Friday, December 6, 2013
On familiar faces
One of the things I most look forward to every week is Friday afternoons. Not only because it signals the weekend, but because I know that my room will welcome at least a handful of my former students. I have such a great time catching up with them, and even just hanging back and silently observing, laughing to myself at the funny things they say and do. I know that as they get older and become more independent, making friends with older kids who have cars and then eventually driving themselves, their visits may become fewer or even stop altogether. So for now, I'll cherish the time they are willing to spend with me. 😃
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Sh!t My Kids Say
R (an extremely avid reader), to three of his (male) friends, "We're going to start a book club. Have you guys read Twilight? We're all going to read Twilight." And then he distributed copies of Twilight from my bookshelf to his friends.
Maybe it's only funny to me, but I think this kid is absolutely hilarious.
Maybe it's only funny to me, but I think this kid is absolutely hilarious.
Monday, December 2, 2013
On the past...
One of my students bought an old copy of LIFE magazine featuring Anne Frank (we happen to be reading The Diary of Anne Frank right now). The article was really interesting, but what was more interesting were the ads from back when cigarettes didn't have Surgeon Generals Warnings. And, oh yeah, we needed to teach our "chubby girls" that they better have a good personality to fall back on!
Friday, November 22, 2013
Sh!t My AVID Kids Say
Today while my 7th grade AVID class was having free time for Fun Friday, a couple of students had their phones out. I was about to say something when I heard, "Ugh, she hasn't updated it. I still have a C in science!" Only AVID kids are using their phones in class to check their grades :)
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Sh!t my kids say...
"Ew, I'm so sweaty. I hate puberty!!!" -Nate
Paige:(When illustrating the reason she doesn't like cats), My friend's cat gets mad when she neglects it and pees in her purse and on her bed and everywhere else.
Robert: That's what I do when my parents neglect me. I just pee everywhere.
Saturday, November 2, 2013
On Halloween
I love Halloween. I usually end up choosing a costume for the next year, as soon as the Halloween festivities have ended for the current year. This year, I planned to go to as Gemma from Sons of Anarchy. I had the wig and the skateboard (die hard fans will understand the relevance of the skateboard), but I was super broke. October was a rough month. I didn't have money to go buy Gemma-eque clothes and accessories. I didn't get paid until Halloween, so I pretty much gave up on dressing up. I also ended up sleeping past my alarm until 8:30 am and was late to work, so I didn't have time to throw anything together for school either. All of my students and coworkers kept asking why I wasn't dressed up, because I live for Spirit Weeks and dress-up days. I also have had my classroom decorated for Halloween since October 1st. I was bummed that I didn't get to dress up for school, but this week was so busy, it didn't really phase me.
The real excitement happened on Friday night. It was my league's annual Derby Prom and Envy and I had an awesome costume planned.
The real excitement happened on Friday night. It was my league's annual Derby Prom and Envy and I had an awesome costume planned.
We got Honorable Mention in the costume contest, and we believe we were robbed. Who says Halloween is a kids' holiday? I hope I dress up until I can no longer dress myself. And even then, I hope one of my kids will dress me up like Katniss Everdeen without batting an eye.
Thursday, October 24, 2013
On Getting Older
I understand that in perspective, I am still very young. I'm only 29 years old and have plenty more living to do. But, recently I had to once again face the sad fact that I no longer have the energy or body of a 19 year old.
New Found Glory and Alkaline Trio played at the Warfield in San Francisco and I went with Christine, Siobhan, and Siobhan's friend Wallace. I've listened to NFG since high school. So, about half my life, and they're my favorite band. I've seen them 7 or 8 times and they never disappoint. This was my second time seeing AK3 and they're awesome as well.
Christine and I had GA floor tickets, but Siobhan didn't buy her tickets until way later, so she and Wallace were upstairs in the balcony. Christine and I found ourselves in the crowd close to the front, but off to the side so we weren't in danger of a circle pit forming around us. This was red flag number one. Ten years ago, I wouldn't have cared.
NFG was amazing and they still have so much energy, but being so close allowed me to notice how much they had aged. They're all in their 30's now. Some are married, some have kids. Some of their hairlines are are not where they once were. Of course they're older, but it seemed to be obvious.
