it down there to visit them. Lydia's birthday made for a good excuse, and we enjoyed our visit immensely. It no longer seems weird to visit married friends. Even though it was our first time seeing their new home, it seemed right that they were married. I like that.

School has been going pretty well. What's keeping it from going really well is the amount of time I spend there. I'm generally the first one there and the last one to leave. Recently, it's been kind of a 7AM-7PM day. I try to do most of my work at school because I found myself having trouble sleeping when I worked on homework or planning at home. I'm working on separating school from life, and unfortunately, the emotional element has been tough to overcome.

We have parent/teacher conferences this week, which makes me feel excited and nervous. I have only observed my student teaching conferences, and since nobody came to the computer room last year, that's my only experience with them. Parent communication is a big component for me (our class website has every day's homework and news on it as well as private online grades so parents know what their students are getting). I'd like to get better at calling parents with good news, so this week after students presented their state project, I called home to let the parents know how well their child did with the assignment. Let's hope it pays off!

This weekend, Sarah and I hung out with her roommate Michelle and her boyfriend Will. We had a great time in the country surrounding Philadelphia--visiting her family, picking apples, touring Victory brewery, and going on a haunted hayride. The apple picking felt a little cheap: the place was crawling with people, the apple pickins were slim, and it made me feel even more strongly about how much I like Cranes Orchard.

Time for me to put some finishing touches on the week's lessons. I'll post more soon!

Our class mascot

So, my mother sent me large, purple puffer fish that makes a "BOIIIING" sound when you hit his belly. I did what any self-respecting 5th grade teacher would do with a kitsch item: incorporated him into my classroom! Meet Fluffy, our new 5th grade mascot:



The kids voted on a name for him (Mr. Puff, and Egghead were the other two finalists). Similar to what I did my second year at Hope with Quackles, we decided to take a picture of every person who visits our room with Fluffy and display them on the wall. Visit our photo album for a picture of each person in our class with him, plus the Gym/Spanish and Shared Space teacher.

First one down!

Whoa. This week has flown by! Already, it's the end of my first week at Spruce Hill Christian School. I'm writing this from my classroom, which looks remarkably better than when I first posted that 360-degree view. I'll have to do that again after Back to School Night this coming Thursday.

The week went considerably well, considering it's my first week as a "real" 5th grade teacher (aka: I'm not long-term subbing or serving as a specialist). The 4th and 3rd grade teachers in my group have been exceedingly helpful, and the kids have lived up to my high expectations. They're a good bunch that can get out of control, but still have great respect for authority. At Spruce Hill, we're encouraged to spend the first few weeks focusing on developing routines, procedures, and community in our classroom, which has helped me keep my head above water. Tuesday and Wednesday were long days, but yesterday and today went by quickly.

Last year, Krista Carter had asked me if it takes me a little bit to unwind after school. At the time, I had said no. She was surprised, as she said that it usually took her a half hour or so to be ready to start her evening. If you were to ask me that same question now, I'd say that it does take me a bit to unwind. My guess is that the emotional involvement of focusing on 20 students instead of 250 does that to a guy. Oh well...for now, it's certainly worth it.

I'm tired now. Most of next week is planned, thanks to me staying until 7:30 on a Friday night. (now I just need to set the alarm without it going off!) I'm heading over to a friend's house for home made Chicago-style pizza and a movie. Should be a good way to end the week.