Welll... Where to begin. No news to much news.
We had our observations today where we go and evaluate one another on our teaching. It was the last day of this. Giving feedback and receiving feedback. It was another torture session. If I had amazing colleagues I would sooo be into observing and learning from them. One did a good job. I myself really shouldn't point any fingers about quality of lesson plans. Because...
I woke up this morning feeling pretty awful. I went to bed at seven the night before and slept intermittently till about 4 a.m. I woke up with a terrible cough. I've been battling a cough for weeks but this was a whole new level. I new we had our observations today so I told myself to suck-it-up! I talked with my principal this a.m. and said I was going to try to get into the clinic if they would work me in. They did work me in and told me come "NOW." Well going right "NOW" is difficult when their admissions system is slower than molasses on a December morning. So I went through that then they took me back. They got me in to a room immediately. I had to chuckle. They must've thought I was depressed because next thing I knew I had a suicide checklist handed to me. I joked with the lady if there is a vacation on here I could use one of those. I wanted to say I just don't feel well. I want to go to bed. This is what a person looks like when they want their pajamas a cup of tea and some strong medicine. You can give me the medicine. So after that they the Dr. started listening to my lungs etc. You guessed it. Bronchitis AGAIN! Sigh. The Dr. sent in my prescriptions I thanked him profusely for working me in to his schedule and went back to work. I was there for the end of my colleagues observation and for mine. Then we met and chatted. It was good. I went to pick up my prescriptions two hours later dreaming of pajamas and well it wasn't ready yet. Sigh. So I am trying to stay in my clothing until it is time to pick them up. The Dr. told me if I still have a cough after this treatment he wants to see me again. I hope that this works. I am tired.
I missed our teacher appreciation dinner last night. I went to bed instead. I made the right choice. The award I received was the "Kit Kat" award "Most in Need of a Break". I'll take one. I also was given an engraved apple stating their appreciation for my hard work and that I would be missed. I thought that was nice. I was home though... taking a break!
In other news in the space of three days I have scheduled three interviews for next week. I am excited about that. Another reason to get HEALTHY! I don't know much about the positions but I am excited. So that is the NEW news! I am so glad the pharmacy is literally only a couple of minutes away. I can do this! Getting some medicine in my system should make all the difference. I'll make some delicious smoothies and get in some good vitamins.
May 3, 2016
April 24, 2016
winds
Ohh what a week. Some things occurred this week that were very difficult. I thought I did a fair job of not taking someone's anger and bitterness and owning it. It isn't easy though. When I moved here a retired teacher told me " keep your eye on the purpose." I have to keep reminding myself I am there for my students. I finally made a breakthrough with a student. This child has been taught to lie. I realized that every time I would question a behavior the response would be a lie. So my reaction to this was negative. I pulled him aside and told him I noticed these things you are good at. I really like you. Sometimes your actions I do not like. I told him what he did that was upsetting. Then I told him why I would get upset when he lied. I was very specific. He totally got it. I think before he thought I was just getting mad because I didn't like him. He couldn't connect his behavior being the catalyst. I will have to have many more conversations with him because his first instinct is to lie and deny. I am sure it has helped him survive a difficult life. I hope he remembers something from this.
Friday we had 50mph winds. It just Howells over my roof. It kicked up so much dust that the valley had a haze and you couldn't see the mountains to the north. This kicked off my spring allergies even worse. I am borderline asthmatic. I have been taking my air filter from room to room with me. You could smell and taste the dust in the air. In the night it began tosnow so that helped the outdoor air quality. Indoors though it didn't seem to clear as well. I have my inhaler, my air purifier, hot steamy showers, so I hope my lungs are better before Monday. I had dinner with a friend and she said she could hear it. If they don't clear I will head to the dr. It sure drains me of energy.
As I had dinner with the friend tonight it was a reminder to keep good people close. They remind you of what is important and help keep your eyes in the right direction. Well I had to drink a little caffeine to help my lungs now I am wide awake when I should be sleeping. I am going to drink more water move my air filter again and hit the hay!
Friday we had 50mph winds. It just Howells over my roof. It kicked up so much dust that the valley had a haze and you couldn't see the mountains to the north. This kicked off my spring allergies even worse. I am borderline asthmatic. I have been taking my air filter from room to room with me. You could smell and taste the dust in the air. In the night it began tosnow so that helped the outdoor air quality. Indoors though it didn't seem to clear as well. I have my inhaler, my air purifier, hot steamy showers, so I hope my lungs are better before Monday. I had dinner with a friend and she said she could hear it. If they don't clear I will head to the dr. It sure drains me of energy.
As I had dinner with the friend tonight it was a reminder to keep good people close. They remind you of what is important and help keep your eyes in the right direction. Well I had to drink a little caffeine to help my lungs now I am wide awake when I should be sleeping. I am going to drink more water move my air filter again and hit the hay!
April 17, 2016
Weekend R and R
ahhh the weekend. It is almost long enough to recoup from a hectic week. We've had enough warm weather, moisture, and sunshine for things to grow, bloom, and pollinate. You guessed it Allergy Season is in session. Itchy watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing has began. My little buddy and I have been suffering congestion together. He has been over almost every evening lately. His mom has been fighting an illness for weeks now. So he usually comes to visit me before dinner so she can make dinner and get a few things done. He has come over a couple of times and said "LAUNDRY SHA" he wants to do laundry. Even if I DON'T want to do laundry. I am grateful his attention span is short :). I folded a little, put a little away, put a load in and he was over it. He has also climbed up squished in as close to me as he could get then ordered and I mean ordered "SNUGGLE 'SHA." This means I have to pull him in close and if possible throw a blanket on him.
I went down to school to plan my week a little more. I don't like going when there are a lot of teachers to interrupt my planning. Luckily no one but the janitors were there. Which was unusual because they are usually NOT there this day of the week. So I mentioned something. Well that was kind of a mistake they had to come back today because they hadn't done a very good job cleaning Friday.
I managed to get quite a bit done for my week. I still have more to do but most of it is ready to go. As I was making copies I was thinking about the poetry I have been reading to my students. So as the copier worked its magic I decided to peruse the shelves for some more poetry. Yes, this was a mistake. I got a little lost in the poetry section. I spent an hour there. The copies were done and I was reading poetry. As I read some of the old poetry books I was thinking of how lazy we have become in our language. I teach so much vocabulary in my classroom but that can only make up for so much lost vocabulary in the home. If parents do not read to their children from a variety of sources their vocabulary is lacking in a significant way. Poetry is a really fun way to introduce new vocabulary to kids. They love the rhyme and the rhythm. The old poetry books didn't hesitate to publish poems honoring god's work in nature, the world, people, etc. It's kind of amazing these old poetry books are still on the shelves.
I haven't accomplished a lot this weekend. I've done some laundry, some dishes, some school work, and just relaxing. I finally went to the grocery store last night. I hadn't been to the store in weeks and my refrigerator was pretty grim. I now am stocked and ready to go for a few more weeks. I made a lovely grocery list and realized when I walked in the store I had forgotten it. Of course! I did pretty well remembering what was on my list. My buddy had helped a little with my list so I forgot a couple of items like chocolate chips, toy cars, and ice cream. I did get what I needed to make potato kale soup. Maybe after my afternoon nap I will make it. As soon as my little buddy leaves for his nap I am going to take one myself.
I am being observed tomorrow for during Math. I am hoping the weather is warm enough we can do this outside. It is our introduction to capacity. We find the capacity of different containers. This involves water. You can imagine why I might want to start this activity outside. Hopefully it will work. It was a beautiful sunny, but cold day today. Hopefully there is enough sunshine in the morning.
I went down to school to plan my week a little more. I don't like going when there are a lot of teachers to interrupt my planning. Luckily no one but the janitors were there. Which was unusual because they are usually NOT there this day of the week. So I mentioned something. Well that was kind of a mistake they had to come back today because they hadn't done a very good job cleaning Friday.
I managed to get quite a bit done for my week. I still have more to do but most of it is ready to go. As I was making copies I was thinking about the poetry I have been reading to my students. So as the copier worked its magic I decided to peruse the shelves for some more poetry. Yes, this was a mistake. I got a little lost in the poetry section. I spent an hour there. The copies were done and I was reading poetry. As I read some of the old poetry books I was thinking of how lazy we have become in our language. I teach so much vocabulary in my classroom but that can only make up for so much lost vocabulary in the home. If parents do not read to their children from a variety of sources their vocabulary is lacking in a significant way. Poetry is a really fun way to introduce new vocabulary to kids. They love the rhyme and the rhythm. The old poetry books didn't hesitate to publish poems honoring god's work in nature, the world, people, etc. It's kind of amazing these old poetry books are still on the shelves.
I haven't accomplished a lot this weekend. I've done some laundry, some dishes, some school work, and just relaxing. I finally went to the grocery store last night. I hadn't been to the store in weeks and my refrigerator was pretty grim. I now am stocked and ready to go for a few more weeks. I made a lovely grocery list and realized when I walked in the store I had forgotten it. Of course! I did pretty well remembering what was on my list. My buddy had helped a little with my list so I forgot a couple of items like chocolate chips, toy cars, and ice cream. I did get what I needed to make potato kale soup. Maybe after my afternoon nap I will make it. As soon as my little buddy leaves for his nap I am going to take one myself.
I am being observed tomorrow for during Math. I am hoping the weather is warm enough we can do this outside. It is our introduction to capacity. We find the capacity of different containers. This involves water. You can imagine why I might want to start this activity outside. Hopefully it will work. It was a beautiful sunny, but cold day today. Hopefully there is enough sunshine in the morning.
April 13, 2016
I SURVIVED :)
Yes it was torture. Observation day was TORTURE! The chaos of a colleagues classroom. Okay maybe torture is a strong word. It did make me feel like the students in her class; lets play with my shoelaces, throw something in the air, spin a round, play with my hair, poke my neighbor, talk to my neighbor, plan recess in my head. Yeah... anything but learn. It was a learning experience. I have a great example of what NOT to do.
I also had the privilege of hearing how "sniff-sniff" difficult it is to teach our Math Curriculum and we have to supplement so much and this and that. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH If you think you have to do it that much then you need to modify your teaching methods. I do supplement a little. However it completely compliments the curriculum ANNND it is practicing it in a really fun way. I am not attempting to NOT teach it because I can't use my pea-size brain to figure out how to teach it. I am tired of the delicate little flowers who don't want to do it! Just do it and LEARN! Okay rant over.
A very good decision I made (pat myself on the back here) was to make an agenda for our planning time. We accomplished all but one item on our list and added one that we forgot we needed to accomplish. So it was focused and productive. I can almost manage next time. I think maybe I can. I think I can....! I will purchase chocolate now. :)
We've had some nice cool rainy weather. It has been intermittent so enough dry in between raindrops to still have outside recess. We can handle snow here, but rain we melt. (AHEM) Indoor recess creates monster children with cabin fever. I feel like I just jinked myself. (knocking-on-wood).
I was asked to be on the Math Team they are putting together in June to really look at the Math Curriculum and what to do with it. I thought about it because it would be some extra money. Then I thought do I really need to beat my head against that wall again and again? I've probably lost that argument and I am moving on. You can go ahead and lower your expectations and see what that does for you. I did consider it because I would get paid for that time. I just don't think I need that headache on top of moving. I hope there are enough wise people on that team to make good decisions.
FYI I am proud of North Carolina. If you don't think creepy men are going to abuse the idea they can go into any bathroom they want you are delusional. I would hesitate to ever use a public bathroom. I would actually probably be willing to PAY to go to the bathroom in a place with an attendant and locking doors. I would be more nervous on Field Trips etc to protect my students from potential abuse. This concept is a BAD idea. So good job North Carolina for not caving under the pressure.
