Back to Physical Therapy--Finally!

January 10, 2025 After nearly a MONTH of waiting for paperwork to appropriately move from the physical therapist to the orthapedic surgeon to my insurance, I was FINALLY approved for the rest of my physical therapy! I went back today and started more strength training to stabilize my knee. Hopefully it won't be long now before I get to go back to my students!

Lucky Day for Volleyball

March 17, 2022 

For St. Patrick's Day this year, our boys' volleyball team held their senior night. I have five of the varsity seniors in my classes, so a few of them had asked me if I was going to go to cheer them on. It was really a lot of fun to see my kids doing something they love, something they really excel at. Rafe was even willing to join me, even though he didn't know another soul there. It was my first chance to introduce him to some of my favorite colleagues, which was pretty cool. Even better, the boys won their match in three games. A successful night altogether!

One of My Best Days of Teaching

January 10, 2018

It's the start of the new semester as well as the new calendar year.  Two of my classes had a student teacher last semester, and even in the classes where there wasn't a student teacher, I sensed a bit of restlessness and stress as we returned for the home stretch of senior year.  I decided we needed to do a reset/refocus, something akin to the kind of reflection many of us do as a new year dawns.  I showed them a couple of short video clips from Pursuit of Happiness and Freedom Writers that focus on chasing your dreams and building community.  We talked about big picture ideas that reflected what we hope to see in the world and how we'd like to see ourselves in it.  I handed out 3 x 5 cards and asked them to anonymously answer the question: What Do I Hope?  I gathered them and read them aloud, and told my kids I'd post them on the wall to help us remember who we are at our core--as a community--as we are progressing through the rest of our year together.

If you've ever wondered if our kids today are shallow or callous or self-centered, perhaps here you have your answer.  I was incredibly impressed with the genuine, sincere, and heart-felt responses:
I hope to be kinder to others.
I hope to be the kind of person others can turn to for help.
I hope I can find my passion and purpose in life.
I hope I can make my parents proud.

I was also a bit broken-hearted by some of the responses:
I hope to finally find true friends.
I hope people notice my silence.
I hope to be able to find a reason to get up each day.
I hope to finally be able to love myself.

Our kids can be goofy and immature and caught up the tiny details of every day life.  But they have big dreams and hopes and aspirations--and many of them are carrying really heavy weights hidden in their hearts.  It eye-opening to me, and to my students as well.  One of my kids shook his head and said, "It's really sad how many people in here are dealing with such heavy feelings.  And we don't even know."

Yeah.  Yes, it is.  So maybe the best way to operate is to treat each other as if we all are.

One of my best days of teaching.

A Visit From Natalie and Ryann

January 9, 2018

One of my favorite things about the week before and after vacation is that many of my former students are home from college and come by to visit.  I am always in awe of the cool and amazing things my kids find themselves doing once they move into the world of adulthood.  It's such a privilege to live in a time when I can keep in touch via the magic of social media with students I've formed relationships with.  I love to follow their successes and adventures in life and see all the positive energy they're putting out into the world.  Today I got a visit from a couple of incredible young women I have a great deal of love, respect, and admiration for--these gals are truly going to make their mark on the world!

Winter Formal

January 28, 2017

As class advisor of Class of 2019, we were responsible for putting on this year's Winter Formal.  Our theme this year was Northern Lights, and I was so happy with how everything turned out!  We have a pretty fabulous group of officers, all of whom put in a lot of effort to make this such a successful event.  All of the girls were there all day for set up, and all but one officer was able to attend (Kylie had a recital in the evening, but put in a long morning with us before she had to get ready for her event).  Marcos, my partner in crime (and work hubby--ha ha!) and I love our Class of 2019 officers!

                    Rachel, Jordan, me, Claire, Aleeza, Alyssa, and Marcos (missing Kylie)

These Kinds of Notes Make My Day

October 4, 2015

Seriously-this is why I do my job. I love knowing that what I do helps prepare kids for the world beyond their high school classrooms!

Hi Mrs. Lutjens! I hope you're having a good year teaching so far I just wanted to thank you again for constantly pushing us to annotate... I'm taking an intro to architectural studies class and the readings all require annotation to really be understood and written about! If it wasn't for your class, I probably wouldn't be as good at it as I am now. Thank you so much! I really loved having you as a teacher and I'm sure all of your students this year will too

Note to Paul

October 1, 2015

I sent this to Nicholas' former physics teacher and robotics coach today:

Just a little something I wanted to share: Nicholas is doing well in college so far--As and Bs. Hasn't missed a class yet. Joined three clubs: one that builds drones, one that builds solar-powered vehicles, and one that builds unmanned land vehicles. You know--the kind of stuff being on the robotics fab team has prepared him for. He does not love his required speech class, but his first speech was on a person deserving of respect and admiration. When I asked him who he spoke about, he said, in his very "Well, DUH!" Nicholas way, "Lake, of course. My teacher said it was an A or B speech, but he had to mark me down a little because I went over the time limit, because, well, there's just so much to say about Lake. So I'm fine with having gone over my time." So, you know--I thought you might like to hear that. smile emoticon

I'm sure he hears stuff like this all the time from his former students.  I'm sure he doesn't get tired of it. We are lucky to have had such a great mentor and role model for Nicholas all through high school.

