^Why is that not more comforting?
What am I referring to? Duh, ISATs (state standardized tests)!!! For the past few months, my life has been pretty much ruled by two things: half-marathon training and preparing for these damn tests. Now that the end is in sight (for both!), what will I do with all my new free time?!? Who knows...maybe I'll even go crazy and plan/teach some sort of creative, hands-on, interactive unit! *gasp* Quality teaching?! I've forgotten what it feels like...
I keep telling my students that I hate ISATs more than they do. I don't think they believe me, but I promise you it's true. Not only do they make me incredibly anxious, but proctoring is boring (although the quiet is a welcome change at times!!). Plus, the rest of the day always sucks. The kids are waaay squirrelly than normal, and teaching anything is a struggle. I hate, though, to waste an entire week just because we are testing for an hour a day...
Highlights from yesterday's testing: several of my kids BARELY finishing (we're talking by the skin of their teeth)...at one point, I went up to two and said, "Okay, now it's time to just fill in the bubbles. With anything. GO!" *shakes head*
Oh testing...won't you please just go away?
Showing posts with label ISAT. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ISAT. Show all posts
March 1, 2011
February 22, 2011
"My furry dog is as warm as a comforter fresh from the dryer"
^ My personal favorite simile from the simile love poems we wrote on Valentine's day. :) I really loved teaching this lesson, but I was floored by some of the finished products that have been trickling in this week!!
We spent about an hour on the actual Writing Workshop lesson (mini-lesson + writing time + sharing time). but the kids have been working hard on them during Daily 3/general Writing Workshop time. I challenged them to get creative with their similes, not just saying things like, "His hair is as brown as chocolate," but going one step further with something like, "His hair is as brown as creamy rich hot chocolate." Once they got the hang of it, the kiddos completely ran with the idea.
Some of the finished poems:
Turns out we need to work a little more on stanzas and line-breaks. But for a first-crack at poetry, I'd say these babies are something to be proud of.
Between the individual books the kids wrote for Celebrate Reading and Writing last month, the class book of Pourquoi Tales we worked on together earlier this year, and now this book, we are starting to accumulate quite the collection of student-authored books! The best part? The kids adore reading each others' work.
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| Student Author Bin |
One other thing I did before peacin' outta school today was pull books for my ISAT read alouds next week. Figured it was better to have them ready early than be scrambling Monday morning when I'm back from my trip! Here are some of my favorite read alouds for during testing...
- Hooray for Diffendoofer Day! by Dr. Seuss--A hilarious testing must-read about a school that teaches all kinds of fun, silly things. When testing time comes, the students are all super nervous until they realize that they are being tested on all the silly things they've been studying! I remind the kids that we have learned all of the things on the tests too (partly true...), and that this is their opportunity to show off!
- Testing Miss Mararkey by Judy Finchler--This book is as fun for the teacher to read as for the kids. It mostly highlights how uptight the parents and teachers get over testing! Reminds kids how silly all of the stress is, and that things will all be back to normal soon.
- Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco--One of my favorites to read ANY TIME (although I always get a little choked up at the end!!). A real-life story of the author's struggle with learning disabilities and the teacher who saved her. I love reading this book and talking about the individual gifts we all have, especially at a time kids might feel a little stressed out or nervous.
- Salt in His Shoes by Deloris M. Jordan--This story about Michael Jordan's childhood highlights the benefits of hard work and believing in oneself. Michael Jordan is one of the skinniest, shortest kids on the basketball court, and even though he wishes and prays to be taller (sprinkling salt in his shoes even...), what really matters in the end is that he gives it his all. The rest is history. :)
What are your favorite books to read aloud (on test days or any day)?
February 18, 2011
Fashion Advice from 11 Year Olds, Test Prep, and other Thrilling Events in my Teacher Life :)
Hi Friday. It's been too long. :)
This week has been, in a word, exhausting. It definitely has not dragged...in fact, it's been so jam-packed that I feel like I've barely caught my breath! Tuesday I didn't get home until 10pm...no, not because I was working in my classroom until then like that one horrible day from last year (my first year)--thank goodness!! I had lots of work to do in my room, a parent meeting at 4, then a school event I was volunteering at from 5:30-7. Then I packed up/finished my work, and headed to the gym for a run. By the time I stretched, showered, and got in my car, it was already 10. YIKES! Nothing like days when you are only home an hour before you head to bed...Yesterday I didn't even walk out of the building until 7. Thankfully, my to-do list has shortened SIGNIFICANTLY this week, which means this weekend will be low-stress. :) Yay. This includes a mountain of grading (I actually have NONE home this weekend!!!!!!!!!), report cards (!!!!!), test pencils sharpened, desks moved into rows, and name tags covered with construction paper.
^Those last three things are all ISAT (our state tests) related...testing doesn't start until the week after next, but with me being at school only Tuesday and Wednesday next week because of Presidents Day and heading to F L O R I D A (!!), I knew that I'd kick myself in the face if I didn't get those little things ready beforehand. I like getting the kids into "test formation" a week early so they have time to adjust. I have tons of posters and anchor charts around my room that we use all year round, and we are allowed to keep things like that up for the Big Tests (as long as they have been up all year and been part of our teaching). Throughout the year, I have trained the kids where to look when they need help with certain types of problems, and it's important that they get used to looking for these things from the place in the room where they'll be sitting for the actual test. Also, kids suck with routine changes. Fact of life. Just like runners don't try anything new on race day, teachers don't try anything new on testing days!!
You'll notice the clotheslines of signs in the background. Those have my math vocabulary and formulas. We literally ran out of wall space... I also covered name tags with construction paper. The Test Police don't allow us to have any visuals (multiplication tables, place value charts, etc.) on desks, and they are printed on all my kids name tags. It's a shame we have to cover them, because the kids use them all year round, and now suddenly they can't. Another reason to cover everything a week early and get used to it...
I am so sick of test prep BTW. It is the bane of my existence. I know any non-teachers out there are probably thinking, "Then do less!" and any teachers who teach in a school where the kids just naturally meet/exceed on your tests are probably thinking, "Test prep is not best practice!" let me assure you I understand your point of view. But not doing mountains of test prep is simply not an option in my school. There is so much at stake and so much pressure...our kids are so behind that we basically try to cram every math/reading term or concept they haven't learned yet into the weeks before the test, hoping something will stick. It's sad, really. I apologized to the kids today for subjecting them to this crap, assuring them it is literally as stressful and painful for me as it is for them...little do they know that it is most definitely MORE stressful and painful for me!!!
In other news...I had a FANTASTIC post-observation with Mr. Principal this week!!! He came in last Friday to observe my reading lesson and left me a very kind note, so I knew he would have positive things to say, but I was literally floored by some of the positive feedback I got. Mr. Principal is leaving next year, so I think that had something to do with his praises, especially after the hell he's been putting us through lately. I was completely touched by his kind words (which included fantastic and dynamite)--and it is just so wonderful to know that someone sees how hard I work (especially when I was already yelled at by an unreasonable parent once this week!)...and more importantly, to know that I AM in the right profession and that all of that hard work has really paid off.
I'm a bit exhausted...it may be time to curl up with ice cream and a book. :) But first, my student work gems of the week.
Prompt: Write about a time you gave someone advice.
This week has been, in a word, exhausting. It definitely has not dragged...in fact, it's been so jam-packed that I feel like I've barely caught my breath! Tuesday I didn't get home until 10pm...no, not because I was working in my classroom until then like that one horrible day from last year (my first year)--thank goodness!! I had lots of work to do in my room, a parent meeting at 4, then a school event I was volunteering at from 5:30-7. Then I packed up/finished my work, and headed to the gym for a run. By the time I stretched, showered, and got in my car, it was already 10. YIKES! Nothing like days when you are only home an hour before you head to bed...Yesterday I didn't even walk out of the building until 7. Thankfully, my to-do list has shortened SIGNIFICANTLY this week, which means this weekend will be low-stress. :) Yay. This includes a mountain of grading (I actually have NONE home this weekend!!!!!!!!!), report cards (!!!!!), test pencils sharpened, desks moved into rows, and name tags covered with construction paper.
^Those last three things are all ISAT (our state tests) related...testing doesn't start until the week after next, but with me being at school only Tuesday and Wednesday next week because of Presidents Day and heading to F L O R I D A (!!), I knew that I'd kick myself in the face if I didn't get those little things ready beforehand. I like getting the kids into "test formation" a week early so they have time to adjust. I have tons of posters and anchor charts around my room that we use all year round, and we are allowed to keep things like that up for the Big Tests (as long as they have been up all year and been part of our teaching). Throughout the year, I have trained the kids where to look when they need help with certain types of problems, and it's important that they get used to looking for these things from the place in the room where they'll be sitting for the actual test. Also, kids suck with routine changes. Fact of life. Just like runners don't try anything new on race day, teachers don't try anything new on testing days!!
