OK, I need activities for low level kids. Think middle school mentality. They like to move around and do hands on things, but their comprehension is low and you can just about forget analysis. Friday we did chain reaction and discussed cause/effect. They had 16 slips of paper that told the story leading to the American Revolution. After they got them in order they had to make a chain. Worked well, but they struggled with the order. Sadly, I reviewed it before we started. Today we did gallery crawl and they completed graphics by going from station to station around the room. It was another cause/effect activity, but this time they were identifying it in the passage. I don’t know how much they got out of this happy little review, but they were quiet and working. I call that progress. No one threw anything at anyone else. I only heard shut the f* up once and it was not directed at me. He was trying to help me get them started. Ahhh, how kind. I did have to have security remove one individual. He was “excused” Friday as well. After speaking with his ROTC Major I don’t think it will be a problem again…and if it is Major will be called and not security. I smile at the thought. It won’t be pretty for the young man.

You know, one on one these kids are really good. It’s collectively that they turn into gangsta thugs, frontin’ and representin’. Ugh. Every single one will greet you in the hall and speak with respect when you call them out for a conference. In class, different story.

Anyway, I hate the bureaucracy and paperwork. Up until today I was catching up and not having to spend as much time in prep each evening. I found out today that I have to do a minimum 43 day study on a class or target group. To top it off, it has to be started by Friday. This means I have to create a pretest, get it approved, administer it, grade it, and then determine specific learning goals for each student in the data group. If the students meet growth over this minimum 43 day study I might receive a bonus. I will have to totally redo my plans for this week and still work in the goal test by Friday. Ridiculous. So after I found out about this happy little project I found out that I had to attend training for it after school. Again, no notice. Look, I know I am bad about not getting all the info I need out of emails, but this one did not arrive until today. Fortunately, I have good colleagues who will help me through and we will collaborate on the goal analysis.

Besides, what are they going to do, fire me? Really? Trust me, no one else wants to teach here. Think serious inner city. Yep, we have the students that cling to the underside of the bottom of the barrel. Oddly, I like them…most days.

Waiting for more ice to fall. I’m hoping for enough to TOTALLY cancel school, no optional workday BS, or just rain. I’m also not interested in a make up day, thanks.

I would love to post more often and even write something substantial, right now I’m just keeping my head above water and hoping to catch up soon. Besides, sleep wins.

Yep, I teach in a double wide. Let’s call it a learning cottage so that we all feel better about it. Maybe they have cleared the walkway for tomorrow, but this is what I arrived to this morning. Students were out, but it was an “optional” workday for faculty. Optional means that you will not get paid if you do not show or take a personal day, AND you will still have to attend the regularly scheduled make up day. How does that work? Sounds like a two-for-one deal to me.

Either way.

Here we are, wasting time at night when I should already be in bed. All counties around have called off school tomorrow, not mine. They will make a decision early in the morning. With ice showers moving in I doubt the neighborhood roads will improve. It’s not that I mind going tomorrow, I mind losing the sleep that I would get if I already knew the decision. I certainly do not want to make up the day on a much prettier and warmer day.

The girls are excited they get to stay up late and sleep in. Goody.

Messages received from former students:

Mrs kontan, i just wanted to let you know that for the first time in US history i fell asleep today.

His power points are blue.
Just plain blue.
No pictures.
Blue.

Today I concentrated on getting them started and keeping them in their seat throughout the period. Success. Now, they are still WAY too loud and impulsive, but we’re working on it. I asked questions, they responded. They thought about their answers and expressed their opinions. I will have to be careful with this because they would love to talk about their opinions the entire time and we do have information to cover. Besides, sometimes their opinions are not based on reality. The biggest problems I had today came from students who were not here yesterday. Either way, goal one is a check.

Funny but sad story about yesterday…

I had students pulling out candy and tossing it to one another. Putting it in their pocket and sneaking it when they thought I wasn’t looking. Hey, I was happy that they cared enough to at least try and hide it. These are 90 minute classes, with third block being 110 minutes. Honestly, if I don’t see it, hear it, or smell it I don’t care. I shall not share that piece of information with them. One girl pulled out a juice box and sat it on her desk. I just shook my head and said it is almost lunch you need to wait. This was the 110 minute class and we were about 80ish minutes in. Next time I looked and she had the straw in it. I pointed out that I had asked her to put it away. She said, “I gosta medical ’scuse.” I responded that she should show it. She shrugged and stood up. Girl is gonna have a baby any day now. She is so little and all the baby was hidden under her desk top. She was allowed to finish her juice…and a cracker.

I have two that are pregnant in that class. Very sad. Even worse, the girl I described above had her sister bring something to the room today. She is just as close to her baby’s birthday as her sister. I cannot imagine having two pregnant teenagers in the house. You know, this young woman has the ability to do something with her life and it is about to get way more complicated.

Today was the first day with students at new school. I will be going to bed after this blog post.

I had great plans yesterday of getting in my room, setting up, and accomplishing my planning for the week. Instead I cleaned up and discarded the 30+ years worth of hmaterials that the previous teacher, a retiree, left. Look, I have my own junk, I do not need to inherit yours. Besides, preparation material for the California end of course exam will do me little good in NORTH CAROLINA! It wasn’t even the same subject. There were a few good books, but as Djembe can tell you, I am not hurting for social studies related books. There went my day.

