So. . . I’m applying to grad school again. I received an MA in Education in 2002 and I guess I’m ready for more. I’ve been writing for an independent school publication and making lots of changes to curriculum over the last few years. A few weeks ago the idea of going back to school crossed my mind and didn’t seem quite as absurd as it had in the past. If I have all of this drive to improve myself, why not focus it a little and get another degree?
This time, I’m planning on getting an MA in psychology. My undergrad degree is in psychology, so I have a nice background on which to build. I also have a big personal interest in this area. Knowing why one of my students behaves the way he/she does would help me find an appropriate way to redirect his/her focus. This degree would also qualify me for a School Psychologist position and allow me to perform preliminary educational and emotional testing in order to determine the best course of action for various learning/behavioral issues. A school psychologist easily makes double what I do as a classroom teacher. This position would also allow me more flexibility with my hours when we decide to start a family.
That said, I’m not sure I want to leave the classroom. The degree could also help me be a really kick-ass elementary school teacher. Either way I feel like I win. I’m young enough that giving up some time after work and on the weekend for the next two years is not so daunting. We don’t have kids yet, so I need not feel guilty if I become slightly obsessed. I’ve been teaching the same grade for 6 years and even have the option of taking on a co-teacher next year. With all of these things in my favor, it’s hard to find a reason not to go.
Then there is the $ situation. Ya, it is going to be an expensive in devour. Unfortunately, I’m not willing to shop around for less expensive schools. My Education MA program was phenomenal and I plan on returning to the same school for the Psychology program. They teach me in a way I find very conducive to long-term retention and application. In my opinion, there is no reason to mess with something that works. I qualify for a few small scholarships and I’m pretty sure loans won’t be a big deal. I’ll just add it to the monthly payment I make to Sallie Mae now. I’m willing to pay off a house and an education until I’m old and grey.
The new program requires roughly the same time commitment as the previous one I attended, so there is also some comfort in knowing what to expect.
I’m excited.
I’m nervous
I’m going to be very busy!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Thinking
My evenings, like most teachers’, are pretty routine. I come home, change, check email, make/order/eat dinner, watch TV, read a few blogs, do whatever work I need to, veg-out/think, get ready for bed and go to sleep. My veg-out time is particularly key to an evening well spent. This consists of me turning my desk chair around, it swivels, putting my feet up on the plush pink armchair and just thinking. Most nights this is accompanied by music. Once in a while, it’s nice to have silence though.
This is when I process my day and prepare myself for the next. Sometimes I even dream about the future. I can spend anywhere from 40 to 90 minutes lost in thought gazing at my Ikea paper lamp. While reviewing the day’s events, I’m able to see things I may not have noticed in the moment. I feel that certain kids can be over looked due to my larger class size. When I look back on the day, with individual kids in mind, it helps me remember their specific accomplishments. It can also remind me that I didn’t notice very much about a particular student and should really give them some attention the following day.
These are often my most creative moments, when I think of my best lesson plans and time saving ideas. Organization is one of the keys to my classroom success. I feel capable of handling most unexpected changes during the day because I always have something I can whip out and fill time with. Not just something, but an educationally valuable experience for the students. (Earlier this week I couldn’t get the VCR to work after getting my class excited about the first video of the year. I built it up by letting them know how very few videos they will be seeing in my class this year. We worked on a fire safety mad-lib I had waiting in my basket.) Finding ways to streamline my classroom is a continuous process that changes as my students’ needs do. This quiet-time has also given birth to some of my favorite cooperative project ideas.
While I’m veging-out this way, my diligent husband is typing away on his keyboard not three feet away. Sometimes I wonder: does he think it is odd that I stare off into space like this every evening? I never see him doing this. He used to offer me websites to look at or magazine articles to read, but after hearing nothing but a polite, “no thank you” he gave up. Now he just checks to make sure I’m awake. It’s true; I’ve been known to fall asleep in my chair from time to time. He has come to accept my “process”.
Am I alone in my quiet time ritual? I have never really thought about it as odd before, but maybe it is. How much time do you spend just thinking? Do you do it while watching TV, listening to music or doing something productive like knitting or exercising? What do you think about or does it vary?
Just wondering.
This is when I process my day and prepare myself for the next. Sometimes I even dream about the future. I can spend anywhere from 40 to 90 minutes lost in thought gazing at my Ikea paper lamp. While reviewing the day’s events, I’m able to see things I may not have noticed in the moment. I feel that certain kids can be over looked due to my larger class size. When I look back on the day, with individual kids in mind, it helps me remember their specific accomplishments. It can also remind me that I didn’t notice very much about a particular student and should really give them some attention the following day.
