Wednesday, March 30, 2022

High Schoolers' Top Picks: Word Games to Spice Up Your Day

I recently started playing Wordle. I'm hooked!

It took me a while to get into it, though. When I would see my friends post colored squares on Facebook and comment about the difficulty of the day's word, I figured I would try it one day. But I was in no rush.

Then, I started to notice that my first period class was so engaged in Wordle each morning that I had trouble getting their attention to start lessons. I couldn't beat 'em, so I decided to join them. 


My students walked me through the process of trying to guess the word of the day. Start by placing a random, five-letter word in the squares. If a letter turns green, it is in the proper position. If it turns yellow, it's a correct letter in the wrong position. And if the letter turns gray, it is not part of the word. I enjoy word games and got the hang of it quickly.

Today, a rock-star student started a list on the classroom whiteboard of games that are similar to Wordle. As the day progressed, a few students added games to the list. Here are the Wordle-style games recommended by a few high school students:

  1. Wordle - Players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word.
  2. Quordle - Guess four words in nine tries.
  3. Worldle - Guess the country in six guesses, based on its shape.
  4. Globle - Figure out the mystery country in as few guesses as possible.
  5. Nerdle - Guess the calculation in six tries.
  6. Wordle.danielfrg.com - Guess the Spanish word in six attempts. (Wordle in Spanish)
  7. Semantle - Guess the word based on its meaning, not its spelling.
  8. Mathler - Find the hidden calculation in six guesses.
  9. Poeltl - Guess a mystery, current NBA player in eight tries.
  10. Octordle - Guess all eight words in 13 tries.
  11. PALABREJA - Create as many Spanish words as you can from the letters provided.
Comment below with your favorite. Feel free to share others. I'll add them to the list.

Monday, March 7, 2022

Why I Still Wear a Mask to Teach at High School

It's been a week since the mask mandate was lifted at the high school where I work and where my teenage daughter attends.

On the first mask-optional day, I announced to my students that I would be wearing a mask but that I was totally fine with whatever they decided to do. I would neither judge or make assumptions. I meant it. 

Here are the three main reasons why I'm still wearing a mask to school.

1. I have not had a cold in more than two years. And I'm one of those people who typically catches a cold at least twice a year. I'm convinced that the mask (along with my other heightened sanitary practices) has protected me from the common cold.

2. I'm uncomfortable with the attitude that COVID-19 is no longer a threat. I have no idea how the latest variant could affect my body, and I don't want to find out.

3. Several of my coworkers, and some of the students, have expressed a great deal of anxiety. Being around mask-less people in a crowded, school environment makes them fearful. Out of respect for them, and for their comfort, I wear the mask. 

We teachers are constantly reminded of the importance of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. If students don't feel safe in the classroom, their learning is impeded. I would feel awful if I thought my masking behavior caused a student to worry about transmitting the virus to loved ones at home. 

Surprisingly, most of the students in my classes are still wearing masks. The students have been kind to each other regarding their choices. I have not heard any student criticize or belittle another for choosing to wear a mask or to not wear a mask.

My teenager has opted to wear a mask in the classrooms of teachers who wear masks and around students who prefer masks. I am particularly proud of her decision to express empathy in this way.

I encourage everyone to be understanding and respectful of the masking decisions of others. Many people have experienced trauma during the pandemic that some of us cannot imagine. Removing the mask -- and perhaps even wearing the mask -- might carry its own emotional load.
Let's be kind with our interactions and reactions to both the masked and unmasked.


Sunday, January 30, 2022

Logging community service hours can be a struggle -- especially during a pandemic


My eleventh grader needs to earn some community service hours. She needs them to stay active in several honor societies. Plus, she needs them to be competitive among her peers this fall when she begins applying to colleges and for scholarships.

In a 2018 Forbes article, writer Derek Newton reported on a survey of college admissions officers and the value they place on community service. 

"Fortunately, a new survey of college admissions officers and staff shows that targeted community service may be a shortcut to scoring college admission or serve as a powerful tie-breaker among competitive applicants," Newton wrote.

Of late, I have been questioning the equity of service hour requirements and expectations. Are they fair? I've also been beating myself up a bit for failing to be a better example when it comes to serving in the community. Perhaps if I did more community service, and did it more consistently, then my daughter would see it as a natural part of our family's lifestyle and wouldn't be struggling to find time to earn hours.

I do consider myself a servant. I've been teaching high school for 13 years (after teaching middle school for 4 years). I teach in a public school where more than 35 percent of the student population receives services through the Free and Reduced Meals program. We teachers have no idea who receives these services, as that information is kept private. But as a result, we quietly assist students in countless ways outside of the job requirements. My daughters have witnessed this level of service -- from stocking a classroom cabinet with granola bars to slipping a student a dollar to catch the local bus after missing the school bus.

Outside of school, they've seen me do small acts of kindness, like hand a few dollars to a beggar and pick up trash in the neighborhood with my sorority sisters. Their dad has shoveled for the neighbors and makes regular drop-offs to the Goodwill. My point is that we are not a selfish family. No, we are not the community service rock stars like a few friends in our circle, but we do things for others.

