Six Word Saturday

Plan today to have success tomorrow.


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With school starting a week from Monday, I do not know how many students I will be teaching. I have several repeater classes - again - and would like to be spending the time looking in software we have to see where they are weak.

I have 3 co-taught classes again - but don't know if any are with Funsucker - or if it will be an easy year.

My friends are telling me their schedules are still changing. Mine hasn't in a month so I feel sure that I know that.

I am teaching a new (to me) course and tried to talk with the people who taught it last year. Everything is in their head and they have no schedule they can email me, except vague information that they would like to start with some unit other than 1.

We added several new teachers to our department. They have taught before, but not in high school. (Our students will be an adjustment). Again, they know the math, but not the way we are being told to teach it. I met them this week and passed on information I had. This should be something the department chair does.

When did PLAN become a four-letter word?

Our current principal has been here for 3 years and hasn't met AYP any of them. Add that to the fun.

Teaching to the test

Today's Fastrack has a student imagining a boss running in, saying "quick, solve this multiple choice problem!" because, obviously, we teach the skills they will need in the future.

The comic is perfect - I cannot figure out how to put it here, so please go read it.

It goes along so well with what Pissed Off is saying about testing in NY and what you will read here about our own version of math.

I am a stalker

I heard one of our teachers was leaving so I called her. She needs to pass a test I took last year. So I have offered to help her - and wasn't rebuffed, so maybe I am not too icky.

I did an end run and learned one class of students

I used a backdoor and found one class of 20 students. I have more than one class of this topic, so I don't know which one it is - should be fun.

Plan - it is a four letter word

According to the PTB, plan must be a four letter word. That is the only reason I can think of that they are keeping EVERYTHING close to the vest: the room you are in, the number of students you will have, etc. We already know we will need to buy supplies - everything from paper to dry erase markers - but wouldn't it be nice to know if my classes are 25 students or 40?

I guess they think we cannot complain if we don't know - fooled them!

School starts next week.

School starts next week. Teachers' schedules (yes, my English is correct, that is more than one teacher) are still being changed - or don't match the reality of knowing there is one class but two different teachers have been assigned the class so which one is correct.

I hate to harp on it, but there are no books for the courses I get to teach. No biggie, and fixable. But I do not know (with less than a week to go) what technology, copying, or numbers of students I will have to deal with. It's ok. They will tell me the day before the students come. That should be enough to get the room ready. Right?

And this has been a short summer. I am not ready to go back.

Crank up the complaints! Here we go!

Six Word Saturday

Professional development - done well - empowers me!


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This is early because I will not have access to the internet tomorrow.

I have been in a couple of awesome classes this summer and have learned oodles. I need to put it in some logical format and post it - but that will be later.

Happy weekend. School starts soon and I hope to inspire the students as much as I have been.

Primary elections 2010

It appears that about 100,000 people voted for Kathy Cox to continue as state school superintendent. Except that she resigned earlier this summer.

You can't make this stuff up.

Testing or teaching

When the various end of course tests were instituted (and we now have at least 8 that are required in high school and the state mandates that they count for 15% of the course), the state was promised it was to replace the 5 tests that comprise the high school graduation test. Nope, now we have all of these high stakes tests.

I believe that you should have to prove a certain level og knowledge in order to get a diploma. I think you should know basic mathematics, but do you need to know circle geometry? I think you should have a basic knowledge of the history of the United States, but do you need to take a test which is strictly regurgitation of American history?
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My objection to the end of courses tests rest in the idea that I do not know what the testers think is important, so how do I prepare my students to pass it.

Well, we don't tend to pass either and therefore have not passed AYP - again.

I am in a class this week with a math teacher from a school that is ranked consistently in the top 5 [that would be 5 not 5%] in the state. My school ranks in the bottom 10%. At lunch we discussed the end of course tests. He teaches accelerated classes and feels that the tests are too easy and irrelevant for the kids he teaches. I think I am chasing something I cannot grasp. And the scores go up only because the lower the cut score.