These are often my most creative moments, when I think of my best lesson plans and time saving ideas. Organization is one of the keys to my classroom success. I feel capable of handling most unexpected changes during the day because I always have something I can whip out and fill time with. Not just something, but an educationally valuable experience for the students. (Earlier this week I couldn’t get the VCR to work after getting my class excited about the first video of the year. I built it up by letting them know how very few videos they will be seeing in my class this year. We worked on a fire safety mad-lib I had waiting in my basket.) Finding ways to streamline my classroom is a continuous process that changes as my students’ needs do. This quiet-time has also given birth to some of my favorite cooperative project ideas.
While I’m veging-out this way, my diligent husband is typing away on his keyboard not three feet away. Sometimes I wonder: does he think it is odd that I stare off into space like this every evening? I never see him doing this. He used to offer me websites to look at or magazine articles to read, but after hearing nothing but a polite, “no thank you” he gave up. Now he just checks to make sure I’m awake. It’s true; I’ve been known to fall asleep in my chair from time to time. He has come to accept my “process”.
Am I alone in my quiet time ritual? I have never really thought about it as odd before, but maybe it is. How much time do you spend just thinking? Do you do it while watching TV, listening to music or doing something productive like knitting or exercising? What do you think about or does it vary?
Just wondering.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Halloween Costumes??
Didn’t we just celebrate Halloween? Wasn’t it just yesterday I worked so hard to come up with a very cool idea that was fun and yet still educational? Why is it here again so soon? Well, this year I need a little help. Does anyone have any costume ideas for a group of 4 elementary school teachers? Please leave me a note if you do. We’ve been the 4 seasons, a painter and his works of art and even a number sentence. Please save me from weeks of stressing over this.
Feel free to leave any other cool teacher costume ideas too. I can’t be the only one out there looking for something new.
Welcome to October!
Feel free to leave any other cool teacher costume ideas too. I can’t be the only one out there looking for something new.
Welcome to October!
Loved it!
Dinner with the former student was a raging success! It was wonderful to see him again and reaffirm how very cool he is. My husband and I got along famously with his parents and really hope we can see them all again. I’ve actually started an email relationship with the student. He makes me laugh and I think it is good for him to know someone outside of his family really believes in him.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
More All About Me
I just corrected the Beginning of the Year English Test that I give for evaluation purposes. This is the first year I have had to bring them home, but I was never going to have time to grade all of them at work. I have a feeling this may be a trend. Oh well.
In an effort to make lemonade out of my lemons, here are a few gems from their All About Me writing piece. Students were required to write 6 sentences about themselves. I’ve stayed true to the creative spelling.
1. My mom put me in violine becase she wants me to be in a orcastra.
2. I love to play on my bed with my brother when we are suppued to be sleeping.
3. I am one of those boy’s how dose’nt like there sister all thoe I get mad at her. I like animals even thoe I don’t know the name’s of them.
4. and ofcors I like horseback riding to. And I like my birthday
5. I like surfbording. Bot Nether me or my mom coode stand up.
6. I like to slepe.
7. I lick woter fawlis. I lick to do staf.
8. My favorite boringing thing to do is wach t.v. (Yay!!)
9. I hate cleaning my room.
10. I don’t like to lose playdates.
I definitely feel like I know a little bit more about each of them.
In an effort to make lemonade out of my lemons, here are a few gems from their All About Me writing piece. Students were required to write 6 sentences about themselves. I’ve stayed true to the creative spelling.
1. My mom put me in violine becase she wants me to be in a orcastra.
2. I love to play on my bed with my brother when we are suppued to be sleeping.
3. I am one of those boy’s how dose’nt like there sister all thoe I get mad at her. I like animals even thoe I don’t know the name’s of them.
4. and ofcors I like horseback riding to. And I like my birthday
5. I like surfbording. Bot Nether me or my mom coode stand up.
6. I like to slepe.
7. I lick woter fawlis. I lick to do staf.
8. My favorite boringing thing to do is wach t.v. (Yay!!)
9. I hate cleaning my room.
10. I don’t like to lose playdates.
I definitely feel like I know a little bit more about each of them.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Surprises Shared
The first time my students participate in Share (show-and-tell) I assign them a small All About Me project. Each child finds a shoebox and creates a box that tells me something about who he/she is. This means students decorate the outside and place 4 or 5 times that tell something about them inside. During Share, students explain why they decorated it the way they did as well as why they chose the objects that were placed inside. Every year this is marvelous! I get to know them a little bit better and they have a surefire hit the fist time up.