You'll notice the clotheslines of signs in the background. Those have my math vocabulary and formulas. We literally ran out of wall space... I also covered name tags with construction paper. The Test Police don't allow us to have any visuals (multiplication tables, place value charts, etc.) on desks, and they are printed on all my kids name tags. It's a shame we have to cover them, because the kids use them all year round, and now suddenly they can't. Another reason to cover everything a week early and get used to it...
I am so sick of test prep BTW. It is the bane of my existence. I know any non-teachers out there are probably thinking, "Then do less!" and any teachers who teach in a school where the kids just naturally meet/exceed on your tests are probably thinking, "Test prep is not best practice!" let me assure you I understand your point of view. But not doing mountains of test prep is simply not an option in my school. There is so much at stake and so much pressure...our kids are so behind that we basically try to cram every math/reading term or concept they haven't learned yet into the weeks before the test, hoping something will stick. It's sad, really. I apologized to the kids today for subjecting them to this crap, assuring them it is literally as stressful and painful for me as it is for them...little do they know that it is most definitely MORE stressful and painful for me!!!
In other news...I had a FANTASTIC post-observation with Mr. Principal this week!!! He came in last Friday to observe my reading lesson and left me a very kind note, so I knew he would have positive things to say, but I was literally floored by some of the positive feedback I got. Mr. Principal is leaving next year, so I think that had something to do with his praises, especially after the hell he's been putting us through lately. I was completely touched by his kind words (which included fantastic and dynamite)--and it is just so wonderful to know that someone sees how hard I work (especially when I was already yelled at by an unreasonable parent once this week!)...and more importantly, to know that I AM in the right profession and that all of that hard work has really paid off.
I'm a bit exhausted...it may be time to curl up with ice cream and a book. :) But first, my student work gems of the week.
Prompt: Write about a time you gave someone advice.
Of course there is an OH SO GOOD illustration...
The classic jersey girl style reminds me of a bondi band...perhaps I will rock that look tomorrow, without the circles of blush... ;)
God, I love my job. :)
February 11, 2011
Tell me the kiddos are not rubbing off on me...
Happy Friday! Whew, after last week's snow-a-rama, this week sure felt loooong!!! Make that long and stressful. I have been complaining for weeks about my February woes, but this week the two big ones were my "surprise" observation and the ever life-draining ISATs that grow closer and closer every day...seriously, I feel like the funeral march should be playing in the background in the school hallways these days...
But we made it through another week, mostly intact with minimal squirliness (although some squirliness is inevitable with the amount of test prep we are subjecting these poor innocent kiddos to, and the fact that they can't play outside thanks to the scary cold temperatures!). Mrs. Lit Specialist did have to call the parent of one of my angels after he called another student a "mother f-er" (although he said the ACTUAL words...), but at least none of us has killed each other yet!
In any case, after this stressful week, Miss Second Year Teacher (my friendship with whom was cemented last year as we together fought through the HELL ON EARTH that was our first years) and I decided to reward ourselves with some margaritas and bottomless chips and salsa. Bliss. The reason I am mentioning this, though, is that as we wrapped up and paid the check, I experienced the ultimate 5th-grader moment. You know what I mean...one of those moments when you do something soo much like your students that you have to step back, take a good look at your life, and evaluate how much time you spend with the darlings v. how much time you spend with adults your own age. Here's a visual (I apologize for the super blurriness):
This is the bottom of my receipt from post-school snacks. Any guesses why there is a big scribble on my receipt? Anyone? No? Well...when I wrote down my tip...I SUBTRACTED it from the total. Yup, you read that right. Makes so much sense, I know! The killer though is that just last night I was grading a math test and practically screaming about how some of the kids refused to look at the sign and added when they should have subtracted (or vice versa). *takes big gulp and blushes furiously in shame*
Please don't tell my students...
In other news, my observation is finally over. I will be the first to admit that I am a pretty high-strung person even on a good day (hence the inordinate number of nightmares I had about fire drills earlier this year...that's just not normal!), and I have been majorly stressing about this month's observation. If you remember, Mr. Principal emailed us a few weeks ago to let us know that this would be a surprise observation. That's pretty normal for our 3rd observation of the year, but the worst part was that he didn't tell us the subject area he'd be coming in to see. What that boils down to is that we had to submit extra detailed lesson plans and be teaching super awesome lessons in all subjects every day. Of course, as teachers, that is ALWAYS the goal, but add in the extra anxiety of constantly wondering when he will be popping in, and if you're me, you end up pretty worked up.
Obv Mr. Principal would end up coming into see me on Friday, after I have been nervously watching for him all week long. But I am happy to report that the lesson was a big fat success. He came to see a creative language arts lesson that I had developed myself and was actually pretty proud of (yes, I supplemented the literacy series with my own ideas...gasp!!), the kids were engaged, they grasped the concepts, everyone was on their best behavior, and I was actually calm enough that I could forget Mr. P was there and just enjoy my teaching. I know I've been complaining a lot lately about Mr. Principal, but my favorite things about him are that he is truly a nice man and honestly cares about/supports me. I've come a long way from last year, and Mr. P knows that. And lets me know that. Which is so, so nice. The best part about my day was getting this note from him after he ducked out:
But we made it through another week, mostly intact with minimal squirliness (although some squirliness is inevitable with the amount of test prep we are subjecting these poor innocent kiddos to, and the fact that they can't play outside thanks to the scary cold temperatures!). Mrs. Lit Specialist did have to call the parent of one of my angels after he called another student a "mother f-er" (although he said the ACTUAL words...), but at least none of us has killed each other yet!
In any case, after this stressful week, Miss Second Year Teacher (my friendship with whom was cemented last year as we together fought through the HELL ON EARTH that was our first years) and I decided to reward ourselves with some margaritas and bottomless chips and salsa. Bliss. The reason I am mentioning this, though, is that as we wrapped up and paid the check, I experienced the ultimate 5th-grader moment. You know what I mean...one of those moments when you do something soo much like your students that you have to step back, take a good look at your life, and evaluate how much time you spend with the darlings v. how much time you spend with adults your own age. Here's a visual (I apologize for the super blurriness):
This is the bottom of my receipt from post-school snacks. Any guesses why there is a big scribble on my receipt? Anyone? No? Well...when I wrote down my tip...I SUBTRACTED it from the total. Yup, you read that right. Makes so much sense, I know! The killer though is that just last night I was grading a math test and practically screaming about how some of the kids refused to look at the sign and added when they should have subtracted (or vice versa). *takes big gulp and blushes furiously in shame*
In other news, my observation is finally over. I will be the first to admit that I am a pretty high-strung person even on a good day (hence the inordinate number of nightmares I had about fire drills earlier this year...that's just not normal!), and I have been majorly stressing about this month's observation. If you remember, Mr. Principal emailed us a few weeks ago to let us know that this would be a surprise observation. That's pretty normal for our 3rd observation of the year, but the worst part was that he didn't tell us the subject area he'd be coming in to see. What that boils down to is that we had to submit extra detailed lesson plans and be teaching super awesome lessons in all subjects every day. Of course, as teachers, that is ALWAYS the goal, but add in the extra anxiety of constantly wondering when he will be popping in, and if you're me, you end up pretty worked up.
Obv Mr. Principal would end up coming into see me on Friday, after I have been nervously watching for him all week long. But I am happy to report that the lesson was a big fat success. He came to see a creative language arts lesson that I had developed myself and was actually pretty proud of (yes, I supplemented the literacy series with my own ideas...gasp!!), the kids were engaged, they grasped the concepts, everyone was on their best behavior, and I was actually calm enough that I could forget Mr. P was there and just enjoy my teaching. I know I've been complaining a lot lately about Mr. Principal, but my favorite things about him are that he is truly a nice man and honestly cares about/supports me. I've come a long way from last year, and Mr. P knows that. And lets me know that. Which is so, so nice. The best part about my day was getting this note from him after he ducked out:
I know that most workers in other professions don't get regular validation from their bosses, and I don't mean to sound like I need constant praise, but in a profession in which we are so regularly berrated by the public, in which we are constantly being asked to give more more more--more time, more effort, more of our own money, hell the district even called me Tuesday asking me to give BLOOD :)--and in which we frequently are sent a message that no matter what we do, it will never be enough, a little praise goes a long way.
We are two weeks from ISATs...there is so much I am still worrying about...my to-do list is still 10 miles long...but tonight I will sleep well knowing I did my best, and actually enjoyed teaching in the process.
February 7, 2011
Once upon a time, I sacrificed ISAT practice in favor of actual good teaching...
...and I only feel a little bit guilty.
