In response to a question about someone who is alive/famous today that might be considered a "Renaissance Person":
"Snoop dawg - he is a musical musician. He is very funny and a good person."
August joy
11 years ago
30 October 2003
29 October 2003
From the mouths of children...
"Two reason [sic] Europeans began to explore by sea was it was a lot faster to go by sea then [sic] by feet. Another reason is because they could find more land by boat because you can't walk across the ocean."
14 October 2003
An example of creative writing...
"After Christopher Columbus left the Americas, the native Americans' population suffered in decreasion."
Sounds contagious...
Sounds contagious...
29 September 2003
It's been a month!!!
Yes, I know.
It's been a crazy opening, what with the master schedule not being right, and hurricanes, and new responsibilities (I'm the team leader).
More later.
It's been a crazy opening, what with the master schedule not being right, and hurricanes, and new responsibilities (I'm the team leader).
More later.
23 August 2003
The beginning approacheth...
One of the things that I really love about teaching is that I get to start new every fall. Or late summer, depending on how picky you are. Teaching is unique in the sense that what we do has a beginning, a middle, and a definite end. I used to work as an assistant in a tourism office when I was in grad school, I know from what I speak here - there is NO end. Sure, we would finish projects, but then we'd go on to another almost immediately, or rather, we would shift our attention to that project that had already begun much around the same time as the one just completed. But with teaching, you get an end, a break, and a fresh start. I will have all new students this year. I'm also hoping to have some of the same kids I had last year - several of my World History students told me they signed up for AP Psych. Since I'm teaching 3 of the 5 sections offered this year, odds are better than 50% that I'll get a few of them. This is great, because I liked those kids. But back to the new.
Of course, I'm always overly optimistic. "This year I'm going to be the perfect teacher," I tell myself. "I'm going to call parents when there's a problem immediately! I'm going to be so creative with my lessons! I'm going to plan more than two days ahead. I will have great tests and even better essays with fabulous rubrics with which to grade said essays. I will use all the right techniques, and my students will love my classes." Ha ha ha! Well, I should know from experience (this being the beginning of year 5) that that shit ain't gonna happen. But I'll be better than last year. And I will be more creative in some senses. I will use some of the same lessons, but they'll be improved. And dammit, this year I am going to use good rubrics, because it's all about the rubric. What is a rubric? Well, there are all kinds of definitions, none of which really apply, but the way teachers use them is that they are basically something that lists attributes that qualify the writing, project, etc., as an "A", "B", "C", etc. paper. Here is an example: Essay Rubric It's a really good one, by the way, thanks to the author of this one!!!
So while I am sad that my vacation is over (although no students next week, it's just teachers), I am looking forward to the New Year. It will be different, certainly - we have two new teachers, and an interim department chair, but that's part of the reason it's so much fun.
Of course, I'm always overly optimistic. "This year I'm going to be the perfect teacher," I tell myself. "I'm going to call parents when there's a problem immediately! I'm going to be so creative with my lessons! I'm going to plan more than two days ahead. I will have great tests and even better essays with fabulous rubrics with which to grade said essays. I will use all the right techniques, and my students will love my classes." Ha ha ha! Well, I should know from experience (this being the beginning of year 5) that that shit ain't gonna happen. But I'll be better than last year. And I will be more creative in some senses. I will use some of the same lessons, but they'll be improved. And dammit, this year I am going to use good rubrics, because it's all about the rubric. What is a rubric? Well, there are all kinds of definitions, none of which really apply, but the way teachers use them is that they are basically something that lists attributes that qualify the writing, project, etc., as an "A", "B", "C", etc. paper. Here is an example: Essay Rubric It's a really good one, by the way, thanks to the author of this one!!!
So while I am sad that my vacation is over (although no students next week, it's just teachers), I am looking forward to the New Year. It will be different, certainly - we have two new teachers, and an interim department chair, but that's part of the reason it's so much fun.
15 August 2003
Things that make you go "hmmm..."
So no doubt you've heard about the massive power outages in the northeastern U.S. and Canada. (look here or here for info) Frankly, I'd be surprised if you had heard about anything else, that was all that was on the news yesterday. It was on all the local networks here, plus the cable networks, as well as the BBC news. My question is this. If there was no power in NYC yesterday, how on earth was NBC broadcasting from NY at all? Or any of the news agencies that are headquarterd in NY. Is it all a lie? Are they really just in a small building in Sheboygan?
14 August 2003
Catching a cold?
The cat has been sneezing alot the last couple of days. And not those little sneezes that are almost fairy-like, you could almost see Tinkerbell sneezing like that. No, she's been sneezing two or three times at a shot, and they're great big snuffly things. We did go to the vet last week (and it was dog day, apparently, she was the only cat in a waiting room filled with canines), and aside from needing a visit to the kitty dentist, the vet gave her a clean bill of health. Other than the sneezing, I can't see anything else wrong with her, no running eyes, no listlessness, in fact, she's as active as she usually is. If it continues tomorrow I will give the vet a call, although I will also be spending part of the day waiting for the cable guy because my Tivo didn't work!!! So I returned it and got digital cable instead. Extravagance, I know!
06 August 2003
Ch-ch-ch-changes...
Every fall when we come back from summer vacation, there are always changes at school. Teachers who told you to have a nice summer, and they'd see you in the fall, have gone off to other schools, to higher positions, to pursue other careers. Others who said goodbye to you in June suddenly reappear in late August, as if nothing had passed between you in the spring, as if there had been no mention of their leaving. You whisper in corners with your colleagues about what happened, why did so-and-so come back, what job offer fell through, what was better about this job that made them want to come back? Part of the excitement of coming back in late August is finding out all this information, finding out how everyone else spent their vacation, finding out about the changes, and learning what new inanities the school district has decided we desperately need to do this year.
