WHY!

WHY would a curriculum committee choose a curriculum for elementary school that is weak in phonics? It is the same reason your child gravitates toward the box of Lucky Charms. Its bright attractive and implies sugary sweetness. It has a pretty pretty package. The marshmallows are little online extras like videos and software. The leprechaun is those pre-made worksheets that are cute but offer no substance. The sugar is all those "books" that are almost good, but not quite. It makes it taste really good though so you're distracted and don't notice you're eating cardboard. Look it comes with all these books!!  Yes, but wouldn't it be better to choose books that are written well and not edited for space?  

These companies that sell basal reading programs have made a beautiful, beautiful package. Very smart people who should know better are choosing the pretty package. WHY? What is easier giving your kid a bowl of cereal or making them a breakfast from scratch.  They can make the bowl of cereal without help. YOU have to do the work on breakfast from scratch.  So, it sounds like they after looking at three basal reading programs will look no further. They will choose the prettiest package. Then they will have to figure out how to teach kids phonics in a meaningful way. There will be lots of extra visits to an interventionist because they were given sugar and no substance. 

ARRRGGGHHHH

Other than that I have no strong opinions on the matter 😉

It was a Cultural Event!

Having scraped through several lice outbreaks unscathed I am slightly paranoid about these wicked bugs. That is why when My scalp started itching today lice was the first thing that came to mind. Which of course made the itching exponentially worse. I stripped the bed and hopped in the shower. When I came out of the shower the itching was temporarily better then even worse. I looked in the mirror and discovered the culprit. My sunburn was peeling all around my scalp and into the hair. My neck was peeling, and my ears were peeling right now to the lobes. Never go without sunscreen.

My Friday night was spent covering nachos with that nasty chemical concoction they call "Nacho Cheese." Didn't like it before and it is vomit inducing now. After stirring the toxic sludge around and ladling it onto tortilla chips all evening it became the cause for nightmares. It was our annual school dance fundraiser. There was a D.J. who played songs the kids knew and it was a packed house. I made a lot of nachos.

 Since it was held on the 5th of May it was a Cinco de Mayo themed party. One deemed the mustaches racist. I don't know if the serapes, sombreros, cacti, pinatas. and ponchos were racist I didn't have a chance to ask them. I supposed we could have been guilty cultural appropriation. (EYE ROLL HERE.) Fun was had by all of us racists, non-racists, males, females, cultural appreciators, cultural appropriators, senior citizens, middle year citizens, Jr. citizens, and that other category Nacho Cheese Dispensers. Although the Nacho Cheese Dispenser's feet really hurt by the end of the night.

I know this event is coming around next year, I have planned for a second pair of shoes.

UPDATE: I totally forgot to share what toxic cheese does to keys! So I loaned my keys to another teacher to go into the main building to wash the toxic cheese trays. The keys were returned to me quite wet and a little yellow.  I received them along with many apologies. During the weekend I threw the lanyard into the wash and it cleaned up nicely. I had to get the Lysol wipes out to wipe down my I.D. which removed the yellow. The cheese was in nooks and crannies of the keys. I had to get tweezers and other items to get into the crevices. Luckily my flash drive still works, although I ordered a second one. It had a cover on the drive part but it still had cheese in crevices. Then my poor whistle. I washed, rinsed, and cleaned it over and over. I was unsuccessful in cheese removal. It went into the trash and a new whistle was ordered.  Here is what I learned. Don't loan your lanyard with all your keys to someone who is washing nacho cheese trays. Also, it could permanently damage and contaminate the innards of your whistle. I did have enough smarts to know not to wear them while dishing up the cheese! 🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀🧀 Beware of the CHEESE!

Beware

A quick word of advice.