Sadie's 2015

September 26, 2015

Today was Teamsters' Day at the Battle of the Bay: San Francisco Giants vs. Oakland A's in Oakland.  Doug's union hall offered a little day trip to its stewards and their wives, so we were up bright and early to catch the chartered bus they provided for us.  Once there, we attended a fantastic barbque put on by the Teamsters (my very first proper tailgate!) before heading into the ballpark.  We had seats directly in the sun--a drawback, to be sure--but had the opportunity to see a rookie Giant hit a pretty impressive Grand Slam that all but sealed the deal for an eventual Giants win.  This was Doug's first major league baseball game, so it was pretty cool to get to see that live.

The only tough part of being gone all day was the realization I had a few days before that we would be gone on the day of the Sadie's dance.  Nicholas got to go even though he's a graduate, since Treasa is still at Buchanan, and Danielle asked her good friend Nathan to go with her--her first high school dance.  I told Nicholas, Treasa, and Danielle that since I was going to be gone and wouldn't be there to take my traditional 'before the dance' pictures, they had to make sure to send me pictures via text.  Treasa's dad did the photography duties at her house, since Treasa's mom was also at another event.  It was a blurry shot, but I'm glad they sent it anyway.  I'm not even sure who shot Danielle's picture, but I think it's pretty cute too.  It's Danielle, Megan, Nathan, and Megan's date Garrett.  I checked in with both the kids at the end of the night once they got back safely to their dad's house, and they all said they had a great evening!

I Need a Nap

September 16, 2015

Today was a straight-through kind of day:  NHS meeting before school, then AP classes and World Lit. class, and another NHS meeting at lunch.  I've had at least three lunch time meetings per week since school started.  I don't remember ever having that many lunch meetings during the school year.  When did that start happening?  Anyway, it's been a long day, and I think I need a nice long nap.

Sadie's for Danielle

September 11, 2015

Danielle asked Nathan to Sadie's today!  They're doubling with her best friend Megan, and her date Garrett.  Such a fun group of kids!

Because I'm Only Just a Little Crazy

September 10, 2015

Today was club sign ups at school. My lunch consisted of me wrapping my brain around the fact that in addition to being advisor of NHS and the Anime Appreciation Club, this year I have added Class Advisor for Class of 2019 and---get this--advisor for the CRICKET Club.  Yes-Cricket.  Have I ever played cricket? Have I ever even seen a cricket match? I think we all know the answer to that question.  But here we are, and I'm going to learn something new this year.

One Kid at a Time

September 3, 2015

Two interactions over the past couple of days that remind me why we're in the business of teaching:

1.  I introduced my College/Career Exploration Project in my senior classes.  They have to choose three institutions they might be interested in attending, and then look at aspects which might be decision-making factors for them: whether or not their intended major/focus is offered, location, cost, etc.  I tell them they can look at JCs, private colleges, UCs, military branches, CSUs, technical/trade schools, etc.  I had a kid come up to me after class to say he had no idea what the difference what among all of those things.  He didn't know what a JC was, had no idea what UC stands for.  He was thinking he'd just keep his same job that he has now for as long as he can.  His boss makes a lot of money owning his own business,  and he drives really nice cars.  I told him he's exactly the kid the project is designed for--to find out all the options he has.  I don't care if he chooses not to go to college, but I don't want him to not go just because he has no idea what his other options are.  He's going to research his current job to see what kind of salary and benefits he could earn as a full-time employee, and what growth opportunities there are, as well as other factors that might make it beneficial to stay in that job, such as flexible scheduling or vacation time.  He's also going to look at a junior college (which I explained to him), as well as a four year college with an emphasis in Business.  Whatever decision he ultimately makes, it will be with a little more understanding of all of his choices.

2.  I have an independent reading requirement in my classes.  I tell students that if they consider themselves non-readers, they just haven't met the right book that speaks to them yet.  So one of my students approached me and said he had never ever been interested in reading and wanted to know what I could suggest for him.  I asked him what his interests and past times were:  sports, biographies, history, documentaries.  So clearly we have a non-fiction kind of kid on our hands.  I went to my classroom library and pulled out 8 or 9 books that I thought might fit the bill and put them on his desk to peruse.  I was hoping one of them might pique his interest, but if not I'd dig around a little at home for more.  After about fifteen minutes we approached me again with five of the books in his hands.  He asked, "How do I check these out?  I didn't like the other ones, but all of these seem really interesting to me."  Typically, students only check out one at a time, but I was so excited that my 'non-reader' had found a few he wanted to at least try out that I didn't want to discourage him and showed him the process for checking out books from my library.  At the end of class, he approached me again and said, "I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate taking the time to talk to me and help me find a book.  No teacher has ever done that for me before.  I can tell you are really there for your students, and I am really excited about being in this class with you for senior year."