Now, having said that, I think it is important that we do standardized tests so the teachers can tell how they do - but how do these 14 tests help my students?

A rant from another teacher in a different distract.

Life is crap all over. And while I could have written this, I did not. I just stole it.
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Actually, this year, we signed our contracts without knowing our pay and how many days we would work, exactly :) [and they still do not know] And I signed that contract immediately because not everyone got one.

I know most other professions are being hit hard right now and many other professions work long hours and have to do crappy things at times with little reward. I know many people can't find work and many would be glad to have my job. Trust me, I know.

But this is reality:
When you walk into my classroom, the student desks, teacher desk, computer, closet, text books, and white board are provided by the school.

I bought the curtains and rods that cover the two windows because no coverings are provided by the school.

The school provided the bulletin board and the base paper to cover it. The border and everything else on it are provided by me.

The whiteboard is provided by the county. The markers and erasers are provided by me. We use several boxes of markers throughout the year.

The storage cabinet is provided by the school, but the book shelves are mine. Everything in the cabinet and on the shelves was purchased by me or handed down to me by other teachers. This is hundreds of dollars of supplies and materials.

Anything on the walls, including the clock, was purchased by me.

Almost everything on and in my desk was purchased by me except the computer and one notebook. (In the past, we have been given some limited basic supplies a couple of times a year such as staples, paper clips, construction paper, but not last year, and I doubt this year)

Last year, half of the computer paper I used was purchased by me. This year, I don't know if I will get any. I don't know if I will have any copies for the copy machine. I don't think I will get a printer cartridge and mine is almost gone.

The school provides the text books, if there are any, but they are not very useful. I am teaching two subjects and we will use the texts books at times, but at least half of the time they are not useful for what I am teaching. We don't have enough books to issue to each student so we have a class set. Sometimes we don't even have enough for a whole class set so students share. I doubt I will have a teacher's edition. I purchased $150.oo of books this summer to fill the gaps that the texts do not cover. These are reproducible books and copies still need to be made for the students.

I have an LCD projector, that I purchased, but no screen. I don't have an over-head projector. I don't have a TV. I could bring tv/vcr from home but the school can not provide a cart or anything to put it on.

I can check one from the library on occasion, when available.

The school pencil sharpener no longer works so I provide pencil sharpeners.

I go through over 1000 pens and pencils every year that I provide to students. I go through many packs of paper each year that I supply for students. I give binders, folders, lunch money, rewards, tissues, band aids, erasers, hand sanitizer, glue sticks, scissors, colored pencils, and many more

I do have access to library resources, limited internet, and help from other teachers and staff, but some of this staff has been cut for next year.

I am still expected to teach the same state standards, whether or not they provide me with any materials to teach it. My job performance is measured by data and whether or not my students meet a certain score on certain tests, no matter what score they had in the past. In the future, my salary could even be affected by this data. I am still expected to modify my plans to meet a variety of needs of students, with my own resources. I have countless other duties and standards to meet that are not reduced in any way by the state budget cuts. The one area that has been cut is athletics so I no longer have a certain number of days that I am required to work at pm/Sat sporting events.

Yes, I know that people taught a lot more with a lot less in the past and still do in many parts of the world, but we have sooo many other requirements placed on us, we can't do that. We can't just teach from a book. Plus, our students are not the same as they were 50 or 100 years ago. You can't give them a primer and put them in a desk and expect them to work until recess checking in occasionally.

It's getting old.

1)I still haven't heard from Luddite.

2) We did not make AYP.

3) I was promised my schedule a month ago. It just needed to be approved by the PTB. Now, every other day when I look, it has morphed into something else. They can't be assigning students yet, because mine is not the only schedule that is changing. What a mess.

I realize money isn't everything

I am very frustrated at this point. I am trying to work with people who seem incapable of working as a team. The severe lack of resources is just the icing on the cake.

Yep, big gripe coming.

It took half the summer to find out what I'd be teaching.

