…I can’t log in right now. So, I’ll be posting here.
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Whew!
I'd forgotten how high energy teens can be.
Due to our having moved the exams to before break (at first, I was unsure how it would work out, but now I think it was an inspired decision), we have 4 days before 2nd semester starts.
So, I decided to have the kids do a project - they have to design a day's food plan for someone with diet restrictions.
It took a lot of monitoring, but most were able to turn in something that was worth the time they spent today. Each day, they have to report on their progress, and I'll keep on top of their work. I spent some time this weekend making sure that I had provided enough daily feedback, and I think I succeeded.
I'm fast approaching the end of my teaching career. I've been teaching since the late 80's, with brief detours into other jobs (corporate training, sales, network administration and database management).
Mostly, I've liked the work. My only reservations have been the constraints of fitting what I want to do into the "mission" of the schools I've been in. I get tired of management getting into the whiz-bang "flavor of the month". Their acceptance of that new direction, as I see it, has been guided by $$$$$$$$ - in the form of grants.
I lived through 3 different schools incorporating the Small Schools paradigm. Most of the trouble with a model like that is that the schools shoehorn kids into the program - they don't have the option of NOT being in a thematic program. So, sometimes, the fit is awkward.
Right now, the push is for IB - a program that has some positive aspects, but also
Got the verdict this week - I don't have to re-do the Long-Range Plan, but I do have to go through another round of observations and a Unit Work Sample (ugh!).
It's really my own fault. I let loose with a cutting remark to a student
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I'm 60. I'll be 61 in March. This last year made it clear that even though I still enjoy the work, I won't be physically capable of teaching forever.
This year, I had a hectic first quarter - lots of kids with IEPs, ESOL, or other issues that required MANY meetings, MUCH paperwork, and a lot of changes that I had to bring into the classroom. For months, I felt as though
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is what my personal report card would headline.
And, it's true - my LEAST favorite activities include group activities of any kind, particularly:
- Sharing activities - I don't want to know others' personal feelings. That's why we humans have the ability to keep things to ourselves - so we won't burden the rest of the world with all our kvetching complaints.
- Small-group work - invariably, it's conducted in a noisy room, which makes it tough for all of us with hearing issues. Second, I hate having my best ideas put to group consensus. I wouldn't mind if the end result looked strictly at the top 3 ideas, then put them to a group vote. Instead, I find that the "besties" gang up on the rest of us (you know who you are, sorority girls!), and push the ideas of their friends.
- I hate the enforced "play nice" attitude. I like a good give-and-take, and am not offended when people argue passionately for their side. But, too often, we have to make "nicey-nice", and pretend that someone's vomit-worthy idea is "a GREAT idea!!!!"
I haven't changed since childhood. I'm still the kid who hid in one of the unused centers, happily reading a book while the rest of the kindergarten interacted. In all our push to treasure the differences in each person, why can't my misanthropy be OK?
is what this article does. It lays out the problems of teachers pretty accurately; the comments are worth reading, too.
- I really need to take some "down time" more often. I've enjoyed spending time just "chillin'" with the family. I saw my sister and one of my brothers today, in addition to spending some soaking time in the whirlpool at Bally Fitness.
- I've been planning out the outline for my novel. More on that at a future time.
- I bounced some ideas about teaching different topics with my daughter, who is a middle school science teacher. It makes me remember just how much fun it was to work with a colleague who didn't treat me like a redundant old lady.
- I'm looking forward to starting my physical therapy for my MCL tear (opposite side of the knee from an ACL tear). Hobbling around really is a pain - in the real sense, as well as the rhetorical sense.
- I need to plan on 2 days a week to cleanse my body - I eat way too much, and too much fat and carbs.
- Hard as it is to contemplate, I'm probably in the last 5-10 years of my teaching career. What will decide when I go? Both the money (hey, I'm realistic), and the pleasure/aggravation ratio. When the aggravation gets more than 2/3 consistently, I'm outa there. I can do other things, and I don't need to hang on when I'm not working effectively.
- I need to spend more time in meditation/spiritual reading/prayer time - all of those. Not only will it be useful in keeping me more mellow, but also improve my general attitude towards life.
It's kind of hard to get excited about going back to school this week - I'll only be there two days. And, on Monday, we have a Career Day - so classes are reduced to 30-35 minutes. I may end up finding a short video for that time, related to what we've been doing. I don't have
I stopped by the school today. I've been out for several days, because my husband had surgery this week (he's doing fine). I took advantage of the time off to get my knee looked at by the orthopedist.
I stopped by to make sure that work was being done. I found:
- No, the work was NOT done correctly. They handed out papers marked "Do NOT write on", and let the kids write on them. Yes, I know it's a pain, tell the administration that puts limits on copies.
- Some kids put their names on the paper and not much else. No, kids, that doesn't qualify for much in the way of points.
- The first day's sub (different each day) said that they were mostly good. The second day, REALLY horrible (I believe it - my kids can be almost a bipolar group - sometimes, wonderful, the next day, I'm ready to have them beheaded). Today, when I was there, the sub hadn't arrived, so they were going to study hall. God knows what all that will come to.
- The good news - the room hadn't been trashed (yes, that happened on a absence once), and no fights, so far.
Also good news - I'm not just getting old (yes, I have osteoarthritis, not too badly), but I do have a torn ligament. We're trying physical therapy. If that helps, great. If not, surgery - yes, that will mean more time out.
I need a drink.
We've upgraded to Windows 7 at school. Worked quite well, very f
ew problems. I have to say, I haven't seen any problems, and the computers start up MUCH faster.I'm off this week for a few days. The husband had surgery on his nose, and I needed to be with him. He's healing well, and, normally, I'd have planned to go back on Friday. However, I was finally able to get an appointment with an orthopedist. My knee is still stiff and somewhat painful, so I want to se what he can do for me.
I'm writing this using the shared IPad. It's not as fully featured as a laptop, but, for some things, it may be better. Blogging is limited in my ability to include links and HTML, but that may be my ineptitude.
I'm not seeing any killer apps lately. Oh, sure, there's an occasional interesting app, like Prezi, but no OMG, I've GOT to get that!
Holy Cr@p, it's less than a week away!
That means Christmas Break (I REFUSE to call it Winter Break until it does NOT coincide with Christmas - who are we kidding? Of COURSE the reason for the break is Christmas) is but a few short weeks away. Which means that I have to shorten up the Master Plan for cramming in all that I have to teach into that time.
Because, at my school, the Semester tests are scheduled for the week before Christmas (GREAT IDEA! What better to do with the last week before a major holiday than schedule tests counting 20% of their grade - by state regulation?).
I've been struggling to get caught up from a badly painful knee (which limited my movement in class). I was out for a week, which got me behind on the grading. Fortunately, a LOVELY girl in my first period class volunteered to help with simple grading and filing - I have a cleared up class for the first time in AGES.
What am I doing differently?
- Stopped carping about kids borrowing paper. Just took a pack of lined paper, and put my name (which is short - you may want to use initials) in marker in the top right corner. I didn't change anything else, but now, when kids borrow, they become more conscious that they are taking from me. Also will come in handy if a parent comes in for conferences - it helps bolster your contention that the kid doesn't bring in supplies.
- Same thing with reference guides that I had out - they are branded with my name. Also, on classwork and tests, kids get extra points for NOT having to borrow one of mine periodic tables (since their agendas, supplied by the school, have periodic tables in them). Amazingly, when I announced