"You know you're my favorite, right?"

As soon as I thought that I wasn't making any sort of difference in my student's life and felt as if I had hit a brick wall, my student cheers me up with a comment like that one!

Highlights of the week:

1. Discussing the age of her teachers...

    Me: How old did you think I was?
    Student A: 16
    Me: You thought I was only 3 years older than you!?!?
    Student A: Well, I guess maybe I thought a little older.

I doubt that I could have been an effective teacher at age 16! Not sure if I am suppose to take that as a compliment or not. Thoughts?

2. As I am constantly convincing my student to eat healthy foods and choose fruits & veggies from the cafeteria line, we oftentimes have food conversations...

    Student A: You know what I love, Ms. Alvis?
    Me: What now?
    Student A: Wolf Brand Chili
    Me: Never heard of it, what could that be? Do I even want to know?
    Student A: Of course, it's chili in a can! What grown-up hasn't heard of Wolf Brand Chili?
    Me: I must say that sounds very disgusting...do you mean chili like with beans and meat? That comes    
    in a can!?!?
    Student A: Oh, Ms. Alvis, it is delicious! I still can't believe that you have never heard of it. You have  
    to try it!

I have recently found out that Wolf Brand Chili is very popular in Texas and is now the sponsor of Channel 5 Morning News. I still doubt that I could ever get myself to eat chili from a can. I think I will instead make some homemade chili for my student and show what chili really tastes like!

3. Farmer's Market Field Trip

    Along with my student's mobility instructor, we took a trip to the Dallas Farmer's Market in order to explore different fruits and vegetables, and choose a pumpkin to bring back to school to carve! She learned more than she would on the trip than a day at school! Her attitude was positive the entire day, I was blown away by her social skills, and she consistently made comments on how grateful she was to have us to take her to new places. She was able to experience many new tastes, learn about the numerous pumpkins and gourds that are out in the fall,  and use her own money to purchase items to bring home to her family.

4. Reading

We have finished the first unit of the Braille curriculum and my student is reading at home for 30 minutes each night! However, the first story from the new unit is about some kids' experiences at a playground...

    Student A: Would you be mad if I asked you what a swing was?
    Me: I am never mad when you ask me questions. I only want to be here for you to explain new  
    concepts to you and allow you to experience them as much as it's possible. Have you ever been to a
    playground before?
    Student A: No, but don't tell my mom that we are talking about this.
    Me: Do not worry about it, we will just have to take another field trip very soon to a playground
    where you can explore and we can maybe even have a picnic!
    Student A: Wow! I would love that.

I now need to get back to my Saturday night dinner that I will post very soon- Mushroom, Roasted Red Pepper, and Goat Cheese Bread Pudding, Spiced Mahi Mahi, and a Crostata with Dried Apricots, Walnuts, and Mascarpone Cheese for dessert.
  


  

Overdue

I realize that I am very overdue in my updates. I hate that I have gotten to this point. It is very enjoyable to read others' recent posts and I hate when my favorites are not updated. This means that I will now change my ways and make writing more of a habit!

Honestly, it has been hard to sit down and write a post recently, because, as my mother puts it, "I have been seeing the glass as half empty." I began the year by ensuring that I left school with at least one success of the day, and I am now finding myself only attending to the negatives. It is difficult when your student says phrases such as, "There goes another adult busting my dreams" or "I will never have a boyfriend or get married, that doesn't happen to blind people" or "I can't wait to graduate, so I can sit at home." After all of my efforts to instill the thoughts of a positive, successful future in my student, I still hear this pessimistic attitude. I don't blame her, however, when she has to sit through academic classes and assessments that are 5 grade levels above her intelligence. When I see her excel, become confident, smile, and lift her head up is when I set high expectations for her and when I am able to teach to her skill level. This means teaching her skills that she needs to become a productive member of society, not spending endless hours attempting to catch her up in Algebra, making sure that she understands what tropism means, or helping her navigate the regions of Texas on a map (just to name a few). Now, I am even more scared to see the documentary, Waiting for Superman. I don't need to hear more stories about how our education system is failing our students.

Today marks my time to turn everything around and see the glass half full! This means teaching more of what I want to teach and what I know will benefit my students! I'll keep you posted on how that goes...