I also had the privilege of hearing how "sniff-sniff" difficult it is to teach our Math Curriculum and we have to supplement so much and this and that. ARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH If you think you have to do it that much then you need to modify your teaching methods. I do supplement a little. However it completely compliments the curriculum ANNND it is practicing it in a really fun way. I am not attempting to NOT teach it because I can't use my pea-size brain to figure out how to teach it. I am tired of the delicate little flowers who don't want to do it! Just do it and LEARN! Okay rant over.
A very good decision I made (pat myself on the back here) was to make an agenda for our planning time. We accomplished all but one item on our list and added one that we forgot we needed to accomplish. So it was focused and productive. I can almost manage next time. I think maybe I can. I think I can....! I will purchase chocolate now. :)
We've had some nice cool rainy weather. It has been intermittent so enough dry in between raindrops to still have outside recess. We can handle snow here, but rain we melt. (AHEM) Indoor recess creates monster children with cabin fever. I feel like I just jinked myself. (knocking-on-wood).
I was asked to be on the Math Team they are putting together in June to really look at the Math Curriculum and what to do with it. I thought about it because it would be some extra money. Then I thought do I really need to beat my head against that wall again and again? I've probably lost that argument and I am moving on. You can go ahead and lower your expectations and see what that does for you. I did consider it because I would get paid for that time. I just don't think I need that headache on top of moving. I hope there are enough wise people on that team to make good decisions.
FYI I am proud of North Carolina. If you don't think creepy men are going to abuse the idea they can go into any bathroom they want you are delusional. I would hesitate to ever use a public bathroom. I would actually probably be willing to PAY to go to the bathroom in a place with an attendant and locking doors. I would be more nervous on Field Trips etc to protect my students from potential abuse. This concept is a BAD idea. So good job North Carolina for not caving under the pressure.
April 12, 2016
Oh the torture... and Poetry!
Ohhh dear... the torture begins again tomorrow. Observing my colleagues. I can't even begin to explain how painful this is! I don't know how trainers and coaches go in to classrooms all the time and not go home and cry. It is awesome if they are really phenomenal teachers. It is torture if they are not so hot and then have poor classroom management. Oh my patience is taxed by this process. What I did to alleviate some of the torture is create an agenda for our planning time. The part of the day we aren't observing we are supposed to be doing planning. Last time didn't work out because the plan wasn't clear and our colleague changed her mind on what she wanted from it. So this time I asked for some advice and thought of a few things we need to accomplish and made an agenda. We can completely ignore it but it is there to fall back on if we spin into chaos again.
We had several things added to an already busy week. I am just trying to keep my head above water. This is the time of year things usually wind down. Not this year. Speaking of schedules... I am sooo glad I am moving on the schedule they adopted for next year while it does have a Spring Break they shortened Christmas Break. Someone is determined to get out of school before Memorial Day. I just don't understand why this is that important to someone.
It is National Poetry Month so I have been reading a lot of Poetry to my students. They absolutely love it. I have one poetry book where the poems are read by the authors (on c.d.) That is really fun to hear it that way as well. They keep asking me for another poem. I had prepared one a day but quickly realized I needed to have more for them. There is something about poetry that really engage kids. That's all I know for now!
G'nite
We had several things added to an already busy week. I am just trying to keep my head above water. This is the time of year things usually wind down. Not this year. Speaking of schedules... I am sooo glad I am moving on the schedule they adopted for next year while it does have a Spring Break they shortened Christmas Break. Someone is determined to get out of school before Memorial Day. I just don't understand why this is that important to someone.
It is National Poetry Month so I have been reading a lot of Poetry to my students. They absolutely love it. I have one poetry book where the poems are read by the authors (on c.d.) That is really fun to hear it that way as well. They keep asking me for another poem. I had prepared one a day but quickly realized I needed to have more for them. There is something about poetry that really engage kids. That's all I know for now!
G'nite
April 7, 2016
It's the Weekend WOOT!
Ahhhh it's the beginning of the weekend. My goals are to pack boxes and grade papers. In no particular order. Maybe switch it up between the two. Oh...and go to the dentist. I don't know if I'll feel like much packing or grading before then.
So the rounds of observations went about as well as I expected. I part torture, 2 parts hurt feelings, 5 parts total boredom, and 10 parts waste of time. We have another one that is rescheduled for this week. My class is NOT going to be happy. So this time I asked for some advice from trusted colleagues and created a bit of an agenda. So with our planning time at least after hurt feelings we can move on to a PLAN! Yeah... I don't know how teaching coaches do it. That is just plain ole torture. I would have different expectations of a new teacher but if you've been at it awhile what's the deal folks?
Today was a day I kicked myself out of bed, drug myself into work, and desired a nap off and on most of the day. Luckily I remembered I had chocolate in my classroom. Whew! Tonight I ordered dinner from a local diner, hung out with my little buddy from next door, and relaxed. My little buddy came over and we "Played Cars." I got out the blue painters tape made a "road" and "garage" on my carpet and that kept him going for awhile. Then he wanted a "toon" (cartoon) and a snuggle. I was ordered to SNUGGLE! Cracked me up! So we watched a bit of a cartoon and he went home for dinner. Mom's dinners lately must be more acceptable because it has been quite awhile since he raided my fridge or freezer. I am glad she's stepped up her game :).
Well I am going to greet my pj's and rest so I can begin another day.
So the rounds of observations went about as well as I expected. I part torture, 2 parts hurt feelings, 5 parts total boredom, and 10 parts waste of time. We have another one that is rescheduled for this week. My class is NOT going to be happy. So this time I asked for some advice from trusted colleagues and created a bit of an agenda. So with our planning time at least after hurt feelings we can move on to a PLAN! Yeah... I don't know how teaching coaches do it. That is just plain ole torture. I would have different expectations of a new teacher but if you've been at it awhile what's the deal folks?
Today was a day I kicked myself out of bed, drug myself into work, and desired a nap off and on most of the day. Luckily I remembered I had chocolate in my classroom. Whew! Tonight I ordered dinner from a local diner, hung out with my little buddy from next door, and relaxed. My little buddy came over and we "Played Cars." I got out the blue painters tape made a "road" and "garage" on my carpet and that kept him going for awhile. Then he wanted a "toon" (cartoon) and a snuggle. I was ordered to SNUGGLE! Cracked me up! So we watched a bit of a cartoon and he went home for dinner. Mom's dinners lately must be more acceptable because it has been quite awhile since he raided my fridge or freezer. I am glad she's stepped up her game :).
Well I am going to greet my pj's and rest so I can begin another day.
April 3, 2016
Sunday Evening Denial
I feel like every teacher goes through this and perhaps folks who have a 5 day a week job. Sunday evening all the signs the weekend is over have arrived. You don't want it to be over! You want to stretch out the weekend just a few minutes longer. What this means is I usually stay up a little too late on Sunday evenings. It is the last moments to savor the freedom.
I went to school today. Since I had completed my lesson plans and had almost everything prepared for next week I thought "well this shouldn't take long." Famous last words. Two hours later I was thinking I guess I'll go home and deal with the rest in the a.m. There are just a couple of things to complete in the morning so I think (knock-on-wood) I am ready. It takes soo much preparation to truly be prepared for a school week. I keep thinking this will get easier or faster and it hasn't yet. I always end up adding something or taking away something. One thing that has helped is I use a website called planbook.edu. It is wonderful because I can get on anytime anywhere and add to or tweak my lesson plans. It also helped me to really schedule my day efficiently. You can put in your school calendar with any days off etc. We used to design our own lesson plan template. So on there I have my personal lesson plans and our grade level lesson plans. It has really been beneficial in staying organized. On our grade level lesson plans anyone on our team can edit them so that is helpful.
I have a few favorite British shows. A couple of them added new shows to Netflix the last couple of weeks. It is delightful because I enjoy them so much and I can grade papers while I watch. I have A LOT of grading to catch up on. This weekend I have a dentist appointment and I hope to grade papers, and pack more boxes. My neighbors are having a yard sale so I may want to throw a few things in that.
I went to school today. Since I had completed my lesson plans and had almost everything prepared for next week I thought "well this shouldn't take long." Famous last words. Two hours later I was thinking I guess I'll go home and deal with the rest in the a.m. There are just a couple of things to complete in the morning so I think (knock-on-wood) I am ready. It takes soo much preparation to truly be prepared for a school week. I keep thinking this will get easier or faster and it hasn't yet. I always end up adding something or taking away something. One thing that has helped is I use a website called planbook.edu. It is wonderful because I can get on anytime anywhere and add to or tweak my lesson plans. It also helped me to really schedule my day efficiently. You can put in your school calendar with any days off etc. We used to design our own lesson plan template. So on there I have my personal lesson plans and our grade level lesson plans. It has really been beneficial in staying organized. On our grade level lesson plans anyone on our team can edit them so that is helpful.
I have a few favorite British shows. A couple of them added new shows to Netflix the last couple of weeks. It is delightful because I enjoy them so much and I can grade papers while I watch. I have A LOT of grading to catch up on. This weekend I have a dentist appointment and I hope to grade papers, and pack more boxes. My neighbors are having a yard sale so I may want to throw a few things in that.
April 2, 2016
"Culture of Trust"
In our training yesterday building a Culture of Trust was discussed after reading a document about it. I turned to my neighbor a high-quality professional teacher and said if you were on my grade level team would you trust your colleagues. Without one hesitation she said "NO!" You can tell us we need to develop this all you want but until administration holds people accountable and quits listening to every little whine it isn't going to happen. It did discuss what an administrator needs to do to build a "Culture-of-Trust" a lot is on them to build and develop. We have had a new administrator every year for awhile. Our current one is very inexperienced. Until she starts to have some insight I just do not see this happening.
I am working on packing up some boxes today. I need to go to school this evening and re-plan the plan. My schedule was changed AGAIN so I have to reconfigure. We are required to go observe our team-mates teach and rate them on our Educators Assessment. Yes, that also builds a culture of trust. Our administrator wants us to be honest...! So I am trying to think carefully of how to achieve this without hurting feelings. I just HATE this idea. There is a reason we are not responsible for evaluating our peers. Observing, discussing, and learning from them is one thing. So I just think well.... another reason it is time for me to move on. So on Tuesday we do this meet together to discuss, then meet with the principal. We had to schedule a substitute for the day. Here is what I don't quite understand. I know and I mean I KNOW who the experts are at my school. I would LOVE to go observe them and learn from them in an area I need to grow in. Nope I have to go observe someone on my grade level team. I just hope it goes welll....
I am working on packing up some boxes today. I need to go to school this evening and re-plan the plan. My schedule was changed AGAIN so I have to reconfigure. We are required to go observe our team-mates teach and rate them on our Educators Assessment. Yes, that also builds a culture of trust. Our administrator wants us to be honest...! So I am trying to think carefully of how to achieve this without hurting feelings. I just HATE this idea. There is a reason we are not responsible for evaluating our peers. Observing, discussing, and learning from them is one thing. So I just think well.... another reason it is time for me to move on. So on Tuesday we do this meet together to discuss, then meet with the principal. We had to schedule a substitute for the day. Here is what I don't quite understand. I know and I mean I KNOW who the experts are at my school. I would LOVE to go observe them and learn from them in an area I need to grow in. Nope I have to go observe someone on my grade level team. I just hope it goes welll....
Bark, Bark Bark...Bark bark... Bark BARK BARK!