I typically try to avoid comparing my two daughters. They are so different in so many ways. But on this topic of service requirements, the comparison is what has the question of fairness stuck in my head.

My older daughter, now a sophomore in college, got into the National Honor Society with relative ease. She had all three of the required tenets: scholarship, leadership and service. But I suspect the decision to admit my younger daughter was a bit more challenging. She had the grades and the leadership roles, but her service tasks were not as impressive as her sister's. (I am grateful to the school's selection committee for adapting with the changing times.) Ironically, my younger daughter is more apt than her sister to jump up and help others. She has a big heart, but that's not always quantifiable. 

What were the differences between the two girls with regards to service hours? I see three significant ones.

First, and most obvious, was the pandemic. My older daughter's high school career ended in quarantine, but she had 3-1/2 years of traditional community service opportunities. My younger daughter was in high school for a little more than a semester when the COVID-19 outbreak shut down opportunities. She spent the rest of 9th grade and almost all of 10th grade attending classes from her bedroom. The child who had enjoyed ushering at church and tagging along at my sorority service events found herself struggling to stay "up" emotionally and socially. She did not have the energy or motivation to come up with creative ways to log community service hours from home. Many students did, and I truly applaud them. But my child was in survival mode. (Mom was, too!)

The COVID factor also influences the other differences I see between my two daughters' experiences with community service in high school. While both girls played soccer throughout high school, my younger daughter also ran track in both the winter and spring. The demands on her time and energy were considerably different. And quite frankly, after seeing my teen sulking in her room for months, I was most happy to see her outdoors, running around, getting exercise and socializing with teammates.

The third major difference has to do with money. 

My older daughter worked during the summers, but never during the school year. She didn't want to, and mom and dad didn't want her to. My younger daughter, on the other hand, was adamant about getting a job. I suspect that after months and months of online shopping (hopefully not while she was supposed to be logged in for class), she wanted to be able to buy her own clothes, room decorations and knickknacks without having to ask.

I wasn't thrilled about the idea of her working during the school year either, especially with the commitment to two sports. But, again, I was open to almost any opportunity that got her out of her room. And, to be honest, now that we were paying college tuition, her paychecks lightened the financial load a bit. The money I had been transferring to her account, in an effort to lift her spirits, could now be diverted to bills and essentials.

This is where the question of equity comes in. At the moment, we don't require our daughters to contribute to household bills. I recognize that we are blessed and privileged in this way. But I think about the many families that must rely on their children's income to support the household. I see them at my school. During virtual learning, I had several students tell me they missed class because they had to work. During that time, one student in our building shared with a colleague that they were the sole breadwinner for the family. I'm confident that this expectation of high school students to contribute to their families' finances did not start with pandemic.

I intend to help my daughter work out a plan to get service hours this semester and summer. She needs to maintain her status in honor societies. And God knows we'll need some scholarships, so the service will bolster those applications, too. If necessary, she'll have to pass on a shift or two at work and commit some time.

I know that the importance of encouraging children to serve extends beyond honor societies and applications. Service is about helping others, not using it to position yourself for personal accolades.

Giving back allows students to "get the attention off of themselves and onto someone that needs assistance," writes author Torry A. Johnson. He devotes a chapter to the importance of community service in his book, A More Excellent Way: The Family Guide to Academic Success and College Planning.

Johnson, a fellow Syracuse University alumnus, encourages parents to lead by example. "You must model it before the next generation," he writes. "Show them how to give back."

I know I need to make some improvements in this area. Out of necessity, I've put work ahead of service. But I am also reminded of how we all can serve someone else in some capacity, even if that service is not easily documented. As the daughter of a storefront preacher in a poor city, I grew up in a household where service was the norm. We were poor, but we were always doing something for someone else. And, ironically, we never called it "community service." We never called it anything. We just did it!

It is my hope that admissions officers, scholarship selection committees, and others who must evaluate the community service efforts of others -- particularly teens -- will at least be mindful of the obstacles. If service hours are lacking, dig deeper. Don't blindly use the lack of documented service hours as a tool to preserve exclusivity among elite organizations.

💟 Comment below with your thoughts about community service. 💟 
  • What's your favorite service activity? 
  • Do you know of any cool community service opportunities for teens? 

Thursday, January 20, 2022

Remembering the Taste of Childhood: A Poem about Government Cheese

I wouldn't consider myself a cheese lover. But I do like cheese, especially on pizza and macaroni and cheese and pasta and gouda on crackers and cheesecake and ...

Ok, maybe I am a cheese lover!

Today is National Cheese Lover's Day. In recognition of this arguably insignificant but quirky day, I am sharing a poem I wrote a few years back. It's about the first cheese I actually remember. Those cardboard boxes had a special spot in our refrigerator!


Comment below with your favorite cheese memory!

Interested in the history of government cheese? Check out this article at History.com:  How the US Ended Up With Warehouses Full of 'Government Cheese'