August joy
11 years ago
02 December 2005
11 November 2005
Timing is everything
One of the things that was a challenge for me when I was in "teacher school" was timing. How much time should a particular activity take? How many different activities can I fit into a given class period? Our school is on a block schedule, so that means that over a two day period, you will see each one of your classes twice, except for one class that is an "embedded" period, which means you see them for less time every day. For example, on one day (Green days, here) I would teach 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th. 1st, 3rd, and 5th periods are each approximately 90 minutes. 7th period is 50 minutes. Then on the second day (blue days), I would teach 2nd, 4th, 6th, and then see 7th again. Actually, I don't teach all of those periods, each day I have one period that is set aside for planning, contacting parents, meetings, and whatever else I might want to get done (Cough cough, like writing in my blog, cough cough). But the planning period is a story for another day.
Anyway, I was talking about timing your instruction. During my student teaching, on the day I was being observed by my university supervisor (basically, the person giving me the grade for that course), I stuck to my plan's times, which were WAAAAAAY off, and ended up with about 45 extra minutes. So we did the last activity for 45 verrrrry long minutes. Those were some of the longest minutes of my life, I gotta say. Anyway, since then I've always made sure that I have extra stuff planned so that doesn't happen. In fact, more often than not, I have so much planned for each 90 minute block of time that I'm often pushing one activity into the next block. So you can see that timing is still an issue for me.
Today was a strange schedule to begin with. We had a three hour delayed opening - instead of students reporting to school at 7:30, they came at 11am, and we had mini parent conferences. Basically we sat in the gym at tables all around the outer edge of the gym, and parents could come up to us and talk to us for five minutes about their individual student and how they were doing in our class. After that activity, we had 6th period, and now we're in the middle of my 4th period (planning, see above). For the students it was almost like a half day in reverse. In fact, no almost like, that's exactly what it was. I teach AP Psychology to 2nd and 6th period, but there was no 2nd period today, so I didn't want my 6th period to get ahead of 2nd period, so what I did was plan a lesson where students could be in essay workshop groups with their peers and they could work on their essays.
They were done with nearly 40 minutes to spare at the end of the period.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A. Hasn't happened to me in seven years
B. I didn't really have anything else for them to work on, and I didn't want to move into the next unit.
C. I hate being one of those teachers who just show movies to kids when they're too lazy to come up with a plan. It's not good teaching, and that's not who I am as a teacher.
But D. That's what I had to do (only I wasn't lazy, it's not laziness, it's much worse, it's poor planning on my part).
I had an old NOVA program: Brain Transplant that I whipped out of my cabinet and showed the kids for the remainder of the period. I was embarrassed and angry with myself. On the plus side, there was a ton of good information in the video, and I am now considering finding time to show the portion that I just showed to 6th period to my 2nd period, especially before I show them Awakenings (which is an excellent film, by the way), because it explains several concepts that are in that movie quite well. And I suppose in the end it was worthwhile because it talks about L-DOPA, and Parkinson's disease, etc., etc., etc., but it still doesn't change the fact that I was caught with my pants down.
Well, not literally. That would get me fired. But you get the point. And that's the note that I'm leaving with for the weekend. Yay. Talk about feeling like Worse Teacher Ever.
Anyway, I was talking about timing your instruction. During my student teaching, on the day I was being observed by my university supervisor (basically, the person giving me the grade for that course), I stuck to my plan's times, which were WAAAAAAY off, and ended up with about 45 extra minutes. So we did the last activity for 45 verrrrry long minutes. Those were some of the longest minutes of my life, I gotta say. Anyway, since then I've always made sure that I have extra stuff planned so that doesn't happen. In fact, more often than not, I have so much planned for each 90 minute block of time that I'm often pushing one activity into the next block. So you can see that timing is still an issue for me.
Today was a strange schedule to begin with. We had a three hour delayed opening - instead of students reporting to school at 7:30, they came at 11am, and we had mini parent conferences. Basically we sat in the gym at tables all around the outer edge of the gym, and parents could come up to us and talk to us for five minutes about their individual student and how they were doing in our class. After that activity, we had 6th period, and now we're in the middle of my 4th period (planning, see above). For the students it was almost like a half day in reverse. In fact, no almost like, that's exactly what it was. I teach AP Psychology to 2nd and 6th period, but there was no 2nd period today, so I didn't want my 6th period to get ahead of 2nd period, so what I did was plan a lesson where students could be in essay workshop groups with their peers and they could work on their essays.
They were done with nearly 40 minutes to spare at the end of the period.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A. Hasn't happened to me in seven years
B. I didn't really have anything else for them to work on, and I didn't want to move into the next unit.
C. I hate being one of those teachers who just show movies to kids when they're too lazy to come up with a plan. It's not good teaching, and that's not who I am as a teacher.
But D. That's what I had to do (only I wasn't lazy, it's not laziness, it's much worse, it's poor planning on my part).
