Did they learn what I taught?

Teacher Musings:
As I sit here at 2 am, I am unable to sleep for several reasons. The main one has to do with the little one who has decided to spend all night kicking me in the ribs. However, as I have been lying around trying to sleep I find myself thinking about school and teaching. I don't know if writing some of my reflections down will help to end the karate chops, but hopefully it will prove insightful when I re-read it in a more awake state.
I have always been strong believer in backward planning, and I cannot truly conceive of any other way to plan and teach. I also see backward planning as intricately tied to actual learning objectives. To me, backward planning means clearly explaining what you want a student to be able to do independently by the end of the year, and then plan instruction and assessments from there that both teach and then measure whatever it is that you are working towards. In my ideal situation this is all fairly linear, clear and stays on track through a school year and from unit to unit.
However, like all things with teaching, their is often a gap between my ideal and the reality I encounter (which is not necessarily a bad thing - I'm not entirely convinced that my ideal is the "right" way to go). In the last two weeks I have taught my students about finding details and using them to find the main idea in non-fiction pieces. So far we have focused on narrative non-fiction and expository non-fiction. Next week we are going to read editorials, and the first day will put the teaching that I have already done to the test. I'm somewhat anxious to find out if they can identify the details in the editorial, the reasons the author uses those details, and as a result of all this, the author's message in the editorial. On one hand, I expect that most of them (with a few exceptions that I know need some extra interventions) will be able to do this, based on the formative assessments I have already given. However, this is the part of teaching that I still struggle with. I want to see if they are meeting my expectations. If they are not, I will re-teach what I need to teach. However, if they aren't doing what I thought they should be able to do, what does that say about our work for the past two weeks? What could I have done better? Is that precious time wasted, or should I look at it as a learning experience for myself? On one hand, this dilemma is a demonstration of the benefits of backwards planning - the work we did before is informing the next steps in instruction. However, this also means what I taught will be needed and measured which could easily point out my complete failure to teach what I thought I taught.

Yummy Stuff:
One of my favorite dinners is Warm Chickpea Salad from the "Voluptuous Vegan" I've made it so much that I don't need to recipe any more, but this is pretty close to the actual one in the book!

Ingredients
3 cups of cooked chickpeas (equivalent of two cans)
1 onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 can of artichoke hearts (whole or quartered - if they are whole, cut them in halves or quarters depending on your preference).
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes (you can use dried, but rehydrate them in boiling water for about 10 minutes first)
1/4 olive oil plus a bit more for sauteing
3 TB lemon juice
1 TB fresh rosemary, chopped

Directions:
1) Pour the chickpeas into a bowl
2) Saute the onions, garlic and celery in olive oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until onion is translucent. Then, pour this mixture over the chickpeas
3) Put a bit more oil in the pan, and then put in the artichoke hearts so that they are spread out in one layer. Cook them on medium heat for about 5 minutes, and then flip them over to cook on the other side for five minutes more. Then put them in with the chickpea mix.
4) Chop up the rehydrated sun dried tomatoes (if needed) and put them in the chickpea mix
5) Mix the 1/4 of olive oil, lemon juice and rosemary in a separate bowl to make a dressing. Then pour it over the chickpea mix and mix it up. Serve on its own or over some greens.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Musings:
Things I am Thankful For:
1) My amazing partner who is truly my best friend and the reason I can get up in the morning and do any good in the world.
2) My family who I remain close to even across the country. They have never made me feel bad about our move, are endlessly supportive and we have somehow found ways to maintain a close relationship, for which I am very grateful.
3) My dear friends who are really my family. I love that I spent last weekend with one of my best friends sharing a house in Philly, and the night before Thanksgiving in my sweats at another friends house enjoying indian food and good company. I have so many people in my life with whom I am completely comfortable, and I never thought I would be so lucky.
4) The fact that no one had to be hurt or die for me and my husband to enjoy a beautiful Thanksgiving spread (more on that later!) Becoming vegan and getting together with the G-man were the two best decisions of my life (don't ask me to rank them!)
5) I am still doing a job I love that never leaves me bored. I love the planning, I love the students, I love my colleagues and I love the joy that comes with making a small different in so many lives. I found a career I can really see myself doing forever, and I'm lucky to have found it so early.
6) The little things - drinking green tea on a cool rainy morning, listening to "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me" with a cat on my lap, reading a really good book, etc.

Here is to you and yours this holiday season!