This year there have been a few eye-opening moments related to Share. First, a student asked if he could take his box home because he had shared it that morning. I told him that was just fine and thanked him for his great Share. In response he explained that he was so glad he didn’t have to sleep without his favorite stuffed animal again. The poor kid. That is such a great example of how nervous my students are at the beginning of the year. They can’t imagine doing something against the rules. Well, most of them are like that.
The second incident was absolutely delightful. . . and surprising. I have a new student who seems very sweet. He is incredibly smart and very well mannered, but a little spacey. He seems to play on the periphery of group games rather than joining in. He watches, learns and then attempts to play on his own or on the sidelines. When he presented his Share this morning the kids were riveted. He had a coin collection, that was pretty cool, and some soccer pictures from his team. The thing that the kids were most interested in amazed me. It was an award he received from his teacher for being a great helper. I give awards all the time. Who knew they cared so much?? At recess today one of my run-around-boys told his buddy he couldn’t play handball because he was going to play with the new kid. YAY!
This year there have been a few eye-opening moments related to Share. First, a student asked if he could take his box home because he had shared it that morning. I told him that was just fine and thanked him for his great Share. In response he explained that he was so glad he didn’t have to sleep without his favorite stuffed animal again. The poor kid. That is such a great example of how nervous my students are at the beginning of the year. They can’t imagine doing something against the rules. Well, most of them are like that.
The second incident was absolutely delightful. . . and surprising. I have a new student who seems very sweet. He is incredibly smart and very well mannered, but a little spacey. He seems to play on the periphery of group games rather than joining in. He watches, learns and then attempts to play on his own or on the sidelines. When he presented his Share this morning the kids were riveted. He had a coin collection, that was pretty cool, and some soccer pictures from his team. The thing that the kids were most interested in amazed me. It was an award he received from his teacher for being a great helper. I give awards all the time. Who knew they cared so much?? At recess today one of my run-around-boys told his buddy he couldn’t play handball because he was going to play with the new kid. YAY!
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Names and Checks
Is it ever too early to start using your behavior modification technique? Why does it feel mean to write a kid’s name on the board the second week of school? Unfortunately, my students left me very little choice today. I gave warning after warning. I even gave one kid his “final warning” three times. The third time was when I realized what a terrible precedent I was setting.
The biggest downfall of most behavior modification techniques is the consistency with which it is applied. Today it became clear that the same kids will push and push until I put my foot down. Well, it went down with a thud.
I have two names on the board and one has a check next to it. When your name goes on the board you loose 3 minutes of recess. If there is a check next to your name that is 6 minutes, with two checks it becomes 9 minutes. Once there are three checks I call home. Nobody wants me to call home. The names and checks are erased as soon as the student has “done their time”. As the end of the year approaches, or the particular group of kids needs it, the names stay on the board for up to a week and students sit out on Fridays from snack, or everyday that week. There are lots of ways to adjust the method in order to best redirect you class.
Something to keep in mind if you, like me, take recess time away from your students: they need to use up that energy. If you have the kids sit out during play time they have almost no choice but to play during work time. I have found that if I force the kids to do calisthenics during recess I kill two birds with one stone. The kids use up their energy and aren’t wiggling around like maniacs when they come back into my room. They also didn’t get to play all of the games they were looking forward to.
I’ll let you know how this works out tomorrow with the new crew. The names and checks were put on the board after lunch, so sentences will be carried out tomorrow during snack.
The biggest downfall of most behavior modification techniques is the consistency with which it is applied. Today it became clear that the same kids will push and push until I put my foot down. Well, it went down with a thud.
I have two names on the board and one has a check next to it. When your name goes on the board you loose 3 minutes of recess. If there is a check next to your name that is 6 minutes, with two checks it becomes 9 minutes. Once there are three checks I call home. Nobody wants me to call home. The names and checks are erased as soon as the student has “done their time”. As the end of the year approaches, or the particular group of kids needs it, the names stay on the board for up to a week and students sit out on Fridays from snack, or everyday that week. There are lots of ways to adjust the method in order to best redirect you class.
Something to keep in mind if you, like me, take recess time away from your students: they need to use up that energy. If you have the kids sit out during play time they have almost no choice but to play during work time. I have found that if I force the kids to do calisthenics during recess I kill two birds with one stone. The kids use up their energy and aren’t wiggling around like maniacs when they come back into my room. They also didn’t get to play all of the games they were looking forward to.
