Today was the 1st round of literature circle presentations and I was a little disappointed. They didn't perform like I thought they would. When it was time for the Real-Life Connectors to get up, my 3rd period was silly, as usual. The Real-Life Connector's job was to connect the story or part of the story to something that has happened in real life.
Kid: "The part where he says 'The world is made up of 2 classes--hunters and huntees,' I connect it to real life cuz I'm a huntee. Boys hunt me."
Me: *blank stare*
Seventh period reverted back to their beginning of the year behavior. And their presentations sucked. *sigh* I was quite disappointed with their performance. I told them too. I did the compliment, correct, compliment thing. It doesn't hurt as bad. Thursday we should have better behaviors.
I had 2 conferences this morning. Both parents seemed to be really concerned and wanted to help the teacher. A lot of parents come in to conferences thinking/saying that the teacher is picking on their kid. Uh ma'am? I don't have that kind of time to single out your kid and pick on him or her. Your child is just a turd. I digress, the parents that I met with this morning were really supportive and had a lot of questions. One even took notes! Both took what we said and said they were going to consider some tests and things like that. It's nice to know that the parents are on our side.
During the 2 conferences it was easy to pick out the new teachers. They're the ones who want to save the world. They think they can save every child and make them want to learn. By January they'll have a whole new outlook. You can't save them all. If you can save 1 then you've done well, more than 1 you're a star. Now there's nothing wrong with wanting to save the world because the children are the future and all the other cliches. You just can't wear your heart on your sleeve. These kids will break your heart. Some will melt it. I love all of my kids but I know I can't save them all. I'm not making fun of new teachers, heck I thought the same thing my first year. It's actually funny when I think back on it. I was nice and I sucked. LOL. I've made a complete 360. It's obviously noticeable too.
It's basketball season, which means it's noise talking season! I love talking noise with my kids. I don't really watch either sport enough to talk noise but I know the important stuff. I even have shirts made. The Celtics won tonight so I have to talk smack to the Heat fans. I just don't like the Lakers so it doesn't matter who they play, I'm still going to talk bad about them. Ha! My kids love it!
Don't forget about the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Also the volleyball team is selling tickets to the Belk charity sale for $5. Let me know if you want to buy 1 or 10. You can ask me or a volleyball girl. Thanks!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Report card time=sad children
It's been awhile since I've posted. I know y'all have missed me. Honestly there hasn't been much action going on in Room 300. Report cards went out Thursday and boy were there some sad sad children. One thing that 9th graders coming from the middle school have to learn is that they are no longer in middle school. They come in and laugh and joke and play the 1st 9 weeks and swear they're going to pass. I constantly remind them that this in fact is high school and they have to actually work. They just didn't believe me. Until now. They've been rather quiet since they got their report cards. They didn't understand how they failed. It was foreign to them. A few kids thought I made up their Fs. Uuhh no. I had to go back and show them all their grades before they believed me. Why would I purposely fail a kid? Don't they realize that I teach the repeaters as well? That means I'll have to see them again NEXT year as a 9th grader. Why would I torture myself like that? I'm not crazy! I might lose it periodically throughout the year but I'm not certifiable crazy. But don't tell my kids that. I like for them to think that so they'll leave me alone. LOL
Speaking of my repeaters, they were really on my nerves today. They want to complain about us doing the same thing we did last year this year. Uh, this is a REPEATER class. That means we repeat things. I've tried to come up with different things for them to do but they don't appreciate it. Because of that, I've decided to quit. They're going to be working on their own. They don't want my help so I'll keep it. We'll see how long it takes before they beg me to come back.
Since reports have gone out I've had 3 phone conferences and I have 3 face to face conferences this week. I've been practicing my lines for the conference. "Johnny is smart, he just doesn't apply himself." "Johnny can learn, he just has to want to." "Johnny just needs some extra tutoring and he'll get it." I talked to a repeater mom today and it was the 1st time that I've talked to her. This is her son's 2nd time in my class and he's STILL failing. She was all concerned and worried that he wasn't getting the material. I told her straight up that he's just lazy. She didn't like it but she knew it was true. My question is, where were you last October when he was failing? Where were you at progress report time when he was failing? Why are you stressing me now? Parents, be involved in your child's life. Contact the teacher frequently. Yes we hate it but at least we know you care and you'll be taken more seriously when you call inquiring about your child and wanting a conference. Most teachers don't mind an email once or twice a week as long as it's a valid email. Email us and ask us what we're doing in class, are there things that you should know about, when is the next test. Those things are things you as a parent has the right to know. Stopping a teacher in Wal-Mart to ask how your child is doing is most likely going to get you a lie. I teach 180 kids. Unless your child is really terrible or really spectacular I don't really remember exactly what's going on in class. After 3:45 I try to lose Miss Griffin and find Kristin especially on Fridays. Now, please don't think that I don't care about your child because I do, more than you'll ever know. However, like I said I teach about 180 a week. I can't remember everything about everyone of them, sometimes I forget their names. I try really to remember the important stuff though. Maybe I should dedicate a blog to the parents, giving them tips on how to deal with teachers and stuff. A lot of parents go about it the wrong way and it causes the teacher to be on the defense all the time. It's just not good for anybody.
Enough about that, we've been practicing our response to literature and writing in class. They're really good at this. I've added another challenge to it. They have to teach the class. We're doing Literature Circles. They take a story that we've read and basically dissect it. They get in groups of 5 and each kid has a role. One kid comes up with open ended discussion questions and they lead the class in a discussion. Another connects the story to a real life event. Another connects the story to another story they've heard or seen, usually a book, movie, or television show. Another finds words in the story that they didn't know or that their classmates may not know and teach them those words. And the last kid is the summarizer. They just sum up the story. Tomorrow they'll present what they've come up with. I'm interested to see how they did, especially my 7th period.