When I finally found out, I tried for a week to get in touch with Mr. Luddite, who taught this same course last year. Cut and paste is literal for Mr. Luddite, as he cannot use the computer for much more than emailing, which he religiously does at 2 pm every Sunday afternoon.

So, it takes a week to get a response.

He wants to meet this week to answer a question I asked 2 weeks ago, because it is convenient for him. If you saw my last post it is not convenient for me.

We are supposed to plan together - that being the idea behind all the crap, er, stuff we are to do to improve at our school.

I will plan and adjust - or do my own thing.

A book would give structure. The state does as well - but Mr. Luddite cannot download those things.

Apparently the plan is to not plan but figure it out day by day.

I think I will slit my wrists and get it over with.

I will be away for a week or so

No internet - or spotty at best. Will catch up when I return.

Six Word Saturday

Too much to do before school.


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The start of school is approaching like a train - it doesn't appear to be traveling as fast as I know it is - and I feel like I am about to be flattened!!

A Wise Child Part 2

I feel funny complaining about my parents. They are still together, they paid for my education and encouraged me to go further. They are generous. They are active in their church and community. They do not break the law. In fact, they are two of the most honest people I have ever met and have set a standard in much of their lives that I still work to reach.

They are emotionally abusive.

That sounds harsh, and I do not believe that they set out to make my life miserable. I do believe that in trying to to help me be the best I can be, they are unintentionally cruel.

It has taken me a long time to understand I will never be good enough and my brother can do no wrong.

I don't understand why and I think I don't care. I mean, when I ask myself what I want them to change, there is nothing. I think because they cannot be who I want them to be anymore than I can be who they want me to be.

So, I try (work really hard) to be that person for my children. There are things they could have done differently, but I love them as people and most of the time, that is all they see. Occasionally, I will announce "OK it is time for me to do my mom thing" and I talk through what I see they should be doing. We discuss "are you where you want to be? What do you need to be doing to get there?" and then - we go on.

I feel my parents could have given me better guidance (they had information I did not and did not share it - then after the fact implied I should have known it) so I work on that - without tearing my kids down.

They assure me that they understand the difference between the way my mother behaves and what I state that I want. And that I am doing is the correct path.

Now, why has all this come up? I have too much stuff. Way too much stuff. And it is difficult for me to get rid of it (and yes I know the word for this but we are not going there today). My husband says it got out of hand when we went on a family (like ENTIRE) family vacation 15 years ago. That I came back and started acquiring stuff.

The textbook says you do this to find value. I do not think I need the stuff anymore so I am slowly shedding stuff.

I think that is enough of the onion for today.

It's a wise child

I have good parents. I never wanted for the essentials, even when there wasn't a lot of money. They raised to to be honest, a contributing member of society, to value education, to value my children.

They came from farms in the midwest and have done well for themselves.

And, even though I am educated, with a long term marriage, good children, I have been a grave disappointment to them. For sure to my mother, probably to my father (although he never says much).

I find it interesting that I no longer hear the digs from my mother. I visit expecting to hear them and no longer hear them. My family assures me she still says them. I do protest the ones she says about my children. To her, as soon as she says them.

I depend on my family and friends to keep me from becoming her.

I know she is insecure, but I don't know where the bitterness comes from.

We don't chose our families anymore than we chose our students.

My goal for this year: we teach the students we have.

You can't make this stuff up

Maureen Downey usually write a ed blog. Today she wrote about teenaged parents who apparently are casual in the parenting.

I had already planned to write about a mother I saw today at the airport. The Atlanta airport is very busy. This mother was with her two kids (a boy about 3 and a girl about 7) and spent almost an hour (while I was waiting for someone) reading facebook on her blackberry. At one point, the little boy was crying and doing the I-gotta-pee dance and tugging at his mother's arm, but she would put the blackberry down. Finally she gave permission for the little girl to take her brother to the bathroom, about 20 feet from us.

Did I mention that the airport is really busy?

She didn't look up the whole time they were gone.

Did I mention she and the little boy wore hearing aids?

