I can't believe I've been away from the blog for so long, but I guess I have. Amazing how one little thing can suck up all your free time.
Case in point...hubby's knee.
My hubby is a wonderful guy. And a wonderful guy like hubby, who also happens to be a historian, volunteers to help our 8th graders go on the last field trip of the year (before the edict on "no field trips after Thanksgiving due to the fact we've run out of money for fuel for the buses" goes into effect). The trip is to a local Civil War battlefield that hubby spends a lot of time at, giving tours, volunteering, etc. So hubby is having a grand time, the kids are loving it, the teachers are loving it (he gets really into it when he's doing things like this) and he hops down into a pit where the large cannons are to show the kids how they work and - BAM! - he lands wrong on his 52 year old knee and screws it up big time.
At the time he thought he just twisted it and winced his way through the rest of the field trip. He gets home and it's the size of a large grapefruit. I get home and we go to the ER. A few days later we have it drained and the doctor says it's either a hairline fracture or a torn ligament. Great. He's in a knee brace and is told to keep it up, keep off, and ice it. Well, the best place to keep off of it, keep it up, and keep it iced is in front of the computer.
So, while hubby is being good and following doctor's orders, he'd doing it in front of the computer, and I'm doing anything in the house that requires walking, which is pretty much everything. Hence no time to blog.
Sigh. If it's not one thing, it's another.
Saturday, November 26, 2005
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Angry Boy II Update
Some of you may have recalled my posts on Angry Boy II (sad to say I have two of them) who has a lot of "anger" issues and who earned himself a place in alternative school after trying to clobber someone with a lunch tray. So we're sitting around the lunch table yesterday trying to figure out when Angry Boy II is going to return to our regular classroom when Mrs. Squirrel walks in. Mrs. Squirrel has news about Angry Boy II and it looks like we won't be seeing him for a long time. Turns out Angry Boy II was expelled for a calendar year from Alternative School. Why? No details, but considering the blow ups he had in our building, I can only imagine. What's going to happen to him? I have no real idea. The State will probably step in and he'll be court ordered to go to school somewhere.
The sad thing is that this kid is emotionally disturbed but he can't last in a school long enough to get him tested and identified as such. No identification, no resources, no help. Perhaps the best thing for him would be to be made a ward of the court (again) and then someone could help him.
Goodness knows we tried.
The sad thing is that this kid is emotionally disturbed but he can't last in a school long enough to get him tested and identified as such. No identification, no resources, no help. Perhaps the best thing for him would be to be made a ward of the court (again) and then someone could help him.
Goodness knows we tried.
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
Melt down!
Last year we had a student on our team we called Meltdown Boy. Meltdown Boy would, and did, have meltdowns at the slightest provocation. Someone picked on him on the bus? Meltdown? He forgot his band instrument? Meltdown. You put a "did not have homework" stamp in his agenda? Meltdown.
Meltdowns could range from grabbing onto his hair and wailing "I can't remember!!!" followed by laying his head down on his desk in dispair after he's been called on to answer a question, that, I might add, he volunteered for, (we learned really quick to call on him really fast, before he forgot what he wanted to say) to laying down on the floor in the middle of the classroom and sobbing his eyes out.
When he first landed in our classrooms we thought he might be special ed, possibly midly autistic. However, according to his mother, he's simply depressed, lacks social skills and is ADD. he's also brilliant. However, when she says he lacks social skills, she is not kidding. This kid has absolutely no social skills to speak of, which, in the world of middle school monsters, is certain to get you teased and abused to no end. And apparently one of the biggest abusers his his little brother who, we hear, is a holy terror. Meltdown Boy is, in the words of our Star Football Jock, the "only kid who really scares me because he's so crazy." That's saying something.
In any case, the other day we're walking by the guidance office on the way to meet with a parent up in the office when Miss Reading says, "Look who's sitting in Guidance, sobbing his eyes out,". We look (the entire front of the office is glass - there is NO privacy whatsoever), and there he is in all his Boo-Hoo Glory. Meltdown boy, another year older, and he's still just sobbing his heart out.
I honestly wonder if this kid will survive his first week of high school.
Meltdowns could range from grabbing onto his hair and wailing "I can't remember!!!" followed by laying his head down on his desk in dispair after he's been called on to answer a question, that, I might add, he volunteered for, (we learned really quick to call on him really fast, before he forgot what he wanted to say) to laying down on the floor in the middle of the classroom and sobbing his eyes out.
When he first landed in our classrooms we thought he might be special ed, possibly midly autistic. However, according to his mother, he's simply depressed, lacks social skills and is ADD. he's also brilliant. However, when she says he lacks social skills, she is not kidding. This kid has absolutely no social skills to speak of, which, in the world of middle school monsters, is certain to get you teased and abused to no end. And apparently one of the biggest abusers his his little brother who, we hear, is a holy terror. Meltdown Boy is, in the words of our Star Football Jock, the "only kid who really scares me because he's so crazy." That's saying something.
In any case, the other day we're walking by the guidance office on the way to meet with a parent up in the office when Miss Reading says, "Look who's sitting in Guidance, sobbing his eyes out,". We look (the entire front of the office is glass - there is NO privacy whatsoever), and there he is in all his Boo-Hoo Glory. Meltdown boy, another year older, and he's still just sobbing his heart out.
I honestly wonder if this kid will survive his first week of high school.
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Wham! Bam! Let's go Glam!
Seventh grade boys are an odd bunch. Then again, that's what makes them so darn amusing (and infuriating) in the first place.
Case in point. I have a lot of skaterboarders on my team. Last year we had the jocks, the kids who played football and basketball. This year we have the little boys (skaters are, for some reason, invariably small) who are completely into skateboards. They sneak skatobard catalogs into the classroom and read and compare every chance they get. I never once saw a boy with a catalog last year, a game magazine perhaps, but a catalog, never. Now I find them everywhere. My advisory kids, in fact, have so many catalogs that they sit there and comparison shop. Some of these kids, in fact, began selling their Halloween candy to classmates in order to fund their addiction to radical t-shirts and skateboard decks.
In any case, there are two trends among the skater squirts that are a bit more than a tad weird, and they began showing up this week.
First trend - skater squirts are wearing girls jeans. Apparently the reason they are wearing girls jeans is because they're tight (very, very tight if you've seen the styles lately) whereas boys jeans are very, very loose (so loose you could be three skaters in one pair). Skaters like tight jeans because the loose ones get in the way when doing skateboard tricks. However, it's really weird seeing some of our boys in these skintight jeans. In fact, one of them, Whiney Boy, looked as if he was having trouble walking. I'm wondering if their parents have any idea what they're wearing to school.
The other new thing is eyeliner. Dark, smokey, almost Goth eyeliner. And the little seventh grade girls just adore this new fad and are whipping out their eyeliner pencils and dolling up the boys in between classes. This whole trend, along with the jeans, has Mr. Social Studies just about beside himself. He's retired military and boys just don't do things like this in his book, even goofy, space cadet, seventh grade boys.
However, as I'm standing there in my room it occurs to me that my boys are now starting to look like David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars. The Glam movement is alive and well in my classroom! All they need is a little glitter and they'd be set.
I happened to mention this to a few of the boys who, thankfully had heard of David Bowie, but never heard of the Spiders, Mick Ronson, Sweet or any of the other Glam bands from that era. So sad, their musical background is a void.
Perhaps I need to whip out and play my Velvet Goldmine CD during class?
Case in point. I have a lot of skaterboarders on my team. Last year we had the jocks, the kids who played football and basketball. This year we have the little boys (skaters are, for some reason, invariably small) who are completely into skateboards. They sneak skatobard catalogs into the classroom and read and compare every chance they get. I never once saw a boy with a catalog last year, a game magazine perhaps, but a catalog, never. Now I find them everywhere. My advisory kids, in fact, have so many catalogs that they sit there and comparison shop. Some of these kids, in fact, began selling their Halloween candy to classmates in order to fund their addiction to radical t-shirts and skateboard decks.
In any case, there are two trends among the skater squirts that are a bit more than a tad weird, and they began showing up this week.
