tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58142322024-03-14T06:23:53.837-04:00assigned seatfirst year teacher rambles on.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger78125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1125023930193258752005-08-25T22:15:00.000-04:002005-08-25T22:45:43.566-04:00first times at newschool highwell that was interesting.<br><br>
homeroom went decently well. i have freshmen so they don't really know if i screwed up anyway. i have never dealt with the scheduling nightmare of a large high school. (i really didn't know how seemingly capricious class schedules can be.) they are told that they can't change their schedule unless they are a senior and need a class to graduate, passed a class they thought would fail, and something similarly restrictive. despite these limitations, the incredible line i saw when i went to the counseling area makes me think changes are made anyway. announcements over the intercom were so constant during homeroom it almost seemed stream of consciousnes.<br><br>
with about 30 minutes left, homeroom ended and first period began. (this means i need to run out of that class and try to beat my first period students to the classroom; homeroom is not in the room where i have first period.)<br><br>
the other math teachers were talking about how the first day is just taken up by going over procedures and the syllabus. they must be more loquacious than i am for i was taking my time and finished right at the end of the period - or when it was supposed to end. yet another intercom announcement then told us we had 10 more minutes. since i was given the curriculum 10 minutes before the start of homeroom, i did not have much to fall back on. (i started in on terminating/nonterminating decimals just to fill some time - really. shockingly only half the class seemed bored.)<br><br>
that reminds me - there seems to be something about my teaching style that is very effective for about a third of the students. i'm not talking about like those who normally do well. about half of that third is usually students who are usually rather poor students and unengaged. the other half is the standard "excellers." i need to figure out how to better reach the middle half.<br><br>
i was not as prepared as i intended for third/fourth blocks since a fellow teacher never gave me his outline as he said. we are teaching the same class - and since we've been told to teach it other than how the state says - i've been trying to coordinate to teach the same topics at a similar pace. despite this, we still covered the basics of points, lines, planes, rays, angles, and naming them after the syllabus was reviewed. one student (who obviously was no nerd as was suggested by buddy tim) came up to me on his way home after fourth block. he told me he was not going to be in the class much longer since he'd already passed it, but that i shouldn't be so nervous. he then gave me some tips on cleaning the overhead. i didn't feel nervous (though the lack of thorough preparedness did concern me). i did like that he felt comfortable talking to me. (since no one else was around, it was clear he wasn't trying to get attention or goof off.)<br><br>
the copiers are new...but suck. they haven't put any staples into them (ever), and they don't do 2 single sides -> 1 double side. i still don't have keys. this is a pain since i have to find the third period teacher so he can lock the door during lunch and unlock it afterwards. after a week of requests/pleas, i was finally able to login to the computers during second block. i ate lunch in the math office. that's kinda cool. it's much different than being THE math teacher.<br><br>
during my planning period (as i was trying to get help to unjam the copier), i saw one of my geometry students from last year. i'd repeatedly told them to go back to their base school and take care of what they needed to get done to graduate. he was quite pleased to see me and greetedly me warmly. i looked at his schedule and after a brief conversation told him to get to class. i mentioned to another teacher in the math office that i'd seen yet another former student in the hall. she said "oh? student's name?" i said yes. she said that his teacher was looking for him as he was already skipping class. i guess he only decided to follow half of my admonition.<br><br>
attendance is a pain, and the tardy policy is draconian and tedious. more about that later. overall a decent start.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1124941091523689452005-08-24T23:22:00.000-04:002005-08-24T23:38:11.530-04:00a real live teacherit seems i'll be awakening quite early for the next year - leaving about a half hour earlier than i did at the previous school. there has been plenty of confusion/changes concerning the content/structure for the classes i'm teaching so preparations aren't as i'd like.<br><br>
i'm also not sure how this whole "teacher without a room" thing is going to work. just things like the lack of a bookshelf keep popping up and being annoyances.<br><br>
i will have a class first period for the first time ever. i've been told that teaching math in the morning is best, so this could be good. i also have a homeroom (ironic since i don't have a room 'tall). i'll actually be going to a classroom of a teacher who doesn't have a homeroom (for like the first time in 27 years).<br><br>
it begins.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1124425933661797102005-08-19T00:23:00.000-04:002005-08-19T00:32:13.673-04:00ring, ring, ring...that phone is bananas!<br><br>
anyway, i called 4 times over a 2 hour period today and asst. superintendent guy wasn't in. they kept "expecting him any minute." today was the last day to register for classes at regional colleges at a reduced rate through a program. i figured there's no reason to go back to teaching if i wasn't going to be registered for the classes i need to continue teaching. i was quite adamant that i needed someone to tell me today what was going on. the secretary started saying she needed to schedule a meeting for tomorrow morning with another guy. i finally got him on the phone. he said he had the recommendation in his hand. (i wonder how long.) he said to go ahead and register for classes. to do so, i'm to show proof that i am working for a school system. he gives me his work number and said for that number to be called if there is a problem. i told him that i wouldn't even get to the registration site until after 5. he did not volunteer another number. (at 4:45 and 50 miles still to go, i called him and asked if there was a number where he could be reached if any issue arose. he said there was not.)<br><br>
so after 200+ miles of driving, i'm scheduled for two classes, and i have a meeting downtown at 8:30 where i'm assuming i'll be official. (i also called my old buddy - the science teacher - on the way to see how things are going at the old school. that's another whole post.)<br><br>