I’ll let you know how this works out tomorrow with the new crew. The names and checks were put on the board after lunch, so sentences will be carried out tomorrow during snack.
Monday, September 11, 2006
The First Monday
I have yet to see my entire class in the same room. One is still out sick with Strep, but my no-show from last week has finally arrived. I’m not entirely sure I sent her home with all of the notes from last week that she needed, but so it goes. She’s lucky to have her work on our hallway bulletin board. Thank goodness she is a quick little thing and could get it done during our Morning Business slot. Am I coming across as less than flexible? I’m really not… less than… I mean…I am flexible…usually.
This whole “large class size” thing is running me ragged. It’s not that I can’t do it. It’s just that I feel like I’m starting over again. I could teach the curriculum to a class that was 25-30% larger than last year, no problem. It’s this whole 50% increase that throws me. Why is it that 4 kids can make such a huge difference? I managed to get some planning done during my free periods today, so hopefully the rest of the week will fall into place. I’m ready for things to feel normal now.
I thought you might enjoy these two winning quotes from last Friday:
I was reading the kids a book about Luis Pastuer and his discovery of the rabies vaxine when Loud Girl put her hand in the air.
“Yes, Loud Girl”
“I had a disease once. It was called Hand and Mouth and Food disease. You get it when you don’t wash your hands.”
This was followed up with a comment from her tablemate, “My uncle is a doctor and he says an earache is worse than having a baby.”
Do with that little gem what you will.
This whole “large class size” thing is running me ragged. It’s not that I can’t do it. It’s just that I feel like I’m starting over again. I could teach the curriculum to a class that was 25-30% larger than last year, no problem. It’s this whole 50% increase that throws me. Why is it that 4 kids can make such a huge difference? I managed to get some planning done during my free periods today, so hopefully the rest of the week will fall into place. I’m ready for things to feel normal now.
I thought you might enjoy these two winning quotes from last Friday:
I was reading the kids a book about Luis Pastuer and his discovery of the rabies vaxine when Loud Girl put her hand in the air.
“Yes, Loud Girl”
“I had a disease once. It was called Hand and Mouth and Food disease. You get it when you don’t wash your hands.”
This was followed up with a comment from her tablemate, “My uncle is a doctor and he says an earache is worse than having a baby.”
Do with that little gem what you will.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Large and Unwell?
There are so many of them!!! I have 50% more students in my class this year compared to last. Wow, does it make a big difference. The biggest problem seems to be my timing. Last year I would often be able to finish little projects in 5 minutes or so. This year I can’t do anything in just 5 minutes!! I also have to get used to the new volume of the room. It doesn’t bother me if my students chat a little, when it is appropriate, as long as they are not disrupting other students. With my new class size, the gentle hum has turned into a small rumble.
Thank god they are cute!!
Well, we are off to a lovely start. One child left for a doctor’s appointment at 10:30 and didn’t return. His mom called after lunch to let me know he has a form of Strep throat that exhibits itself through scabs on your face. Doesn’t that sound great?? He can't come back until Monday. I know I've come in contact with him. . . several times. Another child went home at 12:45 with a fever. Oh yes, we are off to wonderful start. Who knows what adventures tomorrow will bring! ;)
Thank god they are cute!!
**************
Well, we are off to a lovely start. One child left for a doctor’s appointment at 10:30 and didn’t return. His mom called after lunch to let me know he has a form of Strep throat that exhibits itself through scabs on your face. Doesn’t that sound great?? He can't come back until Monday. I know I've come in contact with him. . . several times. Another child went home at 12:45 with a fever. Oh yes, we are off to wonderful start. Who knows what adventures tomorrow will bring! ;)
Friday, September 01, 2006
Inspired Again
I keep waiting for the beginning of a new school year to become something mundane and wrote. Seven years in and it is still as exciting as it was the first time. Granted, I don’t have anxiety about the “What ifs” anymore.
What if I forget to teach something?
What if the kids don’t listen?
What if I totally blank in front of them?
What if they are mean to each other?
What if I haven’t made the copies I need?
Believe me, I could go on and on like this.
The truth of the matter is, we all forget, are not listened to, have mean kids, and are missing important copies, from time to time. The test of a teacher is how we work through it. Shouldn’t we be honest with the kids and let them know that even teachers make mistakes? Isn’t it just another teaching moment? It seems to me a “What if” can easily become a lesson in how to adapt to new situations.
So, release yourself from the “What ifs” and enjoy the beginning of your best year yet. You, my teacher friends, have new smiles to meet and young minds to enlighten. What a great job!!
What if I forget to teach something?
