A bunch of teachers in my school district got pink-slipped yesterday. Three teachers at my school were included but I don't know who they are. All I know is there were a bunch of upset-looking teachers walking around yesterday.
I am not sure anyone knows how many of the teaching positions in my district, especially math and science, are filled with temporary teachers. When we read the news articles and statements from the district, and comments from anyone and everyone, nobody ever mentions the temporary teachers. They are talking about teachers who are on permanent contract with the district, who are being laid off. It's scary because it's a double whammy and nobody knows about it. Along with the teachers being laid off, there are at least twice as many temporary positions, probably more, and then factor in the people who are retiring or leaving the district for other reasons. There will be 40 kids per classroom next year, and fourth grade teachers will be teaching 8th grade math because they have seniority with the district. Is this really the best we can do, Arizona?
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Thursday, April 02, 2009
I don't heart teaching
I've been having a hard time with one of my students. No big deal - comes with the territory. It's never even about me, it's about whatever else is going on in their lives, that manifests itself in the classroom. Especially with the kids whose parents aren't doing their jobs. The classroom is the only place they are held accountable for behavior and they don't like it. They usually take it out on me. It's part of the job. They're 12. Right? This particular child has a very bad situation. He lives with his father, who literally doesn't give a shit about him. His mother lives in Phoenix, but she's the one we are supposed to communicate with. The kid is an absolute basket case. He bullies and harasses the other kids. He is incredibly disrespectful to adults. He is one of those that thinks he is the class clown, and does stupid things to get attention but instead of laughing the other kids roll their eyes.
His mother is just downright nasty. Since the kids is constantly in trouble, the emails fly back and forth like crazy. (She is deaf, so that is her preferred means of communication.) Every single email we send to her is responded to with excuses about his behavior, and accusations and insinuations about why it's our fault, not his.
On Monday this kid had a very bad day in my class. He hates the class (it's an elective and we do calculator stuff or current events) so every single day he asks to go somewhere as soon as the bell rings. After a few days of this I just started saying, as soon as you are done with your work, you can go. Monday, the kids had just come in from lunch and I was getting them their calculators and their assignments, and this kid asks to go to the bathroom. I gave him my stock response for right after lunch - no, you can't go to the bathroom/get a drink/ use the phone/ talk to the counselor, you just had lunch. You have to do that kind of stuff on your own time. Well, he didn't like that one bit. He asked again, and this time I said, yes you can go - just do your work first and I will let you go. He asked again and I ignored him. He asked over and over again, his voice getting louder and louder, and finally got up with his things and left the room. I just said, don't come back. I wrote a referral, and sent an email to my team, the administration, and his mother, telling exactly what happened. We moved on with class, as always, like nothing happened.
Yesterday I got to work and was greeted with a nasty email from the mother, of course. She made some excuses, and then said that there was one thing she thought was particularly inappropriate. She said that her son told her as soon as he left the room, a friend of his told him that I was talking about him after he left and saying that he was just doing this for attention. She said she thought it was totally unprofessional and who would do that, talking about a kid after they left the room? Opinions like that should be kept in the teacher's lounge, not the classroom, she said. She said the kids are making fun of her son, saying that he does things just for attention. (I wonder if it occurred to her that this doesn't even make sense - the only people that would have heard me, had her son been telling the truth, were still in the classroom. He left alone, so how could a friend tell him anything?)
I responded to all and said I wasn't sure where this came from... we had resumed class as if nothing had happened, and all I had said to him was that he couldn't come back. If the other kids are making fun of him, then it is probably because they are witness to his behavior every day. I said that if she had any doubts about her son's behavior, or my behavior for that matter, she should come and observe my classroom before she jumped to conclusions. I said I work way too hard for my students to be spoken to and treated in this manner.
My entire teaching team, all three of them, replied to all and said that if this kid continues to have excuses made for him, nothing will change; that we are professionals and have been trained to work with kids; that the only person responsible for this kid's behavior is this kid. Parent replied with the same accusation, again with a rude tone, which I just deleted.