On an optimistic note, another reason why I am past due on updating, is because I had the pleasure of spending 4 whole days with my mom in Dallas! She was able to experience my life here as a teacher, a cook, and an explorer! She joined me at school with my principal student and learned what teaching in South Dallas is like. It's a blessing that I only teach one student in my own little classroom in this area. My mom also met my team of extremely supportive vision teachers! Since the next day was "Fair Day" (a day for the students and teachers to attend the largest state fair in the country), our goal for the work day was to find a convincing enough reason as to why we should attend the Texas State Fair the following day. The most recurring one was "to try the best corn dog you will ever eat!" Can you guess our decision? If you know us at all, it was a clear decision that we would not attend the fair. Instead, we spent the day shopping for items to jazz up my apartment! Only my amazing mom would be so adamant to make sure that I live in a tasteful, cheerful, warm, and comfortable home! She did, in fact, make it exactly that while she was here! In addition to our Home Goods, Home Depot, garden shops, and Crate & Barrel excursions, we traveled to the gorgeous Dallas Arboretum where the largest pumpkin village stands, drank wine through an arts shopping district, and appreciated the high quality Mexican food and tasty margaritas here in Dallas. I was also able to share my new love of yoga with my mom. I couldn't have asked for more enjoyable and relaxing long weekend! No wonder why I miss Chicago even more in the past week!

My mom also experienced my cooking skills as she was able to try some of my recent baked goods. I have particularly been into baking in the past few weeks, most likely because of the stress at school. Nothing like a warm fall treat and the smell that it leaves in your kitchen after a long day!

Molasses Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour 
2 teaspoons baking soda 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
1 teaspoon ground ginger 
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves 
3/4 teaspoon allspice 
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature 
1/2 cup packed brown sugar 
1/2 cup plus 1/3 cup granulated sugar 
1 egg 
1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
1/3 cup unsulphured molasses 
2 teaspoons grated orange zest

Method

Preheat oven to 375°F. In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and allspice; set aside. 

In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula. Add egg, vanilla and molasses and beat until combined. While continuing to beat on low speed, add flour mixture and beat just until combined. 

Combine remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar and orange zest in a shallow bowl. To form each cookie, roll about 2 tablespoons of the dough into a 1 1/2-inch ball, then roll in sugar mixture and transfer to ungreased baking sheets, spacing cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake until outer edges begin to set and centers are soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks and set aside to let cool completely.

Apple Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients

• Topping:
• Cooking spray
• 3/4  cup  sugar
• 1/4  cup  water
• 3  cups  (1/4-inch-thick) slices peeled Rome apples (about 2 large)
• 1/4  cup  chopped walnuts
• Cake:
• 5.3  ounces  cake flour (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  baking powder
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 2/3  cup  sugar
• 3  tablespoons  butter, softened
• 2  large egg yolks
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• 1/2  cup  1% low-fat milk
• 3  large egg whites

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

2. To prepare topping, combine 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; cook until sugar dissolves, stirring gently as needed to dissolve sugar evenly (about 3 minutes). Continue cooking for 4 minutes or until golden (do not stir). Immediately pour into prepared cake pan, tipping quickly to coat bottom of pan. Arrange apple slices in concentric circles in pan over the warm caramel. Sprinkle with nuts; set aside.

3. To prepare cake, weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; stir with a whisk.

4. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks and vanilla to sugar mixture; beat until combined. Add flour mixture and milk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition.

5. Place egg whites in a large, clean bowl. Beat egg whites with mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form using clean, dry beaters. Gently fold egg whites into batter. Spread batter over apples. Bake at 350° for 35 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack in pan for 5 minutes. Loosen edges of cake with a knife; invert cake onto a serving plate. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Testing Agony

After a frustrating and upsetting few days last week, I had an uplifting Monday! As expected, our public education has really been getting to me. All I really need to say is...testing-- why should my student that is blind and reading 5 levels below grade level have to suffer through hours and hours of testing (on grade level) material that she cannot even comprehend. As soon as she understands the importance in trying her best and witnessing her own success, she is let down. She recognizes that I do have high expectations for her and she, therefore, wants to work for me (she even told me that she practiced her spelling words in her sleep in order to prove to me that she studied at home). Then she has to sit through 5 days of me testing her on material that has no meaning to her and that only shows that she is a failure. Enough said.

After many lectures and optimistic discussions on her future, I think we can move on. We were able to laugh our way through some of the agony-- spilling my water bottle all over the reading test, arguing over celebrity marital statuses, cooking grilled cheese sandwiches and watching my student use a toaster oven for the first time.

Another struggle of mine is wanting to provide my student with everything fun and helpful that she needs and wants! Here are some of those tangible and non-tangible items:
1. hot chips- These seem to be the new trend for kids. You are way cool if you have money to buy them at lunch and share them with friends.
2. peppermint patties- I discovered today that we share this common favorite!
3. snakeskin boots with spurs- except her mom said she could never own those (not quite sure where she got the idea that she wanted them)
4. Justin Bieber CDs- I hear enough about him daily
4. apple corer- I have finally discovered one healthy food item that she enjoys, but braces and whole apples don't go well together. An apple corer is the solution!
5. a quiet place to do homework with someone to assist her
6. opportunities to play outside in this beautiful Dallas weather (80 degrees, sunny, and no clouds in the sky in October- couldn't ask for anything better)- All I hear about is Disney channel shows and movies and that she is not allowed to go outside

Even after another day of testing, I was told, "You make my life more positive, Ms. Alvis!"