March 2012
38 posts
4 tags
Attention-seeker
He was always a little clingy. Clamoring for attention in class. Participating more than normal. Asking unnecessary questions so he would have my and the class’s attention.
But he was earning a B+. He was respectful. I didn’t mind him so much.
Then he got suspended. Caught with a glass weapon in his backpack. Nearly expelled. He was out of school for three weeks.
When he came back,...
2 tags
One more week until Spring Break
You read that right. One more week.
*cracks beer #2*
learning & laughing: Conversations with first... →
kicksandgiggles:
Me: Alright, tell me in one sentence how the ITBS makes you feel.
J: It makes me really nervous.
G: When I think about it, I feel like I can’t breathe as good.
M: I’m afraid I’ll forget everything I know and not get to go to 2nd grade.
A: Like I’m falling down a hole that won’t ever end.
:(
Positively Persistent Teach: Teaching Takes... →
compositional:
urbanlearning:
I saw this great image today from www.workisnotajob.com. They put together some great stuff. Today’s image was just perfect for teaching… “Take Courage” against a chalkboard.
Why does teaching take so much courage?
I’ll share my thoughts and hope to hear yours.
1….
Needed.
Holla.
5 tags
Dear 12-year-old me,
Don’t stop reading in your free time. Go to the library to find stuff other than RL Stine’s Fear Street books.
Keep writing, but write about something other than the drama going on with you and your friends. Drama is interesting and all, and it’s what’s on your mind at the moment, but when you’re done, write about other stuff.
PE is good for you. Eventually...
4 tags
Honestly
Sometimes my grumpiness affects my husband. I get snippy or cranky. Stand-off-ish. I tell myself he’s a teacher too and he understands, but I’m just lying to myself. Yes, he is a teacher; yes, he understands. But he’s a wonderful person who doesn’t deserve a bitchy wife.
The grumpiness comes from having too much to do and feeling like there’s no time for anything...
3 tags
Rain, rain
It’s supposed to rain all weekend here. I’m kind of ok with it since that’s what March in California means, but I hate that I means I probably won’t go running or take my dog to the dog park, because that means I’ll get out of shape and my cute little dog is going to be an asshole this weekend because she has SO MUCH energy.
Run-on sentences FTW!
3 tags
“When I was recently asked why more gays and lesbians weren’t seen in dystopian...”
– Paolo Bacigalupi, The Invisible Dystopia | Kirkus Book Reviews (via annaetc)
5 tags
Taking the good with the bad
Good: Scavenger hunt-style review got the kids searching through tough literature and finding evidence. They even used LINE NUMBERS.
Bad: Had a parent-teacher conference scheduled for one of my more challenging students after school today. Mom forgot.
Good: Instead of staying late at school, I recognized the beautiful sunshine and 65-degree weather was PERFECT for a RUN. So I went home, grabbed...
"What else do we need aside from salaries to... →
world-shaker:
…What else do we need aside from salaries to attract teachers? Well, we need lower class size because teachers want satisfaction in their work. How do they get satisfaction? The real mission of a teacher is not to give idiot multiple-choice tests, but to get kids to think, to express themselves, to be able to advance arguments, to be able to persuade.
You get kids to do these...
If Common Sense Was Used in Government and the...
Citizen: I don't believe in abortion.
Government: Then don't get one.
Citizen: I don't believe in birth control.
Government: You don't have to use it.
Citizen: I think gay marriage is a sin.
Government: Don't marry the same sex then.
Citizen: I want my kids to learn about creationism.
Government: Take them to church.
2 tags
Is this what insomnia is like?
I know what I’m doing tomorrow. Over-prepped, even. No stress there. An acceptable amount of grading was done this weekend. No guilt there. I went for a run today. It felt great. I read for half an hour in bed to calm the brain.
It’s an hour past my bedtime.
I am not tired. I cannot turn off the brain.
I don’t want to start a new book because then I’ll really be up...
4 tags
Week 3 of C25k
DONE.
I’m taking the program a bit slower than I intended, but twice a week is better than not at all.
Anyone have any yoga videos they like to do at home? :)
3 tags
Vlogbrothers invade the Education tag!
I love that both Hank and John Green have been featured in posts by fellow teachers on Tumblr today! I’m used to seeing them reblogged by fellow nerdfighters, but not usually fellow teachers.
