SO I know, it is only the end of July but my kids start school on August 19 so I have to be thinking of these things. One thing I have been brainstorming is how to do my job differently. I fell into a resource position where the teacher had previously gone into the classroom and helped certain students. Sometimes she would pull students out. Perhaps this works for some, however, my student's don't seem to be getting much out of it. I think it is because they are so low. My coworker and I have been thinking of ways to boost our students academically and get them where they need to be. This is an ever-growing challenge as we struggle to balance working with our students and the ever-growing amount of paperwork.
We decided to try something different this upcoming school year. We have decided to just have intervention groups, regardless of grade, but group students by ability and have set reading and math groups to really reinforce the skills students are missing. This becomes tricky as scheduling conflicts will arise, however, I think if we do half hour groups for reading and math interventions we should be able to get it to work.
I am racking my brain trying to figure out how to help my students and get them up to the level that is being asked of them. Anyone have any ideas? I will gladly take them!
On another note, I am excited because in a few weeks I am going to be part of Smithsonian's Teach It Forward. This is an opportunity to meet with other educators and share lesson ideas while learning how to reach all students and the resources thee Smithsonian has to offer. I am looking forward to exploring this opportunity and meeting other educators while sharing ideas. I'll post more on that once I go.
Hopefully, I stop being such a horrible blogger. I am trying but this summer has been kicking my butt and with it having been so hot I had NO energy for anything.
Friday, July 26, 2013
Where I've Been...
Ha! I've actually been sitting in my cool apartment and trying to convince myself that I should be working on the blog. Sadly, my want for a nap and doing projects has taken over and I have neglected this blog :(. So, the better question is not, where have I been but, what have I been up to? The answer to that would be celebrating my anniversary, teaching summer school and completing 2 DIY projects.
The hubs and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary, together (YAY!) by going to Georgetown and going to dinner. We went to a restaurant called Filomena. This Italian restaurant was SO good. We also went to Baked and Wired to get some cupcakes.
Summer school has been interesting. I am tired when I get done and I am only teaching from 8:30 to 12:30. It's amazing how much energy it takes to even work with 10 kids. I enjoy teaching them and being able to work with students, even if it is at least 90 degrees in my room.
The projects I've been working on include refinishing our coffee table top and making one of those birthday calendars. I thought that would take me longer to complete, but it didn't. Each project took an afternoon.
The hubs and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary, together (YAY!) by going to Georgetown and going to dinner. We went to a restaurant called Filomena. This Italian restaurant was SO good. We also went to Baked and Wired to get some cupcakes.
Summer school has been interesting. I am tired when I get done and I am only teaching from 8:30 to 12:30. It's amazing how much energy it takes to even work with 10 kids. I enjoy teaching them and being able to work with students, even if it is at least 90 degrees in my room.
The projects I've been working on include refinishing our coffee table top and making one of those birthday calendars. I thought that would take me longer to complete, but it didn't. Each project took an afternoon.Friday, July 5, 2013
Unconventional 4th of July
Yesterday the hubs and I met up with some friends of ours for a little 4th fun. We decided to visit Fort Washington and the to the Drive-In theater.
Fort Washington is an old fort on the Potomac river that was built to protect D.C. from naval invasion. This was a pretty cool fort and honestly I enjoyed learning the history behind it. Having the hubs to fill me in on the history of it was fun and having our friend, who is an engineer, around to explain the artillery and physics side of it was a great addition. This fort was built, destroyed, built, re-vamped, etc. One of the most interesting things was that the fort never actually saw any battles.
We were able to walk around a lot of the grounds and see many of the buildings. It was fun to climb around and just be able to explore. We also got to see some pretty nice views of the Potomac and the National Harbor area. Overall, a pretty fun day. It was nice because it was not crowded at all. I enjoyed not having to be around tons of people and having some good conversations with friends.
After we explored, we decided to head back to our place andrelax cool off, grab some dinner and head out to the drive-in. We decided on Chick-fil-a for dinner, which was wonderful and then grabbed some blankets and started driving to the drive-in with the largest screen in the U.S.