In the midst of a jungle of ISAT PREP that will only get worse over the next 3 weeks til the big tests, I managed to squeeze in a few fun things. One area the kiddos always struggle in when it comes to testing is literary genres. Since I have hit them and hit them again during literacy, I decided to sneakily fit in a second dose during writing workshop. For fun I did a mini-lesson on fairy tales today (not that this is a genre they need help with...but sometimes you just gonna teach something fun). We brainstormed elements of fairy tales, then I read aloud part of Rapunzel. (I don't always read an entire mentor text for WW because it takes too long. They need to be writing the majority of the time! All it usually takes is part of a story to get the gist. The kids begged me not to stop, though, so I will probably finish it during another lesson later this week.) Then I gave them a story starter for their fairy tale: "Once upon a time there lived a prince/princess with a big secret..." We did a 2 minute quick-write after that building on the sentence frame (I ALWAYS write with them during quick-writes. I love it!), before going off during writing time to work on whatever projects their little writer hearts desire. Some of the kids continued running with the fairy tale idea, and I loved hearing them during sharing time. Now that we have fairy tales set in our heads, what genre should I try next? Mystery maybe?
I am also looking forward to kicking off a science unit tomorrow. We have been deep in social studies land since early December, and I just realized that report cards are mere weeks away and I have ZERO science grades...oops! The next unit is on Matter, so we're starting with some hands-on discovery lessons this week. Even though science was my arch nemesis as a child, I kinda love teaching it. Updates to come on how the carefully planned lessons go in the real-life classroom!
No sign of Mr. Principal's surprise observation yet... :-/ gosh I hate these things! I get nervous enough when I know when they are/what he'll be observing! This is just cruel.
Side note: Some of you know that I moved back in with Mom & Dad when I graduated from college in '09, mostly to save $$$ and partly because I am way too lazy to look for an apartment. While I am planning to move out in the near future, I will be the first to admit that I've got it pretty good here, and am in no real hurry...Case in point, here's what was waiting on the counter for me when I got home from school:
Costco sized box of my favorite cereal (9 grams of protein per serving?! be still my vegetarian heart) and giant bottles of my favorite shampoo and conditioner. Come on. You can't beat that. Oh, and my dad was making tofu and veggie stir fry. Seriously. Do I have to grow up?
January 30, 2011
Dear Mr. Principal,
Mr. Principal. Please, for the love of god, give us a break.
No, I'm serious. Here's the thing. We're all doing the best we can. And while I know that you do know this in theory, it certainly doesn't feel like it these days. Your list of demands and "requests" (aka demands coated in a frosting of "please," "thank you," "would you mind...," and "why don't you try...") needs to stop growing, or we are going to lost it.
Yes, I am preparing for the ISAT tests. I am sucking the life out of my students and myself with every test prep packet, but I am following your directions. I'm doing what you ask. And while it's true that there will be no surprises on test day for my kids, there will also likely be no energy left. And it still won't go back in time and force my kids' parents to read to them when they were little. It still won't help my undiagnosed ADD kids with uncooperative parents keep their brains on topic through a 2 hour test. It still won't help my emotionally distressed students with difficult home lives focus on something so meaningless. But I promise, I'm doing my best.
Yes, I will have my kids ready for conferences. It didn't help that you and others in the building decided that conferences day would be a great day to hold a school-wide reading event that involved every teacher preparing published pieces of their students' writing. It wasn't fun staying late at school to laminate book covers and bind books. And while the finished products are amazing, it was a lot of stress during a trying time. Don't worry, I will still make time to rehearse with the students so they are ready to "lead" conferences as you've requested. Don't worry, I will gather my "data" and be prepared to share it. Don't worry. It will all get done. But know that I will need to take class time to get the students ready for conferences. And that means less time for test prep. And literacy. And writing. And everything else you'd like me to squeeze in the day.
Yes, I will have my report cards ready to go in a few weeks. I know it's not you that chooses to make report cards due right before testing and right after conferences. I understand that sometimes you are as powerless as I am. But please listen when I say that I already know comments have to be specific and detailed; there is no need to remind us of that these coming weeks.
Yes, I am filling out RTI. And even though I am wondering why the special services teachers are not helping me more with this, or why I am always the one setting up the meetings on these kids and not the specialists that see them daily for the interventions these meetings evaluate, but I smile and bite my lip and do it anyways because I care about the kids too much to wait for someone else to pick up the ball. Oh and also, THANK YOU for asking me if I'm planning on meeting to finish the RTI form for my student who MOVED to a different school in district. Sure. Why not. I'll take time to continue meeting about him even though he is no longer my student. Add it to the list.
Oh, and Mr. Principal, THANK YOU for adding to all of the stress that you've already created by deciding to email the non-tenured teachers today to just let us know that you will be popping in for an unannounced observation in the next few weeks. Of course, I would be happy to submit detailed lesson plans in every subject to you so you are able to choose a time to observe...Of course, I will be flexible and make sure every subject is stellar so that, since you have decided not to tell us the subject you are observing in advance, I feel confident in every area "just in case." And after the observation, I will be happy to smile and nod as we discuss the 100 other "suggestions" of things I could be making time for in my day. When in reality, we barely have time to teach period with all of the other hoops we are all jumping through.
Mr. Principal, I know you support me. I know you care about me. But please, please, please give us all a break. Acknowledge that we are doing our best. And please don't ask us for anything else right now. Have mercy.
Sincerely,
Miss Teacher
No, I'm serious. Here's the thing. We're all doing the best we can. And while I know that you do know this in theory, it certainly doesn't feel like it these days. Your list of demands and "requests" (aka demands coated in a frosting of "please," "thank you," "would you mind...," and "why don't you try...") needs to stop growing, or we are going to lost it.
Yes, I am preparing for the ISAT tests. I am sucking the life out of my students and myself with every test prep packet, but I am following your directions. I'm doing what you ask. And while it's true that there will be no surprises on test day for my kids, there will also likely be no energy left. And it still won't go back in time and force my kids' parents to read to them when they were little. It still won't help my undiagnosed ADD kids with uncooperative parents keep their brains on topic through a 2 hour test. It still won't help my emotionally distressed students with difficult home lives focus on something so meaningless. But I promise, I'm doing my best.
Yes, I will have my kids ready for conferences. It didn't help that you and others in the building decided that conferences day would be a great day to hold a school-wide reading event that involved every teacher preparing published pieces of their students' writing. It wasn't fun staying late at school to laminate book covers and bind books. And while the finished products are amazing, it was a lot of stress during a trying time. Don't worry, I will still make time to rehearse with the students so they are ready to "lead" conferences as you've requested. Don't worry, I will gather my "data" and be prepared to share it. Don't worry. It will all get done. But know that I will need to take class time to get the students ready for conferences. And that means less time for test prep. And literacy. And writing. And everything else you'd like me to squeeze in the day.
Yes, I will have my report cards ready to go in a few weeks. I know it's not you that chooses to make report cards due right before testing and right after conferences. I understand that sometimes you are as powerless as I am. But please listen when I say that I already know comments have to be specific and detailed; there is no need to remind us of that these coming weeks.
Yes, I am filling out RTI. And even though I am wondering why the special services teachers are not helping me more with this, or why I am always the one setting up the meetings on these kids and not the specialists that see them daily for the interventions these meetings evaluate, but I smile and bite my lip and do it anyways because I care about the kids too much to wait for someone else to pick up the ball. Oh and also, THANK YOU for asking me if I'm planning on meeting to finish the RTI form for my student who MOVED to a different school in district. Sure. Why not. I'll take time to continue meeting about him even though he is no longer my student. Add it to the list.
Oh, and Mr. Principal, THANK YOU for adding to all of the stress that you've already created by deciding to email the non-tenured teachers today to just let us know that you will be popping in for an unannounced observation in the next few weeks. Of course, I would be happy to submit detailed lesson plans in every subject to you so you are able to choose a time to observe...Of course, I will be flexible and make sure every subject is stellar so that, since you have decided not to tell us the subject you are observing in advance, I feel confident in every area "just in case." And after the observation, I will be happy to smile and nod as we discuss the 100 other "suggestions" of things I could be making time for in my day. When in reality, we barely have time to teach period with all of the other hoops we are all jumping through.
Mr. Principal, I know you support me. I know you care about me. But please, please, please give us all a break. Acknowledge that we are doing our best. And please don't ask us for anything else right now. Have mercy.
Sincerely,
Miss Teacher
January 29, 2011
Good Morning!
So I had grand plans to get up this morning to get my cross-training out of the way before the gym is super crowded. But...sleeping in won me over instead. :) Actually, I didn't get very much sleep because I was up WAY too late last night watching my new guilty pleasure show on netflix instant...