Yummy Stuff:
We had an AMAZING Thanksgiving dinner (yes, just me and the G-man - and Nuzzle!) We had:
1) Vegan Pot pie (from Vegetarian Times with some modifications)
2) Bourbon-Laced Sweet Potatoes
3) My mom's stuffing - delicious (and easily veganized - just use veggie broth rather than (ewww) turkey juice)
4) Garlic-mashed potatoes
5) Pumpkin cupcakes with cinnamon icing (a la Vegan Cupcakes take over the world!)

So, the pot pie was good, the stuffing was great (my favorite part) but the G-man's garlic mashed potatoes were AWESOME!! Since he makes them a little different every year, and this year was possibly the best, I thought it best to capture what he did - so we can remember next year :)

G-man's Garlic Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients
About 4 large (or 7 small to medium) yellow potatoes
One head of garlic
About 1 1/2 TB of olive oil
1/4 original Almond Milk (feel free to use any non-dairy milk)
1 TB Earth Balance (vegan margarine)

Directions:
1) Pour the olive oil over the garlic and wrap the garlic in foil. Roast it in a 400 degree oven (or toaster oven) for 1 hour)
2) Meanwhile, peel and thinly slice the potatoes. As you work on the potatoes and finish slicing them put them in a bowl of cold water - this keeps them fresher.
3) Put the potatoes in a pot and cover them with water. Bring the potatoes to a boil, and keep them boiling for 15-20 minutes - until they are very soft.
5) Get the roasted garlic out of the oven, peel it and mince it. This is messy since the garlic is soft and squishy when it is roasted - you could also use a food processor for this step if you have a small one (or small bowl in a larger food processor)
4) Drain the potatoes and put them in a bowl. Add the minced roasted garlic, the almond milk, salt, pepper and Earth Balance. Use a potato masher (or a pastry cutter in our case - we don't have a potato masher) to mash the potatoes.
5) Serve! Or, if its going to be a little while, put the potatoes in a oven-proof container and stick it the oven (at whatever temperature it is at for your other dishes) to keep warm. Definitely a hit!

Reflection and Confidence

Teacher Musings
Tonight was my grad school night, where I run out of school at 3:15 and take various forms of public transportation to UMass Boston. This semester I am taking a philosophy class, which has been really interesting and has been an enjoyable experiance since much of the "philosophical" way of thinking that our instructor wants us to engage in is very different from the real-world, pragmatic thinking I find myself usually engaging in. I don't know if it is this type of thinking environment, or just the fact that this is often my only time away from a computer and other distractions, but I often find myself reflecting on both my teaching practice and on my values in teaching during this class (especially when the professor, with his soothing, very, very quiet voice, talks for more than 20 minutes). I find myself really questioning if my actual instruction (such as my focus on theme in The Color Purple during the last two weeks) is matching my philosophy about education (that it should be both skills-based as well as driven by the learner/student). During these times when I have little else to do but doodle and let my mind wander (I'm not kidding about my professor's soothing voice) I find myself questioning both my actions and my beliefs in a way I have never done before. When I think about why I am engaging in this self-questioning now, I think there are several reasons. The first is having time in which to do it - it is rare that my attention is not diverted away from truly deep thought. However, I think the second is important - I am now more confident in myself as a teacher, which allows me to question myself. This might seem paradoxical, but to question my motivations and beliefs in this way my first or second year would have been the equivalent to asking myself if I was really cut out for this work, which was a much scarier thing to face. At this point (after a scant 6 years, I know) I not only know I want to be a teacher, but really feel like I AM a teacher. It is so intricately tied into my sense-of-self at this point that I can't conceive of losing it - which is part of what allows me to feel that my questioning is building me up as a teacher, not potentially driving me away from teaching. So, I am dedicating myself to finding more time for this type of deep thinking and reflection when this class is done - it might just be that I allow myself to go sit at a coffee shop with a notebook and think for thirty minutes - and I think it will be time well spent.

Yummy Stuff:
It is interesting thinking about my identity as a teacher, since I feel like my identity as a vegan has evolved in a similar way. I am now in my second year at a job where I have always been "vegan" and people just understand that is who I am. I also don't even think about being vegan much anymore unless I am eating out - its just how things are, and I really don't miss dairy, eggs and meat, even when I find myself using "substitutes" which I now like better than the animal-riddled versions. So, in that spirit, I thought I would share a couple of my favorite snacks that might seem like vegan adaptations but are really just some of my favorite goodies!!

