overheard at school

"She said I was being disrespectful. I was a little mouthy but &*^%^&*(*& I wasn't THAT bad."

"I am failing your class - what are YOU going to do about it?"

"Next year I want a black teacher. She has to be as good as the other ones and I am tired of white teachers."

After being told they are taking a test "This is a quiz, right? I don't want to work today."

Six Word Saturday

We're from the government to help.

Too many chiefs are killing the Indians.



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You dub enough people "administration" and everyone has to assign work to have results to justify their position.

And there is no listening to the cries from below of "enough already".

The county next to us has a week off. Dang, I wish we did.

If I only had a brain

This one is better

I hate subs

I was out last week for a district training.

I left work for them to do and, because they will not work without a grade, a told them before I left that it was a quiz grade. I wrote it on the paper and the test.

The sub told them not to turn it in, so about 1/3 did not turn it in. I gave a 0 to the students who were in class and did not follow my instructions.

A parent sent me a note this morning that the sub told them not to turn it in so I should not enter a 0.

I have no words.

I am teaching students old enough to drive.

How exactly do I make them college and career ready when they cannot follow simple instructions? And cannot fathom whose instructions are more important?

What I do

Last year, when one of the teachers chose to be unprofessional and left us with a mess of students, half of whom she had failed. A group of us offered to work with the failed ones to bring them to passing and a small number did what was required.

It occurred to me this week that 4 of the students in my repeater class were among these students from last year. So I asked them and got this response. "Yes, we came to you for help. You gave us work." I know we explained and I know these students don;t work now.

It is going to be a long semester.

decisions

I was called into a meeting on Monday and told I would be teaching the 9th grade repeater class next year. Then I had dinner with old friends, one of whom offered me a job teaching in an elite private school in the fall.

The decision came down to age. I am not vested in retirement and the retirement at the private school is just ok. But, I am old enough that it makes a difference so 9th grade repeaters it is. On the other hand, they are why I went into teaching.