Beware of the parent who brings you a present on the first day or week of school. It is a big red flag. What that tells you is  "I know my child is a pain in the ass, I apologize in advance, and I plan to do nothing to improve the situation."  Harsh I know! When I get gifts at Christmas or during Teacher appreciation week I don't think these thoughts. It is just nice. It fills me with a sense of dread when I receive a gift that first week. I know hard days are ahead. Just get them the school supplies they need for the year, that is a big plenty. 

FYI: Parents need to be thanked to for reading with their kids, providing them with healthy lunches, and giving them a consistent structured life. 

It's May

May is rough. I always forget how rough May is. The kids don't want to work anymore. They don't want to walk in lines up long hallways. They don't want to follow the rules. They don't want to learn. They are done. Their teacher is usually pretty tired too. I am pushing them until we have our last state testing session. They don't want to be pushed.  We are sooo close to the finish line that I need to keep it in sight.

My classroom librarians took over the organization that I worked on last night. They made a lot of progress. It was great to see that they enjoyed it, but other students really wanted to help too. I can see already that they are starting to put back books correctly and in the right location. I hope this will all make the set up go well next year. I have had many different types of organization. This year I completely changed the plan. I changed it because of reading about reading. I used to be  a subscriber of students need to be reading books at their level. I don't worry about that now. If they want to pick a below level book and read it for two minutes, enjoy it, and move on that is fine. If they want challenge themselves fine. As long as they are reading. Of course I do have a problem if they only pick really easy books. I also have a problem if they pick books they can't even muddle through. Other than that I just want them to read. When they are given choice they are more likely to read. Reading is the goal. It reminds me of going to my Great Aunt Norma's house. When I was well beyond the age of reading her little collection of Little Golden Books I would go get the stack of them and sit and read them. They reminded me of being little at her house, it was nostalgic, and it was just fun. Reading should be fun.

My students don't even know their levels. I haven't told them. They told me last year I was a ___. I know what level at which they are reading, but I don't share with them. I do share if they have made growth, but that is not addressed as a "level."  I do sometimes miss Accelerated Reader. I miss it only because it holds students accountable for their reading. I don't have time to talk with them after every book they've read and see if they have some general comprehension of what they've read. That is where the software comes in handy.  Read just read.

I am apprehensively awaiting a decision being made about purchasing a reading curriculum. The curriculum which I am being told they really like on the committee makes me want to beat my head against a wall. A lot of what they said they liked about it, I had to wonder if the district would even purchase all of those "extras." The extras cost more. I have observed over and over again that teachers are more concerned with things looking "cute" than they are with quality. It is terrifying. Who cares if you have a "cute" worksheet if your students cannot analyze a text.

We are hiring a couple of new teachers this year. We are also hiring a librarian, P.E. teacher, and school counselor. I hope we can find good people. The dynamic is generally so positive here. I am hoping they have recruited some good people so that we our dynamic doesn't go ploot!

Naps

I read an article somewhere on the world wide web today discussing how naps are really good for you. I thought to myself  "This is something I  can get on board with." So I came home and took a nap. When I woke up I had a to-do list a mile long. I accomplished some of it. More than I would have without my nap, but less than I'd hoped. Tomorrow is another day.

I had a long laminating session today. I have student classroom librarians who are very frustrated withe the classes lack of respect in putting books back where they belong. I've been working on making labels for the classroom library to make this an easier process. I hope. I printed what I had finished onto label stickers, stuck the stickers to card stock, then laminated them. We can start this organization process. I will be able to continue to use these labels next year.

I also managed to get a bit of laundry done and a load of dishes through the dishwasher. I have trash to take out still and recycling to take in. Thursday I hired the carpet shampooing company to come work their magic. This means that tomorrow night I need to make sure as much as possible is out of the way! I hoped to get more of that done today, but it didn't work out.

I am taking my vitamins and attempting to stay healthy. Much of our staff has some nasty lingering cough and cold. I don't want it.