First trend - skater squirts are wearing girls jeans. Apparently the reason they are wearing girls jeans is because they're tight (very, very tight if you've seen the styles lately) whereas boys jeans are very, very loose (so loose you could be three skaters in one pair). Skaters like tight jeans because the loose ones get in the way when doing skateboard tricks. However, it's really weird seeing some of our boys in these skintight jeans. In fact, one of them, Whiney Boy, looked as if he was having trouble walking. I'm wondering if their parents have any idea what they're wearing to school.
The other new thing is eyeliner. Dark, smokey, almost Goth eyeliner. And the little seventh grade girls just adore this new fad and are whipping out their eyeliner pencils and dolling up the boys in between classes. This whole trend, along with the jeans, has Mr. Social Studies just about beside himself. He's retired military and boys just don't do things like this in his book, even goofy, space cadet, seventh grade boys.
However, as I'm standing there in my room it occurs to me that my boys are now starting to look like David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars. The Glam movement is alive and well in my classroom! All they need is a little glitter and they'd be set.
I happened to mention this to a few of the boys who, thankfully had heard of David Bowie, but never heard of the Spiders, Mick Ronson, Sweet or any of the other Glam bands from that era. So sad, their musical background is a void.
Perhaps I need to whip out and play my Velvet Goldmine CD during class?
Thursday, November 03, 2005
When technology bites you on the butt
Sigh.
I love technology at the same time I hate it.
We have these laptop labs at school that we got last year and they're just the neatest things to roll into your classroom and use. The kids love them, they get computer experience, and they usually learn something. It's amazing how quiet the room will get when they're doing something on a computer.
In any case, I had this great review lesson to do over our systems of organization unit utilizing a fantastic website we finally got the district to pay for the licenses for - BrainPop. The kids love this site. It's good for all sorts of subjects, has cartoon movies that teach content, a "pop" quiz, and more. All in all, I'm looking forward to this lesson, the kids are excited about getting the laptops, and even Mrs. Squirrel is going to come watch the lesson for one of my observations.
Except the network was down.
Again.
See, our network, for some reason I have yet to determine and no one can tell me, will work fine until about 7:30. Then it will either shut down completely, or internet access is so slow it's all you can do not to fall asleep watching a page to load. And wouldn't you know it, it comes back up around 3:30....when we don't need the darn thing.
So, knowing how technology can reach up and bite you in the butt, I had a plan B - Review Bingo!!! And loads of leftover Halloween candy for the winners, so all worked out okay although I think the kids have had way too much sugar this week.
But you know, what's the use of having the technology if the stupid network won't even stay up?
I love technology at the same time I hate it.
We have these laptop labs at school that we got last year and they're just the neatest things to roll into your classroom and use. The kids love them, they get computer experience, and they usually learn something. It's amazing how quiet the room will get when they're doing something on a computer.
In any case, I had this great review lesson to do over our systems of organization unit utilizing a fantastic website we finally got the district to pay for the licenses for - BrainPop. The kids love this site. It's good for all sorts of subjects, has cartoon movies that teach content, a "pop" quiz, and more. All in all, I'm looking forward to this lesson, the kids are excited about getting the laptops, and even Mrs. Squirrel is going to come watch the lesson for one of my observations.
Except the network was down.
Again.
See, our network, for some reason I have yet to determine and no one can tell me, will work fine until about 7:30. Then it will either shut down completely, or internet access is so slow it's all you can do not to fall asleep watching a page to load. And wouldn't you know it, it comes back up around 3:30....when we don't need the darn thing.
So, knowing how technology can reach up and bite you in the butt, I had a plan B - Review Bingo!!! And loads of leftover Halloween candy for the winners, so all worked out okay although I think the kids have had way too much sugar this week.
But you know, what's the use of having the technology if the stupid network won't even stay up?
Sunday, October 30, 2005
How I Earned the Grade I Got
I got a number of emails from folks who wanted to see this handout I give my kids (and which they are required to have all year in their binder). I cannot claim credit for this - it was borrowed from a lecturer on one of my grad school tapes and I simply modified it.
If you can answer "yes" to all of these questions, congratulations! You did a fantastic job! If any of these are answered with a "no", then you have some work to do. The key to a better grade is in your hands! If you can change "no" to "yes" your grade will begin to improve! It is all up to YOU!
1. I turn in all assignments complete and on time.
2. I write my assignments in my agenda every day.
3. My work is neat and easy to read.
4. My journal entries are dated, numbered and written in my composition book.
5. My science section of my binder is neat and everything is in its place.
6. I put my full name, date, period and assignment page on all my assignments.
7. I come to class prepared every day with my pencil, my book, my journal, my workbook, my binder and my agenda.
8. I study a little every day so that I am well prepared for all tests and quizzes.
9. If I don't understand something, I ask questions.
10. I care about my future and take pride in always doing my best.
Now underneath this I have a copy of a newspaper clipping I got this past June out of USA Today. It's one of those little snapshot graphics on the front page and this one is titled, Earnings Soar with More Education (data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2004 statistics). It shows the average yearly salary of workes ages 18 and older. No high school diploma is $18,734, high school diploma is $27,915, a bachelor's degree is $51,206, and an advanced degree is $74,602.
Of course, if you're a teacher, you won't be earning that kind of money, but you get the idea!
How I earned the grade I got
If you can answer "yes" to all of these questions, congratulations! You did a fantastic job! If any of these are answered with a "no", then you have some work to do. The key to a better grade is in your hands! If you can change "no" to "yes" your grade will begin to improve! It is all up to YOU!
1. I turn in all assignments complete and on time.
2. I write my assignments in my agenda every day.
3. My work is neat and easy to read.
4. My journal entries are dated, numbered and written in my composition book.
5. My science section of my binder is neat and everything is in its place.
6. I put my full name, date, period and assignment page on all my assignments.
7. I come to class prepared every day with my pencil, my book, my journal, my workbook, my binder and my agenda.
8. I study a little every day so that I am well prepared for all tests and quizzes.
9. If I don't understand something, I ask questions.
10. I care about my future and take pride in always doing my best.
Now underneath this I have a copy of a newspaper clipping I got this past June out of USA Today. It's one of those little snapshot graphics on the front page and this one is titled, Earnings Soar with More Education (data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 2004 statistics). It shows the average yearly salary of workes ages 18 and older. No high school diploma is $18,734, high school diploma is $27,915, a bachelor's degree is $51,206, and an advanced degree is $74,602.
Of course, if you're a teacher, you won't be earning that kind of money, but you get the idea!
A Merry Olde Tyme
This year we have a very active PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) which is a rather nice change. We've had great PTO leadership in the past but it was, in truth, maybe about 5 parents doing it all. This year we have enough people that they're actually out there en masse doing things for the school - landscaping, providing food packages for our hungry kids for the weekend, selling t-shirts, etc. This year they wanted to revive the Medieval Festival that apparently was done at our school years ago. It was ambitious to say the least - cakewalk, basket auction, jousting area, carnival games, face/hair painting, human chess match, and the fall dance. I'll be honest and say I was wondering how it would pan out. I knew the kids would be there (if there's a dance, they're there), but would we get enough people to make the money the PTO was hoping for?
I think they may have. I haven't heard any figures, but the place was packed.
That morning, however, we started things off with a bang. A local merchant donated a couple of sets of armor that were set up in the core and each advisory room had a class banner (kid designed and made) hanging outside the room. Mine had a chessboard, musical notes, a skateboard, a knight's helmet draped in yellow ribbon (my Army kids wanted something to represent supporting the troops), and in the middle a white hamster (for our class pet). The kids had all made coats of arms in reading class and they were hanging everywhere.
The kids and teachers were encouraged to dress up and I was astounded at how many kids did. I had knights and maidens, a couple of monks, a pirate and a few musketeers, as well as a couple of executioneers. And amazingly, although a lot of the costumes were homemade, they were awesome. Some of the boys did a great job making knight's helmets out of cardboard and silver paint. Mrs. Eagle and I, both being science teachers, dressed up as alchemists. You can do a lot with an old graduation gown and some cool drapey fabric. I did knit up a quick hat out of a velvety ribbon that looked somewhat like Dumbledore's in one of the HP movies. In any case, it was tremendous seeing the kids all entire the spirit of the thing, even the ones who I wouldn't have thought would have.