I mean forget the paycheck (metaphorically, people--let's not get carried away)--THIS is real teacher's pay.

Another Bit of Evidence That We're Off to a Good Start

August 29, 2015

I was running around this weekend, celebrating the end of the first week with a little retail therapy, when I ran into one of my new students.  (Side note: It NEVER fails that I run into a new student sometime during the first week outside of school, and I don't recognize them because you know, I just met 200 new folks and I haven't learned who they all are yet.  I always feel awkward when they come up to me and say, "Mrs. Lutjens! Hi! How are you?" and I'm thinking, "Have I seen you before? Were you in my class? Was your sister in my class? How is it that your face isn't ringing a bell?" and then I realize, "Oh, you must be in my class THIS year!")

Anyway, this lovely young lady shyly approached me and said, "I just wanted you to know that the book I checked out from your library--you know, that one by James Patterson?--I started reading it in class on Friday, and I can't stop reading it!  I don't like to read too much, but I do like mysteries, and this book makes me want to keep reading to find out what's going to happen."  Then, by the way, she introduced me to her mom, who told me how happy she was that her daughter loves her school and loves her classes and her teachers and is looking forward to a really good year.

That, my friends, is a win for the week.

First Week Down

August 28, 2015

The first week of the new school year is in the books, and here's what we know so far:

1.  My classes are big. Like, really big.  Like, I'm thankful for the class where I only have 34 students because it's super small compared to the ones where I have 42 kids.

2.  Even though my classes are big, I'm already liking the personalities I see in my kids.  I seriously love teaching seniors.

3.  All the time and money I've spent seeking out newer books for my classroom--worth it!  I had at least 30 kids check out books from my classroom library because something there appealed to them.

4.  Danielle is going to survive this year even though she and Megan have no classes together.  

5.  Danielle likes her teachers and they like her.  I mean, she IS a pretty likable kid.

6.  Nicholas is excited to get to take Japanese classes in college, just because.  I made him take Spanish in high school for practical reasons; he gets to take Japanese now because he wants to.

7.  Nicholas has so far impressed me with his willingness to get up and head to his classes not only on time, but early--even though my not-a-morning-person son took an 8 a.m. class.

8.  Taking all his A.P. classes enabled Nicholas to take some Engineering courses right off the bat as a freshman, which will definitely help distinguish high school from college.

9.  My own Fresno State classes are now online instead of face-to-face, due to low enrollment.  I was looking forward to an actually in-class experience, but this format actually gives me a little more flexibility in terms of time.

10.  I'm really liking my professor for my first Master's class.  I think this is going to be fun!

Checking Out the Classroom Library

August 27, 2015

A few comments overheard in class today during our Book Pass, where I introduce students to some of the books in our classroom library:

--"What are the odds? She happened to put the one book I've been wanting to read on MY desk!" (Sheer happy coincidence--I placed a random book on every desk.)

--"Oh my gosh...she has the book I wanted to finish. I lost mine before I finished it!"

--"Wait..this book on film-making counts for our independent reading? I'd actually READ that book!"

Not to mention at least 25 kids checked out books from me they found interesting after the Book Pass. Woo hoo--I'd say that was a positive experience!

First Day of School, Year 2015

August 24, 2015

I've got only one more kiddo at school with me now, since Nicholas graduated last year.  This beautiful girl (and her bestie, Megan), are ready to take on Junior year in style!

It was my first day back to school as well, of course.  Cheers to beginning year 26 in the teaching profession--25th year at Buchanan High School!

Words of Wisdom for My Seniors

June 7, 2015

I've never been a big fan of telling kids about how things are going to be in the 'real world'. Everyone's experience IS their real world, including students in high school.  Of course, as my students are getting ready to graduate and embark on a new 'real world', I have a few words of wisdom to share:

--There is a lot of positivity in the world. There is also a lot of negativity.  Be one who sends out positivity. The world already has enough negativity-you don't need to add to it. Tip the scales in the right direction.

--You will see what you look for in the world.  Look for good, and you'll find it.

--At the same time, don't bury your head in the sand.  There IS negative in the world. Learn to recognize it and change it if you can or walk away if you can't.

--We all have our gifts, and everyone has something to contribute. If you haven't found your gifts yet, keep looking.  Let those gifts lead you to your passion in life.

