the swing of things

We're back at it here in the high desert of New Mexico! Today marked the beginning of week three of teaching and I couldn't be happier (with some things, there are still those that are in need of a good overhaul, but I'll get to that later)!

In the past two years of my teaching, one area that I really struggled with was classroom management. While I happily made my way through each day, I knew that things were not their best, but I was never 100% sure what to do, or how to articulate what was going on to get help from outsiders. Well, this year I am feeling a million times better about what is going on in my classroom procedurally.

This year my school began implementing a behavior management strategy called 1-2-3 Magic. I must say, it is kind of magical. While I am still refining some of the ins and outs of the method, I am no longer putting energy into disciplining my students and explaining to them what was going on. Let's face it, they're five and they don't care. Now I can simply look at them and say 1 (or 2, or 3) and typically they'll mutter an "okay" and stop. Magic I tell you! This past Friday I didn't need to count for anyone! At the end of the day I am not musing over what went wrong, about whether or not my students hate me, or what I could have done differently (with regards to behavior). They're misbehaving, I say "one" and they typically stop.

In addition to our management magic I have some stellar routines going on. Last year I tried using chimes in my classroom as an attention getter, but I was horrible at being consistent with them. This year I ring the chimes, everyone stops what they are doing, they put their hands in their laps, and they look at me. I start counting down from 3 and by 0 they are silent and looking at me. I say rule check and they are silent and looking at me. When we use white boards if we are moving on to something else that does not require the boards they automatically sit on them and burry their markers in their laps (today I didn't even get to tell them what to do, I turned on the projector and they started cleaning their boards and sat on them right away!). So, management is coming along quite nicely. It only took me two years of bumbling around to figure this one out (at least for the time being).

Another area of struggle for me in the past has been teaching math. While there are numerous math teachers in my family, I have always struggled with finding ways to make math exciting when all we are doing is writing numbers, counting, naming shapes, etc. I think that this is coming along pretty well this year as well. I am much more cognizant of getting manipulatives into the hands of my kinders and using rhymes and story telling to keep them engaged in lessons. I think our grasp of routines has also helped with our math lessons. They know when manipulatives are tools and not toys, and they have learned that if they are playing they need to draw circles instead of using bears, cubes, or blocks. I still have some learning to do in this area, but I think we're coming along nicely!

The one area that got me today was center time. I had planned out my centers, but I had visions of my students from last year when I was doing this. I must elaborate, I had visions of my students from the END of the year last year when I was planning. Kinders at week three of school have very different abilities when compared to kinders at week 36 of school. Lesson learned, I will need to play around and finagle some, but we'll get there eventually.

All in all, I am very happy with where we are as a class this year. I cannot wait to see my kinders grow, learn, and excel this year. It is always so exciting to watch them as they grasp new skills and have aha moments. 

In addition to my new group of kinders, I have a new group of grade level teachers. So far they have made teaching so much more enjoyable! We work together very well and get along perhaps a little too well (it takes forever to lesson plan, but we have a great time doing it!)! They truly love their students and they are invested in their classrooms. We talk every day and share ideas. We are helping one another grow and become better teachers every day.

I have heard from friends that year three of teaching is the best, and at week three, I must say that I agree.

back to school

It is hard to believe that summer has come to an end (at least in teacher terms). Teachers started back on Thursday and our kiddos will show up bright eyed and bushy tailed (right?) on Monday. I personally started back about a week before it was mandated in an effort to get my classroom together. It isn't finished yet, there are some things that will require student involvement in order to get our walls filled up, others that will require teaching, and others still that simply require me to have more time. Until that time comes, take a look at my classroom as the students will see it on Monday morning (minus the changes that happened this afternoon when I stopped in for about an hour with the mister in tow).

new mexico

Home, sweet home. After five weeks on the road it was nice to roll across the state line on Tuesday morning. We weren't ready to put an end to our adventure yet though, and took a little side trip to Capulin Volcano, just east of Raton. As we drove, you could see the features of the volcanic field rising in the distance.

raton-clayton volcanic field

We ate a quick lunch, made from our remaining food stores, and then went to check out the couple of trails at the monument. We hiked the first trail, winding through the cinders. The second trail took us through one of the vent areas around the volcano. As we hiked the Boca Trail my heels started to blister since I hadn't taken the time to find socks in our overstuffed car. The clear solution to prevent further blistering, and the one that was employed on this hike, was to start running. Running on my toes meant that my heels weren't rubbing. Perfect. We saw an awesome trail, we got some running in, and, for the most part, my feet were happy.