I know. I KNOW. I should be embarrassed. And trust me, I am. Between reading Twilight last month and getting hooked on this show this past week, I'm a little concerned that all my entertainment standards have deteroirated. If you have never seen this show, IT'S BAD. BAD. Bad acting, bad plots, bad bad bad. But you know me...it doesn't take long for my addictive personality to grab onto some new guilty pleasure! Anyways, not only did I stay up late watching this, but when I woke up way too early this morning (darn you school for tricking my body into thinking it needs to be up early...), instead of trying to go back to sleep I put on another episode. Or two... :-/ Permission to judge.
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Anyways, I am so glad it's the weekend. Did anyone else's week just DRAG? I feel like I have been really cranky at school these days. I feel really bad about this, but my patience has just been a little short. I've been feeling enormous amounts of pressure coming from so many directions at school (including from myself) lately, and it's just taking a lot out of me. My kids have been having trouble listening to and following directions, and to be honest it's pissing me off. I am DONE repeating myself. I had a stern talk with them yesterday and told them that they better shape up next week, or we're starting a no-nonsense policy of immediate consequences for not listening to directions the first time.
I will just be so happy when February/early March is over for the following reasons:
- Conferences
- Report Cards
- State Testing
- My race (not that I'm not looking forward to it, but it's going to be IMMENSELY stressful to miss 2 days of school for travel right before testing, and I know I'm going to be a stressed out mess that week!)
Plus I'm pretty sure I have an observation coming up that my principal has yet to mention...
I'm looking forward to a relaxing day today. There is school work to be done, but I'm also hoping to swim, read, and maybe even get a massage. I'm also looking forward to a movie night with a girlfriend tonight, and hopefully an early bed time...I'm attempting 9 miles tomorrow morning! eeee! I skipped my long run last week because of my leg pain, and while I'm a little sore still, I'm going to try it. I felt some twinges of pain during Thursday's run, but they felt worse at the beginning than the end, so I'm not as worried about screwing up the injury. The doc did say it's normal to feel pain even after a stress fracture has healed, just as long as it's bearable and not getting increasingly worse. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
January 19, 2011
Test Stress and Straight Answers
I'm a little...stressed. Wednesdays are staff development after school, and always end up a big headache. Today we had an hour of PLC time, and you'd think that team planning would RELEIVE sterss. But what inevitably happens, especially lately, is that we get unbelieveably overwhelmed by all that we have to do and the little time in which there is to do it. Lately it's ISATs (state tests) that are stressing us out big time. Ironically the start the day after my half-marathon, so I've been telling the students that we are ALL working really hard over the next 5 1/2 weeks to get ready for a big challenge.
I swore I'd never be a teacher who is consumed by these darn tests. But there is a lot of pressure. And I'm an anxious person. You do the math.
The to-do list/schedule for the next couple days I frantically scrawled after school:
Okay, *breathe*...
In other news, I really enjoyed reading this response when I was grading literacy work this morning:
Question: The variety and quality of life in the desert depends upon how much water is available. What do you think your life would be like if you had no water for one week? What would you miss?
Answer: If I didn't have water for one week I would miss myself because I would die by then.
Fair enough!
January 10, 2011
1/2 Marathon Training: 6 weeks down!
It's hard to believe I have already completed six weeks of training for my half-marathon. Thankfully my tibia's feeling okay again, but I'm starting to feel the challenge of reaching mileages I've never hit before. I've never been a distance runner, and always kind of maxed out somewhere between 3 and 4 miles. Sunday's long run was 6 miles, and the second half was pretty tough. It's crazy that I will be running more than double that distance! I'm trying to stay optimistic though instead of reverting back to my habitual thought patterns of "there's no way i can't do that i'll never get there" etc. Trusting the process, right? :) Yikes!!
On the other hand, the fact that the weeks are ticking by means my trip to FLORIDA is that much closer!!! So excited.
On the OTHER other hand, that means that state tests are that much closer...yuck. We actually start the first test the day after my race. Yes, I am flying home from Florida that very night. Should be an interesting Monday back in school...oh well. It will all work out great. :)
On the other hand, the fact that the weeks are ticking by means my trip to FLORIDA is that much closer!!! So excited.
On the OTHER other hand, that means that state tests are that much closer...yuck. We actually start the first test the day after my race. Yes, I am flying home from Florida that very night. Should be an interesting Monday back in school...oh well. It will all work out great. :)
December 21, 2010
Confessions
Confession #1: I'll admit it...I went into school today. :( I guess I really can't stay away from that place for too long!
Of course, I made time for some wonderful things today! The best part was definitely hanging out lazily with my brother at the gym today. My brother lives in Florida with his wife, and the two of them are visiting for the holiday. I brought them both to the gym with me as guests today, and after my brother and I finished working out (his wife is WAY more hard-core than us!!), we decided to reward ourselves with an HOUR of lounging in the club hot tub and chatting. It was wonderful to spend some time just the two of us, and SO unbelievably relaxing!! At one point I noticed that the sign by the hot tub warned against spending more than five minutes in the tub...oops! Oh well!
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| My lonely car in the snowy parking lot... |
Confession #2: I actually LOVE going into school on days off. Wait, let me explain before you form judgments...I do NOT love spending time at school during breaks, but I love how quiet it is when I do go in. I can sit and file in peace, I am not at all rushed or having to watch the clock, I don't have to worry about hogging the copier or waiting in line...I can simply get me work done peacefully and head out when I feel like it!
This afternoon I just stopped in briefly. Mostly, I needed to pick up my class fish, Fighty, and save him from impending death by starvation. While there, I inevitable found other things to occupy my time! I purposely didn't bring my grading or computer, because then I'd really settle in for the long haul! Today I just hung up some more ISAT signs on the ever-growing clothes line (pictures to come), filed transparencies and handouts from the past two weeks, and started copying ISAT reading practice passages. GROSS. It's that time of year, though! And I know I will greatly appreciate having taken the time to copy them now when we are back in the thick of things in 2 weeks! I will probably go in again once or twice next week to move desks, continue copying, and do my plans for the next week or so. Plenty of time still, though!!
Confession #3: While at school, I gathered all of the leftover candy that had been brought for the Holiday Party and put it in the candy rewards jar. But not before I picked out all of the mini dark chocolate candy bars and put them in MY personal candy stash....*evil laugh* That's totally ethical, right?
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| Yum. |
December 10, 2010
Social Studies Education in the Public School...or lack thereof...
OR: "No, thank YOU, No Child Left Behind!"
In a day and age where the teaching time is fleeting and assessments are many, any subject that's not tested falls to the back burner. Every bright-eyed, idealistic young student teacher swears, "Not in MY classroom! I would never give up teaching [science/social studies/creative writing/fine arts/fill in the blank...]!!!!" But then, there we are in the real life classroom, with AYP, NCLB, state testing, and other crushing pressures suddenly on our shoulders. And even us liberally educated, once-idealistic teachers suddenly start filling afternoons with practice pages from test-prep books instead of read alouds, interactive units, and creative projects. (Sorry, but my mood is already headed south in anticipation of spring testing!)
To further illustrate this inevitable transformation, here is a glimpse into the teacher I always knew I'd be: I did my senior research project on Peace Education, and presented it to peers and professors having reached the conclusion that themes of peace and conflict resolution must be woven into the very fibers of one's teaching, must be at the very heart of every lesson, unit, and activity. I adamantly voiced that a culture of peace in the classroom COULD and WOULD help change the world. (God I know. So young, so naive.)
Don't get me wrong--I still believe in those things. It is just that there are MANY other things on our plates in the real life classroom! And there just plain isn't time to do it all. I'm not squeezing in mini-lessons on conflict resolution strategies, studying subversive topics in American history, or holding regular classroom meetings to problem solve "issues." Nope, not even close.
I admit: Social studies has never been my favorite subject to teach. I'm not sure why, but I'm just not excited about it. That being said, though, I in no way underestimate the importance of social studies education. How can we expect to NOT make the same mistakes in the future that mar our nations past if we aren't educating children about our history? How can we expect tolerance between countries and peoples without studying, and thereby appreciating and understanding, the differences in the world? Yet social studies education is sorely lacking in classrooms ALL OVER America. In fact, our state gave any hope of adequate social studies education the kiss of death when it decided it wasn't important enough to make it onto the state test. (Not that I'm complaining about that--I would probably kill myself if I had to prep the kids for ANOTHER test...)
And this week, when we read about the American Revolution in our literacy book, I was appalled, yet not surprised, by the complete and utter lack of background knowledge my kids have on American history...Yes, I know it's MY job to teach them. God knows I'm trying. But something to work with, please...
ANYWAYS, here they are, the two quotes straight from the mouths of my little darlings that inspired this rant and made me die a small death inside. Two utterances that truly illustrate how much we (myself included) are failing the youth of today in social studies education:
Miss Teacher: "What country was the Patriot army, the American army, fighting against in the Revolutionary War?"
Student: "Boston?'
Miss Teacher: *shakes head* "No...just, no..."