I had an old NOVA program: Brain Transplant that I whipped out of my cabinet and showed the kids for the remainder of the period. I was embarrassed and angry with myself. On the plus side, there was a ton of good information in the video, and I am now considering finding time to show the portion that I just showed to 6th period to my 2nd period, especially before I show them Awakenings (which is an excellent film, by the way), because it explains several concepts that are in that movie quite well. And I suppose in the end it was worthwhile because it talks about L-DOPA, and Parkinson's disease, etc., etc., etc., but it still doesn't change the fact that I was caught with my pants down.
Well, not literally. That would get me fired. But you get the point. And that's the note that I'm leaving with for the weekend. Yay. Talk about feeling like Worse Teacher Ever.
08 November 2005
In over my head
No no no, don't panic, this is not a teaching post. I'm not in over my head at school - I'm actually ahead!!! My grades are DONE DONE DONE and they aren't due until tomorrow morning, 8am. In fact, I've been pretty much done since last week. LAST WEEK! Whatever it is that I did, I must remember to lather, rinse and most importantly...repeat. I'm hoping that in the future I will be so organized. Except in all seriousness folks I have no idea what on earth I did to be ahead like this. Ok, so the project was due three weeks before the end of the quarter, and I managed to get it graded relatively quickly. The essays that I held onto for a wee bit too long I finished last Wednesday night (staying up way past my bedtime to do it, but I had promised I'd have them back to the students by Thursday). The unit test is tomorrow, so I can't possibly fit it onto this quarter. Heck, even the World history journals are graded (it helps that I'm teaching with another teacher - together we knocked out 85 journals in a couple of hours).
So why is it that I'm "in over my head," I hear you cry? Well, it's this page, actually. For some odd reason, my formatting has gone a little bit kablooey - or at least, it looks that way when I look at the page. My sidebar with all the previous posts and my profile is way down there towards the bottom of the page, and I have no idea why. I'd been hoping to add in a few links to other blogs from this page, plus a nifty NaNoWriMo participant icon to the page as well. I've got the code, I've got the downloaded info, I just can't seem to get it to work properly. I have met my match, and it is html. Or at least it is for today. Anyone out there have any suggestions/hints/ideas? Or just a readable "html for complete and total idiots"?
And while I'm soliciting help, has my Tivo gone completely barking mad, or is it ABC? Two weeks ago, my Tivo didn't record Lost, and my assumption was that it wasn't a new episode (although frankly after last weeks' issue, which I'll get to in a second, I don't believe). I didn't get around to watching the episode that my Tivo had recorded from last week until last night. When I started watching, I realized I'd seen the episode before. So is it my Tivo, or is it ABC?
So why is it that I'm "in over my head," I hear you cry? Well, it's this page, actually. For some odd reason, my formatting has gone a little bit kablooey - or at least, it looks that way when I look at the page. My sidebar with all the previous posts and my profile is way down there towards the bottom of the page, and I have no idea why. I'd been hoping to add in a few links to other blogs from this page, plus a nifty NaNoWriMo participant icon to the page as well. I've got the code, I've got the downloaded info, I just can't seem to get it to work properly. I have met my match, and it is html. Or at least it is for today. Anyone out there have any suggestions/hints/ideas? Or just a readable "html for complete and total idiots"?
And while I'm soliciting help, has my Tivo gone completely barking mad, or is it ABC? Two weeks ago, my Tivo didn't record Lost, and my assumption was that it wasn't a new episode (although frankly after last weeks' issue, which I'll get to in a second, I don't believe). I didn't get around to watching the episode that my Tivo had recorded from last week until last night. When I started watching, I realized I'd seen the episode before. So is it my Tivo, or is it ABC?
Couldn't resist
Discovered this quiz through Sarcasmo's site ... Thanks much! Not sure how I feel about the whole Elmo thing. Was kind of hoping for Grover.
| Elmo You scored 66% Organization, 76% abstract, and 54% extroverted! |
| This test measured 3 variables. First, this test measured how organized you are. Some muppets like Cookie Monster make big messes, while others like Bert are quite anal about things being clean. Second, this test measured if you prefer a concrete or an abstract viewpoint. For the purposes of this test, concrete people are considered to gravitate more to mathematical and logical approaches, whereas abstract people are more the dreamers and artistic type. Third, this test measured if you are more of an introvert or an extrovert. By definition, an introvert concentrates more on herself and an extrovert focuses more on others. In this test an introvert was somebody that either tends to spend more time alone or thinks more about herself. You are mostly organized, more abstract, and both introverted and extroverted. Most people either love or hate Elmo. I hope you love Elmo, because that's who you are. You are both somewhat organized. You have a good idea where you put things and you probably keep your place reasonably clean. You aren't totally obsessed with neatness though. Elmo has the same basic approach. His place is pretty tidy, but he doesn't spend all of his time cleaning it up. The other possible characters are If you enjoyed this test, I would love the feedback! Also if you want to tell me your favorite Sesame Street character, I can total them up and post them here. Perhaps your choice will win! |
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02 November 2005
24 October 2005
AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHH!!!