--Surround yourself with the people who will become your tribe.  Your tribe is the people who are your family for life--the ones who are there to celebrate your successes and who pick you up and dust you off when you hit the lows in your life.  Family means family of the heart--your chosen family.  No one is a solitary success. We are all supported by our tribe. Know who they are for you, and acknowledge their role in in your life--often and wholeheartedly.

--I don't care if you think you are the smartest person in the room.  Heck, I don't even care if you ARE the smartest person in the room. EVERYONE has more to learn, and you'll be amazed by the people you can learn something from if you don't let your ego get in the way of hearing others. Once you think you've learned all you can learn, you've really stopped learning to live.

--Make good choices.  Think about consequences. Everyone has freedom of choice, but you aren't free from the consequences of your actions. Consider carefully the trajectory of your behaviors.  Naturally, however, sometimes we DON'T make good choices--we all make mistakes.  Own your mistakes. Apologize for your mistakes. Learn from your mistakes. Then move on. When others make mistakes, allow the same for them.

--Thinking about consequences doesn't mean play it safe. It may sound counterintuitive, but take chances. Step outside your comfort zone. Try new things. Travel. Learn new skills. Meet new people. Those are experiences that can broaden your horizons and open new doors. They can help you become more of the YOU you will become.

--Be nice to people--even mean people.  The way you respond to others says way more about you than the way others treat you.  Don't give someone else the power to control your attitude.  That being said, don't enable someone to treat you poorly. If you haven't been able to show them how to treat you with respect through your attitude, walk away holding your head high. You are only responsible for your own behaviors, not anyone else's. Does everyone deserve 'nice' all the time? Perhaps not. But YOU deserve to expect that of yourself.

--To be respectful and to respect someone are not the same thing. There's a very important difference. You are in charge of being respectful to others; they are in charge of being worthy of respect. You do not have to respect everyone, but you should always be respectful. Respectful behavior need not be 'earned', as it is a commentary on you, not them.

--Be generous.  Be generous of time, of money, of spirit.  There are people who have less than you.  We should help others when we can because we SHOULD.  Our mission in life is to lift up others when possible because it makes us ALL better for it.

--Give others the benefit of a doubt.  We cannot know everyone's backstory. If someone's backstory has led them to negativity and ill will, how can it possibly benefit anyone to counter it with more of the same?

--Laugh. Love. Be silly. Find people who will do those things with you. Look for people who love you for who you are, and encourage you to be your best self.

--Above all, be open to all the possibilities your new 'real world' will bring.  I wish you all the love, experience, and opportunity you can find out in that world.

--Mama Lutjens

Yellow is Not My Color

January 9, 2015

Finally finishing up another week of before and after school duty.  Something about that highlighter-yellow safety vest makes the task even less appealing.  Honestly, I don't mind standing out in the yard so much, because I like seeing the kids who stop by and say hello--it's just that it makes the whole day hectic.  You've got to run to class before the bell rings with no time to compose yourself before class, and then you've got to rush the kids out the door at the end of the day to get back out to the yard--no answering last minute questions or chit-chatting with the kids as they head out the door.  But the yellow vest?  Yeah, that makes it even worse.

Robotics Kickoff

January 3, 2015

Today was kickoff day for the 2015 Robotics season.  This will be Nicholas' fourth and final year working with the Buchanan High Bird Brains, and once again he'll be working with the fabrication team to build the actual robotic that the team will take into competition.  We're looking forward to an exciting season for Nicholas' senior year!

One of the things I think is pretty cool about the robotics team is that former members are life-long supporters of the organization.  As a matter of fact, both Buchanan's head coach and the head of the Central Valley First Lego League (the Lego robotics teams that are the precursor to high school robotics) are former Buchanan Robotics Team members, or Bird Brains, as they are affectionately known.  At today's kickoff, several former team members were in attendance to show their support and mentorship.  Many of them I was privileged to have in my A.P. Literature course over the years.  I got to snap a quick photo of some of my former (and current) kiddos:  Ned Ta, Emma Hansen-Smith, Carter Dana, and of course, Nicholas.  (Three years ago, two years ago, last year, and current, respectively.)

Senior Pictures, Round One

September 4, 2014

I can hardly believe that we had our appointment for Nicholas' senior pictures today.  We are planning on doing a full sitting at a later date, when I do a photo shoot with Nicholas, Taylor, and Devin, but today we went to Larson Brothers Photography to get the shots we'll have to choose from to go in the senior yearbook.  Obviously, I wasn't allowed to take pictures inside the photography studio, but Nicholas was game to let me catch a few extra shots when we got home.  Just like when I took Bree to get her senior photos, there was something surreal and exciting about seeing Nicholas taking his picture in a graduation cap and gown.  Even though we're only in September, the end of the tunnel is going to come in the blink of an eye.