Some of my students from last year came by to show me their outfits which was really fun. One of my favorite kids, Metalhead, had a great peasant outfit, complete with a cap and looked like he walked out of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Fortunately he actually knew what I was talking about.
The festival started at 5:00 and it didn't even look like the same old school. The booths were packed with kids making feather face masks, magic wands, little pendants with colored sand, getting their hair painted and their faces decorated. The jousting booth was popular where the kids paid fifty cents to wack each other with foam swords.
And then there was the human chess match. Out behind the cafeteria and the In School Suspension (ISS) building was, much to my surprise, a slab of concrete with a very faded chess board painted on it from years gone by. The PTO bought the paint to have it repainted, a few teachers worked on it in the afternoons, and it was fantastic. We had run a tournament in chess club to pick the four players, and they were ready to go once they drafted 32 kids to be the pieces. We had signs made up to hang on them so they knew what piece they were. We ran two games and it was just hysterical! First off, getting middle school chess pieces to be quiet enough and still enough is a challenge. Then, because they've all seen the Harry Potter movie with Wizard Chess, they got into the whole idea that chess is the ultimate war game. Our chessmasters (and I'll brag here and say that 3 of the top 5 players in the school are on my team and one is in my advisory), would walk up to a piece and point at a player and go, "take him out", and the kids would yell and scream and just have a riot. One little girl that I have was beaming all night because she "killed the king!" and helped win the game. Most of the pieces haven't a clue how to play, but they had a lot of fun. So much so that they wanted to know when we'd do it again. I think I should thank the folks who made the Harry Potter movie with the Wizard Chess match because, honestly, it has revived interest in the game among kids.
The dance was a typical middle school dance with one big exception - they got a popular DJ from a local radio station to come down and DJ the dance and she was great. The kids were just besotted with her and the place was packed. We did have to sit a few kids down on the benches for a time out for inappropriate dancing - body slamming, touching too much, or just being lewd. They duplicate what they see on TV and some of it can be pretty raunchy.
I got home at 10:00. I'd arrived at school at 6:15 am. I was whupped, but we had a blast.
I think they may have. I haven't heard any figures, but the place was packed.
That morning, however, we started things off with a bang. A local merchant donated a couple of sets of armor that were set up in the core and each advisory room had a class banner (kid designed and made) hanging outside the room. Mine had a chessboard, musical notes, a skateboard, a knight's helmet draped in yellow ribbon (my Army kids wanted something to represent supporting the troops), and in the middle a white hamster (for our class pet). The kids had all made coats of arms in reading class and they were hanging everywhere.
The kids and teachers were encouraged to dress up and I was astounded at how many kids did. I had knights and maidens, a couple of monks, a pirate and a few musketeers, as well as a couple of executioneers. And amazingly, although a lot of the costumes were homemade, they were awesome. Some of the boys did a great job making knight's helmets out of cardboard and silver paint. Mrs. Eagle and I, both being science teachers, dressed up as alchemists. You can do a lot with an old graduation gown and some cool drapey fabric. I did knit up a quick hat out of a velvety ribbon that looked somewhat like Dumbledore's in one of the HP movies. In any case, it was tremendous seeing the kids all entire the spirit of the thing, even the ones who I wouldn't have thought would have.
Some of my students from last year came by to show me their outfits which was really fun. One of my favorite kids, Metalhead, had a great peasant outfit, complete with a cap and looked like he walked out of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Fortunately he actually knew what I was talking about.
The festival started at 5:00 and it didn't even look like the same old school. The booths were packed with kids making feather face masks, magic wands, little pendants with colored sand, getting their hair painted and their faces decorated. The jousting booth was popular where the kids paid fifty cents to wack each other with foam swords.
And then there was the human chess match. Out behind the cafeteria and the In School Suspension (ISS) building was, much to my surprise, a slab of concrete with a very faded chess board painted on it from years gone by. The PTO bought the paint to have it repainted, a few teachers worked on it in the afternoons, and it was fantastic. We had run a tournament in chess club to pick the four players, and they were ready to go once they drafted 32 kids to be the pieces. We had signs made up to hang on them so they knew what piece they were. We ran two games and it was just hysterical! First off, getting middle school chess pieces to be quiet enough and still enough is a challenge. Then, because they've all seen the Harry Potter movie with Wizard Chess, they got into the whole idea that chess is the ultimate war game. Our chessmasters (and I'll brag here and say that 3 of the top 5 players in the school are on my team and one is in my advisory), would walk up to a piece and point at a player and go, "take him out", and the kids would yell and scream and just have a riot. One little girl that I have was beaming all night because she "killed the king!" and helped win the game. Most of the pieces haven't a clue how to play, but they had a lot of fun. So much so that they wanted to know when we'd do it again. I think I should thank the folks who made the Harry Potter movie with the Wizard Chess match because, honestly, it has revived interest in the game among kids.
The dance was a typical middle school dance with one big exception - they got a popular DJ from a local radio station to come down and DJ the dance and she was great. The kids were just besotted with her and the place was packed. We did have to sit a few kids down on the benches for a time out for inappropriate dancing - body slamming, touching too much, or just being lewd. They duplicate what they see on TV and some of it can be pretty raunchy.
I got home at 10:00. I'd arrived at school at 6:15 am. I was whupped, but we had a blast.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
What a Difference a Day makes...
Remember a few weeks ago we had parent conferences and I basically spent the entire time trouble shooting a computer/printer problem, filing, and talking to the stray parent that wandered in looking lost?
Well.
Report cards went out on Wednesday.
Tonight we had our second parent/teacher conference night.
It was standing room only.
And for once, it was mostly parents I really needed to talk to. I'll have to remember to have a tissue box a little closer at hand because I had at least two boys in tears while I informed their parents that they were looking at grades in the 50% range (and passing is 70%). Not happy campers. Then again, preparing for a test so you don't get a 35% would be a little bit sensible, dontcha think?
I had a list of study tips to hand out to parents (they loved it) along with a sheet my kids have in their binder called "How I earned the grade I got" which is a list of ten questions they need to answer "yes" and "no" to. If they're all "yes", then they probably have an A. Simple things (for most people, but not 7th graders) like being prepared, putting your name on papers, turning in assignments, blah, blah, blah. Hum, maybe I should post it....
Seventh grade is such an awful age. I swear, you think the hormone fairy dropped off some hormones and sucked out their brain cells at the same time.
Well.
Report cards went out on Wednesday.
Tonight we had our second parent/teacher conference night.
It was standing room only.
And for once, it was mostly parents I really needed to talk to. I'll have to remember to have a tissue box a little closer at hand because I had at least two boys in tears while I informed their parents that they were looking at grades in the 50% range (and passing is 70%). Not happy campers. Then again, preparing for a test so you don't get a 35% would be a little bit sensible, dontcha think?
I had a list of study tips to hand out to parents (they loved it) along with a sheet my kids have in their binder called "How I earned the grade I got" which is a list of ten questions they need to answer "yes" and "no" to. If they're all "yes", then they probably have an A. Simple things (for most people, but not 7th graders) like being prepared, putting your name on papers, turning in assignments, blah, blah, blah. Hum, maybe I should post it....
Seventh grade is such an awful age. I swear, you think the hormone fairy dropped off some hormones and sucked out their brain cells at the same time.
Friday, October 21, 2005
Not My Boy!
We had a kid last year that drove us nuts but his mother was even worse. He's a very bright kid, but a druggie (Dad even admitted it), who did nothing, was a bully, and had to have an audience to show off for. He's had a reputation since sixth grade when he was caught red-handed in the act of drawing some incredibly accurate (and quite good from what I hear) renditions of the male reproductive organ. He's apparently fond of this subject as he was also caught in seventh grade doing the very same thing. Why he can't draw a landscape is anyone's guess, but if it is a penis or a sex act, he'll draw it. His father is a serviceman who's gone a lot and his mother is Korean.