i may actually get "work" done tomorrow.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1124284139882569072005-08-17T08:54:00.000-04:002005-08-17T09:08:59.890-04:00central officemonday i just showed up down at the assistant superintendent's office since he never returned any of my 5+ phone calls. he seemed to not have any clue what the messages said. i asked if the position was still available at a high school. (he'd previously told me that he didn't think they needed anyone.) he said it was. i asked what i needed to do. he asked if i had decided if i wanted to teach this year. (three of the messages were me asking if that job was available and that i was interested.) he then called the principal of the school and set up a meeting for me later that afternoon.<br><br>
this school is out in the middle of nowhere. for some reason i went the way my housemate mentioned instead of the way i've gone the few times i'd made it out there. as i'm driving i'm on the edge of a very strong thunderstorm with torrential downpours. i realize i'm going to be late if i don't find it soon. i eventually stop and ask a newspaper deliverywoman. apparently i'd missed a turn. this means i head back into the storm.<br><br>
i arrive 5 minutes early, but it's pouring. i park and hurry to the nearby door. it's locked. i then jog until i find another entrance. i'm quite wet. i enter and the secretary just laughs at me. she says that the principal is out in his truck because of the rain. she gives me a pile of paper towels and points me to a bathroom.<br><br>
she eventually walks out to his truck with two umbrellas. i soon meet with him and an assistant principal. i don't feel like i wowed them - but i believe i came off as competent. she seemed much less interested. at the end, he said he'd call the assitant superintendent and tell him he'd recommend me.<br><br>
this next morning, i keep calling downtown to find out if i'm to go to work. around 8 i get an answer, but the school hasn't called and the assistant superitendent isn't there and likely won't come into the office since it's the day of the big welcome address to all staff members. (schools come in shifts to the high school with the largest auditorium.) i later call back and leave a message for him to call me. i never made it to work.<br><br>
today i just showed up at his office at 8:30. he wasn't there. his secretary said that the school hadn't called. she talked to someone and that person said that she'd left a message with the school to find out what their decision was. she told me not to go to work until things were settled. this is rather annoying. i didn't miss a day in two years, but now i'm missing two in a row.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1124160338183007012005-08-15T22:37:00.000-04:002005-08-15T22:48:56.066-04:00to taskafter that rather blistering comment (now gone - blame haloscan), i lost what little energy i had for posting.<br><br>
i did however have the energy to keep teaching. i finished the year. i think it was more stressful than the first year - which i didn't think was possible. i had quite a few ideas of what to do next - none of which i acted upon.<br><br>
it seems that i will actually be teaching next year at a regular high school. i will know for sure in the morning. if it is true, i will be teaching algebra 1a and tech math 1 (two sections.) i also will need to sign up thursday for two college classes to meet required coursework. i will not have my own classroom. i will have a class first period for the first time. i was told i will have a duty-free lunch. change can be good.<br><br>
more details as i know what i'm getting into - and i feel like typing.<br><br>
<b>edit:</b> ugh. it seems whatever happened to <a href="http://www.princeroy.org/">prince roy's blog</a> earlier, affected mine. (i just hadn't posted during that time.) i'll look into it later to see what needs to be fixed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1099000004790576702004-10-28T17:39:00.000-04:002004-10-28T17:46:44.790-04:00good advicetomorrow is the end of the grading period. while there is officially a "workday" on tuesday, it will be taken up (like the last one) entirely for staff development. so after doing some after school tutoring until 5, i'm sitting here grading classwork/notebooks. like last time, i've found some interesting materials which seem to have put in the wrong notebook. while <a href="http://www.find-tv.com/find-tv/about/bios.html">i'm no keno</a>, i'll post some "finds" as i go.<br><br>
<blockquote>Theirs a distruction in our youth today its teenage smoking. If only teh teenages knew what shat teenage smoking could lead to, Well they will find out today because I am going to tell them. It can lead to Health Problems, Adddiction and what a lot of grown people suffer from now stress.<br><br>
First of all you will have lots of Health Problems, like not being able to run for a longtime, Breathing issues and also what a lots of people are catching everday lung Cancer. Thats very serious people don't understand that that is a life threatning disease.<br><br>
Second of all</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1098763780094676902004-10-25T23:32:00.000-04:002004-10-26T00:09:40.096-04:00mondaysecond block was atrocious again. seems everyone decided to show up (as well as the girl who stated she wasn't coming back after her first day friday). the brother/sister team was way, way too crazy. when they go off, there's little chance of controlling the class. we're talking like yelling, walking around, interrupting anything i say, telling me to shut up multiple times, etc. i spoke to them (and seemingly the rest of the class) individually. i had to send out brother. i had warned him way too many times, yet when i wrote up the class detention referral, he became very upset and confrontative. he refused to leave, and it was impossible to continue. mr. acrossthehall wasn't able to get him to leave either.<br><br>
since we don't have any way to contact the office, i used my cell phone to call for the assistant principal. (he wasn't in his office next door.) he eventually came and was able to remove him. however, sister then held this against me and yelled at me and kept interrupting the class. it wasn't like they were the only ones. somehow i did teach finding the range given a specific range for functions. several students did like 1 or 2 problems in an hour. just pathetic. i tried to call brother/sister's mom, but i called, the line made some rather quick repeating noise like it was off the hook. in the middle of this class, i all of a sudden started thinking about how my bank account was looking pretty good and how nice it would be to have a day off...or a month off. this is probably not the best outlook. (i did like how the beginning of <a href="http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/Rudyard_Kipling/kipling_if.htm">"if"</a> popped into my head.) i think it was just that feeling (seemingly endless but not actually rather momentary) of having no idea what might work.<br><br>