Nachos:
Lately I have been really wanting nachos. I recently made a huge batch of salsa rice when my in-laws were over, so with that on hand I heated up 1/2 a can of vegetarian refried black beans and the rice. I put down a layer of chips on a plate and then spread the beans and rice combination over them. I topped it with salsa and sliced black olives. Really simple and really yummy, especially when watching football!

Fried Won tons
I used to love what my sister and I called "crab meat cheese fried won tons" at our local chinese food restaurant. I had never heard them called crab ragoons until I came out to the east coast. Needless to say, I don't put crab in mine. Instead, I mix vegan cream cheese with some chopped scallions and put about 1 tsp. in a won ton wrapper. Then I use my finger, dipped in water, to moisten all the edges of the wrapper, and fold it in half so that it ends up in a triangle. Finally, after heating some canola oil on medium for about four minutes I fry up the won tons - about 2 minutes on each side. When they are done I get all the yummy gooeyness of the cream cheese and crispy-ness of the won ton without any little crabs getting sacrificed - a good deal all around!

Adjustments

Teacher Musings:
I really can't believe I let the whole summer go by without writing a post. Well, maybe I can believe it as I look back at what went on this summer. My husband and I bought and moved into a new house. I took two summer school grad courses. Also, we visited a lot of family, and had some family and friends come to stay with us, which was wonderful!! All in all, it was busy yet enjoyable. However, it means that now school is suddenly back in full swing. As the year starts I find myself (and everyone else at my school) facing a lot of uncertainty. A certain amount of uncertainty is just factor at the start of any school year: What are my students going to be like? How big will my classes be? What unexpected factors will affect the schedule? What will my curriculum team decide we need to focus on instructionally - two weeks before school starts? At earlier points in my life this uncertainty has made me crazy and stressed. However, after six years of it (interspersed with moving to a new state with no job, being laid off and not getting into my classroom until one day before students show up) have helped me learn that a certain level of uncertainty is a given in September, so I better learn how to deal with it. In order to get through the uncertainty, you have to make certain adjustments. I've learned that I can plan some of my year in June (as I prefer to) but that some planning I just have to wait and do in September. I've learned to plan roughly for the first two weeks but to put off making some copies until the day before - because I don't know whether or not I'll really have a full-length class that day, or suddenly be asked to give a new diagnostic. However, making these adjustments has been the easy part - letting go of my resentment that I have to make them has been difficult. In some ways its easier to hang on to my frustrations - there are plenty of people who would not only listen to me complain, but would join me in a cacophony of bitching. While this might feel good in the moment, what I have found is that this type of complaining has done little to nothing to improve either my teaching or the uncertainty that comes with the job. So, when I think about making adjustments this year (of which there will be plenty), especially the ones I don't want to make, I have made it my goal to not only adjust as needed, but to not resent the changes I need to make. With a new role at school and new home responsibilities on the way I have no time to spend on the negative. So, I look forward to both a flexible and positive year!

Yummy Stuff:
One of the comfort meals I love is breakfast for dinner. Lately I've been into apple oatmeal pancakes - they are both hearty and extremely yummy! I've searched around for a few vegan versions, but the one that has come out best is a synthesis of non-vegan oatmeal pancakes and regular vegan pancakes. So, here is my own little recipe for oatmeal pancakes - apples (or raisins or walnuts) optional, but oh so good!!

Oatmeal Pancakes (with Apples)
Ingredients:
¾ cup oatmeal
¾ cup flour
1 cup almond milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 TB canola oil
2 TB maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 of a medium apple, chopped (sweet versions, like Fuji, are best)

Soak oatmeal and ½ cup milk for 5 min

Mix in rest of milk, cinnamon, oil, maple syrup and vanilla

Stir in flour, cinnamon and baking powder

Stir in optional apple pieces

Pour 1/4 cup of batter on a hot griddle. When you see bubbles on the sides (about 2-3 minutes) flip the pancake. Push down with your spatula to spread the second side a little. Then, cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve with warm maple syrup!

