JBOW 2.23 TO 3.2

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria, Jake L
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike, Kevyn

Eulogy for a Friend

Eli reads

Rick reads

Good afternoon! My name is Elizabeth Cook. And my name is Rick Joseph. We are speaking this afternoon on behalf of the 5/6 Teaching team at BCS as Karen’s colleagues and friends. One of Karen’s favorite authors is Patricia Polacco. In the book, Thank You, Mr. Falker, Polacco recounts her struggles with dyslexia and how she was bullied for being unable to read or write until she was almost 14 years-old. Polacco eventually becomes literate with the help of her teacher, who is honored in the book. At the end of the story, the author mentions how she saw Mr. Falker at a wedding 30 years later and thanks him for inspiring her to become a writer. Our eulogy today thanks Mrs. Fitz for serving children and colleagues every day throughout her career.

Thank you, Mrs. Fitz. As your students, we thank you for always believing in us. We thank you for fighting so passionately for us every day and for your sense of humor. We love how you were able to laugh at yourself – eventually at least – when our furry little friend found his way into our classroom and skittered across the floor, sending you – and us – screaming and shrieking, on top of the tables. We quickly realized why you were more suited to teach language arts instead of science.

We thank you for your high expectations and your tenacity. You taught us not to be afraid,  to stand up tall, and to speak out loud. You taught us the value of hard work and the importance of having an attitude of  “we” instead of “me”.

Thank you, Mrs. Fitz, for letting us take turns on the “cush”. Thank you for your disciplined approach to life, whether in the pool or the classroom.  Thank you for teaching us to notice snapshots in our daily lives and capture them in our writing, for valuing our thoughts, and going outside to notice the world around us. Thank you for getting us into the main hallway to observe you, and to explode a moment with detail and description. Thank you for reminding us to avoid the first person when we write essays and to always pay attention to your list of “No-no’s.” Thank you for reading The Watson’s aloud to us and for helping us understand that even a character like Byron can change.

Thank you for letting us drive the bee project. You and Mrs. Brown were a perfect pair to champion Colony Collapse Disorder – as long as no mice were involved. Thank you for giving us the freedom to run with this project in any direction we wanted to take it. Thank you for showing up in shorts, a t-shirt, and your springy shoes, with your huge sun hat because the protective suit was too hot. Thank you for always reminding us that you were an expert at seating charts & sandwich making.Thank you for teaching us to fight and struggle, to laugh and smile, and enjoy every day. Thank you for helping us understand what life is all about, and just like the song  Good Riddance, that you liked by Green Day:

It's something unpredictable,
But in the end it's right
I hope you had the time of your life

Thank you, Karen. Your sense of humor always reminded us, your colleagues, not to take life too seriously. You reminded us to sit down and enjoy lunch instead of wandering the halls at school or standing in our classrooms choking down mouthfuls of food. Thank you for taking an interest in everyone throughout the building, giving us your time, and making friends on every teaching team. Thank you for being so flexible and for your willingness to roll with last-minute changes.

Thank you for your generosity, and for sharing everything from books to pencils to your crazy food at the drop of a hat. Your boisterous laugh always brightened the room and helped us to access that little devil inside all of us, even when you spit water across the table from laughing so hard. Thank you for the quirky way you would order your Greek salad at Leo’s Coney Island, making sure everything was chopped according to your liking.

Thank you for appreciating the learning needs and strengths of your students. Thanks for seeing the kids who struggle in math and science and finding their gifts in Language Arts and Social Studies. You made kids feel good about themselves. Thank you for reminding us to honor our families and the moments  we have with them, as you always did with Mackenzie and Erin.

Thank you for enduring camp over the years, despite driving yourself to the hospital in two completely different parts of the state and for driving your own vehicle to rescue us in case the “bus broke down.” Thank you for bringing an amazing team of walkers together, Team Fitz, to support you in your fight. Because of you, we have a bond that will last forever as we learn to truly celebrate each day we are blessed to enjoy. Thank you for never giving up on love and for helping us know that whether we have a day or a lifetime that love endures forever.

Patricia Polacco writes words of wisdom in another of her remarkable books The Junkyard Wonders. Karen imparted this wisdom to her students and colleagues on a daily basis.

In this part of the story, the teacher, Mrs. Peterson is addressing her students. Polacco writes:

Genius is neither learned nor acquired.
It is knowing without experience.
It is risking without fear of failure.
It is perception without touch.
It is understanding without research.
It is certainty without proof.
It is ability without practice.
It is invention without limitations.
It is imagination without boundaries.
It is creativity without constraints.
It is...extraordinary intelligence!

I want you all to write the definition on the blackboard. Post it on your mirrors. Look at it every day. Memorize it! The definition describes every one of you.

Thank you, Karen, above all else, for knowing how to make work fun. You brightened our every day, and as Pauline Roberts would say, “Bollards, we’re gonna miss you, Karen!”

JBOW 2.9 to 2.22

Previous Winners 6th - Ania, Ryan, Sam, Danial X, Tate, Megan, Shin Be, Vivian, Aria
Previous Winners 5th - John, Alex B, Ty, Zoeya, Quentin, Jude, Ellie, Braeden, Mike

JBOW 2.2 to 2.8

Let's celebrate the power of great writing!

What a Gift!

Another one! Wow. I have been a teacher for 20 years and I can only think of two other years when we had back-to-back snow days. How awesome! I certainly can find a million things to do with this extra time at home, and today I am going to do something truly important. I am going to write a eulogy for Mr. Fitz.

A eulogy is a speech given at a funeral in honor of the person who died. Mrs. Cook and I have been asked by Mrs. Fitz's husband, Malcom, to deliver the eulogy on behalf of the BCS community at Mrs. Fitz's funeral on Friday. This is a high honor, and an example, yep, you guessed it, of teh power of writing. Our eulogy will make people laugh and make them cry. Remember, these are "merely" words!

Eulogies help people grieve, which basically means deal. Deal with the death of a friend or family member. Mrs. Fitz has been my friend for 12 years and will always be my friend. Her eulogy will help people remember that she will always be with us.

No Better Day than a SNOW DAY!

Woo-hoo! It's the first one of the season, and we had to wait until February to get it, but we finally got a snow day. Hooray! This is the best kind of snow day, of course for several reasons. First of all, it's on a Monday, which extends our weekend. Second, we found out about it early the night before, so we had plenty of time to plan for what we would do with our day off. Third, it came the day after the Super Bowl, so people can stay up late watching the game and sleep in. What an amazing day! I am happy to be in my house when I'm not usually supposed to be here, which is a really cool feeling all by itself. Now, I do have to shovel some snow, but that is certainly a small price to pay...for a snow day! Plus, if the boys are up for it, I will take them sledding later this afternoon, which is a snow day ritual in our family. How exciting! Can you tell I love snow days?

The only thing better than a snow day, of course, are two snow days. Will it happen again tomorrow?