E-mail is down! Red alert, red alert!!! Whatever will we do? We will never, never, never recover! Good God! We may actually have to...no, I can't say it, it's just too terrible to be true. We may actually have to...speak to each other face-to-face! Say it ain't so!
12 October 2005
Do you miss us?
Sarcasmo asked me if I missed my old school, and I've gotten e-mails from a few of my previous students asking me the same thing. This is a good question. The short answer is yes, of course I do, but then where would be the fun in just that?
I miss the students most of all - I really miss knowing students that aren't currently enrolled in my classes. I like seeing students in the hallway that I've had in the past - asking them how their new year is shaping up, how they like their teachers this year, how they're doing in their current history course. There is something very comforting about seeing familiar faces in the river of students that rush past my classroom every morning. I just don't have that here, but then, nor does pretty much everyone else in the building, except for those few teachers who came from the same schools that the kids did. It's disconcerting not knowing the students - and I know that will change over time, but it's definitely one of the things that gave me pause when I was thinking about leaving my old school.
I miss the camaraderie with the faculty. I knew the people I worked with quite well at my old school, and we got along very well, too. I count them among my closest friends. I miss them very much. I also miss how comfortable we all were with each other. We're not comfortable with each other here yet, and that's making it difficult for some of us. The department chair has done a spectacular job of trying to establish a safe place where we can begin to feel comfortable, but there's still the aspect of time - we've only known each other really since about the second week of August. Oh sure, every year there are new teachers in the department that have to blend into the already existing fabric, but that's usually two, maybe three at the most. The blending happens pretty easily, for the most part, and we can continue on. Here there are sixteen teachers in the high school Social Studies department, plus an additional twelve middle school teachers, and none of us knew each other before coming here. I'm finding that to be the most difficult. Frankly, I don't trust the other teachers yet - that probably says more about me than it does about them, but there it is. I know they are bright, they know their content, and that they are good teachers. I know all of that intellectually, but emotionally, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.
When I was contemplating leaving the old school, I met with a colleague who had been there with me, but had since moved on. One of the things he said to me was that what we had had at that school was special - we got along well, we were friendly, close, and had a shared vision about where our department was going. He felt that he would probably never find that again at another school, and he missed it. I acknowledged what he said, but dismissed it, thinking "teachers are special - it doesn't matter where we are, it'll always be like this", and didn't think anything else of it. However, I wonder if in fact he was actually correct - maybe what we had as a faculty at the other school I won't ever find again. I was lucky to have it for six years, but I won't find it again.
Wow, that's a depressing thought.
I think that the camaraderie will come. I don't think it will be exactly like it was at my old school - it just can't be. But I think it will definitely come here at this school - I think we are all working very hard towards it.
I miss the students most of all - I really miss knowing students that aren't currently enrolled in my classes. I like seeing students in the hallway that I've had in the past - asking them how their new year is shaping up, how they like their teachers this year, how they're doing in their current history course. There is something very comforting about seeing familiar faces in the river of students that rush past my classroom every morning. I just don't have that here, but then, nor does pretty much everyone else in the building, except for those few teachers who came from the same schools that the kids did. It's disconcerting not knowing the students - and I know that will change over time, but it's definitely one of the things that gave me pause when I was thinking about leaving my old school.
I miss the camaraderie with the faculty. I knew the people I worked with quite well at my old school, and we got along very well, too. I count them among my closest friends. I miss them very much. I also miss how comfortable we all were with each other. We're not comfortable with each other here yet, and that's making it difficult for some of us. The department chair has done a spectacular job of trying to establish a safe place where we can begin to feel comfortable, but there's still the aspect of time - we've only known each other really since about the second week of August. Oh sure, every year there are new teachers in the department that have to blend into the already existing fabric, but that's usually two, maybe three at the most. The blending happens pretty easily, for the most part, and we can continue on. Here there are sixteen teachers in the high school Social Studies department, plus an additional twelve middle school teachers, and none of us knew each other before coming here. I'm finding that to be the most difficult. Frankly, I don't trust the other teachers yet - that probably says more about me than it does about them, but there it is. I know they are bright, they know their content, and that they are good teachers. I know all of that intellectually, but emotionally, I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.
When I was contemplating leaving the old school, I met with a colleague who had been there with me, but had since moved on. One of the things he said to me was that what we had had at that school was special - we got along well, we were friendly, close, and had a shared vision about where our department was going. He felt that he would probably never find that again at another school, and he missed it. I acknowledged what he said, but dismissed it, thinking "teachers are special - it doesn't matter where we are, it'll always be like this", and didn't think anything else of it. However, I wonder if in fact he was actually correct - maybe what we had as a faculty at the other school I won't ever find again. I was lucky to have it for six years, but I won't find it again.