This is where it gets nasty. At lunch I found, in my mailbox, an article about how important it is to build relationships with middle school students. Somebody anonymously put it in my box. As if I didn't know that I need to have good relationships with my students. As if I haven't written papers on the subject. As if no matter what is happening, I am not doing enough. My team backed me up, so I know it wasn't one of them. It had to have been either the principal or assistant principal. I tend to think it was the principal. When a kid does something rotten and gets kicked out of class, her response is to sit with them in her office and give them warm fuzzies until their mood improves. Whatever - that is her decision. I, however, am a math teacher. I am not going to stop class and give warm fuzzies to some jerk who is disrupting, and take even more time away from the other thirty-something kids that need to learn their math, so that their mood will improve. I don't really care about their mood. It's math class, not kindergarten.
I sat the kid down after that and had a little chat. I told him exactly what his mother said - that he told her a friend told him that I was talking about him after he left the room. He says no, no, this happened a long time ago. Another teacher said she wouldn't sit me in the middle of the room because I would just try and get everyone's attention. My mom got it mixed up. I then told him that his mom said kids were making fun of him, saying he does things for attention. He said nobody is making fun of him. I said, are you sure? Because we can't have people bullying you. He said he was fine, nobody was bullying him. I said, if someone was, would you tell an adult that could help you? He said yeah. I typed up the transcript of the interview and it's in my computer.
This whole time, I have been thinking about some of the best advice I ever read - If you don't know what to do, don't do anything. So I haven't done anything. I thought, maybe I am overreacting. I will feel better tomorrow. But I don't feel better. I feel betrayed. When I started at that school in October, those kids HATED me. They had got through the entire first quarter of school without having to do anything in math. Now all of a sudden they had to be on time, act right, work the whole class period, and do homework. When they acted like an idiot, they got sent to the office with a referral. They absolutely could not stand me. They complained to the other teachers incessantly. They wanted the sub back.
There are 130 of them. At this point I would say that at least 110 of them like me. A few don't care about anything, but they don't cause me any grief. Then there is that small percentage that I have never been able to reach.
I think that for the administration to expect me to build relationships with all 130 kids, given the situation I came into, is a superhuman feat. The bottom line is that someone, probably the principal, agrees with this kid's mom that it's the teachers, not the kid. Not the kid's situation in life, which we have no control over. Not the kid's behavior, which we have no control over. So I guess I am supposed to just let him disrupt the class at his discretion, let him go wherever he wants, not make him do his work, etc. so that I can have a good relationship with him. There's just one problem - that's not a good relationship. That's the same relationship he has with every other adult in his life, who does not call him out on his crap. I refuse to be one of those adults.
His mother is just downright nasty. Since the kids is constantly in trouble, the emails fly back and forth like crazy. (She is deaf, so that is her preferred means of communication.) Every single email we send to her is responded to with excuses about his behavior, and accusations and insinuations about why it's our fault, not his.
On Monday this kid had a very bad day in my class. He hates the class (it's an elective and we do calculator stuff or current events) so every single day he asks to go somewhere as soon as the bell rings. After a few days of this I just started saying, as soon as you are done with your work, you can go. Monday, the kids had just come in from lunch and I was getting them their calculators and their assignments, and this kid asks to go to the bathroom. I gave him my stock response for right after lunch - no, you can't go to the bathroom/get a drink/ use the phone/ talk to the counselor, you just had lunch. You have to do that kind of stuff on your own time. Well, he didn't like that one bit. He asked again, and this time I said, yes you can go - just do your work first and I will let you go. He asked again and I ignored him. He asked over and over again, his voice getting louder and louder, and finally got up with his things and left the room. I just said, don't come back. I wrote a referral, and sent an email to my team, the administration, and his mother, telling exactly what happened. We moved on with class, as always, like nothing happened.
Yesterday I got to work and was greeted with a nasty email from the mother, of course. She made some excuses, and then said that there was one thing she thought was particularly inappropriate. She said that her son told her as soon as he left the room, a friend of his told him that I was talking about him after he left and saying that he was just doing this for attention. She said she thought it was totally unprofessional and who would do that, talking about a kid after they left the room? Opinions like that should be kept in the teacher's lounge, not the classroom, she said. She said the kids are making fun of her son, saying that he does things just for attention. (I wonder if it occurred to her that this doesn't even make sense - the only people that would have heard me, had her son been telling the truth, were still in the classroom. He left alone, so how could a friend tell him anything?)
I responded to all and said I wasn't sure where this came from... we had resumed class as if nothing had happened, and all I had said to him was that he couldn't come back. If the other kids are making fun of him, then it is probably because they are witness to his behavior every day. I said that if she had any doubts about her son's behavior, or my behavior for that matter, she should come and observe my classroom before she jumped to conclusions. I said I work way too hard for my students to be spoken to and treated in this manner.