I am not a helicopter parent (I hear my children breathe a sigh of relief, although they do call me the stalker mother). I wouldn't have left mine on the table or let them go to the restroom at that age.

My parents (mom has turned into the helicopter grandmother) let me tide a city bus to the library when I was 10 and take my little brother (I was 12, he was 10) to hang out at the Washington Mall and all the museums for the day - but that was a different time.

There are more people now.

Whatever.

Dread

The administration doesn't realize how awful it is to work with Funsucker. They should, as everyone who has worked with her for the past 4 yours has complained, including the teachers who never complain about anything else. (Please read that sentence again.)

Every teacher who has had her asks not to have her again.

They must think I am idiot, because they tried to tell me that no one else has had issues (except that, over the years, while she was teaching with these other teachers, I was talking with them and I know they complained).

I am dreading finding out who I am team teaching with because she makes everything so difficult.

This is an awesome video

Dancing Through Auschwitz. OK, it sounds irreverent but it isn't.

Part 2 and Part 3.

I like 1 and 3 the best. Part 3 is an interview with the survivor dancing in Part 1, with some comments from the grandchildren of survivors. Part 2 is Leonard Cohen music and a family dancing at a picnic. Part 1 is several young people and a survivor (grandfather, daughter, and grandchildren, from what I have read) dancing to I Will Survive at Auschwitz and other locations.

It made me cry. And that says a lot.

Found on Pundit Kitchen and Neal Boortz.

Everyone can't be in your front row.

Everyone Can't Be in Your Front Row

Life is a theater - invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is holy enough and healthy enough to have a front row seat in our lives. There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships/friendships/fellowships!

Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention to: Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill? When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?

The more you seek God and the things of God -- the more you seek quality, the more you seek not just the hand of God but the face of God-- the more you seek things honorable -- the more you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be moved to the balcony of your life. You cannot change the people around you...but you can change the people you are around! Ask God for wisdom and discernment and choose wisely the people who sit in the front row of your life.

Everyone can't be in your front row.

(author unknown)

Hybrid Schedule

How many of you have a hybrid schedule? This is our third year. It is a mix of yearlong, semester long and block classes. The point is to enable the students to fail more classes and still graduate on time.

What, you say. Surely there is a higher level reason? Surely, you don't jump through all these hoops just to enable lousy scholarship? Not that I can see.

On paper, I have two preps. Not unreasonable.

In actuality, since some are year long and some are repeater and some are block, in the fall I will have 6 preps.

By that, I mean that overall I have 2 preps that I have to do: lessons, tests, daily questions, start ups, etc. But my classes will be in six different places at any given point.

It is overwhelming to look at, so I have gone back to focusing on the two preps. If I can get those done, sifting them into the six preps should (in theory) be easy.

Do write when I enter the asylum.

Painting my world

Karen Margulis has a website where she posts a painting every day. Her goal is to become a better artist, so every day she does a painting and posts it.

I admire her talent, her persistence, her dedication. I wish I could harness this and teach this to my students.

Don't we wish more of them did this?

I ran across the blog of a tenured college professor who spent the last year teaching high school. I have not read the entire blog (I will), just the first and last, but I am intrigued to see how it went.

I wish the administrators in my school would commit to teaching one class a year. I think it might change the way they do things. But they will tell you they are too busy.

They divide the discipline up among the APs - each one gets a grade level. One is ineffective - she gives the bad kids candy, tells them the teachers are awful (probably tells then we are racist, but we wouldn't hear that back), pats the kids on the head, and sends them back to class. Do you think they mind at all at that point?

Then, when she decides to get serious and act like an adult, she yells at the kids - they think she has gone batshit and they STILL do not behave.

Oh, well. I have found another teacher in my school teaching the same thing with the same goals I have (not all teachers have the same goals, go figure). He is willing to split up the work and share so this should go better.

Scheduling part 2

Wow, a change was made. Now I have another prep and 2 classes in 3rd period as well as the 2 I have 5th. I will wait til the week school starts.

It will make his job harder, but I get the point.