I haven't mentioned it for awhile but my neighbors have a Blue Heeler. She is a sweet likable dog. However, she is bored. She is meant to have a job and be working. For them she is just a pet. Her bark is fantastically annoying. It is high pitched and non-stop. While my parents were here I noticed they kept her inside a lot so she wasn't barking right outside their window. She barks A LOT. It is getting more and more annoying. I am over it. I feel like when you get a dog it really should match your lifestyle and if you have a Blue Heeler it needs something to herd and work to do. It shouldn't be in a backyard all day wanting you to give it something to do. I have been woken up many a morning by the barking. Now that the weather warmed up since our last snowstorm I have been opening my door a lot to let fresh air in and all I hear is barking. I finally had to decide that barking was better than cigarette smoke. UGGH
March 30, 2016
A day!!
Where to begin. Yesterday ended up being a snow day due to the 13 inches of snow we had and people traveling back from Easter. I go in the office this a.m. and a sheriff walks in. I hear enough of the conversation to know that a threat had been made via phone. The detective was there to listen to the call. I walked out before I heard more. We were then called down for a staff meeting. We were told we had to stay in our classrooms on lockdown. We could go to bathrooms with escorts. The students even had to go to lunchroom to pick up there lunch with escorts. So we ate lunch and had every recess in our classrooms. This was torture. Anyhow they let us know after school that they identified the person and hope to make an arrest today. They must have because they just called and said school would proceed as normal tomorrow. So it was a long day. Also....my mystery pooper struck again. Sigh. I had to call the janitor down. How can you poop and shake it out. Uuggh. So there you go...more than enough for one day. I came home and immediately put on my pj's. What a doozy!
March 23, 2016
The Common Cold (HACK, COUGH and repeat)
This is the tale of a cold, a cold that clung on like ticks on deer hide. It is getting better by small degrees. I wish for leaps and bounds but it is not so. So I continue to eat my homemade chicken noodle soup, drink my tea, drink my lemon and honey. I have restless nights and early mornings. I had a spurt on my medicine where I accomplished a lot. I think it might have been a bad idea to go so hard because now I am exhausted. So I hope they are right about how many weeks this lasts because next week will be my fourth week. I hope it is coming to a close.
The next few months are overbooked, over-scheduled, and overwhelming. That is just for school. My own life will have to happen one way or another. So hopefully I can get well and reboot. This is why teachers need breaks. I am telling you. The janitors need us to go away for awhile so they can sanitize the nasty germs. The students need a break so they can come back refreshed. Learning new things every day is difficult. I am almost afraid to read my e-mail lately because it is usually something MORE. I don't know how our district can take another million dollar budget shortfall. You know what is ridiculously frustrating about this. We can get funds. Do you think those funds can be spent on anything we actually need? NOPE! We just got a grant the grant cannot be used for salaries, supplies, technology, capital improvements and more. Capital improvements are improvements to your building or environment so say we wanted to buy new chairs because none have been purchased since the 70's and we don't have enough NOPE! So it goes. The government makes everything a little more painful don't they?
I had the question about Common Core again! AGAIN! The people who are so anti-Common Core just please go read the Common Core Standards. They are just a set of concepts that need to be taught. NOT a curriculum. I am not saying they are all that and a bag of chips with extra yummy salsa. I'm just saying what you are calling "Common Core" may be something else entirely. Just read them for yourself. Our state adopted them but promptly changed their name. They changed their name in part to make any adjustments they thought they might need to, but also to encompass all the standards our state requires. For instance Common Core Standards do not tell what is taught in Social Studies each state adopts their own standards for Social Studies, Science, and the Arts. So there ya go! Read them for yourself.
I put a much needed document in a "safe" place. I'm losing my mind looking for it. So it is time to go to bed and find the "safe" place tomorrow. I am definitely going to label a box "safe place". HA
The next few months are overbooked, over-scheduled, and overwhelming. That is just for school. My own life will have to happen one way or another. So hopefully I can get well and reboot. This is why teachers need breaks. I am telling you. The janitors need us to go away for awhile so they can sanitize the nasty germs. The students need a break so they can come back refreshed. Learning new things every day is difficult. I am almost afraid to read my e-mail lately because it is usually something MORE. I don't know how our district can take another million dollar budget shortfall. You know what is ridiculously frustrating about this. We can get funds. Do you think those funds can be spent on anything we actually need? NOPE! We just got a grant the grant cannot be used for salaries, supplies, technology, capital improvements and more. Capital improvements are improvements to your building or environment so say we wanted to buy new chairs because none have been purchased since the 70's and we don't have enough NOPE! So it goes. The government makes everything a little more painful don't they?
I had the question about Common Core again! AGAIN! The people who are so anti-Common Core just please go read the Common Core Standards. They are just a set of concepts that need to be taught. NOT a curriculum. I am not saying they are all that and a bag of chips with extra yummy salsa. I'm just saying what you are calling "Common Core" may be something else entirely. Just read them for yourself. Our state adopted them but promptly changed their name. They changed their name in part to make any adjustments they thought they might need to, but also to encompass all the standards our state requires. For instance Common Core Standards do not tell what is taught in Social Studies each state adopts their own standards for Social Studies, Science, and the Arts. So there ya go! Read them for yourself.
I put a much needed document in a "safe" place. I'm losing my mind looking for it. So it is time to go to bed and find the "safe" place tomorrow. I am definitely going to label a box "safe place". HA
March 20, 2016
End of Year
There are two and a half months of school left. No spring break. We have 4 scheduled professional development days on our days off. Our administrator applies for a grant that includes three more days on our days off. I am so overwhelmed I want to cry. The lack of understanding of what is required of our time is killing me. I just have to find some acceptance make it through to the end of the year. I just want to yell "WHY?" WHY are you making changes with so little school left. WHY? I feel like my time has so little value. It is why half of our teachers are sick. It's why they have good teachers resign every year. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHH! We also have to go in and observe other teachers our colleagues and evaluate them. To go observe them teaching something they excel at teacher in which we could learn from them is one thing. To evaluate your colleagues... oh this is just a monster that is going to go down ugly. Please just let me finish the school year peacefully....
In the middle of the night....
Waking up in the middle of the night because of coughing what do you do? Its going to be a bit before you can settle in to rest. I paid a few bills. Watched a little TV., looked at Pinterest, but generally couldn't do much to alleviate the boredom. I will have some Hot Lemon and Honey and attempt to go back to sleep. It wasn't completely wasted time I suppose. My cough has improved but something about lying down gets it going again.
I did a little reading about Reading. One thing I often tell parents is if they don't have "time" to read to please but an audio-book on in the car on long trips, or just play one in your home. I hear all the time "We don't have time." It drives me nuts that you can say you don't have time to sit down and read a book with your child? The library will allow you to check out books, and audio-books. Its free! It just drives me crazy. What I truly hear is this isn't a priority. If the parents are perhaps illiterate that is why I suggest an audio-book. Just the exposure to the vocabulary and inflection of the reader improves students ability to read. So I have been looking into how to do a Reading center for my students on the cheap. There are a few ideas but truly by the time I had everything to implement it there would be nothing cheap about it. So it might be a Next Year idea. I am such an avid reader. I always read to the students in my care as a nanny and I always made sure they had a library card. Small children if introduced to the library love it. Also why can't you find an appropriate book that you could listen to as a family in the car or at home. Read to your child! It makes a huge difference in their ability to read.
I've also been working on online applications and the like. I forgot how time consuming this process is. I remember spending hours online doing applications after leaving college. It is quite an ordeal. I have a couple more transcripts to order and a resume to update. It all takes time an I never feel like I have enough. Well...I am up at 2 in the morning. I will work on that!
I think my inhaler kicked in my coughing has lessened... G'nite
I did a little reading about Reading. One thing I often tell parents is if they don't have "time" to read to please but an audio-book on in the car on long trips, or just play one in your home. I hear all the time "We don't have time." It drives me nuts that you can say you don't have time to sit down and read a book with your child? The library will allow you to check out books, and audio-books. Its free! It just drives me crazy. What I truly hear is this isn't a priority. If the parents are perhaps illiterate that is why I suggest an audio-book. Just the exposure to the vocabulary and inflection of the reader improves students ability to read. So I have been looking into how to do a Reading center for my students on the cheap. There are a few ideas but truly by the time I had everything to implement it there would be nothing cheap about it. So it might be a Next Year idea. I am such an avid reader. I always read to the students in my care as a nanny and I always made sure they had a library card. Small children if introduced to the library love it. Also why can't you find an appropriate book that you could listen to as a family in the car or at home. Read to your child! It makes a huge difference in their ability to read.
I've also been working on online applications and the like. I forgot how time consuming this process is. I remember spending hours online doing applications after leaving college. It is quite an ordeal. I have a couple more transcripts to order and a resume to update. It all takes time an I never feel like I have enough. Well...I am up at 2 in the morning. I will work on that!
I think my inhaler kicked in my coughing has lessened... G'nite
March 18, 2016
Whining...for a reason 🤓
Well I guess my whining was a little justified. I decided to go to the Dr. I have bronchitis. So now I am waiting for my three prescriptions to be filled. I am so excited to feel better. My lungs started to feel tight the last couple of days so I decided that was enough.
I hope to feel well by Monday our trainer is going to be there Monday and Tuesday and I know I have good things to learn from her! I don't want to miss it. I bought a chicken to make homemade chicken noodle soup. Mom had made me egg noodles (gluten free) that I froze for such a time. I just haven't had the energy to cook. It is the weekend so I think I can throw it together between naps. 😜
So I need to run to the store to pick up my prescritions...I am soo looking forward to free and easy breathing!
I hope to feel well by Monday our trainer is going to be there Monday and Tuesday and I know I have good things to learn from her! I don't want to miss it. I bought a chicken to make homemade chicken noodle soup. Mom had made me egg noodles (gluten free) that I froze for such a time. I just haven't had the energy to cook. It is the weekend so I think I can throw it together between naps. 😜
So I need to run to the store to pick up my prescritions...I am soo looking forward to free and easy breathing!
Changes
This cold is kicking my arse. I've been sick going on two weeks now. Its been generously shared around our school and is lasting about four weeks. I've tried all the cures even when I started feeling like I might be getting one. It didn't keep it away. So I am drinking a lot of fluids, every evening drinking my lemon juice and honey, and lots of tea. My muscles are sore from so much coughing. I finally caved and took a cough medicine just so I could get some sleep. I avoid taking them because they really knock me out to the point I don't function well. I feel like the biggest wimp but this thing is just lingering on for way too long.
In other news I submitted my resignation to this school district. I am very excited about making a change. I've been doing a lot of research and figuring out schools that might be a good fit. I have options in part because we have a huge teacher shortage in our state. I visited a school last week up north and was impressed by some things they have going on there. I don't know where I will end up for sure but I am very excited by the options. I am not however excited to move. Moving is soooo not fun. I have started packing boxes and getting rid of some stuff. Finding a place to live where ever I go could be a challenge. So we shall see.
I know I have mentioned this before but the only and I mean THE ONLY tissue brand you should buy is Kleenex. Puffs have so much fluff you end up with lint everywhere. Then their terrible lotion. I've accidentally grabbed a puffs and had an immediate allergic reaction. Puffs brand is terrible. Then there are generic brands that are like sandpaper covered cardboard. So yes It must be Kleenex and only Kleenex. Having had allergies all my life I've road tested a lot of tissue. So that's my strong opinion on that :)! Kleenex.
