Free Speech

Speakers addressing congress about 1st Amendment Rights. Interesting Testimonies..

FYI: School Supplies

Yes, Mr. Brooks these ARE NOT school supplies. Thank You, Thank You Very Much.

Speaking of school supplies 2nd graders are addicted to pencil sharpeners. As much as I try to reward them for having something resembling a pencil by the end of the week...know that your little darlings are wasting them by sharpening them down to a nub. Their other favorite thing to do is pull of the eraser and the metal end cap that holds the eraser and sharpen both ends. This is endless fun and you can show it off to your pals who will replicate your ingenuity. Extra pencils never hurt. When teachers ask you for yellow number 2 pencils, we aren't asking you to spend more money, we would just like a product that lasts longer than one day! Those big beautiful pink erasers you send. Yeah... after they sharpen their pencil they like to stab it. Then they spend a little time spinning it on the end of their pencil before stabbing it into little pieces. Do I catch them doing this? Yes. Do I stop them? Yes. Do they go back to it the second I am addressing another issue. Yes.

I know school supply lists can be daunting and feel like a lot of money. I know sometimes what is requested is way too much. However, most of the time, most of us are asking for what they need. If you don't buy it  we have to buy it. I spend a lot of money on your students every year to make their learning fun and purchase items needed to teach but not bought by our employers. I belong to teacher pages where the teachers share the deals we find. We do this to help each other out because we know we have to be bargain hunters. I do find deals and bargains that can benefit my students. I try to take at least one purchase off the school supply list every year and get it for my students. This year I bought their composition notebooks. It helps me because they are more uniform and when I say get out your purple notebook everyone is on the same page.  I also purchase homework folders for my students every year. I've asked for folders and you know how many are returned to me? Maybe 5-7 if I am lucky. I purchase a much needed school supply item because I know many parents will decide there is too much on the list and get a couple of the items. Then your child is in a panic that they do not have what their peers have and what I've asked them to pull out of their desk to use. I've learned to have extras because many students will not be sent with what they need.

I don't begrudge purchasing items for my students that will make their learning more meaningful through the year. I do kind of feel begrudging when you couldn't buy them an eraser on the list. So, I have  a stash that I purchase through bargain hunting.  If I sat down and calculated how much I spent on school every year... I think I'd have a panic attack. Last year I started a crowd funding project and felt guilty and ended up canceling it. I went to a few yard sales and found a couple of the items I needed. So please look at the school supply list and see what bargains you can find.

Speaking of money I was more than a little disgusted about a crowd funding page I saw. It came as a surprise to me because the people asking for funds had just spent $50,000 dollars having a luxury item installed in their house. They have children in very expensive sports with a lot of travel. Then you make a choice which would at first appearance seem to be selfless. However, their selflessness gives them opportunity to be self-righteous and cast aspersions on others who are not doing as they do. It put a bad taste in my mouth.

I think as teachers we must be careful to not stick our hand out begging. I have a good job with decent benefits, I have enough to take care of my own needs, and a little left over after breaking the bank for school. I don't want to take for granted what parents do to help their kids and the school. Even if they are in the minority. That shouldn't be expected every time. Just please buy school supplies.

Which brings me to homework. In primary education I don't think kids need a lot of homework. It isn't beneficial. What they do need to do is READ.  I have heard all of the reasons why you can't make time for it in your life. I don't want to hear it anymore. Turn off everything and read.

Temperatures were high!

I wrote this post...then forgot to post, so now I am posting! 😊

You never know who will show up to say Hello! It was fun to see some friends who brought us delicious, cold, smoothies on a really hot day. It doesn’t get better than that! It was great to catch up on all the news. We of course had to discuss our NCIS addiction. The original NCIS has lost a few of the players that made it great. They had unique, original, well written, characters. It has gotten a bit more generic and some of the richest characters have left the show. The new favorite is NCIS New Orleans. If you can’t create a “character” of great depth and intrigue with that city as the back drop well you lack talent. So yes, It was great to get caught up!!

I also was able to share my latest Gerry Brooks-Lexington Principal videos with them. This guy really understands teachers on summer vacation. It’s not that we don’t love kids, we do, but to keep loving them we need breaks!

Mom and I considered a drive over the hill today but then decided going to a city with even higher temperatures didn’t sound like fun. Even with the shopping available. It just didn’t seem worth it. I have almost caught up on all my favorite Netflix Shows. I don’t know if it is working with kids but I have less and less ability to watch gratuitous violence and language. I think our humor has sunk to some serious lows. The dramatic shows are giving WAYYYY to much insight into people lives. Maybe I just experience enough heartache with my students that I want to just be entertained. I don’t want to be preached at, hear lots of cursing, or violence. If I need that I’ll start watching the evening news. So my requirements are simple. I want to be entertained and escape into a characters world. Some of the shows I have to mix them up a bit because I begin to predict a pattern. It is like reading a mystery book series if you continue reading the same author’s book right after one another you can start predicting the outcomes based on previous patterns.  So my favorites on Netflix at the moment are Midsomer Murders, Death in Paradise, Hinterland (a little dark),  Shetland,  and Sherlock. I’ve caught up on all but Sherlock. I attempted a couple of comedies but the humor was crude and gross  and lacking intelligence or any insight into human behavior in a funny way. I gave up on the comedies. It is nice to have the time to relax and read for pleasure and watch something entertaining. 

Sad news today one of my student’s younger sibling passed away today after a tragic accident. Please say a prayer for all who loved him.