Wow, that's a depressing thought.
I think that the camaraderie will come. I don't think it will be exactly like it was at my old school - it just can't be. But I think it will definitely come here at this school - I think we are all working very hard towards it.
28 September 2005
You know you're tired when...
...You're too tired to come up with a proper rant about the lack of proper school supplies in your new building. Sorry yesterday's post was so lame.
We do, however, now have a nice shiny, brand new scantron machine in our workroom. Hallelujah!
Back to School Night tonight. This is a curious phenomenon. When I was a student (all those many years ago), I remember my parents going off to my elementary school to meet my teachers. I think one year we made cutouts of ourselves to put at our desks so our parents knew where we sat. That may have been for Mrs. Paley's first grade. Hey, Mrs. Paley, if you're out there: Thanks! You were awesome.
Anyway, I don't remember my parents going to BTSN when I was in high school. They can correct me if they wish (and they will), but I don't think we had it. So it's interesting that here we do have it. The other interesting thing is who comes. I think we will have a pretty big turn out, just because this is a new school, and the parents want to check us out. It's a wee bit like coming to see the animals in their natural habitat. However, this time, please feel free to give the animals chocolate and coffee. (Yes, pump the teachers up on legal stimulants, what a great idea.) In years past, I have consistently had a pretty big turnout of parents - and not just one, but both. I always have a lot of my AP parents come - they want to make sure I'm not going to ruin their child's chances of getting into UVA or something. No fear - I know what I'm talking about (crash, bang, boom, as I trip over the wires in the front of the room in a classic Lucy Ricardo-esque stumble).
However, I think BTSN scares the kids to death. Yesterday in 7th period (our most rambunctious, but pretty much on task class), we asked them if their parents would be coming tonight, and they said "NO!" with horrified expressions on their faces. I think that they think the parents are coming to find out how they are each doing in class - like one great big tattle tale or something. No fear, fair students...they're just here to check us out. If anything, we should be the ones saying "NO!" with horrified expressions on our faces!
BTSN is grueling, it is long, and frankly, it's a little scary. It's one thing to get up in front of a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds, but parents.... At any rate, this is my 7th BTSN, so you'd think I'd be really good at this by now. I don't know how much sense I make when I get up there - I tend to go into a caffeine & terror-fueled rant...err, ramble (not much better, I know), and then before I know it, my 10 minute speech has been completed in 5 minutes. How's that for instilling confidence!? Still, it must work, because most parents seem pretty satisfied by the time they leave the room. Or at least they aren't running to the Guidance department demanding that their child be pulled out of that crazy lady's classroom.
I think this BTSN is going to be especially important - like all the other firsts this year (first pep rally, first day of school, first football game, first fire drill...the list goes on and on) - it will help to set the tone for what our school is about. Our principal is very big on setting tone and establishing who we are. He wants us to be ... well, almost like a beacon. It's so important to him that this school be a place where people feel safe, where students and parents know they will be getting a quality education, and where our students have lots of school spirit but are also respectful of others, their school and their country. (Insert waving flag and grandiose music in the background here) I'm not nervous about BTSN yet - there's still the whole school day to get through, but get back to me at about 3:30 this afternoon, after the kids have gone, and when I can't grade one more essay without my eyes falling out of my head. (Yes, I know, I assigned them, thanks very much, so I've only got myself to blame.)
My tips for surviving BTSN:
1. Get a good night's sleep the night before. Well, that's shot - I exercised too late last night, so was up 'til 11:30.
2. Wear comfortable shoes during the day (my sneaks ain't comin' off 'til the parents get here)
3. Wear a comfortable, but professional looking outfit (I love my new school clothes. Yes, I am such a girl)
4. Try to take a walk away from the building for at least 15 minutes - get out in the sun.
5. Have an agenda, and something for the parents to fill out.
6. Try to have student work on the walls if possible.
7. Relax and smile - the parents love you for what you do, they just want to make sure you're ok.
8. It'll be over soon, and tomorrow you can go to bed at 6pm if you want.
We do, however, now have a nice shiny, brand new scantron machine in our workroom. Hallelujah!
Back to School Night tonight. This is a curious phenomenon. When I was a student (all those many years ago), I remember my parents going off to my elementary school to meet my teachers. I think one year we made cutouts of ourselves to put at our desks so our parents knew where we sat. That may have been for Mrs. Paley's first grade. Hey, Mrs. Paley, if you're out there: Thanks! You were awesome.