My little buddy from next door came to check on me this evening. He brought me my newspaper and asked me "Okay Sha?" I said "yes I just have a bad cough." He then promptly took over the electronic devices in my house. Typical male. At least he checked to make sure I was still breathing first. :)
Every time I am about to take down my Christmas Tree he visits and ensures that I do not. Tonight I had it unplugged and was going to take it apart and put it away when he came over. He insisted I plug it in and NOT put it away. I must time it a little better. It will be a disappointment to him when he comes in and it is no longer there.
I always struggle when I move who to ask for a reference from. This time I asked people who have been in my classroom and observed me and coached me. There letters made me feel like I am in the right profession. It was very encouraging. While I know I have a lot to learn I have a desire to continue to learn. I really want to be part of a team that will help me grow in my profession. That just isn't happening at my current location. There are a lot of reasons why. I have had opportunities and I have learned so much from them. It would be amazing to be somewhere they had their act together so I could really focus on improving my craft and not other things like my students receiving services. I have made a pact with myself to focus on my classroom. I have done much better with that this year. However, if one person isn't doing their job it impacts a lot of other people. If a few people aren't doing their job it impacts most of the school. It is exhausting. Anyhow, I'm moving on. Moving on does make me a little nervous, but the decision was surprisingly easy. It feels like the right thing to do for me.
In other news I submitted my resignation to this school district. I am very excited about making a change. I've been doing a lot of research and figuring out schools that might be a good fit. I have options in part because we have a huge teacher shortage in our state. I visited a school last week up north and was impressed by some things they have going on there. I don't know where I will end up for sure but I am very excited by the options. I am not however excited to move. Moving is soooo not fun. I have started packing boxes and getting rid of some stuff. Finding a place to live where ever I go could be a challenge. So we shall see.
I know I have mentioned this before but the only and I mean THE ONLY tissue brand you should buy is Kleenex. Puffs have so much fluff you end up with lint everywhere. Then their terrible lotion. I've accidentally grabbed a puffs and had an immediate allergic reaction. Puffs brand is terrible. Then there are generic brands that are like sandpaper covered cardboard. So yes It must be Kleenex and only Kleenex. Having had allergies all my life I've road tested a lot of tissue. So that's my strong opinion on that :)! Kleenex.
My little buddy from next door came to check on me this evening. He brought me my newspaper and asked me "Okay Sha?" I said "yes I just have a bad cough." He then promptly took over the electronic devices in my house. Typical male. At least he checked to make sure I was still breathing first. :)
Every time I am about to take down my Christmas Tree he visits and ensures that I do not. Tonight I had it unplugged and was going to take it apart and put it away when he came over. He insisted I plug it in and NOT put it away. I must time it a little better. It will be a disappointment to him when he comes in and it is no longer there.
I always struggle when I move who to ask for a reference from. This time I asked people who have been in my classroom and observed me and coached me. There letters made me feel like I am in the right profession. It was very encouraging. While I know I have a lot to learn I have a desire to continue to learn. I really want to be part of a team that will help me grow in my profession. That just isn't happening at my current location. There are a lot of reasons why. I have had opportunities and I have learned so much from them. It would be amazing to be somewhere they had their act together so I could really focus on improving my craft and not other things like my students receiving services. I have made a pact with myself to focus on my classroom. I have done much better with that this year. However, if one person isn't doing their job it impacts a lot of other people. If a few people aren't doing their job it impacts most of the school. It is exhausting. Anyhow, I'm moving on. Moving on does make me a little nervous, but the decision was surprisingly easy. It feels like the right thing to do for me.
March 8, 2016
Stealth
The stealth pooper struck again today. We couldn't find the culprit on camera again. Luckily for the janitor and I it wasn't stepped on this time. So gross. Hopefully this ends or we successfully catch the culprit.
I have been fighting a cold or allergies or something. All I know is I don't want it!
I had a to do list this evening. I haven't gotten far down the list. If you want to know how teachers spend their evenings it may be they are hot gluing plastic capsules with dice in them.
We use dice for all kinds of fun activities. Gluing the dice in capsules prevents flying dice. It's been known to happen with frequency. I also made enough that sharing is limited so arguing should be limited. I may get really tired of the sound of shaking dice.
The challenge of a teacher is challenging the students who are having success. If they get bored well it is dangerous. It struck me today that a behavior that has been occurring the last couple of weeks has a lot to do with boredom. So I have been working on ways to change it up and challenge them a bit. Classrooms are interesting. You have a group that can't read the instructions and have barely learned the activity. You have a group that gets it but still needs the practice. Then the group that totally gets it and is now bored and trying to change it into something else to entertain themselves. Staying ahead of the last group is a challenge.
I was soo relieved to have hot water again last night I took a long hot shower. It was blissful. I hear it calling my name again tonight. I have my Epsom salts with camphor and HOT WATER. G'nite
I have been fighting a cold or allergies or something. All I know is I don't want it!
I had a to do list this evening. I haven't gotten far down the list. If you want to know how teachers spend their evenings it may be they are hot gluing plastic capsules with dice in them.
The challenge of a teacher is challenging the students who are having success. If they get bored well it is dangerous. It struck me today that a behavior that has been occurring the last couple of weeks has a lot to do with boredom. So I have been working on ways to change it up and challenge them a bit. Classrooms are interesting. You have a group that can't read the instructions and have barely learned the activity. You have a group that gets it but still needs the practice. Then the group that totally gets it and is now bored and trying to change it into something else to entertain themselves. Staying ahead of the last group is a challenge.
I was soo relieved to have hot water again last night I took a long hot shower. It was blissful. I hear it calling my name again tonight. I have my Epsom salts with camphor and HOT WATER. G'nite
March 4, 2016
Poooo
It is apparent that I have been busy because of the long delay between posts. I am trying to think of all the events that have occurred and I think I have just been plugging away and getting it done. We had parent-teacher conferences. That is always interesting. I never know who will or will not come. Sometimes you are pleasantly surprised. Sometimes you are just scared. Students lives are often so chaotic I am unsure how they survive.
I learned something new in second grade. If your students are complaining all morning that someone farted. Investigate! Your happy tooter may not be the guilty party. As I lined my students up in the hallway for recess I notice something on the floor in the corner. I go take a closer look. Yep it is poo. One larger deposit and several smaller ones that have been stepped on and ground into the carpet. So I go ask the office to watch the video. They say it isn't there one second and it is the next. What we speculate is that a student had the issue rolled down their pants leg and kicked it out. The poor janitor comes with carpet cleaner. Luckily my students are outside then in the computer lab. It gave him lots of time to take care of it. Then I have to think... Did I not let someone go to the bathroom that morning. Nope I let anyone go that asked. I have students with issues but I didn't ever think this was one I would deal with in 2nd grade. Yea....I need to make the janitor something. He was as horrified as I was.
Last night I help the neighbor with her kids so she can prepare for a training we have today. I came home ready to take a nice hot shower after a long day. No hot water. None. Not even a hint of warmth. Sigh. So I wait till morning and my kind neighbor lets me shower there. I had told my landlords a couple of times I thought it might be going out. They really never want to spend money fixing things correctly so nothing was done. Anyhow, I am clean and ready to go learn.
At a staff meeting on Wednesday we were told that they applied for a grant and if they get it it will change how we do professional development the rest of the year. Um okay...there are three months of school left and you want to change the plan again? I don't mind P.D., and I am usually the first to sign up for it. However, I am tired of lack of consistency. Make a plan if you need to tweak a little...tweak a little. Please do not keep making Major changes at this point in the year. Reboot and use what you learned to make a better plan next year. Seriously!
I learned something new in second grade. If your students are complaining all morning that someone farted. Investigate! Your happy tooter may not be the guilty party. As I lined my students up in the hallway for recess I notice something on the floor in the corner. I go take a closer look. Yep it is poo. One larger deposit and several smaller ones that have been stepped on and ground into the carpet. So I go ask the office to watch the video. They say it isn't there one second and it is the next. What we speculate is that a student had the issue rolled down their pants leg and kicked it out. The poor janitor comes with carpet cleaner. Luckily my students are outside then in the computer lab. It gave him lots of time to take care of it. Then I have to think... Did I not let someone go to the bathroom that morning. Nope I let anyone go that asked. I have students with issues but I didn't ever think this was one I would deal with in 2nd grade. Yea....I need to make the janitor something. He was as horrified as I was.
Last night I help the neighbor with her kids so she can prepare for a training we have today. I came home ready to take a nice hot shower after a long day. No hot water. None. Not even a hint of warmth. Sigh. So I wait till morning and my kind neighbor lets me shower there. I had told my landlords a couple of times I thought it might be going out. They really never want to spend money fixing things correctly so nothing was done. Anyhow, I am clean and ready to go learn.
At a staff meeting on Wednesday we were told that they applied for a grant and if they get it it will change how we do professional development the rest of the year. Um okay...there are three months of school left and you want to change the plan again? I don't mind P.D., and I am usually the first to sign up for it. However, I am tired of lack of consistency. Make a plan if you need to tweak a little...tweak a little. Please do not keep making Major changes at this point in the year. Reboot and use what you learned to make a better plan next year. Seriously!
February 4, 2016
Education
Our state has some of the worst rankings in Education nationwide. Why is this? There are several factors in my opinion. There is a huge teacher shortage. Long term subs fill in many positions and under-qualified educated teachers are hired. The second can be difficult to terminate. Especially if the union gets involved. Yes the unions are always a factor in keeping poor quality educators. The money. There has become so many restrictions on what money can be spent on and where it can be spent that schools are not able to use it for what they actually need. Rural communities needs are very different that the cities needs. The lawmakers don't see the difference. We allow the bar to be set low. If you want to see ridiculousness.... raise the bar. Have a higher standard and expectation. Then watch the whining and crazy begin. Education must be a priority to parents and families. If it is not something they value there is only so far I can get their student. I think we even have inexperienced under-qualified administrators. They don't know the questions to ask or the standard to hold.
So those are a few of my ideas on that. We were invited to attend a training tomorrow. It looks to be a high quality training with an excellent trainer. There were only a few slots open so I said I would go. I am interested. The other part of me says... You have laundry, dishes, papers to grade, etc etc and you are tired and you want to go to a training??? I also have Chinese New Year and a Valentine's Party to prepare for. The first I have a lot of parent help with. Every year I have been here I have had a Chinese student. It isn't why I do it but I think it makes it more important. Well I need to feed my neighbors dogs and rabbits before they get really cranky !
I woke up to a small skiff of snow this morning but not enough to shovel (yay!). It warmed the air temperatures and it rose to about 30 today so that was nice and warm.
So those are a few of my ideas on that. We were invited to attend a training tomorrow. It looks to be a high quality training with an excellent trainer. There were only a few slots open so I said I would go. I am interested. The other part of me says... You have laundry, dishes, papers to grade, etc etc and you are tired and you want to go to a training??? I also have Chinese New Year and a Valentine's Party to prepare for. The first I have a lot of parent help with. Every year I have been here I have had a Chinese student. It isn't why I do it but I think it makes it more important. Well I need to feed my neighbors dogs and rabbits before they get really cranky !
I woke up to a small skiff of snow this morning but not enough to shovel (yay!). It warmed the air temperatures and it rose to about 30 today so that was nice and warm.
February 2, 2016
Snow and Work
Oh the snow soo much snow! The upside of the snow was that it was warmer. Now it is clear and cold. However we have beautiful bright brilliant sunshine. We had some creative plowing through town. You might have to drive in a circle or two to get to your location.