But sometimes the changes just suck. Well, suck isn't quite the right word for it. The change is good for the person making the change, but it has thrown my colleagues and me for a loop.
My department chair is leaving our school for another position within the school district. She is one year away from retirement, and we all kind of knew she'd be leaving next year, but that was next year. What we were not prepared for was this announcement that she would not be spending her final year with us. For her, it is an exciting opportunity to be able to have more flexible working hours and to be able to be involved in new ways of teaching. For us, for me, it is scary! Who will the new leader be? How will this new person differ from our former leader? Will the collegiality that currently exists in our department continue on? Will this new person trust in our professionalism and allow us to keep our focus as we have in the past? One of the things I like so much about this school that I hear is not the case in so many other schools in my district is the fact that the teachers, especially those of us in the social studies department, are given a lot of freedom regarding how we approach the state tests. Many other schools emphasize rote memorization and massive reviewing towards the end of the school year, something that has never been the case at my school, and our scores have always been pretty good. I hope this kind of trust can continue.
I also feel sorry for this new person for a variety of reasons: first, our former dept. chair is a wonderful woman, a good leader, and an excellent educator. These are some big shoes to fill! Second: we as a department are very close, and (from what I understand from people who have entered the department in the last couple of years) we can be intimidating, and not-so-easy to break into. We don't mean to be, I don't think, but that's the way it is. At least, I don't think we mean to be. For any new person the transition could be difficult. Of course, the new department chair could be someone from within our department. This also has dangers. It could cause resentment. Or it could be great. It's a great unknown, and that is what is so worrying.
I will also personally miss our department chair very, very much. She is not only my colleague, but a friend, and I have learned much from her about being a teacher and about being a leader. She was always a calming influence on my bad days, and always supportive when I wanted to try something new. I wish her the best of luck with her new position, and hope that she'll come back and visit us often. I can only hope that one day I will be half as good an educator as she is.
But sometimes the changes just suck. Well, suck isn't quite the right word for it. The change is good for the person making the change, but it has thrown my colleagues and me for a loop.
My department chair is leaving our school for another position within the school district. She is one year away from retirement, and we all kind of knew she'd be leaving next year, but that was next year. What we were not prepared for was this announcement that she would not be spending her final year with us. For her, it is an exciting opportunity to be able to have more flexible working hours and to be able to be involved in new ways of teaching. For us, for me, it is scary! Who will the new leader be? How will this new person differ from our former leader? Will the collegiality that currently exists in our department continue on? Will this new person trust in our professionalism and allow us to keep our focus as we have in the past? One of the things I like so much about this school that I hear is not the case in so many other schools in my district is the fact that the teachers, especially those of us in the social studies department, are given a lot of freedom regarding how we approach the state tests. Many other schools emphasize rote memorization and massive reviewing towards the end of the school year, something that has never been the case at my school, and our scores have always been pretty good. I hope this kind of trust can continue.
I also feel sorry for this new person for a variety of reasons: first, our former dept. chair is a wonderful woman, a good leader, and an excellent educator. These are some big shoes to fill! Second: we as a department are very close, and (from what I understand from people who have entered the department in the last couple of years) we can be intimidating, and not-so-easy to break into. We don't mean to be, I don't think, but that's the way it is. At least, I don't think we mean to be. For any new person the transition could be difficult. Of course, the new department chair could be someone from within our department. This also has dangers. It could cause resentment. Or it could be great. It's a great unknown, and that is what is so worrying.
I will also personally miss our department chair very, very much. She is not only my colleague, but a friend, and I have learned much from her about being a teacher and about being a leader. She was always a calming influence on my bad days, and always supportive when I wanted to try something new. I wish her the best of luck with her new position, and hope that she'll come back and visit us often. I can only hope that one day I will be half as good an educator as she is.
04 August 2003
Tryin' to get down to business
I am excited about this. Heck, I'm just damn excited about today. First, according to the UPS tracking website, my Tivo should be coming today - in fact, it is currently in the back of a big brown truck, on its way from Alexandria!!! I wonder how many houses between me and my Tivo?
Sad, I know.
In addition, the current plan is to begin thinking about school again this week. Yes, I know, I did all that work on curriculum, and thus spent a lot of time thinking about school, however, I was thinking more globally (to use history teacher speak), rather than in my own classroom. Today's plan is to map out the World History course roughly for the whole year. Ha ha ha! In other words, make a schedule from first day until last day that as soon as I start teaching I will have to throw out of the window. The best laid plans... Why am I starting so early, you may ask? Well, it's really not that early, if you think about it. Between now and the first day that teachers go back (which is a week chock full of meetings, spending time with colleagues, and rearranging your classroom three times until it's acceptable (not right, just acceptable)), there are only three weeks, and next week I have a one day workshop, and the week after I have a three day workshop, so it's not really three weeks, now is it.
Wait.
Where the HELL did my summer go????
So, add to the Tivo and scheduling excitment, towards the end of the week, I'm going to Philadelphia to spend quality time with my dad and grandmother, as well as see some friends from my own high school days. Should be very much fun.
Hey, anyone out there know Gaelic?
Sad, I know.
In addition, the current plan is to begin thinking about school again this week. Yes, I know, I did all that work on curriculum, and thus spent a lot of time thinking about school, however, I was thinking more globally (to use history teacher speak), rather than in my own classroom. Today's plan is to map out the World History course roughly for the whole year. Ha ha ha! In other words, make a schedule from first day until last day that as soon as I start teaching I will have to throw out of the window. The best laid plans... Why am I starting so early, you may ask? Well, it's really not that early, if you think about it. Between now and the first day that teachers go back (which is a week chock full of meetings, spending time with colleagues, and rearranging your classroom three times until it's acceptable (not right, just acceptable)), there are only three weeks, and next week I have a one day workshop, and the week after I have a three day workshop, so it's not really three weeks, now is it.