Upon Reflection

Teacher Musings
As the school year winds to close it is always useful to reflect back on what one experienced, accomplished, and did not accomplish in order to improve. I always try to take time to do this at the end of the year, as well as create my long term plan for the next year. This year I am lucky in two ways. The first is that I have an amazing co-worker to do this with. Whenever the two of us work together what we come up with is infinitely better that what I would develop on my own, and collaborating with this woman has helped me develop my teaching much, much more than I have in the past. The second way I am lucky is that I am moving - which means I had to pack my albums and scrapbooks today, which inevitably means reading through them. As I ready through my "teacher" scrapbook (a constantly evolving book of notes from students, colleagues, etc. - purely fun in nature) I was struck by how many positive comments I read about my teaching. Now, obviously I get very few complaints about my teaching in writing, and if I did I would not keep them in a scrap book. But after reading numerous notes that said "Thank you for listening to me" and "You were the calmest, nicest teacher ever" (a comment that never ceases to surprise me since no one else I know would describe me as "calm") I have to stop and think - "hey, maybe I'm not such a bad teacher. Maybe I am teaching them something, and helping them in some ways too." This, coupled with the kindness and "positivity" of my colleague has made this years reflection less about wallowing in what I did wrong, and has given me permission to take a look at what I did right - which is not only pragmatic, but quite uplifting as well.

Yummy Stuff:
This summer is going to be the summer of vegan cooking. Now I know every day is a day of vegan cooking in our house - we're vegan and we cook. But we have just started getting our CSA boxes, and I am looking forward to having time to develop my own dishes and recipes based on which yummy produce we have available! In the past couple weeks I have been trying to make recipes that I haven't tried before, and I have been inspired to try making my own as well. So, here is my first real recipe that can honestly say I created, not adapted. I was inspired by a description of asparagus soup from Vegan Table, but since I don't have a copy of it yet, I had to go with what I thought it could be. This Creamy Roasted Asparagus and Potato Soup was delicious when I was sick last week, and I plan to make it again this week to use some of the gorgeous local asparagus we still have!

Creamy Roasted Asparagus and Potato Soup
Ingredients:
1 bunch asparagus
4 yukon potatoes, cut into quarters, skin on
4 cups vegetable broth
1 medium onion, chopped
5 scallions chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tsp each of dried savory, dried tarragon

1) Wash the asparagus and put it on a foil lined baking sheet. Spray with some olive oil (or drizzle with 1TB olive oil) and put into a 475 oven for 25 minutes.

2) While the asparagus is roasting, bring the vegetable broth to a low boil. Put in the potatoes and simmer for 20 minutes. They should be tender about the same time as when the asparagus is done.

3) While the asparagus and potatoes are cooking, saute the onions and scallions is 2 tsp of olive oil for about 5 minutes. Then add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Finally, add the herbs and stir for about 1 minute. Turn of the heat and cover.

4) when everything is done cooking, put it all in a blender. This is why I love our Vita-mix - it can take it! If you don't have the fancy vita-mix, or another blender/food processor, feel free chop the asparagus, and then add everything to the potato pot and use an immersion blender. Blend it all and re-heat if necessary in the same pot you used for the potatoes. Then you are done!

The Importance of Focus

Teacher Musings:
So, I'm kind of embarrassed to admit it, but I just now finished reading Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I had read bits and pieces of it since September, but I finally took it home and read it through. Like Tipping Point it was both fun and interesting to read. However, as I got to the end, I got to thinking about all of the snap judgements I make during the day as a teacher. On Wednesday I was giving an in-class essay that, for a lot reasons, my students were not fully prepared for. So, during the test students in one of my classes were asking questions left and right, and I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to help. Often in this same class, when students are working on something they will hold up a paper in my face and say "is this good?" Unfortunately, this results in a miscommunication that has not been fully corrected no matter how much I qualify my answer to them. I will give it back to them and tell them what they need to improve on the area we are working on - for example, how they introduce evidence. My comments on the strength or weakness of this aspect may have nothing to do with the strength or weakness of their analysis, grammar or other areas of writing. But often my students see my answer as either good or bad. They also seem to think that they will get either an A or F on the assignment - and if they just "do as I say" they deserve an A.
This is a new problem for me, and I have gotten better at dealing with it, mostly by creating tools that force students to measure and evaluate their own work. But reading Blink made me think about how I evaluate student work, especially on the spot like that. My evaluation of students' work, in the moment, often has less to do with their actual work than it should. My judgement is often colored by the student's tone, behavior, the behavior of the people around them, the time of day, etc. In addition, I am being influenced by my feelings towards that student (have they annoyed me recently?) and my perception of how much effort that student put into their work. All of this makes it difficult to really focus on the words on the page, especially in short time. Although, in reality, these factors also influence my real grading, albeit to a lesser extent.
So, how do I solve this problem? I'm not going to get rid of all those factors. I don't teach in a blind environment and rely so much on my interpersonal knowledge in my everyday life that it is virtually impossible for me to separate myself from it. But what inspired me about the end of Blink was the idea that, even though we have factors that effect our judgment (sometimes for the better, sometimes for worse) we can find ways to use both the rational thinking and the unconscious to make a decision. One goal I have for myself next year is to go back to doing something I was good at before - deciding what, exactly, I wanted my students reading and writing to look and sound like at the end of a unit, and then focus all of my energy on doing that. I need to narrow the field of what I am looking for in their work, and then focus all of my energy (and theirs) on improving their work to meet that ideal.
While I know that I am picking up on just one idea from Blink and making it into something that Gladwell may or may not have meant, I did find the idea that we need to narrow the information we use, rather than broaden it (sometimes) to be helpful and empowering, especially in the land of reams of data and excel spreadsheets. As I plan for next school year I look forward to focusing my attention and limiting the information I look for in student writing while miscellaneously developing a clearer model of writing so that I am less distracted by other factors that influence both my judgement and feedback.