Now I am off to take nap number two...otherwise known as "Going to bed for the night!"
...or what is left of the night

G'night

Field Trip

Today was our field trip. We went to the local "marina" which is way to fancy of a word for where we went. We went to the local reservoir and learned about watershed.  The state outdoor school is the folks who set it up and planned the lessons for the classes. They did a really great job! I was impressed by their organization and implementation. Every instructor reviewed some of the same facts so if nothing else I am sure they will remember that part.

It was a beautiful sunny day, but it wasn't too hot. Just the right amount of wind blew over the mountain tops and across our learning. We came back to school with a lot of pink cheeks and tired kids. Then the rounds of bathroom visits began. The teacher did not lose any kids and the kids didn't lose their teacher.

I came home and thought to myself "I am NOT making dinner!" I don't know what my neighbor upstairs is making in his kitchen, but if he keeps it up I am going to knock on the door and ask. Whatever it is it requires a lot of noise. He doesn't have light feet.

After, I ordered the pizza and my newspaper delivery person dropped it off to me. Yes, she has her a.m. and p.m. job. I have to admire her work ethic. Although she was horrified to see unopened newspapers inside my door 😏 oops! Anyhow, after all of that and a couple pieces of pizza I asked myself "Is 5:30 to early to go to bed?" I told myself that yes it was! It sounds like a better and better idea though. I will have to shower off this day and that will delay my sleepiness a bit.

We finished our day today taking our administrators their gifts for Admin Day. They seemed pleased by our simple but enjoyable gift.

The shower and my pillow....I hear them calling....

Fresh Air Matters

After we released our students today we had a grade level P.L.C. A P.L.C. is an abbreviation for Professional Learning Community. Professional Learning Community is a fancy name for "We had a meeting!"  I have been a little stuffed up because of spring allergies. The room we held the meeting in is not one that we normally hold it in. I walked in didn't think anything about it. I suddenly became very very tired. I mentioned it to a colleague a couple of times. Then I started to get choked up and started coughing. I asked if there was a scent or perfume in the room. The teacher had on a Scentsy wax warmer. She immediately turned it off, but I was coughing more and feeling out of breath. I left the room and realized it had triggered my allergy related asthma. I got back to my classroom and I knew I had my inhaler but I couldn't think of where I had it. Not enough oxygen = unclear thinking. A colleague came in and tried to help me. At first I couldn't talk. I just had to sit and think of only inhaling and exhaling for a minute. It got better and soon started talking. I told her to leave me for a bit so I could just breathe and drink some water and calm down. I decided to go outside for a  bit to stand up straight and breathe in fresh air. I forgot to communicate where I was going, and panicked my poor colleagues a 2nd time. After I had more air in me I realized I left my inhaler in my "recess" jacket.

I felt so bad I had scared them all. I am putting my classroom inhaler in one place so they can find it easily. I am giving one to the school nurse. After school I called in for my refill on another inhaler. That one will travel with me.

This may sound strange, but I am glad this happened. Why? Because when I say I am allergic to scents or I can't breathe with them I am often dismissed. Unless you have experienced it or have this same issue It seems far-fetched. I had told my colleagues a couple of times that I react to it, but I know they didn't really understand. They understand now.

That first sign of feeling so tired so quickly was my body saying "HELLO NEED AIR HERE." I just didn't recognize that quickly enough. Since my nose was plugged I didn't smell the scent in the air. I really hate those wax warmers. Most of the time those have chemicals that create the artificial smell. I wish they would just use a quality essential oil and a little water in them if needed. Even a diffuser would be better.

My colleagues were very good about checking on me and taking care of me. I work with good people!

2 Minutes

I forgot to share.... the "lunch ladies"... Oh my.... the "lunch ladies"... it is a hostile eating environment apparently. No wonder lunch with the teacher is such a highly sought after reward.