Anyway, I don't remember my parents going to BTSN when I was in high school. They can correct me if they wish (and they will), but I don't think we had it. So it's interesting that here we do have it. The other interesting thing is who comes. I think we will have a pretty big turn out, just because this is a new school, and the parents want to check us out. It's a wee bit like coming to see the animals in their natural habitat. However, this time, please feel free to give the animals chocolate and coffee. (Yes, pump the teachers up on legal stimulants, what a great idea.) In years past, I have consistently had a pretty big turnout of parents - and not just one, but both. I always have a lot of my AP parents come - they want to make sure I'm not going to ruin their child's chances of getting into UVA or something. No fear - I know what I'm talking about (crash, bang, boom, as I trip over the wires in the front of the room in a classic Lucy Ricardo-esque stumble).
However, I think BTSN scares the kids to death. Yesterday in 7th period (our most rambunctious, but pretty much on task class), we asked them if their parents would be coming tonight, and they said "NO!" with horrified expressions on their faces. I think that they think the parents are coming to find out how they are each doing in class - like one great big tattle tale or something. No fear, fair students...they're just here to check us out. If anything, we should be the ones saying "NO!" with horrified expressions on our faces!
BTSN is grueling, it is long, and frankly, it's a little scary. It's one thing to get up in front of a bunch of 16 and 17 year olds, but parents.... At any rate, this is my 7th BTSN, so you'd think I'd be really good at this by now. I don't know how much sense I make when I get up there - I tend to go into a caffeine & terror-fueled rant...err, ramble (not much better, I know), and then before I know it, my 10 minute speech has been completed in 5 minutes. How's that for instilling confidence!? Still, it must work, because most parents seem pretty satisfied by the time they leave the room. Or at least they aren't running to the Guidance department demanding that their child be pulled out of that crazy lady's classroom.
I think this BTSN is going to be especially important - like all the other firsts this year (first pep rally, first day of school, first football game, first fire drill...the list goes on and on) - it will help to set the tone for what our school is about. Our principal is very big on setting tone and establishing who we are. He wants us to be ... well, almost like a beacon. It's so important to him that this school be a place where people feel safe, where students and parents know they will be getting a quality education, and where our students have lots of school spirit but are also respectful of others, their school and their country. (Insert waving flag and grandiose music in the background here) I'm not nervous about BTSN yet - there's still the whole school day to get through, but get back to me at about 3:30 this afternoon, after the kids have gone, and when I can't grade one more essay without my eyes falling out of my head. (Yes, I know, I assigned them, thanks very much, so I've only got myself to blame.)
My tips for surviving BTSN:
1. Get a good night's sleep the night before. Well, that's shot - I exercised too late last night, so was up 'til 11:30.
2. Wear comfortable shoes during the day (my sneaks ain't comin' off 'til the parents get here)
3. Wear a comfortable, but professional looking outfit (I love my new school clothes. Yes, I am such a girl)
4. Try to take a walk away from the building for at least 15 minutes - get out in the sun.
5. Have an agenda, and something for the parents to fill out.
6. Try to have student work on the walls if possible.
7. Relax and smile - the parents love you for what you do, they just want to make sure you're ok.
8. It'll be over soon, and tomorrow you can go to bed at 6pm if you want.
27 September 2005
The straw...
I was calm and collected when I learned we wouldn't have use of our Smartboards on the first day of school. I took it in stride when we were told we didn't yet have our World History textbooks. I was ok about the fact that we didn't have a laminator. What was it that finally sent me over the edge? We don't have a *#$&! Scantron machine! So that test I gave on Friday? Can't run it through the machine, because we don't have one!!! Who opens a school without a scantron machine?
13 September 2005
You got WHAT in the WHERE?
Well, there's always a first for everything...I got punched in the nose today. Yes, you read that right, a student punched me in the nose. She didn't mean to, it was entirely an accident. It was hilarious! She is, of course, mortified. Let me set the scene for you...
In AP Psychology, we're learning about research. I'm doing an activity to help students think about all the different aspects of an experiment. I didn't actually think up this activity myself - it came with a series of lesson plan ideas from TOPSS (an association for high school psychology teachers). Anyway, it involves testing reaction times of students. They have some great activities and lesson ideas that can be adapted for any classroom. I've used a bunch of their ideas. For this one, the idea is that you set up an experiment that is HUGELY flawed, and students have an opportunity to point out the flaws, until you think you have all accounted for. You start with the hypothesis that boys have a faster reaction time than girls, and you call up students to test that theory. You hold a ruler up over the student's hand, and they have to catch it between their thumb and forefinger. I had said student up in front of the room, and she was on her second trial (the first one she hadn't caught, so she was getting increasingly flustered). She caught the ruler, and, as I was leaning over to check where she had caught it so we could keep track of our data, she raised her hand and bonked me on the nose. It didn't really hurt very much, she didn't get a chance to get much momentum, but it was a relatively good bonk, nonetheless.
I told her it was no big deal, and that there was a first time for everything. The whole class, of course, erupted into giggles (mostly nervous giggles, I think they were trying to figure out how I would react more than anything else). I think I handled it pretty well, actually. I had a laugh, and I told her it was fine, and when she kept apologizing, I told her it was ok, really.
