Literature Archive

Reading Ninja

Y’all, I’m late on sharing this, but my first grader Dallas is reading like crazy. Literally everywhere we go now he’s sounding out syllables and connecting them to make words. For example, we were in Target and he was sounding out all the food labels and reading all the posted signage. We were walking through the doors of the store and we had to stop so he could read “Automatic Door.” The only words that give him issues as of right now are those weird phonics rules like ch, y, ph, etc. It’s super exciting to experience this with him. Being literate is such a precious gift. I’m not sure he understands that part just yet but, as long as he’s learning and reading, I’m happy.

Here’s a funny: We went to see Wreck-It Ralph last weekend and he asked me if I could tell them to slow the previews down so he could finish reading one before it went to the next one. Lol.

Sn: Wreck-It Ralph was soooo good. Go see it immediately.

by Becky
on 6rd June 2012
in Career, Classroom, Education, Literature
with no comments

Classroom Successes in the Delta

I had the opportunity to meet my kids on Monday of this past week. Simply overwhelmed with happiness, joy, excitement, anxiousness. Yep, all of that. I’ve got 26 new babies. Yayy!!

So this week, we had been doing a lot of “Get to Know” each other type of activities, as well as establishing the rules, regulations, and expectations for our classroom. The theme of our classroom is S.T.A.R. Each of our kids are S.T.A.R. students:

Successful
Tenacious
Actionable
Responsible

You probably have recognized by now that I keep saying “we.” Well, this summer I have the wonderful pleasure of working with three other awesome teachers: two math and one other English. The math teachers have them for the first part of the day and then the English teacher take over in the latter part of the day. As mentioned in an earlier post, this week the English class covered the short story “Lamb to Slaughter” by Roald Dahl. The 26, as they will commonly be referred to, absolutely loved it. I remember one day, I stopped class and said, “Okay boys and girls, that’s all for today” and they literally all started shouting “No!” and “Are you serious?” and “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” Although they broke all kinds of rules with their outbursts, I loved their excitement about actually finishing the text.

Success #1: One of my kids came up to me at the end of class on Friday and said, “Ms. Beck, imma be real with you. I already told you I don’t like school and I don’t like reading, but if I had a teacher like you a long time ago, I would have been loved coming to school because I’m learning stuff and I don’t even know I’m learning stuff. You sneak us. And then if I knew there were stories like this one (“Lamb to Slaughter”), I would have been loved reading too.”

Reaction: I just smiled uncontrollably and jumped for joy on the inside.

Success #2: We were having a group discussion during AIH (Academic Intervention Hour) about role models. One of my students shares that she’s never had anyone who told her she could go to college or that she is brilliant or that she could actually be anything that she wants as long as she works hard. Then she looked at me and said, “But I have that person now.”

Reaction: Once again, I wanted to cry. (You guys will realize soon that I’m a big cry baby.) All of my kids know, I’m planning to keep in contact with them even after institute ends.

Success #3: The top administrators for institute came to visit my classroom during a lesson. While he was visiting, engagement was at an all time high and my students were defining dramatic irony on their own and giving me examples from the text based on what we had discussed earlier in class.

Reaction: Geez, I felt like a winner, but more importantly, I felt like they really got it. I tell you. That is one amazing feeling.

Success #4: As of now, my students know that it’s okay to think something is stupid or to think a character is crazy, as long as they can tell me why and give me textual evidence supporting that why. And it’s just week two.

Reaction: It’s very refreshing to know that in only a week, their thinking has been shaped to expect questions like how and why upon answering classroom questions. They know that if they respond, Ms. Beck is going to ask why and how. And the next follow up question will consist of showing me where they found it in the text. They will joke now and say, “Man, you knew that was coming.” We laugh and then they give me textual evidence.

Now we’ve got to improve this speech and writing. I know they are capable of verbally giving me textual evidence, but we’ve got to start putting it into our writing. We’ve got three more weeks in the classroom, it can be done. They just need to be taught how to do it. Before I leave, they will have an expanded vocabulary, become familiar with code-switching, become more aware of subject-verb agreement, and learn more key writing tools.

Key vocabulary we learned this week:

Blissful
Trifle
Console
Cognizant

I dare anyone to ask them the meaning of these words and to use them in sentences.