My entire teaching team, all three of them, replied to all and said that if this kid continues to have excuses made for him, nothing will change; that we are professionals and have been trained to work with kids; that the only person responsible for this kid's behavior is this kid. Parent replied with the same accusation, again with a rude tone, which I just deleted.
This is where it gets nasty. At lunch I found, in my mailbox, an article about how important it is to build relationships with middle school students. Somebody anonymously put it in my box. As if I didn't know that I need to have good relationships with my students. As if I haven't written papers on the subject. As if no matter what is happening, I am not doing enough. My team backed me up, so I know it wasn't one of them. It had to have been either the principal or assistant principal. I tend to think it was the principal. When a kid does something rotten and gets kicked out of class, her response is to sit with them in her office and give them warm fuzzies until their mood improves. Whatever - that is her decision. I, however, am a math teacher. I am not going to stop class and give warm fuzzies to some jerk who is disrupting, and take even more time away from the other thirty-something kids that need to learn their math, so that their mood will improve. I don't really care about their mood. It's math class, not kindergarten.
I sat the kid down after that and had a little chat. I told him exactly what his mother said - that he told her a friend told him that I was talking about him after he left the room. He says no, no, this happened a long time ago. Another teacher said she wouldn't sit me in the middle of the room because I would just try and get everyone's attention. My mom got it mixed up. I then told him that his mom said kids were making fun of him, saying he does things for attention. He said nobody is making fun of him. I said, are you sure? Because we can't have people bullying you. He said he was fine, nobody was bullying him. I said, if someone was, would you tell an adult that could help you? He said yeah. I typed up the transcript of the interview and it's in my computer.
This whole time, I have been thinking about some of the best advice I ever read - If you don't know what to do, don't do anything. So I haven't done anything. I thought, maybe I am overreacting. I will feel better tomorrow. But I don't feel better. I feel betrayed. When I started at that school in October, those kids HATED me. They had got through the entire first quarter of school without having to do anything in math. Now all of a sudden they had to be on time, act right, work the whole class period, and do homework. When they acted like an idiot, they got sent to the office with a referral. They absolutely could not stand me. They complained to the other teachers incessantly. They wanted the sub back.
There are 130 of them. At this point I would say that at least 110 of them like me. A few don't care about anything, but they don't cause me any grief. Then there is that small percentage that I have never been able to reach.
I think that for the administration to expect me to build relationships with all 130 kids, given the situation I came into, is a superhuman feat. The bottom line is that someone, probably the principal, agrees with this kid's mom that it's the teachers, not the kid. Not the kid's situation in life, which we have no control over. Not the kid's behavior, which we have no control over. So I guess I am supposed to just let him disrupt the class at his discretion, let him go wherever he wants, not make him do his work, etc. so that I can have a good relationship with him. There's just one problem - that's not a good relationship. That's the same relationship he has with every other adult in his life, who does not call him out on his crap. I refuse to be one of those adults.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
AIMS
Well it's that time of year again... an entire week of testing for the kids. They are dreading the testing but seem excited about the new schedule because things will be different for a week. They sure love novelty. I hate AIMS week because it's so boring. I can't get any work done because I have to watch the kids so closely, to make sure they aren't texting. So I just sit and watch, for two hours, every day. Ugh.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Temper, temper!