We got ourselves settled and chatted until it was time to start the movie. First up was Monsters University. This movie was cute and I would recommend it for anyone who is a Monsters Inc. fan. I enjoyed it but the hubs thought it wasn't as witty as the first. He thought that it could have been better. I enjoyed watching this movie and we had fireworks in the distance as the movie was starting.
Our friends then had to leave, as they had to work on the 5th. The hubs and I stayed for the second movie, The Lone Ranger. I know that there have been a lot of less than favorable reviews for this movie. I am by no means a movie critic and I think you should form your own opinions about it but, I was
disappointed with this movie. There was one review that said they didn't know if it was supposed to be a comedy or action movie. I would agree it is confusing. Johnny Depp I think was the saving grace. I enjoyed his humor, although there were moments when I thought I was looking at Jack Sparrow.
Overall, it was a good way to celebrate the 4th. I would enjoy making this a tradition. This was a good way to celebrate together and I enjoyed spending time with the hubs.
Fort Washington is an old fort on the Potomac river that was built to protect D.C. from naval invasion. This was a pretty cool fort and honestly I enjoyed learning the history behind it. Having the hubs to fill me in on the history of it was fun and having our friend, who is an engineer, around to explain the artillery and physics side of it was a great addition. This fort was built, destroyed, built, re-vamped, etc. One of the most interesting things was that the fort never actually saw any battles.
We were able to walk around a lot of the grounds and see many of the buildings. It was fun to climb around and just be able to explore. We also got to see some pretty nice views of the Potomac and the National Harbor area. Overall, a pretty fun day. It was nice because it was not crowded at all. I enjoyed not having to be around tons of people and having some good conversations with friends.
After we explored, we decided to head back to our place and
Bengies is a great place. When you drive through and pay, they hand you pamphlet with a list of rules. These rules almost make you want to turn around right there but, trek on my friend. When you are directed to park, make sure your car is the way you want it because one of the rules is the you can't turn around once the movie starts. The list of rules continues on, but I'll spare you. Feel free to look at the website for the "House Rules".
We got ourselves settled and chatted until it was time to start the movie. First up was Monsters University. This movie was cute and I would recommend it for anyone who is a Monsters Inc. fan. I enjoyed it but the hubs thought it wasn't as witty as the first. He thought that it could have been better. I enjoyed watching this movie and we had fireworks in the distance as the movie was starting.Our friends then had to leave, as they had to work on the 5th. The hubs and I stayed for the second movie, The Lone Ranger. I know that there have been a lot of less than favorable reviews for this movie. I am by no means a movie critic and I think you should form your own opinions about it but, I was
Overall, it was a good way to celebrate the 4th. I would enjoy making this a tradition. This was a good way to celebrate together and I enjoyed spending time with the hubs.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
Zucchini Patties
Cooking With Ryan: Zucchini Cakes!
Happy Monday, dear friends! Today’s rip-roarin’ recipe is from Ryan Detzel, a twenty-something punk pastor from Cincinnati who has more than just a few tattoos on his arms. But he also adores his wife and sweet little daughter, Ava…and he loves to cook. Ryan’s stopping by today to show us another great way to use all the zucchini that’s taking over everyone’s garden right about now, present company included. Thanks for sharing, Ryan. We embrace all fried things here at PW Cooks. -PW
Hi, guys. Since as far back as I can remember, Zucchini Cakes have been a summer favorite with my family. They can easily be an appetizer as well as a side dish, and everyone agrees that these things rock.
As you can see, we’re starting with some pretty simple ingredients: Zucchini (in this case it’s just one big mamajama), Minced Garlic, an Italian Cheese Blend, an Egg, and some bread crumbs. The unseen ingredients are olive oil, kosher salt, and some fresh ground pepper.
To start, we’re going to chop the ends off of our Zucchini:
Next, we want to get out a cheese grater—or in this case, a Zucchini grater—and begin shredding up this big green monster.
Did you know that even though it’s always treated as a vegetable, Zucchini is actually a fruit? It is. For realz.
Okay, we should have a pretty good mound of shredded zucchini at this point.
Now comes an important step. We have to get a lot of the water out of this mess. So toss your zucchini confetti into a clean towel…and SQUEEZE!!