Today the  "lunch ladies" gave me some serious attitude about us being 2 minutes early for lunch. I am not joking! I was told... YOU HAVE 2 MINUTES!  I had been trying to help by passing the kids their styrofoam trays so they were ready to just grab their milk and keep moving. When I started doing this I noticed the line was definitely moving faster. I tried to help make sure my special needs student knew what he wanted so he was ready to tell them. I am done helping.

They've been so grumpy with me, my students, the students as a whole, and the teaching staff. I just find it so strange that you'd be grumpy with someone who was attempting to make your job easier. Most of my colleagues refuse to go in there anymore. Well, I have joined the list. What is interesting about the 2 minutes. Is these same ladies blow the whistle 2 minutes early every day. They can send them back to class early but we cannot drop them off early. I told my colleagues I wasn't in there to make their jobs more difficult I was trying to help make things run more smoothly and quickly. Some of my colleagues who have kids say that their kids hate eating in the lunchroom. I understand why.

Here is the even more ridiculous part. Do you know how many classes are having lunch at the same time?  14 classes. 14 classes to get through the lunch line in a 30 minute period.  The last kids in line barely have a chance to eat.

In teacher college I never imagined that this would be a topic of discussion.  Today's lesson learned.

Monkeys and Rabbits

I think I started off this day on the wrong foot. 😅  I promise... it was an accident. On my way out the door this a.m. I dropped my juice and the bottle broke. Juice and glass went everywhere of course. I was on my way to work and did not want to be late. I had to throw towels down scoop up the worse and head to work. Uggh. Arriving home I had a mess to clean up today. The vacuums were brought out, the paper towels, and the cleaning liquids.  I am sure I'll be finding specks of glass for awhile. Sigh....

My students were a monkeys and rabbits today. Swinging from trees and bouncing around. They wore me out. I wasn't alone in this feeling. The other teachers expressed the same thoughts which made me feel a bit better.  😲

I had so many issues to deal with today with student behaviors I think my head is still reeling.  I hope tomorrow is less chaotic!

Juice and Dinner

It is very obvious my brother hates me. He bought me a juicer and suggested a recipe. I finally removed it from the box, bought all of the ingredients, washed all the moving parts, and made juice. I have three bottles to get through in three days.




I thought I could drink most of it before work but that did not happen. It was clear this process would take some time. So, I took it to work. My students were horrified by the beverage. They were very vocal with their "ewwws"

My students questions and comments:

What IS that?
It looks like poop!
Is someone making you drink that?
Can we try some?
You make a face when you drink that!
What is in that?
What is kale?
You should put something yummy in it so it doesn't taste bad! Like cookies...


The student who asked me if someone made me drink it, walked up to me and spoke in hushed tones. He was very concerned. I'm not sure if he thought I was being tortured or if my health was so bad they were making me drink it. He was relieved to hear that it was voluntary. As I typed the word voluntary...I winced. I did make the juice, I did drink it, I did buy the veggies to make it, but there was a sense of obligation to test it out! I don't want to test any of my students gag reflexes so I will not be sharing with the class.

I asked mom for a few dinner suggestions. I was avoiding a grocery store stop. She had all kinds of ideas that involved a lot of greens. I had my greens plus some today. I even ate a spinach and leaf lettuce salad for lunch. I've done my part. Needless to say it is the end of the month the groceries are thin, and I don't want to shop. Dinner has become experimental. I am nervous. I cooked hamburger, made a roux, and threw in green beans (shoot..more green). I threw all this into a casserole dish sprinkled cheese on the mix. On the very top I added canned, sliced, new potatoes. Yeah....no idea if this will turn out. I have a back up can of chili...it has red things in it...very exciting! I thought this juice would be so filling I wouldn't want to eat dinner. I think it is more that I need a cleansed palate.