So I had an interesting day work-wise. Where to begin. So a colleague asked to copy my lesson plans for my class because she hadn't completed her own. Uh no. I was asked to be in and have my class participate in a positive uplifting video being made about our district by our high school students. More information coming about that soon! Then a colleague was perpetually negative about our curriculum once again went on a complaining spree. I am OVER it! So I requested support from our regional professional development co-ordinators talking points on the growth mindset. If you think your students can't they won't. Ugh. So we shall see what the days ahead bring.
So I had an interesting day work-wise. Where to begin. So a colleague asked to copy my lesson plans for my class because she hadn't completed her own. Uh no. I was asked to be in and have my class participate in a positive uplifting video being made about our district by our high school students. More information coming about that soon! Then a colleague was perpetually negative about our curriculum once again went on a complaining spree. I am OVER it! So I requested support from our regional professional development co-ordinators talking points on the growth mindset. If you think your students can't they won't. Ugh. So we shall see what the days ahead bring.
January 27, 2016
Waiting
Oh what you learn while you wait. There are times in life you have no choice but to wait. Just wait. There isn't much else you can accomplish while you wait. I used to be better at waiting. I was great at waiting. I could read a book, doze, people watch and just be content in the wait. Now I think of all the things I could and should accomplish while I wait. The more tired I get the less patiently I wait. Sometimes we have to wait on the phone and the automated voice says, "Enjoy the music while you wait." Magazines of all types are left in waiting rooms to read and flip through while we wait. While our body is physically waiting our minds are not. There is soooo much in life we must wait for. So I had better get more patient with the wait and figure out what I can learn from the wait.
Math Lesson
I had my Dad read the Teacher's Guide for one of my upcoming math lessons. He said " I think this is over-complicating things." It does seem so sometimes. Thinking it is over-complicating things is why you hear a lot of criticism of Common Core. So my curriculum is not a "Common Core" Curriculum it is just high quality. I tried to explain to him what the goal was in the lesson. People who are natural Mathematicians see connections and relationships between numbers. They are able to compose and decompose in ways they are unaware that they do it comes so automatically to them. So we try to teach all students how to use those strategies to more efficiently compose and decompose numbers. I told my Dad "you were probably taught the standard algorithm." He was and luckily for him he had a natural mathematical ability. He said I don't think anyone I went to school with didn't see those relationships between numbers. Sigh. Maybe they did maybe they didn't. When Dad was in school more things were done hands on at home. They would be measuring in the kitchen, cutting fabric, building, and may other things that parents would have shown their children how to do things mathematically. That doesn't happen as much now. My students rarely see even coins and dollars. This is the nature of where we live and the time we live in. Those every day tasks that use number sense have gone by the wayside. So now we must teach it. The students that gain that ability to compose and decompose numbers are far more successful in mathematics than those who struggle. So it is something we work on the entire year. Place value and number sense. Everything builds off of those important skills.
So despite my Dad thinking we are over complicating things I plan on teaching it anyway. I know it works :). I know how important it is for students to have that foundation before they go on to the next grade level. annd.....NO I HAD NOOO Idea how passionate I would become about Mathematics education.
So despite my Dad thinking we are over complicating things I plan on teaching it anyway. I know it works :). I know how important it is for students to have that foundation before they go on to the next grade level. annd.....NO I HAD NOOO Idea how passionate I would become about Mathematics education.
January 19, 2016
Plans HA!
I am the poster child for "the best laid plans go awry" lately. I planned to go into work early and get sooo much done. So I was up early. Out to my car early. Loading my car early. Not starting my car early. Turn the key click, click, click, click, and again. A really big sigh. Now who can I call to take me to work NOT early. Neighbor is home with sick kids. Colleague is home sick. Call the school? Wait the person subbing for my colleague is there. I called her and she was at school EARLY and very willing to pick me up. Oh good. Now the stress of waiting all day to handle this. I have had a bad alternator before and I new what that did. I was pretty sure it wasn't that. It was a warm 10 degrees when I was trying to start it this a.m. So as soon as I got home my neighbor jump started me. We let it run for a bit then she followed me to NAPA just in case. They put in my battery for me and my neighbor drove back by just to make sure that was the issue. Got home with a sigh of relief and ordered a pizza. A full of gluten Pizza. I will pay a price for that but no kind of cooking is going to occur. So this winter has made my car ask for a few new things. It is good to have people around you can call on when the best laid plans go sideways.
January 17, 2016
A meeting and end of quarter.
The first two weeks back to school have been hectic. I actually can't believe it has only been two weeks. We didn't start off the new year on a positive note at work. The last two years the Special Education Staff has done a presentation for us. It has basically been all of the reasons they can't help students. Even why students shouldn't be in intervention. I am so fed up with this. Maybe that wasn't the message they intended to send. I had to talk to a couple of others to see if we were all receiving the same message and I wasn't just being sensitive on my students behalf. No we all had the same feelings. What was very painful is one of my students parents is also a staff member. This student really needs to be on an an IEP and receive some accommodations. The parent felt the same way. It was very emotional for her. Another thing that was said was we don't want to put students on an IEP because it can give them a stigma for the rest of their life. It was the whole "victim" mentality. If you approach it that way then yes it will be a stigma. If you approach it as that extra help needed to have success students can go on to college with accommodations for their learning disabilities. I was thoroughly disgusted. These people serve our neediest population and they gave the impression that they really don't want to help them. I don't know why they are in this profession.
Our trainer for our reading curriculum came and observed me a long with our administrator. I did really well. I totally brain farted one part. It's what happens when you get nervous lol. They said they could tell I usually did that w/ my students. Overall it was a very successful observation. My administrator did one of my informal observations as she had to be in there anyway. That went well also. So that was good. I have had a lot of training and learned some quality strategies the last couple of years.
I am attempting to get all my grading done and lesson plans complete as it is the end of the quarter. It is always busy and I feel about 20 steps behind as usual. It was predicted we would get snow this weekend but so far we have not. We had a few more inches on Thursday. They are predicting a little Monday and Tuesday so we shall see. The snow pack will be good this year. I may have to invest in a snowblower though :)! It has been hard on my back. Hopefully those muscles are getting stronger.
This is just a few of my work highlights.
Our trainer for our reading curriculum came and observed me a long with our administrator. I did really well. I totally brain farted one part. It's what happens when you get nervous lol. They said they could tell I usually did that w/ my students. Overall it was a very successful observation. My administrator did one of my informal observations as she had to be in there anyway. That went well also. So that was good. I have had a lot of training and learned some quality strategies the last couple of years.
I am attempting to get all my grading done and lesson plans complete as it is the end of the quarter. It is always busy and I feel about 20 steps behind as usual. It was predicted we would get snow this weekend but so far we have not. We had a few more inches on Thursday. They are predicting a little Monday and Tuesday so we shall see. The snow pack will be good this year. I may have to invest in a snowblower though :)! It has been hard on my back. Hopefully those muscles are getting stronger.
This is just a few of my work highlights.
January 4, 2016
I don't wanna!!!!
Okay.... It might end up being Valentine's Day Cards lol! That is probably a realistic and achievable goal! Yikes time flies by so quickly. I stopped on my way back to get my bumper fixed. Since there isn't a local place that can do that kind of work I had to spend a little time explaining to the Insurance Adjuster why I needed to stop someplace. Once we had the discussion of where the nearest cities with services were I had no more trouble. The side bonus was I had time to visit with a friend there and see her month old baby.
Vacations seem to just fly by so quickly. I feel like I packed a lot in but didn't quite achieve all of my to do list. So it goes. The snowy roads didn't help. I did what I could do with the time I had. It was tough to come back to work today. The following cartoon sums it up pretty well.
I came back to school to really well behaved students and it made it easier. I also arrived back to administrative nonsense. Some decisions or lack of decisions just make you shake your head. I would love to have an experienced administrator that really was on top of things that could give quality feedback. It might not be easy but I know I would grow in my profession. So in that aspect it was welcome back to chaos. Yay. ahem.
I have been lucky to have a lot of good people in my life. People who don't lower their standard and walk a narrow way. People who try hard and do their best. People who stand strong in their commitments. I think because I did have a lot of people in my life who held the standard high it makes it more disappointing when one drops that standard. As a teacher I realize I am being observed all the time by children. It is a huge responsibility. That really never goes away you always have "children" of all ages learning from you. Why I know people are fallible I am grateful to those who keep trying to do better. What I have observed is that evil can slowly and inconspicuously insinuate itself in your life. It can slowly drag that standard down. Evil doesn't just burn it's own house down, it wants your house, the neighborhoods, and so on. It doesn't take much to achieve that goal once it has its foothold in your life. Stopping the ripple effect of evil can be done. Thank you to those who continue to hold the standard.
Vacations seem to just fly by so quickly. I feel like I packed a lot in but didn't quite achieve all of my to do list. So it goes. The snowy roads didn't help. I did what I could do with the time I had. It was tough to come back to work today. The following cartoon sums it up pretty well.
I came back to school to really well behaved students and it made it easier. I also arrived back to administrative nonsense. Some decisions or lack of decisions just make you shake your head. I would love to have an experienced administrator that really was on top of things that could give quality feedback. It might not be easy but I know I would grow in my profession. So in that aspect it was welcome back to chaos. Yay. ahem.
I have been lucky to have a lot of good people in my life. People who don't lower their standard and walk a narrow way. People who try hard and do their best. People who stand strong in their commitments. I think because I did have a lot of people in my life who held the standard high it makes it more disappointing when one drops that standard. As a teacher I realize I am being observed all the time by children. It is a huge responsibility. That really never goes away you always have "children" of all ages learning from you. Why I know people are fallible I am grateful to those who keep trying to do better. What I have observed is that evil can slowly and inconspicuously insinuate itself in your life. It can slowly drag that standard down. Evil doesn't just burn it's own house down, it wants your house, the neighborhoods, and so on. It doesn't take much to achieve that goal once it has its foothold in your life. Stopping the ripple effect of evil can be done. Thank you to those who continue to hold the standard.
December 24, 2015
So it is Christmas...
Wellllll.... it's been a bit hectic. Every road I have traveled its either snowing, snow on the road, or both. On my way up north I hit a patch of snow and ice. Luckily I had seen it coming and was driving slowly. That kicked me into the plowed snow on the side of the highway. Right down the road and right up the road...no snow. The wind was hitting the side of this hill just perfectly to blow it off and into the road. As I was pulled through the snow berm I thwacked a snow pole. This cracked my passenger side windshield. Then there I sat because the snow berm pulled me in far enough I was stuck. A guy came to help me and he was stuck attempting to help. I helped him get out and watched for traffic and sent him on his way. Then two guys in two trucks traveling opposite ways decided with determination they would pull me out. Right quick they did and I was on the road again. I messaged my brother and said order a new windshield I'm going to need one. So before I had arrived home he had one ordered. So that was a little more excitement than I needed.
I made one stop to visit a good friend. It was sooooo good to see her and her family. I am very thankful I was able to visit her.
Then I thought I had most of my Christmas shopping complete courtesy of Amazon Prime. Nope there were a few forgotten things. So I ventured out into that crazy pre-Christmas shopping world. I think I am ready. Usually by this time I have Christmas Cards ready and sent. Um NOPE not this year. I will aim for New Year's cards :). That might be an acheivable goal.
Just after I got back some of my cousins drove through town on their way up to a family Christmas. It was really fun to see them. I don't get to see them enough!
When you have an accident that requires dealing with insurance dread fills you up. Well at least me it does. However, my insurance company Farmers has made it so painless. They have communicated every step made phone calls for me. Made sure to get payments out to vendors before Christmas. I am impressed. They even called a car rental company on my behalf. I have to have my bumper cover replaced which I will do when I get back to Nevada. I wrote a thank you because I was expecting a long painful process that made me want to cry and yell. Sometimes you are surprised.