Wait.
Where the HELL did my summer go????
So, add to the Tivo and scheduling excitment, towards the end of the week, I'm going to Philadelphia to spend quality time with my dad and grandmother, as well as see some friends from my own high school days. Should be very much fun.
Hey, anyone out there know Gaelic?
29 July 2003
An odd occurrence for July...
As I was drifting off to sleep last night, I had a few things on my mind, most of which had to do with school. I was thinking about the kinds of things I could do with my students on the first day of school. The trouble with the first day of school is that everyone is getting to know everyone else, and figuring out how to get from one class to the next, and how to pronounce everyone else's names, so it's difficult to actually jump right into the content, although I think I am going to try doing just that with my World History kids. Nothing like a little map work to get everyone started.
Anyway, because that was on my mind as I went to sleep last night, I ended up having an anxiety dream about teaching. I generally only have those during the school year, and this kind of dream is the kind that I haven't had for a while. Most of the dreams I have had about school have been about particular students who worry me (as in I'm concerned for their future due to their performance in my classroom). In the first two years of my teaching, I had a LOT of dreams that were about my teaching ability...ok, well, they were really about me being an incompetent teacher, if we want to be frank about it. There was the dream where one ornery student would lead a rebellion against me, and encourage the whole class to leave the room, thrusting their fists in the air and yelling rebellious slogans. There was the dream where I stood in front of the class and had no lesson plan for the day, had no clue what we were supposed to be doing.
Well, last night was a doozy. It was a combination of the above two dreams. I was in a humoungous classroom where the sightlines were really poor, so I couldn't see all of my students, and there was a group of rambunctious girls hidden off in a corner, being loud and causing all sorts of trouble. I didn't have a lesson plan, and had actually forgotten EVERYTHING I knew about psychology (it was my AP Psych class, you see), and I think there was even another group of kids who were threatening to leave the room. It was such a traumatic dream that I woke up feeling very disconcerted. I think the thing that stuck with me was the complete and utter inability to remember the psychology, that I was standing up in front of these kids, a fraud. So when I did finally wake up this morning and remember the dream, I had to remind myself that I wasn't a fraud, nor was I incompetent, and that the scores my students received on their AP tests was an indication of that.
But why, dear readers, would I have this dream in JULY?
Anyway, because that was on my mind as I went to sleep last night, I ended up having an anxiety dream about teaching. I generally only have those during the school year, and this kind of dream is the kind that I haven't had for a while. Most of the dreams I have had about school have been about particular students who worry me (as in I'm concerned for their future due to their performance in my classroom). In the first two years of my teaching, I had a LOT of dreams that were about my teaching ability...ok, well, they were really about me being an incompetent teacher, if we want to be frank about it. There was the dream where one ornery student would lead a rebellion against me, and encourage the whole class to leave the room, thrusting their fists in the air and yelling rebellious slogans. There was the dream where I stood in front of the class and had no lesson plan for the day, had no clue what we were supposed to be doing.
Well, last night was a doozy. It was a combination of the above two dreams. I was in a humoungous classroom where the sightlines were really poor, so I couldn't see all of my students, and there was a group of rambunctious girls hidden off in a corner, being loud and causing all sorts of trouble. I didn't have a lesson plan, and had actually forgotten EVERYTHING I knew about psychology (it was my AP Psych class, you see), and I think there was even another group of kids who were threatening to leave the room. It was such a traumatic dream that I woke up feeling very disconcerted. I think the thing that stuck with me was the complete and utter inability to remember the psychology, that I was standing up in front of these kids, a fraud. So when I did finally wake up this morning and remember the dream, I had to remind myself that I wasn't a fraud, nor was I incompetent, and that the scores my students received on their AP tests was an indication of that.
But why, dear readers, would I have this dream in JULY?
23 July 2003
I am NOT apologizing...
I am not apologizing for my atrocious taste in television shows. I LIKE bad tv, dammit! So with that in mind....
I am Piper.
Which Charmed One Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
I am Piper.
Which Charmed One Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
22 July 2003
Just in case you were up late worrying about this...
Yes, they did indeed correct the misspelling of "etc." at the gym. A good thing too, since I didn't have any dry erase markers with me to do the correction myself. I think that I was probably not the only to complain - either that or there's a manager who works there that can actually spell.
Complete and total subject change, hold on to your hats...
I think I mentioned at some point that I teach online as well as in the classroom. Well, no longer. I decided that I couldn't come up with any advantages for students and any reason why this was better, or that high school kids were even capable. So I let the folks at the online learning know I wouldn't be interested in doing it again, and man do I feel free!!!
AP scores are in, and we did really well - well, the kids did really well. 79% of our kids got a 3 or above (which is passing), and 56% got 4 or 5 (highest scores). Woohoo!
Complete and total subject change, hold on to your hats...
I think I mentioned at some point that I teach online as well as in the classroom. Well, no longer. I decided that I couldn't come up with any advantages for students and any reason why this was better, or that high school kids were even capable. So I let the folks at the online learning know I wouldn't be interested in doing it again, and man do I feel free!!!
AP scores are in, and we did really well - well, the kids did really well. 79% of our kids got a 3 or above (which is passing), and 56% got 4 or 5 (highest scores). Woohoo!
20 July 2003
Not education related today, sorry
So I did it.