80's Flashbacks

You never know what will trigger a memory. Today I was talking to a friend about a movie that was an 80's classic that I never watched till the 90's. A Never Ending Story was what it was called. I remember thinking the special effects were terrible. Thinking about this made me think of another movie The Pagemaster which came out in the 90's. I liked it at the time. I haven't watched it since but I think I will. Thinking of these movies based on a love for reading made me think of 6th grade library. I had changed schools after 5th grade because our school was closed. I started at a new elementary school. Our previous librarian was amazing at getting us  to read books. She'd pick great ones and read us just enough of a chapter to get us into it then stop. Unfortunately, my friend Terri always seemed to beat me to checking them out. Thank goodness mom took us to the county library.

Anyhow, I was at a new school with a new librarian. I didn't love that library as well as my last and it definitely wasn't as big. I caught on quickly that the class would beg the librarian to watch this show. I'd never heard of it or seen it before. It was a post-apocalyptic  show that began with most earthlings being transported off earth because earth had become so polluted. Well a few unfortunate survivors all trapped at the library of course, had to use these library resources to survive. Basically this whole show was a way to teach kids about the Dewey Decimal system. It was released by Mississippi Educational Television and I think only released on public television. It is a bit hysterical to watch now. It really is a great example of 80's t.v. The show was called Tomes and Talismans. Click on the title and watch the first episode. I remember thinking it wasn't very good at the time and I couldn't figure out why my classmates wanted to watch it. Well, after being in library with our very grumpy librarian a few times, I understood. Watching a show was a much better idea.

I also left an extremely amazing music teacher at the last school. My new music teacher was not only of poor quality, but very annoyed by us.  My classmates also begged him to play a song at the end of every class. I missed out on what led up to it... but this was the song: Daddy Sang Bass.  This was also the height of the Jazzercise Craze. They would beg to do Jazzercize in P.E. I hated it. Well, mostly the girls would beg. Jazzercise ....legwarmer flashbacks .  

So...It all started with a movie mention by a friend. I am glad that I read more books than watched movies as a kid. Hollywood and especially Disney has ruined a lot of great books. They've really ruined them for kids and teachers. You don't want your student to go watch the movie to find out the ending. You want them to enjoy the journey. We just finished The Mouse and the Motorcycle, by Beverly Cleary. It is a classic. The kids loved it and some went to check out their own copy after we read it together. There are two more books in that series. We started reading The 13 Story Treehouse. It is a fun book with a lot of funny drawings. It will be engaging for reluctant readers. However, it is not going to be a classic. It is a fun read.

Stop

Few would be shocked to know that I have strong opinions.  Sometimes these opinions are based on reading and research into the areas of topic. However, I will admit sometimes it comes down to personal taste. Where am I going with this you say?

Yoga Pants!

I do appreciate that many have stopped pretending they are on their way to yoga or to the gym and now call them leggings. I have one descriptor for them. Ugly.

No, No, No, you don't need to try to talk me into anything. I know they are comfortable. I understand they are easy to work out in (when actually used for that purpose.). Stop pretending they are professional ready-to-wear work clothing. Stop with the terrible patterns and unflattering styles. Stop with the immodesty.  Stop! Just Stop!  Some of those patterns you are wearing match the curtains, wallpaper, and sofas of many Great-Grannies' homes.   I really don't need to see that much of you.

It's sad that I'd give anything to see sweatpants or flannel loungers.

(Update: My mother would also suggest, they are not meant for every body type. Know your limits!)

Q-tip Wars!

I started off my Monday morning with sneak attack Q-tip wars! It was a very one sided war as I was the only armed patriot. My colleagues or enemies were the targets of my very inaccurate firing. The bonus was we all had a great giggle to start off the day. You can arm yourself here!  I ordered them for a much much cheaper price! Shop around and you too can start off your Monday with an epic battle.

There doesn't seem to be enough hours in the day for grading. I correct the papers. I enter in all the information needed into the grading software, then I enter in the grades, then I put the graded work in the students cubbies. It is a long process. I try to make sure I have grades going home quite often. It is a time consuming aspect of teaching.