With that out of our system, we drove up to the crater of the Capulin. We hiked around the rim of the crater and then down into the vent. Looking out from the rim trail we could see for miles. The volcanic field was somewhat moderate, but beautiful none-the-less. We could see storms forming in the distance, and so we took that as our sign to get down to lower elevations. 

inside the vent

At that point we were exhausted. We tabled our plan to go to Bandelier National Monument and instead made the push for home. As nice as it would have been to get one more tent night in, it was fabulous to sleep in our own bed after being gone for so long. Ah, home, sweet home.

and so it began

Once upon a time I said I would write about spring break happenings. Then it never happened. The school year ended and the mister and I did some contract work for our schools and before we knew it sumer began with a fun-filled week of exploring and showing our family around the Gallup area.

We were blessed with a week of amazing weather when Bruce and Linda came to visit. We were able to spend long days in the sun seeing all that the southwest has to offer.

We started our time together on Saturday with one of the best breakfasts you can find in Gallup (if you've never been to the Plaza Cafe and you're local, you're missing out) and a trip to a garage sale that some of our friends were having. We were lured there by the promise of lemonade being sold by cute kids, and that promise was met (with an added bonus of being PINK lemonade, something that I have a weakness for). I also managed to walk away with some great new-to-me scarves and a new book, Chris picked up a bolero tie, and Linda scored big with a whole new library for her daycare and some new noise-making toys. Our shopping for the day wasn't complete though, as every visit to Gallup should also include a trip to the local flea market. I finally purchased some earrings that I have wanted for about two years and Linda found a horse to take home!

Linda's new horse

On Sunday we made our way into Arizona where we spent our morning exploring Petrified Forest National Park. With the painted desert surrounding us, discoveries of petroglyphs and pictographs, blue mesas, and an abundance of petrified wood we relished the beauty of the natural world (I particularly enjoyed chasing lizards) and contemplated the lives of generations past. What would it have been like to live in the open desert? Where would the people have gotten their water? What brought people to the area and made them want to stay? The National Parks Service has a way of making you think about things in a new way, and for that I am always grateful. 

one of my lizard friends

petrified wood

We stayed in Gallup on Monday and did the touristy things that the mister and I typically overlook, but have secretly wanted to do during our time here. We visited the Storyteller Museum, checked out new trading posts and did the city mural walk. Gallup has a rich history and an abundance of talented residents and this was a the perfect opportunity to take all of that in. We also made a point of visiting another landmark in Gallup, Glenn's Bakery. Chris brought me donuts from Glenn's once upon a time after a run, but we really haven't eaten there, even though we had heard that we should. We had a great lunch and it will certainly be a place that we go back to (don't worry, they sell more than donuts!). 

Bruce and Linda with a Code Talker

Chris, our ever faithful tour guide

On Tuesday we went back to Arizona, this time to Canyon de Chelly. Since moving to the southwest, I have found Canyon de Chelly to be one of the most beautiful places that we have visited. It is majestic, full of history, and peaceful. There is something about visiting this place that is just relaxing, even when making the trip down into the canyon and then climbing back out of it. We hiked to the bottom of the canyon to show Bruce White House Ruins and then spent the rest of our day going to the overlooks. One of the things about Canyon de Chelly is that it is a living monument. There are still families that reside in the canyon, therefore visitors are not allowed to explore on their own (unless you are willing to run a long way). From the top though you are able to meet artisans from the area, learn about their families that reside in the canyon, and of course buy beautiful artwork (which we all did). On our way home from Canyon de Chelly we stopped in at Hubbell Trading Post for another glimpse of life in days gone by.

replica hogan 

the four of us at spider rock

white house ruins

Wednesday was a day of recovery, to some extent. We returned to Arizona (though just barely) and visited the Navajo Nation Zoo and the Nation Museum. The morning was nice and mild as we made our way through the zoo, and then we escaped from the heat of the day by visiting the museum. It was a relaxing morning, followed by an afternoon of Chris and I playing catch up with grad school (yes, even though it is summer, we are still working a little bit).