You should see a good bit of liquid come out of this ball-o-zucchini. This will help to create a less runny version of what we’re making.
Next, toss the semi-dry zucchini into a large enough bowl to fit the rest of our ingredients.
Mmm…garlic. I’m throwing in a good sized tablespoon of the pre-minced stuff. Don’t judge me. I’m out of the fresh stuff.
Now cover that with about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs.
And now for the cheese, I’ve got this 4-Cheese Italian blend. You can use Parmesan or Romano, I’m sure. But Sam’s Club had this stuff and by golly, I’m using it. Maybe around 1/2 cup…but I suck at measuring things.
Let’s toss in that egg, too.
Now season it all up with a big pinch of kosher salt and some freshly ground pepper.
Stir it all up with a fork and see where your cards fall. And hmmm…to me, this still looks a little dry.
I think I’ll add another egg to the mix to make it a little more batter-esque.
There…that’s better. This is the consistency we’re looking for. We don’t want everything falling apart once it reaches the pan.
Speaking of that pan…let’s get some olive oil in it and heat it to medium heat. Use enough oil to cover the pan by about a quarter inch.
When the oil is nice and hot, drop in a glob of our zucchini batter and flatten it down a little with a fork or spoon or some other flattening device.
After about two minutes or so we’ll turn one of these babies over to see what we’ve got. If it’s golden-brown and delicious looking…it’s time to turn the rest.
Oh my goodness, you should smell these!
After a couple minutes on the other side these delicious little zucchini cakes will be ready to pop onto a plate:
I’m serving them up with some ranch dressing for a dipping sauce and a little crushed red pepper for style and flare. Delicious!
Oh, and remember how I said these were a family favorite? Well…I lied. This was actually the first time I’d ever made these. And they were heavenly. I had some fresh zucchini from our garden and I decided to play around with it. They turned out excellent, even though I’d never made them before.
So get creative, people. You never know—you might just end up with a winner!
Recipe
Happy Monday, dear friends! Today’s rip-roarin’ recipe is from Ryan Detzel, a twenty-something punk pastor from Cincinnati who has more than just a few tattoos on his arms. But he also adores his wife and sweet little daughter, Ava…and he loves to cook. Ryan’s stopping by today to show us another great way to use all the zucchini that’s taking over everyone’s garden right about now, present company included. Thanks for sharing, Ryan. We embrace all fried things here at PW Cooks. -PW
Hi, guys. Since as far back as I can remember, Zucchini Cakes have been a summer favorite with my family. They can easily be an appetizer as well as a side dish, and everyone agrees that these things rock.
As you can see, we’re starting with some pretty simple ingredients: Zucchini (in this case it’s just one big mamajama), Minced Garlic, an Italian Cheese Blend, an Egg, and some bread crumbs. The unseen ingredients are olive oil, kosher salt, and some fresh ground pepper.To start, we’re going to chop the ends off of our Zucchini:
Next, we want to get out a cheese grater—or in this case, a Zucchini grater—and begin shredding up this big green monster.
Did you know that even though it’s always treated as a vegetable, Zucchini is actually a fruit? It is. For realz.Okay, we should have a pretty good mound of shredded zucchini at this point.Now comes an important step. We have to get a lot of the water out of this mess. So toss your zucchini confetti into a clean towel…and SQUEEZE!!You should see a good bit of liquid come out of this ball-o-zucchini. This will help to create a less runny version of what we’re making.Next, toss the semi-dry zucchini into a large enough bowl to fit the rest of our ingredients.Mmm…garlic. I’m throwing in a good sized tablespoon of the pre-minced stuff. Don’t judge me. I’m out of the fresh stuff.Now cover that with about 1/2 – 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs.And now for the cheese, I’ve got this 4-Cheese Italian blend. You can use Parmesan or Romano, I’m sure. But Sam’s Club had this stuff and by golly, I’m using it. Maybe around 1/2 cup…but I suck at measuring things.Let’s toss in that egg, too.Now season it all up with a big pinch of kosher salt and some freshly ground pepper.Stir it all up with a fork and see where your cards fall. And hmmm…to me, this still looks a little dry.I think I’ll add another egg to the mix to make it a little more batter-esque.There…that’s better. This is the consistency we’re looking for. We don’t want everything falling apart once it reaches the pan.Speaking of that pan…let’s get some olive oil in it and heat it to medium heat. Use enough oil to cover the pan by about a quarter inch.When the oil is nice and hot, drop in a glob of our zucchini batter and flatten it down a little with a fork or spoon or some other flattening device.After about two minutes or so we’ll turn one of these babies over to see what we’ve got. If it’s golden-brown and delicious looking…it’s time to turn the rest.Oh my goodness, you should smell these!