This week we're reading a story dealing with revenge by Edgar A. Poe. Naturally, their journal entry for this week has to do with revenge. We're going to discuss whether it's right or wrong, can revenge sometimes be too harsh, what could someone possibly do to make you want to harm them, things like that. We'll see what we get. Next week... sacrifices. Not like animal sacrifices, that's just too much, but sacrificing something to help others. Hopefully they're learning how to connect literature to real life and gaining a love for reading.
Also the volleyball team is selling tickets to the Belk charity sale for $5. Let me know if you want to buy 1 or 10. You can ask me or a volleyball girl. Thanks!
Speaking of my repeaters, they were really on my nerves today. They want to complain about us doing the same thing we did last year this year. Uh, this is a REPEATER class. That means we repeat things. I've tried to come up with different things for them to do but they don't appreciate it. Because of that, I've decided to quit. They're going to be working on their own. They don't want my help so I'll keep it. We'll see how long it takes before they beg me to come back.
Since reports have gone out I've had 3 phone conferences and I have 3 face to face conferences this week. I've been practicing my lines for the conference. "Johnny is smart, he just doesn't apply himself." "Johnny can learn, he just has to want to." "Johnny just needs some extra tutoring and he'll get it." I talked to a repeater mom today and it was the 1st time that I've talked to her. This is her son's 2nd time in my class and he's STILL failing. She was all concerned and worried that he wasn't getting the material. I told her straight up that he's just lazy. She didn't like it but she knew it was true. My question is, where were you last October when he was failing? Where were you at progress report time when he was failing? Why are you stressing me now? Parents, be involved in your child's life. Contact the teacher frequently. Yes we hate it but at least we know you care and you'll be taken more seriously when you call inquiring about your child and wanting a conference. Most teachers don't mind an email once or twice a week as long as it's a valid email. Email us and ask us what we're doing in class, are there things that you should know about, when is the next test. Those things are things you as a parent has the right to know. Stopping a teacher in Wal-Mart to ask how your child is doing is most likely going to get you a lie. I teach 180 kids. Unless your child is really terrible or really spectacular I don't really remember exactly what's going on in class. After 3:45 I try to lose Miss Griffin and find Kristin especially on Fridays. Now, please don't think that I don't care about your child because I do, more than you'll ever know. However, like I said I teach about 180 a week. I can't remember everything about everyone of them, sometimes I forget their names. I try really to remember the important stuff though. Maybe I should dedicate a blog to the parents, giving them tips on how to deal with teachers and stuff. A lot of parents go about it the wrong way and it causes the teacher to be on the defense all the time. It's just not good for anybody.
Enough about that, we've been practicing our response to literature and writing in class. They're really good at this. I've added another challenge to it. They have to teach the class. We're doing Literature Circles. They take a story that we've read and basically dissect it. They get in groups of 5 and each kid has a role. One kid comes up with open ended discussion questions and they lead the class in a discussion. Another connects the story to a real life event. Another connects the story to another story they've heard or seen, usually a book, movie, or television show. Another finds words in the story that they didn't know or that their classmates may not know and teach them those words. And the last kid is the summarizer. They just sum up the story. Tomorrow they'll present what they've come up with. I'm interested to see how they did, especially my 7th period.
This week we're reading a story dealing with revenge by Edgar A. Poe. Naturally, their journal entry for this week has to do with revenge. We're going to discuss whether it's right or wrong, can revenge sometimes be too harsh, what could someone possibly do to make you want to harm them, things like that. We'll see what we get. Next week... sacrifices. Not like animal sacrifices, that's just too much, but sacrificing something to help others. Hopefully they're learning how to connect literature to real life and gaining a love for reading.
Also the volleyball team is selling tickets to the Belk charity sale for $5. Let me know if you want to buy 1 or 10. You can ask me or a volleyball girl. Thanks!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
"Yo momma booty so stanky..."
"...How stanky is it?"
*laughter erupts*
Me: "That's it? Where's the rest of it?"
*more laughter*
Me: "Seriously, I don't get it."
Sometimes I think that my kids are quite crazy. Second period was doing their lesson on hyperbole and pun yesterday and they were sooooo silly. They couldn't get through a single joke without cracking up. The ones they did get through didn't make any sense. "Yo momma so hairy, when she squeezed her boob play dough came out." What?! He explained that on an episode of "Family Guy" that all of Peter's hair fell out and he made a comment about being made of play dough so he could just make some more hair. Peter then proceeded to squeeze play dough out of his head. *sigh*
At the end of everyday I pick up random pieces of paper off the floor and read them. Yesterday I found 2 good notes. One of them was a rap. Yeah, I know. Everybody wants to be a rapper. I'm not talent agent or a rap expert but I know what this child wrote wasn't good.
I am very boring so all the whoes be snorring. I (bad word) so many hoes I got wetness on my peanus.
After I read the 1st line I was done. I laughed really hard. I spelled it just like he did. This is sadly funny. I don't know who wrote it but I have an idea. I'm going to talk to him tomorrow once I get the giggles out. The other note I wrote was equally as bad.
Boy: "So Susie* wat do I look like now?"
A. Ugly
B. Cute
C. Alright
Girl: *circles C*
Boy: "So if I find somebody that u can hook me up with would u do it for me I got u $5 Friday! And that's on 5."
Girl: "I guess but im goin tuh sleep bye!"
LOL! Why is he trying pay for a girlfriend? Why did he give her ABC choices? What is wrong with these children??? So many questions...
Every year I have a kid or 2 that tries their hand at roasting me. Today one of my kids told me that I was breathing like a fat person. Keep in mind that I was demonstrating something that required some extra energy. Last night at the 9th grade game he kept jumping off sides costing the team yards. I politely reminded him that at least I knew which side of the line of scrimmage I was supposed to be on and I knew when I was supposed to move. He dropped his mouth and the kids exploded. He was like, "how do you know about that?" and all this other jazz. I told him that I'm not the one to talk about because I don't play fair. He laughed and we joked back a forth for a minute while everybody was finishing up their writing assignment. His classmates told him to just quit. LOL
My 7th period has really been impressing me this week. They are really getting into the class discussion and reading. They're quiet and they are deep thinkers. The quotes that we respond to aren't necessarily the easiest quotes to interpret but they are doing great. Today we talked about a distorted view of the idea of survival of the fittest. The quote was "Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and if need be taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure." I asked them what it meant, if they agreed, why or why not? Their responses were really good. One kid put it in terms of men being strong, women being weak. Women were put here for men's pleasure. Then he threw in his own interpretation of the Bible by saying women are supposed to please their husbands. If they don't they're sinning. That sparked a major discussion. Those girls were mad. One kid pulled out his Bible and told him that that was not what that verse said. I was like wow. Some of them disagreed because of abuse, bullying, friends committing suicide. They didn't think that those victims were put here just to be bullied and abused. They really opened up today. Of course we didn't get too deep into anybody's business but we shared enough to make them feel comfortable discussing.