i hate it when the principal isn't there. i think there's some kind of messaging system so that everyone knows by the end of first period.<br><br>
geometry student seemed decent though i still felt bad having him pretty much just read and do worksheets and ask me if he had a question. teaching three subjects at once with unmotivated students doesn't work well. luckily my one student in algebra 1a took his daily pre-lunch nap. that at least left me with just two classes. actually i do have a couple of motivated students in that class. one student returned today from some time in jail and works quite consistently; another (my "favorite student) has court tomorrow but he's been doing quite a bit of makeup work, and geometry is also in there. remarkably, third block may become my most productive block. <br><br>
thinking back, there was actually quite a bit of work done fourth block as well. it's amazing how long one class can seem and how it can ruin a day.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1098658510744712882004-10-24T18:47:00.000-04:002004-10-24T18:55:10.743-04:00yey - one morei found out friday that i'll have another student monday. (i actually had a new student friday but that's normal.) the difference with the student on friday is that i will be teaching him geometry. i have not taught geometry before, and i will be teaching him geometry while i'm teaching algebra 1b (and algebra 1a to one student). the base school has agreed to send (by tuesday or wednesday) some resource materials that should help me set up a curriculum which incorporates a decent amount of independent work.<br><br>
i am rather disappointed as i don't believe this is ideal. (also because i've wanted to teach geometry - but not like this.) i now have two courses with state given final exams in the same period. (this period is also the one with "my favorite student" who has been given "one last chance" again.<br><br>
i guess i should get to work coming up with a plan...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1098545724369672922004-10-23T10:47:00.000-04:002004-10-23T11:37:24.573-04:00novelhaving read about <a href="http://behindthedesk.blogspot.com">the chair's</a> efforts to keep parents informed, i tried again to do the same. the school system just implemented email for teachers earlier this fall. (i was both relieved and still pissed that this had not been done previously.)<br><br>
on the last progress reports i included a comment about welcoming contact and asking for parents to put their email address on the provided line as well as the standard signature. i mentioned that the email address would be used to send out periodic updates about class related information. it seemed like a reasonable attempt. 2 foreseen problems arose. first, only 3 students returned their progress reports. second, they did not have email addresses. one student said his father was going to get one.<br><br>
in response to the inability to gather email addresses, i decided to send a message to the secretary asking that email address be added to the contact information that parents/guardians must complete as part of the enrollment. after sending it, i wondered if i would have ruffled some feathers. (maybe on monday i'll post the message for perusal.) i have sent seemingly innocuous messages before only to have people get upset and defensive. i was quite pleased, relieved when opening the response i read: "GREAT IDEA!!!"<br><br>
as a i was told, this is not a novel idea.
<br><br>
<b>other attempts at technological advances:</b>
the county keeps saying that class webpages will be available "soon." however, the last time i hear what soon meant, it was next semester at the earliest. i decided to see how well blogspot would serve for the interim. in order to keep the different classes separate, i signed up for multiple blogs and linked extensively and it appears rather seemless i believe. it's doable but quite time consuming so far. the students have not shown much interest, and i highly doubt anyone has visited the site. <br><br>
i have shown the ec department since i have so many of their students. this way, they can keep up with what i'm doing. (they have some students which do not attend my class but are enrolled in the same course - the level of required learning / work is a different issue.) they seemed to like it. i also showed the secretary. it may help a substitute teacher if i ever take a day off. Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1097670597666721392004-10-13T08:13:00.000-04:002004-10-13T23:23:09.836-04:00swirli am not sure if this is just a common work situation (and it was much worse during a previous nonteaching life i dated a coworker *shudder*), but sexual comments directed toward me are the norm for 3 separate teachers. i'm also wondering if it's seen as okay since i'm the young white guy.<br><br>
it doesn't really bother me, but at times it's rather embarassing. one staff member was especially forward last year; valentine's day was somewhat awkward. i'm fine with playing along, but i am always worried that somehow i'll say something that they'll find inappropriate and then i'll be getting in trouble for all this.<br><br>
anyway, this is all to say that i recently went to a barber and had a much closer cut. (yes this is somewhat a response to being referred to as "shaggy" by several students.) the response from teachers was mixed, but one seemed to find it a positive change. "mmmm...mr. archimedes got himself a fresh cut. we're gonna have to go out. do you swirl?"<br><br>
now i was not sure how to respond to that. for one i was unsure exactly as to its meaning. it sounded sexual, but for all i knew it could just be referring to ice cream. if it was as i suspected, what's the correct answer? yes - seems to i'm ready to start of the marvin gaye. if i say no - then does that make me seem racist? i felt the best response was to laugh and play dumb like i had no clue what she was talking about.<br><br>
it seems walmart has provided an answer. while quickly perusing the $5.50 dvds yesterday i came across <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0354077/">this film</a>. i nearly bought it.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1095684736156573702004-09-20T08:41:00.000-04:002004-09-20T09:03:49.173-04:00so the one variable says to the other variable if we don't soon get coordinated, i'm gonna get the x!<span style="font-weight:bold;">Psychology Professor finds link between storytelling & mathematical ability</span>
<FONT SIZE="-1"><blockquote>Math and storytelling may seem like very different abilities, but a new study by University of Waterloo, <a href="http://www.psychology.uwaterloo.ca/">Psychology</a> professor, <a href="http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/%7Edoneill/">Daniela O'Neill</a> suggests that pre-school children's early storytelling abilities are predictive of their mathematical ability two years later. The study has just been published in the June 2004 issue of the journal First Language.<br><br>