And then we had a fire drill. So, business as usual.
My nose does kind of hurt a little bit, but I can't tell if it really hurts, or if I just think it hurts.
In AP Psychology, we're learning about research. I'm doing an activity to help students think about all the different aspects of an experiment. I didn't actually think up this activity myself - it came with a series of lesson plan ideas from TOPSS (an association for high school psychology teachers). Anyway, it involves testing reaction times of students. They have some great activities and lesson ideas that can be adapted for any classroom. I've used a bunch of their ideas. For this one, the idea is that you set up an experiment that is HUGELY flawed, and students have an opportunity to point out the flaws, until you think you have all accounted for. You start with the hypothesis that boys have a faster reaction time than girls, and you call up students to test that theory. You hold a ruler up over the student's hand, and they have to catch it between their thumb and forefinger. I had said student up in front of the room, and she was on her second trial (the first one she hadn't caught, so she was getting increasingly flustered). She caught the ruler, and, as I was leaning over to check where she had caught it so we could keep track of our data, she raised her hand and bonked me on the nose. It didn't really hurt very much, she didn't get a chance to get much momentum, but it was a relatively good bonk, nonetheless.
I told her it was no big deal, and that there was a first time for everything. The whole class, of course, erupted into giggles (mostly nervous giggles, I think they were trying to figure out how I would react more than anything else). I think I handled it pretty well, actually. I had a laugh, and I told her it was fine, and when she kept apologizing, I told her it was ok, really.
And then we had a fire drill. So, business as usual.
My nose does kind of hurt a little bit, but I can't tell if it really hurts, or if I just think it hurts.
06 September 2005
3...2...1...we have liftoff!!!
First day done! And successful, I would say. The computer equipments worked, our plans went ... well, as planned. Kids were on time to class, they were mostly curteous and seemingly eager to learn. One of the questions we asked the students was to tell us about their expectations for the year and the school, and the overwhelming response was that they wanted to continue to be in such a nice building, and they wanted to do well in school this year. They were determined to try to make a fresh start of it. Let's hope that stays!!
Some of you were amused by the fact that we had to sing for the parents and students last week. Don't you do enough for the students, I hear you cry? Well yes. But I really think having us stand up in our school shirts and sing the school song was a pretty powerful statement to the parents and students who were in the gym with us. There we all were, in one section of the bleachers, and so we were quite a sea of green polo shirts, I can imagine. I think that having us sing for the students and parents let them know that we were just as invested in the school and creating a community as they were. I think we are well on our way to creating a community.
However, I love stuff like that. Gets me a little teary, donchaknow?
What went really well today:
the bells all rang at the proper time
the clocks all were set to the same time
morning annoucements produced and read by students were ready to go
students were on time to class
students seemed eager to be there...even those students who wished for a longer summer vacation!
What didn't:
Frankly, can't really think of a thing, with the exception of attendance/students schedules. We had several students walk into class who weren't on our lists, several students who were on our lists who weren't in class today, and several different lists of students that didn't quite match up. I had one list that said two different pieces of information: "Students enrolled in class: 19...Students in course: 20". That was confusing. Schedules will be in flux for several days, I'm sure. I have found that schedules tend to be in flux the first few days of school no matter where, however.
I'm going to take my tired old bones on home. Wish me luck for the second day!
Some of you were amused by the fact that we had to sing for the parents and students last week. Don't you do enough for the students, I hear you cry? Well yes. But I really think having us stand up in our school shirts and sing the school song was a pretty powerful statement to the parents and students who were in the gym with us. There we all were, in one section of the bleachers, and so we were quite a sea of green polo shirts, I can imagine. I think that having us sing for the students and parents let them know that we were just as invested in the school and creating a community as they were. I think we are well on our way to creating a community.
However, I love stuff like that. Gets me a little teary, donchaknow?
What went really well today:
the bells all rang at the proper time
the clocks all were set to the same time
morning annoucements produced and read by students were ready to go
students were on time to class
students seemed eager to be there...even those students who wished for a longer summer vacation!
What didn't:
Frankly, can't really think of a thing, with the exception of attendance/students schedules. We had several students walk into class who weren't on our lists, several students who were on our lists who weren't in class today, and several different lists of students that didn't quite match up. I had one list that said two different pieces of information: "Students enrolled in class: 19...Students in course: 20". That was confusing. Schedules will be in flux for several days, I'm sure. I have found that schedules tend to be in flux the first few days of school no matter where, however.
I'm going to take my tired old bones on home. Wish me luck for the second day!
02 September 2005
School starts on Tuesday....
...and our syllabus was FINALLY APPROVED TODAY!!!!!!!!!!! I'm off to the copier!
25 August 2005
Do the numbers...
28: number of school buses we have
74: number of acres of land the school and fields occupy
256: number of staff, faculty and administration
949: number of parking spaces
1027: number of middle school students
1454: number of high school students (that's a total of 2481, and we don't even have seniors).