Don't forget about the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Also the volleyball team is selling tickets to the Belk charity sale for $5. Let me know if you want to buy 1 or 10. You can ask me or a volleyball girl. Thanks!
*laughter erupts*
Me: "That's it? Where's the rest of it?"
*more laughter*
Me: "Seriously, I don't get it."
Sometimes I think that my kids are quite crazy. Second period was doing their lesson on hyperbole and pun yesterday and they were sooooo silly. They couldn't get through a single joke without cracking up. The ones they did get through didn't make any sense. "Yo momma so hairy, when she squeezed her boob play dough came out." What?! He explained that on an episode of "Family Guy" that all of Peter's hair fell out and he made a comment about being made of play dough so he could just make some more hair. Peter then proceeded to squeeze play dough out of his head. *sigh*
At the end of everyday I pick up random pieces of paper off the floor and read them. Yesterday I found 2 good notes. One of them was a rap. Yeah, I know. Everybody wants to be a rapper. I'm not talent agent or a rap expert but I know what this child wrote wasn't good.
I am very boring so all the whoes be snorring. I (bad word) so many hoes I got wetness on my peanus.
After I read the 1st line I was done. I laughed really hard. I spelled it just like he did. This is sadly funny. I don't know who wrote it but I have an idea. I'm going to talk to him tomorrow once I get the giggles out. The other note I wrote was equally as bad.
Boy: "So Susie* wat do I look like now?"
A. Ugly
B. Cute
C. Alright
Girl: *circles C*
Boy: "So if I find somebody that u can hook me up with would u do it for me I got u $5 Friday! And that's on 5."
Girl: "I guess but im goin tuh sleep bye!"
LOL! Why is he trying pay for a girlfriend? Why did he give her ABC choices? What is wrong with these children??? So many questions...
Every year I have a kid or 2 that tries their hand at roasting me. Today one of my kids told me that I was breathing like a fat person. Keep in mind that I was demonstrating something that required some extra energy. Last night at the 9th grade game he kept jumping off sides costing the team yards. I politely reminded him that at least I knew which side of the line of scrimmage I was supposed to be on and I knew when I was supposed to move. He dropped his mouth and the kids exploded. He was like, "how do you know about that?" and all this other jazz. I told him that I'm not the one to talk about because I don't play fair. He laughed and we joked back a forth for a minute while everybody was finishing up their writing assignment. His classmates told him to just quit. LOL
My 7th period has really been impressing me this week. They are really getting into the class discussion and reading. They're quiet and they are deep thinkers. The quotes that we respond to aren't necessarily the easiest quotes to interpret but they are doing great. Today we talked about a distorted view of the idea of survival of the fittest. The quote was "Life is for the strong, to be lived by the strong, and if need be taken by the strong. The weak of the world were put here to give the strong pleasure." I asked them what it meant, if they agreed, why or why not? Their responses were really good. One kid put it in terms of men being strong, women being weak. Women were put here for men's pleasure. Then he threw in his own interpretation of the Bible by saying women are supposed to please their husbands. If they don't they're sinning. That sparked a major discussion. Those girls were mad. One kid pulled out his Bible and told him that that was not what that verse said. I was like wow. Some of them disagreed because of abuse, bullying, friends committing suicide. They didn't think that those victims were put here just to be bullied and abused. They really opened up today. Of course we didn't get too deep into anybody's business but we shared enough to make them feel comfortable discussing.
Don't forget about the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Also the volleyball team is selling tickets to the Belk charity sale for $5. Let me know if you want to buy 1 or 10. You can ask me or a volleyball girl. Thanks!
Monday, October 18, 2010
I have no title
Saturday I talked to my Asperger's mom and I was telling her that her son received a detention for being late. I was telling her that I'd take care of it so don't worry about it. She said he needed to go because she told him and his sister to get their acts together the night before and they didn't. As a result they were tardy for school. He had to serve the detention. I actually feel bad:(. Then she went on to ask the usual parent questions: how is Johnny doing, is he behaving, blah, blah, blah. I told her that he's doing fine and he participated in class discussion on Friday. She seemed surprised. She said that she was glad I told her because he doesn't tell her anything when she asks. He gives her one word answers. Apparently, I'm the only person he'll really talk to. It's probably because I make him talk to me. LOL. Today, he didn't use his words. He made signs. He got a pass today because he got another detention this morning. Tomorrow it's back to using our words.
Today, we continued to read the short story "The Most Dangerous Game." We have a bit of class discussion before we read which is always interesting. It also shows me how my kids think and how intelligent they can be. There was a quote in the story that I chose to discuss. "The world is made up of two classes-the hunters and the huntees." I asked my kids what that meant to them and whether or not they agreed. The majority of them put it in terms of male and female with the hunters being men and huntees being the women. Men go out into the world hunting jobs, financial security, and women. They bring home what they hunt to the women. The women in turn nurture what the men bring home. Another thing they discussed was the hunters being the strong people in the world and the hunters are the weak. One kid said it has to do with smart and not smart. They did really well with the discussion and they actually wanted to read the story. Grammar wasn't their thing. Reading stories about a man who got bored hunting animals and decided to hunt humans obviously is. Who knew?
Don't forget about the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Also the volleyball team is selling tickets to the Belk charity sale for $5. Let me know if you want to buy 1 or 10. You can ask me or a volleyball girl. Thanks!