In the study, three-and four-year-old children were shown a book that contained only pictures and were asked to tell the story to a puppet. None of the children had seen the book before the study. The children were not prompted in any way and were free to say as much or as little about each page as they wished.<br><br>
"Children were told the puppet had never heard the story before, and so this made it a fun thing for children to do. They really enjoyed telling the story to the puppet," explained O'Neill, a professor of developmental psychology.<br><br>
"Having children tell the story on their own, without any adult prompting, also allowed us to better see what they were able to accomplish on their own and to get a more sensitive measure of their storytelling ability," she said.<br><br>
O'Neill looked at several aspects of children's storytelling ability. Some aspects captured grammatical complexity, such as children's use of relative clauses or the length of their sentences. Other aspects involved more perspective-taking on the part of the child.<br><br>
"In the story, a child brings his pet frog to a restaurant and lots of funny things happen as the frog begins to jump around and cause all sorts of mayhem," O'Neill said.<br><br>
"This made it possible to see how well children were able to talk about the feelings or thoughts of the characters in the story and how well children were able to talk about the different actions of the various characters and switch clearly from talking about one character to another," she said.<br><br>
Two years later, the children were brought back to the laboratory and were given a number of tests of academic achievement that included a test of mathematical achievement. What O'Neill found was that those children who scored highly on the mathematics test had also scored highly on certain measures of their storytelling ability two years earlier.<br><br>
"It was only certain aspects of storytelling that were related to later mathematical ability. Most strongly predictive of children's mathematical performance was their ability to relate all the different events in the story, to shift clearly from the actions of one character to another, and to adopt the perspective of different characters and talk about what they were feeling or thinking," explained O'Neill.<br><br>
This study suggests that building strong storytelling skills early in the pre-school years may be helpful in preparing children for learning mathematics when they enter school.<br><br>
"Almost all children experience the world of storytelling before they begin their journey into the world of mathematical thinking, and there's an intriguing possibility that providing children with experience with storytelling may later enhance their ability to tackle problems in the mathematical arena," said O'Neill.<br><br>
"It is also a nice finding, I think, because storytelling is something every parent can easily do and foster with their children, without the need to buy any fancy toys or materials," said O'Neill.<br><br>
Given these findings, O'Neill is continuing in further studies, also funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, to explore more precisely what aspects of storytelling are linked to aspects of mathematical ability.<br><br>
"There is a lot more to know about how these two domains of thinking are related. Both storytelling and mathematics involve many different abilities and we are trying to determine what the overlapping abilities are that might explain why being better at certain types of storytelling skills might help when tackling certain kinds of mathematical problems," O'Neill said.<br><br>
By: Jim Fox</blockquote></FONT>
<a href="http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/arts/Profiles/o'neill.html">http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/arts/Profiles/o'neill.html</a><br><br>
i found it interesting, but the professor seems to imply that he believes there might be a causal relationship. i tend to believe they both demonstrate a capacity for higher level thinking. i can see however if his efforts to get parents to "foster" storytelling are intended to stimulate higher level thinking that there could be some benefits in other areas - including mathematics.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1095164152871018302004-09-14T08:06:00.000-04:002004-09-14T08:18:22.010-04:00new formi was just given a form i'd never seen before. it's entitled "ADHD RATING SCALE IV - SCHOOL EDITION." I am to return it completed concerning a student in about an hour. There are 18 different statements concerning behavior and a scale of 0, 1, 2, and 3. 0 == "never or rarely" 1 == "sometimes" 2 == "often" 3 == "very often"
<ol><li>Fails to give close attention to details or makes careless mistakes in schoolwork.
<li>Fidgets with hands or feet or squirms in seat
<li>Has difficulty sustaining attentino in tasks or play activities.
<li>Leaves seat in classroom or in other situations in which remaining seated is expected.
<li>Does not seem to listen when spoken to directly
<li>Runs about or climbs excessively in situations in which it is inappropriate
<li>Does not follow through on instructions and fails to finish work.
<li>Has difficulty playing or engaging in leisure activities quietly.
<li>Has difficulty organizing tasks and activities.
<li>Is "on the go" or acts as if "driven by a motor."
<li>Avoids tasks (e.g. schoolwork, homework) that require sustained mental effort.
<li>Talks excessively.
<li>Loses things necessary for tasks or activities.
<li>Blurts out answers before questions have been completed.
<li>Is easily distracted.
<li>Has difficulty awaiting turn.
<li>Is forgetful in daily activities.
<li>Interrupts or intrudes on others</ol>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1095105043190583282004-09-13T15:43:00.000-04:002004-09-13T15:51:47.006-04:00frustratedin his notebook - along with algebra 1 worksheets, notes, returned tests, quizzes, etc. - i found a writing by my most <i>memorable</i> student.<br>
<blockquote>
Frustrated ...<br>
To all the heartbreakin' ladies<br><br>
<br>I'm frustrated because my baby left me alone
<br>I'm frustrated because I'm on my own
<br>I'm frustrated because my girl is miles away
<br>I'm frustrated because I'm forced to sell everyday
<br>I'm frustrated because I want you to love me
<br>I'm frustrated because my love is blind, but I can see
<br>I'm frustrated because I Love You so much
<br>I'm frustrated because God is right here & can't be touched
<br>I'm frustrated because you we <i>(are?)</i> aganist my heart
<br>I'm frustrated because we got tour apart
<br>I'm frustrated because I don't know what to do
<br>I'm frustrated baby because I want to be with you
<br>I'm frustrated because I do all I can
<br>I'm frustrated because I want to be ya man</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1095079967276226012004-09-10T08:42:00.000-04:002004-09-13T08:52:47.276-04:00renaissance manin our boxes today, the staff received a poem from our head custodial worker. recreated as well as i could.