What if the kids don’t listen?
What if I totally blank in front of them?
What if they are mean to each other?
What if I haven’t made the copies I need?
Believe me, I could go on and on like this.
The truth of the matter is, we all forget, are not listened to, have mean kids, and are missing important copies, from time to time. The test of a teacher is how we work through it. Shouldn’t we be honest with the kids and let them know that even teachers make mistakes? Isn’t it just another teaching moment? It seems to me a “What if” can easily become a lesson in how to adapt to new situations.
So, release yourself from the “What ifs” and enjoy the beginning of your best year yet. You, my teacher friends, have new smiles to meet and young minds to enlighten. What a great job!!
Friday, August 18, 2006
Life Long Learners
One of the most important things I try to impress upon my students is that learning is a life long process. Just because I am their teacher doesn’t mean I’ve stopped learning. I read about history, watch PBS specials and learn about things like ToonTown from them. If I learn about something particularly interesting I try to share it with them the following day. This way they can see how excited I get about new information. In the classroom, I create challenges for students who complete their classwork early. These challenges usually involve little research projects that can be done in the classroom. I encourage the students to share their findings with the class when there is time. Being generous with the stickers is always helpful here!
What do you do to encourage life long learning?
What do you do to encourage life long learning?
Sunday, June 04, 2006
Oh those pencils. . .
This week I took a moment to ponder the importance of pencils in my daily life. It is amazing how much of my time is devoted to discussing the quality, color, effectiveness and size of pencils. Here are just a few examples of pencil talk at work:
“Ms. Teacher, I don’t have a pencil” Where do they always disappear to?
“Ms. Teacher, I can’t find a pink colored pencil.” There are none at her table, but 5 at another.
“Ms. Teacher my pencil only sharpens down one side.” Why is that and how on earth do you save the pencil once it’s so mangled?
“Look, the whole middle part just came out of my pencil. Ms. Teacher, can I write with it like this? Pleeeeeease.” I’m not as annoyed when this happens with colored pencils, but you wouldn’t believe the mess when regular pencils decide to up and separate.
“Crash, clickity, clackity, tip, tip, tap. ” Pencil bin being knocked over and offering up its contents to the table, floor and children’s laps in the middle of my lesson. Luckily, since changing pencil bin styles, this only happens every few months.
I had the kids clean out their cubbies on Wednesday. 15 beautiful long pencils were found. Why must they try and keep them in their cubbies? They just sit there, forgotten, until we clean them out and then the kids look around all sheepishly. Silly, silly children.
“Ms. Teacher, I don’t have a pencil” Where do they always disappear to?
“Ms. Teacher, I can’t find a pink colored pencil.” There are none at her table, but 5 at another.
“Ms. Teacher my pencil only sharpens down one side.” Why is that and how on earth do you save the pencil once it’s so mangled?
“Look, the whole middle part just came out of my pencil. Ms. Teacher, can I write with it like this? Pleeeeeease.” I’m not as annoyed when this happens with colored pencils, but you wouldn’t believe the mess when regular pencils decide to up and separate.
“Crash, clickity, clackity, tip, tip, tap. ” Pencil bin being knocked over and offering up its contents to the table, floor and children’s laps in the middle of my lesson. Luckily, since changing pencil bin styles, this only happens every few months.
I had the kids clean out their cubbies on Wednesday. 15 beautiful long pencils were found. Why must they try and keep them in their cubbies? They just sit there, forgotten, until we clean them out and then the kids look around all sheepishly. Silly, silly children.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
The cold hard truth
Sorry to leave you in the lurch for so long. Here is how my report worked out:
"Sneaky needs to spend the summer focusing on his reading comprehension. It is imperative that an adult sit with him while he reads. This person should ask him to summarize each paragraph, in his own words, after it is read. He has a tendency to mumble through words he doesn’t understand and quite often these overlooked words change the meaning of the passage."
It recetnly came to my attention that they have been helping him read at home by handing him a book and setting a 20 minute timer, so I just went for it. I figured, “what do I care? Soon I’ll be rid of them forever.” I hope the kid gets some help.
"Sneaky needs to spend the summer focusing on his reading comprehension. It is imperative that an adult sit with him while he reads. This person should ask him to summarize each paragraph, in his own words, after it is read. He has a tendency to mumble through words he doesn’t understand and quite often these overlooked words change the meaning of the passage."
It recetnly came to my attention that they have been helping him read at home by handing him a book and setting a 20 minute timer, so I just went for it. I figured, “what do I care? Soon I’ll be rid of them forever.” I hope the kid gets some help.