Today, we continued to read the short story "The Most Dangerous Game." We have a bit of class discussion before we read which is always interesting. It also shows me how my kids think and how intelligent they can be. There was a quote in the story that I chose to discuss. "The world is made up of two classes-the hunters and the huntees." I asked my kids what that meant to them and whether or not they agreed. The majority of them put it in terms of male and female with the hunters being men and huntees being the women. Men go out into the world hunting jobs, financial security, and women. They bring home what they hunt to the women. The women in turn nurture what the men bring home. Another thing they discussed was the hunters being the strong people in the world and the hunters are the weak. One kid said it has to do with smart and not smart. They did really well with the discussion and they actually wanted to read the story. Grammar wasn't their thing. Reading stories about a man who got bored hunting animals and decided to hunt humans obviously is. Who knew?
Don't forget about the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Also the volleyball team is selling tickets to the Belk charity sale for $5. Let me know if you want to buy 1 or 10. You can ask me or a volleyball girl. Thanks!
Friday, October 15, 2010
"Yo momma hair so short..."
"...she gotta roll her hair with rice." LOL! You guessed it, more hyperboles. Today's group weren't as funny as the previous days.
Yesterday I got evaluated during 7th period and they were their usual selves. During class discussion time one of the kids obviously forgot that we had company and said something completely off the wall.
Me: "What do you consider to be the most dangerous game?"
Kid: "Basketball."
Me: "Why do you say that's the most dangerous game?"
Kid: "Cuz you can jam your finger if you catch the ball wrong, get elbowed in the face, and get your nuts stepped on."
Me: *blank stare* "You remember how we talked about over sharing? Well that was 1 of those times."
My Asperger's kid participated in class discussion today! He raised his hand and volunteered to read his paragraph that he had written. I was super excited and so were the other kids. I didn't see his hand raised because he barely raised it. The kids were like, "Miss G, Billy* has something to say." I was like what? He got nervous because all the kids were focused on him but he did well. I'm so proud.
Not much has really happened these past 2 days, which is a good thing. Don't forget about the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Also the volleyball team is selling tickets to the Belk charity sale for $5. Let me know if you want to buy 1 or 10. You can ask me or a volleyball girl. Thanks!
Yesterday I got evaluated during 7th period and they were their usual selves. During class discussion time one of the kids obviously forgot that we had company and said something completely off the wall.
Me: "What do you consider to be the most dangerous game?"
Kid: "Basketball."
Me: "Why do you say that's the most dangerous game?"
Kid: "Cuz you can jam your finger if you catch the ball wrong, get elbowed in the face, and get your nuts stepped on."
Me: *blank stare* "You remember how we talked about over sharing? Well that was 1 of those times."
My Asperger's kid participated in class discussion today! He raised his hand and volunteered to read his paragraph that he had written. I was super excited and so were the other kids. I didn't see his hand raised because he barely raised it. The kids were like, "Miss G, Billy* has something to say." I was like what? He got nervous because all the kids were focused on him but he did well. I'm so proud.
Not much has really happened these past 2 days, which is a good thing. Don't forget about the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Also the volleyball team is selling tickets to the Belk charity sale for $5. Let me know if you want to buy 1 or 10. You can ask me or a volleyball girl. Thanks!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
"Why did the head cross the road?"
Today my 5th period class was learning about hyperboles and puns. A hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration and a pun is a play on words. During my explanation of hyperbole I told them that a lot of your momma jokes are hyperboles because they always exaggerate a flaw that somebody's momma has. After the explanation of each I gave my kids the opportunity to make up some examples of each or give some examples that they already knew. One kid said, "Yo' momma so fat she uses Highway 18 for a Slip-n-Slide." LOL! I cracked up. The majority of the kids didn't think it was funny. That was because they didn't know what Highway 18 was. *smh* For pun I told them that a lot of Laffy Taffy jokes are puns. I gave them a few examples then I let them tell me some. "Why did the head cross the road? To get some Hennessey." *blank stare* The kids cracked up and I had to laugh too because it was so stupid. LOL. A few kids didn't get it because #1 it didn't make sense and #2 they didn't know what Hennessey was. How do I know this? They asked me what it was.
Later on in the class we were talking about allusions. I was explaining to them that an illusion is a reference to a literary or historical event or person. I told them the story about how my daddy said I had hair like lamb's wool, making an allusion to Jesus. Well one of my boys didn't make the connection and said that I was still sexy to him even if I had hair like a sheep. *blank stare* Naturally I had to go into my sexual harassment speech. Then I told the basketball coach since he plays basketball. He'll probably run him to death.
6th period was also going over literary terms. They weren't as fun as my 5th period but that's ok. I was reading the word and making them read the definitions when we came to the word "mood." There was a kid in there that wasn't paying attention.
Me: "Mood."
Kid: "Cow"
Me: "What?"
Kid: "You said 'moo' so I said 'cow'"
Me: "I said mood."
Kid: "Oh"
Needless to say he eventually was moved to the chicken coop. He didn't have his act together.
Today was a half day so we could get developed professionally. The topic of this professional development was TST. This time there was no evil music. LOL. We finally got clarification on what we're supposed to be doing and the purpose of TST. It makes so much more sense now. We all sighed a sigh of relief at the end of the meeting.
The buses weren't lined up the same way today so my Asperger's child missed the bus home. He was so worried. He doesn't do change well at all. I just so happen to be walking out of the building and I saw his red shirt. I walked over and the assistant principal kind of had an "I don't know" look on his face. I asked him what happened and he spoke a whole sentence to me! He said he couldn't find his bus because they had a bus change. Poor thing. He had to call his momma to come get him. That worried me until he got picked up. I hope that doesn't affect him negatively. He was actually progressing quite well.
Don't forget about the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Also the volleyball team is selling tickets to the Belk charity sale for $5. Let me know if you want to buy 1 or 10. You can ask me or a volleyball girl. Thanks!