I posted an online personal on not one, but two separate singles websites. I even put up my picture. Hopefully I'm not asking for stalkers or psychos or even just clingy weirdo guys who listen to their walkmen and talk to strangers at the same time. Anyway, thus begins the adventure, or something. We'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted, dear readers, and someone will have to be the designated person to get the call when I'm home from whatever dates I go on so I don't end up in a ditch somewhere.
Boy, that's cheerful and upbeat, isn't it?
I posted an online personal on not one, but two separate singles websites. I even put up my picture. Hopefully I'm not asking for stalkers or psychos or even just clingy weirdo guys who listen to their walkmen and talk to strangers at the same time. Anyway, thus begins the adventure, or something. We'll see what happens. I'll keep you posted, dear readers, and someone will have to be the designated person to get the call when I'm home from whatever dates I go on so I don't end up in a ditch somewhere.
Boy, that's cheerful and upbeat, isn't it?
19 July 2003
See, I told you teachers don't take the summers off...
Went to the gym the other day, and noticed they had put up a white board with helpful hints on how to stay healthy. They listed common hazards to maintaining good health, among them smoking, and then they meant to write "etc.", but they wrote "ect." OY!! So of course, being the teacher that I am, I had to point the error out. I was disappointed to find that when I left the gym they had not corrected the sign. If they haven't fixed it when I go on Monday, I will bring in my own set of dry erase markers and make the correction myself!!!
Went to the gym the other day, and noticed they had put up a white board with helpful hints on how to stay healthy. They listed common hazards to maintaining good health, among them smoking, and then they meant to write "etc.", but they wrote "ect." OY!! So of course, being the teacher that I am, I had to point the error out. I was disappointed to find that when I left the gym they had not corrected the sign. If they haven't fixed it when I go on Monday, I will bring in my own set of dry erase markers and make the correction myself!!!
18 July 2003
Mmmm, 80's music fest!!!
Going to see the "Monsters of Arena Rock" next week. Really, can you fight this feelin' anymore?
Going to see the "Monsters of Arena Rock" next week. Really, can you fight this feelin' anymore?
13 July 2003
Saw the Reduced Shakespeare Company do All the Great Books. Very funny. I think you have to really know more about pop culture than the great books to really appreciate it, though. They did about 80 books. You can check out the syllabus if you want to see which ones they did. They technically didn't really do all of the books, they relegated a lot of them to just one sentence, and spent a lot of time on some of the other ones. They tackled The Iliad, The Odyssey, Ulysses (brave souls), Little Women (I'm not really sure the football metaphor really worked, but it was funny) and a bunch of others. Kudos to them for using the fight music from Star Trek for the appropriate scenes in the Iliad.
12 July 2003
So I was in Target the other day (as always, I went in to buy ONE thing that cost $2, and ended up spending $39, but that's a story for another day) and I walked past the aisle where they have the seasonal stuff. You know, in spring and summer they have the garden furniture, the tables with the umbrellas, the cool plastic picnic sets, and what did I see???
SCHOOL SUPPLIES!
It's not even the middle of July yet! And I stood there and said to myself "The kids must be freaking out!" Then I realized, that hey, I was freaking out! I mean, come on, give me July at least!! But noooo, there they were, row upon row of pencils, pens, notebooks of all sizes, bookbags, folders, binders, calendars, the list just goes on and on.
The funny thing is that the next day I went into work on the curriculum stuff, and one of the people on my team said "Hey, did you see all the cool school supplies at Target? I had a great time buying all kinds of pens and stuff."
Oy.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES!
It's not even the middle of July yet! And I stood there and said to myself "The kids must be freaking out!" Then I realized, that hey, I was freaking out! I mean, come on, give me July at least!! But noooo, there they were, row upon row of pencils, pens, notebooks of all sizes, bookbags, folders, binders, calendars, the list just goes on and on.
The funny thing is that the next day I went into work on the curriculum stuff, and one of the people on my team said "Hey, did you see all the cool school supplies at Target? I had a great time buying all kinds of pens and stuff."
Oy.
09 July 2003
Ok, so it's been so long since I've posted or even logged in that I didn't remember my username. (Boo! Hiss! Shame!)
I am feeling appropriately abashed, I promise.
So, this summer's plan: read, read, read, get some sun, work on curriculum.
What does this curriculum work entail? Well, so far as I can tell, it requires sitting in meetings. We've met once in June, had an all day long meeting, and so far on the first day we have had two long meetings that haven't really seemed to get anything important done. But from what I understand, that's what meetings are all about. The second meeting on the first day involved us being shown a whole new software program that hasn't even been made yet, and we won't get access to it for several months. Ahh, I just love bureaucracies, don't you?
Anyway, the curriculum work itself is pretty massive. I am working with the World history curriculum (not an easy word to type, by the way), and we're working on combining the state and county curricula. I think that ultimately the idea is that the first year teacher should be able to look at one document (preferably handed to them on a disk) rather than two or three, and it will be less confusing for them. The course is hard enough to teach as it is!
So what makes this job so massive? Well, to start with, the county curriculum (a "world class document") was written by some scholars and teachers a few years ago. It has something like 267 objectives that we are supposed to teach in one year. Objectives like "Explain the causes of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and analyze why the revolutionary government progressed from moderate to radical." The idea is that once the lesson is completed, the students should be able to do the above mentioned tasks. Note that that objective is actually asking the students to do two different things. So while we have 267 objectives, some of those objectives may have multiple tasks within them. So our job is supposedly to weed out some of the extraneous stuff. But what's extraneous??? That is the question. As I mentioned earlier, it is a massive task. It's funny, we all thought it would be a piece of cake. When we met back in June, we said "Oh, we'll be done in 2 days!!!" Yeah, well, we've been allotted nearly three weeks. I'm hoping it's enough time.
