Oh I think I've got my RANT on!

I don't think I have exceptionally high standards in my profession. However I follow our high quality curriculum to the best of my ability. I also don't have expectations that students won't learn it, or that they will be unable to learn it. I have expectations that they will continue to try and try again until we have success. It is a joint success. I share the joy with my students in the moment they (sometimes FINALLY) make the connection. What I don't do is say to myself or to colleagues, you're right this is too hard. Lets go backwards. I am finding it difficult this year with my new colleague to keep the standard high. Don't get me wrong we have some exceptionally low students. They need a lot of support to get them there. We may have to practice skills every day a few times a day for the rest of the school year to get them there. I can do that. I can make that possible. I am not saying it won't be hard, it will be hard. It will at times seem as though we will never get there. Maybe I'll have one or two that won't. The plan for them will have to be re-evaluated.  I don't have excuses. I cannot blame the curriculum, I cannot blame the school. It is on me. Okay yes, sometimes there are larger learning issues. SOMETIMES! Most of the time that responsibility lies on me. I am the teacher. 

I realized with my colleague the students in her class that she struggles with, she really doesn't want them in her class. She really doesn't want to teach, re-teach, re-teach again. She wants to make them a problem for someone other than her. I am supposed to be an expert. I am still learning every single day. I learn from my students. I make sure I talk with colleagues of vast experience and training to get ideas and learn from them. I am doing my best in hopes that my students will have success. I realized after a heated conversation with my colleague. I will not ever be on the same page as her. If I ever do get on the same page as her I need a new profession. I realized that I cannot compromise. However, I will do it quietly. I cannot have a peaceful working relationship if this is the topic all of the time. So I will continue to move forward. I also realized what my colleague wants to do is take our core instructional time and differentiate into groups. That is all kinds of wrong. Our low kids learn so much from the high ones and they rise up to another level when they can learn from peers. My colleague was shot down on the idea of doing this during reading by the administrator. So now she is pushing for it in Math. Based on what I am seeing I lack confidence in her ability to get the students there. So the answer is NO!

I am attempting to keep two hungry kids fed this year. I am attempting to get clothing for another one. It is saddening and maddening. 

Another thing on my list of frustrations is parents whining about getting school supplies. Um thanks for not getting your kid glue, and paper, and etc. I not only buy a ton of supplies for my classroom every year that I never bother to put on the list. I now have to purchase your child what he/she needs. If you saw how much I spend on things for school I am sure you'd be horrified. I am horrified. When a kid is hungry you buy snacks, when they don't bring supplies you get them, when you don't have materials you need for day to day instruction you buy them, when the complete curriculum isn't bought by your district you purchase it, to continue your own learning you buy more products, you buy materials, you buy teaching aides, you buy extra boxes of Kleenex, Lysol and more Lysol. I am investing so much in your child. Please invest in him/her as well. Thank you rant over! 

Well, sometimes accidentally on purpose I create a controversy. There is a lot of anti-Common Core news articles. The majority of the time I am chuckling. No Common Core does not require your child to compare Reagan to Hitler. The teacher did that or perhaps the district did that. Not Common Core.
This is an example of a Common Core Standard.
 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.8.3
Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas, or events (e.g., through comparisons, analogies, or categories).

Sometimes a teacher makes an extremely poor teaching decision. Sometimes a District makes an extremely poor curriculum decision. If you do not like how they asked your student to show their learning of a standard you need to address that at the teacher, school, or district level. Common Core is NOT a curriculum. It states what skills need to be learned at different grade levels. It doesn't say how to do so or what to use to do so. It just states the general concepts. For instance a Second Grade Standard is to add and subtract within 20. It doesn't tell me how to teach my students to add and subtract within 20. The curriculum we use and the training I've had helps make those decisions.  This is not a Common Core endorsement from me either.  However, if you are going to blame Common Core make sure Common Core is actually the culprit. 

My little neighbor came to hang with me a bit today. He was just so proud of me last night when he found out about a place in my home state filled with little trains you can ride. He thought that was quite exceptional. I am not sure if he was proud of me for showing him trains or the fact there were these sorts of trains. I got a little kiss on my forehead for sharing a video with him.  Made me chuckle. He was disappointed in his mom's offering for dinner tonight and I think he thought he might find something good in my fridge. I needed to go to the store so he was pretty disappointed in me as well. I did finally go to the grocery store. I like to go on a Thursday or Friday Evening here because I am pretty much on my own. I can get it done fairly quickly.  I spent all afternoon at school planning for next week. I need to go in tomorrow and tweak some things and do some more grading.  I keep asking mom to come make me dinner after work. She is always a bit late.  SIGH!  I need to do some cooking. I did a little last weekend but not really enough.  So it goes. My goal has been to get all my school work done on Friday so that I can do work at home on Saturday and Sunday. I promised myself I would NOT go in to work on Sunday. So I will need to go in for a bit tomorrow. We do not get Columbus Day off in this state so it shall be another normal work week.