In the Korean culture, the male child can do no wrong. Bully Boy's mother is a holy terror and is a classic example of a Korean mother who feels that her male child is absolutely perfect. Bully Boy runs the house (especially when Dad is deployed) and when he gets in trouble his mother comes down to the school and screams at everyone in very broken English. Her command of English curse words is amazing. She apparently almost went over the front counter and tried to grab our bookkeeper who was explaining that her son owed money for book damages last year. She apparently will sit in meetings with teachers and principals and scream "Not my boy!" the entire time, along with her other stock phrase, "My boy good boy! You lie! You lie!" We were lucky last year in that she didn't show for the meeting we scheduled with the parents (I think Dad made her stay home, to be honest) as Dad is actually sane and realizes that his kid is a thug and is quite upset about it.
In any case our students are allowed to have cell phones, but they have to remain in their lockers, and are not to be out or used during school hours. Bully Boy apparently was taking calls on his phone (and who on earth is calling a kid at school during school hours?). Mr. Government knew he was doing it but couldn't catch him at it.
So he got clever.
Somehow he got a hold of Bully Boy's phone number (I think some of the other kids squealed on him and gave it to him - there's no honor among thieves), and called Mrs. Goldilocks, a very lovely, sweet, young teacher who's tough as nails, and told her what was up. Mr. Government was going to call Bully Boy on the phone, and she would be there to catch him as he started messing around in his pocket (it was on vibrate).
Mr. Government called. The phone vibrated. Bully Boy reached in...and looked up only to see Mrs. Goldilocks with her hand out. "Hand it over."
Apparently the look on Bully Boy's face was priceless.
Now the phone is up in the front office and his mother is going to have to come and retrieve it. That should be worth the price of admission.
But the question remains. There were three missed calls on the phone. Who on earth is calling this kid during school hours? My theory? His drug supplier.
I think a locker search is in order...
In the Korean culture, the male child can do no wrong. Bully Boy's mother is a holy terror and is a classic example of a Korean mother who feels that her male child is absolutely perfect. Bully Boy runs the house (especially when Dad is deployed) and when he gets in trouble his mother comes down to the school and screams at everyone in very broken English. Her command of English curse words is amazing. She apparently almost went over the front counter and tried to grab our bookkeeper who was explaining that her son owed money for book damages last year. She apparently will sit in meetings with teachers and principals and scream "Not my boy!" the entire time, along with her other stock phrase, "My boy good boy! You lie! You lie!" We were lucky last year in that she didn't show for the meeting we scheduled with the parents (I think Dad made her stay home, to be honest) as Dad is actually sane and realizes that his kid is a thug and is quite upset about it.
In any case our students are allowed to have cell phones, but they have to remain in their lockers, and are not to be out or used during school hours. Bully Boy apparently was taking calls on his phone (and who on earth is calling a kid at school during school hours?). Mr. Government knew he was doing it but couldn't catch him at it.
So he got clever.
Somehow he got a hold of Bully Boy's phone number (I think some of the other kids squealed on him and gave it to him - there's no honor among thieves), and called Mrs. Goldilocks, a very lovely, sweet, young teacher who's tough as nails, and told her what was up. Mr. Government was going to call Bully Boy on the phone, and she would be there to catch him as he started messing around in his pocket (it was on vibrate).
Mr. Government called. The phone vibrated. Bully Boy reached in...and looked up only to see Mrs. Goldilocks with her hand out. "Hand it over."
Apparently the look on Bully Boy's face was priceless.
Now the phone is up in the front office and his mother is going to have to come and retrieve it. That should be worth the price of admission.
But the question remains. There were three missed calls on the phone. Who on earth is calling this kid during school hours? My theory? His drug supplier.
I think a locker search is in order...
Escape!!!
My friend and fellow teacher Mrs. Cool just cracks me up. She's one of those gals with a quick wit and a great sense of humor. Then again, if you teach 8th grade you pretty much need both of these characteristics to keep sane.
I've been after Mrs. Cool to give up the cigarettes for ages, but she's just started grad school and just got divorced (after twenty years of marriage) so her stress level is a bit high. In any case, we have an approved smoking place for the teachers where the kids and the public can't see them, outside behind the cafeteria.
It's been really warm, unseasonably warm, and Mrs. Cool was taking one of her "checking the weather" breaks this week when a door slams open and a child comes out at a dead run, turns a corner and heads away from the building.
Sixth grader on the loose!!!
Mrs. Cool said it was sad that her first thought wasn't, "Hey, there's a sixth grader on the loose!" but was, "Oh crap, they got me with a cigarette."
In any case, she stubs out her smoke and runs back in the building, picks up the phone, calls the front office to let them know there's a kid on the run. Turns out is was a sixth grader who was apparently supposed to be getting suspended for some reason or another. When the SRO finally caught up with him he claimed he was trying to get to the local shopping center to "pick up some things." Why a sixth grader would need to go shopping to prepare for a suspension is anybody's guess.
Apparently this is the third escape that Mrs. Cool has helped catch this year. Our sixth graders are apparently quite the slippery bunch!
I've been after Mrs. Cool to give up the cigarettes for ages, but she's just started grad school and just got divorced (after twenty years of marriage) so her stress level is a bit high. In any case, we have an approved smoking place for the teachers where the kids and the public can't see them, outside behind the cafeteria.
It's been really warm, unseasonably warm, and Mrs. Cool was taking one of her "checking the weather" breaks this week when a door slams open and a child comes out at a dead run, turns a corner and heads away from the building.
Sixth grader on the loose!!!
Mrs. Cool said it was sad that her first thought wasn't, "Hey, there's a sixth grader on the loose!" but was, "Oh crap, they got me with a cigarette."
In any case, she stubs out her smoke and runs back in the building, picks up the phone, calls the front office to let them know there's a kid on the run. Turns out is was a sixth grader who was apparently supposed to be getting suspended for some reason or another. When the SRO finally caught up with him he claimed he was trying to get to the local shopping center to "pick up some things." Why a sixth grader would need to go shopping to prepare for a suspension is anybody's guess.
Apparently this is the third escape that Mrs. Cool has helped catch this year. Our sixth graders are apparently quite the slippery bunch!
14 freakin' percent!
I'm a bit annoyed at my kids.
We had a unit vocabulary test and unit test this week. We have worked on this unit for three weeks. We have done labs. We have discussed. We have taken quizzes (which were the unit test broken into three parts). We have had a study guide with all the test answers for three weeks.
And barely 30% passed the freakin' test.
The topper was that I had at least two kids get a whoppin' 14% on this test. One of them was a kid I had last year so this is the second time he's gone through this whole unit and he still only gets 14%!! Hell, you'd be better off playing Vegas and just guessing and the odds are you'd get at least 25%. But not my kids. Oh no....they get scores much lower...Why?
Because they just don't care.
They don't care enough to study at least 5 minutes a day. They don't care enough to even look at their study guide - which has the answers for goodness' sake! They don't care enough to put any effort whatsoever into doing a good job.
They're more interested in the opposite sex, video games (which I'm beginning to think are the curese and bane of our society), talking on the phone, and skateboards. The last thing they care about is their education.
And you know what's sad? I don't think their parents care either.
We gave out report cards Wednesday. I had kids, quite a few, who didn't pass this nine week grading period. I was waiting for the phone calls and emails from the parents to hit on Thursday, or at the least, on Friday.
Not a peep. Nothing.
The sound of the silence was deafening.
We had a unit vocabulary test and unit test this week. We have worked on this unit for three weeks. We have done labs. We have discussed. We have taken quizzes (which were the unit test broken into three parts). We have had a study guide with all the test answers for three weeks.
And barely 30% passed the freakin' test.
The topper was that I had at least two kids get a whoppin' 14% on this test. One of them was a kid I had last year so this is the second time he's gone through this whole unit and he still only gets 14%!! Hell, you'd be better off playing Vegas and just guessing and the odds are you'd get at least 25%. But not my kids. Oh no....they get scores much lower...Why?
Because they just don't care.
They don't care enough to study at least 5 minutes a day. They don't care enough to even look at their study guide - which has the answers for goodness' sake! They don't care enough to put any effort whatsoever into doing a good job.