Not sure if you can tell, but I love, love, love what I do. I honestly wish I had more time to help develop these kids mentally, intellectually, and professionally.

by Becky
on 6rd June 2012
in Career, Classroom, Education, Literature
with no comments

Teach For America: Mississippi Delta Institute

It’s been almost two weeks since my arrival in the Mississippi Delta. I’m currently residing on the campus of Delta State University. Imagine being surrounded by hundreds of your most smartest and accomplished friends. Yeah, that’s me right now. I’ve met some pretty amazing and incredible people, all of whom have a passion to change the lives of those who experience the injustice of unequal access to a quality education. Geez! My mind is overwhelmed with emotions and feelings right now, so I thought I’d bring my thoughts to the place I imagined would be most tolerant of these thoughts: LoveFran.com.

What everyday looks like:
4:00am: Wake up.
Breakfast and lunch pick-up somewhere in between wake up and last call.
5:55am: Last call for the bus.
6:00am – 7:00am ish: An hour or so of nothing but bus.
8:00am – 12:45pm: Teaching my 26 beautiful entering 9th grade babies and daily sessions.
1:00pm – 4:30pm: Lunch, sessions, structured work time.
4:30pm – 5:45pm: Bus ride home.
6:00pm – 7:00pm: Dinner.
7:15pm – until: Lesson planning, collaborative meetings, sessions, print lab, copy room, music, sleep (occasionally).
Repeat.

My favorite things about Institute (so far):

My 26 beautiful babies.
I’m teaching again.
I get to share this experience with my best friend, Crystalline, who is going to be an amazing science teacher.
Copy room from 9:00pm – 11:00pm (I think). They play nothing but 90s music. I went in one night and heard a Blackstreet song followed by a Backstreet Boys song. Heaven.
The aggressive mentality of those around me to change the freaking world.
The energy of all the staff at Green/McNair. That’s my school site by the way.
My CMA group.
The Delta communities.

My not so favorite things about Institute (so far):

The thought of having to leave the 26 in only a few more weeks.
Mosquitoes.
The humidity. Yep, I’ve only straightened my hair once since I’ve been here.
4:00am wake-up. Not the least bit my friend.
Dinning Halls closing early. The University of Alabama spoiled me rotten.

As far as my classroom goes, if you missed the memo, I’m currently teaching 26 brilliant entering 9th grade kids who come from all over the Delta. I met them for the first time this past Monday and my goodness, they’ve blown me away. Friday, we completed a short story entitled “Lamb to the Slaughter” by Roald Dahl who also authored Matilda and James and the Giant Peach. This text is for you if you’re looking for a text to: A) read because you haven’t had a good read lately, B) help foster a love for reading in your kids, or C) teach inference skills, irony, dramatic irony, or characterization. Thank me later. Well, anywho, more post to come about my experience so far. Hope you’ve enjoyed this one.

Sorry about the blurry photo.

MAJOR UPDATE: 25 Before 25

Bonjour!! Buongiorno!! Ciao!!

Wait. I mean hello there. Excusez-moi. Mi scuci. See, there it goes again. My native language and time clock are off tremendously since I’ve returned from Europe. Once again, it has been a while since my last post and I do apologize for the major delay. I was busy graduating from college and traveling the world, but now I’m back in the states and so ready to start the next chapter of my life. I am so grateful to God for everything I have accomplished so far (which isn’t much yet). Each day that goes by I am realizing just how great and amazing my God is; I am extremely blessed. So here is an update on THE LIST:

THE LIST

1. ~~Graduate from college~~ AND ~~enroll in graduate school~~ AND ~~start my teaching career~~.

2. ~~Change at least one of my student’s lives~~ AND ~~indulge in random acts of kindness–at least one per week~~. (ONGOING)

3. Become financially self-sufficient AND get Dallas involved in the sport of his choice (anything besides football).

4. ~~Visit a castle~~ OR visit an African country.

5. ~~Start a stock portfolio~~. (ONGOING)

6. Attend a music festival.

7. Attend a Los Angeles Lakers game.

8. Learn to speak Spanish, fluently.

9. ~~Finish a book every two months including a reread of some of my favorites like The Bible and The Giver~~ AND read at least 10 banned books AND read The Hunger Games and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogies. (ONGOING)

10. ~~Expand my cooking skill set~~. (ONGOING)

11. ~~Visit London, Paris, and Italy~~.

12. Start a business. **Changed**

13. Run a marathon.

14. ~~Develop~~ and follow a workout plan. (ONGOING)

15. Take Dallas to Disney World in California and Florida AND ~~visit New York~~ and Vegas. (I’ve been to Vegas, but not as an adult.)