<blockquote><i>In Remembrance of September 11, 2001<p>
<b>The Day America Prayed</b><p>
The sun rose upon the New York Bay<p>
It seemed to be an ordinary day<p>
The smoke filled fog rose out of sight<p>
The sea gulls howled with all of their might<p>
But peace was taken from this humble saga<p>
A wicked plot by Mohammed Atta<p>
Though seemingly invincible we found we were not<p>
An enemy had stabbed America in its heart<p>
Wounded and bleeding from teh stab of Mohammed<p>
America was knocked unto its knees<p>
What a lofty position we acquired that day<p>
From our knees we set the battle in array<p>
Against the solemn laws of that day<p>
Schools gathered around flags all across our nation and began to pray<p>
There was not a note of resopnse from the A.C.L.U. (American Civil Liberties Union)<p>
Who knows? Maybe they prayed too.<p>
Bush, Clinton, Cheney, Gore and past president alike<p>
Locked hands together adn prayed with all their might<p>
No congress had convened, no vote had been cast, no flicking of a card<p>
But they all gathered together on one accord<p>
Making their prayers and supplications unto God<p>
The forces of our prayers moved us across teh bar<p>
From the annals of mediocrity far above par<p>
What a lofty position we acquired that day<p>
The day America began to pray<p>
<b>Firstname Middlename Lastname</b></i></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1094700554396147052004-09-08T23:26:00.000-04:002004-09-08T23:29:14.396-04:00still goingi'm still teaching. there's more learning on than last year. still way too much nonsense.
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homebound
sbp
gradebook/lesson plans
cops/dog/handcuffs/boxcutter/lunchroom
chicken quesadillas
i promise i'll make sense of this. i was told i had to "blog that sh"Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1091651892127771872004-08-04T16:24:00.000-04:002004-08-05T00:10:17.253-04:00school's back...from the summerstudents are back. this means sitting at my desk for long stretches of motionless stupor are no longer acceptable. (i'd need to move to one of the student desks for that.)<br><br>
the long ago math textbook adoption has blessed the county with all new math books and ancillary materials. maybe i should be more specific. all schools but ours have new books. my increasingly often (and less courteous) phone calls to central office led to an interruption of one class by the head of high school instruction. too bad she had to pick the class with two guys who seem to think the seats are on fire. one of them interrupted our conversation - he'd walked over and sat on the desk next to the door - "are you the new counselor?"<br><br>
she said that algebra 1 books are on back order but that i "should have books by the end of this week or the beginning of next." i first thought "books" referred to algebra 1 books; i'm now questioning this since i have yet to receive any of the other books. why wouldn't i get them now if the algebra 1 book was the only one on backorder?<br><br>
i was reminded of einstein's explanation of relativity today. <blockquote>When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute-and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity. </blockquote> when did 90 minutes become so freakin' long? they didn't even seem so long when i tossed and turned for even longer last night. (ok. i did start reading about the disillusionment of politics in america so that could have been a mitigating factor.)<br><br>
there's a <a href="http://www.einstruction.com/">classroom performance system</a> in our school from some test grant. i think i'm going to monopolize it. (i'm the checkout person) until other teachers see how it can be pretty badass.<br><br>
this post is boring, but it's something. the overriding feeling is the same as that in the drivel/email i shot off early this morn to a friend.
<blockquote>and so another year begins<br>
with trials and tears and sins<br>
ten more months unless i'm fired<br>
my one thought? "damn i'm tired"</blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1091651027284129682004-08-04T16:21:00.000-04:002004-08-04T16:23:47.283-04:00surprise surprise surpriseyes it's been a while. i may go back and convert this post into some stories from the end of the year.