It rained today. I have mentioned before and will most likely mention again that people here melt in the rain. We can't go outside during the slightest drizzle. We must cancel recess immediately. We can be outside in a blizzard, but outside with rain that is unacceptable. We had two canceled recesses today. Do you know what that creates? It creates students that are bouncing off walls and frazzled teachers who need to use the facilities. Rain, while I have enjoyed your presence, I have a request. Rain after 3:20p.m. and before 9 a.m. I know you tried because you woke me up a lot last night. Your schedule can be anytime on Saturdays and Sundays. I'm not concerned about rained out soccer games. See what you can do Rain! Thank you.

Spring...

That time of year when the outdoors does its best to kill me. I have to figure out out to change my game plan! Breathing is not over-rated!

Friday is coming!

What a thing to think about on a lovely brisk Saturday evening. I have to plan ahead. This coming Friday is our grade levels turn to provide lunch for the staff. I decided to make that journey to Wal-Mart this evening to purchase my contributions. We are doing a salad bar for the staff. My contributions included the plastic-ware, plates, bowls, croutons, nuts, seeds, peperocinis  and a gazillion croutons. I think we should have ordered sub sandwiches. I did not purchase the prerequisite dessert. I will decide what to do about that later in the week. Unless I am suddenly inspired earlier.

There was quite a few people at Wal-Mart purchasing last minute Easter Baskets or dinner items. It is an interesting place to observe people but I mostly wanted to get the heck out of there. I usually avoid shopping there, but when you're trying to shop "cheaper" it is the only option.

People keep asking about my summer plans. I am not sure if I will be taking a class or attending any trainings. When I think about that first week after school is out I know it will probably be a combination of cleaning house, doing laundry, and recuperating. I don't think I will be switching classrooms this summer but one never knows for sure. The janitors are in charge of the heavy lifting we just have to take everything off the walls and cover bookshelves. I will probably empty mine because I  want to do some rearranging in August.  I don't think clean up will take as long because we don't have to box every single thing up as we did at my previous teaching position.

This coming week we have Leadership Day which will involve an assembly and visitors. In May we have a school/family dance that I will be attending to serve food. We also have a field trip that same week that I wish I could explain but I have no idea what it involves. We've completed two weeks of the last nine weeks of school. I think the rest of the year will fly by.

ADD and ADHD

This has become a bit of a controversial topic. I think mostly because the over diagnosing of mostly very active boys and the overuse of Ritalin. There has become a bit of a stigma attached to even a suggestion of these diagnoses.  If you have an easily distracted child. I would be the first to say make medication the last resort. Try changing the diet. Remove all processed food and food dyes. Check for other possible medical issues. Sometimes children can have sleep apnea that can cause them to show similar symptoms. A medical evaluation is important. Making sure your child has plenty of time for physical activity can reduce possible issues. There could also be underlying anxiety problems. Parents should look at the possibilities.

When to medicate? When your child is adversely affected daily by their inability to focus. They can't complete school work, they lack success in school, they can't seem to complete a thought, and they are very easily distracted. I think the main reason to medicate is when their inability to focus is breaking their spirit and making them feel like a failure. The medication has changed for treating ADD and ADHD. There are more options and different dosage possibilities. I think this is important for parents to know.

I had a student this year from day to day and hour to hour you didn't know what to expect. I had multiple conversations with the parent. The child wasn't hyperactive. The child didn't lack the mental capacity. The child had no other impairments that I could see. A few times I thought the child might be having a seizure because it appeared that there were no lights on in the office. Sometimes, the child could get through part of a task and have it done correctly, then later on the same task have it all incorrect. The child was easily distracted by others. I had to learn to let the child come back into themselves ,so to speak, to give them help. At spring conferences I spoke with the parent again and suggested a medical evaluation. I told them I had no idea what was going on ,but the impact on their learning was significant. I suggested they go to a pediatrician they had a lot of confidence in that would listen to their concerns. School doesn't get easier after 2nd grade.  The parent made an appointment immediately. Then brought me paperwork to fill out. I didn't know if there was follow through after that.