They're more interested in the opposite sex, video games (which I'm beginning to think are the curese and bane of our society), talking on the phone, and skateboards. The last thing they care about is their education.
And you know what's sad? I don't think their parents care either.
We gave out report cards Wednesday. I had kids, quite a few, who didn't pass this nine week grading period. I was waiting for the phone calls and emails from the parents to hit on Thursday, or at the least, on Friday.
Not a peep. Nothing.
The sound of the silence was deafening.
Friday, October 14, 2005
The Poverty Piece
I mentioned in a previous post about the in-service thing we had on poverty, and a reader asked if I learned anything new. Well, the answer is sorta yes. See, I was one of the presenters.
It all started last year when The Principal sent out an email for those teachers interested in a research based project to find ways to work with and help our at risk student population. Mrs. Eagle and I fired back answers saying, "sign me up". One thing that came up during one of our research meetings was that the district was going to be hosting a workshop put on by aha! Process Inc, an organization started by Dr. Ruby Payne. Dr. Payne married a man from poverty and has made it her life's work to research, write and educate people on poverty issues.
Let's just say that was probably one of the very best seminars I've ever attended. I learned a lot. A whole hell of a lot. And it actually has changed, in some ways, how I teach and what kind of assignments I give. The key is that I understand my kids more and can find ways to show them to get out of the generational poverty, get off their butts, and realize they can escape it through education and hard work. As they hear me say all the time "You're momma isn't gonna take care of you forever and believe me, the taxpayers won't either."
Some things I found interesting...
Kids in poverty don't do homework. They often have no place quiet to work, they aren't always sure where they're gonna be sleeping, or if they're eating, no one is available to help them with work, and it's just not a priority in their lives.
Kids (and adults) in generational poverty have a circular way of thinking while middle class people have a more linear - organized - way of thinking. It's easier for middle class kids to organize, plan, and get things done. People in poverty tend to react, and have trouble planning beyond the next minute. They're pretty good at emergencies, however.
Women in poverty often stay in abusive and dangerous situations because the boyfriend-of-the-month is the rent payment. The BOTM will beat the snot out of the kid, but she won't leave as she needs a place to stay. However, relationships are everything with people from poverty (middle class like things) so to protect the relationship with the child, she'll come storming down to the school raising holy hell for no reason whatsoever but to prove to the kid that she still loves him/her.
There's a whole lot out there on the subject...tons of stuff. And a lot of it makes sense, and it has made me see my kids a little differently. What's sad is that so much of how poverty and lack of education affects a child plays heavily in the first five years of life. In other words, before we even get the kid into school. And it's all uphill from there.
It all started last year when The Principal sent out an email for those teachers interested in a research based project to find ways to work with and help our at risk student population. Mrs. Eagle and I fired back answers saying, "sign me up". One thing that came up during one of our research meetings was that the district was going to be hosting a workshop put on by aha! Process Inc, an organization started by Dr. Ruby Payne. Dr. Payne married a man from poverty and has made it her life's work to research, write and educate people on poverty issues.
Let's just say that was probably one of the very best seminars I've ever attended. I learned a lot. A whole hell of a lot. And it actually has changed, in some ways, how I teach and what kind of assignments I give. The key is that I understand my kids more and can find ways to show them to get out of the generational poverty, get off their butts, and realize they can escape it through education and hard work. As they hear me say all the time "You're momma isn't gonna take care of you forever and believe me, the taxpayers won't either."
Some things I found interesting...
Kids in poverty don't do homework. They often have no place quiet to work, they aren't always sure where they're gonna be sleeping, or if they're eating, no one is available to help them with work, and it's just not a priority in their lives.
Kids (and adults) in generational poverty have a circular way of thinking while middle class people have a more linear - organized - way of thinking. It's easier for middle class kids to organize, plan, and get things done. People in poverty tend to react, and have trouble planning beyond the next minute. They're pretty good at emergencies, however.
Women in poverty often stay in abusive and dangerous situations because the boyfriend-of-the-month is the rent payment. The BOTM will beat the snot out of the kid, but she won't leave as she needs a place to stay. However, relationships are everything with people from poverty (middle class like things) so to protect the relationship with the child, she'll come storming down to the school raising holy hell for no reason whatsoever but to prove to the kid that she still loves him/her.
There's a whole lot out there on the subject...tons of stuff. And a lot of it makes sense, and it has made me see my kids a little differently. What's sad is that so much of how poverty and lack of education affects a child plays heavily in the first five years of life. In other words, before we even get the kid into school. And it's all uphill from there.
Thursday, October 13, 2005
Only two....
This week is almost a pointless week because we only have two days of school. It's like, why bother? The kids are on hypermode coming off a five day break, and it would have been easier to just give them two more days and be done with it. As it is, I'm doing fun labs this week because there's no point trying to teach new content. They just aren't with it enough.
As for those of us who teach...We did get Columbus day off (whooo-hooo - let's do yard work all day long and still not get caught up). Tuesday and Wednesday were Teacher In Service day which is a nice way of saying "you're stuck in workshops and meetings all day when all you really want is time to work in your room." Why we rarely get a chance to just have time to work in our room (and goodness knows my room and I could use some work) is beyond me. But we sat through sessions on poverty and education, on the job safety and accident prevention, 6+1 Literacy model, Focus Group, blah, blah, blah.
Update on some previously mentioned characters.
Angry Boy II had a meltdown of some sort in the cafeteria at lunch, was charged by the SRO with disorderly conduct, and assigned to 30 days of alternative school. What this child really needs is mental health care, especially with his anger management problems. This kid is a ticking time bomb. What's even worse is he's completely, totally noncommunicative when he's upset...which is most of the time. No one is even sure what, exactly, set him off since he won't speak when he's mad. He's perfected the art of staring through people, especially adults, when he's mad.
PoopBoy apparently showed up with a doctor's note that said he suffers from "involuntary defectation." Whatever. I haven't heard this from an administrator, nor have I seen this note, so I'm not sure of the validity. Basically what it means is if he manages to do his little stunt, we can't discipline him because it's a medical problem. However, I think we can insist that the parent come get him, but we'll see. As it is, when he does let loose, he's completely disrupting class, not to mention being a health hazard, so I'm sure we'll have to come up with some plan. What, I don't know at this point. I'm sure the parent is a bit annoyed right now as DCS was called. The kid, BTW, has a whopping 50% in my class because he does nothing but whine, complain, interrupt class in a bid to get attention with stuff that is completely irrelevant and unrelated, and yabbers at anything that stands still long enough to be talked at. He's one screwed up kid, and having seen the parents, I'm not even remotely surprised. I still think there's some abuse in the family somewhere...
Tomorrow is Friday!!! yeah!
As for those of us who teach...We did get Columbus day off (whooo-hooo - let's do yard work all day long and still not get caught up). Tuesday and Wednesday were Teacher In Service day which is a nice way of saying "you're stuck in workshops and meetings all day when all you really want is time to work in your room." Why we rarely get a chance to just have time to work in our room (and goodness knows my room and I could use some work) is beyond me. But we sat through sessions on poverty and education, on the job safety and accident prevention, 6+1 Literacy model, Focus Group, blah, blah, blah.
Update on some previously mentioned characters.
Angry Boy II had a meltdown of some sort in the cafeteria at lunch, was charged by the SRO with disorderly conduct, and assigned to 30 days of alternative school. What this child really needs is mental health care, especially with his anger management problems. This kid is a ticking time bomb. What's even worse is he's completely, totally noncommunicative when he's upset...which is most of the time. No one is even sure what, exactly, set him off since he won't speak when he's mad. He's perfected the art of staring through people, especially adults, when he's mad.
PoopBoy apparently showed up with a doctor's note that said he suffers from "involuntary defectation." Whatever. I haven't heard this from an administrator, nor have I seen this note, so I'm not sure of the validity. Basically what it means is if he manages to do his little stunt, we can't discipline him because it's a medical problem. However, I think we can insist that the parent come get him, but we'll see. As it is, when he does let loose, he's completely disrupting class, not to mention being a health hazard, so I'm sure we'll have to come up with some plan. What, I don't know at this point. I'm sure the parent is a bit annoyed right now as DCS was called. The kid, BTW, has a whopping 50% in my class because he does nothing but whine, complain, interrupt class in a bid to get attention with stuff that is completely irrelevant and unrelated, and yabbers at anything that stands still long enough to be talked at. He's one screwed up kid, and having seen the parents, I'm not even remotely surprised. I still think there's some abuse in the family somewhere...