Student's vocabulary word sentence for the word tyrant: "Lincoln is tyrant of the revolutionary war."
The future of America, ladies and gentlemen.
God help us all.
In a day and age where the teaching time is fleeting and assessments are many, any subject that's not tested falls to the back burner. Every bright-eyed, idealistic young student teacher swears, "Not in MY classroom! I would never give up teaching [science/social studies/creative writing/fine arts/fill in the blank...]!!!!" But then, there we are in the real life classroom, with AYP, NCLB, state testing, and other crushing pressures suddenly on our shoulders. And even us liberally educated, once-idealistic teachers suddenly start filling afternoons with practice pages from test-prep books instead of read alouds, interactive units, and creative projects. (Sorry, but my mood is already headed south in anticipation of spring testing!)
To further illustrate this inevitable transformation, here is a glimpse into the teacher I always knew I'd be: I did my senior research project on Peace Education, and presented it to peers and professors having reached the conclusion that themes of peace and conflict resolution must be woven into the very fibers of one's teaching, must be at the very heart of every lesson, unit, and activity. I adamantly voiced that a culture of peace in the classroom COULD and WOULD help change the world. (God I know. So young, so naive.)
Don't get me wrong--I still believe in those things. It is just that there are MANY other things on our plates in the real life classroom! And there just plain isn't time to do it all. I'm not squeezing in mini-lessons on conflict resolution strategies, studying subversive topics in American history, or holding regular classroom meetings to problem solve "issues." Nope, not even close.
I admit: Social studies has never been my favorite subject to teach. I'm not sure why, but I'm just not excited about it. That being said, though, I in no way underestimate the importance of social studies education. How can we expect to NOT make the same mistakes in the future that mar our nations past if we aren't educating children about our history? How can we expect tolerance between countries and peoples without studying, and thereby appreciating and understanding, the differences in the world? Yet social studies education is sorely lacking in classrooms ALL OVER America. In fact, our state gave any hope of adequate social studies education the kiss of death when it decided it wasn't important enough to make it onto the state test. (Not that I'm complaining about that--I would probably kill myself if I had to prep the kids for ANOTHER test...)
And this week, when we read about the American Revolution in our literacy book, I was appalled, yet not surprised, by the complete and utter lack of background knowledge my kids have on American history...Yes, I know it's MY job to teach them. God knows I'm trying. But something to work with, please...
ANYWAYS, here they are, the two quotes straight from the mouths of my little darlings that inspired this rant and made me die a small death inside. Two utterances that truly illustrate how much we (myself included) are failing the youth of today in social studies education:
Miss Teacher: "What country was the Patriot army, the American army, fighting against in the Revolutionary War?"
Student: "Boston?'
Miss Teacher: *shakes head* "No...just, no..."
Student's vocabulary word sentence for the word tyrant: "Lincoln is tyrant of the revolutionary war."
The future of America, ladies and gentlemen.
God help us all.
December 1, 2010
Oh hi stress...
I am a little frazzled today...between a hectic day, a bit less patience than usual on my side, a rushed lunch, an assembly at the end of the day that got us back to the room just minutes before the afternoon bell (rushing to get hw passed out, backpacks packed, etc...), staff development after school, and immediately rushing to my autism therapy job, I haven't had a moment to breathe.
Luckily, my after school kiddo's mom had a latte waiting for me when I came over. I swear it saved my life.
Here's what has me stressed out today:
1. Math. My current chapter in the math series is on fractions, but I really dislike the way it is laid out. We do Everyday Mathematics and while there are many positive things about the series, it is WAY too abstract most of the time for my group. I tend to favor simple concepts taught in very basic ways, with real-life connections peppered in when appropriate. Everyday Math attempts to put in WAY too many real-life connections, and tends to confuse the kids more often than not. My team has been talking about meeting to go through the chapter and decide what to teach and what to toss, but the meeting keeps getting postponed because of other pressing issues. Meanwhile, I'm starting the chapter and feeling like I'm treading water. Actually, picture me treading water while at the same time trying to hold the hands of the 20 kids in my math class and keep them afloat too. Needless to say, if someone doesn't throw me a life preserver/jacket/whole freakin raft soon, someone's going down...
2. RTI. I have two kiddos who I am SO concerned about, and I feel like NOTHING is happening with them. Due to a lack of communication, a change in policies regarding RTI, and me just not knowing what I'm supposed to be doing, I feel like these kids are drowning with no help in sight. I get really emotional when it comes to things like this...I love my kids, and it kills me when I just don't know what to do next to help them. Also, it makes me livid when I feel like they are not getting the services they are entitled to because of logistics. I've recontacted the special services teacher and will hopefully be able to set up a meeting within the next couple days to start filling out the brand NEW RTI paperwork...I guess the form I filled out back in AUGUST (that is collecting dust in some system somewhere) wasn't gonna cut it?? There are many things that frustrate me about the education system in America, but nothing makes me as frustrated/upset/outraged/emotional as when I see kids drowning who NEED and DESERVE help, but because of the system it isn't coming to them...watch out, this is one teacher who is ready to jump through some serious hoops...
3. At staff development today, Mister Principal announced that he is being moved to a new building next year. I have to say, I was pretty startled by this news and am really upset. Let me explain:
When I interviewed for my job in April 2009, I bombed both the lesson I was asked to teach and the interview itself. (I guess bombed is a relative term...I am a perfectionist, so it probably wasn't the WORST EVER, but in this competative market, any slip in an interview can be fatal...) I left thinking there was no chance in hell I would be getting that job, especially since in the last week I had been passed up for 2 that had gone flawlessly. Well, I did get the job as you know. Both my teammates who had been at the interview and my principal had seen something in me that they liked, and believed enough in me to hire me in spite of the less than stellar showing at the interview. He actually told me after that he hired me because of the way I talked about loving students, forming relationships, and appreciating diversity--all things that are at the heart of who I am as a teacher. I know that he hired me for me, because he believed in the same things I do in the classroom.
Fast forward--last year was ROUGH. Seriously. Even though things were really tough for me, and I had a tough group of trouble makers, both the principal and the assistant principal really supported me through it all. Now by no means is my principal perfect, and there are things that drive me crazy as I'm sure there are in every school for every teacher. But through it all, I really feel like he cares about me, like he has my back, and like he understands and appreciates both how hard I work and how far I've come. And now, I'll have to get used to someone new? I know this is completely normal and that administration changes happen all the time. But...it's tough as a non-tenured teacher to know that your job is not secure and that this administrator who trusted you enough to take a leap of faith and offer you a job fresh out of college, and THEN to offer it back to you again is not going to be there anymore. I just...idk. I'm not sure what to think, and on top of everything else that was stressing me out today, wondering about my job security was just the cherry on top.
Oh that, and we started pulling out the ISAT review books--hello Coach, Buckle Down, Ladders to Succes, Workouts, and all of the other nonsense practice we get to start shoving down these poor kids' throats...Kill me. Now, please.
I'm sure tomorrow will be calmer...but my alarm will definitely be set for 5am tomorrow. I refuse to have another frantic day!
Luckily, my after school kiddo's mom had a latte waiting for me when I came over. I swear it saved my life.
Here's what has me stressed out today:
1. Math. My current chapter in the math series is on fractions, but I really dislike the way it is laid out. We do Everyday Mathematics and while there are many positive things about the series, it is WAY too abstract most of the time for my group. I tend to favor simple concepts taught in very basic ways, with real-life connections peppered in when appropriate. Everyday Math attempts to put in WAY too many real-life connections, and tends to confuse the kids more often than not. My team has been talking about meeting to go through the chapter and decide what to teach and what to toss, but the meeting keeps getting postponed because of other pressing issues. Meanwhile, I'm starting the chapter and feeling like I'm treading water. Actually, picture me treading water while at the same time trying to hold the hands of the 20 kids in my math class and keep them afloat too. Needless to say, if someone doesn't throw me a life preserver/jacket/whole freakin raft soon, someone's going down...
2. RTI. I have two kiddos who I am SO concerned about, and I feel like NOTHING is happening with them. Due to a lack of communication, a change in policies regarding RTI, and me just not knowing what I'm supposed to be doing, I feel like these kids are drowning with no help in sight. I get really emotional when it comes to things like this...I love my kids, and it kills me when I just don't know what to do next to help them. Also, it makes me livid when I feel like they are not getting the services they are entitled to because of logistics. I've recontacted the special services teacher and will hopefully be able to set up a meeting within the next couple days to start filling out the brand NEW RTI paperwork...I guess the form I filled out back in AUGUST (that is collecting dust in some system somewhere) wasn't gonna cut it?? There are many things that frustrate me about the education system in America, but nothing makes me as frustrated/upset/outraged/emotional as when I see kids drowning who NEED and DESERVE help, but because of the system it isn't coming to them...watch out, this is one teacher who is ready to jump through some serious hoops...
