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My daughter is in the Navy. She has a friend that just got back from a 6 month deployment in the Persian Gulf. He is a pilot. He is 34 years old and married with a baby. He did not feel very good when he got home so his wife took him to the doctor. That was just a few weeks ago. He died on Saturday night. He had cancer. Thirty Four? It started in the gall bladder and spread like wildfire. He has been on my prayer list since I found out. I am so sad today. He served our country! Why do these things happen? I know the answer but I don't have to like it.
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I am pretty sure I am mistaken when I think kids today are way less savvy than kids even 10 years ago. However, if they aren't, then they are hidding it well. I am shocked at what kids don't know today. They also don't understand why they should bother knowing it. These are not the normal computer savvy kids. These kids may have a computer at home but all they use it for is to play games. They are more likely to play consoles than a computer. Teaching them computer skills is like standing in the middle of a mental institute in the olden says. They are all screaming and yelling for me to help them because my tutorial was ignored. It is the one-on-one attention that drives them. We made Christmas Cards last week on Publisher. OMG!!! I went home and slept for 3 hours that day. They had drained me dry and we were only in the computer lab for 45 minutes. So, Why don't students listen to teaching? They don't you know. I can look around the room and see blank expressions on many faces. (not all) They wait for the individual teaching. I ask if anyone has questions and no one raises their hand,... until I am done and they have started work. Our school was listed as a inner city school because of our population. We have families who are having troubles and move here to avoid the police or other situations. They are very mobile. I actually have 2 students who are doing Math and Reading on a 1st to 2nd grade level because they have moved so much. Then both Mom's said. Oh, they should be in SpEd but we moved before she/he was placed. So, I had to do all the paperwork again. This is 4th grade, for heaven's sake. How are these two going to ever catch up? Why weren't they tested way back when. Looking at their report cards, it is obvious that other teachers knew. I was really cranky lately. I say was because when I forgot my hearing aid at home, I noticed that I wasn't as cranky. I also noticed my Blood pressure cuff made a mistake and my BP was normal. So, I didn't wear it the next day and the next and guess what? My pressure has been normal every day. I think the extra noise was irritating me to the point that I became angry and over-tired.
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Hoooo Boy!! My new student said he was done and showed me. I said, "Where are your paragraphs?" He said, "Right here. See? I have 3 periods." OMG This is going to be a long year.
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We just had another family night last night. This is our 2nd in a month. Plus, we had late night conferences the week before the last one. How many late nights can a district ask of its teachers. I have to drive 45 miles each way to get home. That is a long drive in the dark. There are no street lights on that drive. Now, I am tired and grumpy. I tried to put in a video but it wouldn't work in my player. Then the kids started talking and so I shut it down and put them back to work. They will never learn. I am so tired I can hardly function today. Let's see...three duties a day, no planning time as a team, two 20-25 minute specials times where I can copy some of what I need as long as someone elses parent isn't in there copying for them. Then meetings after school, workshops on Wednesday afternoons, and now late night family nights. And to top it off,... we had a very low turn out. Now we had a meeting where we were told we needed to keep track of all our parent contacts, notes home, weekly calendars, family night parents attendance and more. What? When do I have time to do that? Some of my parents call me at home. I don't keep track of that either.
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I kind of got into trouble. We have been studying cultures of Arizona. We decided to each bring something from our culture or that is a family tradition. The kids loved it. The food was fantastic. The cafeteria people were mad because the kids aren't supposed to eat anything that isn't made is a commercial kitchen. Oops! I guess we won't do it next year but they sure enjoyed it this year. The kids each got up and talked about how their food became a tradition in their family. I brought Apache Fry Bread and told them how I was raised on the Fort Apache Reservation and my Mom learned to make it from an Apache lady. We spread it with honey and gobbled it down. It was a fantastic learning experience and we learned how much alike and how different we all are. It makes me sad that we can't do it again. It was kind of like how we used to give the kids peanut butter and jelly sandwiches before testing but now we can't because we are a peanut free zone. None of the kids in my class are allergic to nuts. So...NUTS.
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I am changing the way I teach. I am switching to groups in Reading and Math instead of whole group or large group teaching. It just doesn't work. I used to do this years ago and I am going back to it. I am using rotations and grouping the students according to ability. I have planned and began to set up stations for both subjects. I will use Mountain Math and Mountain Language as a station. Math Solutions by Marilyn Burns will be another station. I will have "Teacher Time" for every group every day. Four kids at a time. They will also have a grammar station, a comprehension station, a phonics station. And I can't remember the rest. They are all excited to be spending small group time with me. I may even figure a way to do Science and Social Studies this way after I get everything moving smoothly. I will spend the time from now until Christmas teaching them how to do the stations. Reminding them to be quieter than usual will be my only problem. I have a couple of students whose voices can be heard all the way down the long hallway. I am very excited. Eventually, it should make my days easier. But, until then, I will be exhausted. My head is so full of ideas that I can hardly get them all out.
