Hi, my name is Leslie and I am a CONTROL FREAK.

I am.  I think that's the first step to recovery... admittance.  I am a total control freak, and I wonder if most teachers are.  Yesterday it hit me full force... literally... I slapped my forehead.  I couldn't believe how much of a control freak I have been.  Now don't get me wrong, there are definite advantages to my controlling side, but lately I have noticed the faults.

Too bad I cant make a nice graphic organizer on my blog.  I'd totally make a Venn diagram organizing the advantages and disadvantages of my control freak side.  That's pretty psycho I must say... organizing it... ugh.... lol...

I started wondering why am I like this?  Why do I get SO FRUSTRATED when my expectations are not met?  I have found that in the past 2 years, I have been given much to be responsible for; thus having to control things to make sure my responsibilities are met. 

“With great power comes great responsibility.” 

-Stan Les's Spiderman

When someone has been given much, he has much power and much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required. 

(Luke 12:48)

 
I don't know about you... but I don't know anything more powerful than given the responsibility of shaping young minds, guiding their character, and instilling values you hope and pray they will carry on throughout their lives

 

Spring has sprung in my school and my classroom, and as much as I have been awaiting this wonderful season, it also means that my students go craaaaazy.  This process causes their teacher to pull the reins on her controlling ways.   I've got to learn to let things go.  The main lesson in the classroom is that the students are engaged in their learning, and they ARE LEARNING.  Not me stifling their creativity and telling them HOW I would do it.  It's so hard to relinquish control especially when I want things done a certain way.  

I mean I have EVERYTHING labeled in my room.  I have set to the routine so soundly.  I do not detour from the structure of my classroom (at least I try to avoid it as much as possible.) However lately, I have thought, as nice as it is to have a plan in place for each and everything imaginable, I am not in control. PERIOD.    Only God is.  

So when my plan is deviated, and my students see my face of frustration (especially if I have planned forever), they witness a person who can't handle losing control.  That is not the person I want to be.  I want them to see someone who is prepared and organized, but knows how to roll with the punches.  It's hard to do that graciously.  

So as I breathe over my spring break, and rejuvenate, I will be praying for GRACE to be in me.  For me to give kindness, love and not flying off the handle (like I tend to do) at my students when things don't go just the way I want, would be such a great testimony to my Christian faith.  It's so hard sometimes.  To extend grace is definitely not my first thought...it's AAAGHHH!!! Why cant you just do what I told you to do the first 3 times I said it!!!!  I wonder if that is how God looked at the Israelites in the Old Testament, or how Jesus looks at me sometimes.  But I am pretty sure He just smiles and shakes His head and laughs at my antics, and sends His Spirit to me to say, "Now Leslie.  Is that really how you want to handle this situation? These kids are God's children too."

Yep.  How can I get frustrated so easily with His creations?  It's hard to remember that too.  It is not my first thought either...more like thought 127.... not good....

I know this is a constant growing process for me.  God's plan for me has always seemed to revolve around the concept of me giving up control and trusting Him completely.  So easy to say, so difficult to do for a control freak like myself.  But the first step is admittance.  Now onto step 2. 

Go SPEED Racer: Exploring Speed

Last year I wrote a post called Go Speed Racer... it's all about engaging students when beginning a unit on graphing and calculating speed.   

Okay, so you have their attention, but how on earth can you really explore speed...from the fast to the slow or even better... stopped.  How is that graphed?  As I did the engage and watched my students hypothesize about the hare's graph (see link above if completely lost), hardly anyone drew a flat line for his time stopped under the tree.  This lesson hits completely what a stopped object looks like in a graph WITHOUT you telling them.  Isn't that the most fun part!??!  Watching all their little light bulbs go off as they begin to reason the answer to why  things are they way they are?!?!  It's my fave.  

First things first, make some of these...

Number cards counting by two... put on card stock and hot glue a metal washer on the back.  The added weight helps.  A student will drop these on the heel of the walker every 2 seconds. 

Timekeeper Card... he or she starts the timer and counts every 2 seconds.

4 different walker cards.  These kids need to walk a certain way for 20 seconds.

Up close and personal... this card is the one I made a video on.  Yeah... my video is totally NOT HD quality. 

 The last tool you need is a handy dandy trundle wheel.  So cool... the kids think you have new toys for them to play with... it clicks and everything.  And who has 30 meter sticks in their supply closet??? Lucky! Not me. 

so much easier than using 30 meter sticks or a 30m measuring tape

You need a BIG open space.  I would recommend a beautiful sunny day on the sidewalk or bus ramp... but I live in Texas where you just have to wait 10 minutes and the weather will change. NO. LIE.  Today it rained this morning and at lunch... by 1pm there was not a cloud in the crystal clear blue sky.  Ahhh Texas....I digress.  We used the auditorium which worked PERFECTLY. 

I always let each group do a little practice run just to know how to do the activity before doing it "for real".  I made a high quality video of the activity in action here:

Oscar worthy I know.  What you can do with an IPhone 3GS... and if my husband takes my upgrade again.... I will have to retaliate.  I'm thinking of throwing his PS3 Battlefield game out with the trash.  Hmmm...

Once the students have done part one... its obviously time for part two!  hahahaha I just literally LOLed.  Anyway.   Part 2 is all about measuring with the trundle wheel and recording the data on a chart labeled with time(seconds)- counting by 2, and distance(meters)- using decimals (1 meter 23 cm = 1.23m).  Sometimes my kids are so amazed when math or language arts ties in perfectly with science.  It makes me happy.

You can have all 4 walkers "walk this way" or however you want them to... you can even play Aerosmith while doing this activity.... maybe when they are trying to make their graphs... on second thought see if you can find just it in instrumental on Pandora... Aerosmith folk maybe?

• One walker walked slowly at a constant pace.
• Another student walked at a quick pace for the entire 20 seconds.
• Next, a student went slow for 8 seconds, then sped up til 16 seconds and speed walked til 20 sec. 
• The fourth walker is in the Academy Award video for Action Films above. :)

With a class of 20, every student was able to participate in someway. Love that.   Tomorrow... we GRAPH!!!

Happy Racing!