Friday, May 19, 2006
The Moral Dilemma
Let’s talk yearend reports. How honest do I have to be? It’s a no brainer for the kids that are staying at our school. I’m honest and give ideas for summer enrichment when appropriate. I don’t want to saddle my coworkers with a kid who isn’t prepared. Luckily, most of my parents are already aware of the things I’ve mentioned in their child’s report, so it’s just a formality. I’m also proud to say that most of my students are receiving glowing reports.
But. . .what about Sneaky Kid who isn’t coming back next year? His parents are an incredible pain in the ass. The stop by your room, pull their kid out early a lot, say they are working with him but aren’t kind of parent. Are you familiar with this breed?
Should I be honest about everything and make my conference extremely uncomfortable or do I sugarcoat it with general remarks and coast my way to summer? I’ve met with these parents at least 4 times since Christmas. One meeting included the kid’s educational therapist who I exchange emails with weekly. Both of us are frustrated by the parent’s inability/ lack of desire to help the kid work at home. These are the folks who sent the “this homework is to hard for my son” note.
What would you do?
But. . .what about Sneaky Kid who isn’t coming back next year? His parents are an incredible pain in the ass. The stop by your room, pull their kid out early a lot, say they are working with him but aren’t kind of parent. Are you familiar with this breed?
Should I be honest about everything and make my conference extremely uncomfortable or do I sugarcoat it with general remarks and coast my way to summer? I’ve met with these parents at least 4 times since Christmas. One meeting included the kid’s educational therapist who I exchange emails with weekly. Both of us are frustrated by the parent’s inability/ lack of desire to help the kid work at home. These are the folks who sent the “this homework is to hard for my son” note.
What would you do?
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Mental Health Day
I used to think people who took mental health days were nuts. Can life really be that overwhelming? Apparently I’m growing up because now, I understand. My classroom is one of my favorite places in the world. I love my bulletin boards and all of the color. It is truly a happy place. Every now and then I find myself getting a little snappy with the kids. Yesterday was that kind of day.
I spent my weekend putting out fires between my mom and brother. Thank heavens they live in different cities because I couldn’t possibly do this on a regular basis. I’m pretty sure they are both a little crazy. So, after an extremely stressful weekend, I was a little less than pleasant yesterday. I also ended up sending two kids home sick. My throat hurts and I have report cards to write.
Today is my mental health day and I am embracing it wholeheartedly. I’ve written my assistant two pages on exactly how to conduct the day. Yes, I’m a little anal. She is interviewing for head-teaching positions right now, so the practice is good for her. My husband took me out for a lovely breakfast and now I’m here typing away on my neglected blog.
Three cheers for mental health days!
I spent my weekend putting out fires between my mom and brother. Thank heavens they live in different cities because I couldn’t possibly do this on a regular basis. I’m pretty sure they are both a little crazy. So, after an extremely stressful weekend, I was a little less than pleasant yesterday. I also ended up sending two kids home sick. My throat hurts and I have report cards to write.
Today is my mental health day and I am embracing it wholeheartedly. I’ve written my assistant two pages on exactly how to conduct the day. Yes, I’m a little anal. She is interviewing for head-teaching positions right now, so the practice is good for her. My husband took me out for a lovely breakfast and now I’m here typing away on my neglected blog.
Three cheers for mental health days!
Saturday, May 06, 2006
That doesn’t help
Why do some parents feel the need to question the relevance/importance/difficulty of the homework I send home? In September of every year I tell the parents, “Homework should not be difficult. Students should be able to complete the written portion in less than 15 minutes and feel successful. We struggle in the classroom, not at home by ourselves. “ I feel very strongly about this homework policy and always back it up with research about how over worked our children are.
What ever happened to down time? My students go form after school classes to piano, to Karate and then home to eat dinner and do their homework. They have schedules like this 5 days a week with gymnastics or team sports on the weekends. Anyway, I digress.
This week one of my students sent back a piece of incomplete homework with a note from his mom scrawled across the top, “This is to hard for my son.” It was a crossword puzzle using his spelling words. My assistant thought I should correct the spelling of “to” and send it back. Instead I wrote, “Please help your son complete this homework. All of the other students were able to solve the puzzle. I’m sure, with a little help, your son can do the same.” Sure enough, it came back completed the next day.
I happen to know that this student’s sibling’s teacher, (did you follow that?), gets the same kind of notes on her homework from time to time. Every teacher wants to know when work is overly challenging. If I didn’t teach it well enough the first time, I’d like to try again. In most cases, however, it is just parents trying to get their kids out of doing homework. That doesn’t help at all.