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Math Solutions is the best! I have spent another 3 days in a Math Solutions workshop and then Friday I began using it in my class and the kids thought they were playing games. I had to explain about all the math they were using. They were amazed. I was proud. Even my lowest students were getting it. They used the math rods and were understanding the value of each rod and how to add rods to make new numbers. We also explored a little bit about fractions just to get their feet wet and introduce it. When I gave them time to explore, they started building with them. So I redirected them to discover the "math". It was totally awesome! I am a Marilyn Burns fan for life.
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I have no planning time. I have no specials. I have duty three times a day so I can't copy then. I need to copy 5 sets of files for the SAT team and I don't have time to do it. I tried to do it at lunch today and the office machine was down again. Then the other old machine was out of paper and by the time I finished walking all around, it was time to go back to the class for duty. I am just getting too tired for this anymore.
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I am not a bully. I am passive-agressive. She is upset because I yelled at the class. Her precious didn't do anything wrong and got punished anyway. Well, it turns out that she was mad because something happened over a month ago and the other 4th grade teachers punished the entire 4th grade. Now, I can't exactly go against the team. I felt it was wrong but both other team members were adamant about it. So, I let the kids hang out on the blacktop and not anywhere else on the playground. Sort of a compromise. Anyhoo, this parent brought that up and the fact thatI yelled because my class refused to look at the top of their desks at their multiplication/division chart to answer the math problems. She said I was a bully and that I yelled at another teacher and belittled that person. Ummmm, there was no other teacher here. There has never been another teacher here. I have never yelled at another teacher or belittled them. I have no clue what she is talking about. Then she complained because I "scared" the kids about trick-or-treating. Really? I gave them the rules and told them to be safe and follow the rules. That scared them? Okay, so maybe when they asked what kinds of things could happen I was a little forth-coming. These are 4th graders who watch the scariest shows ever. I never watched them. And I scared them? I am not the one who wore a costume so scarey that it gave nightmares to little kids. Her son did that. I am justifying myself. I don't want to accept the criticism from someone who has never taught in a classroom but is willing to make me feel like crap. She has never been in charge of 30 students who are not her own and each one has a parent who thinks their child is special and never does anything wrong. She has never had to deal with parents like herself either. Maybe it is getting close to retirement time...
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I am so angry that I am sure my blood pressure is sky high. I refused to take it last night to find out. I have been teaching here for many, many years. I have spent thousands and thousands of dollars on my classes because the district didn't have "money". I asked for some ink for my printer yesterday and was told that the district isn't paying for it for teachers any more. What??? I was so upset that I wrote the Super and the "business manager" and told them off. Am I afraid of losing my job? Heck no! I was careful of what I said. However, I did tell my principal that I have enough sick days to take the rest of the year off. I can get a note from my doctor about my blood pressure. Until I get it under control again that is. What I was thinking of doing was getting a long term sub and then have the sub cover duties, and grade my papers for me while I just teach. What a wonderful thing that would be. What could they do if I asked for a sub and came in to teach anyway? I have the sick time. They owe me the sub if I need one. I understand they no longer reimburse us for unused sick days when you retire. I should go ahead and use them up. Can you tell I am angry? This is what I thought of all night long. I had trouble getting to sleep because of it. I guess the next step is to ask the "business manager" which would be cheaper, the sub or the ink. I only use one cartridge every year and a half, but I need it for notes home that I don't want to send to the office printer for everyone to see. I can't print my report cards, my reteach pages for a couple of kids, or Friday notes home without sending them to the office. Isn't that a privacy issue? Especially since our secretary has a son in my class?
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There was a little boy last year in 3rd grade. He spent almost the entire year sitting out in the hall. I thought he must be really naughty. On the other hand, he wasn't learning anything sitting in the hall. I put a stop to another teacher who used to do that by reporting to the principal. This teacher continued to do it anyway. I have that child in my class. He is not naughty. He is a really sweet child. He is ADD but not disruptive. He is also very slow to process verbally. But, he tries and tries. I don't understand why she had him in the hall/ What do teachers think happens when we sit children out in the hall. Do they think that kids will learn by osmosis? It is obvious that he spent a lot of time out side the classroom. He is way behind. I never sit students outside as discipline. I let them use the hall for quietly finishing an assignment or test. Especially when the rest of the class is done. But, what good is it putting them in the hall and not allowing them the opportunity to learn? There are other ways to separate disruptive students. I have one that sits in a corner by himself because he can't behave around the other kids. But, he is never allowed outside unless the entire class is going out. What do you do with your discipline problems?