Then this  last week I started to notice a change. There was an ability to follow through, a focus that wasn't there before, an ability to ignore other off task students, and best of all a growing confidence. The parent messaged me and asked if I had noticed anything and I let them know I had. I was then told the student was put on a low dose medication. I talked with the student privately and asked how they were feeling there was a big bright smile that lit up the room " I feel like I can think!"  I am so excited for this student. They are having success and their confidence is growing. I think the school experience is going to completely change for them.

So my message is, while I understand why you don't want to medicate there is a time that it should be considered. Don't allow a spirit to be broken because you have  preconceived ideas about ADD or ADHD. Times have changed and more options are available.

Rain

Second grade students understand sarcasm. I know this because after the second or third student came in with a pouty face and complained to me that it was raining at recess, I exaggeratedly said "Oh MY GOODNESS! I've had students MELT in the rain!! Did everyone make it? Are we all okay???" Laughter ensued and complaints ended. I am always amused by the reaction to rain in this state.

I have allergy related asthma. I hate it. I feel for anyone with breathing issues. It is frustrating to not be able to do what you want simply because you cannot get enough oxygen. When I have a reaction even laughter can trigger issues. It also takes awhile for me to get back to max capacity. It is why I love time by the sea. I can breathe easily and freely. It is that breath of fresh air my lungs long for.  We had a couple days of strong winds ahead of the storms. They blew dust and dirt, and of course I reacted. Tonight I have my diffuser going, had a long shower, am drinking my "Breathe" tea, and used my inhaler. I took my allergy medicine. If I could "wish" this away I would. People who have breathing issues year round I feel terrible for them. It is miserable.

Oh my word my computer keeps yelling at me for some reason or another. I'm doing updates, virus protection, etc. I hate Windows 10 if you haven't heard me rant about this before just know I will NEVER by a computer ran by Windows software again! UGGH! That was a short rant, but I have to sign off before it starts yelling again!!

It's almost here....the weekend

I was trying to contemplate my week. I can say for sure that I have brought home papers to grade for three nights in a row. What did I do Monday night? I think I fell into bed early. I was contemplating my day tomorrow when I realized it is Friday. This means someone else makes lunch and it is "Casual Friday." I can wear my jeans and tennis shoes. I had a list of things I brought home that I thought I would get done. Well after grading papers, eating dinner, washing dishes, and taking a shower. It is almost time for bed.

I stayed a little late after school to print some things that I haven't had time to. Usually the copy room is very busy. I thought there would be a chance that I could get some things done without too much competition. I did manage to! Yay! Tomorrow when I drop my students off for Library I will have to work on getting ready for next week and maybe tackling a couple more things on my list. I expect I will have to come in to school on Saturday to finish it up.

Not that there was any other option, but I am so glad I went to a community college before heading to a four year school. I listen to my peers and the debt they've accumulated and I wince. I also think the community college experience provided me with a quality foundation. I definitely used the available resources to help get me through and I had some really great instructors. I don't know how to quantify my learning there, but I often reflect on my learning there and how it impacts my teaching now.  I think I got more "learning about teaching" from that experience than my actual teaching degree. I'm really glad I had that experience and that I am not swimming in a mountain of debt.

I was invited to friends for "Easter Dinner" on Sunday. They don't attend church but observe the holiday with baskets, eggs, chocolate, and dinner. Since I did not grow up celebrating Easter as such I didn't remember that it was this weekend. It is interesting to see how Easter becomes a once a year event to acknowledge Christ. Today though I suppose I am glad there is any acknowledgement. We have a variety of religious backgrounds among my colleagues from some real "Holy Rollers" to traditional Lutherans. I will say this, I work with good people.

