These Two! So Thankful for the Leadership, Teaching, Creativity, Dedication, and Flexibility of Max and Emmi this Summer (We Finish Today)

I am who I am, so when it started raining again last night and Karal and I couldn't get our walk in, I ran up to Big Y in my lemon t-shirt. lemonade hate, and lemonade bracelets to buy lemonade, lemon cookies, and lemon candies for a last-minute lemonade bonanza celebrating the last day of Ubuntu Academy. Yesterday, Max and Emmi led the kids through an acoustic workshop, and I was impressed by how much language they could produce within the challenge. Yes, poetic devices are another lesson, but once we opened it up to translanguaging, the kids were good to go....they had two languages or more to play with. 

I've been joking for two years now that Max and Emmi from the 1975 film Escape from Witch Mountain. Although they look nothing like Tony & Tia Malone, the orphaned duo does come across in their co-teaching. Not only have I thoroughly enjoyed planning four weeks of literacy instruction with them, I've also enjoyed how seamlessly their humor and work ethic bounces off one another. They step up and are amazingly helpful with the kids.

This afternoon will be a reading, a few montages, and perhaps a few songs. I began packing up things and bringing them home on Monday, so I believe I'll be able to finalize clean up today in one trip. Weird to think it's the last hoorah for another year. I like to leave all the spaces we utilize as clean as the day the kids arrived, because I'm very thankful we have such luxury during our programs.

I am envious of Emmi, though, who is leaving to Denmark for two weeks on Sunday...a last hoorah between CWP work and 1st days at Warde. She and Shane will need the rest, as will Max....but after all these years, I know he keeps the same pace I do...in fact, he might juggle even more than I do. 

I'm anxious to see how I wake up tomorrow, because the end of the crazy also means (1) a sleepless night and (2) getting sick. I don't want either. 

Finally. YAY! Last day to battle I-95 in the summer! No more 7 a.m. departures, either. I can hardly wait.

A Bead-i-ful Afternoon of Crafting, Art Work, and Sculpting. Writing Transcends Written Communication Alone, so When Life Gives You Lemons...

...you buy lemon and lime beads so that those who want to make jewelry to match the writing, reading, and thinking this week, then enter door #3. There were many options this afternoon, as my crew co-crafted a series of lemon trees we'll use as a backdrop on Friday. Several joined a graphic novel workshop, while others when to the lab to type. 

I'm amazed by how much jewelry some of these kids can made so quickly, but also how few of the beads they are actually using. I tell them, I give it to you to create, a I have no idea how to make the jewelry.  One item I never thought about before is making jewelry handles for iPhones. They do.

By now, all the adults are tired of the Tully, as the food options are few, the kids are numerous, and the noise is exhausting. There are so many kids in the dining hall and they have very few service lines. They most definitely make a killing...around $45,000 a week. Granted, they also charge/serve breakfast and dinner for the overnight camps so likely make even more. I imagine, too, they pay their kitchen help minimal, and most of the profit trickles up to those who oversee the operations. I'm sure they see total willingness of most programs to pay the higher prices each year (but it is getting steep for CWP). 

Rumor has it that Jessica will be stopping by to do a workshop with the kids, which will be wonderful.

Mom is reporting much needed rest in the hospital, while Cynde is reporting dad is wearing his cuffed up jeans. Two more days for summer programs....I'm seeing the clean-up the next two days and wondering where I will store it...likely Edem's old room and more in Chitunga's. I'm overflowing with books. 

Got a long walk in with Karal before more rain arrived (weird, because it was only a giant cloud over east Bridgeport and Stratford. But it rained hard and it rained for a long while. But it didn't rain in Milford or Fairfield.

Ready to kick off day 20 of the July programs. And of course I will be thankful to the University when they reload budgets (how we see our financial records) in September. I have to spend blindly in July/August, trusting I'm hitting all the right numbers for the grants. All records go to zero over the summer months and I have to work in the dark for CWP. 

And I'm off.

There's One In Every Classroom...When Life Gives Us Lemons, Seek the Artists Amongst Us. Week 2 Ubuntu Academy & I Love the Brilliance

As we read Sea of Lemon Trees, we are also operating within a lemon seed, and yesterday we prepped kids with creating characters out of trace lemon shapes. The kids were supposed to draw at least 4 moods that could be detailed by facial expressions. This followed up with lessons on lemon trees and lemon groves, and a morning reading of the first 40 pages. I caught Nathanial, Harding High School Junior, sketching these bad boys. I love when I can an artist in action, and laughed at the E=MC(squared) face. I had to get a picture to show others how wonderful students can be. The kicker? He's only been in the U.S. for two years and is a sponge for everything. He also missed the bus back to Central, so I drove him home (he goes to Harding and lives down the street...which is also a couple of miles from me). 

We had a productive day with the Ubuntu kids, amazed by this lemon character activity we did. It worked on many levels.

I came home to learn the CNY cycle of lost wallets and heart circulation came to ahead again, and mom didn't take chances so went to the hospital...better safe than sorry. Casey went to see here there (which took a 2nd, because no one knew what hospital the ambulance took her to), while Cynde stayed on Almalfi with Dad. It hasn't sat still there for over a year and every text/phone call keeps us on our toes.

