Welch,+L

=Lori Welch=

Wednesday, August 22nd
|| **"Session"** || **Reflection/Products** || a little trouble setting up classes, but will experiment and keep trying this afternoon. ||
 * **Time**
 * 8:00-9:50 || Welcome, Intro, and || I am happy to be back this year. Seriously. ||
 * 10:00-10:50 || Wiki Portfolios with Angela and John || Started Wiki for class; linked to forum. Ok, best laid plans. Had
 * 11:00-11:50 || Using Digital Video || I was still so enrapt with Wiki portfolios, but I did bookmark the Wiki to use and I even found a few things to use for class. There really wasn't much (sounds impossible I know) that AP English Lit would use in the United Streaming class. Now, I will use it more for the regular class I have, I'm sure. I was kinda hoping for a class on Moviemaker or some such to create digital vids in class to use with the Wiki. I'm not even really that much a beginner with Moviemaker so I don't really know what I need! I need a good kick in the head with a steel toed boot probably. ||
 * 1:00-1:50 || Parent contact with Robbin et al. || *become a Catholic school in order to offer beer to parents, faculty
 * Keep up with "smaller" opportunities for teachers, and add maybe TWO major events that could become tradition school-wide (chili dinner is still mostly benefitting seniors...if we did "spaghetti dinner" and let it benefit the **whole** school, then we might just pay for the spring fling or the spring carnival, where there would be no beer.)
 * Invite parents to things like technology friday nights (I can't help but wonder if this would lower student participation, especially for those tech guys. but I have no proof...just wondering).
 * include a parent written article on website monthly. Ask for submissions on website.
 * Do that dental/blood pressure screenings idea.
 * parents come when students perform, are recognized, or there is food involved.
 * Showcase night: similar to mentorship program where parents, faculty, and students prepare lectures and events that they are interested in.
 * Students can babysit children supervised by a faculty member for community service hours during events
 * Have awards by specialty area instead of teams, and do them at night (they might be too long, though).
 * I think we need a bonfire. I mean, I just like bonfires. Or ponies. Wait. Bonfire.
 * I'm also going to ask that parents participate in my classes (attend lectures, help with stapling, filing, etc.) and that they participate in the Medieval Feast, at which there will also be present an administrator...like Mr. Creeger.
 * Offer extended learning opportunities to parents and students in technology, ESL, art history, test preparation for college admissions (some parents go to North Lake, for example), etc. Faculty could be compensated with TBA hours or something (I have no idea how this could be done...)
 * Have monthly trips to college campses for seniors, parents, and faculty to look at area schools as maybe a sort of field trip. Arrange with schools to let them know we're coming so they can make it nice. I did this once with the Lamkins and several others and did the arrangements so that when we got there, they had activities, and even a college class for the kids to participate in. It was awesome and even though those students may not have attended that school, it was great to have them all together and to have the schools go to so much trouble for us. ||
 * 2:00-2:45 || Meeting with floor Vice Principal || Michel went over expectations, and promises to come to my class this year! She never visited us! ||
 * 2:45-3:30 || PACE Meeting || Connie showed us how to access info for senior class on Blackboard. I changed all of the passwords at the end of the year after the issues with those kids having passwords, and of course, have no idea what mine are any longer. So, I've e-mailed Darren and Angela to get passwords and to get reenrolled in blackboard.

I am responsible for finding events and ideas for something seniors can do that isn't "show up and sign in..." and there is no guarantee of the ASVAB. ||

Thursday, August 23rd
|| **"Session"** || **Reflection/Products** ||
 * **Time**
 * 8:00-9:50 || Meet with Teams and Specialties || I saw Katie Creeger eat another team member. I wouldn't have believed it myself, but she did it. She did. We aired our opinions on how to improve our team image and how to bring parents along in the massive senior events. I did speak up this year, and intend to keep speaking up because I felt so guilty last year for not being able to participate. I think I've got it figured out now, so I plan on helping to improve student/parent participation and NOT make the team members even crazier than they already are. I mean, I do NOT want to make that Katie Creeger mad! I have an essay that I'm working on for you administrators, and actually wrote it with you in mind, but it centers on this notion of teachers trying to make things "easier" on the parents. I just don't think that's it. Unless we go to their houses, we can't make it any easier. I think we need to make it more IMPORTANT, like guarantee that they will learn something, earn something, or be rewarded for something. When asked, parents would NEVER say "It wasn't convenient..." even if it were true. They would say..."I had to work." I mean, they DO show up for some events: registration and laptop pickup, graduation, baccalaureate. They still have to work, but somehow, when it's important they show up. I am committed to helping the school find some important reasons to be here for the parents...ESL classes, Personal Finance classes, helping them get into college...and I'm talking about the parents. We talk about how we are trying to build community, but community really has a pretty narrow definition. We have to think WAY beyond FORCING people to be better parents and help them solve their own problems. I think in the end, our students would learn from seeing their own parents solve problems, and the parents would have ownership in the school system themselves. Overall, the community would be the benefactor. This is not a new idea, though. I mean, I wish I'd thought of it, but I heard of another district somewhere (probably via NPR) that did it and won much praise from the town where it was located. ||
 * 10:00-10:50 || Tech-web-database || I was pretty clear on this, just needed the passwords. I experimented with it this summer. GREAT Idea! ||
 * 11:00-11:50 || Podcasts || Can't wait to use this. I started this summer...I have a 40 GB i-pod with a bunch of accessories, like a voice recorder and card reader, that I plan to use for this. I had it refurbed this summer. So fun! I plan to do some poetry readings, and frankly, I have these great ideas for lecture/discussion all the time, and need that "on the spot" method of getting it down. If I can just pull out the iPod, I can record them anywhere. I borrowed one of Darren's microphones for now. ||
 * 1:00-1:50 || On line activity || Sharon Fulmer and I were just talking about classes and English, and she is just so nice. I had no idea...but that's probably because last year I was a lunatic and couldn't talk to anyone. Anyway, we discussed where to put the books and then we both decided to do one on line class for this session since we were late. I had no idea that she went to MSU. We all went there on this hall--Katie, me, and Sharon. WEIRD. Did someone move us all in a row on purpose? ||
 * 2:00-2:25 || Reflection Time || I am behind! I owe an online session because I did the e-meeting with the team, and then answered e-mail, and that's all I've had time to do. I will try to get caught up after the dept meeting. I can't believe we're almost through our two days. It was really good. I just want to say that I regret not participating more last year and won't allow that again. I mean, I know you all missed me!!! Especially Mr. Creeger, who has a fansite devoted to me...You know, it's really getting to be too much bandwidth. You need to quit filming me coming to work and going to the store every day. I DO like the shots of me letting my dogs out into the backyard, though. Many thanks to you, my friend. ||
 * 2:30-3:30 || Meet with Departments || I went to the department meeting and saw the other teachers for perhaps the first time ever. I can't believe I'm the only one left from the original crew (besides Angela, but her schedule is so different and since she's been an administrator for a while, I was forgetting her). We met the new English Dept. coordinator for the district, Jennifer. She seems nice. In all, it went well. ||