Linda petting animals at the zoo

window rock

We wrapped up our time together with a trip to Zuni, Ramah and El Morro National Monument. We were fortunate to find the A:shiwi A:wan Museum and Heritage Center open in Zuni. This is a great little museum of the history of the Zuni people; the mister and I were introduced to it as a part of our new teacher orientation with the school district, but had not been able to go back on our own. The museum covers the long history of the Zuni people in a small space with unique artifacts and images. Our history lesson did not stop with this trip to the museum though, as we ventured down the road to El Morro. Here, travelers made their mark as they passed through on one of several trails heading west. There are marks from ancient tribes, western settlers, and railroad men, all stopping for a break from the hot desert sun and to refill their canteens from the spring that made the place noteworthy. While one would't want to drink water there today, the shade is still a welcome respite during the heat of the day. Instead, water is consumed, along with delicious food at the Ancient Way Cafe, one of our favorite eateries in the southwest. 

the pool at el morro

the story of antelope passing through

the marks of spanish conquistadores 

Our week was full of adventure, good food, and of course Nightly Indian Dances. It is always fun to show people around, and it's even better when it is family that comes to town. We were sad to say goodbye, but fortunately it is summertime which means we'll be able to squeeze in another visit before the school year begins in August. 

one of my favorite dances of all time, the hoop dance

the buffalo dance

end of year adventures

We try our hardest to live life to the fullest in the Hall house. That typically means that we do not allow ourselves much down time, because there is so much out there to see, do, and explore. This year we have crammed as much as possible into our two-week winter vacation.

Following our brief stay with the Nebraska Halls, we embarked on yet another adventure, to make sure that 2013 ended with a bang. We began by stopping off at Fort Union National Monument in northern New Mexico on our drive home. We were both unaware that the Civil War took place this far west and enjoyed the little history lesson that we got there. We spent a lot of time talking about how differently historic structures were made, comparing the longevity of Puebloan sites and these Anglo sites. The Puebloan structures have withstood the tests of time and the elements much better than their Anglo counterparts. It's worth checking out and comparing them yourself if you are ever out west. New Mexico has a good supply of both kinds of historic sites.

Fort Union National Monument

Fort Union National Monument

Our next adventure took place in the outskirts of Flagstaff a couple of days later. We visited Sunset Crate Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monument, enjoying a variety of landscapes and nearly every type of ecosystem on the 35 mile loop road between the two sites. At Sunset Crater we were amazed at the towering mounds of cinders. At Wupatki we were once again taken away by the structural integrity of Puebloan buildings. The two locations were breathtaking in different ways and left us wishing that we had had more time to explore, but alas, we had one more adventure to squeeze in before the end of 2013.

Twisty Trees at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument

Wupatki National Monument

It's a good thing we're not very big people!

Wupatki National Monument

Upon leaving the Flagstaff area we drove south to Glendale, home of Camelback Ranch, the spring training site for the White Sox and the Dodgers, and of course to Across the Years! Our final adventure of the year was to test ourselves in the 24-hour endurance run at this fantastic event. We got into town Monday evening and camped out (another bonus! one more night of camping in 2013!) before the 9AM start on Tuesday morning.

As the name suggests, Across the Years is a run from one year into the next. The event consists of 24-, 48-, 72-hour runs and a 6 day run. We clearly took the easy way out by only doing the 24-hour event! Everything was incredibly well run (no pun intended, but it is there none-the-less) and I was impressed by the thought that the Coury family and Aravaipa Running put into every component of the week-long event. The food was fantastic, warming tents were available, and the first aid support was by far the best I have experienced at a running event.

The start of the 12/31 24-hour event

Motivation from the families/friends of runners 

Inspiring race participants

For me, the beginning of the 24-hours was fantastic. Going from our home elevation of 6500 feet to the nice thick air at 1100 feet was a blessing and a curse. I knocked out some quick for me miles, walked some, and ran some, and walked some more. Until I simply could not run any more. Never having run in an ultra event, I hadn't really come in with a great strategy for doing anything in particular. Mostly I had just wanted to cover 50 miles. I did achieve that goal. I had also decided that I wanted to move for the whole 24-hours. I made it close to that one. My lack of planning early on left me with super tight hip flexors which rendered me nearly motionless as I embarked on my final lap of the event. I had decided to push on, but my inability to move very well meant that I was not staying warm and the shivering that commenced made my hip flexors even more painful. An hour and a half and one mile later I crawled into the warming tent and called it quits at 21.5 hours and just under 57 miles. I learned my lesson and have a better idea of what I can do next year to make things go more smoothly (hopefully). The mister ended up with just over 71 miles and lessons learned as well. 

Ready to toast to the New Year! Sparkling cider and champagne for all!

Happy New Year!

Yes, the New Year did happen to fall on hump day - thanks to the support crew at this table for evoking smiles

We're now home and recovered and preparing ourselves for the second half of the school year as well as a whole new year of adventuring. Time flies when you're having fun!

This is what my recovery looked like shortly after arriving home

Happy New Year to All!