I lost my temper with one of my students yesterday. He comes in every day and just sits there at his desk. He can't even be bothered to take out a piece of paper and a pencil. This is a trigger for me. If the kids can't even make the effort to try, I get really aggravated and feel like they are wasting my time. I go to the trouble to make good, accurate, valid bellwork questions. I go to the trouble to find the best resources, the ones that will best prepare them for AIMS and for their future in math. So it's really a trigger for me when they won't do their part. I have lots of kids who don't do their part, but they at least pretend, because they don't want me coming after them. Well this kid is just baiting me. He's doing it on purpose, to make me mad. The first thing I did when I realized this was move him to the back corner of the room and decided to ignore whether or not he was trying. Earn your F quietly, that's my motto. But then he started talking, because he could see that just sitting there wasn't going to get me mad anymore. So I start giving him a warning, and then when he doesn't stop talking, I move him to the back table so he is alone. He often refuses to move, talks back constantly, makes faces like he just can't understand why I am such a bitch to him. I kick him out more often than not because I don't get paid enough to babysit this little piece of shit. His mom lives in another city and is constantly badgering me about why her precious son is failing. He lives with his dad who we have never been able to actually contact. Clearly this kid has no supervision. it's a sad situation, and if he didn't get under my skin so much, I might be able to form a relationship with him and try to teach him to act right. But I can't. I can't stand him. So yesterday I told him to move to the back table, and he started talking back and didn't move. So I counted to three, and finally he started getting up his stuff, talking back, so disrespectful the whole time. The thing he says most often is, Oh my god. So I said it back, Oh my god. He said it again, and I said it again. I was mimicking him. So this went on for about four rounds, and I said, you just don't learn. He said, I don't care, so what? I said well, you just don't learn. You know what that makes you? I was hoping he would understand that I was calling him a dumbass, but all he said was, I don't care, so what? This entire exchange was in front of the rest of the class. It was so unprofessional. I get the feeling though, that this kid thinks he can act however he wants to me, and say whatever he wants to me, and I have to be nice to him. That's just not the case... if a student is rude to me, they get rude right back. If a student starts rolling eyes and making faces, I do it right back to them. This has never failed me before... once I start mirroring a student, they stop immediately and do whatever it is I wanted them to do. But this kid enjoys seeing me get mad. I have to stop getting mad.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Bitchery
I love me some good bitchery. Yesterday I had good reason for it!! Dammit!! At work, the AC is normally on all the time. No matter how cold the weather is outside, put 35 pre-adolescents in a small room and it's going to get hot and stuffy. So yesterday the high temperature outside was 90 degrees. Yes, 90. I know because that is what my car said when I went home, and my car does not lie to me. By about 11:00 yesterday, my classroom was absolutely stifling. The kids kept begging me to open the door, but it was even warmer outside than it was inside, for a while. So I opened it anyway just to shut them up. By 2:00, it was hotter inside than outside, and outside was 90 degrees. I canceled my tutoring and got the hell out of there. I really hope the ac is working today. I should be paid extra or something.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Ode to Post-it Notes
You come in all colors, so I never get bored.
You stop me forgetting markers for my white board.
You remind me when my kids will come home from school late;
You remind me of my Sunday night coffee date.
I have to write checks for Emily's lunch,
I have to remember to make Jessica more punch,
I need to put all of our clothes in the dryer,
I shut off the crock pot so the house won't catch fire.
I leave notes for the kids to tell them I've gone,
I remember to hire a landscaper for the lawn.
I've got to make appointments for us with the doctor;
On Saturday there is a test I must proctor!
In all of these things you help me keep sane
For in my old age, my memory does wane
The only thing is, when I use that last note
To remind me to buy more whole grain oat
And your holder on the fridge door is bare
Remember to buy more myself - do I dare??
You stop me forgetting markers for my white board.
You remind me when my kids will come home from school late;
You remind me of my Sunday night coffee date.
I have to write checks for Emily's lunch,
I have to remember to make Jessica more punch,
I need to put all of our clothes in the dryer,
I shut off the crock pot so the house won't catch fire.
I leave notes for the kids to tell them I've gone,
I remember to hire a landscaper for the lawn.
I've got to make appointments for us with the doctor;
On Saturday there is a test I must proctor!
In all of these things you help me keep sane
For in my old age, my memory does wane
The only thing is, when I use that last note
To remind me to buy more whole grain oat
And your holder on the fridge door is bare
Remember to buy more myself - do I dare??
Monday, February 23, 2009
Short Week
The fuss over Rodeo puzzles me every year, as I just can't relate and pretty much don't get it! But there is always one good thing about it and that is the 3 day week. As usual, I am planning a test the day before the break to keep those squirrely preteens in check. The topping on the cake is that there is no staff meeting or professional development on Wednesday after school like there usually is. So I get to leave at 2:00!!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Friday, February 13, 2009
Ghetto School
I am so worried about my future. Really, really worried. The budget cuts in education are going to be drastic. I will probably be able to find a job somewhere, at some school, but it's probably not going to be at the school I want, teaching the grade I want. To be truthful I am really feeling like I want to leave teaching. But the economy is so bad... nobody is hiring, everyone is cutting back. I may be forced to keep teaching even though it's not what I want anymore, and thank my lucky stars for any job I can get! I worry that next year I will have to change schools AGAIN, which means another year of setting up shop, getting used to the kids, leaving my friends and starting over, and reinventing the wheel if it's a different grade level because I can't use the resources I have built up. I have to find new ones.