What ever happened to down time? My students go form after school classes to piano, to Karate and then home to eat dinner and do their homework. They have schedules like this 5 days a week with gymnastics or team sports on the weekends. Anyway, I digress.
This week one of my students sent back a piece of incomplete homework with a note from his mom scrawled across the top, “This is to hard for my son.” It was a crossword puzzle using his spelling words. My assistant thought I should correct the spelling of “to” and send it back. Instead I wrote, “Please help your son complete this homework. All of the other students were able to solve the puzzle. I’m sure, with a little help, your son can do the same.” Sure enough, it came back completed the next day.
I happen to know that this student’s sibling’s teacher, (did you follow that?), gets the same kind of notes on her homework from time to time. Every teacher wants to know when work is overly challenging. If I didn’t teach it well enough the first time, I’d like to try again. In most cases, however, it is just parents trying to get their kids out of doing homework. That doesn’t help at all.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
WOW
Word of the Week, WOW for short, is a weekly activity that my students absolutely love. Once a week I give small groups of students a word to unscramble. Groups race each other to see who can unscramble the word and find the definition the fastest. The winning group reads me the word, definition and uses the word in a sentence. I write all of this information on a reusable poster at the front of the room.
Students attempt to use any of the WOW words in their writing, homework and classroom activities. Each time a WOW word is used that student receives a small sticker to place on an animal shape attached to the interactive bulletin board. Once his/her whole shape is covered he/she moves up to the next shape. The kids love accumulating little stickers. It works even better than candy and I don’t have to deal with the sugar high!
I choose the WOW words based on curriculum relevance and excitement level. Most words tend to be either adverbs or adjectives. The students are encouraged to use these more interesting words when writing. Why say “great” when you could say “wondrous”? Like most activities, it is hard to get every student excited. However, the ones that do choose to actively participate reap immediate benefits. It is also really nice for me to read stories with a more interesting vocabulary.
Students attempt to use any of the WOW words in their writing, homework and classroom activities. Each time a WOW word is used that student receives a small sticker to place on an animal shape attached to the interactive bulletin board. Once his/her whole shape is covered he/she moves up to the next shape. The kids love accumulating little stickers. It works even better than candy and I don’t have to deal with the sugar high!
I choose the WOW words based on curriculum relevance and excitement level. Most words tend to be either adverbs or adjectives. The students are encouraged to use these more interesting words when writing. Why say “great” when you could say “wondrous”? Like most activities, it is hard to get every student excited. However, the ones that do choose to actively participate reap immediate benefits. It is also really nice for me to read stories with a more interesting vocabulary.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Ask and you shall receive.
Today I was out sick again and received the following email from my assistant: “The kids are doing much better today. Here is a note that one of our students wrote across the top of her compound word homework last night: “Miss H, this sheet of homework is to easy and I am not being challenged. from A (student) and S (her mom)!" Gotta love it right!” Yes, I see the inappropriate spelling of “to”. Can you guess where this is going?
This particular child received a supplemental homework packet from me two months ago. I have yet to see any completed work. She is not a student that ever goes beyond expectations. Her work is no longer than what is expected and I am often questioned about whether she needs to do what everyone else is doing. That always baffles me. Why would my instructions pertain to everyone but her? Most importantly, she is an only child whose parents find her wonderfully precocious. My assistant and I are tiered of precociousness being used as an excuse for laziness.
I may not have been able to grace the classroom with my presence today, but I was well enough to create a very beautiful Word document entitled A’s Homework Ideas. Using Word Art and textboxes A now has a great looking list of about 11 possible homework extension activities. I plan on mounting it on construction paper and laminating it tomorrow. Do you think I’ll be getting notes about how easy the homework is in the future?
This particular child received a supplemental homework packet from me two months ago. I have yet to see any completed work. She is not a student that ever goes beyond expectations. Her work is no longer than what is expected and I am often questioned about whether she needs to do what everyone else is doing. That always baffles me. Why would my instructions pertain to everyone but her? Most importantly, she is an only child whose parents find her wonderfully precocious. My assistant and I are tiered of precociousness being used as an excuse for laziness.
I may not have been able to grace the classroom with my presence today, but I was well enough to create a very beautiful Word document entitled A’s Homework Ideas. Using Word Art and textboxes A now has a great looking list of about 11 possible homework extension activities. I plan on mounting it on construction paper and laminating it tomorrow. Do you think I’ll be getting notes about how easy the homework is in the future?
Monday, April 24, 2006
When the teacher's away...