Later on in the class we were talking about allusions. I was explaining to them that an illusion is a reference to a literary or historical event or person. I told them the story about how my daddy said I had hair like lamb's wool, making an allusion to Jesus. Well one of my boys didn't make the connection and said that I was still sexy to him even if I had hair like a sheep. *blank stare* Naturally I had to go into my sexual harassment speech. Then I told the basketball coach since he plays basketball. He'll probably run him to death.
6th period was also going over literary terms. They weren't as fun as my 5th period but that's ok. I was reading the word and making them read the definitions when we came to the word "mood." There was a kid in there that wasn't paying attention.
Me: "Mood."
Kid: "Cow"
Me: "What?"
Kid: "You said 'moo' so I said 'cow'"
Me: "I said mood."
Kid: "Oh"
Needless to say he eventually was moved to the chicken coop. He didn't have his act together.
Today was a half day so we could get developed professionally. The topic of this professional development was TST. This time there was no evil music. LOL. We finally got clarification on what we're supposed to be doing and the purpose of TST. It makes so much more sense now. We all sighed a sigh of relief at the end of the meeting.
The buses weren't lined up the same way today so my Asperger's child missed the bus home. He was so worried. He doesn't do change well at all. I just so happen to be walking out of the building and I saw his red shirt. I walked over and the assistant principal kind of had an "I don't know" look on his face. I asked him what happened and he spoke a whole sentence to me! He said he couldn't find his bus because they had a bus change. Poor thing. He had to call his momma to come get him. That worried me until he got picked up. I hope that doesn't affect him negatively. He was actually progressing quite well.
Don't forget about the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Also the volleyball team is selling tickets to the Belk charity sale for $5. Let me know if you want to buy 1 or 10. You can ask me or a volleyball girl. Thanks!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
"You talk white."
Today while going over formal and informal language, one of my new kids told me that I talked white. I asked him to explain what he meant by that. He said it's because I talk proper.
Me: "So what you're telling me is that black people don't talk properly?"
Kid: "No that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying you talk white."
Me: "I don't understand."
Kid: "See I'm part white myself and I talk proper sometimes. Other times I use my slang."
Me: "So, let me get this straight. White people talk proper and black people use slang."
Kid: "No, you just don't get it."
Me (to the class): "Can y'all explain to me what it is to talk 'white'?"
Other kids: "We don't get it either. It sounds like he's saying that black kids don't know how to talk correctly."
Kid: "Just forget it."
Me: "No I want you to explain. If you're bold enough to make a statement like that then you should be prepared to defend yourself."
Kid: " I can't. You don't understand."
Me: "You're right. I don't. I don't understand the term 'talking white.' My parents raised me to have some sense and to talk properly. They raised me to be educated. So no I don't talk 'white.' I talk right."
He just stopped talking after that, which was fine with me.
During the same class period while we were going over dramatic, situational, and verbal irony, the same kid had something else to say.
Kid: "Miss G, how come in the movie the white girl always falls while she's running?"
Me: *blank stare* "Please shut up."
Every time he said something that was related to race, he'd justify it by saying, "See I'm half white myself." Or "I'm half black so I'm not being racist." This kid was really just worrying me today with his comments. I don't think he took his ADD meds today. He had something to say about EVERYTHING today. When he first transferred in, all the kids thought he was cool and the girls thought he was cute. Not anymore. Every time he says something they all sigh, huff, or say "gah shut up." He made enemies quickly.
My Asperger's kid was in a good mood today. He was giggling and laughing today. I don't think I was that funny today. Well, I take that back. My kids were laughing pretty hard today. I was on a roll. LOL
My 7th period class started off on their best behavior today. I told them that I was proud of them and I really appreciated them behaving. They stayed that way for about 15 minutes then they were almost back to their old selves. They're weren't as bad as usual but bad nonetheless. They're getting better though. Focus on the positive...
Friday one of my kids asked me to do his make up. Yes I said his. What is wrong with these kids???
Don't forget about the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Me: "So what you're telling me is that black people don't talk properly?"
Kid: "No that's not what I'm saying. I'm just saying you talk white."
Me: "I don't understand."
Kid: "See I'm part white myself and I talk proper sometimes. Other times I use my slang."
Me: "So, let me get this straight. White people talk proper and black people use slang."
Kid: "No, you just don't get it."
Me (to the class): "Can y'all explain to me what it is to talk 'white'?"
Other kids: "We don't get it either. It sounds like he's saying that black kids don't know how to talk correctly."
Kid: "Just forget it."
Me: "No I want you to explain. If you're bold enough to make a statement like that then you should be prepared to defend yourself."
Kid: " I can't. You don't understand."
Me: "You're right. I don't. I don't understand the term 'talking white.' My parents raised me to have some sense and to talk properly. They raised me to be educated. So no I don't talk 'white.' I talk right."
He just stopped talking after that, which was fine with me.
During the same class period while we were going over dramatic, situational, and verbal irony, the same kid had something else to say.
Kid: "Miss G, how come in the movie the white girl always falls while she's running?"
Me: *blank stare* "Please shut up."
Every time he said something that was related to race, he'd justify it by saying, "See I'm half white myself." Or "I'm half black so I'm not being racist." This kid was really just worrying me today with his comments. I don't think he took his ADD meds today. He had something to say about EVERYTHING today. When he first transferred in, all the kids thought he was cool and the girls thought he was cute. Not anymore. Every time he says something they all sigh, huff, or say "gah shut up." He made enemies quickly.
My Asperger's kid was in a good mood today. He was giggling and laughing today. I don't think I was that funny today. Well, I take that back. My kids were laughing pretty hard today. I was on a roll. LOL
My 7th period class started off on their best behavior today. I told them that I was proud of them and I really appreciated them behaving. They stayed that way for about 15 minutes then they were almost back to their old selves. They're weren't as bad as usual but bad nonetheless. They're getting better though. Focus on the positive...
Friday one of my kids asked me to do his make up. Yes I said his. What is wrong with these kids???
Don't forget about the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
"You're my girlfriend!"
