May 26, 2011

School's Out for Summer! Had a great end of the year with the students and teachers. The last day was really mellow for some reason. It may have been the rain, but I think, also, it was because we had a much better year than most of us thought. It went fast and had no real crisis. At any rate, its over and now on to better things.

I will be spending my first day off going through a normal summer's day that I have had for the last few years. Getting up, breakfast, working out, checking email, then laying by the pool and reading book for most of the afternoon. Its not hot yet, but I'm not sure how many days I will have available to do this. In fact, this might be my last year having access to a free pool. One never knows what the next year will bring them, so you have to take advantage of what you got and when you got it.

I wont have too much time to relax in Omaha, because the first trip of the year is on its way Friday when we will be heading to Minneapolis for the Twins Angels baseball games at Target Field. I'll update when we get back.

May 21st

2 days of school left! Let the babysitting begin. Here are a few end of school activities to keep your students busy. This is the time of year that it is important to keep the learning and teaching going. Most students, middle school particularly, think this is the time of year to run around, being as loud as possible and eventually getting into trouble all the while giving every teacher a massive coronary.

Movie: can really only show one. More than one and they will get restless and bored, then you have more trouble.
Projects: I had my students complete a "Create Your Own Country" project that included 2 maps, a flag, and made up names and places. They seemed to really enjoy it.
Games: We divided 5 classrooms into pairs, giving us a total of 10 teams. They then rotate around competing in competitions that challenge their brains and brawn. Everything from kickball to quiz bowls to mini golf.
Teacher Quiz:All 7 teachers on our team came up with 10 fun quirky facts about our past and then the students see if they can figure out which fact goes with what teacher.

Hopefully these work and we have a fun end of the year that will send our kids on to the next level with a good memory!

Funny Dog Talking Video

Lewis and Clark 10 Picture Tour

 My history class listening to the Henry VIII Podcast. Filling out their Podcast activity.

 West side of my room

 East side of the room.

 St. Patrick's Day

 Field Trip to Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge

 Lewis & Clark Weight Room

 Cardio Room

 Scout Arena!

 Coach's Office Entrance and Shower Room

 Coach's Dressing Room

Sky Deck @ Scout Arena

May 9th: Classroom Expectations & Links

If you are former, current, or prospective student of mine then you might be interested in my blog entry for today. I have taught for 6 years now, going on 7 and most of my career in education has been spent with middle schoolers. Yes, the age where all outsiders I come in contact with seem to shriek when I explain to them the level of students I teach on a daily basis. The say things like "Oh my gosh! How can you stand them?", or "Wow! I would never be able to do what you do, they would drive me crazy." I usually answer with just a smile and tell them that one has to be as immature as an 8th or 7th grader to be able to handle a student that age. But, to tell you the truth, some days I do wonder how in the heck I do handle such an age group. The girls are usually pretty easy, but it helps that I am a man in the 25-34 age range. I don't think they would ever give me any trouble. However, the boys are a different story. The sports guys are usually my buddies and will talk baseball, football, or basketball with me, then never think of upsetting me in class for their new found respect from one of their teachers on a similar level might disappear faster than their homework or pencil. But, for the rest of the young gentleman, which I add very loosely, it is another story. Most of them resemble squirrels or a young puppy. In fact, I witnessed a couple boys in my class the other day, when were outside for an outdoor break, barking at two dogs across the parking lot. I thought to myself, what is the difference between these groups of species?

Back to the point, I could go on an on about classroom management, citing sources from the Internet, like I did in college. But, really, when it comes down to it, you just have to be patient and easy going. Most teachers feel that the louder they yell and more mean they look, the more respect they demand. That might scare a 3rd grader into doing exactly what you want, but a middle school kid will just despise you for it. We aren't hired to make friends, but we aren't hired to make enemies either. I feel that the more understanding a teacher can be of who they are really teaching each day, the better classroom environment they will have, and probably will have a much more enjoyable career.

Here are a few fun links:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index (Sports Guy)
http://www.havefunwithhistory.com (History Geek)
http://www.funnyordie.com/ (Love Comedy)
http://pollstar.com/  (for Concerts)

May 8th

Well the 2011 track season is officially over! Saturday was the famous Westside Conference track meet which always brings everyone's first sunburn and yesterday's was no exception. I'm glad it was nice and it only took until the last meet of the year to be comfortable weather for a track meet. The boys did well, mostly all got their P.R.'s for the season, but we didn't finish as high as we would have liked in many events. Track coaching is so much different than basketball. There is very little strategy involved with track, so you're never really second guessing yourself after a loss like you would in basketball.

Friday brought a nice end to the very long work week. At work, we were suppose to attend the Renaissance Faire with the students, but, sadly, it got canceled due to a fire in the costume department of the outfit that puts on the Faire. I think it was either one of the competing Renaissance groups sabotaging their fierce rivals, or maybe a little smoking accident. And I dont mean tobacco ;)

Friday night brought amazing weather and a few hours on the patios in the Old Market. I have a feeling this is where I will be spending any hours this summer, along with the pool. Later, I had my first Indian food ever. It was very good at Indian Oven downtown. Pretty pricey, but worth it for the first time. Glad I had a good experience and didnt lose control of my bowels like I thought I might.

Today is Mother's Day! I wish I was spending the day with my mom, but that would require me to fly to Las Vegas which actually sounds like a good idea. My mom, Cece, is a wonderful energetic woman that has always been there for me. Her thoughtful advice and amazing personality has made me into the man I am today. I hope I have made her proud. Love you, Mom.

2 Weeks of school left! Excited for Summer Break

May 4th, 2011

Hello, my name is Kirk Meyer and this is my first blog I have ever had. I have always wanted to have one, but never had the time or extreme motivation to get one started. Now, with this new blogging class that was offered at my school, Lewis and Clark Middle in Bellevue, NE, I have my first blog. Needless to say, I am a bit excited. I am going to blog the entire summer no matter what happens and see if I like it. The blog may stick, it may not. I titled it the Summer of Maximus. Sort of a nickname I got when I was attending college at Mount Marty in Yankton, SD. My good friend Shay Reilly used to call me Kirkus Maximus after the lead character in The Gladiator. We loved that movie and he also knew I was a history buff, so the name seemed appropriate. I will be taking my first trip to Italy this year with 12 students, my teacher buddy Gary Mercer, and my girlfriend Jessica. It should be a good time.


I have always considered myself a tech savvy guy. I like to learn about new ways to teach with technology and love learning about what new devices or social networks are out there. And, I love podcasting too. It seems like Apple is really taking control of the tech world, so I have started to shift all my attention to buying those products lately. When I use a computer, I still work in the Microsoft world, but would rather be using a Mac. I have an iPad2 and an iPhone that i love. Those are my main toys. In the classroom, I need to start upping the anti a bit with technology. I use podcasts in class and many other videos from iTunes U. But I want to start using my iPad and get my students involved in Twitter and maybe other networking tools. I tried Edmoto for a couple months, but the website didnt seem to user friendly. The students used it more for talking to themselves than using it for school anyway.

Well, thats enough about me for now. You will learn more as time goes on and the Summer of Maximus continues. Talk to ya soon.