Scheduling the new year.

I know that it is a major job to schedule the classes for 100 teachers (give or take) and 2000 students (give or take), but when you have someone doing it who 1)has difficulty planning ahead 2)cannot take constructive criticism and 3)doesn't see the big picture, oy vey!

The schedules started appearing this week. I have a few minor errors (which are to be expected) but yesterday I noticed I am teaching a class 3rd period 1st semester and the 2nd half of it 5th period 2nd semester(call it A). Which is - odd - but ok. Except that 5th period all year I am teaching another (completely different) class.

So I emailed the APIC (asst principal in charge) to let him know that A needs to be moved. I know he gets prickly when you tell him anything. He would rather you be quiet that tell him there is an issue with a student's schedule. It's ok if the kids gets screwed, don't email.

So, I groveled, figuring he wouldn't want any comments.

He emailed back - the schedule is correct. So I pointed out I have 2 conflicting classes at the same time 5th period second semester and nothing 2nd period second semester. So, now he'll get mad.

Six Word Saturday

Teaching is more than lecturing students.


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We are supposed to be changing the way we we teach, presenting them with real life problems to solve rather than worksheets, engaging them rather than lecturing, giving them the tools they will need to solve tomorrow's problems.

This is difficult to do when there is insufficient planning time because the PYV cannot/will not plan.

Parents (and I use the term loosely)

Another article from the AJC, this time describing parents who need a parenting course.

How can you not know where your babies are for 5 hours?

Should we get rid of the Georgia Graduation Test?

The AJC asks the question Should we get rid of the Georgia Graduation Test?

It bothers me that every time anyone talks about it, they talk about "how easy it is." Wonderful. There is not a district in this state, there are very few schools in this state, with a 100% pass rate. My school scores poorly but we have about 90% pass rate for everything except social studies (70%) and yet, overall 40% fail to pass one or more components. So 30% cannot graduate. About 1 in 3.

Now, some do not try. Some test poorly. Some cannot get here to take the test because something is more important. But 1 in 3 strikes me as huge.

OK - it's me fighting with Google Docs

I fixed the link to the transformations game on Google Docs. There are 2 versions now, the difference is on page 4.

I like this program. I think I go too fast, so please bear with me. I would like to share more as I come up with it.

Summer is half over

I have:
1) taken a great week of Calculus which totally rocked my world.
2) rested and read several books - nothing that will advance my teaching but they made me happy.
3) developed a habit for drinking water
4) Thought about what I want in my room next year and what I don't.
5) reached a mental place about getting rid of two things (categories) that constitute too much stuff in my house. These are things I collected to do when the kids are younger, didn't use, and now need to get rid of. And I have found homes - just need to get them there.

I have not
1) planned the first week *
2) culled through the crap I brought home
3) finished cleaning my house.
4) been seduced by David Boreanaz (hey, I'm not dead!)

* I have heard rumors about but I am teaching but they have some blatant flaws (two competing classes at the same time - picky picky). It does give me a place to start.

Corrected transformation game

I fixed my transformations game (and, Curmudgeon, I did make this public!!). It was pointed out to me that I did not make it mathematically rigorous enough by referring to the transformations as "move up 2 and right 2" instead of "This graph is a transformation of the graph f(x) = x^2 with a horizontal shift of 2 units up and a vertical shift of 2 units to the right" - so I fixed it. Thank you, S^2 for that!!

Enjoy and critique. I want to get better!!

At last a game I can believe in! *edited*

Here is a copy of a game for determining transformations.

I am not a big fan of games in math. I have always enjoyed the math sufficiently for it to be its own game. But, I know the kids enjoy games.

I have used Jeopardy as a review tool and a few others, but it seems like a lot of work on my part for little reward on theirs.

Mostly the lower level wants to play trashetball, bit it is to the wadded up paper (apparently mine is better than theirs and new paper better than trash) rather than as a reward for doing math.