The vlogbrothers invasion continues.
“To those who criticize my perversion of the GOP candidates’ names, please know...”
– Amy Tan on the GOP and reproductive rights, courtesy of her facebook (via mllehazelwood)
Thank you, fellow SJSU attendee.
3 tags
Really?
Student: Ms. G, what came first- the dinosaurs or The Odyssey?
21 Things That Will Become Obsolete in Education... →
world-shaker:
Some eyebrow-raising ideas (or at least delivery) in here. I’ve included a few below:
5. The Role of Standardized Tests in College Admissions The AP Exam is on its last legs. The SAT isn’t far behind. Over the next ten years, we will see Digital Portfolios replace test scores as the #1 factor in college admissions. 6. Differentiated Instruction as the Sign of a Distinguished...
2 tags
Can't get up
Dog helps by giving kisses.
Husband helps by playing “Damn It Feels Good to Be a Gangsta.”
3 tags
We are Just Getting Started...: Getting Students... →
firstclassroom:
My students, the same ones that did wonderfully well in class on Friday, failed their quiz on the same material today. They were given advanced notice, assigned “homework” to study, they had guided notes, and reminders. To me, their scores say there was no studying, no re-reading of notes, just a…
The SAME THING happened in my room yesterday and today. Assigned a small...
4 tags
Best kind of weird day
Despite DST, I was full of energy today.
Despite the majority of my students IGNORING the weekend homework assignment (to read 4 pages in the textbook, write three potential quiz questions, and make two predictions), I was still chipper after school.
Despite working an extra hour after school helping with the credit recovery program I somehow got roped into, I was ready to RUN after school.
...
3 tags
A special kind of anxiety
I should be lesson planning, but instead I am being a huge baby about my nausea and warmer than usual body temperature and hoping I’m not getting sick.
I’m also feeling anxious about starting The Odyssey with my students because I haven’t read it since I was prepping for the credential program, and no matter how many times I skim the text and read analyses in teacher notes and...
4 tags
All-en-A-Day's Work: Write-at-Home →
thinkbrit:
I love this idea. I want to do this, although I think it might be better done from the beginning of the year… Next year!
I love this idea, but I’m wondering what writing scaffolding was given to the class before they were sent home with notebooks and told to just “play with words.” I would love to adapt this to my freshmen, but if I said that to them and sent them...
Cathedral Building: I was relaying an art-related... →
shapefutures:
She was watching an interview with Susan Blakely, creator of Spanx, and told me that her father routinely asked them at the table what they failed at that day, and then gave them high-fives for it because it meant they tried something. I tracked down a piece of an interview where she mentions…
5 tags
Baby steps
I started the Couch to 5k program in January. Then I got sick and stopped. This week, the hubs and I started up again and I’m so happy.
We did Week 1 Day 1 Tuesday, then days 2 and 3 this weekend. I feel great.
I’ve been in a mopey funk the last few weeks. Life just seemed too much, and all the problems I needed to fix created one seemingly impossible mountain to climb. But after a...
Tine Fey on body image →
Yes.
“We always see our worst selves. Our most vulnerable selves. We need someone else...”
– David Levithan, Naomi and Ely’s No Kiss List (via thebooksyoulove)
Timely quote is timely. (via thinkbrit)
I love this quote. I plan to read all his books this summer. :)
iamlittlei:
oakcity:
I hope the slippery slope theory really happens so I can marry my bed.
You win the internet.
Since I’ve been awake for an hour and an still in bed, I adore this.
4 tags
Essential Questions
I felt like a good teacher this week. I gave a mythology pre-test. We reviewed it in class so it was a lesson in itself. Then, I asked them to come up with two potential essential questions for our unit. I didn’t actually say that, but I did ask them to share two questions they have about mythology (specifically Greek and Roman gods, creation myths, myths in general, and the hero’s...
Not in Teacher School: Mandated Reporting →
mollyrockstar:
If I arrive at school at just the right time in the morning, I can see Little J and her boyfriend, sitting in his car out front. Every day he drives her to school. He is way too old to have to go to school himself. They sit there together right up until the warning bell rings. I don’t think he…
Teaching is a tough gig. Caring about our students who are in tragic...
“The following day, I attended a workshop about preventing gender violence,...”
– Why I Am A Male Feminist (via newwavefeminism)
OMG yes. 