16. ~~Maintain The Guide to Scholarships~~ AND ~~my personal blog~~.

17. ~~Grow hair back fully and continue natural journey~~. (ONGOING)

18. Start a nonprofit OR be invited to join a nonprofit board.

19. Write a short story OR write a collection of short stories OR write a picture book OR write a novel.

20. Figure out what type of wine I actually like.

21. ~~Try an exotic food I cannot pronounce~~.

22. ~~See a Broadway musical~~ AND visit an opera performance OR ~~play~~.

23. Obtain my master’s degree. **Changed**

24. Drink out of a coconut in Hawaii.

25. Buy a piece of jewelry to later use as a meaningful family heirloom.

Progress has indeed been made since I started this journey FOUR months ago. Geez!! I think it may be time to either start a new list or make some additions to this one. Okay, just kidding. One list at a time. Notice that I did change two of the items on my list to reflect things that I actually want to accomplish before 25: #’s 12 and 23.

Lastly, I hope I’ve inspired a few of you to actually start a list of some sort or at least just jot down some goals. Wouldn’t be right if I didn’t thank my original inspiration: Tatiana Richards Hanebutte. She’s pretty amazing, so follow her blog at www.tatianainflux.com and follow her on twitter at @tatianarichards.

Be blessed and have a great day all.

UPDATE: 25 Before 25

Greetings!!

It has indeed been a very, very long time since my last post. Goodness, I was starting to think I would never again have time to spend with LoveFran, BUT, internship has almost reached an end. This week marks the final week. Thank God. I love my kids to death, but I have this burning desire to have my own classroom and to do things my way. The sad part about that desire is I cannot pack all of them up and take them with me, so it’s definitely going to be a bittersweet Friday.

So here is an update on THE LIST (if an item is not listed, that means I do not currently have an update):

1. Graduate from college AND enroll in graduate school AND start my teaching career.
I have yet to graduate from college, but I will in exactly twelve days. Yes, you read that correctly. I will have my B.S. in Education in TWELVE DAYS!!! Praise God from whom all blessings flow. As far as enrolling in graduate school, I have applied for a master’s program, but I cannot officially enroll until I have my teacher’s certificate in hand, but I am eagerly anticipating furthering my knowledge of educational pedagogy. Gosh, I love what I do. Speaking of what I do, of course I do not have my own classroom just yet, but I am very much so actively pursuing having my own classroom. In my current placement, I have taught everything you can think of this semester including but not limited to the life and times of some of the greatest writers imaginable like Earnest Hemingway, William Faulkner, Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, and F. Scott Fitzgerald just to name a few. My kids have been beyond great and they have taught me so much in terms of classroom management, creating the perfect classroom atmosphere, and selecting appropriate classroom materials. Every single day is different. This experience will be one in which I cherish for the rest of my life. With this being the last week I get to spend with them, I must remind myself to carry Kleenex everywhere. As far as having my own classroom goes, I have started my search and I think it’s going pretty well so far. I’ve interviewed with districts in Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, Huntsville, and Houston (that last one is strange, I know). I’ll pretty much be happy anywhere, as long as I’m in a position where I can make a positive difference.

2. Change at least one of my student’s lives AND indulge in random acts of kindness–at least one per week.
I’m not sure if I have had the opportunity to change a student’s life just yet, but I am sure that I have made a heck of an impression on several of my kids. Here is a note to me from one of my students (The kids tell her we favor so she thinks she’s my sister. I would never tell her my first name so she made one up for me. Lastly, she gave me a book to start my classroom library; she said it was her way of imprinting herself in my classroom):

“To Ms. Juanita,
OMG! You’re the best sister from an unknown parent EVER! I wish we could keep in touch, but you won’t give me your contact information! *shaking my head* That’s fine! You’re truly amazing! I’m being so serious right now! You’ve taught me more than you will ever know and that’s not just about ALL of the classroom stuff you assign us. You expect the best from me and it’s like I HAVE to be the best in your classroom. I wish you much success on becoming a teacher. Your students are going to LOVE you! WOOOO!! My hand is hurting! So…. You’re leaving on 4/27/12? WHYYYYYY?? Can you babysit me sometime? Lol! I enjoyed you teacher intern! Don’t forget about me. Be blessed. *insert huge heart*

Love,
Mary Joe Ann (Yeah, I made up a name to call her too.)