I have went through a few "Teacher Bags" as a teacher. I have given up on finding the perfect bag. There isn't one that meets my needs. Although that week with the giant Costco bag came close. I am back to using the backpack. I don't have to juggle everything to unlock or lock doors. I am not losing circulation in my arms from carrying the bag. Yeah, the backpack! It isn't fancy, but it never disappoints. Speaking of the backpack. I bought a backpack in 1999. I was told it would never last. It has been with me over seas, dales, hills, banks, streams, field trips, and much more. It is still going! Not a tear or a weak zipper. In  two years that backpack will be 20. I bought it for $19.99. It's a keeper!

I'm back

Spring break flew by. I packed a lot in a little time. I was able to stop in and visit a few folks. There were a few I missed, but time always seems to run short. I soaked up a lot of moisture. I forget what it feels like to not have dry skin. I packed a lot in a little bit of time.

Luckily when I arrived home I had planned and was prepared for the first couple of days back to school. Even though the copier broke before leaving on break I had those first two days ready and the next couple partially ready. It was nice to see my colleagues again. A change of scenery was very refreshing. My friends made me dinner my first night back home! I managed to put off the grocery store visit for one more day. I went after work today. I just got the basics so I could finish out this week.

I had to quickly make some desk adjustments this morning. I had to place some students in independent seating. There are a few reasons for this. Some students just cannot help themselves with constantly bugging their neighbors. Some will not attempt to do their work independently. I want them to be able to read it and attempt it before relying on others. Then other students don't work well with others. It seems like separating them from the group isn't effective, but they want to work with their peers. They just want to do it their way. They will be put back in the group when they are willing to contribute in positive ways. This  is usually effective. We shall see.

This is usually the time of year when I can reel it back a little because students are ready and able to do their work. They are showing independence and willingness to problem solve. They are usually willing to make attempts before requesting help. This class is the most needy class I've ever had for this time of year. It is a very immature group as a whole. I think there are a few that developmentally probably were not ready to be in this grade. It is a bummer when teachers do not retain them in kindergarten or first when they are not academically or developmentally ready for the next grade. Retention is much less traumatic in those grades.

Another busy week ahead!

Time for Break!

Every single year at parent-teacher conferences I have this situation. As I kindly explain that their student is not on grade level and why that is. They begin to talk over me, make excuses, and tell me why I am wrong. I know I am not getting through to them. I know I am not heard. I know that they probably heard the same thoughts from the previous two years of school and will continue to hear it. They can say the education system failed them. Maybe it has. Maybe that student should have been retained. However, the parent is also failing them by not being realistic about their learning. If they are in denial you know they are not going to have any extra help at home. It makes you sad. The parent has effectively tied your hands. This year I only had a couple of those situations. Overall I think conferences were successful.

Next year we move to student led conferences. The parents share their goals and demonstrate their own learning. I like the idea. I did get a piece of feedback from a parent that went to one this year. They said that multiple parents were at the conference at the same time as they moved around the room from learning demonstration to learning demonstration. The parent said she had questions she wanted to ask and thoughts she wanted to share with the teacher. The parent didn't feel comfortable because there was not any privacy to do so, it left the parent feeling frustrated. I completely agreed that this was important for the parent to have that time with the teacher. I think I may need to share that in private with administration. I didn't think other teachers would be receptive to that. They thought it went better to do conferences this way because they went more quickly. They also said when the students demonstrated their learning parents had less questions about their grades. I think getting conferences done quicker is nothing to brag about. I have a feeling there was a lot of people who felt rushed.

I came home this afternoon and hung out with my little buddy and his big sis. After he had a meltdown the other night about me leaving for spring break I had to make some time to hang with him. We went and bought slushies, chatted about their new gecko, and played games. I also managed to get through a couple of loads of laundry and a load of dishes ran through the dishwasher. I am finishing up the last of my laundry. Then I can begin packing my suitcase. I didn't want to come back to a laundry pile and a sink full of dishes.

I hit the road soon!