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I give my students a restroom break in the morning and afternoon. Other than that, they are supposed to go on their recess time. Last week a student kept asking to go to the restroom. He always tries to think of ways to get out of doing his assignments. I told him no and he messed his pants. His parents were angry and with good reason. So, I took the child and together we came up with a new system for the entire class. Now we have a sign out and sign in. If the students abuse it, then we will go back to the old way. Today was our test. It went fairly well but we will have to keep tabs on it. I think some of them just like signing in and out more than going to the restroom. It is novel for them. I know they do this in middle school so it should prepare them for that. This child is really sweet. He is ADHD and often can't control his actions, but I love him. He is funny and a pain in my butt too. He was very impressed that I apologized to him and then I asked him to help come up with a new system. I think he felt proud of himself. He needs all the encouragement he can get. His parents won't have him tested for a learning disability because of his ADHD but he is at least a year behind and maybe more. I don't think his parents help him because he never brings notes back signed. I found them all in his back pack. I wish his parents were more involved. I have 3 diagnosed ADHD students in class. They are all sweet and active. But, they try.
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I had a physically handicapped student in my class at the beginning of the year. Another teacher somehow manipulated it so she would have her. She thinks she is the best teacher in the world. This poor teacher is doing way too many things. She volunteers for every committee. She is in charge of at least 4 different major events at our school. She wants to be team leader but I have more experience and was picked for the position. She has done everything she can to prove that she is better than everyone else. Today she admitted that the handicapped student makes her nauseous. I mean literally. I realize this poor child has issues. They didn't bother me at all. It is very hot here and she wears thick fleece lined boots. They are more comfortable on her deformed feet. She also has bent legs and a deformed mouth so she is very difficult to understand. I was just beginning to learn to understand her when she was moved out of my class. The teacher that got her already had 31 students. I had 25. She has been teaching 6 years. I have been at it for 25. Now she is sorry that she got involved in this. I told her she cannot have the child moved again. It isn't fair to the little girl. She will just have to learn to deal with it. If the issue is smelly feet, then she needs to send her to the nurses office and have her help. I will not take the child back. I didn't want her removed in the first place but the situation was manipulated by this teacher and the SpEd teacher who are friends. As ye sow, so shall ye reap.
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These words came out of two of my students to each other. They were mad and fighting. I took them straight to the principals office. They now have after school detention. These two have been more or less forced to be friends. Mainly because one of them is the most unpopular student in the school. With students and teachers. He is rude, obnoxious, and thinks he is running things. Or his Mom (our secretary) thinks she is and he runs her. I talked to the the other boy's Mom, who is one of our teachers, and Dad, who is our technologist and both work at school and suggested they stop the friendship. Their son does not need to be friends with someone who is mean to him. They have felt sorry for the sec's son and made their son be his friend. Now he is losing all his real friends because the other boys won't play with him anymore. They agreed that the boys need to be separated and are stopping the at home relationship too. The sec's son has a bucket load of issues. Mom is the main one. He was a late life baby and she has spoiled him so much that he is unbearable. He was PLACED in my class by the principal because of his history. I don't mind. He doesn't roll over me. I am too mean. I worry about what is going to happen to him. He is a kind of bully. However, he is a loaner and could face some huge problems being bullied in Jr.High and after. He is the perfect target. He is mouthy and weird. We don't have a school counselor anymore because of budget cuts so I don't have any place for him to go. He is already in speech because he talks baby talk with most grown ups. I put a stop to him talking to me that way on the first day of school. I don't know why he is still in speech except that it is half an hour out of my classroom. His Mom is a huge enabler. she wants him to have a 504 so he can't be retained for not doing his work. Not gonna happen. This is going to be a long year.
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I had to be out on Friday. I had the world's worst sub. They went outside and played most of the day. 4 recesses. Can you believe that? Four? One of my students thinks she is way better than the low class students here at our school. She kept notes on who was talking and playing around. She put checks behind their names and then left me a note about it. (Mind you, the sub didn't even leave me his name.) What would you do? I told her that it wasn't her business to monitor the classroom. That was the subs job. If he didn't do it then it was his responsibility. Not hers. She should not do that again as it will make enemies of the other students and they will make her life miserable. She said they aren't her friends anyway. I told her it didn't matter, she was not the teacher and she wasn't to monitor classroom behavior anymore. She even gave me a list of who were good and who weren't. Of course she was on the good list. Funny, she is always on the talking list on Fridays.
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