I was home sick today and here is a list of the things that went wrong in my absence. My assistant called me on her way home.
1. Several boys were running around the science fair and knocked something over
2. One child offered to loan another money to buy a candle from the fundraiser and all of the other children began demanding money from him.
3. A student’s candle fell and broke. She blamed the little boy that is madly in love with her and was nowhere in the vicinity. His heart was broken.
4. Sensitive Teenager yelled at Sensible Girl for doing a bad job of being captain during athletics.
5. The P.E. coach was furious with the poor sportsmanship and will have them run laps next class.
6. 5 students complained of injuries or illness shortly after returning from P.E.
a. 2 of them eventually went home.
7. Fire Alarm Kid freaked out because he didn’t get enough sleep the night before and my assistant was worried he would go “Ape Shit” on her.
a. He just does a lot of screaming and jumping. This time he screamed at her and jumped on his spelling test because the kids behind him in line were being too noisy.
8. Sensible Girl had an asthma attack due to anxiety over what happened in P.E.
My students are always trying to earn tallies with good behavior. When they get 10 tallies we have a party or they get free play. Right now they have negative 6 tallies.
Tomorrow should be fun.
1. Several boys were running around the science fair and knocked something over
2. One child offered to loan another money to buy a candle from the fundraiser and all of the other children began demanding money from him.
3. A student’s candle fell and broke. She blamed the little boy that is madly in love with her and was nowhere in the vicinity. His heart was broken.
4. Sensitive Teenager yelled at Sensible Girl for doing a bad job of being captain during athletics.
5. The P.E. coach was furious with the poor sportsmanship and will have them run laps next class.
6. 5 students complained of injuries or illness shortly after returning from P.E.
a. 2 of them eventually went home.
7. Fire Alarm Kid freaked out because he didn’t get enough sleep the night before and my assistant was worried he would go “Ape Shit” on her.
a. He just does a lot of screaming and jumping. This time he screamed at her and jumped on his spelling test because the kids behind him in line were being too noisy.
8. Sensible Girl had an asthma attack due to anxiety over what happened in P.E.
My students are always trying to earn tallies with good behavior. When they get 10 tallies we have a party or they get free play. Right now they have negative 6 tallies.
Tomorrow should be fun.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
What?
A few times a years perspective parents sit in on a half-hour of class. This allows them to get a feel for both the school and classroom before committing their child to an academic career with us. It seems like a great idea for the parents, but it’s a little odd to have a handful of adults sitting at the back of the room while I teach vocabulary and reading.
During our observed lesson the other day we needed to discuss why the book we are reading says “Indians” and I say “Native Americans.” I went in to the whole, Columbus thinking he had reached the West Indies and thus dubbing the natives Indians, thing. They always think this is such a riot. “You mean he got lost?” they always ask. We also talked about what the word “native” means. So, being a Native American means you are originally from America.
As I finish the last sentence of my little lesson on political correctness, regarding Native Americans, Sneaky Man raises his hand.
“Yes Sneaky.”
“Ms. Teacher, you have to call Indians Native Americans because they will put a spell on you and curse you if you don’t.”
My jaw dropped. First, I had just spent ten minutes talking about why we use the term Native Americans. Second, there was a strange adult at the back of my room. What must she think?
“No, Sneaky. That is not why we say Native American. I just explained why we don’t use the term Indian. Can anyone tell Sneaky why we say Native American?”
Every hand shot in the air and to my relief the hand I called upon was attached to a child that had in fact been paying attention.
I was very happy when we got back to reading the book.
During our observed lesson the other day we needed to discuss why the book we are reading says “Indians” and I say “Native Americans.” I went in to the whole, Columbus thinking he had reached the West Indies and thus dubbing the natives Indians, thing. They always think this is such a riot. “You mean he got lost?” they always ask. We also talked about what the word “native” means. So, being a Native American means you are originally from America.
As I finish the last sentence of my little lesson on political correctness, regarding Native Americans, Sneaky Man raises his hand.
“Yes Sneaky.”
“Ms. Teacher, you have to call Indians Native Americans because they will put a spell on you and curse you if you don’t.”
My jaw dropped. First, I had just spent ten minutes talking about why we use the term Native Americans. Second, there was a strange adult at the back of my room. What must she think?
“No, Sneaky. That is not why we say Native American. I just explained why we don’t use the term Indian. Can anyone tell Sneaky why we say Native American?”
Every hand shot in the air and to my relief the hand I called upon was attached to a child that had in fact been paying attention.
I was very happy when we got back to reading the book.
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