[belated] thanksgiving

Once upon a time I mentioned that I would write about the epic adventure that occurred over Thanksgiving vacation. Since that time life has been quite crazy, a little out of control, and of course, full of adventure. Now that things are slowing down a little bit, here is a glimpse of the adventuring that took place when my parents came to town.

We were fortunate to have the whole week of Thanksgiving off, which meant that we were able to squeeze in quite a bit when my parents visited. Their first full day in town we took it easy, thanks to being snowed in more or less. The mister and I went for a snowy morning run, and then we all went out for a delicious breakfast at the Plaza. If ever you are in Gallup and it is breakfast time, I highly recommend stopping by either location and ordering the french toast, or the huevos rancheros, or an omelette, or a burrito, really, it is all excellent. They are famous for their french toast though, it is out of this world. The rest of the day progressed with movie watching, game playing, and catching up after not seeing each other for a long time.

On Monday morning, we ate some breakfast and then hit the road. We headed west with the Grand Canyon as our destination. Our journey, however, also included a visit to Petrified Forest National Park. An hour outside of Gallup we hit our first stop. Mom and dad were introduced to the painted desert, we met a cool park ranger, we did a little bit of hiking, and hit up old Route 66. 

Painted Desert

Route 66 (in case you couldn't guess)

Dad on Route 66

In front of one of the massive petrified trees at the park

After leaving the "forest," we continued our journey west and took the scenic route from Flagstaff up to the Grand Canyon. Even for being late in the season the park was packed. We got a quick peek into the canyon before the sun went down and then had dinner at the Bright Angel Lodge. The service wasn't great, the food was mediocre, and I guess that was a good predictor for the rest of our stay at the park.

Tuesday morning we were all up dark and early to embark on our most enduring adventure of the week. For mom, dad and I, the destination was the Colorado River. For the mister, the goal was Rim to Rim to Rim. As the sun began to show itself we snapped some quick photos and then began our descent. The mister took off and the rest of us took it all in. The canyon is deep, that is for sure. Beyond that, I cannot honestly say that I think it is so grand. Perhaps after all of the adventures and amazing places that the mister and I have had the honor of experiencing, this was not on the top of the list. Maybe it is because the park is so commercialized and overrun with people. I don't know (though I will say, since our visit we have seen photos from other parts of the park, and maybe we were just in the wrong place?), but we still enjoyed ourselves, so I can't really complain.

Ready to hike! (and run as the case may be)

We were all on the Bright Angel Trail which goes down, and down, and down, as you would expect when dropping into a canyon of immense proportions. We watched the strata in the rock change as the age of the formations changed. We enjoyed watching the colors changes as the sun continued to rise high into the sky. We talked, and laughed, and had a great time being together. Before we knew it we had hit our stride, were passing other groups that had left before us, and the Colorado was in sight. Checking our watches we decided to push for the suspension bridge and have lunch on the river bank before beginning our climb out of the canyon.

Mom and Dad at the Colorado River

On our return hike we kept a slow and steady pace, allowing us to complete the ~18 mile round trip adventure in about 11 hours. We were happy to see the top after what seemed like an endless climb and were excited when we sat down to dinner, though a little concerned for the missing mister. We filled our bellies though and while we were waiting for dessert I went out to investigate some "really awesome lights down in the canyon" that a kid at another table was talking about. Sure enough, I could see the mister's lights making progress up the trail and went back in to enjoy my sundae. As we wrapped up the meal, the mister was at the top and I had his dinner, hot from the oven, ready to take back to our room.

Almost to the top!

Chris finishing his R2R2R adventure

The next morning we grabbed one last meal at the Bright Angel Lodge and then began our return to civilization. Our first stop was at Walnut Canyon National Monument, just outside of Flagstaff. It is a small canyon, but incredibly impressive and historic with the remnants of cliff dwellings all around. We stretched our legs by climbing around in yet another canyon and enjoyed the breathtaking views. Upon completing our visit there, we stopped in Winslow, Arizona for lunch and to check out The Eagles landmark.

Walnut Canyon 

At Standing on a Corner (in Winslow Arizona)

One might think that this is where our adventures ended, but no. They continued once we got back into Gallup. On Thanksgiving we worked up an appetite by running in a Turkey Trot and then climbing Pyramid Rock. Then we had a traditional New Mexican enchilada dinner (it was the easies thing to do and accommodate gluten-free and vegetarian diets). More games followed before digging into our garbanzo bean and black bean brownie sundaes. It was a very relaxing and enjoyable day.

Mom and Dad made it to the top of Pyramid (even with snow, ice, mud, and slippery junk)

Dad's gluten-free vegetarian Thanksgiving (and he was FULL after!)