3. At staff development today, Mister Principal announced that he is being moved to a new building next year. I have to say, I was pretty startled by this news and am really upset. Let me explain:
When I interviewed for my job in April 2009, I bombed both the lesson I was asked to teach and the interview itself. (I guess bombed is a relative term...I am a perfectionist, so it probably wasn't the WORST EVER, but in this competative market, any slip in an interview can be fatal...) I left thinking there was no chance in hell I would be getting that job, especially since in the last week I had been passed up for 2 that had gone flawlessly. Well, I did get the job as you know. Both my teammates who had been at the interview and my principal had seen something in me that they liked, and believed enough in me to hire me in spite of the less than stellar showing at the interview. He actually told me after that he hired me because of the way I talked about loving students, forming relationships, and appreciating diversity--all things that are at the heart of who I am as a teacher. I know that he hired me for me, because he believed in the same things I do in the classroom.
Fast forward--last year was ROUGH. Seriously. Even though things were really tough for me, and I had a tough group of trouble makers, both the principal and the assistant principal really supported me through it all. Now by no means is my principal perfect, and there are things that drive me crazy as I'm sure there are in every school for every teacher. But through it all, I really feel like he cares about me, like he has my back, and like he understands and appreciates both how hard I work and how far I've come. And now, I'll have to get used to someone new? I know this is completely normal and that administration changes happen all the time. But...it's tough as a non-tenured teacher to know that your job is not secure and that this administrator who trusted you enough to take a leap of faith and offer you a job fresh out of college, and THEN to offer it back to you again is not going to be there anymore. I just...idk. I'm not sure what to think, and on top of everything else that was stressing me out today, wondering about my job security was just the cherry on top.
Oh that, and we started pulling out the ISAT review books--hello Coach, Buckle Down, Ladders to Succes, Workouts, and all of the other nonsense practice we get to start shoving down these poor kids' throats...Kill me. Now, please.
I'm sure tomorrow will be calmer...but my alarm will definitely be set for 5am tomorrow. I refuse to have another frantic day!
March 8, 2010
ISATS- check!
Well, ISATs are officially OVER!!! And not a moment too soon, either. My kids were positively awful today!! By the end of the day, I had completely had enough. The real tipping point was when it took us about 30 minutes to correct a pre-test that involved labeling the 13 colonies on a map. That should have taken 5 minutes. Chatty, chatty, chatty!!
Yes, I understand that the tests were tough on the kids. But come on, they were tough on me too! Okay, I guess I didn't have to actually take them, but honestly during one of the math tests I was walking around glancing down at the test booklets and got so nauseous reading the problems that I had to sit down for fear I would throw up. Yikes--and they expect my students to know all of this stuff???
Thankfully, they are done. I turned in my test booklets (Saturday I actually was overcome with a wave of terror, convinced that when I arrived at school Monday morning I would find my booklets stolen...see, I really have lost it), shredded my students' scratch paper, and washed my hands of the entire thing. I have officially done all I can, and there is no sense thinking any more about them now. Not for another year at least. :)
While I will miss the hour + of quiet time (I actually read 2 books last week during testing time! book reviews to come!) and not having any papers to grade, I will not miss spending every afternoon cramming and taking practice tests! I will also not miss the kids who, having restrained themselves from talking all morning long, go absolutely crazy every afternoon. I actually started working on my plans for next week and thought, "Wow, look at all this free time!! What did I used to teach every afternoon before we started using that time for ISAT prep??"
What a crazy, crazy school system we live in. Just think how much my students could have learned during the past month and a half if we weren't all so busy trying to prove that they ARE learning.
And so, until next year, the ISATs are no longer going to keep me awake at night :) Although I'm sure something else will! ;)
Yes, I understand that the tests were tough on the kids. But come on, they were tough on me too! Okay, I guess I didn't have to actually take them, but honestly during one of the math tests I was walking around glancing down at the test booklets and got so nauseous reading the problems that I had to sit down for fear I would throw up. Yikes--and they expect my students to know all of this stuff???
Thankfully, they are done. I turned in my test booklets (Saturday I actually was overcome with a wave of terror, convinced that when I arrived at school Monday morning I would find my booklets stolen...see, I really have lost it), shredded my students' scratch paper, and washed my hands of the entire thing. I have officially done all I can, and there is no sense thinking any more about them now. Not for another year at least. :)
While I will miss the hour + of quiet time (I actually read 2 books last week during testing time! book reviews to come!) and not having any papers to grade, I will not miss spending every afternoon cramming and taking practice tests! I will also not miss the kids who, having restrained themselves from talking all morning long, go absolutely crazy every afternoon. I actually started working on my plans for next week and thought, "Wow, look at all this free time!! What did I used to teach every afternoon before we started using that time for ISAT prep??"
What a crazy, crazy school system we live in. Just think how much my students could have learned during the past month and a half if we weren't all so busy trying to prove that they ARE learning.
And so, until next year, the ISATs are no longer going to keep me awake at night :) Although I'm sure something else will! ;)
March 1, 2010
Buckle up...it's ISAT TIME!!!
A lot of my kiddos were pretty nervous coming in, but most seemed calm overall. I let them work on morning work for extra time (our tests didn't start until 10:30) and went from kid to kid to give each one a little one-on-one time. I wish I had time for that everyday! Anyways, before I knew it, it was time for THE TEST. I have to admit, it was kind of weird to be reading the instruction sheet for the ISAT. I mean, I've given plenty of tests both this year and in student teaching, but I actually remember TAKING the ISAT tests as a kid. How weird was it to be on the other side!!
Anyways, 1 down, 6 to go. Yikes! It is super nice though to not have grading to do all week :) Although I still didn't grade last week's papers...but I feel like I can procrastinate them a little. I'm using the extra time to reorganize my classroom library and plan a (wait for it...) social studies unit. I figured I better squeeze in a little science and social studies now that the dreaded tests are going to be behind us. We're going to be doing a (brief) interact unit on the colonies where partners research a colony and make a travel brochure to convince new colonists to settle there. At this rate we will barely hit the revolutionary war by the end of the year! Yikes. But hey, I'm trying. :)
I will update later this week on how the BIG TESTS are going. Send lots of smart vibes our way!!
February 21, 2010
Oh my school...
Friday's guided reading made me laugh and shake my head with this fantastic quote:
Student: (reading) "and they foiled his plan."
Me: "Foil. That's a word with multiple meanings. What are some meanings for the word foil?"
Student: "like metal?"
Me: "Good, like tin foil."
Student: "yeah some people make grills out of that."
Me: (momentary silence) "um yes...can you think of any other meanings for the word foil..."
Oh my...
In other news, ISATs are 1 week away. And I'm not exactly feeling confident. I gave an extended response friday morning and when I graded it yesterday was more than a little dismayed to see that 3/4s of my class got 1s and 2s. After all our hard work. It is just so frustrating. Then my mom suggests that maybe I am grading them too harshly and I about lost it. Excuse me, mom, but while you are an excellent teacher, I don't appreciate hearing any suggestions from a teacher of gifted and talented students in an affluent school. Excuse me for thinking you just may not understand. I know it is not her I am frustrated with, and it's not even (entirely) the kids. Because as I was filling out report cards today, I saw how so many of my kids have made growth in their subjects since first trimester, and many have improved their grades. And as I wrote comments describing their work habits and social emotional development, I couldn't stop thinking, "These students are so much more than just a test score."
Good teaching is about so much more than test scores. I am frustrated that the state and the country do not understand that. My students are doing their best. I am doing my best. That is all we can do, at the end of the day.
Student: (reading) "and they foiled his plan."
Me: "Foil. That's a word with multiple meanings. What are some meanings for the word foil?"
Student: "like metal?"
Me: "Good, like tin foil."
Student: "yeah some people make grills out of that."
Me: (momentary silence) "um yes...can you think of any other meanings for the word foil..."
Oh my...
In other news, ISATs are 1 week away. And I'm not exactly feeling confident. I gave an extended response friday morning and when I graded it yesterday was more than a little dismayed to see that 3/4s of my class got 1s and 2s. After all our hard work. It is just so frustrating. Then my mom suggests that maybe I am grading them too harshly and I about lost it. Excuse me, mom, but while you are an excellent teacher, I don't appreciate hearing any suggestions from a teacher of gifted and talented students in an affluent school. Excuse me for thinking you just may not understand. I know it is not her I am frustrated with, and it's not even (entirely) the kids. Because as I was filling out report cards today, I saw how so many of my kids have made growth in their subjects since first trimester, and many have improved their grades. And as I wrote comments describing their work habits and social emotional development, I couldn't stop thinking, "These students are so much more than just a test score."