After a couple minutes on the other side these delicious little zucchini cakes will be ready to pop onto a plate:
I’m serving them up with some ranch dressing for a dipping sauce and a little crushed red pepper for style and flare. Delicious!
Oh, and remember how I said these were a family favorite? Well…I lied. This was actually the first time I’d ever made these. And they were heavenly. I had some fresh zucchini from our garden and I decided to play around with it. They turned out excellent, even though I’d never made them before.
So get creative, people. You never know—you might just end up with a winner!
Recipe
Zucchini Cakes
- Prep Time:
-
- Cook Time:
-
- Difficulty:
- Easy
- Servings:
- 2
- Prep Time:
- Cook Time:
- Difficulty:
- Easy
- Servings:
- 2
Ingredients
- 1 whole Large Zucchini
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cup) Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup 4-cheese Italian Blend (or Parmesan Or Romano)
- 2 whole Eggs
- Kosher Salt To Taste
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
- Olive Oil
- 1 whole Large Zucchini
- 1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
- 1/2 cup (to 3/4 Cup) Breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup 4-cheese Italian Blend (or Parmesan Or Romano)
- 2 whole Eggs
- Kosher Salt To Taste
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
- Olive Oil
Preparation Instructions
Wash and cut the end off of one large zucchini. Shred it using the large holes of a cheese grater. Squeeze the shredded zucchini inside of a clean towel until you’ve removed as much liquid as possible.
Place shredded zucchini into a medium sized bowl. Add minced garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese (shredded), eggs, kosher salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a fork until well mixed.
Heat olive oil (about ¼ inch deep in bottom of skillet) to a medium heat. When the oil is hot enough drop a glob of zucchini batter into the skillet and flatten it a bit. After about two minutes, turn the cakes over ( they should be nice golden-brown) and cook on the other side until done (about 2-3 minutes).
Serve with the dipping sauce of your choice and enjoy!
Wash and cut the end off of one large zucchini. Shred it using the large holes of a cheese grater. Squeeze the shredded zucchini inside of a clean towel until you’ve removed as much liquid as possible.
Place shredded zucchini into a medium sized bowl. Add minced garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese (shredded), eggs, kosher salt and pepper to taste. Stir with a fork until well mixed.
Heat olive oil (about ¼ inch deep in bottom of skillet) to a medium heat. When the oil is hot enough drop a glob of zucchini batter into the skillet and flatten it a bit. After about two minutes, turn the cakes over ( they should be nice golden-brown) and cook on the other side until done (about 2-3 minutes).
Serve with the dipping sauce of your choice and enjoy!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Summer School
Today marked day one of working summer school. This week we are simply planning and prepping for kids. This is my taste at actually having a class of students and teaching in a classroom style. Its kind of funny because I have one of the largest groups of students (12 kids) while the rest of the classes have no more than 8 students. I don't mind this at all, but people keep asking me if I care or if it will be too much. I can't wait to actually have students to teach and have them in a classroom setting versus a small group, re-teaching setting.
Today, I got home after stopping and grocery shopping around 2. I then spent the rest of the afternoon lesson planning and I actually enjoyed it. There is something relaxing about it to me.
Hopefully I will have more updates for you on summer school but that's all I have to say for tonight.
Today, I got home after stopping and grocery shopping around 2. I then spent the rest of the afternoon lesson planning and I actually enjoyed it. There is something relaxing about it to me.
Hopefully I will have more updates for you on summer school but that's all I have to say for tonight.
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