I am glad I am on break. I was ready, my students were ready, I think even the parents were ready. The Alarm clock is turned off for the duration. So nice.
I made one stop to visit a good friend. It was sooooo good to see her and her family. I am very thankful I was able to visit her.
Then I thought I had most of my Christmas shopping complete courtesy of Amazon Prime. Nope there were a few forgotten things. So I ventured out into that crazy pre-Christmas shopping world. I think I am ready. Usually by this time I have Christmas Cards ready and sent. Um NOPE not this year. I will aim for New Year's cards :). That might be an acheivable goal.
Just after I got back some of my cousins drove through town on their way up to a family Christmas. It was really fun to see them. I don't get to see them enough!
When you have an accident that requires dealing with insurance dread fills you up. Well at least me it does. However, my insurance company Farmers has made it so painless. They have communicated every step made phone calls for me. Made sure to get payments out to vendors before Christmas. I am impressed. They even called a car rental company on my behalf. I have to have my bumper cover replaced which I will do when I get back to Nevada. I wrote a thank you because I was expecting a long painful process that made me want to cry and yell. Sometimes you are surprised.
I am glad I am on break. I was ready, my students were ready, I think even the parents were ready. The Alarm clock is turned off for the duration. So nice.
December 2, 2015
Whining sick
So back to work. Get home and am just not feeling like myself. I attribute it to being tired and off schedule after the break. I think to myself " I'll just lie down for awhile". About an hour later I wake up shivering and not from the cold weather. My electric mattress pad was on and I caught a chill. Yep running a temperature. Just high enough to be miserable. I take some acetaminophen and attempt to rest again. Usually when I get sick I have a window where I feel decent enough to go lesson plan for a sub. That didn't really happen so I went and did it anyway. My poor sub I hope they made sense. Sigh. We were also scheduled to go to our local convention center for the "Festival of Trees" at the convention center every year local businesses decorate trees and place them down there. Some of them are quite clever. Then later they have a craft fair and Santa visits etc. For this part they just want the kids to come see the trees. I feel bad doing that to the sub any break in the usual routine makes things more hectic. It isn't the most exciting event but it is a community thing we attempt to support. The fever has not broken. I have a feeling tomorrow will have to be another sick day. uggh.
Update: umm yes another sick day. Just when you think you're getting better the fever spikes again. Also you might be running a fever if you can go outside in subzero temperatures and sweat while feeling too hot. I apologize for my whining.
After too short of a night I woke up to a fever. I had hoped it would break. I took myself to the grocery store for Coke, saltines, and chicken and rice soup. I hoped to not see anyone I knew but of course I did. Oh well I got my stuff quickly and came back home to put on my pjs. Hopefully by tonight my fever breaks. Back to bed I go. I know more whining. I am just sick enough to be a pain in the rear. Good thing I'm the only one who has to put up with me :)
Update: umm yes another sick day. Just when you think you're getting better the fever spikes again. Also you might be running a fever if you can go outside in subzero temperatures and sweat while feeling too hot. I apologize for my whining.
After too short of a night I woke up to a fever. I had hoped it would break. I took myself to the grocery store for Coke, saltines, and chicken and rice soup. I hoped to not see anyone I knew but of course I did. Oh well I got my stuff quickly and came back home to put on my pjs. Hopefully by tonight my fever breaks. Back to bed I go. I know more whining. I am just sick enough to be a pain in the rear. Good thing I'm the only one who has to put up with me :)
November 25, 2015
Plumbers and Company
So... I threw in a load of laundry and....it backed up into the bathtub. Waaaaaaah! The plumbers are back. Mom and Dad are about 15 minutes away. Sigh!!! So at least their beds are made and that part is ready. The plumbers were super nice and said at least it isn't tomorrow! Well mom and dad won't be able to do much when they get here other than watch plumbers wander in and out. It sounds like they beat both ends of the snowstorm yesterday and today! So luckily I saved my new shower curtain from backed up water. So I don't have to run and get a new one today!
November 23, 2015
Lice and whiners.
I thought you deserved a lice update. It is alive and thriving. I thought perhaps we had made it through. I was wrong. The nurse said the would have to do some home visits and if that didn't work some students might be expelled. There are students who have had lice since school started and their home nor head has been treated. If we were anywhere else there would probably be allegations of neglect. So yes I still itch and scratch. Just ordered a refill of tea tree oil. Sigh...and it continues.
Well the whiners whined loud and long enough about our curriculum. It seems we must reevaluate. Grown ups are less capable than children.
Well the whiners whined loud and long enough about our curriculum. It seems we must reevaluate. Grown ups are less capable than children.
November 21, 2015
Potty training and Whining
Potty training. My little muffin buddy next door wanted to come for a visit. However, they are in the midst of potty-training. Unscheduled visits or travel is difficult during these times. So he came over with his potty and his bucket of trains and toy cars. It took some negotiations to achieve sitting on the potty. We finally made a deal that if I set my timer for five minutes at the end he would get on the potty for five minutes. Very intense negotiations with a lot of whining. The deal was made we tried to shake hands but gave each other high fives in agreement instead. So the timer went off. He sat on the potty as agreed and then success. It was a very proud moment. We had to call home and share the success. I flushed the evidence, but trust me it occurred. Then back to playing with toy cars and trains.
I spent all afternoon at school planning for the next couple of weeks. I think I am mostly ready. I have some to finish but it is mostly ready to go. We only have school for two days next week. I sent a message last night to one of the writers of our math curriculum to address issues that my grade level keeps whining about. He confirmed what I had been saying to my team. I could tell he couldn't figure out why I was asking such a ridiculous question. What seems to happen every year at my grade level in particular is a fight to challenge students. I do not have the attitude that students can't do something. I have the attitude that they can if I give them what they need to be successful. Every training I have been to the last few years has been telling teachers to change your mindset about what students can and cannot do. I have some that will struggle the entire year yet I know they will make significant growth. You know why they will struggle? Because learning isn't always easy. That is why it is called learning. If you aren't experiencing a little struggle you aren't learning. This isn't just a part of education but a part of life. Sometimes the learning is more of a struggle than other times. Sometimes it comes easier. There are eight mathematical practices. One of them is about persevering to solve a problem. In other words not giving up. So I have to work hard to give students the right tools to help them persevere in problem solving. This sometimes means more work for me. We have to meet at the level students are able to achieve and push a little higher.
I guess what I am saying over all is I don't want to hear any more whining from the grownups about the curriculum being too hard. Believe and maybe they will achieve.
I spent all afternoon at school planning for the next couple of weeks. I think I am mostly ready. I have some to finish but it is mostly ready to go. We only have school for two days next week. I sent a message last night to one of the writers of our math curriculum to address issues that my grade level keeps whining about. He confirmed what I had been saying to my team. I could tell he couldn't figure out why I was asking such a ridiculous question. What seems to happen every year at my grade level in particular is a fight to challenge students. I do not have the attitude that students can't do something. I have the attitude that they can if I give them what they need to be successful. Every training I have been to the last few years has been telling teachers to change your mindset about what students can and cannot do. I have some that will struggle the entire year yet I know they will make significant growth. You know why they will struggle? Because learning isn't always easy. That is why it is called learning. If you aren't experiencing a little struggle you aren't learning. This isn't just a part of education but a part of life. Sometimes the learning is more of a struggle than other times. Sometimes it comes easier. There are eight mathematical practices. One of them is about persevering to solve a problem. In other words not giving up. So I have to work hard to give students the right tools to help them persevere in problem solving. This sometimes means more work for me. We have to meet at the level students are able to achieve and push a little higher.
I guess what I am saying over all is I don't want to hear any more whining from the grownups about the curriculum being too hard. Believe and maybe they will achieve.
November 20, 2015
Plumbers, Training, and Persimmons
Well adventures in plumbing. I called the landlord and the plumber and his assistant arrived. They discovered my landlords had wisely poured concrete over the mainline to the house. So they thought they might have to remove the toilet to rotor-rooter. Well, they discovered that wouldn't work. Also the water shut off to the toilet was frozen. So back to the basement they went and thought they may have to cut the pipe to get the job done. Then they found a clean out. Not where a clean out should be but none-the-less a clean out. They then cleaned out. It took quite awhile longer than I suspected it would. They did get it done and we turned on the shower, sink, and washer and it all drained as it should. Turned out there were tree roots in the line. So there ya go. Then I had to clean the bathroom. I threw out my shower curtain and went and bought a new one. Because welll.....back up water. 'nuff said.
In other news another elementary school in our district spent their funding on mathematics professional development for their teachers. It was a webinar with a presenter I had seen the last two summers at the trainings I went to down south. Some of it was a repeat of what I had already learned but some of it was new information. The information I had heard before it was good to hear again. It might sink in this thick brain if I keep hearing it. It was very kind of their administrator to invite teachers from other schools. Only two of us attended from the other school. I was grateful the invite was extended. I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more. It clarified some information for me. I hope they will invite us to the next one because it was great. What is amazing to me is that I have learned so much about teaching math these past three years. I am way more successful at teaching math to students than I am reading at this point. I always thought reading was my strong suit. However, because I felt math was my weakest teaching area I sought out every potential math professional development opportunity that was extended to us. I am very glad I did this. Not that I don't need to learn more, I definitely do.
So my Friday was spent in training and with plumbers. I know... super exciting. I started cleaning house today and put most of my recycling in my car to drop off at the recycling center. I hoped to make it there today but that didn't happen. My little buddy next door came over and "helped me" vacuum and shred paper. His sister came over and wanted to make banana bread. So we made that and I popped that in the oven. In my last basket from bountifulbaskets.org I received persimmons. I had only read about persimmons in books. I couldn't have even described a persimmon. So I decided to attempt to make Persimmon Bread. I have NO idea if I will like it hate it or will feed it to the birds. It is in the oven right now. I will let you know how that turned out. If it is good I have enough persimmons for another batch. Here is the recipe I used from Food.com.
Persimmon Bread:
In other news another elementary school in our district spent their funding on mathematics professional development for their teachers. It was a webinar with a presenter I had seen the last two summers at the trainings I went to down south. Some of it was a repeat of what I had already learned but some of it was new information. The information I had heard before it was good to hear again. It might sink in this thick brain if I keep hearing it. It was very kind of their administrator to invite teachers from other schools. Only two of us attended from the other school. I was grateful the invite was extended. I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn more. It clarified some information for me. I hope they will invite us to the next one because it was great. What is amazing to me is that I have learned so much about teaching math these past three years. I am way more successful at teaching math to students than I am reading at this point. I always thought reading was my strong suit. However, because I felt math was my weakest teaching area I sought out every potential math professional development opportunity that was extended to us. I am very glad I did this. Not that I don't need to learn more, I definitely do.
So my Friday was spent in training and with plumbers. I know... super exciting. I started cleaning house today and put most of my recycling in my car to drop off at the recycling center. I hoped to make it there today but that didn't happen. My little buddy next door came over and "helped me" vacuum and shred paper. His sister came over and wanted to make banana bread. So we made that and I popped that in the oven. In my last basket from bountifulbaskets.org I received persimmons. I had only read about persimmons in books. I couldn't have even described a persimmon. So I decided to attempt to make Persimmon Bread. I have NO idea if I will like it hate it or will feed it to the birds. It is in the oven right now. I will let you know how that turned out. If it is good I have enough persimmons for another batch. Here is the recipe I used from Food.com.