Good teaching is about so much more than test scores. I am frustrated that the state and the country do not understand that. My students are doing their best. I am doing my best. That is all we can do, at the end of the day.
February 2, 2010
Note to self: Speak. Slowly. And install security cams near the coatrack...
Today was just one of those days. You know, those trying to cram in a million things, time is slipping away, talking way too fast, explaining too many things at once, and letting my hectic-frazzled-craziness rub off on the kids kind of days. They are never very good days (although this one wasn't terrible or anything, but definitely not a winner). My goals for tomorrow: breathe. speak slowly. remember that we can finish things tomorrow.
It's just hard with ISATs looming not too far in the distance, parent conferences this week, and so many shortened weeks lately with inservices, conferences, and holidays. I constantly feel like I need to be moving faster than I am, and consequently rush to try and get things finished, which means we all end up a little crazy. But tomorrow, I will do my best not to let my craziness show. I will speak slowly, give clear directions, and remember that everything will get done, just maybe not at the pace I had hoped. Tomorrow I am going to daringly make time for a 15 minute read aloud after PE. I know. The audacity. 15 minutes that could be used for ISAT prep. I am going to try my very hardest, against all better judgement, to sit the kids down on the rug and read a short picture book, because honestly we need a little break.
On another note, this is the dilemma I found myself faced with this afternoon:
The kids are frantically packing up (aka I am yelling at them to clean up the room--more on that later), and one girl exclaims that her mp3 player is missing from her backpack. I have everyone check desks and backpacks "just in case" to no avail. Well, it's then that I notice my little darling who already was caught stealing not 1 but 2 cell phones from building STAFF this year is not in the room. She has already left to check out (she's on the school behavior plan). THEN I start having to not only console a crying child whose mp3 player (that she stupidly brought to school) has been stolen, monitor the cleaning of the room (see above comment about the yelling), AND quell rumors that are already spreading like wild fire that the aforementioned notorious stealer was seen over near the backpacks earlier...My oh my. And this all in the last 2 minutes before the bell.
Here is my dilemma: when I ask this particular child tomorrow if she stole the mp3 player, I'm certain the response will be absolute denial. That was, of course, the response when interrogated about the cell phones (that she did in fact take). So...what do I do then? I have no proof. The other student shouldn't have had that at school anyways. I have no idea what the next step should be, or if there should even be one. Why, when we were given "what would you do in THIS situation" scenarios in teacher class, was this type of event never among them? Thoughts? Opinions?
It's just hard with ISATs looming not too far in the distance, parent conferences this week, and so many shortened weeks lately with inservices, conferences, and holidays. I constantly feel like I need to be moving faster than I am, and consequently rush to try and get things finished, which means we all end up a little crazy. But tomorrow, I will do my best not to let my craziness show. I will speak slowly, give clear directions, and remember that everything will get done, just maybe not at the pace I had hoped. Tomorrow I am going to daringly make time for a 15 minute read aloud after PE. I know. The audacity. 15 minutes that could be used for ISAT prep. I am going to try my very hardest, against all better judgement, to sit the kids down on the rug and read a short picture book, because honestly we need a little break.
On another note, this is the dilemma I found myself faced with this afternoon:
The kids are frantically packing up (aka I am yelling at them to clean up the room--more on that later), and one girl exclaims that her mp3 player is missing from her backpack. I have everyone check desks and backpacks "just in case" to no avail. Well, it's then that I notice my little darling who already was caught stealing not 1 but 2 cell phones from building STAFF this year is not in the room. She has already left to check out (she's on the school behavior plan). THEN I start having to not only console a crying child whose mp3 player (that she stupidly brought to school) has been stolen, monitor the cleaning of the room (see above comment about the yelling), AND quell rumors that are already spreading like wild fire that the aforementioned notorious stealer was seen over near the backpacks earlier...My oh my. And this all in the last 2 minutes before the bell.
Here is my dilemma: when I ask this particular child tomorrow if she stole the mp3 player, I'm certain the response will be absolute denial. That was, of course, the response when interrogated about the cell phones (that she did in fact take). So...what do I do then? I have no proof. The other student shouldn't have had that at school anyways. I have no idea what the next step should be, or if there should even be one. Why, when we were given "what would you do in THIS situation" scenarios in teacher class, was this type of event never among them? Thoughts? Opinions?
January 30, 2010
This test won't beat me--it will not make me sad! :)
As I lay awake Thursday evening worrying about the fast-approaching ISATs (I know, I really need to chill. I'm working on it...), I wondered if there was a song out there that I could teach my kids to help pump them up for the tests. You know, some magic "Do your best on ISAT!" to break that test-panic that we are all (myself included) starting to get into. Well, I found a song written to the tune of "I will survive" about the Texas TAKS test. However, it was too short and if I may say so, sub-par (you know I've always been a perfectionist!). So, I decided to write me own.
I Will Survive--The ISATS!
(sing to tune of Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive)
At first I was afraid, I was petrified.
Kept thinkin' I could never pass the ISAT if I tried.
But then I spend so many nights
Thinkin' hard and thinkin' long,
And I grew strong,
And I learned ow to carry on.
Now ISAT's back, from outer space.
I just walked in to find that test there
staring me right in the face.
I know that I can really rock.
I know that I have got the key.
And now I know it's all because
My teacher's taught the strategies.
Like check your work!
Look in the text!
If I work slowly, I know that I will do my best.
I can highlight the key words.
Cross off answers that are bad.
This test won't beat me--it will not make me sad!
Oh no not I,
I will survive.
Oh as long as I know strategies I know I'll stay alive.
I've got pencils that are new
My teacher's given me the clues.
I will survive--I will survive, hey hey!
It took all the strength I had not to just give up.
Kept trying hard to find the answers before time was up.
But I spent oh so many days
practicing lots of strategies
I used to cry
Now I hold my head up high!
And you see me
Somebody new
I'm not that nervous little student
Still afraid of you.
I know all the strategies
I'm prepared to rock this test
Now I'm ready for the ISAT
And I know I'll do my best!
I'll check my work!
Look in the text!
I will work slowly, I know that I will do my best.
I will highlight the key words,
Cross off answers that are bad.
This test won't beat me--it will not make me sad!
Oh no not I--I will survive
Oh, as long as I know strategies
I know I'll stay alive.
I've got pencils that are new
My teacher's given me the clues
I will survive--I will survive...oh...
I will survive!
I Will Survive--The ISATS!
(sing to tune of Gloria Gaynor's I Will Survive)
At first I was afraid, I was petrified.
Kept thinkin' I could never pass the ISAT if I tried.
But then I spend so many nights
Thinkin' hard and thinkin' long,
And I grew strong,
And I learned ow to carry on.
Now ISAT's back, from outer space.
I just walked in to find that test there
staring me right in the face.
I know that I can really rock.
I know that I have got the key.
And now I know it's all because
My teacher's taught the strategies.
Like check your work!
Look in the text!
If I work slowly, I know that I will do my best.
I can highlight the key words.
Cross off answers that are bad.
This test won't beat me--it will not make me sad!
Oh no not I,
I will survive.
Oh as long as I know strategies I know I'll stay alive.
I've got pencils that are new
My teacher's given me the clues.
I will survive--I will survive, hey hey!
It took all the strength I had not to just give up.
Kept trying hard to find the answers before time was up.
But I spent oh so many days
practicing lots of strategies
I used to cry
Now I hold my head up high!
And you see me
Somebody new
I'm not that nervous little student
Still afraid of you.
I know all the strategies
I'm prepared to rock this test
Now I'm ready for the ISAT
And I know I'll do my best!
I'll check my work!
Look in the text!
I will work slowly, I know that I will do my best.
I will highlight the key words,
Cross off answers that are bad.
This test won't beat me--it will not make me sad!
Oh no not I--I will survive
Oh, as long as I know strategies
I know I'll stay alive.
I've got pencils that are new
My teacher's given me the clues
I will survive--I will survive...oh...
I will survive!
January 27, 2010
Making time for ME amidst a storm of staff development and ISAT prep
Today was an early-release day for staff development--those definitely have their pros and cons!
Pros: an extra 5 minutes for lunch, going out to lunch with some of the staff, actually getting to sit down and use the bathroom whenever I want, not having to plan a whole day, spending time with my team.
Cons: frequently boring, nothing to keep me awake (like frantically teaching as I normally am), occassionally a waste of my time, plan time sacrificed.
While this meant less to prepare for the day, it took away all the time I usually use during the day to plan for tomorrow! Since I leave RIGHT at the end of staff development Wednesdays to go work with my little autistic kiddo, I didn't even get to clear off my desk or print my lesson plans before I left. Leaving without the next day's materials and plans all set always leaves me a little bit stressed. By the time I got home from work today, I was starting to get pretty nervous about being prepared for tomorrow. I know that's silly-sounding, but with the way my math lessons have gone the past few days, and with having a sub for Friday that I have to figure out on top of it all, I'm not sure my nervousness was unfounded. Once an anxiety-ridden person, always an anxiety-ridden person!