(ignore the following: bet, field day, review, materials)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1081914308367996632004-04-13T23:21:00.000-04:002004-04-13T23:47:58.700-04:00days like thisi need to really start posting about good days; i don't want to only remember days like this. it started off poorly as i was late since i woke up quite sick. things didn't get better.<br><br>
attendance was not good the first day back from spring break (yesterday), but i think everyone showed up today. of course they weren't there to learn, but i think they just got bored at home (or someone got tired of them being at home).<br><br>
my first class is full of students who like to talk but not math. (this is the class roster that made the secretary respond "we really do like you" since it would make one think otherwise.) the loudest, most belligerent is actually one of my favorite "students." considering she hasn't done any work in any of her classes, she's no real student - but she's funny. i like funny. she's extremely rude and crude and a very bad influence, but it'd be fun to have her as a classmate. she was in fine form today.<br><br>
there are two students who will attempt to pay attention or do any classwork. one i sent to the office due to him obviously deliberately interrupting me. the other one must have still been on break. since tomorrow is the end of the six weeks, i was trying to get many of them to makeup a test. the test was given the friday before spring break and many skipped that friday and yesterday. three obliged by putting a name on a test. one actually attempted a problem.<br><br>
i knew i was not responding well when i realized i was standing in the front of the classroom considering other jobs/careers. the rest of the class pretty much involved me attempting to begin again every 10 minutes or so. the only student who did anything was the student who was sent to the office.<br><br>
some learning took place in the next class, but it must have been a gift. the one student who was responding at all with reasonable (and nearly all correct) answers is a student who informed me monday that he was not going to do any work until thursday. (i found out later, he's told all his teachers this.) he figures he'll fail the six weeks so no reason to do anything until the next grading period begins. he must be committed to this idea as he correctly answered the first half of a worksheet but refused to write down anything on the page.<br><br>
i have a new student in fourth block. i am now teaching an eighth prealgebra student along with my tech math class. i really don't know what to teach the kid. i requested some info as to what has been taught and what his class is doing. the outline i received makes my syllabus look like a thesis. he's a good kid and works pretty hard. today he asked "why are you teaching me?" i just responded - "i have the same question."<br><br>
remediation started today. that was some needed sleep. i wonder if i get paid extra for these hours. if so, i need to start bringing a pillow.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1081732938245068352004-04-11T21:08:00.000-04:002004-04-11T21:25:06.640-04:00break me off a piecelast week was spring break. i got the heck out of dodge - spent the week with friends in nyc. (btw, you guys rock - thanks again) i might post a couple of pics. it was very nice to be with intelligent, interesting creative people my own age. i seem to have lost some of my debating edge. i do need to get back in the habit. (supporting evidence of an opposing view is much different when dealing with students.) hopefully brandon and mark's colorful metaphors and adjectives stayed behind.<br><br>
the week before spring break was as bad as you would imagine. tuesday felt like a friday...as did wednesday and thursday. as to friday, let's not talk about it. i worked my ass off (guess i still have a few left) thursday. i found out how long i can stay until i become delirious; aparently it's 9pm.<br><br>
i made copies of all the work that students have yet to turn in (despite opportunities and reminders daily), printed up to date progress reports, and wrote a letter to the parents. for those who are facing state tests, i also created a calendar of remediation dates. i fully intended to call the parents to let them know that the work was coming, but i did not. i crashed at a friend's friday and my flight was sat at 7am. in the letter i gave my home number (like i did in the syllabus) and told parents to call if they had any questions. when i returned, there were no calls to return.<br><br>
i'm considering persuing a one year masters in teaching math program for this fall. if i did that, i'd like to teach in nyc the next year. we'll see.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1080280087146543782004-03-26T00:17:00.000-05:002004-03-26T00:50:38.466-05:00i feel like i'm gonna be sick.yes i know i've not been regularly posting, but i knew i'd regret posting about an incident today.<br><br>
during second block i had a somewhat small class (i like to think "concentrated"). about halfway through, there was a fire drill. (i assume it was a drill.) a couple student gave seemingly halfhearted attempt at leaving campus. upon the eventual return to the classroom, i attempted to return to the lesson. one student kept asking to go to the bathroom. i eventually relented and said i'd give him a pass when i finished covering the material.<br><br>
it was not going well at all. the "concentrated" class was not concentrating on math. instead they kept talking about getting high and drunk the previous night while playing spades. (i was rather surprised by the choice of card game. i'm trying to think of ways to use the interest in the classroom. probability is obvious, but not a high priority right now. any ideas for an algebra 1a tie in are appreciated.) i eventually did the poor teacher bailout, and just gave everyone a worksheet. i let the student go to the bathroom at this point.<br><br>
several minutes later another student started complaining. he complained of being sick. i had noticed him putting his face down on the desk behind him (i didn't see how that could be comfortable.) he didn't seem quite his normal self (more angry less mischief.) despite the other student not having returned, when he started to spit into the garbage, i decided i'd write him a pass to the bathroom.<br><br>
soon another male student started wretching and complaining. he was coughing/spitting up something into the trash. (the sounds were quite disgusting.) there was one student who found the whole insanity quite funny. as the student was puking in the trashcan, i watched her lie on the floor shaking with laughter. since the students he would be showing off for were already gone, it really didn't seem like he was trying to fake it. he actually didn't even ask for a pass. he just was filling up the trash can. after he stopped for a bit, he started to bring me the trash can. i told him to tie up the liner please. he then asked to go get something to wipe his mouth. i directed him to a different bathroom than the other two gentlemen. he looked extremely pale. he took the trashbag with him. at this point i'm wondering what they might have ingested - possibly during the fire drill.<br><br>
when he left, the other student started laughing out loud. (she'd been trying not to laugh out loud while he was puking.) at this point, a student not in the class was in the hall and told me that the second student who'd left was really sick in the bathroom. the counselor happened to be in the hallway, and i asked her to watch the class while i checked on him. i walked in and the first two students were there. the sick one was standing on a toilet rim - spitting into it. he continued to spit up stuff after i'd sent the first student back to class. i asked him if he'd taken anything; he denied this. there isn't much time left in the period, but we get back to class and they're complaining about everything from anthrax to pollen to me poisoning them. i admit i wasn't feeling great at this point either.<br><br>