Yesterday I had an incident with one of my students. He pushed by me, then made a fist and rushed up as if to hit me. I am going to press charges against him because to do otherwise would jeopardize the safety of my colleagues. The students and the other teachers were really shaken after it happened, everyone feeling kind of unsafe because this student just completely freaked out and really came close to hitting me. So I am thinking, I need this? I need to work my ass off for THIS?? Really?? Then at lunch another teacher said that the big fight that happened the other day was on YouTube. I went home and checked, and sure enough, one of the kids had recorded the fight and posted it. I know that every generation shakes their heads and says, "These kids today... What is society coming to?" That's where I am at. I can't relate to them, I don't understand them. I am shocked and horrified by some of them.
It's possible that after I calm down I will think what I usually think... that I can't imagine not teaching, and that any other job is going to be boring and stupid. Lord knows I've tried enough of them. In the end, the rewards of teaching outweigh the pain and sorrow of the job. Still, there's a part of me that wants to finish my math degree, be an actuary, and never have to deal with other people at all.
Yesterday I had an incident with one of my students. He pushed by me, then made a fist and rushed up as if to hit me. I am going to press charges against him because to do otherwise would jeopardize the safety of my colleagues. The students and the other teachers were really shaken after it happened, everyone feeling kind of unsafe because this student just completely freaked out and really came close to hitting me. So I am thinking, I need this? I need to work my ass off for THIS?? Really?? Then at lunch another teacher said that the big fight that happened the other day was on YouTube. I went home and checked, and sure enough, one of the kids had recorded the fight and posted it. I know that every generation shakes their heads and says, "These kids today... What is society coming to?" That's where I am at. I can't relate to them, I don't understand them. I am shocked and horrified by some of them.
It's possible that after I calm down I will think what I usually think... that I can't imagine not teaching, and that any other job is going to be boring and stupid. Lord knows I've tried enough of them. In the end, the rewards of teaching outweigh the pain and sorrow of the job. Still, there's a part of me that wants to finish my math degree, be an actuary, and never have to deal with other people at all.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Wednesday Bitchery
Wednesday is now my day of rest, so I am afraid there isn't much bitchery going on. On Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, I run/walk. On Saturday, I cross train with a body flow class that is part pilates, part yoga, and part tai chi. Wednesday is the only day I completely rest the bod. It's also the night one of my favorite people in the world comes over for dinner and helps Jessica with her Calculus. So I kind of adore Wednesday now.
Anyway if you want to read some bitchery see the last 1000 posts or so.
Anyway if you want to read some bitchery see the last 1000 posts or so.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Fantasy Land
A note from a parent I received yesterday:
"Dear Ms. (my name),
I would really like for (son's name) to come in for extra help after school three days a week. I would really like to get his grade up.
(her name)"
The note I really would have loved to write back:
"Dear parent who lives in fantasy land,
Lady, I don't know where you work or who you work for, but I seriously doubt that if some whack-job asked you to stay after quitting time and work an extra hour for free three days a week, you would agree to do it. If you want private instruction for your precious baby, you'll have to pay for it. And you'll have to pay somebody else because I see as much as I need to see of him each day. Anyway, your son doesn't need tutoring. He needs to pay the fuck attention when I am teaching, and try moving his pencil on his paper every now and then. Maybe do a homework assignment or two? Finally, it's not your job to get his grade up. It's his job. So I really don't give a shit what you'd like. Time to cut the apron strings.
Sincerely,
Ms. Reality Check"
A note I got from another parent the day before, which was photocopied and given to the attendance clerk and the assistant principal as well:
"(Assistant principal's name),
(son's name) has an ankle injury. His math teacher insisted that he stand at the beginning of class yesterday. Would you please tell her that he has a medical condition.
(her name)"
The note I really would have LOVED to write back:
"Dear mother who takes her 13 yr. old lying dumbass son's word as gospel,
Do you know how you can tell when your son is lying? I do. It's when his lips are moving. Your son, who shows absolutely no evidence of any problem with either ankle, as witnessed by me when he ran by my classroom earlier today with his numbnut friends, was tardy for class. I told him to wait to sit down until I could mark him tardy, and his reply was that his ankle hurt and he was going to sit down. I ignored the disrespect as it happens on a daily basis, marked him tardy, and did not stop him from taking his seat. Maybe, if your precious son has an ankle injury, you might inform the school and get a note from the doctor. Or maybe the nut doesn't fall far from the tree and you are lying too. Either way, how dare you write your snotty note without asking me what happened first, and address the assistant principal instead of me. Lady, you have created your own hell and it's only going to get worse. I'll watch you on Judge Judy someday. Until then, stick it up your ass.