Yesterday was Disney day at school so I dressed up as Jessie from the movie "Toy Story 3." At the end of the day one of the female students asked who I was supposed to be.
Kid: "Who are you today?"
Me: "I'm Jessie from Toy Story."
Kid: "You're my girlfriend!"
Me: "Uuuhhh... No."
Kid: "Uh huh! I was Buzz Lightyear today."
Me: "Yeah that came out wrong on so many levels."
Kid: "Well, that's not what I meant Miss G. OMG!"
Me: *laughing*
Today, I got a chance to cause some of my boys to poke their chests out a little farther. I have to share my room with another class during my planning period. The teacher was trying to get the boys to settle down so he could get the roll called and stuff. During all of this he looks over at me and says, "Miss G, you're my witness. You hear them talking without permission." I told him that I did hear them and that none of the kids that I taught were the ones misbehaving because my kids know how to act and respect adults. I then went through the room and pointed out all of my students and sure enough, they were the ones being quiet. The other boys in the room just kind of sat there stunned like, "Oh no she didn't!" My boys had the biggest grins on their faces because they know I expect them to behave in all of their classes. They know I'll snatch them up right there if they're misbehaving and I see them. At the beginning of the year I told them that they were my adopted kids from August to May and I expect them to behave a certain way. For the most part they behave.
Speaking of behave 7th period behaved a little better today. They got their work done with little correction. They got a little loud but it wasn't too bad. They worked hard today. I was proud. I almost hated putting those Fs on their 9 weeks exams. Only 7 of 34 passed. I was disappointed at 1st but it didn't last long. I know I did my part as a teacher to help them. They didn't want to learn or pass. The 7 that did pass are the ones that are quiet, respectful, and hard working. Maybe the rest of them will see that and adjust their behavior. They seem to be getting it. We'll see as the year progresses.
Today I noticed that my Aspberger's kid wears a red shirt to school everyday. I asked him if his favorite color was red and he said no. Are Aspberger's kids OCD?
My 5th period class will be known all year as the doo-doo breath class. Today they were talking when I didn't want them to be. They were being more silly than rude. They were full of jokes and giggles and just couldn't focus on their work. So I told them that the next person that talked had doo-doo breath. They giggled and 3 seconds later they all started talking again. At that point I began calling them doo-doo breath and they cracked up. I lost that battle. LOL. They were extra silly today so we just laughed and told jokes while they worked on their assignment. Sometimes that's what you have to do to keep the peace. I'm all about keep the peace and my sanity.
The French teacher made beignets today. OMG they were so good. I ate 4 and completely blew my diet for the day. I had powdered sugar everywhere. I love beignet days:) I think I'm going to buy her a can of biscuits so she can just make me a whole can when she makes them again.
Remember the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Kid: "Who are you today?"
Me: "I'm Jessie from Toy Story."
Kid: "You're my girlfriend!"
Me: "Uuuhhh... No."
Kid: "Uh huh! I was Buzz Lightyear today."
Me: "Yeah that came out wrong on so many levels."
Kid: "Well, that's not what I meant Miss G. OMG!"
Me: *laughing*
Today, I got a chance to cause some of my boys to poke their chests out a little farther. I have to share my room with another class during my planning period. The teacher was trying to get the boys to settle down so he could get the roll called and stuff. During all of this he looks over at me and says, "Miss G, you're my witness. You hear them talking without permission." I told him that I did hear them and that none of the kids that I taught were the ones misbehaving because my kids know how to act and respect adults. I then went through the room and pointed out all of my students and sure enough, they were the ones being quiet. The other boys in the room just kind of sat there stunned like, "Oh no she didn't!" My boys had the biggest grins on their faces because they know I expect them to behave in all of their classes. They know I'll snatch them up right there if they're misbehaving and I see them. At the beginning of the year I told them that they were my adopted kids from August to May and I expect them to behave a certain way. For the most part they behave.
Speaking of behave 7th period behaved a little better today. They got their work done with little correction. They got a little loud but it wasn't too bad. They worked hard today. I was proud. I almost hated putting those Fs on their 9 weeks exams. Only 7 of 34 passed. I was disappointed at 1st but it didn't last long. I know I did my part as a teacher to help them. They didn't want to learn or pass. The 7 that did pass are the ones that are quiet, respectful, and hard working. Maybe the rest of them will see that and adjust their behavior. They seem to be getting it. We'll see as the year progresses.
Today I noticed that my Aspberger's kid wears a red shirt to school everyday. I asked him if his favorite color was red and he said no. Are Aspberger's kids OCD?
My 5th period class will be known all year as the doo-doo breath class. Today they were talking when I didn't want them to be. They were being more silly than rude. They were full of jokes and giggles and just couldn't focus on their work. So I told them that the next person that talked had doo-doo breath. They giggled and 3 seconds later they all started talking again. At that point I began calling them doo-doo breath and they cracked up. I lost that battle. LOL. They were extra silly today so we just laughed and told jokes while they worked on their assignment. Sometimes that's what you have to do to keep the peace. I'm all about keep the peace and my sanity.
The French teacher made beignets today. OMG they were so good. I ate 4 and completely blew my diet for the day. I had powdered sugar everywhere. I love beignet days:) I think I'm going to buy her a can of biscuits so she can just make me a whole can when she makes them again.
Remember the book drive! We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
"Miss G, you got a boyfriend?"
Yesterday, during 7th period, one of my boys thought it'd be a good idea to get in my personal business.
Kid: "Miss G, you gotta boyfriend?"
Me: "What?"
Kid: "You gotta boyfriend?"
Me: *blank stare*
Kid: "No, I'm serious. Cuz I'm about to start driving. You gon' let me pick you up and bring you to work when I start driving?"
Me: "You do realize that what you're saying could be considered as sexual harassment and you could be expelled from school?"
Kid: "What?! I could be expelled? Just forget everything I just said."
Me: "I will."
Usually I get that from the my little black boys. This was one of my white boys. This is the same kid who told me that he just wanted to do enough in school so he could work at Bass Pro Shop. Meaning, he wants to get his GED and work there for the rest of his life. Right...