Yummy Stuff
So, I've been trying to stick to the Eat to Live diet - and its been difficult in some ways and great in others. I've enjoyed salads at lunch, but I have to have a snack at 4 (since I have to eat lunch at 11am). But, I've been cutting out more and more oil, and have worked hard to eliminate sugar - the worst villains in my quest to lose weight. However, I also know myself, and if I plan a special treat once a week, it gives me something to look forward to and keep myself eating right the rest of the time. My treat last week was eggplant peanut stew, adapted from Veganomicon's Spicy Peanut and Eggplant Soup. While this dish is not low-fat by any means, it is certainly not the worst thing you could eat, and, considering that my usual cheat would be a bagel with tofutti, followed by a vegan chocolate chip muffin from Diesel, this is downright healthy! Beware - you should plan on serving this on top of a grain to soak up the yummy coconut milk and peanut butter - its GREAT on top of quinoa!

Ingredients:
1 pound eggplant (It doesn't matter to me, but the G-man swears by Japanese eggplant and complains when I use regular eggplant. So, if you are an eggplant snob like him, go for Japanese).
5 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1-2 jalapenos, seeded and minced (change the number depending on your hotness preference)
1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground cayenne
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/3 cup tomato paste
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1 1/2 cups veggie broth (plus a 1/4 more for sauteing without oil - if you want)
2 cups (1 can) of coconut milk
1/4 cup peanut butter (I use chunky, but you could go chunky or smooth. But use natural peanut butter - no Jiffy crap allowed!!)
1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 TB lemon juice

Directions:
1) In a large stock pot over medium high heat, saute the shallots in about 2 TB of olive oil (or veggie broth) for about 20 minutes until very soft, browned and slightly caramelized. Scoop the shallots off the pot into a large bowl.
2) At 1 TB of olive oil (or veggie broth) to the pot and add the peeled and cubed eggplant, stirring to coat with oil/broth. Stir and cook eggplant for 12-15 minutes, until slightly tender. Then, transfer to the same bowl as the shallots.
3) Add 1 TB olive oil (or veggie broth) to the pot and allow it to heat, then add the ginger and jalapeno(s) and fry for 30 seconds
4) Add the cumin, coriander, turmeric, and fry for another 30 seconds, then add onion. Stir and fry until onion is slightly soft and translucent (about 5 minutes).
5) Add the tomato paste and stir fry for 1 minute.
6) Add the diced tomatoes, veggie broth, eggplant, shallots and string beans to the pot. Stir well and then add in coconut milk. Bring to a boil and then lower the head to a simmer.
7) Once the mixture is boiling, take out about 1/3 cup of liquid from the pot and pour it over the peanut butter in a separate bowl. Stir until the peanut butter is completely emulsified and mixed in. Pour this mixture back into the pot and cover and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring once or twice.
8) Remove from heat and add the lemon juice. Serve over quinoa (or other grain of your choice)

Food Pictures!!

I hesitate to give these pictures the dignity of being called food porn - I'm still working on my food photography skills. But, here is a first round of my food pictures - dedicated to anyone who has ever said "you're vegan? What do you eat?"


Caramelized Onion Tart with Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella (yes, it melts!). On the side is Swiss Chard sauteed with garlic.











Mango and Avocado Salad on Spinach with
Portabello and Bell Pepper Fajitas (with
Avocado, of course!)









Spinach sauteed with tomato (and a side of bread)











Nuzzle - our cat (we have more pictures of our cat than of us - I couldn't help throwing one in)