As for the reading bit. My plan is to read through all the books in my house that are unread. HA HA HA HA!!! That's a lot of books. I spend waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much money at my two favorite places:
Amazon and Borders
So I have about a bajillion, maybe a tad fewer, books to read this summer. So far (given that we are nearly halfway through July), I have read:
Q is for Quarry - Sue Grafton
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd (quite good, I recommend it)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling (natch)
Bel Canto - Ann Patchett (I really enjoyed it, but it took me about 50 pages to get into the book, but once I was in, I was hooked. I have found that to be the case with both the Ann Patchett novels I've read)
Girls' Poker Night - Jill Davis (standard Bridget Jones-esque. I found that it got frustrating towards the end because I think it took too long for the main character to come to her senses.)
I'm also in the process of reading Wild Swans by Jung Chang, which I really, really recommend, especially if you are interested in 20th century Chinese history. It's about three women and their lives in China starting around the turn of the last century (1900's). The author of the book starts by telling her grandmother's story, then her mother's, and then finally, her own. Very good. It totally has sucked me in.
I am feeling appropriately abashed, I promise.
So, this summer's plan: read, read, read, get some sun, work on curriculum.
What does this curriculum work entail? Well, so far as I can tell, it requires sitting in meetings. We've met once in June, had an all day long meeting, and so far on the first day we have had two long meetings that haven't really seemed to get anything important done. But from what I understand, that's what meetings are all about. The second meeting on the first day involved us being shown a whole new software program that hasn't even been made yet, and we won't get access to it for several months. Ahh, I just love bureaucracies, don't you?
Anyway, the curriculum work itself is pretty massive. I am working with the World history curriculum (not an easy word to type, by the way), and we're working on combining the state and county curricula. I think that ultimately the idea is that the first year teacher should be able to look at one document (preferably handed to them on a disk) rather than two or three, and it will be less confusing for them. The course is hard enough to teach as it is!
So what makes this job so massive? Well, to start with, the county curriculum (a "world class document") was written by some scholars and teachers a few years ago. It has something like 267 objectives that we are supposed to teach in one year. Objectives like "Explain the causes of the Russian Revolution of 1917 and analyze why the revolutionary government progressed from moderate to radical." The idea is that once the lesson is completed, the students should be able to do the above mentioned tasks. Note that that objective is actually asking the students to do two different things. So while we have 267 objectives, some of those objectives may have multiple tasks within them. So our job is supposedly to weed out some of the extraneous stuff. But what's extraneous??? That is the question. As I mentioned earlier, it is a massive task. It's funny, we all thought it would be a piece of cake. When we met back in June, we said "Oh, we'll be done in 2 days!!!" Yeah, well, we've been allotted nearly three weeks. I'm hoping it's enough time.
As for the reading bit. My plan is to read through all the books in my house that are unread. HA HA HA HA!!! That's a lot of books. I spend waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much money at my two favorite places:
Amazon and Borders
So I have about a bajillion, maybe a tad fewer, books to read this summer. So far (given that we are nearly halfway through July), I have read:
Q is for Quarry - Sue Grafton
The Secret Life of Bees - Sue Monk Kidd (quite good, I recommend it)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - J.K. Rowling (natch)
Bel Canto - Ann Patchett (I really enjoyed it, but it took me about 50 pages to get into the book, but once I was in, I was hooked. I have found that to be the case with both the Ann Patchett novels I've read)
Girls' Poker Night - Jill Davis (standard Bridget Jones-esque. I found that it got frustrating towards the end because I think it took too long for the main character to come to her senses.)
I'm also in the process of reading Wild Swans by Jung Chang, which I really, really recommend, especially if you are interested in 20th century Chinese history. It's about three women and their lives in China starting around the turn of the last century (1900's). The author of the book starts by telling her grandmother's story, then her mother's, and then finally, her own. Very good. It totally has sucked me in.
27 March 2003
Yes, I know, it's been a while.
I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed out, and I should be grading tests (two weeks old) right now, but I'm taking a minute out to share this with you:
"King Leopold called Africa a "magnificent cake" because that's just what it was. Africa was pretty on the outside, but mushy on the inside."
I'm feeling a little overwhelmed and stressed out, and I should be grading tests (two weeks old) right now, but I'm taking a minute out to share this with you:
"King Leopold called Africa a "magnificent cake" because that's just what it was. Africa was pretty on the outside, but mushy on the inside."
02 March 2003
The only thing that's keeping me from going INSANE over the amount of snow we've had this year is the fact that it's March, and my theory is it can only get better. Oh yes, I know, it has snowed in March in the past (in fact we had a nasty snow storm in March during my student teaching a few years ago), and the Farmer's Almanac does show two snow "incidents" in March. But March means spring! March means green buds poking their heads through the ground and off of tree branches. And March means that spring break is just around the corner (this year not until the second week of April, curse the movable feast), and spring break means ... well, spring!
We have had 10 snow days. Well, 11 days off, but one of those days was a make up day for an earlier snow day. They are now discussing making the school day half an hour longer for two months so we don't have to go to school until July. Some school districts are asking their state to declare some kind of emergency that would allow the schools to forgive those days completely and not have to make them up.
This would never happen if this were the Midwest where they're used to snow. We get one snow flake in the sky here and people act as if it's one of the signs of the apocalypse (is that something that should be capitalized?).
Bottom line, what this means is that because we've missed so many days of school, I will not be showing my students Ghandi. Which is a shame, because a)it's about a wonderful man and they need to see someone trying to effect change non-violently b) it's a good movie and 3) it really shows the Indian nationalist/independence movement and even the problems between the Hindus and Muslims really well. Sigh.