74: number of acres of land the school and fields occupy
256: number of staff, faculty and administration
949: number of parking spaces
1027: number of middle school students
1454: number of high school students (that's a total of 2481, and we don't even have seniors).
22 August 2005
Oh, you're with the new school!
Workroom update: still all in boxes. At the earliest, the end of the week. It's more likely to be next week. Luckily, I have my own classroom to work in (and I mean that, I am lucky to have a room - a lot of people are in a bunch of different rooms).
During our meeting Monday morning, we had a power outage for ten minutes while the power company shifted us over to a different transformer.
The bells are working though, as is the PA system.
Someone asked me if we had a mascot, a song. Yes, we do. Our mascot is the stallion. We have been enduring any number of horse jokes. On our intranet, we have this scary looking horse with extra muscular biceps and pecs. Yes, it's a biped stallion. He's buff, thus, the stallion. We have school colors: green, blue and silver. Now, I loved my old school, I love the people I worked with, the students, nearly everything about it. However, I hated the school colors: purple and white. Those were also the colors of my college, and I told myself that I would never again put myself in a situation where I would be required to wear purple and white, and look where that got me. However, I love green and blue, so I'm a pretty happy camper. We got two shirts to wear for "spirit" - one is a grey t-shirt with our name and logo on the front, plus "Established September, 2005"; on the back is a neat slogan, which you should see here.
I believe it means "Excellence in all endeavors" (or endeavours, should you choose the British spelling). The other shirt is a nice polo shirt in dark green. The insignia has our school initials and underneath is says "Charter Staff", which I think is really cool.
"But wait, you haven't said anything about the song", I hear you cry. Yes, we have a fight song. Or rather, we will have a fight song. They were still writing it as of Tuesday. We will apparently be learning it later this week, and then when we have the Stallion Stampede (I told you, unending horse jokes) next week (when the students come in to get their schedules, etc.), we will apparently sing it to the students (and parents, and community members, and any other Tom, Dick or Harry who wishes to attend), and then teach it to them. Fostering community spirit, see?
We took a bus tour of our boundary - the neighborhoods where our students live. There is a heck of a lot of construction going on in the area - more so than I've seen in the parts near where I live and where I used to teach. Roads are being widened, or even just built, new housing complexes are going up, old houses are being expanded upon, etc. We have houses that are enormous, but are on teeny little lots, we have houses that are enormous that are on larger lots, and of course, we have houses that are enormous that are on enormous lots too. There is some subsidized housing, so there is going to be a big gap between our wealthiest and poorest students. However, we are quite diverse, which is pretty exciting. The area that we serve is huge - it goes for miles in all directions. I wonder if our students will be as able to socialize because of that issue. I know it will be a problem for the middle school students, given that they will be dependent on the parental units for transportation.
Here is my burning question: I'm 5 ft. 6 inches. Many, many students are taller than I am. How on earth do they sit on those school buses comfortably? My knees were wedged in!
During our meeting Monday morning, we had a power outage for ten minutes while the power company shifted us over to a different transformer.
The bells are working though, as is the PA system.
Someone asked me if we had a mascot, a song. Yes, we do. Our mascot is the stallion. We have been enduring any number of horse jokes. On our intranet, we have this scary looking horse with extra muscular biceps and pecs. Yes, it's a biped stallion. He's buff, thus, the stallion. We have school colors: green, blue and silver. Now, I loved my old school, I love the people I worked with, the students, nearly everything about it. However, I hated the school colors: purple and white. Those were also the colors of my college, and I told myself that I would never again put myself in a situation where I would be required to wear purple and white, and look where that got me. However, I love green and blue, so I'm a pretty happy camper. We got two shirts to wear for "spirit" - one is a grey t-shirt with our name and logo on the front, plus "Established September, 2005"; on the back is a neat slogan, which you should see here.
I believe it means "Excellence in all endeavors" (or endeavours, should you choose the British spelling). The other shirt is a nice polo shirt in dark green. The insignia has our school initials and underneath is says "Charter Staff", which I think is really cool."But wait, you haven't said anything about the song", I hear you cry. Yes, we have a fight song. Or rather, we will have a fight song. They were still writing it as of Tuesday. We will apparently be learning it later this week, and then when we have the Stallion Stampede (I told you, unending horse jokes) next week (when the students come in to get their schedules, etc.), we will apparently sing it to the students (and parents, and community members, and any other Tom, Dick or Harry who wishes to attend), and then teach it to them. Fostering community spirit, see?