Sincerely,
Ms. kiss my white, bumpy ass"
"Dear Ms. (my name),
I would really like for (son's name) to come in for extra help after school three days a week. I would really like to get his grade up.
(her name)"
The note I really would have loved to write back:
"Dear parent who lives in fantasy land,
Lady, I don't know where you work or who you work for, but I seriously doubt that if some whack-job asked you to stay after quitting time and work an extra hour for free three days a week, you would agree to do it. If you want private instruction for your precious baby, you'll have to pay for it. And you'll have to pay somebody else because I see as much as I need to see of him each day. Anyway, your son doesn't need tutoring. He needs to pay the fuck attention when I am teaching, and try moving his pencil on his paper every now and then. Maybe do a homework assignment or two? Finally, it's not your job to get his grade up. It's his job. So I really don't give a shit what you'd like. Time to cut the apron strings.
Sincerely,
Ms. Reality Check"
A note I got from another parent the day before, which was photocopied and given to the attendance clerk and the assistant principal as well:
"(Assistant principal's name),
(son's name) has an ankle injury. His math teacher insisted that he stand at the beginning of class yesterday. Would you please tell her that he has a medical condition.
(her name)"
The note I really would have LOVED to write back:
"Dear mother who takes her 13 yr. old lying dumbass son's word as gospel,
Do you know how you can tell when your son is lying? I do. It's when his lips are moving. Your son, who shows absolutely no evidence of any problem with either ankle, as witnessed by me when he ran by my classroom earlier today with his numbnut friends, was tardy for class. I told him to wait to sit down until I could mark him tardy, and his reply was that his ankle hurt and he was going to sit down. I ignored the disrespect as it happens on a daily basis, marked him tardy, and did not stop him from taking his seat. Maybe, if your precious son has an ankle injury, you might inform the school and get a note from the doctor. Or maybe the nut doesn't fall far from the tree and you are lying too. Either way, how dare you write your snotty note without asking me what happened first, and address the assistant principal instead of me. Lady, you have created your own hell and it's only going to get worse. I'll watch you on Judge Judy someday. Until then, stick it up your ass.
Sincerely,
Ms. kiss my white, bumpy ass"
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Tough week.
I have a lot of kids failing my class. The majority of the reason is the test we took a few weeks ago. Here is everything I did to prepare the kids for the test:
1. We worked on the concepts for more than a week.
2. We took very careful notes, and in the notes was everything on the test.
3. The day before the test, we did a practice worksheet that was identical to the test except for different numbers. I was available the entire period to help. They were to study the worksheet to prepare for the test.
4. They were allowed to use their notes for the test.
5. They are allowed to retake the test, provided they come in after school, show me their notes, ask for help with whatever they don't understand, spend that night studying, and come in whenever they feel ready to retake.
In spite of all this, more than half the kids failed. Very few have bothered to retake. The class averages hovered around 65 percent, which is what they averaged on their last benchmarks. This tells me my grades are accurate.
I have gone over and over this in my mind, and I just refuse to inflate their grades. I didn't curve the test, and I won't. Their grades are an accurate reflection of their knowledge of the subject matter, which is as it should be.
Since I have so many kids failing, the number of parents wanting to meet with me has gone way up. I had five last week. I have two already this coming week. One of which is with the kid that called me retarded yesterday. He is failing math miserably and is just a jerk.
One of the parents last week, for some idiotic reason, believed her kid when she said she does all her homework, and studied, and has no idea why she's failing math. Well, I told a very different story and had examples of the kid's work to prove everything I said. The kid slouches in her desk during class, paying little or no attention to what is happening. She doesn't do her homework. She turns in papers that have 1 or 2 problems, the ones we did together in class, and nothing else so she gets zeros. She didn't even use her notes on her test. When her mom asked her why, she just shrugged. Well, this poor mother just cried. It was AWFUL. I said to the kid, in a very stern voice, "Look at your mother. LOOK AT HER. Do you see what you are doing to her? Do you??" The end result was very good; the parents took away her cell phone, her priveleges, everything. (This particular child is part African-American and has her hair done in small braids, very long, very pretty, and she is extremely vain about her hair.) They told her that if she doesn't fix herself, then when it's time to get her hair done, they just aren't going to do it. But the news isn't good. The kid was supposed to give me an apology letter, and talk to me after class on Friday, and she didn't do it. The parents told me specifically that if this kid didn't do that, would I please email and let them know. So, she isn't doing what she is supposed to do to fix herself. I only hope the parents follow through with what they told her.