Persimmon Bread:
Makes 1 loaf
- 1cup persimmon puree (from 3 -4 Fuyu persimmons)
- 2tablespoons water
- 1/2cup butter, softened
- 1cup granulated sugar
- 1teaspoon vanilla
- 3eggs
- 2cups all-purpose flour
- 1teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2teaspoon salt
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a standard loaf pan
- Cut out the stem of each persimmon and cut into chunks. Puree the persimmons in a food processor or blender with 2 Tablespoons water.
- Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add vanilla. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the persimmon puree and beat until thoroughly combined. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to batter and beat until smooth.
- Pour into a loaf pan and bake at for 50- 60 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool well before slicing. Well wrapped, the bread will keep for a few days.
November 18, 2015
Convincing Floods
The more someone tells me how talented, special, happy, smart, faith filled, or amazing they are the less I believe them. If you're smart I see it with your actions and wisdom. If you are happy you shine and no words are needed. If you are a believer I see it in your walk. If you are special I can see it in the way others treat you. If you have talent I see it in the area of your gift. So please don't give me words attempting to convince me of any of the above.
So after a unseasonably warm day that melted a lot of snow and made mud. We were told to avoid the mud and have our students avoid the mud. Then we have an alternate route fire drill.....in the mud. Well planned and thought out. My poor tennis shoes were a mess. So I get home and throw them in the wash with my muddy britches. Soon I hear water running in my bathroom. I quickly grab towels and look in there. The laundry water backed up into the bathroom. Flooding occurred. I had to be glad it was laundry water but it wasn't a great way to finish a day. So I cleaned that all up yippee. I will have to call my landlords. They are notoriously cheap when it comes to plumbing fixes. So while my laundry did get clean....a whole new pile was formed. Yippee
So after a unseasonably warm day that melted a lot of snow and made mud. We were told to avoid the mud and have our students avoid the mud. Then we have an alternate route fire drill.....in the mud. Well planned and thought out. My poor tennis shoes were a mess. So I get home and throw them in the wash with my muddy britches. Soon I hear water running in my bathroom. I quickly grab towels and look in there. The laundry water backed up into the bathroom. Flooding occurred. I had to be glad it was laundry water but it wasn't a great way to finish a day. So I cleaned that all up yippee. I will have to call my landlords. They are notoriously cheap when it comes to plumbing fixes. So while my laundry did get clean....a whole new pile was formed. Yippee
November 14, 2015
Refresh
Weekends are the time to reboot, reload, and refresh for another week. If I didn't have the weekend I wouldn't be a very good teacher. I didn't do much yesterday other than a couple loads of laundry, a trip to the grocery store, and a little organizing. It was very much needed. I usually go in on Friday and do more work. So instead I went in this morning. I am mostly ready for next week other than finishing lesson planning and a stack of grading. I don't know I may go in tomorrow and do some more.
I picked up my Bountiful Basket today and there was kale. So I right now simmering on my stove is a batch of potato-kale soup. I also got some interesting items like yams. They went to the neighbors. I also for the first time seen by me got orange cauliflower. Saving that one for mom. Oh yes and persimmons. I have no idea what to do with persimmons. I've only read about persimmons in old books. I didn't even know what a persimmon looked like till today. So now do I do something with the persimmons or find a friend who will do something with the persimmons. I should have enough produce for Thanksgiving.
Speaking of Thanksgiving last night my neighbor had me over for a Turkey Dinner. It really is my favorite. All I desire at Thanksgiving is 3 things. First turkey, second green beans, and lastly mashed potatoes. Then a little butter and salt and I am happy. I can do without pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and stuffing but not mashed potatoes. So there ya go. I shoveled a little snow that I didn't get shoveled and am ready for the next bout of snow.
It was a sad day yesterday for the Country of France and the City of Paris. I pray for them and pray that we have learned from these events.
I picked up my Bountiful Basket today and there was kale. So I right now simmering on my stove is a batch of potato-kale soup. I also got some interesting items like yams. They went to the neighbors. I also for the first time seen by me got orange cauliflower. Saving that one for mom. Oh yes and persimmons. I have no idea what to do with persimmons. I've only read about persimmons in old books. I didn't even know what a persimmon looked like till today. So now do I do something with the persimmons or find a friend who will do something with the persimmons. I should have enough produce for Thanksgiving.
Speaking of Thanksgiving last night my neighbor had me over for a Turkey Dinner. It really is my favorite. All I desire at Thanksgiving is 3 things. First turkey, second green beans, and lastly mashed potatoes. Then a little butter and salt and I am happy. I can do without pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and stuffing but not mashed potatoes. So there ya go. I shoveled a little snow that I didn't get shoveled and am ready for the next bout of snow.
It was a sad day yesterday for the Country of France and the City of Paris. I pray for them and pray that we have learned from these events.
November 12, 2015
Lice and Ice!
Generally after a storm here the weather clears away and we are left with clear skies and sunshine. That is exactly what happened this time. It became very cold. Well colder than it has been for awhile and my blood appears to need more thickening. Then again I did go outside today without a coat and didn't feel I needed one till I saw the temperature of 28 degrees. It may snow more this weekend we shall see.
Update on the "Lice Propagation." They are thriving and well. Today my student with lice arrived back at school. The nurse checked him said "he has eggs but no live ones so we can't send him home." Sigh.... REALLLY BIG ITCHY SIGHHHH! So not even an hour later in his quietest voice otherwise known as his "Playground Voice." He announces "My head itches so bad I just can't stand it." I say "Okay do you want to see the nurse?" "YES! I THINK THEY HATCHED!" So much for any attempt to be discreet. So off he goes. A few minutes later returns to get his backpack and leave for the day. I went in to ask the nurse at recess... and you guessed it they had indeed hatched. Good times. Yes my itching continues. We had a discussion about where to hang our coats. Not to share items of clothing etc. Then you see kids putting them willy-nilly and you itch and you scratch.
So we were discussing some upcoming changes with the law passed in this state regarding education. More and more is placed on the teachers. I feel the responsibility of my job. However, parents bear a huge portion of responsibility as well. Personal responsibility isn't a popular concept in today's society. I am beginning to understand why two of our current teachers are pursuing a degree in accounting. Yuck maybe not... maybe wildlife biology. Hmmmm :)
Update on the "Lice Propagation." They are thriving and well. Today my student with lice arrived back at school. The nurse checked him said "he has eggs but no live ones so we can't send him home." Sigh.... REALLLY BIG ITCHY SIGHHHH! So not even an hour later in his quietest voice otherwise known as his "Playground Voice." He announces "My head itches so bad I just can't stand it." I say "Okay do you want to see the nurse?" "YES! I THINK THEY HATCHED!" So much for any attempt to be discreet. So off he goes. A few minutes later returns to get his backpack and leave for the day. I went in to ask the nurse at recess... and you guessed it they had indeed hatched. Good times. Yes my itching continues. We had a discussion about where to hang our coats. Not to share items of clothing etc. Then you see kids putting them willy-nilly and you itch and you scratch.
So we were discussing some upcoming changes with the law passed in this state regarding education. More and more is placed on the teachers. I feel the responsibility of my job. However, parents bear a huge portion of responsibility as well. Personal responsibility isn't a popular concept in today's society. I am beginning to understand why two of our current teachers are pursuing a degree in accounting. Yuck maybe not... maybe wildlife biology. Hmmmm :)
November 10, 2015
1st snow
Monday afternoon the snow had started. A deceptive wet snow that didn't stick to the roads but was sticking to the grass. I had dinner at my neighbors brushed off my car and went to bed. At one a.m. I woke up for a bathroom break. Snow gives the night sky a certain glow so I had to peek out to see how much had accumulated. It was over a foot. For awhile I considered crawling back into bed. Then I thought I am wide awake that snow won't be any more fun to shovel at 5 a.m. As a matter of fact it will be less so because I will be worried about being late to work. So yes at oneish a.m. I shoveled and I shoveled and I shoveled. I completed half of my driveway in about an hour. Considering my back issues this year I decided I had pushed that far enough. I will still have to get up and brush off more snow before I head to work, but the rest of it will keep till I get home. So now I will drink some water and attempt to sleep what is left of the night!
November 3, 2015
Winter has arrived.
Winter blew in yesterday. We have winds at 52mph. I went to fill up my gas tank and had to use both hands to push the door open. It continued to blow until the early morning hours. I can't say I have ever really truly heard a howling wind until I moved to this state. I have a hill about the height of my house behind my house. It blows over that hilltop and howls in fury. At about 2 a.m. last night a thunderstorm started. It was so loud I thought something had blown against the side of my house. It startled me then I realized it was a thunderstorm. I'd never experienced a winter thunderstorm before moving to this state as well (that I recall). Anyhow the storm mostly blew on through we had snow in the northern part of the state and the mountains around us. Not much snow down below even though it spit snow off and on throughout the day. Today was the first day of this school year that I pulled out my winter coat an hat. So I think winter has officially arrived.
I had my post-observation review with my administrator. It went exceptionally well. I have grown a lot this year. I think part of it is the training I have went to. The other part of it was the commitment I decided to make to my students this year. I decided I would be involved less in "school" things and be more involved in my classroom. What this has amounted to is more time spent lesson planning and reflecting on how to improve my lessons. I am really glad I did this. Do not get me wrong. I still think "oh I should..." but then I just say NO! My priorities have shifted and I feel like I am a happier teacher with happier students.
Tonight is pretty chilly. I pulled out my slippers and my flannels! It was good to come home and put them on an realize my day is almost done. Today my parents had to put their Springer Spaniel to sleep. She was 14 1/2 years old. It is hard to have a companion with you for that long and not feel their loss. She was a good dog, sometimes a dumb dog, a great mouser, and a great companion for trips to the duck pond. We will miss her! I can't believe how much icky river water she drank over the years. It's amazing she lived this long!
Well, I think I'd better do some cooking this weekend. My stash is low and my motivation to make dinner is lower, I need to get more meals put away. Then I will eat healthier. I remembered my hot cup of tea this morning. It tasted soooo good this afternoon. The heaters in our classrooms do not appear to be working well. I haven't whined yet because others are whining loudly enough for us all. They could have had the boiler on at a minimum. I will see if it is chilly tomorrow.
I had my post-observation review with my administrator. It went exceptionally well. I have grown a lot this year. I think part of it is the training I have went to. The other part of it was the commitment I decided to make to my students this year. I decided I would be involved less in "school" things and be more involved in my classroom. What this has amounted to is more time spent lesson planning and reflecting on how to improve my lessons. I am really glad I did this. Do not get me wrong. I still think "oh I should..." but then I just say NO! My priorities have shifted and I feel like I am a happier teacher with happier students.
Tonight is pretty chilly. I pulled out my slippers and my flannels! It was good to come home and put them on an realize my day is almost done. Today my parents had to put their Springer Spaniel to sleep. She was 14 1/2 years old. It is hard to have a companion with you for that long and not feel their loss. She was a good dog, sometimes a dumb dog, a great mouser, and a great companion for trips to the duck pond. We will miss her! I can't believe how much icky river water she drank over the years. It's amazing she lived this long!
Well, I think I'd better do some cooking this weekend. My stash is low and my motivation to make dinner is lower, I need to get more meals put away. Then I will eat healthier. I remembered my hot cup of tea this morning. It tasted soooo good this afternoon. The heaters in our classrooms do not appear to be working well. I haven't whined yet because others are whining loudly enough for us all. They could have had the boiler on at a minimum. I will see if it is chilly tomorrow.