We took a bus tour of our boundary - the neighborhoods where our students live. There is a heck of a lot of construction going on in the area - more so than I've seen in the parts near where I live and where I used to teach. Roads are being widened, or even just built, new housing complexes are going up, old houses are being expanded upon, etc. We have houses that are enormous, but are on teeny little lots, we have houses that are enormous that are on larger lots, and of course, we have houses that are enormous that are on enormous lots too. There is some subsidized housing, so there is going to be a big gap between our wealthiest and poorest students. However, we are quite diverse, which is pretty exciting. The area that we serve is huge - it goes for miles in all directions. I wonder if our students will be as able to socialize because of that issue. I know it will be a problem for the middle school students, given that they will be dependent on the parental units for transportation.
Here is my burning question: I'm 5 ft. 6 inches. Many, many students are taller than I am. How on earth do they sit on those school buses comfortably? My knees were wedged in!
19 August 2005
17 days and counting...
I had planned on carting every single box from my condo down my stairs and out to my car. But it is pouring, and I can just see myself slipping, falling, breaking several necessary bones (most likely in my wrist and/or ankle), and getting all my precious binders and papers wet. Can't have that, can we? However, I will probably bring down the smallest of the boxes that I can manage in a little while, and I'll go into school later today. However, I have pictures! Take a look at these:
This is my classroom. The first one is the view from the doorway. Please note the window! The one on the right is a view from the front of the room looking toward the back. For more pictures, please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesstchr/35342186/in/set-782089/. Don't view the images as a slide show - if you look to the right hand side of the page, you'll see a smaller image of the picture you're looking, and an opportunity to click next. If you do that, you'll get the captions, and that way you'll know what the devil you're actually looking at.
This is my classroom. The first one is the view from the doorway. Please note the window! The one on the right is a view from the front of the room looking toward the back. For more pictures, please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesstchr/35342186/in/set-782089/. Don't view the images as a slide show - if you look to the right hand side of the page, you'll see a smaller image of the picture you're looking, and an opportunity to click next. If you do that, you'll get the captions, and that way you'll know what the devil you're actually looking at.
17 August 2005
19 days and counting...
The first day of school is 19 days away. I am sitting in my new classroom, which is in my new school, which is so new that the driveway out front isn't even finished! The construction signs are still out front, and the Social Studies workroom is still a pile of boxes - no furniture at all. My chair still has the plastic wrapping on it - yes, I haven't taken that off yet. I feel that I should leave it on, if nothing else because it's still very dusty in here! I shouldn't even be using my (new) laptop in here, now that I think about it. But, e-mail had to be checked, letters had to be written to the new department chair and other members of the team. Between Monday and today (Wednesday) I had 25 e-mails. And we're still four days away from the day teachers go back. Usually teachers in this school district go back a week before the students do, so we can have a ton of meetings, set up our classrooms, get together with friends we haven't seen since June (I'm absolutely positive that our superintendent wants us to have time to socialize!), etc. At our new school we have an extra week to do all that - and I have a feeling that it will be mostly taken up with meetings. In fact, I've been warned by everyone who knows my new principal that that will indeed be the case. He is also well aware of his reputation - he made a comment at our first meeting (the day after the last day of school, which was in, like, July...Well, June 28th, but that's practically July, isn't it?) about how everyone had probably told us that he liked meetings. Well, he didn't deny it, so I guess I'm in for a lot of meetings. Must remember to use the loo before the meeting starts.
When I drove up to the building (after having to make a u-turn, because the entrance I was expecting to make was closed, and I had already passed the entrance), there in front of the main entrance (right outside the principal's office), were several groups of students - already! Some of them were in the color guard, practicing with their flags, and the others were the drumline from the marching band (who placed them right by the principal's office? What great placement! ha ha ha!). I actually found it very comforting - knowing that students were going about life as usual for a school meant that we were actually getting off the ground. Drumline and marching band means the beginning of the school year to me. I think mostly because my parking spot has been in the same general area where the marching band has rehearsed.
Things we've been working on so far:
When I drove up to the building (after having to make a u-turn, because the entrance I was expecting to make was closed, and I had already passed the entrance), there in front of the main entrance (right outside the principal's office), were several groups of students - already! Some of them were in the color guard, practicing with their flags, and the others were the drumline from the marching band (who placed them right by the principal's office? What great placement! ha ha ha!). I actually found it very comforting - knowing that students were going about life as usual for a school meant that we were actually getting off the ground. Drumline and marching band means the beginning of the school year to me. I think mostly because my parking spot has been in the same general area where the marching band has rehearsed.
Things we've been working on so far:
- building camaraderie. We've had several bbqs and department meetings, we went bowling last night (I did surprisingly well - one strike and two spares, thank you. Not bad for someone who usually gets a gutter ball).
- determining a common syllabus for the different subject teams. Our idea is that students (and parents) should be getting the same education and the same policies from one teacher to the next. We've also got plans to work on common assessments for each era of history that we're teaching. No more teacher shopping!
I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of for now.
05 January 2005
Kids wear the darndest things...
I just saw the best t-shirt in the hallway. It said:
Note to self:
Do not eat pink insulation.
Not cotton candy.
Note to self:
Do not eat pink insulation.
Not cotton candy.
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