Tomorrow is Friday!!! yeah!
Friday, October 07, 2005
It Stinks to High Heaven
You know, one of the many reasons why I chose to teach middle school (outside of the fact that I'm just nuts) is that you don't have to deal with the messy side of childhood. No wetting pants, no barfing (usually), no lice, no boogers on the desk. Seventh graders have pretty much outgrown this and although they can be disgusting, it's not as disgusting as a bunch of pre-school rug rats with a bathroom problem.
And then we got PoopBoy.
PoopBoy apparently earned a reputation last year as having the unique talent of being able to poop, in his pants, on a dare. The kids, being snotty little sixth graders, just thought this was hysterical and would dare PoopBoy to do his little stunt, which got PoopBoy sent to the office, the nurse's office, and then home.
Now, to be honest, PoopBoy isn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but he's not special ed, he's not a life skills kid, he's not autistic. (To be honest, he's lazy and is used to people calling him stupid). According to his father (who's a real treat, I assure you), this child has no medical problem for his bowel issue, and is perfectly normal. Don't know about you all, but if my kid was shitting on himself in middle school I'd have his butt in to see every specialist and mental health professional I could get my hands on.
PoopBoy was fine up until this last week and all of a sudden has started to poop regularly in his pants. You know when this happens because the smell makes my cat's litter boxes seem like a basket of blooming roses. It will knock you flat. It can clear a classroom. It can cause teachers from other parts of the building to ask, "What is that awful smell coming from your team area?" It is beyond disgusting. It is why I spent fifteen bucks buying super high powered hot oil air fresheners for my classroom.
PoopBoy will, when confronted in the hall, admit that he pooped in his pants, and while admitting this, will not show the least bit of remorse or embarrassment. He will then sit in guidance (on a stack of paper towels) while the Guidance Goddess sprays Lysol throughout the room, and wait for his father to show up to take him home. His father, by the way, will then spend half an hour yelling at every person he sees that his son his normal, that the school screwed him up, and there's not a damn thing wrong with his kid, and it's all our fault he shits on himself.
Except now the father won't come down. He simply sent his kid to school with a change of clothes and a packet of baby wipes. We are talking about a thirteen year old here.
So the other day PoopBoy walks in my room, stinking of shit to high heaven, and I immediately usher him into the hallway after my kids start making gagging noises and hideous faces of disgust. PoopBoy, for once, claims he didn't poop. He also claims he actually wiped his ass and cleaned himself off. However, the smell says otherwise. Off he goes to get his baby wipes and his change of clothes. Before he goes he whimpers and whines (which is kind of freaky considering that he's a big kid, too) about how nobody likes him and everyone says he stinks all the time.
Well, duh, I don't think most kids are rushing out to be best buds with a kid that smells like a diaper and probably should be wearing one.
We've told Mr. Enforcer that this has got to stop. He's disrupting at least one class a day and lets, face it, he's a BioHazard. If, as his father says, there's no medical reason why this is happening, then there's a mental one. And with a father like this kid has got, I wouldn't be suprised that there's a lot more than mental issues involved.
And if his father is so damn smart, as he's claimed to all who will listen, then I think he should just homeshool the little cherub and he can shit all he wants.
And then we got PoopBoy.
PoopBoy apparently earned a reputation last year as having the unique talent of being able to poop, in his pants, on a dare. The kids, being snotty little sixth graders, just thought this was hysterical and would dare PoopBoy to do his little stunt, which got PoopBoy sent to the office, the nurse's office, and then home.
Now, to be honest, PoopBoy isn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but he's not special ed, he's not a life skills kid, he's not autistic. (To be honest, he's lazy and is used to people calling him stupid). According to his father (who's a real treat, I assure you), this child has no medical problem for his bowel issue, and is perfectly normal. Don't know about you all, but if my kid was shitting on himself in middle school I'd have his butt in to see every specialist and mental health professional I could get my hands on.
PoopBoy was fine up until this last week and all of a sudden has started to poop regularly in his pants. You know when this happens because the smell makes my cat's litter boxes seem like a basket of blooming roses. It will knock you flat. It can clear a classroom. It can cause teachers from other parts of the building to ask, "What is that awful smell coming from your team area?" It is beyond disgusting. It is why I spent fifteen bucks buying super high powered hot oil air fresheners for my classroom.
PoopBoy will, when confronted in the hall, admit that he pooped in his pants, and while admitting this, will not show the least bit of remorse or embarrassment. He will then sit in guidance (on a stack of paper towels) while the Guidance Goddess sprays Lysol throughout the room, and wait for his father to show up to take him home. His father, by the way, will then spend half an hour yelling at every person he sees that his son his normal, that the school screwed him up, and there's not a damn thing wrong with his kid, and it's all our fault he shits on himself.
Except now the father won't come down. He simply sent his kid to school with a change of clothes and a packet of baby wipes. We are talking about a thirteen year old here.
So the other day PoopBoy walks in my room, stinking of shit to high heaven, and I immediately usher him into the hallway after my kids start making gagging noises and hideous faces of disgust. PoopBoy, for once, claims he didn't poop. He also claims he actually wiped his ass and cleaned himself off. However, the smell says otherwise. Off he goes to get his baby wipes and his change of clothes. Before he goes he whimpers and whines (which is kind of freaky considering that he's a big kid, too) about how nobody likes him and everyone says he stinks all the time.
Well, duh, I don't think most kids are rushing out to be best buds with a kid that smells like a diaper and probably should be wearing one.
We've told Mr. Enforcer that this has got to stop. He's disrupting at least one class a day and lets, face it, he's a BioHazard. If, as his father says, there's no medical reason why this is happening, then there's a mental one. And with a father like this kid has got, I wouldn't be suprised that there's a lot more than mental issues involved.
And if his father is so damn smart, as he's claimed to all who will listen, then I think he should just homeshool the little cherub and he can shit all he wants.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Lucky Seven
Tonight was parent/teacher conference night.
Basically the district sets aside a couple of evenings a year, from 4:30 - 7:30, and the parents can drop in and have conferences with their kiddos' teachers. Nice set up. The past two years I've had a lot of parents drop by, and granted, most of them are the parents of A students (any wonder why with involved parents like that), but occassionally you'll get a parent you really need to see.
This year we had seven parents.
Out of 125 kids.
Three were parents of perfect children. Two were parents of kids who could use some help. Two were parents of nutballs and I was glad to see them.
Still, how horribly, horribly sad, and telling, that out of 125 kids, seven had their parents show up. Are baseball playoffs more important that their children?
Apparently so.
Basically the district sets aside a couple of evenings a year, from 4:30 - 7:30, and the parents can drop in and have conferences with their kiddos' teachers. Nice set up. The past two years I've had a lot of parents drop by, and granted, most of them are the parents of A students (any wonder why with involved parents like that), but occassionally you'll get a parent you really need to see.
This year we had seven parents.
Out of 125 kids.
Three were parents of perfect children. Two were parents of kids who could use some help. Two were parents of nutballs and I was glad to see them.
Still, how horribly, horribly sad, and telling, that out of 125 kids, seven had their parents show up. Are baseball playoffs more important that their children?
Apparently so.
The Color of Correction
Interestingly enough I've received quite a few emails asking me what color of pen I use to correct and grade papers. Apparently it's considered politically incorrect to now use red as it can hurt a child's self-esteem as it's considered negative.
Whatever.
My mother had mentioned this at one time and I pretty much laughed it off. I've never taught anywhere where anyone told me what color to grade with and I've taken a course where anyone told me what color I grade with. And quite honestly, most of my students are too busy thinking about skateboarding, sex, movies, sex, girls/boys, sex, lunch, sex, music downloads, and sex, that I doubt they even read, much less notice, what color I've written in.
