Bringing my work home.

I think I will call today... Life Lesson Saturday!

Son (who recently turned four) has been testing the limits of behavior today, but in this particular case he didn't realize he was messing with a trained professional!

Son has been really good with his chore/behavior chart, which has made him prematurely wealthy. He has talked about going to the store and buying some more Cars toys for his growing collection. Wife and I thought this morning would be a great day for a toy shopping trip. After careful deliberation, Son decided on a Mack the Truck car hauler, weaved his way to the checkout, and we made our way home.

Seeing as we were quickly closing in on nap time, Wife started getting lunch together while Son and I made the battle plans necessary for opening the pesky plastic packaging (nice alliteration!). We managed to conquer our foe just as we were called to the table. Son immediately looked conflicted!

Son: "I wanna play wif Mack."

Me: "That's fine, but we need to eat first."

**Son sulks to the table**

Wife: "Why are you looking so grumpy?"

Son: "I not!!" **forces a smile**

The next few minutes passed quietly as Wife and I talked about our plans for the afternoon. Son just sat there poking at his food.

Son: **mutters something while looking from Wife to Me**

Son: **repeats more confidently** "My tummy kinda full."

Me: "Well if your tummy is full I guess you can get down from the table."

At this response, Son left the table looking victorious, but slightly confused. It was as if he was thinking, "That was too easy!" Nonetheless, he happily made his way to the new toy.

Me: "Wait! What are you doing? Mamma and Daddy said you could play after you ate."

Son: **tearing up a little** "...but I wanna play wif Mack."

Me: "Sorry. That is not what we said. You can play with your other toys, but Mack has to wait until after nap."

Cue the weeping and gnashing of teeth!

After a few minutes of crying in his room, we see the silhouette of a little boy making his way back down the hallway. Son looks a little sheepish, but armed with a new plan!

Son: "My tummy not full now."

Wife and I do our best to keep a straight face as Son climbs back up to the table and starts to eat. Unfortunately, because of his previous shenanigans, there is no longer time to play before nap time, and Mack is definitely going to have to wait.

What Son failed to realize is that I deal with this type of situation multiple times during the course of a school day. Students often ask to do something they want without completing the task that I have given them. I consider it a game to figure out a way to give them what they desire, but in a manner that they hadn't planned. The ultimate lesson being that it is better to do what is asked of you than to plot and scheme your way through.

Sorry Son, but you're going to have to step up your game if you want to beat me! :)

-Mr. F

Giant?!?!

A giant, seriously?!

Well... I figure 6'8" is close enough.

Sometimes I forget just how tall I look to others.

In the end, it is a blessing and a curse. There is a certain amount of respect that comes with being this tall while working in the land of 11-14 year olds.

On the other hand, I have to be careful how I come across. Being freakishly tall sometimes causes students to take their time warming up to me.

It does provide for some interesting conversations!

student - "You're tall"

Mr. F - "You're observant."

student - "Did you play basketball?"

Mr. F - "Nope, are you a jockey?"

Sometimes it even leads to cross-curricular lessons. Here is a typical one on proportions.

"You have big feet, Mr. Farnham."

"Yes, I do, but if they were small then I would fall over all the time! It's all about balance kids!"

One thing is for sure... it makes me hard to forget! :)

-Mr. F

Beginnings...

Why a blog?

I wanted to start up a teacher blog again as a way to get some thoughts out of my head. Often I am guilty of trying to juggle too many mental plates, and I thought that a written journal may help in cleaning out the clutter upstairs.

In addition to that, so much goes on during a day that sometimes the little lessons learned can be lost in the shuffle. A school day can be the most peaceful or chaotic thing you have experienced, and since I believe that the beauty of life is in the details, I am hoping this project will help me see and remember the wonder around me.

That's nice, but who are you?

I am certified in Social Studies 6th-12th grade and in six different subjects. I am starting my 8th year teaching and am currently employed at the middle school level in a school district that is transitioning from a suburban to an urban environment. I recently received my National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification and am looking forward to applying everything I learned about myself and my teaching through that process.

Are you some kind of workaholic? What else do you do?

I am married and have a son. My wife Emily and I met in college and have been married since 2001. We adopted our son, David, from Guatemala in 2008 and have been loving the ups and downs of being a parent ever since. Oh... don't want to forget the dogs, three Mini Schnauzers: Gunther, Graham, and Eoghan.

As for my free time, I LOVE soccer. I was a mediocre player at best and had a short stint as a referee in high school, but lucky for me it takes no skill to watch. I follow a few teams from around the globe, but Liverpool FC is the team I support above them all. College football is another joy of mine (Hook'em Horns!!!), but most other sports just garner causal interest. I also enjoy reading, movies, video games, podcasts, shooting sports, and cooking.

Well... that is the why and the who. We can worry about the rest as the year progresses.

-Mr. F