3. Become financially self-sufficient AND get Dallas involved in the sport of his choice (anything besides football).
Yeah, I’m sure this will happen post 05.04.2012. Dallas still wants to play basketball. If I can get him in a league of some sort that hosts all sports, that would be great, but that’s going to weigh heavily on where I’m living post-college. Yep, I have no idea at this point.

8. Learn to speak Spanish, fluently.
I have refocused some of my time and energy into developing my foreign language skills. Don’t get me wrong though, I’m definitely still in the beginning stages of recalling what I remember from my two years of Spanish in high school and the two years in college. I’m getting better though. I can hold a beginner conversation again.

9. Finish a book every two months including a reread of some of my favorites like The Bible and The Giver AND read at least 10 banned books AND read The Hunger Games and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogies.
Reading, reading, reading. I honestly feel like that’s pretty much all I have been doing this semester and I have been loving every second of it. I have read novels, short stories, poems galore. Some of the pieces on my list include, but of course, are not limited to: my Bible, The Giver by Lois Lowry, The Hunger Games by Susan Collins, A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry, Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and “My Dungeon Shook” by James Baldwin (which I encourage everyone to read). Right now, I am currently reading The Wealth Cure by Hill Harper.

10. Expand my cooking skill set.
This semester I have been forced to cook more often than I ever have in the past. It’s been challenging, but when you have to eat and there is no fast food option, it’s amazing how something always comes of nothing. I’ve been experimenting with many meats, vegetables, and desserts. I think I have done a good job teaching myself some things I do not know. I think it will be helpful to record what I do in the kitchen more often though.

11. Visit London, Paris, and Italy (take gondola ride in Venice, preferably a romantic one).
*GOOD NEWS*: I am going to Europe this summer. I’ll be visiting London, Paris, Rome, and Vatican City. I’ll be sure to take tons and tons of pictures and visit as many places as possible to get the most out of my experience. Yayy!!

12. Own a very expensive pair of shoes.
Eh. I honestly cannot remember the last time I went shopping. This really isn’t even a goal for me anymore. Is it too late to change it? Wait, this is my blog. Yeah, I’m going to change this one, but I cannot think of anything to change it to right now. More than likely, it will revolve around having my own business. I’ll let you guys know soon.

14. Develop and follow a workout plan.
Well… Ummmm… There has been absolutely no consistency in my workouts, but I try to do lunges and squats everyday.

17. Grow hair back out fully and continue natural journey, meaning do NOT cut, color, or perm under any circumstances.
Oh, I colored my hair. I like it though. I’ve also had box braids too. I only had them for about three or four weeks, but I think they took some of my hair out. I’ve developed a full regimen that I follow which included washing my hair weekly and using certain products, but I will share that information in a separate post.

22. See a Broadway musical AND visit an opera performance OR play.
*MORE GOOD NEWS*: I’m going to New York this summer. Actually, it’s more like I’m walking across the stage and my feet will be landing on a flight to New York, no joke. Definitely will keep you posted with more information and photos.

I say all this to say, get excited. Life’s coming and it’s coming quickly. I’m tremendously blessed and I have so much to be grateful for in terms of where my life and career are headed. EEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK!!!!! I’m really about to graduate from college. Be on the look out for more post to come. Thanks for visiting and as always I love y’all.

Hello Readers

Hello! My name is Temani Frances Beck. I am the proud mommy of a six year old little guy, Dallas Kristofer Beck and a 21 year old senior at The University of Alabama majoring in Secondary Education-English/Language Arts. Yes!!! I want to be a teacher and some day a principal. I am originally from Birmingham, Alabama where I graduated from Ramsay High School in 2008.

Sidenote: I feel as though God has put me here for a special purpose and I think it may have something to do with helping people. I am fun, caring, energetic, talkative, and very intelligent. This blog is my stream of consciousness about all the things I love which include but certainly are not limited to motherhood, family, EDUCATION, politics, A R T, lOVE, f a s h i o n, poetry, MUSIC, and FOOD, so you will probably get a taste of everything here.

Although I give you my thoughts in blog format, the main spotlight of this website focuses on THE LIST. What is the list you ask? The list is a formal listing of the twenty-five things I want to accomplish before I reach the age of twenty-five (25 Before 25). Get excited!!! It’s got some pretty neat stuff on it and it definitely makes for a pretty interesting 3.5 more years of living. So check in occasionally to see my progress!!

Smooches for now!

Happy Reading!!!