We have had 10 snow days. Well, 11 days off, but one of those days was a make up day for an earlier snow day. They are now discussing making the school day half an hour longer for two months so we don't have to go to school until July. Some school districts are asking their state to declare some kind of emergency that would allow the schools to forgive those days completely and not have to make them up.
This would never happen if this were the Midwest where they're used to snow. We get one snow flake in the sky here and people act as if it's one of the signs of the apocalypse (is that something that should be capitalized?).
Bottom line, what this means is that because we've missed so many days of school, I will not be showing my students Ghandi. Which is a shame, because a)it's about a wonderful man and they need to see someone trying to effect change non-violently b) it's a good movie and 3) it really shows the Indian nationalist/independence movement and even the problems between the Hindus and Muslims really well. Sigh.
19 February 2003
It's been nearly a week since I've been in school. The "President's Day Storm of '03" has socked in all the schools, so we've been off since Monday. Monday, mind you, was to be a make up day for a snow day we had about two weeks ago. So, we're now going to be adding on snow days until the 25th of June. As of today. All bets are off tomorrow, when the school district decides whether or not to make us go to school for one day this week.
I'm not begrudging the school district its decision, apparently they haven't been able to plow out a few of the school parking lots. And some of the school buses. And well, frankly, a lot of side streets haven't been plowed yet, so it would be dangerous for small children (or even high school children, only some of whom are small) to try walking on these streets to get to school or just to the bus stop.
But I want to go to a music conference that is scheduled to start on June 22nd!!! And it's looking right now like that's not going to happen. Unless I can, by some miracle, get my instructional supervisor to ok my giving exams early. Right, so I can miss four days of school to go on vacation. I'm betting there will be ham at the Passover table in Rabbi Mendel's house before that happens.
Anyway, what this really boils down to is that other than a few quick jaunts down to the village for lunch, I've been cooped up in my house since Saturday.
Any minute now I think I may go mad. I am expecting the electrician tomorrow, and then I'm bloody well going out. Perhaps I'll go to the supermarket. Or the mall. Or the movies. Or any place that's not here. I love my house, but it's really getting to be a small place.
I'm not begrudging the school district its decision, apparently they haven't been able to plow out a few of the school parking lots. And some of the school buses. And well, frankly, a lot of side streets haven't been plowed yet, so it would be dangerous for small children (or even high school children, only some of whom are small) to try walking on these streets to get to school or just to the bus stop.
But I want to go to a music conference that is scheduled to start on June 22nd!!! And it's looking right now like that's not going to happen. Unless I can, by some miracle, get my instructional supervisor to ok my giving exams early. Right, so I can miss four days of school to go on vacation. I'm betting there will be ham at the Passover table in Rabbi Mendel's house before that happens.
Anyway, what this really boils down to is that other than a few quick jaunts down to the village for lunch, I've been cooped up in my house since Saturday.
Any minute now I think I may go mad. I am expecting the electrician tomorrow, and then I'm bloody well going out. Perhaps I'll go to the supermarket. Or the mall. Or the movies. Or any place that's not here. I love my house, but it's really getting to be a small place.
03 February 2003
24 January 2003
I had my AP Psych students keep track of the things they forgot over the period of a week as an opportunity for extra credit. One of my students had the following entry:
I forgot to clean my room because I was reading the Bible when my parents asked me to do it.
We should all have such behavior problems with our own children...
I forgot to clean my room because I was reading the Bible when my parents asked me to do it.
We should all have such behavior problems with our own children...
22 January 2003
21 January 2003
15 January 2003
13 January 2003
To be filed under "I love my students, but they can be so thoughtless..."
A student asked me to write a college recommendation for her. I told her I would, provided she give me this form they are required to fill out by the school and a stamped, addressed envelope. Months go by, nothing. I have her subschool send a note to her, nothing. Finally, I saw her today and she told me that she wasn't applying to that school after all, she'd applied somewhere else and gotten in and didn't need a recommendation after all. OK, so, cool, great, she got into college, but it would have been nice not to have to spend the time worrying about her recommendation if I didn't have to!!!
A student asked me to write a college recommendation for her. I told her I would, provided she give me this form they are required to fill out by the school and a stamped, addressed envelope. Months go by, nothing. I have her subschool send a note to her, nothing. Finally, I saw her today and she told me that she wasn't applying to that school after all, she'd applied somewhere else and gotten in and didn't need a recommendation after all. OK, so, cool, great, she got into college, but it would have been nice not to have to spend the time worrying about her recommendation if I didn't have to!!!
10 January 2003
Went downstairs after first block class this morning to do a variety of errands: return some videos to the library, request that something be laminated, check my mailbox, and (the most important of the errands) get a cup of coffee.
On A days during second block I have my planning period. Another teacher uses my classroom, so I have to leave the room and go to the Social Studies workroom. It's no small feat getting me out of that classroom with everything I'm going to need for my planning period.
(yes, I have a point here)
I gathered everything I thought I might possibly need for the planning period, although I might have saved myself the trouble of carrying the binder, folder, three workbooks, purse, videos, coffee mug and bookbag to the workroom, since I've decided I'm going to only plan ahead, and I really only need my plan book and the textbook.
I organized myself in the workroom, and then went downstairs to do my errands. I purposely did NOT bring my keys with me, having said to myself, "Self, you don't need your keys for any of these things, leave them here."
The first three errands are carried off without a hitch. I am now seriously in need of a good cup of coffee (and I will not get that in the end, it's only a mediocre cup of coffee, but it's only the Faculty Lounge and not Starbucks). And of course, I need my damn keys to get into the Faculty Lounge. So I have to come all the way back upstairs, get my keys and go back downstairs to get my cup of coffee.
Now, I say "All the way", but it's really only a flight of stairs in each direction. Doesn't change the fact that I could have saved myself the trip!!!