That being said, I grade in whatever damn color I can reach first. I've graded in red, blue, pink, purple and green (I tend to like green; it's my second favorite color). I've graded in highlighter pens too, which are a lot of fun. Sharpies are cool in terms of color (the lime green is fun) but they bleed through the paper so I tend not to use them.
Whatever.
My mother had mentioned this at one time and I pretty much laughed it off. I've never taught anywhere where anyone told me what color to grade with and I've taken a course where anyone told me what color I grade with. And quite honestly, most of my students are too busy thinking about skateboarding, sex, movies, sex, girls/boys, sex, lunch, sex, music downloads, and sex, that I doubt they even read, much less notice, what color I've written in.
That being said, I grade in whatever damn color I can reach first. I've graded in red, blue, pink, purple and green (I tend to like green; it's my second favorite color). I've graded in highlighter pens too, which are a lot of fun. Sharpies are cool in terms of color (the lime green is fun) but they bleed through the paper so I tend not to use them.
Monday, October 03, 2005
Buried in paper
I absolutely hate it when the end of a grading period rolls around because I feel like a chicken running around with my head cut off.
Things start to pile up, especially grading. I had to grade a unit test, journals, a water cycle/carbon cycle poster, as well as Friday homework. Multiply all that by 125 kids (and substract a few for the kids who do absoutely nothing) and it's a full weekend. And boring. Grading is boring, boring, boring.
The one thing I absolutely hate to grade are journals. Our district believes in "writing across the curriculum" and kids write in every class with the exception of math. I do a number of writing assignments throughout the year, including a research paper and a website, but the journal is the one thing that I do all year long and despise with every fiber of my being.
Honestly, it can't be easier. Write three sentences (every other class wants five) answering some question about what we're doing, a science article in the news, or a reflection. It couldn't be easier, especially because I often recycle section review questions out of our science book. I give the kids about 8 minutes in class to do this and we work, and work, and work on how to restate the question so that the reader can actually figure out what the kids are writing about.
But I still can't get some of them to do this, let alone turn in a composition book with 8 flipping journal entries in it. They can't/won't write a complete sentence that makes sense. They have time to do this in class but prefer to goof off and spend the week before journals are do scrambling to figure out what the questions are so they can answer them.
I admire English teachers. I don't know how they can read and grade all those papers. I'd be a drunk before I could ever manage that.
Things start to pile up, especially grading. I had to grade a unit test, journals, a water cycle/carbon cycle poster, as well as Friday homework. Multiply all that by 125 kids (and substract a few for the kids who do absoutely nothing) and it's a full weekend. And boring. Grading is boring, boring, boring.
The one thing I absolutely hate to grade are journals. Our district believes in "writing across the curriculum" and kids write in every class with the exception of math. I do a number of writing assignments throughout the year, including a research paper and a website, but the journal is the one thing that I do all year long and despise with every fiber of my being.
Honestly, it can't be easier. Write three sentences (every other class wants five) answering some question about what we're doing, a science article in the news, or a reflection. It couldn't be easier, especially because I often recycle section review questions out of our science book. I give the kids about 8 minutes in class to do this and we work, and work, and work on how to restate the question so that the reader can actually figure out what the kids are writing about.
But I still can't get some of them to do this, let alone turn in a composition book with 8 flipping journal entries in it. They can't/won't write a complete sentence that makes sense. They have time to do this in class but prefer to goof off and spend the week before journals are do scrambling to figure out what the questions are so they can answer them.
I admire English teachers. I don't know how they can read and grade all those papers. I'd be a drunk before I could ever manage that.
Thursday, September 29, 2005
Checkmate!
Mrs. Eagle and I came up with the idea of starting a Chess and Boardgame Club at our school last year.
The way we figured it, our kids spend way too much time in front of video games, need critical thinking skills, and could use a little training in the way of sportsmanship. Our principal loved the idea and they decided to make it part of our after school program for at-risk kids (in other words, it's funded by a grant) but open it up to the population at large.
We had 42 kids show up for the first meeting today.
Now, some of these 42 are pretty bright. They're the A students and this is right up their alley. On the other hand, a lot of them aren't in that category. Some of them, as a matter of fact, aren't doing so hot in my classes, but the idea of getting together after school to play chess and boardgames was just the ticket to get them excited about school.
Several things I've learned:
We need a much bigger room. Much bigger. Even with two adjoining classrooms, it was packed. We stuck the kids who already knew how to play chess in one room (so they could concentrate) and the others were still practically on top of each other.
Risk is huge. Especailly LOTR Risk. Cardgames are tough because they can't shuffle to save their lives. The liked Sorry and Monopoly as well.
I have a lot more kids who want to play chess than I expected, incluing one little sixth grader who's just floating on air because he "whupped an 8th grader!" in chess. Some of these kids are GOOD. (I am not good, for the record, I'm barely adequate.)
I want to get them to a tournament or host one. The thought of the local paper running an article about my kids playing chess and BEATING kids from the wealthier schools (especially the smarties froma magnent school) is something I fantasize about. I hate the fact that my kids get looked down a lot because they don't go to a school in the wealthy part of town.
More than one wanted to know if they could do this every day after school not just one day a week. (Oh dear Lord, save me!)
Check...
The way we figured it, our kids spend way too much time in front of video games, need critical thinking skills, and could use a little training in the way of sportsmanship. Our principal loved the idea and they decided to make it part of our after school program for at-risk kids (in other words, it's funded by a grant) but open it up to the population at large.
We had 42 kids show up for the first meeting today.
Now, some of these 42 are pretty bright. They're the A students and this is right up their alley. On the other hand, a lot of them aren't in that category. Some of them, as a matter of fact, aren't doing so hot in my classes, but the idea of getting together after school to play chess and boardgames was just the ticket to get them excited about school.
Several things I've learned:
We need a much bigger room. Much bigger. Even with two adjoining classrooms, it was packed. We stuck the kids who already knew how to play chess in one room (so they could concentrate) and the others were still practically on top of each other.
Risk is huge. Especailly LOTR Risk. Cardgames are tough because they can't shuffle to save their lives. The liked Sorry and Monopoly as well.
I have a lot more kids who want to play chess than I expected, incluing one little sixth grader who's just floating on air because he "whupped an 8th grader!" in chess. Some of these kids are GOOD. (I am not good, for the record, I'm barely adequate.)
I want to get them to a tournament or host one. The thought of the local paper running an article about my kids playing chess and BEATING kids from the wealthier schools (especially the smarties froma magnent school) is something I fantasize about. I hate the fact that my kids get looked down a lot because they don't go to a school in the wealthy part of town.
More than one wanted to know if they could do this every day after school not just one day a week. (Oh dear Lord, save me!)
Check...
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Football!!!
It's middle school football time!!!
And, instead of cleaning my house, doing more BORING GRAD SCHOOL CRAP, or grading papers, I headed out to watch three hours of middle school foorball. This is time well-spent.
I learned really fast that going to my students' extra-curricular events pays off big time. Sure, the house doesn't get cleaned and there probably a zillion other things I could be doing, but it means a lot to my kids to see their teacher there. There's about 5-6 of us who are there at nearly every game and the kids know it. You'll hear them talk about it in the hallway, they'll ask you about it before class starts, and on Fridays they'll remind you about what time the game starts and what number jersey they're wearing. Considering that a lot of parents can't make it due to jobs or deployments or whatever, having your teacher there is, well, kind of cool.
And I'll be honest...it's really amusing entertainment. For one thing, the size disparities between middle schoolers is mind-blowing. You'll see a kid out on the field that you could swear should be a senior in high school based on his size, then a little squirt that looks like he should be playing with a Tonka Truck, rather than getting chased by big guys across the gridiron. Most of these boys have the skinniest legs you've ever seen and you put them in football pants, with pads, and they look like top-heavy chickens.
Our chickens, however, did fairly well. The JV lost 12 - 6, but at least they scored a touchdown. The Varsity won 36-6 and it was a pretty exciting game.