Back to the failing grades. I have another student who transferred from another district in Tucson and his grade in math was a C. He can't do fractions, decimals or integers. He is one of the nicest kids I have ever taught, but he has no skills. How did he have a C? Because other teachers are inflating the grades. I just won't do it. My conscience will not allow it. But I know that with this many kids failing, there is a good chance the administration will come down on me. It hurts the school's reputation.
What to do? We have another test coming up on area and perimeter. I fear the results.
1. We worked on the concepts for more than a week.
2. We took very careful notes, and in the notes was everything on the test.
3. The day before the test, we did a practice worksheet that was identical to the test except for different numbers. I was available the entire period to help. They were to study the worksheet to prepare for the test.
4. They were allowed to use their notes for the test.
5. They are allowed to retake the test, provided they come in after school, show me their notes, ask for help with whatever they don't understand, spend that night studying, and come in whenever they feel ready to retake.
In spite of all this, more than half the kids failed. Very few have bothered to retake. The class averages hovered around 65 percent, which is what they averaged on their last benchmarks. This tells me my grades are accurate.
I have gone over and over this in my mind, and I just refuse to inflate their grades. I didn't curve the test, and I won't. Their grades are an accurate reflection of their knowledge of the subject matter, which is as it should be.
Since I have so many kids failing, the number of parents wanting to meet with me has gone way up. I had five last week. I have two already this coming week. One of which is with the kid that called me retarded yesterday. He is failing math miserably and is just a jerk.
One of the parents last week, for some idiotic reason, believed her kid when she said she does all her homework, and studied, and has no idea why she's failing math. Well, I told a very different story and had examples of the kid's work to prove everything I said. The kid slouches in her desk during class, paying little or no attention to what is happening. She doesn't do her homework. She turns in papers that have 1 or 2 problems, the ones we did together in class, and nothing else so she gets zeros. She didn't even use her notes on her test. When her mom asked her why, she just shrugged. Well, this poor mother just cried. It was AWFUL. I said to the kid, in a very stern voice, "Look at your mother. LOOK AT HER. Do you see what you are doing to her? Do you??" The end result was very good; the parents took away her cell phone, her priveleges, everything. (This particular child is part African-American and has her hair done in small braids, very long, very pretty, and she is extremely vain about her hair.) They told her that if she doesn't fix herself, then when it's time to get her hair done, they just aren't going to do it. But the news isn't good. The kid was supposed to give me an apology letter, and talk to me after class on Friday, and she didn't do it. The parents told me specifically that if this kid didn't do that, would I please email and let them know. So, she isn't doing what she is supposed to do to fix herself. I only hope the parents follow through with what they told her.
Back to the failing grades. I have another student who transferred from another district in Tucson and his grade in math was a C. He can't do fractions, decimals or integers. He is one of the nicest kids I have ever taught, but he has no skills. How did he have a C? Because other teachers are inflating the grades. I just won't do it. My conscience will not allow it. But I know that with this many kids failing, there is a good chance the administration will come down on me. It hurts the school's reputation.
What to do? We have another test coming up on area and perimeter. I fear the results.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
What a nightmare!