This key thing is an interesting issue, though. We recently had the whole building "rekeyed". They tell us at the end of every year "Be sure to turn in your keys, we're going to rekey the building, you won't be able to use them next year" and we promptly get back the same set of keys in September. Now, granted, I've only been at this school for three and a half years, so in all honesty, I can't really say they say that every year. But every year in my experience here, they have said that.
But, they finally did it last year. So now we need keys for things we've never needed them for in the past. Now, I understand needing to have a lock on the copy room door. We don't kids in there messing with those highly expensive (and highly sensitive!) copy machines. Nooo, far better to have faculty members who don't know how to use copiers in there mucking around in the works, slamming important pieces of equipment to shreds and leaving jams for the next person.
Not that I'm bitter.
But I digress. I was discussing the key situation.
Since last year, we have had some additional rooms locked from the prying of students. The Faculty Lounge. The men's faculty bathroom on the second floor. Not the women's (we voted not to have a lock on it), just the men's. This has become quite a serious bone of contention in our school. It's comical, but the players are very serious in their stances.
At some point I should write an entry about the members of my department, because they are some of the most amazing, fascinating, intelligent and STRANGE people I know. They are wonderful to work with.
One player in what I have come to call "The Great Key Saga" is a man in my department. We'll call him Dean. Now, Dean drinks a lot of water during the day - he recycles 64 ounce gatorade bottles and fills them up several times during the day. This is not a man who wants to be fumbling with a key to get into the men's bathroom. In fact, he and just about every other man in my department voted against having a lock put in.
I'm so glad they listen when they ask for our opinions.
Apparently the administrator, we'll call him Bojangles, got a deal from a friend on locks and installation.
Whenever Dean and Bojangles meet in the hallway, it's like a shootout at the OK corral. They face each other from across the hallway, their fingers itching closer to a holster. One thing you have to understand about Dean: He is a very, very funny guy. He is an incredible teacher, but he's very funny, and it's hard to know when to take him seriously. I've learned this year that when it comes to his students, his teaching, and bathrooms, you MUST take him seriously. Bojangles seems to think that Dean is kidding about his objections to the bathroom locks.
He's not.
There was for a while an underground movement (well, ok, they're mostly above ground) to foil the lock in the men's bathroom. Someone put paper towels in the part where the bolt is supposed to slip in, so it can't. When those were taken away, someone tried using duct tape. That was also taken away. There have been threats to come in in the middle of the night with a drill.
Yes, this is what we talk about during lunch.
On A days during second block I have my planning period. Another teacher uses my classroom, so I have to leave the room and go to the Social Studies workroom. It's no small feat getting me out of that classroom with everything I'm going to need for my planning period.
(yes, I have a point here)
I gathered everything I thought I might possibly need for the planning period, although I might have saved myself the trouble of carrying the binder, folder, three workbooks, purse, videos, coffee mug and bookbag to the workroom, since I've decided I'm going to only plan ahead, and I really only need my plan book and the textbook.
I organized myself in the workroom, and then went downstairs to do my errands. I purposely did NOT bring my keys with me, having said to myself, "Self, you don't need your keys for any of these things, leave them here."
The first three errands are carried off without a hitch. I am now seriously in need of a good cup of coffee (and I will not get that in the end, it's only a mediocre cup of coffee, but it's only the Faculty Lounge and not Starbucks). And of course, I need my damn keys to get into the Faculty Lounge. So I have to come all the way back upstairs, get my keys and go back downstairs to get my cup of coffee.
Now, I say "All the way", but it's really only a flight of stairs in each direction. Doesn't change the fact that I could have saved myself the trip!!!
This key thing is an interesting issue, though. We recently had the whole building "rekeyed". They tell us at the end of every year "Be sure to turn in your keys, we're going to rekey the building, you won't be able to use them next year" and we promptly get back the same set of keys in September. Now, granted, I've only been at this school for three and a half years, so in all honesty, I can't really say they say that every year. But every year in my experience here, they have said that.
But, they finally did it last year. So now we need keys for things we've never needed them for in the past. Now, I understand needing to have a lock on the copy room door. We don't kids in there messing with those highly expensive (and highly sensitive!) copy machines. Nooo, far better to have faculty members who don't know how to use copiers in there mucking around in the works, slamming important pieces of equipment to shreds and leaving jams for the next person.
Not that I'm bitter.
But I digress. I was discussing the key situation.
Since last year, we have had some additional rooms locked from the prying of students. The Faculty Lounge. The men's faculty bathroom on the second floor. Not the women's (we voted not to have a lock on it), just the men's. This has become quite a serious bone of contention in our school. It's comical, but the players are very serious in their stances.
At some point I should write an entry about the members of my department, because they are some of the most amazing, fascinating, intelligent and STRANGE people I know. They are wonderful to work with.
One player in what I have come to call "The Great Key Saga" is a man in my department. We'll call him Dean. Now, Dean drinks a lot of water during the day - he recycles 64 ounce gatorade bottles and fills them up several times during the day. This is not a man who wants to be fumbling with a key to get into the men's bathroom. In fact, he and just about every other man in my department voted against having a lock put in.
I'm so glad they listen when they ask for our opinions.
Apparently the administrator, we'll call him Bojangles, got a deal from a friend on locks and installation.
Whenever Dean and Bojangles meet in the hallway, it's like a shootout at the OK corral. They face each other from across the hallway, their fingers itching closer to a holster. One thing you have to understand about Dean: He is a very, very funny guy. He is an incredible teacher, but he's very funny, and it's hard to know when to take him seriously. I've learned this year that when it comes to his students, his teaching, and bathrooms, you MUST take him seriously. Bojangles seems to think that Dean is kidding about his objections to the bathroom locks.