As for the cheerleaders...well, the varsity did great. There were an amazing 28 of them, 12 of whom I've taught in the past. The JV....well, they need some work. Actually they need a lot of work. Their coach, one of my mothers, informed me that they were the most untalented group of children she'd ever worked with in twelve years of cheer coaching. Their hearts are in the right place, though. This week they managed to smile and actually knew all the words which was great.
I actually had two parents come up and thank me for coming to the game which is a first. One parent of a cheerleader said that "K was so excited when she saw you up in the stands. It's so wonderful you come out and support the kids."
Well, heck, there's nowhere else I'd rather be on a Saturday afternoon!
And, instead of cleaning my house, doing more BORING GRAD SCHOOL CRAP, or grading papers, I headed out to watch three hours of middle school foorball. This is time well-spent.
I learned really fast that going to my students' extra-curricular events pays off big time. Sure, the house doesn't get cleaned and there probably a zillion other things I could be doing, but it means a lot to my kids to see their teacher there. There's about 5-6 of us who are there at nearly every game and the kids know it. You'll hear them talk about it in the hallway, they'll ask you about it before class starts, and on Fridays they'll remind you about what time the game starts and what number jersey they're wearing. Considering that a lot of parents can't make it due to jobs or deployments or whatever, having your teacher there is, well, kind of cool.
And I'll be honest...it's really amusing entertainment. For one thing, the size disparities between middle schoolers is mind-blowing. You'll see a kid out on the field that you could swear should be a senior in high school based on his size, then a little squirt that looks like he should be playing with a Tonka Truck, rather than getting chased by big guys across the gridiron. Most of these boys have the skinniest legs you've ever seen and you put them in football pants, with pads, and they look like top-heavy chickens.
Our chickens, however, did fairly well. The JV lost 12 - 6, but at least they scored a touchdown. The Varsity won 36-6 and it was a pretty exciting game.
As for the cheerleaders...well, the varsity did great. There were an amazing 28 of them, 12 of whom I've taught in the past. The JV....well, they need some work. Actually they need a lot of work. Their coach, one of my mothers, informed me that they were the most untalented group of children she'd ever worked with in twelve years of cheer coaching. Their hearts are in the right place, though. This week they managed to smile and actually knew all the words which was great.
I actually had two parents come up and thank me for coming to the game which is a first. One parent of a cheerleader said that "K was so excited when she saw you up in the stands. It's so wonderful you come out and support the kids."
Well, heck, there's nowhere else I'd rather be on a Saturday afternoon!
Friday, September 23, 2005
And you thought "The Exorcist" was scary
I don't really, really get mad too often at my kids but when I do....oh boy, watch out!
My sixth period was in DEEP TROUBLE today. And they paid for it.
Yesterday all five of us on the team had to attend a meeting in the afternoon (in the building) and they got subs for us for the last half of fourth period, and fifth and sixth periods. The meeting was actually useful and had other teachers from across the system who were also trying to implement a program called GPA - Greater Potential for Achievement. It's a good plan similar to the AVID plans that many high schools have, that helps teach kids how to be organized, use effective study skills and take good notes.
Anyway.
We all had slight misgivings about the entire team of us being out, and as we suspected, they were psycho when we were gone. Mrs. Math's sub wrote up 4 discipline referrals, Mrs. Reading's wrote one, Mr. Social Studies had one, and Mrs. Language had one. I didn't have any, but that wasn't because my kids were good.
Mine were so bad an administrator could hear them carrying on while he's trying to do an observation next door so he comes in, hauls two of them out and gives them hell in the hallway, then goes in the room and gives them all a dose of reality as a class. He's a former warrant officer in the Army and he can get really, really scary. I wouldn't want to be on the other end of one of his lectures, to be honest.
I find this out Friday morning when Mr. Enforcer comes by to inform me of his little lecture. I had an inkling something had happened because The Princess, who spends more time on her hair and on lip gloss than she does on anything remotely academic, came running in after homeroom wanting to "explain what really happened sixth period." Now this child is NEVER, EVER responsible for anything that goes wrong. NOTHING is ever her fault. I basically told her she needed to get to class and if it was so important her teacher could give her a pass and she could come talk to me. No go. She pulled the same stunt on Mrs. Language which told me that The Princess (who can't shut up either) had a problem with the subs.
Well.
Sixth period was on silence. I've used this before and it's somewhat effective if for no other reason that they have plenty of quiet time to think about what pinheads they've been. They were informed that the second they stepped in my room, their mouths were shut. No talking AT ALL. First word was their first behavior note. Second word was their second one, and their third was a discipline referral. I meant business.
When I get mad...I get really, really quiet. And that's kind of scary coming from a teacher who's usually pretty loud and talkative. I was mad. Really mad, and I let them know it. I was personally offended at their beavior. I was embarassed at their behavior and that they should all be embarrassed as well. Subbing is a rotten stinking job. I know because I've done it. Kids think subs are the perfect targets for abuse and think it's a sport to be disrespectful and rude. I pointed this out and told them they were a bunch of ungrateful, rude and disrespectful brats who treated a retired teacher who agrees to be a substitute because he loves kids and hates sitting around not feeling useful in the most deplorable and disgusting way.
One kid decided to talk to her friend and earned the first, and only, behavior note. You could almost see their heads spin and the words form in bubbles above their heads, "Dang, she's serious and she's mad!"
Not a peep all day. They sat, worked on their water cycle and carbon cycle posters and were perfect angels.
I hope I scared the living daylights out of them.
My sixth period was in DEEP TROUBLE today. And they paid for it.
Yesterday all five of us on the team had to attend a meeting in the afternoon (in the building) and they got subs for us for the last half of fourth period, and fifth and sixth periods. The meeting was actually useful and had other teachers from across the system who were also trying to implement a program called GPA - Greater Potential for Achievement. It's a good plan similar to the AVID plans that many high schools have, that helps teach kids how to be organized, use effective study skills and take good notes.
Anyway.
We all had slight misgivings about the entire team of us being out, and as we suspected, they were psycho when we were gone. Mrs. Math's sub wrote up 4 discipline referrals, Mrs. Reading's wrote one, Mr. Social Studies had one, and Mrs. Language had one. I didn't have any, but that wasn't because my kids were good.
Mine were so bad an administrator could hear them carrying on while he's trying to do an observation next door so he comes in, hauls two of them out and gives them hell in the hallway, then goes in the room and gives them all a dose of reality as a class. He's a former warrant officer in the Army and he can get really, really scary. I wouldn't want to be on the other end of one of his lectures, to be honest.
I find this out Friday morning when Mr. Enforcer comes by to inform me of his little lecture. I had an inkling something had happened because The Princess, who spends more time on her hair and on lip gloss than she does on anything remotely academic, came running in after homeroom wanting to "explain what really happened sixth period." Now this child is NEVER, EVER responsible for anything that goes wrong. NOTHING is ever her fault. I basically told her she needed to get to class and if it was so important her teacher could give her a pass and she could come talk to me. No go. She pulled the same stunt on Mrs. Language which told me that The Princess (who can't shut up either) had a problem with the subs.
Well.
Sixth period was on silence. I've used this before and it's somewhat effective if for no other reason that they have plenty of quiet time to think about what pinheads they've been. They were informed that the second they stepped in my room, their mouths were shut. No talking AT ALL. First word was their first behavior note. Second word was their second one, and their third was a discipline referral. I meant business.
When I get mad...I get really, really quiet. And that's kind of scary coming from a teacher who's usually pretty loud and talkative. I was mad. Really mad, and I let them know it. I was personally offended at their beavior. I was embarassed at their behavior and that they should all be embarrassed as well. Subbing is a rotten stinking job. I know because I've done it. Kids think subs are the perfect targets for abuse and think it's a sport to be disrespectful and rude. I pointed this out and told them they were a bunch of ungrateful, rude and disrespectful brats who treated a retired teacher who agrees to be a substitute because he loves kids and hates sitting around not feeling useful in the most deplorable and disgusting way.
One kid decided to talk to her friend and earned the first, and only, behavior note. You could almost see their heads spin and the words form in bubbles above their heads, "Dang, she's serious and she's mad!"
Not a peep all day. They sat, worked on their water cycle and carbon cycle posters and were perfect angels.
I hope I scared the living daylights out of them.
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