This week was exam week and my poor 9th graders got some rude awakenings. Before I gave the exam I asked them if they had any questions or if there was anything I needed to go over. Most of them said no but I had a few in 3rd period that needed some extra help. I reviewed for about 30 minutes. I pass out the tests and sit at my desk to start grading papers. Shortly after I sat down, a hand went up. I get up and walk over to the student. His question? "What's a pronoun?" My response? "You didn't study, did you?" A few minutes later another hand went up. "What's a conjunction?" A few more minutes later another hand went up. "How do you find the predicate nominative again?" Finally I told them to stop asking me questions about things that they had in their notes and should have studied. I reviewed them for 30 minutes and none of those questions came up. In another class a kid asked when were they going to be able to retake their exam. Uuuuhhhh... never. Unless of course you fail my class, then you can take it again next year. 7th period wrote me notes on their papers saying they don't remember me teaching any of this. Uh, what have you been doing all 9 weeks??? These kids are silly.
I discovered that one of my kids is blue/green colorblind. The way I found out is sad yet funny. I was grading my 5th period's exams while they were working on something else. I was calling them up 1 at a time to see their grades when I got to my colorblind kid's paper. I had graded their papers with a blue marker. I showed him his paper and he asked me what it said. I pointed to the grade and expressed my disappointment in it. He made a 27. He put the paper right up to his face. Then he covered it with his hand as if he was blocking it from the light and was like that's good! I was very confused. A 27 is an F. It's a bad F. I asked him if he saw what he made and he said, "Yeah, I made a 96." I gently told him that he did not make a 96. I had to whisper what he made in his ear his grade before he got it. That boy couldn't see! It would explain why he doesn't do the work on the board if it's written in blue. He can't see it! I just hope I remember that in the future.
My repeaters were really excited today. They came in the room crunk this morning. Usually they're pretty mellow when they come in. They were all at each other's throats. I don't know what happened prior to my class but I sure as heck didn't like it. They FINALLY calmed down when it was time to take their exam. During the exam someone's phone vibrated. I wasn't about to make a big deal about it during exam week since that's more important so I told them to just turn it off. Why did the whole class pull out their phones to turn them off? I just shook my head. If I were a mean teacher I would have called a search. But I'm not. That would have been an unnecessary battle. I think that's where a lot of teachers mess up. They don't know how to pick their battles. Yes, rules are rules. I get that. However, I also get that exam week is not the week to be suspended from school because a child wouldn't give up his/her phone.
My school is having a book drive fundraiser. We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Kid: "Miss G, you gotta boyfriend?"
Me: "What?"
Kid: "You gotta boyfriend?"
Me: *blank stare*
Kid: "No, I'm serious. Cuz I'm about to start driving. You gon' let me pick you up and bring you to work when I start driving?"
Me: "You do realize that what you're saying could be considered as sexual harassment and you could be expelled from school?"
Kid: "What?! I could be expelled? Just forget everything I just said."
Me: "I will."
Usually I get that from the my little black boys. This was one of my white boys. This is the same kid who told me that he just wanted to do enough in school so he could work at Bass Pro Shop. Meaning, he wants to get his GED and work there for the rest of his life. Right...
This week was exam week and my poor 9th graders got some rude awakenings. Before I gave the exam I asked them if they had any questions or if there was anything I needed to go over. Most of them said no but I had a few in 3rd period that needed some extra help. I reviewed for about 30 minutes. I pass out the tests and sit at my desk to start grading papers. Shortly after I sat down, a hand went up. I get up and walk over to the student. His question? "What's a pronoun?" My response? "You didn't study, did you?" A few minutes later another hand went up. "What's a conjunction?" A few more minutes later another hand went up. "How do you find the predicate nominative again?" Finally I told them to stop asking me questions about things that they had in their notes and should have studied. I reviewed them for 30 minutes and none of those questions came up. In another class a kid asked when were they going to be able to retake their exam. Uuuuhhhh... never. Unless of course you fail my class, then you can take it again next year. 7th period wrote me notes on their papers saying they don't remember me teaching any of this. Uh, what have you been doing all 9 weeks??? These kids are silly.
I discovered that one of my kids is blue/green colorblind. The way I found out is sad yet funny. I was grading my 5th period's exams while they were working on something else. I was calling them up 1 at a time to see their grades when I got to my colorblind kid's paper. I had graded their papers with a blue marker. I showed him his paper and he asked me what it said. I pointed to the grade and expressed my disappointment in it. He made a 27. He put the paper right up to his face. Then he covered it with his hand as if he was blocking it from the light and was like that's good! I was very confused. A 27 is an F. It's a bad F. I asked him if he saw what he made and he said, "Yeah, I made a 96." I gently told him that he did not make a 96. I had to whisper what he made in his ear his grade before he got it. That boy couldn't see! It would explain why he doesn't do the work on the board if it's written in blue. He can't see it! I just hope I remember that in the future.
My repeaters were really excited today. They came in the room crunk this morning. Usually they're pretty mellow when they come in. They were all at each other's throats. I don't know what happened prior to my class but I sure as heck didn't like it. They FINALLY calmed down when it was time to take their exam. During the exam someone's phone vibrated. I wasn't about to make a big deal about it during exam week since that's more important so I told them to just turn it off. Why did the whole class pull out their phones to turn them off? I just shook my head. If I were a mean teacher I would have called a search. But I'm not. That would have been an unnecessary battle. I think that's where a lot of teachers mess up. They don't know how to pick their battles. Yes, rules are rules. I get that. However, I also get that exam week is not the week to be suspended from school because a child wouldn't give up his/her phone.
My school is having a book drive fundraiser. We're collecting books, cds, and DVDs to help raise money for the football and basketball facilities. If you have any books, cds, and DVDs you want to get rid of please contact me. You can leave a comment here, call me, text me, Facebook me, tweet me, email me, whatever. I'll come pick up the stuff or I can meet you somewhere. Since I coach volleyball and we play in the gym I want to help as much as possible. It costs you nothing but maybe a little gas. You'll be getting rid of some clutter! Thanks!