I had a school nightmare last night. I was a 7th grade teacher with no supplies, kids that behaved like animals, and a staff so big that I felt I knew noone. (That's not the nightmare yet, that is reality.) Then, for some ridiculous reason, the administration asked me to teach 1st grade and I AGREED! So I went into the new classroom and there were probably 40 first graders running around. There were boxes and jars and cans and containers stacked up to the ceiling in every corner and along every wall, full of every kind of school supply you can imagine. The kids were all seated in a circle around a huge island which was also stacked to the ceiling. Supplies, good, right? NO! They were all disorganized!! There were pencils mixed with crayons, bulletin board borders in the same container with math manipulatives, etc. It was a giant mess! And I had inherited it! My email inbox was jam packed with read and unread emails, and even though they were all addressed to me, I couldn't understand any of them! Then the kids started running amok, and of course I didn't know any of their names, for I had taken over in the middle of the school day and didn't even know where the seating chart was! One of the kids, who was like 17 years old and had facial hair and looked very mean, tried to go outside through the sliding glass door (!?) and when I tried to stop him, he grabbed my wrist and twisted. I kicked him out and promptly started sobbing because I had made such a bad decision. I sat down in my teacher chair among all the boxes and containers, and cried for a minute and I don't know what the children were doing. Then I realized I had better start acting like a teacher so I got up and started to check on one of the kids, and realized I had no underwear or pants on!!! They were on the floor about 10 feet from my desk!! In my dream, I was thinking, this is like a dream! That's how real it was. I put my pants and underwear back on and the bell rang, and I had to ask the kids if that was the dismissal bell. They said yes, so I told them I would see them tomorrow. On their way out I noticed that one of them was a PARENT!! And all I could think of was that if she saw me without pants on, I was going to get fired!
Then I woke up with a pounding headache. Oh. My. God.
Then I woke up with a pounding headache. Oh. My. God.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Wednesday Bitchery on Thursday
I had a really sucky walkjog today. Why was it sucky, you ask? Well, for one, I woke up with a splitting headache. There have been a few mornings that I have had a headache getting up but it goes away shortly after I get outside and start walkjogging. This one, however, seemed to get worse. It is at bay right now but I am going to have to take something so it doesn't come back. So that was the first reason. Secondly, I am noticing that when I have a really good day, and push myself, the next day is very difficult. Yesterday was a particularly good day and I jogged most of the two miles. So today it felt like I was walkjogging through a swimming pool, I took one less lap around the park than usual, and finishing felt like a chore rather than a victory. There, I got that off my chest. Maybe now I can lighten up and have a good day. After all, it's Top Chef on Tivo night!! My favorite night of the week!
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
eHarmony = eDiscord
My sister has scored quite a few bad dates on eHarmony, so I decided to give it another try. What is better than bad dates, after all? Turns out bad emails are also much fun. But perhaps I overreact. You be the judge. Here is the communication that took place in less than the past 24 hours:
Him: my name is tim and i taught math for pima college for 16 years. What are you up to today?
Me: Hi,
I am just relaxing after a good day at work. :)
Did you enjoy teaching math? I really like it most of the time.
Him: i enjoyed it very much. I also taught a lot of aviation courses also. Do you enjoy snuggling under a blanket watching movies? lets get together and enjoy each others company!
My initial reaction is to immediately close the match. He's too forward, it gave me the creeps. How about suggesting a phone call or a lunch date? We go immediately from email to snuggling under a blanket? EW. What say ye?
Him: my name is tim and i taught math for pima college for 16 years. What are you up to today?
Me: Hi,
I am just relaxing after a good day at work. :)
Did you enjoy teaching math? I really like it most of the time.
Him: i enjoyed it very much. I also taught a lot of aviation courses also. Do you enjoy snuggling under a blanket watching movies? lets get together and enjoy each others company!
My initial reaction is to immediately close the match. He's too forward, it gave me the creeps. How about suggesting a phone call or a lunch date? We go immediately from email to snuggling under a blanket? EW. What say ye?
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
The Fiery Pits of Hell
I was really dreading my first day back to work. I spent quite a bit of energy on it. It's the first time I have dreaded going to work since I started teaching. Thankfully, all that energy was wasted. It was a good day. The kids were subdued, probably tired from getting up early after two weeks of sleeping in. Only a few kids were mean. One of my team members said hi at lunch and actually sounded happy to see me. So, I am feeling much better about my ability to make it through the end of the school year! In my mind, I have come to refer to my classroom as the fiery pits of hell. Maybe by the end of the year I will have changed my mind.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Happy New Year! Hadn't you better lose some weight?
It happens every year at this time. This year I am either noticing it more, or it's actually getting worse. It's resolution season and it seems every advertisement in America is directed at women, and they are telling us we need to lose weight. There are commercials on TV and radio. The magazine covers are full of helpful suggestions. Every website I visit has at least one banner suggesting a great new diet.
Well, go to hell, all of you! I don't care what time of year it is! If I feel I'm in need of your services, I will contact YOU! BACK OFF!
Well, go to hell, all of you! I don't care what time of year it is! If I feel I'm in need of your services, I will contact YOU! BACK OFF!
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