when the bell rang, i asked a teacher to watch my next class for a couple of minutes as i informed the administration of the incident. (i felt someone needed the info in case one of them got really sick.) i checked back after the end of the day. apparently the principal required them to take drug tests and the results are due back today and tomorrow. she also had conferences with at least two of the students and a parent. one of the parents found the incident problematic. i guess we'll see if he responds to her instruction.<br><br>
i just found the whole incident ironic considering yesterday i'd had a conversation with my brother/mother about the time in fourth grade when a student had projectile vomit as she tried to run to the bathroom. she'd soaked my bookbag (and my favorite grey nike sweatshirt that my uncle had given me). guess how the school dealt with this...they'd just put my backback in a clear bag and tied it. since it was like 90 degrees and i had a long busride, the bag started filling up with gases. the smell was horrible.<br><br>
i remember distinctly saying "at least no one has thrown up in my classroom."Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1078361472598967662004-03-03T19:50:00.000-05:002004-03-03T22:08:02.280-05:00sick and fired?<i>i'm posting while proctoring a makeup writing test. this is such a waste of time. there are two students who didn't take the original test. only one is here. two full time staff are spending 90 mins sitting here for one student. not only that, the counselor had given another group this kid's test and we had to wait while she went back and switched them.</i><br><br>
i intended to post about a few recent occurrences. on monday, i arrived (my customary 5-10 mins late) and went to sign in. (i assumed this was normal; if your school does something else leave a comment.) over the sign in sheet was a paper announcing we have a meeting that afternoon @ 3. this intrigued me since i cannot remember a meeting on a monday afternoon. our teachers' meetings always are on wednesday. i was relieved it wasn't like the sheet last monday "see me immediately." nothing like making it obvious to your boss that you were late.<br><br>
it was a standard monday. i am still sick (more about that later). around 2:53 i decide to head to the "media center." usually i roll up to teachers' meetings a minute or two and end up waiting at least another 5 for everyone to arrive. as i enter the library, i know something is definitely different. i'm early, yet the room is packed. the most surprising thing is i see people i don't recognize. (i still don't know who they were.)<br><br>
i sit in the very back on a couch and hide behind a larger woman. (most of our female staff members are "larger women" but i digress.) i look around and make some wisecrack about this is the meeting where we're all going to be fired. the principal starts to recap the story of the incident which resulted in the death of the student from her point of view and from the information provided to her by a policeman who's updated her frequently.<br><br>
i won't go into all the details, but basically a group of about 6 15 year olds were driving in a borrowed car. i didn't know that many of the 6 were students of mine (one is a top student). they yelled out at another group who was outside. they then circled around and returned to the area - each time doing something a little more antagonizing. this led to the other group breaking up concrete into chunks which then were hurled at the car when the group made another pass. one chunk hit the driver in the temple and was the cause of his death. the family does not have money for the hospital bills or the funeral. the family also asked the school to send some names of his friends who would serve as pallbearers or flower something. i thought that was odd.<br><br>
while we're to call these associated youths "groups" and not "gangs," there is a serious concern about retribution. as the principal says it, the "word on the street" is that the one group will "rise up" after the funeral. the police and others are trying to calm them and convince everyone that it is just a tragic accident. we then spent another hour going through our security procedures. apparently we're to already to have known them. i'm not sure how since at least the new folks have never been given the information. i have asked for the information a few times this year. i wish this was not the reason i received it. so we weren't about to be fired, just preparing to be fired upon.<br><br>
the funeral is thursday.<br><br>
<i>it is now 9:07. the administrator just took up the student's test since he said he was done. the test is over at 9:55. why would you take it up? i told her that she is not allowed to do that. she responded with example after example of times she had seen it done. i just reiterated that the option is not there. standardized tests do not allow for this. administration must be uniform. despite this, she still took up the test. so now i'm typing, she's reading a magazine, and he's sitting at an empty desk chewing his fingernails. why are we still here??? if she feels like screwing up the administration, shouldn't we at least leave and have some benefit. why keep the kid out of class if you've taken up his test?</i><br><br>
i've been sick since the sunday before last. i woke up and my throat hurt. it's hurt since them. the quantity and color of mucus in my chest is disgusting. i actually made an attempt at being grown up. i tried to find out where i could actually use this vaunted "insurance." i nearly even called to make an appointment, but that'd just be crazy. i lost my voice last thursday and friday. it did lead to one of the funniest things that's happened so far this year. my voice would come and go. at some point i just gave up trying and started whispering. i had to let some things go since i couldn't yell at a student down the hall, or being loud, or otherwise couldn't hear me; but it was largely sufficient for giving classroom instruction. while it didn't happen immediately upon starting to whisper, i soon noticed something strange. as i would whisper to the students - usually about the classwork - they started whispering back to me. the first time it happened, i was rather surprised and searched the student's face for a sign of mockery. there was none. he was sincerely trying to do the classwork and just asked a question. i don't think he even realized he was whispering. it took considerable effort not to start laughing right then. the classroom was quite quiet. soon, all the students were whispering back to me. this continued in other classes and on both days.<br><br>
i was seriously considering "losing" my voice for the rest of the year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1078115917321689052004-02-29T23:26:00.000-05:002004-02-29T23:40:43.590-05:00last weeki figured i'd make a quick post about last week as i watch the oscars and avoid doing overdue work.<br><br>
last week was memorable. many students were still out due to suspensions. on monday when i signed in there was a sign to see the principal immediately. she informed me that a student had been injured late friday evening/sat morning and had been airlifted. he wasn't doing well and the doctors were trying to relieve swelling of the brain. the police thought it might be gang related and arrests were imminent.<br><br>