Perhaps that is why I baked last night...to ease my mind. After a disastrous attempt at a dining hall cake today (how do you ruin chocolate cake?) some of the students said we're going to have a bake off. We want a better dessert. I made two batches of my Kentucky cake, of course. I didn't have enough oil so used butter instead (which didn't create the same consistency....we shall see).

Prayers up for Mimi Sue once again. Cynde was able to find Papi's wallet. 

Rocking Out with Ubuntu Academy Is What Fuels Me for the Rest Of the Academic Year. Love This Work.

When I took a National Writing Project job, I stayed true to my Brown School ways, and aimed to build super diverse, inclusive spaces for writers. This includes the creation of Ubuntu Academy, support for immigrant- and refugee-background English language learners, and a dedication to their writing being published, too. I knew I would bring the blow-up, rock-out props from Little Lab to Ubuntu Academy, so the older kids could perform joy, too. 

Yesterday, we rocked out. We did the Scripted workshop, saw Mr. King in a number of hairstyles, and composed final interview pieces and beginning dialogue ones.

As part of the script, a band of students was utilized to Rock out with Will's balding head. Much joy. More laughter. Always a blessing to teach young people that learning should always be a good time.

We'll be back at it again in about an hour.

I got a walk in late last night, because I'm not sure how the next 48 hours will be. It seems iffy, but that's the way most of last week was, too.

Today, we hit the Sea of Lemon Trees. Looking forward to learning how they respond.

Here We Are Again...Another Monday. Karal Will Miss My At-Home Time, My Hours Are Kidnapped by Work, & I Had to Set an Alarm

I'm out of the habit of alarms. I set them, yes, but I always wake up 30 to 40 minutes before they go off. I don't rely on them. Still, I'm setting alarms for another week, because it's literacy labs and all the rooms rely on me. This is our last week, though. The alarm thing will end once it's over.

Yesterday, I prepped for the week, and then got it in my head I wanted salmon and scallops, which we served over linguini. It was a fantastic dinner, but also a reminder that the work week has returned and such gatherings will occur until it's all over. 

Karal has new toys (she does betters with the scrunch ones over the squeaky one). They last longer, and I liked that the fox and the deer came in a package together. She's been carrying them, one by one, all over the house.

Used my Big Y points to get gas and saved a dollar a gallon. It still cost more than it did a year ago, but it was $20 cheaper than what I've been paying. 

Slow weekend with an aim to lay low as much as possible. My mind needs the quiet and I appreciate how peaceful my house can be.

Now for the last week of Ubuntu Academy. We got this. 

Weekend Pop-Up Bakery (Success, Even If I Didn't Get There In Time for the Great Bread). Lucky to Have a Culinary Teacher Neighbor

I walked Karal early in anticipation of having a beach day and hoping to stop at Alisha Vittorio's pop-up bakery. I had Alisha as an undergraduate student, and years later as a teacher-leader institute participant. She and her partner moved a few streets over and, when she has time to bake, she opens up a Saturday morning bakery. The thing is, she opens at 10 a.m.. 

I arrived at 10:30, after walking Karal, and I missed the bread! It was all good though, because I got a medley of desserts before meeting Leo and Bev at the beach. It's been a minute since I found time to hit the beach, as weekends have been miserable for over a year. There was a nice breeze and, surprisingly, there weren't that many people there.

We stayed a couple of hours, then headed onto our own ways. I came home to try to nap, but it just resulted in closed eyes for a few minutes. It did put me in a slow mood, so I simply mowed the lawn and laid low. I had to order another charger and batteries for the weed whacker, and I look forward to when it arrives.

The dessert medley was delicious, and there's more left over (glad I left it at Pam's though, so I didn't get into it at home). 

May the Muppets Be Triumphant, Always. One More Week to Go with Literacy Labs & Wonderful Memories Were Secured (Kermit, Included)

Still not sure who sent me the random Kermit t-shirt, Rainbow Connection, but I remember singing it in elementary school choir and another 40 years as an anthem to how life should be justified and lived. I'm thankful for he/she/they that sent the shirt and laughed even harder that Shane, my student and now teacher in Milford, came to work today in another Muppets t-shirt. Kindred spirits. 

Fridays are for closing up shop, and the Nature Writing crew secured their final pieces, while the College Essay kids wrote some killer pieces (as they really bonded over 5 days). The Ubuntu crew will be back for another week, and they, too, are making tremendous progress. I continue to realize that center to the CWP truth is a simple fact: I have set out to recreate Brown School in everything I do. It definitely works.

The afternoon slowed down the pace and in honor of National Tequila Day, we ordered from La Cantrina, celebrated Bev's 70th some, and ate burritos. We're having the real party a week from today (which she doesn't want). Leo did present her with the beautiful collection of letters and photographs which will take her several days to get through. It is a stunning book.

My major goal for today is simply to get to Walnut Beach and to plot into sand at high tide, 10 a.m., and to have some of the day in total down time....relaxation.

There were days this week I didn't think I'd make it to the weekend, but somehow I did. It was wonderful to have Dave and Ish to watch Ted Lasso with, and I'm thrilled the humidity broke and we're finally getting June weather.

Yes, there's one more week to go. I'm simply in recovery mode today. I will need a couple days to prepare for the final week. It truly is remarkable work, but it still is hard to realize how much of a one-man show it is for hiring, planning, organizing, and leading with minimal to no support from the University. I remain thankful to K-12 teachers though. They remain the backbone to all good in society.