May 2012
60 posts
3 tags
A question for teachers
When you were a new teacher, did you solicit help from teachers at your school? Did you randomly pop into rooms asking for help or did you go to the teachers who reached out to you first? Do you feel like it’s the responsibility of a new teacher to go ask everyone for help?
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On the couch
watching NCIS marathon #2.
Advice nurse said I probably shouldn’t go to work tomorrow. She said I’m heading toward the flu.
What she and the flu don’t realize is I only have four more days to prep the kids for their essay, unit test, and project-based final.
Frickity frack.
Worst part of the weekend: grading while sick and miserable.
Best parts of the weekend:
- NCIS marathon yesterday
- Criminal Minds marathon today
- I STILL HAVE ONE MORE DAY OFF
One more say to get better before going back to work.
iamlittlei:
oakcity:
All the habitat unfucking has made me a way happier person just in the last 24 hours. Clean your room, kids.
This is the first thing on my list after school ends.
The hubs did this yesterday. Our house hasn’t been this clean since last summer.
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I'm sick
And have another week of school. Then finals.
But, we get Monday off, so that’s awesome.
The hubs is done with school and has vowed to take over all house duties do I can focus on ending the year.
He’s the best. Truly.
Not in Teacher School: Without a DeLorean →
mollyrockstar:
Teenagers literally have no understanding of cause and effect. They also do not understand the correct usage of the word literally. But I digress.
Students believe they can correct a semester’s worth of mistakes in a couple of days. They believe that a final or essay which is worth 10% of…
I needed to read this today. I’m already feeling guilty about some Fs...
something bad happened in my classroom today.
fornoesis:
the bad thing was the event itself, but my reaction to the event itself was also bad. i’ve been off for the past few weeks, especially this week. i suppose i might be starting to slack, knowing the year is coming to a close and my students have made so much progress throughout the year. i didn’t have any coffee today, and it was first thing in the morning, but my slow reaction...
Wicked Clothes: Target has pledged $120,000 in... →
archer-and-anders:
Just saw this in an email from one of my professors who is an adviser for the Lesbian and Gay Vet Med Association at school. Target’s website says it will donate 100% of T-shirt sales from customers during the month of June to Family Equality Council.
See the t-shirts
OMG! I love every shirt. And I love Target.
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Dear today,
Please end.
Sincerely,
Me
Dear self,
Please stop dwelling on today.
Sincerely,
You
“I hold up a handful of wooden coffee stirrers and say to the class: “I took...”
– Vocabulary Is Where You Find It. By Bob Greenman
Great article on teaching vocabulary.
http://www.visualthesaurus.com/cm/teachersatwork/vocabulary-is-where-you-find-it-2012/ (via englishteacheronline)
Love this.
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An arrest was made, and murder is suspected, in... →
School is going to be tough today.
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Things students said to me today
“My sister peed on her cat.”
“Your classroom has nice texture.”
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So instead of continuing to be a moping ball of...
I did some badass yoga. Now I’m still kind of stressed, but definitely feeling better.
The weird thing is that I’m totally prepared for tomorrow. My grading is done. The days are planned. The materials are made.
My husband is a stress and anxiety expert since he is often stressed and anxious (and has gone through therapy to cope), and he suggested I may be anticipating the stress of...
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Envy
Right now I’m envious of:
1. My dog. Her biggest concern right now is she has no one to play with. She’s currently flinging one of her toys around the room, and then problem-solving when it gets caught in a random box or under some furniture. And now she’s humping her bed. This makes no biological sense.
2. My friends who are posting their “lazy Sunday” updates and...
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Thoughts on the Common Core. From an English...
1. I’m so glad other disciplines will also be responsible for helping students learn how to read informational texts. I’m tired of being in the group of teachers that is blamed when kids can’t read textbooks. We teach them to read literature. Not science, history, math, psychology, or econ textbooks.
2. The push toward informational texts in ELA classes is totally legitimate...
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I hate when people update their Facebook with...
Because then I’m the douchebag if I reply with, “Actually, I don’t. I’d much rather be here, in bed, reading a book at 9:30 on a Friday.”
Not in Teacher School: With Great Power... →
mollyrockstar:
Being a grown-up is hard.
It is hard to get up every morning and go to work. It is hard to stay productive once we get to work. It is hard not to gorge oneself on sweets at every opportunity. It is hard to have to be the one who makes dinner and the one who has to clean up. It is hard to…
I love everything about this post.
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Sarcasm
Me to class: So why is Romeo avoiding a fight with Tybalt?
Attention-seeker: Because Tybalt’s a homie from the block?
Next period
Student: I don’t like the Warm Ups.
Me: The Warm Ups feel the same way about you.
Next period
Me to class: What are some things that could go wrong in the Friar’s plan? We know from the prologue that Romeo and Juliet are going to die, so we...
Adventures of a Student Teacher: Why couldn't I... →
watchallisonteach:
It’s not even the end of May and already I’m feeling overwhelmed and defeated.