On Friday, we drove south and visited El Morro National Monument in Ramah. This historic landmark holds the inscriptions of those who passed through the area once upon a time. We were also able to check out some of the Puebloan structures that have been being excavated. We followed our hike up with delicious eats at the Ancient Way Cafe - another place that I highly recommend trying out if you are ever in the area. Everything is phenomenal. On the way home we stopped in Zuni where mom did her Black Friday Shopping (for herself - you can't pass up the amazing deals that she got on some pottery). Then we returned home for some more game time (no, not football, board games).

Checking out El Morro National Monument

On Saturday, mom and dad were scheduled to leave town in the afternoon, which meant that we had time to squeeze in one more hike! We went out to the High Desert and hiked through some amazing freezing fog. Everything was crystalized and beautiful. We enjoyed the quite morning surrounded by nothing but nature. That was heavily contrasted later on when we went to the flea market, but that is what Gallup is. A mix of serenity and crazy. We got both in just a few short hours. One more meal, and then we had to say our good-byes. 

One of the beautiful aspects of hiking in frozen fog

It was a whirlwind of non-stop adventure, and I wouldn't change it for anything. I am so fortunate to have crazy adventuring parents that will go out and squeeze the most out of every day when we only get to see each other about once a year. Granted, after they left I think we all had to take some serious naps, but it was worth it!

testing and snow

We returned to school on Monday and in the afternoon at professional development we learned that we had to do our next round of standardized testing. Our testing period is over next Wednesday, but as a grade level we decided to schedule our testing days for yesterday and today. Since my kinders are rock stars, we had perfect attendance yesterday and today. That means I am done. No make ups to do. Tests are turned in. Check!

To top off the excitement of finishing up testing, it started snowing this afternoon! And the ground was covered when we released students. They were so excited when we went out to wait for rides. They were running around, catching snowflakes on their tongues, laughing as snowflakes settled on their eyelashes, and of course making the occasional snowball even though it was explicitly stated that students were not to make snowballs upon dismissal. The joys of being in kindergarten. Actually, the joys of snow. I don't think it matters how young or old you are, if you enjoy the snow it is always an exciting experience to stand out and watch the flakes fall around you.

Now it's time to play the "What will tomorrow bring?" game. Will we have a normal school day? A two-hour delay? A snow day? Only time will tell.

tech tech tech

I'm a fan of technology. I find that it keeps my kinders a little more engaged with a new component of their education, it provides to hook to deeper learning. Today, there are so many different ways of incorporating technology into education that you could drown in it. As a new teacher, I think that I float on top of the pool pretty well, with only the occasional wave to leave me sputtering and wondering what on earth is going on. I think that for many others however, this is not the case.

This semester I have been taking a Technology in Education course as a part of my graduate degree plan. A lot of the activities have been mundane and mostly just time consuming, mindless activities. I came to the realization throughout the course though that this was not the case for all of my classmates. I feel as though I have been fortunate in being able to grow up with technology surrounding me in one way or another. My grandfather had a computer for almost as long as I can remember. My family got a home computer sometime when I was in middle school. In elementary school I was one of the fortunate ones that was able to play the original black and green Oregon Trail on giant floppy discs. I've just adapted and adjusted with the changes as they have come. When I don't get it, my mister does, and I'm happy with that.

Today I wrapped up my final assignment for my technology class (and am now essentially done with grad school for the semester, woohoo!) and I led a technology training for the teachers that work with me. The state of New Mexico is making changes regarding how it evaluates teachers. A part of this is to upload artifacts to a state website so that those who are removed enough from education to be called policy makers can judge whether or not I am an effective teacher by looking at a couple of PDFs. Making and uploading PDFs is now easy as can be with a couple of apps (Tiny Scan and Dropbox). I opened my mouth last week at a grade level professional development session with my principal about how easy this was and next thing I knew I was on the agenda for today's staff meeting to teach everyone how to do it. Overall the training went well. I prepped the other teachers with an email encouraging them to sign up for Dropbox and come prepared with questions. Most of them did and we worked out any remaining glitches this afternoon. I do however, have some teachers that did not grow up with technology as I have. As a result, small group trainings will now ensue and hopefully the technology that our school has purchased for us (including iPads) will be used more often and effectively. Of course, we'll see how much of my free time that I am rejoicing in by having finished grad school for a little while is now used up by helping others. I guess that's the price I pay for opening my big mouth.

Today was not all new-fangled technology though. Some of my students earned innovation time today and as a result I was presented with this fantastic water airplane!

My faceless inventor!