Monday, October 4, 2010
"Is Florida a state?"
Today, during 6th period, a group of boys were discussing vacations and where they've been. One kid brought up Hawaii. The other boys thought Hawaii was close to Florida. While they were discussing the geographical location of Hawaii, one kid was confused. He didn't think that Florida was a state. He argued with the other boys for about 5 minutes before they brought me in to their foolishness. He was devastated to find out that he was wrong. Didn't we learn our states and capitals in the 3rd grade? He obviously was absent that day.
My Monday started off like most Mondays. I laid in the bed until the last possible minute then did a mad dash to get ready for school so I could be on time for our faculty meeting. Usually our meetings are about what's going on that week, any changes we need to make, and any other information that's important to us functioning as a school. Well, this morning's meeting left a lot of teachers frustrated and rather irritated. The topic? TST *cue evil music* TST is the process of putting kids that are failing on Tier plans to give them a little extra help. On paper it's a great idea. However, the task of putting the plan in, getting the kid and the parent to participate, doing the follow ups is quite daunting. Everything is the teacher's fault. Never mind that the kid has a parent at home. I won't say too much else about it though. Just the thought of TST makes my heart beat fast and my palms sweat. Bush was wrong for this NCLB crap. That is all.
My 6th period class's behavior is still improving. I'm so proud. My 7th period had to learn a very hard lesson Friday. They're continuing to be disrespectful, rude, talkative, etc. Well, they had a test scheduled for Friday. I was going to let them take the test with a partner and use their notes, book, and ask for help. Pretty much it was going to be an easy test. It was going to be my last attempt to help boost their averages and review them for their exam. I'm nice like that. They showed out terribly. As a result of their behavior they had to work alone, no book or notes, and no help from me. They were sick. There are a few good kids in that class and those kids got to use the notes and I helped them. The rest would raise their hands to ask and I had nothing for them. They fussed about it saying it wasn't fair that I helped some and not others. I told them that it isn't fair that I have to constantly tell them to be quiet and listen either. They were silent the rest of the period. I still wouldn't help them. They need to learn that they can't just be good when they want/need something. They have to be good all the time. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
This week is our homecoming week. I didn't dress up today and the kids were really surprised because I usually participate. The dress up days this year are kinda weird. Whenever I went to school we had cool days. I dressed up all the time. We had twin day, opposite day, pajama day, camo day, I don't remember what else. Oh! 70s day was another. I probably won't dress up any this week. Well, I'll do camo and spirit day. I just don't see myself wearing a toga or dressing up like a Disney character.
For those of you that pray, I ask that you say a prayer for the teachers and those that run the schools. You really need to pray if you have children in school. Schools are losing focus on what's important, the children. I would love to talk to the people that are passing all of these education reform laws and making all of these cuts and invite them to my classroom to see what I do everyday. They wouldn't last a whole day. I would also like to talk to the higher ups on a local level because they've lost focus. There are good teachers leaving the field because of all the rules and stuff being passed down from people who either have no idea what it means to be a teacher or have been in an administrative position so long that they've forgotten what it means to be a teacher. With that said, just pray that those in authority will get a clue and we as teachers can educate the future properly. Our future is doomed if we keep this up. *gets off soapbox*
My Monday started off like most Mondays. I laid in the bed until the last possible minute then did a mad dash to get ready for school so I could be on time for our faculty meeting. Usually our meetings are about what's going on that week, any changes we need to make, and any other information that's important to us functioning as a school. Well, this morning's meeting left a lot of teachers frustrated and rather irritated. The topic? TST *cue evil music* TST is the process of putting kids that are failing on Tier plans to give them a little extra help. On paper it's a great idea. However, the task of putting the plan in, getting the kid and the parent to participate, doing the follow ups is quite daunting. Everything is the teacher's fault. Never mind that the kid has a parent at home. I won't say too much else about it though. Just the thought of TST makes my heart beat fast and my palms sweat. Bush was wrong for this NCLB crap. That is all.
My 6th period class's behavior is still improving. I'm so proud. My 7th period had to learn a very hard lesson Friday. They're continuing to be disrespectful, rude, talkative, etc. Well, they had a test scheduled for Friday. I was going to let them take the test with a partner and use their notes, book, and ask for help. Pretty much it was going to be an easy test. It was going to be my last attempt to help boost their averages and review them for their exam. I'm nice like that. They showed out terribly. As a result of their behavior they had to work alone, no book or notes, and no help from me. They were sick. There are a few good kids in that class and those kids got to use the notes and I helped them. The rest would raise their hands to ask and I had nothing for them. They fussed about it saying it wasn't fair that I helped some and not others. I told them that it isn't fair that I have to constantly tell them to be quiet and listen either. They were silent the rest of the period. I still wouldn't help them. They need to learn that they can't just be good when they want/need something. They have to be good all the time. We'll see how tomorrow goes.
This week is our homecoming week. I didn't dress up today and the kids were really surprised because I usually participate. The dress up days this year are kinda weird. Whenever I went to school we had cool days. I dressed up all the time. We had twin day, opposite day, pajama day, camo day, I don't remember what else. Oh! 70s day was another. I probably won't dress up any this week. Well, I'll do camo and spirit day. I just don't see myself wearing a toga or dressing up like a Disney character.
For those of you that pray, I ask that you say a prayer for the teachers and those that run the schools. You really need to pray if you have children in school. Schools are losing focus on what's important, the children. I would love to talk to the people that are passing all of these education reform laws and making all of these cuts and invite them to my classroom to see what I do everyday. They wouldn't last a whole day. I would also like to talk to the higher ups on a local level because they've lost focus. There are good teachers leaving the field because of all the rules and stuff being passed down from people who either have no idea what it means to be a teacher or have been in an administrative position so long that they've forgotten what it means to be a teacher. With that said, just pray that those in authority will get a clue and we as teachers can educate the future properly. Our future is doomed if we keep this up. *gets off soapbox*
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