Anyways, I got my plans in order, but as I started reading the extended responses from a reading ISAT practice I gave the kids Monday, my stomach started sinking. If these prompts are any indicator, I am 99% sure that the majority of my kids will not meet on ISATs. Yiiiikes. They were...not good. After all the work we have done on them, I'm not sure what's happening, and I can't help but feel a bit like a failure. What went wrong? What haven't I done? Honestly, what I think is happening is that when they write an extended response on its own, they take their time and do alright. But when it's combined with multiple choice, they rush and answer it like it's just a short response question, forgetting all our "In the text..." and "this reminds me..." practice. Sooo...in these last rapidly depleting days before THE TEST, I guess all I can do is keep reminding them of what they've learned and keep practicing. I never understood why teachers got so freaked out about standardized tests, and even now I still can't explain to my non-teacher friends why this happens. However, I am now one of those teachers. To the college professors who told me, "Just teach your best all year and your students will be fine," YOU WERE WRONG!!
Anyways. After all this, I decided to actually make time for me for a change by spending some quality time with my wii fit. Believe it or not, I am NOT left with the lingering feeling after of, "Oh, I should have been using that time for something constructive instead of working out..." I actually am feeling LESS stressed and thoroughly enjoyed the workout. Yay! Yesterday I decided to go for a run at the gym when I left work, and it had a similar effect. Isn't it strange how when I actually take time I could be using to get work done and use it for something constructive, I feel less on edge than I would have if I kept working? I guess it's true that we all need breaks sometimes! Who knew?
Pros: an extra 5 minutes for lunch, going out to lunch with some of the staff, actually getting to sit down and use the bathroom whenever I want, not having to plan a whole day, spending time with my team.
Cons: frequently boring, nothing to keep me awake (like frantically teaching as I normally am), occassionally a waste of my time, plan time sacrificed.
While this meant less to prepare for the day, it took away all the time I usually use during the day to plan for tomorrow! Since I leave RIGHT at the end of staff development Wednesdays to go work with my little autistic kiddo, I didn't even get to clear off my desk or print my lesson plans before I left. Leaving without the next day's materials and plans all set always leaves me a little bit stressed. By the time I got home from work today, I was starting to get pretty nervous about being prepared for tomorrow. I know that's silly-sounding, but with the way my math lessons have gone the past few days, and with having a sub for Friday that I have to figure out on top of it all, I'm not sure my nervousness was unfounded. Once an anxiety-ridden person, always an anxiety-ridden person!
Anyways, I got my plans in order, but as I started reading the extended responses from a reading ISAT practice I gave the kids Monday, my stomach started sinking. If these prompts are any indicator, I am 99% sure that the majority of my kids will not meet on ISATs. Yiiiikes. They were...not good. After all the work we have done on them, I'm not sure what's happening, and I can't help but feel a bit like a failure. What went wrong? What haven't I done? Honestly, what I think is happening is that when they write an extended response on its own, they take their time and do alright. But when it's combined with multiple choice, they rush and answer it like it's just a short response question, forgetting all our "In the text..." and "this reminds me..." practice. Sooo...in these last rapidly depleting days before THE TEST, I guess all I can do is keep reminding them of what they've learned and keep practicing. I never understood why teachers got so freaked out about standardized tests, and even now I still can't explain to my non-teacher friends why this happens. However, I am now one of those teachers. To the college professors who told me, "Just teach your best all year and your students will be fine," YOU WERE WRONG!!
Anyways. After all this, I decided to actually make time for me for a change by spending some quality time with my wii fit. Believe it or not, I am NOT left with the lingering feeling after of, "Oh, I should have been using that time for something constructive instead of working out..." I actually am feeling LESS stressed and thoroughly enjoyed the workout. Yay! Yesterday I decided to go for a run at the gym when I left work, and it had a similar effect. Isn't it strange how when I actually take time I could be using to get work done and use it for something constructive, I feel less on edge than I would have if I kept working? I guess it's true that we all need breaks sometimes! Who knew?
January 24, 2010
Here we go again, Miss Perfectionist
Ok, so here it is. After grading ISAT practice expository essays for a few hours Friday afternoon, (okay, so it was about this much grading and THIS MUCH chatting with Mrs. J), I started feeling conflicted. Part of me is so proud of the growth some of these kids have made. I mean, thinking back to my diagnostic writing assessments at the beginning of the year, a bunch of these kids have seriously come lightyears. They have voice, hooks, second order support, and transitions. A few almost brought me to tears.
But then there is the far too large to ignore group of students who, well, have made less progress...And while a few of the essays were flat out hilarious with their odd examples, convoluted "support," and random lapses in focus, the reality is that they are really frustrating. We have worked SO HARD on writing this year. And it is amazing to see the growth, but so disheartening to not see growth in some students.
Mrs. J. pointed out to me that some of these students I'm so worried about have made growth. As I think about it, yes, I see the growth. But...there is just so much further to go. And I have to wonder, do I get so caught up in my own standards when I look at my students' work? See, "good enough" has never been good enough for me. And baby steps have never been easy. A little bit of progress has on many occassions just reminded me of how much further I have to go. And as I sit and think about my students and how I tend to feel when I grade their work, I'm realizing that it's not them I get disappointed with--it's me.
Being the perfectionist extraordinaire that I am, I like to see results from my hard work to validate the fact that I am actually accomplishing something. I have been working so hard this year at becoming a good teacher and developing my teaching craft. I have also been working SO hard to teach these kids writing. Since there is no real curriculum for writing, I have spent hours brainstorming how to teach effectively, grading work, conferencing with the kids, and trying to help them grow as writers. And to see that some of them have so far to come still is hard, because I can't help but think that it just means that I'm not doing enough.
That's an easy trap to fall into with teaching--am I ever doing enough? They all just need so much all the time. I am only one person. I cannot give everyone everything they need all the time. As much as I wish wish wish I could. So...I think I will try to keep reminding myself that to do my best will have to be good enough, just like my students' best will, in the end, have to be good enough. That is all we can ask of each other.
But then there is the far too large to ignore group of students who, well, have made less progress...And while a few of the essays were flat out hilarious with their odd examples, convoluted "support," and random lapses in focus, the reality is that they are really frustrating. We have worked SO HARD on writing this year. And it is amazing to see the growth, but so disheartening to not see growth in some students.
Mrs. J. pointed out to me that some of these students I'm so worried about have made growth. As I think about it, yes, I see the growth. But...there is just so much further to go. And I have to wonder, do I get so caught up in my own standards when I look at my students' work? See, "good enough" has never been good enough for me. And baby steps have never been easy. A little bit of progress has on many occassions just reminded me of how much further I have to go. And as I sit and think about my students and how I tend to feel when I grade their work, I'm realizing that it's not them I get disappointed with--it's me.
Being the perfectionist extraordinaire that I am, I like to see results from my hard work to validate the fact that I am actually accomplishing something. I have been working so hard this year at becoming a good teacher and developing my teaching craft. I have also been working SO hard to teach these kids writing. Since there is no real curriculum for writing, I have spent hours brainstorming how to teach effectively, grading work, conferencing with the kids, and trying to help them grow as writers. And to see that some of them have so far to come still is hard, because I can't help but think that it just means that I'm not doing enough.
That's an easy trap to fall into with teaching--am I ever doing enough? They all just need so much all the time. I am only one person. I cannot give everyone everything they need all the time. As much as I wish wish wish I could. So...I think I will try to keep reminding myself that to do my best will have to be good enough, just like my students' best will, in the end, have to be good enough. That is all we can ask of each other.
January 21, 2010
oh what a day
My current stresses: ISATs, conferences, kids who don't turn in their work, kids who turn in crap work, kids who lose their work and have to start over...and over...and over, ISATs, having to bring treats for the teacher's lounge tomorrow, ISATs, the pile of papers I need to grade, oh did I mention ISATs...
What made me smile today: free books from the book room (woohoo!), birthday student bringing pizza and cupcakes for the class, the kids semi-comprehending our crazy hard reading this week about politics, and when my water bottle spilled and one of the kids jumped up, ran to get a paper towel, and helped me mop it up as though it were the natural thing to do...
Yikes, this teaching business is sure something...but I have to say, I think I'm gonna stick with it a little while...
What made me smile today: free books from the book room (woohoo!), birthday student bringing pizza and cupcakes for the class, the kids semi-comprehending our crazy hard reading this week about politics, and when my water bottle spilled and one of the kids jumped up, ran to get a paper towel, and helped me mop it up as though it were the natural thing to do...
Yikes, this teaching business is sure something...but I have to say, I think I'm gonna stick with it a little while...
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