When the students arrived I was lured into a false sense of security. They weren’t that bad. A little chatty, but they came in and sat down without issue. I gave them their new schedule and shortly homeroom was over. Turns out, I have a senior homeroom and I teach sophomores for the rest of the day. Wow. It was very much like having a room full of early elementary. They will have to be taught to the basics of respect- stay in your seat while I am talking to the class, do not talk while I am talking, do not throw anything at the garbage can or your neighbor, save your snack for between classes or lunch. I have always had good classroom management skills, but they were challenged to the limit today.

Just when I thought I had possibly made an error in judgment a rather large student walks by and I comment about how his behavior drastically improved throughout the class. I was impressed with him by the end. He looks down at me and grins, then extends his hand for a shake and says, “you aw-ite.” That’s a true compliment from this group.

Another found me after school and asked to go back to the room because he had left his bag. As we walked, he chatted and apologized for putting his head down. He promised it wouldn’t happen again and explained that with his mom in school and his dad working third shift he had to take care of his siblings and it was a late night last night. He also said that he thought I was going to be a good teacher, and that I had a lot more energy than his last teacher.

Reflecting on these two students I realize that the decision to change schools is not as crazy as many thought it was. Maybe for them it would be, but I really think it is what I am supposed to be doing. There will be headaches…oh so many, but I need to focus on what is really important- the students who need someone there for them.

Just to give you an idea of the type of school I am in, I have had “Pants on the Ground” in my head the whole day. So many reminders. It did make it easier to smile.

Amused

Teachers: These are actual comments made on student report cards by teachers in the New York City public school system. All teachers were reprimanded but, some of these are really funny!

1. Since my last report, your child has reached rock bottom and has started to dig.
2. I would not allow this student to breed.
3. Your child has delusions of adequacy.
4. Your son is depriving a village somewhere of an idiot.
5. Your son sets low personal standards and then consistently fails to achieve them.
6. The student has a ‘full six-pack’ but lacks the plastic thingie to hold it all together.
7. This child has been working with glue too much.
8. When your daughter’s IQ reaches 50, she should sell.
9. The gates are down, the lights are flashing, but the train isn’t coming.
10. If this student were any more stupid, he’d have to be watered twice a week.
11. It’s impossible to believe the sperm that created this child beat out 1,000,000 others .
12. The wheel is turning but the hamster is definitely dead.

Since it is feeling almost like spring outside I decided to get rid of the snow theme for a while. Winter may make another showing, here in the South you never know. I counted my days and am officially gone from TCS (the charter school). There are parts that I will miss. The schedule, set up like a college MWF/TR schedule, was wonderful. Having first and second periods off was extremely convenient. I loved teaching US and AP US History. However, like all jobs there were headaches. This particular had about 15 in my fourth period class. It was AP and I pushed them. I expected them to be self accountable. I gave them the tools to study and research. I didn’t quiz them constantly or test them on every detail. I made them write and I didn’t tell them how spectacular their BS ability was. Instead, I called them on it and told them they had given me a well written essay with no substance. Most of them knew how to write and had been told their entire academic career how wonderful they were. It would have been easier to tell them the same, but when you read an entire essay that has no supporting detail and is riddled with generalities you are not doing them a favor by giving a good grade and ignoring the lack of substance. AP readers and college professors won’t tolerate that. Their multiple choice questions were greater than knowledge based learning. A large portion of the class didn’t like it. Others rose to the occasion and sought excellence. I saw one student move from a generous low C to a low A. She worked so hard for every point.

When the students were told that I was leaving there was mixed reaction. My music students were disappointed and very concerned about what would happen to their class. I don’t blame them, the new teacher is not a music person and we had been having so much fun with our Stomp preparations. My honors students were taken by surprise but understood you do what you have to do. A good portion of my AP students were visibly elated. They had already decided that they would achieve great things with another teacher.

One individual decided to organize a farewell celebration. Keep in mind please that this was not a “we will miss you” going away party. I don’t know how to describe it, but it was very clear that this was a “don’t let the door hit ya” kind of send off. On the last day I gave a final quiz and afterward the organizer asked if the girls could share the snacks they had brought, I looked up and quietly stated, “my concern is entering grades and letting each individual know where they stand in the class…you can celebrate after I leave.” I don’t think the irritation I feel is because of this immature handling of my departure, it is because this student is one that I went out of my way to help. It is necessary for me to realize that he skipped a grade and is younger than the rest, but that doesn’t change the fact that he had followers. I received the following apology from a student who I have great respect for:

I’m terribly sorry how your last week went at TCS, at least with our class. I never wanted it to end that way. I just hope you don’t think the entire class disliked you. That’s not true, but I’m afraid you’re under that impression. I’d like you to know that I’ll miss you. Class won’t be the same. In all seriousness, your class may have been my favorite this year. I’ve always loved history. It’s such a fascinating subject. I hope that you enjoy teaching at your new school and I wish you the best of luck there.

Why is it that the students who need to apologize are never the students who do?

Days ago natural disaster struck the small nation of Haiti. The images are devastating to watch. The helplessness is heartbreaking to feel. In 2002 I was there, standing on the same streets that are now covered in rubble and haunted by death. I scroll the pictures from my 2002 trip and cannot help but wonder, did they survive? This nation struggles to get by on a good day. The roads are barely passable on a good day.

I cannot fathom how this nation will recover.