In a class I took last week, the teacher used an awesome game. His had 4 parts: 6 graphs of functions, 6 graphs of the first differentials, 6 strips with description of the functions and 6 with descriptions of the differentials. He had us work in pairs (no hitchhikers), no competition, lots of discussion.

The link above will take you to the one I am using with Algebra 2 for transformations. I really love this game.

If you chose to make a variation (and the possibilities are there), please let me know what you will do. Here are some I have come up with but not created:
1) graphs. Have several graphs, then equations in y-intercept form, then equations in point slope form, then tables of values. This could easily become several different games.
2) microbiology: slides and their descriptions
3) Conic sections with descriptions and equations.
4) function families with graphs, name, equations
5) parabolas: graph, vertices, equations, roots, whatever

What I like is after it is created, it is one batch for all the classes and can be used as preview and then later as review. Just shuffle before you put it away. You don't even have to put them on separate colors.

Update: This is the first time I have used Google Docs and I did not change the privacy settings. If you tried to see the file, go back and try again, please.

There is a law for me and a law for you

You have to laugh (or cry) when the best article about lawlessness in our countyappears in what is normally a lightweight column, not the editorials. In our little piece of heaven we have illegal immigrants breaking the law, and then dictating not only how they will be treated but how they will be punished. We have a school board, that just replaced a school board (the old one wanted laptops for everyone and was voted out), blatantly violating the state's sunshine laws, RIFing teachers illegally (ie, tenured teachers) and basically decimating our public school system, which used to be one of the best.

You have people running for public office caught with out of state license tags. Hey, we're short of money here and you aren't paying your taxes, but you want to control the budget? WTH?

Fireworks - happy fourth!

We spent the evening with old friends we haven't been with in a while, watching local fireworks, listening to music, eating, talking, not in that order.

There were babies (almost 24 months) enjoying the passing trains but not enjoying the noise of the fireworks. Mama put her hands over little ears, and baby put his hands over his eyes, peaking out through his fingers.

The other baby snuggled with granny, ears covered, covertly watching the fireworks.

We sang along with the various military songs (Anchors Aweigh, Caissons Go Rolling Along, etc) and Lee Greenwood.

What a perfect day!

The fireworks are done the night before the 4th.

Happy Independence Day!

God Bless the USA Written By Lee Greenwood

If tomorrow all the things were gone
I'd worked for all my life,
And I had to start again
with just my children and my wife,
I'd thank my lucky stars
to be living here today,
'Cause the flag still stands for freedom
and they can't take that away.

I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

From the lakes of Minnesota
to the hills of Tennessee,
Across the plains of Texas
from sea to shining sea.
From Detroit down to Houston
and New York to L.A.,
There's pride in every American heart
and it's time we stand and say:

I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A.

Six Word Saturday

Not a nag: a lifestyle consultant!


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Perspective is everything

An alternative to PowerPoints

This came up in a discussion of powerpoints, which one of the counties around here uses for EVERYTHING. First, how to make powerpoints stand out: vary the fonts and background color, and keep the verbage on the slides very simple.

Then, someone told us about Prezi. Here is an example of what you can do with Prezi.

[To see full screen and autoplay (it will be too fast to read, but it will give you a feel), take your cursor to the right side, bottom. Hitting the "play" arrow will pull one page at a time.]

Teachers can get it free.

I cannot see doing this for everything, but this would be an awesome intro to a class.

What a scary thought.

I feel old.

It'll be at least a week before we are told

The person who has to tell us what we are teaching left for vacation today and will not be back until July 12th. And THEN it has to be approved.

School starts August 9th.

While the principal knows (maybe), if you ask him he will pass the buck to Ms. KMA, who just left on vacation. And is unreachable. Not that she will answer an email anyway.

Because, it doesn't matter that you don't know what you are teaching (and that most of it will be new to you) - it's just stuff, right? You can pull it out of your _____ (fill in the blank) in a month. No biggie. I can do that in SS, why can't you do it in math?

Planning - what an alien concept.

Excuse me while I do a slow burn. And go ahead and plan for stuff I may not be teaching.