October 30, 2015
The Common Core Debate
So I am not pro-Common Core. Nor am I completely Anti-Common Core. What I am is anti-stupid articles that claim something or the other IS Common Core. In every state there has been a set of standards that teachers must teach. Arizona State decided to get a group of people together to create some National Standards. Which they did. Then many many states adopted those standards. Including the one I work in. Here are my thoughts on the standards. They are very similar to what we had before except most go a little deeper. The state I came from before their standards may have been a little higher. They aren't perfect. There are some with the philosophy we ONLY teach the standards that are in place for that grade level. I think that is wrong. If a student is ready for more then you give them that opportunity. From what I hear from 1st Grade teachers if they ONLY taught the 1st Grade standards children wouldn't be leaving 1st Grade reading. The truth is there has to be some standards in place so that teachers are teaching all the skills students need. It makes me nervous when I read articles that are anti-Common Core because usually they are about a particular teachers lesson, or a particular Districts curriculum. It really isn't "Common Core." How these standards are read and interpreted by States, Districts, Schools, and Teachers can vary. Any curriculum can say they are "Common Core" but "Common Core" does not endorse any curriculum. I don't think you should pick a curriculum based on that anyway. So please keep that in mind. Common Core might be the devil to blame, or it might be the curriculum, or the nut-ball teacher.
Halloween
There just aren't enough vitamins to get a teacher through Halloween Week. It was brutal. More than usual. Over the weekend they decided to revise how we do report cards. So we were given the instructions on Saturday. Then Tuesday after school there was a meeting to help you figure it out. I went to the meeting on Tuesday. I finally went home after 1 1/2 hours. I told our administrator I'd finish it at home in my pj's. Well I did finish that evening after about 3 more hours working on them. We have this technology to do report cards quickly and easily. The problem is that our district won't pay a programmer to fix the issues. Which is even more frustrating because they don't have to pay a programmer. They can just call another district that uses the same software and does the report card how they would like it to be and ask them to share how they enter things in the software. As a matter of fact a teacher did it a couple of times for us. She was ignored. Then I found out we were the only school in the district that did this. That made it worse. We were then told that next year they are switching to a new software program. It is just all tiring. I have been fighting a head cold all week. So that all pretty much sucked me dry. The new rubric they were using for grades is different than what we have been using. So then I had to go and tweak grades because they weren't a reflection of where they are on the new rubric.
At the beginning of this week I had students getting a little bug. A couple went home with a fever or upset stomach. Well my one special needs student walked into the classroom (we were having a quiet writing time) and announced " Ms. C I am going home!" so I had to ask "Who said you were going home?" Just to make sure that the student who is pretty good at making announcements that are not necessarily full of factual information. He said "Miss P" the school secretary. I quietly asked him to come over and whispered "why are you going home?" and in his best Outdoor Recess Voice he announced " Because I have the RUNS and I keep having the RUNS all day today!" What did I say after that... "okay get your backpack!" A couple of students snickered quietly, some looked puzzled like running where?, and some just stared in dismay! So that was entertaining.
I was also had my formal observation this week. It always falls on Halloween Week. Which I feel is completely unfair to observe a teacher that week, and the week before Christmas Break. Anyhow, the students did pretty well and I did okay I think. My focus was allll on that and NOT the Halloween Party for my class. Luckily in music my class had been practicing our state song and our school song. So they performed that for the parents. I had a couple of quick little activities. However I was relying on the internet to get me through with a fun old Halloween story and a couple of Halloween dances. The internet went down. Apparently it went down town-wide. Whatever they did to mess that up it got fixed in the nick of time. I managed to keep them busy enough and they had enough treats to get them through the party. I was completely worn out. We were then called to the office right after school and told we could leave early today because of all the time we spent on report cards. Which by the time we left wasn't really "early" but it was a nice thought.
When I got home all I wanted to do is put on my pajamas. So I did that. Then all I wanted to do was fall into bed. Then I remembered I was kid-sitting. So my buddy brought his dinner over and I watched some cartoons that I never want to watch again. Then we went to his house and we played trains. Then I came home and fell into bed and fell asleep immediately. Unfortunately I didn't sleep through the night because of my cold I woke up a lot. In between I slept fairly well. I decided not to go into school today and get ready for next week and just get some rest. I will have to go down tomorrow but today I did exactly what I needed.
At the beginning of this week I had students getting a little bug. A couple went home with a fever or upset stomach. Well my one special needs student walked into the classroom (we were having a quiet writing time) and announced " Ms. C I am going home!" so I had to ask "Who said you were going home?" Just to make sure that the student who is pretty good at making announcements that are not necessarily full of factual information. He said "Miss P" the school secretary. I quietly asked him to come over and whispered "why are you going home?" and in his best Outdoor Recess Voice he announced " Because I have the RUNS and I keep having the RUNS all day today!" What did I say after that... "okay get your backpack!" A couple of students snickered quietly, some looked puzzled like running where?, and some just stared in dismay! So that was entertaining.
I was also had my formal observation this week. It always falls on Halloween Week. Which I feel is completely unfair to observe a teacher that week, and the week before Christmas Break. Anyhow, the students did pretty well and I did okay I think. My focus was allll on that and NOT the Halloween Party for my class. Luckily in music my class had been practicing our state song and our school song. So they performed that for the parents. I had a couple of quick little activities. However I was relying on the internet to get me through with a fun old Halloween story and a couple of Halloween dances. The internet went down. Apparently it went down town-wide. Whatever they did to mess that up it got fixed in the nick of time. I managed to keep them busy enough and they had enough treats to get them through the party. I was completely worn out. We were then called to the office right after school and told we could leave early today because of all the time we spent on report cards. Which by the time we left wasn't really "early" but it was a nice thought.
When I got home all I wanted to do is put on my pajamas. So I did that. Then all I wanted to do was fall into bed. Then I remembered I was kid-sitting. So my buddy brought his dinner over and I watched some cartoons that I never want to watch again. Then we went to his house and we played trains. Then I came home and fell into bed and fell asleep immediately. Unfortunately I didn't sleep through the night because of my cold I woke up a lot. In between I slept fairly well. I decided not to go into school today and get ready for next week and just get some rest. I will have to go down tomorrow but today I did exactly what I needed.
October 15, 2015
Itchy Scratchy
Well....... One of my students left school today with a stellar case of head lice. Needless to say. I have been scratching ever since. I had the school nurse check my head just to help me chill out about it. I was free and clear. However, I ITCH! I am getting out the tea tree oil and will use it liberally. It isn't required that a student go home if they have head lice because it isn't a communicable disease. It's just annoying. I was relieved when the student was like I CAN'T STAND IT! The student made it impossible to do anything but send them home. Meanwhile I itch...everywhere. Hopefully, this is a responsible parent that will make sure home, car, etc is treated.
Sometimes it is really hard to be far from home and friends. There is a huge part of me right now that really needs to go give a pal a really big hug! I know we both need it.
Every day I learn from my students. Sometimes it is lessons that I wish I never had to learn. I sometimes forget how much they have learned since school started. I have to keep that in mind.
I realized last year I needed a little more balance between work and home. I haven't completely struck that balance but I am getting better at it. A few classes have came up as professional development. I have debated and debated taking them or not. I know I would learn a great deal. However, it takes so much time away from my students. Another one popped up this week. I am still debating. UGGH.
My neighbor's little girl pops in and out. One of the things she likes to do is come sit at my piano and attempt a tune or two. I am going to have to teach her a few things because she is going to insist on it. It is pretty cute. Since she knows her alphabet I know I can help her start.
Meanwhile.... I am taking my itchy self to bed.... g'nite
Sometimes it is really hard to be far from home and friends. There is a huge part of me right now that really needs to go give a pal a really big hug! I know we both need it.
Every day I learn from my students. Sometimes it is lessons that I wish I never had to learn. I sometimes forget how much they have learned since school started. I have to keep that in mind.
I realized last year I needed a little more balance between work and home. I haven't completely struck that balance but I am getting better at it. A few classes have came up as professional development. I have debated and debated taking them or not. I know I would learn a great deal. However, it takes so much time away from my students. Another one popped up this week. I am still debating. UGGH.
My neighbor's little girl pops in and out. One of the things she likes to do is come sit at my piano and attempt a tune or two. I am going to have to teach her a few things because she is going to insist on it. It is pretty cute. Since she knows her alphabet I know I can help her start.
Meanwhile.... I am taking my itchy self to bed.... g'nite
Tossing and Turning
Sleep is not over-rated. I had a bout of insomnia last night. I attributed it to drinking too much caffeine. Sigh. Then tonight I fall into a slumber. Only to be wide awake a few hours later. So finally I decided tossing and turning was a waste of time and prepared some materials for tomorrow. I suppose that will give me a better start to the day. An even better start would be sleep. The brain is often a troublesome thing. Keeps those thoughts whirling about. So perhaps since I have completed tasks for tomorrow I will be better able to rest.
I have a student that is going to be gone all next week. Since I know the student has very responsible parents I gathered up the majority of the work for next week. Which means I had to get alllll my ducks in a row for what I was teaching next week. So instead of completing grading etc. I was preparing for that. So I have a lot to do this weekend to get some grades completed and in my gradebook. So it goes.
It has been interesting to observe the 3rd grade teachers with the students we had last year. I am seeing the wear around the edges. It bites when administration makes you feel like it was you. Now I get to see these teachers having the same struggles. I want to shout "SEEE" it is a rough group of kids. Oh that just triggered my rant of the year. Bullying. I am growing to love to dislike this word. Bullying. It's being given too much power and weight. I am NOT saying bullying doesn't occur. It does. However, a lot of parents create victims of their children. NOTHING is EVER their child's fault. They NEVER instigate ANYTHING. They are just this way because they are BULLIED. UGGH. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Learn about it. Please! Do the world a favor and teach your child some so they don't grow up to be a**es. Thank you very much. Kids are going to pick on those who are different. It is the reality. Now I can educate and put a stop to a lot of it. However please make some wise choices. If you send your child to school wearing something outlandish other kids are going to ask about it. Even if it is not in a mean way, they will ask. It doesn't make sense in their world. Just be VERY VERY careful about using that word BULLY. It is an abused word. It is a misused word. It is an overused word.
Okay enough about that. So I am going to greet my pillow again and see if I can get a few more z's in.
I have a student that is going to be gone all next week. Since I know the student has very responsible parents I gathered up the majority of the work for next week. Which means I had to get alllll my ducks in a row for what I was teaching next week. So instead of completing grading etc. I was preparing for that. So I have a lot to do this weekend to get some grades completed and in my gradebook. So it goes.
It has been interesting to observe the 3rd grade teachers with the students we had last year. I am seeing the wear around the edges. It bites when administration makes you feel like it was you. Now I get to see these teachers having the same struggles. I want to shout "SEEE" it is a rough group of kids. Oh that just triggered my rant of the year. Bullying. I am growing to love to dislike this word. Bullying. It's being given too much power and weight. I am NOT saying bullying doesn't occur. It does. However, a lot of parents create victims of their children. NOTHING is EVER their child's fault. They NEVER instigate ANYTHING. They are just this way because they are BULLIED. UGGH. PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY. Learn about it. Please! Do the world a favor and teach your child some so they don't grow up to be a**es. Thank you very much. Kids are going to pick on those who are different. It is the reality. Now I can educate and put a stop to a lot of it. However please make some wise choices. If you send your child to school wearing something outlandish other kids are going to ask about it. Even if it is not in a mean way, they will ask. It doesn't make sense in their world. Just be VERY VERY careful about using that word BULLY. It is an abused word. It is a misused word. It is an overused word.
Okay enough about that. So I am going to greet my pillow again and see if I can get a few more z's in.
October 9, 2015
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).
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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)