He's not.
There was for a while an underground movement (well, ok, they're mostly above ground) to foil the lock in the men's bathroom. Someone put paper towels in the part where the bolt is supposed to slip in, so it can't. When those were taken away, someone tried using duct tape. That was also taken away. There have been threats to come in in the middle of the night with a drill.
Yes, this is what we talk about during lunch.
08 January 2003
LOOOOOVE technology.
Really.
Was typing a nice long blog, actually about TEACHING (I know, you're all thinking "Wait, she teaches? I didn't realize.") when yes, ok, it was my fault, but little did I know that merely by adjusting the way the frames were set on this computer, would I lose everything I'd typed....
Anyway, let me see if I can go back to what I was writing about.
Yes, I remember now. I was discussing a project my AP Psych students had been doing. We finished our unit on Learning (you know, Pavlov, dogs, drool?), and I gave them a project where they had to condition somebody or something (little brothers, animals) to complete some sort of behavior. The assignment is not original - I am sure every Psych teacher in the country does it, but it's quite a cool one. I think the students really enjoy doing it too. It's really interesting what they decide to try to do. One student conditioned her dog to be afraid of the dishwasher by making a loud noise whenever he went near it (apparently the dog likes their dishwasher), one student conditioned his dog to walk all the way around in a circle at a command from him (don't dogs do that anyway?)...interesting stuff. Some students conditioned their siblings to be quiet, for which I'm quite sure many parents are grateful.
What's interesting is that the students all had some really good analysis about why the conditioning did or did not work. It's really amazing to watch these AP kids work - those that are truly AP can produce some astonishing work.
Of course, then there are the students who tell me things (as one did yesterday afternoon) such as: "I think I'm going to start taking notes."
WHAT A CONCEPT!!!
Really.
Was typing a nice long blog, actually about TEACHING (I know, you're all thinking "Wait, she teaches? I didn't realize.") when yes, ok, it was my fault, but little did I know that merely by adjusting the way the frames were set on this computer, would I lose everything I'd typed....
Anyway, let me see if I can go back to what I was writing about.
Yes, I remember now. I was discussing a project my AP Psych students had been doing. We finished our unit on Learning (you know, Pavlov, dogs, drool?), and I gave them a project where they had to condition somebody or something (little brothers, animals) to complete some sort of behavior. The assignment is not original - I am sure every Psych teacher in the country does it, but it's quite a cool one. I think the students really enjoy doing it too. It's really interesting what they decide to try to do. One student conditioned her dog to be afraid of the dishwasher by making a loud noise whenever he went near it (apparently the dog likes their dishwasher), one student conditioned his dog to walk all the way around in a circle at a command from him (don't dogs do that anyway?)...interesting stuff. Some students conditioned their siblings to be quiet, for which I'm quite sure many parents are grateful.
What's interesting is that the students all had some really good analysis about why the conditioning did or did not work. It's really amazing to watch these AP kids work - those that are truly AP can produce some astonishing work.
Of course, then there are the students who tell me things (as one did yesterday afternoon) such as: "I think I'm going to start taking notes."
WHAT A CONCEPT!!!
07 January 2003
Which Buffy character are you most like? (Click me!)
Which one am I most like? Why, Willow Rosenberg, of course.
06 January 2003
I am 41% Evil Genius
I want to be evil. I do evil things. But given the opportunity, and a darn good reason I may turn to the good side. Besides I am probably a miserable evil genius.
Take the Evil Genius Test at fuali.com
I want to be evil. I do evil things. But given the opportunity, and a darn good reason I may turn to the good side. Besides I am probably a miserable evil genius.
Take the Evil Genius Test at fuali.com
take the which one of the trading spaces cast are you? quiz!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Could be worse. I suppose. I could be Doug.
What a neat idea! Someone has decided to post Samuel Pepys' diary an entry a day (he started on January 1). What a neat insight into 17th century London. One question ... Samuel Pepys wrote for nearly 10 years - do you think this guy is going to keep posting entries for that long???
http://www.pepysdiary.com
http://www.pepysdiary.com
Back after two weeks, and we had a two hour delay because of snow. Actually, it was a really civilized time to get up too - in school by 8:30, waking up at 6:30, very nice. I'm glad we're back, though. I didn't realize it until this morning once I started teaching, but I really missed it. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed having the two weeks off, but I really enjoy spending time with my students too. Ha!
So, the resolutions for the New Year - along with the usual exercise regularly, eat healthily, try not to spend too much money ...
Listen to my students
Be less sarcastic in the classroom
Stay caught up on my grading.
Let's see if that actually works.
Today's gem in a discussion about the patterns of the French Revolution: "Are you married?" When asked why he wanted to know that, the student replied that I had mentioned that I was reading history over the break, and that most married people didn't read history. Frankly, I don't want to know just what he thought married people did instead. Surprisingly, the one student whom I did not expect to come to my rescue said "Man, everybody reads history, even married people."
I'm sure that I turned quite a bright shade of red in response to that particular line of questioning.
So, the resolutions for the New Year - along with the usual exercise regularly, eat healthily, try not to spend too much money ...
Listen to my students
Be less sarcastic in the classroom
Stay caught up on my grading.
Let's see if that actually works.
Today's gem in a discussion about the patterns of the French Revolution: "Are you married?" When asked why he wanted to know that, the student replied that I had mentioned that I was reading history over the break, and that most married people didn't read history. Frankly, I don't want to know just what he thought married people did instead. Surprisingly, the one student whom I did not expect to come to my rescue said "Man, everybody reads history, even married people."
I'm sure that I turned quite a bright shade of red in response to that particular line of questioning.
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