grades were due wednesday, but since we've had a few days off due to weather there were no workdays. that made it tough. it also was tough deciding who to fail and who to give an incomplete. there were so many zeros factored in. students just aren't doing the classwork/homework, and when they miss class, they don't make up tests either.<br><br>
on thursday, the principal announced that the student had died. there were grief counselors, and the day was just surreal. i really don't know what to say to my students. in second period, two students spent 90 minutes talking about all the different people in their life who'd been killed, the funerals, and the ramifications of such. one girl described in detail how her father had been killed by policemen who'd hired hitman from new jersey, the newspaper accounts, and the amount of prison time received.<br><br>
next period, the principal again comes on over the intercom. this time she announces that due to impending snow, school will be let out at noon. i hung around for a little while, but the snow was coming down quite hard. everyone else seemed to be waiting around - i think for 2 pm when paychecks were to be distributed. i had two words for these folks..."direct deposit."<br><br>
i went home and worked through the night on an assignment for a class i'm taking. around 4:36am it's announced that school is cancelled for friday. i crash.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1077074393054433932004-02-17T21:45:00.000-05:002004-02-17T22:21:47.623-05:00the cat's backour principal returned first period today and worked the rest of the day. she was hospitalized for over a week. this is the first full day in 2 weeks (she stopped by at the end of the day friday). i think we've hung on pretty well. i don't envy her discipline backlog. it seems most of us wrote about 5 discipline referral forms a day. that makes 50 per teacher for the two weeks... some students in particular are overdue for some after school detention or some time at home or something. they knew that they could walkout of class, swear, smoke, etc and nothing was happening to them. we'd write it up, but if they weren't fighting or really aggravating the secretary, they weren't going to be suspended.<br><br>
i may make a post (go ahead laugh at me promising to post) about some major flaws in the disciplining process for my school. of course i tend to agree with the broken windows theory and teach at an alternative school...<br><br>
these students have some serious lapses in judgement. the principal returns yet some students seemed to be waiting for her return to fight. the girl who yesterday decided to tell the secretary that i attempted to hit her with a ruler (another story time) was smart enough to go tell the secretary that she was going to go fight with a girl and then left to do it. watching the secretary and another teacher try to stop her in the hall nearly made me laugh out loud. she is just ridiculous at times. the principal told me the girl was surprised she was going to be suspended.<br><br>
i'm not sure what prompted it, but several students were searched during fourth block. students just go crazy when someone is searched. the first one who was to be searched (he refused and cursed at the principal) started saying that another student "snitched" on them. he stated he'd go to his house and have some retaliation.<br><br>
my tech math class was quite odd. the tech math 1 students were to make any last minute changes to their lab report and type it if they didn't have a computer. (to get 1 typed lab report was actually pretty darn good.) however other students broke out into a discussion of tithing. this continued with some theological discussions that were pretty ridiculous. ("but how did they cross the water if it was before europa?" or "did god make man before or after the earth?") i kept saying that this topic was not relevant to tech math. i did offer to explain how to calculate tithes, and i did do a quick geography lesson about eqypt, the red sea, and the sinai peninsula. all of these questions - which while seemingly pure timewasters were clearly sincere - led to the best of the day. after the bus to the first school had left, and the others would arrive quite shortly, i had one student ask "but quick, just tell me one thing. why are we on this planet for real?" i didn't expect to be asked to answer the meaning of life in 2 minutes when i signed up for this. i told him that many philosophers and thinkers and theologians have spent lifetimes trying to determine what it is, but many other people have found their purpose in life in just a few minutes. i told him it's something he's going to have to have to determine for himself. i'm not sure how well i did answering the question. (i doubt just answering "42" would have been any better.)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1074747475753126142004-01-21T23:46:00.000-05:002004-01-21T23:59:22.686-05:00sick sucksbeen sick since sunday. this isn't fun. if i didn't have monday off, i may have actually considered taking the day off.<br><br>
tomorrow the student who repeatedly threatened to beat me up returns (on a day by day basis). that class has been "fun" enough as it is. i was rather perturbed when i found the stack of work for him still sitting in the office. i'm sure he'll work on it quietly and without problem while the rest of the class takes the test for which that they didn't feel like reviewing today. (side note - does anyone else have problems with students paying attention during review days? what about starting homework if given five mintues at the end of class to do so?)<br><br>
the girls in the school were ridiculous today. i did like the student who told me that the principal had told her that she could go to lunch with another class. i told her that until i was notified by the principal, she didn't have permission to leave. of course she then told other teachers that i told her she could go to lunch. i ended up having a colleague cover the class. she actually tried to explain to the principal why she had lied and said the principal has said she could go to lunch early. that was fun to watch.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5814232.post-1074055049456527002004-01-13T23:18:00.000-05:002004-01-13T23:38:48.936-05:00my dog skipwell, one of my students promised to not walk out of class anymore. i forgot to ask her if she'd just skip the entire class. only got the answering machine this time. what really pisses me off is that she skipped a day which was totally review. i was trying to make sure the students started out with a good grade so that they won't just give up after 2 weeks. (yes they will do this.)<br><br>
on a related subject, absenteeism is getting ridiculous. suspensions, sickness, truency, skipping, pregnancy have combined to shrink my classes to the point where the students seem to think they're doing me a favor to show up. i keep hearing things like "why do we have to do all this work if we're here?"<br><br>
i ran across a link to a <a href ="http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/01/11/1073769454332.html">story about bulllies</a> on<a href ="http://andrewsullivan.com"> andrewsullivan</a>.
<blockquote>Dr Juvonen's research found that bullies were admired by their peers, and thus felt good about themselves. Bullies are popular because their dominance earns them respect among the general student population who tend not to sympathise with the victims, the study found.</blockquote>
this fits with what i've been observing. the bullies (and i think we may have more than 7%) seem to be the most self-assured and sure of their self-worth.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com