I apply and apply and apply and then… nothing.
Nada.
Not one call, not one interview. I find out that jobs are filled by the fact that when I go to resubmit my application to send it to the top of the pile, the…
I’ve been where you are. It’s miserable. It’s depressing.
...
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Academic Triathlon = freshmen intervention...
Tonight I attended my school’s first Academic Triathlon. About 15 students (11 or 12 freshmen and 4 seniors who are there coaches) assembled on stage at our theater in a battle of smarts.
The freshmen involved all had at least three Fs at the end of the first semester. They were called into the counseling office and offered this opportunity. They took it. They were split into two teams.
...
oh, muffins!: A word to the #Education community: →
ohmuffins:
As educators, I’m sure we’ve all mastered the concept of choosing our battles wisely in the classroom and the idea of never entering a power struggle with students. We know when to share our thoughts and when to bite our tongue. We’ve learned when to stay out of the teacher’s lounge and who to…
THANK YOU.
I Guess They Like Me
iamlittlei:
Twice in the last week my kids have told me I should teach the classes they’re taking next year (3rd period has decided that I should be their teacher for gifted sophomore English; 5th period wants me teaching gifted chem).
Of course as a teacher having your students like you is never really priority one. But it does make you feel pretty damn good about yourself, your classroom, and...
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Grading Woes
There are few things more frustrating while grading than finding papers that are magically missing a ton of important information that we went over in class.
Meaning, it was homework, but then I GAVE THEM THE ANSWERS. Because it is important. And it will be on the unit test. And they still couldn’t be bothered to write the answers down.
...
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6 Beneficial Things They Made You Stop Doing in... →
terrydassow:
This would be the reason why Japanese classroom management looks totally different from management in America. Teachers in Japan know that students are whole, individual people, and they treat them so.
This is why I’m not a stickler for gum, or even one earbud in (if it’s very discreet). I do make kids stop fidgeting while I’m giving directions, but while...
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I was grading all day
I am halfway done with the grading I need to do.
Should I grade more during the week? Perhaps.
I’m wondering how I’ll have time for grading, lesson planning, and Mother’s Day brunch at the in-laws tomorrow.
Not to mention running, dog park, grocery shopping, and making lunches.
Shiza.
Time for beer, NCIS, and bed.
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Jung Typology Test Results →
The lovely Ms. Hazelwood posted this today, and I was so intrigued by the description of her personality type, that I had to check it out. Also, she is generally awesome and genuine, so if you’re not following her, check out her Tumblr. :)
mllehazelwood:
I mentioned I’m an ENFP, right? I find it interesting that no matter what time in my life or which quiz I take, I come up an ENFP. (I...
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Adding to the good news
I found out today that I’ve been accepted to be a fellow at a journalism instructor institute! It’s a nearly two-week program designed to boost new (and renew veteran) high school journalism instructors. I’m definitely in the new category, so I’m very much looking forward to the collaboration and instruction!
It was a competitive process, and I’m so glad I was able...
Survival Skills
diaryofafyt:
So, how do you keep your students engaged the last week of class without piling on meaningless work or showing movies that don’t have much to do with anything? You plan an adventure!
For the last week of my 6th grade geography class students are going to explore Australia and prepare for our own version of (Wo)Man vs. Wild. After conducting research and learning about the physical...
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Things that happened today
- I finished my beginning teacher program and can clear my preliminary credential once it gets passed. A semester early. Holla.
- I finally grew a backbone and spoke honestly to a veteran teacher in my department when she tried to justify her unprofessional behavior in our department meeting this morning. Unfortunately, I think she’ll interpret the conversation in a more negative way.
“I have to tell you that over the course of several years as I have talked to...”
– The full quote. (via nprfreshair)
There are many things that one thinks they won’t see in their lifetime. Watching the president of the United States of America affirm the love of my mom and her partner of nearly 30 years was one of them. No more. Thank you, Mr. President. You have joined the right...
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Also. North Carolina?
What the frickity frack?
Disgusting.
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“That is part of the beauty of all literature. You discover that your longings...”
– F. Scott Fitzgerald (via amandaonwriting)
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Bunts from A Left Coast Girl: The Hardest Job... →
This is so poignant and perfect. Here’s my favorite snippet:
Inspiring kids? Inspiring kids can be downright damned near close to impossible sometimes. And… it’s downright damned near close to impossible to measure. You can’t measure inspiration by a child’s test scores. You can’t measure inspiration by a child’s grades. You measure inspiration 25 years later when that hot-shot doctor, or...
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Re-done
After my temper tantrum last night, I went to bed. Woke up refreshed, and my first round of BTSA stuff is now done.
THANK YOU, GOOGLE DOCS.
I was using Open Office because the version of Microsoft Office we had here at the house was too old for my new computer. I thought I’d be able to get by with Open Office, and I now regret that decision because it is apparently unstable and crashes...