Being in the crowd on the floor was enjoyable through NFG's set, but my back started to hurt toward the end. We all met up in the hallway between acts and when it was time for us to go back out to the crowd for Alkaline Trio, the idea of standing in a crowd for another 60-90 minutes seemed daunting. I texted Siobhan to ask if there were any empty seats by them and the two next to them happened to be empty. So, Christine and I went up and sat with them and truly enjoyed watching AK3 from the comfort of a chair. Realizing that even though you feel young mentally, your body is not what it once was, is a harsh reality everyone faces. There were many people younger than us at the show. I realized I'd been seeing shows at the Warfield since 2003. That's 10 years. I can't even remember all of the bands I've seen there. Yellowcard, The Starting Line, Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy (before they were popular), Matchbook Romance, etc. I hope I am still seeing shows there 10 years from now.
New Found Glory and Alkaline Trio played at the Warfield in San Francisco and I went with Christine, Siobhan, and Siobhan's friend Wallace. I've listened to NFG since high school. So, about half my life, and they're my favorite band. I've seen them 7 or 8 times and they never disappoint. This was my second time seeing AK3 and they're awesome as well.
Christine and I had GA floor tickets, but Siobhan didn't buy her tickets until way later, so she and Wallace were upstairs in the balcony. Christine and I found ourselves in the crowd close to the front, but off to the side so we weren't in danger of a circle pit forming around us. This was red flag number one. Ten years ago, I wouldn't have cared.
NFG was amazing and they still have so much energy, but being so close allowed me to notice how much they had aged. They're all in their 30's now. Some are married, some have kids. Some of their hairlines are are not where they once were. Of course they're older, but it seemed to be obvious.
Being in the crowd on the floor was enjoyable through NFG's set, but my back started to hurt toward the end. We all met up in the hallway between acts and when it was time for us to go back out to the crowd for Alkaline Trio, the idea of standing in a crowd for another 60-90 minutes seemed daunting. I texted Siobhan to ask if there were any empty seats by them and the two next to them happened to be empty. So, Christine and I went up and sat with them and truly enjoyed watching AK3 from the comfort of a chair. Realizing that even though you feel young mentally, your body is not what it once was, is a harsh reality everyone faces. There were many people younger than us at the show. I realized I'd been seeing shows at the Warfield since 2003. That's 10 years. I can't even remember all of the bands I've seen there. Yellowcard, The Starting Line, Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy (before they were popular), Matchbook Romance, etc. I hope I am still seeing shows there 10 years from now.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
On doing good
"Nu-uh, superman does good. You doin' well. You gotta learn your grammar, son." -Tracy Morgan (30 Rock)
I'm excited about all of the good we are doing. And I think my kids are too.
But I mean it in the superman sense. My leadership class is doing good. We are doing good things for others. They have requested their own chart for the Awesome Year Project. In addition, I knew I needed to find things for us to do when there wasn't anything to do (no events to plan on campus). So, I turned to DoSomething.org. They have a bunch of great projects that individuals can do. It's geared toward young people (middle school - college) because with each project they complete, they are entered to win a $4,000 scholarship (they have to create an account for that. It's free). This week, we made birthday cards for homeless youth.
Also, here's an update in our #avidawesomeyear project
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
On Recharging your batteries
We are on Fall Break this week and it has been so nice to just recharge my batteries. I drove down to Huntington Beach to visit Lesley and since her husband was working that night and her mother-in-law was watching her kids, we had a real girls' night. Well, the way WE do girls' night, which involved dinner out (during which we did nothing but over-analyze Sons of Anarchy), and then drinking and watching funny YouTube videos and old episodes of Sons of Anarchy. We got up and were at Zumba by 9 am. Her hubby and kids came home and we all went to brunch. It was so wonderful to see her and the rest of their family. I love them and have missed them so much. 
The rest of my time has been spent obsessing over my adorable nephew.
I drive back tomorrow, just in time for practice. We have an away game in Fresno this weekend, so I'll have to get the rest of my rest (ha!) in before Saturday.
Really high up on my list of things to do is is clean my room and donate old shoes and clothes.
I've been checking my EdModo site periodically and am so proud that my AVID kids continue to post the #avidawesome year things they are doing.
This break will have gone by too fast. I need to get organized for 2nd quarter!
Thursday, October 3, 2013
On Teamwork
Last night, we had a team dinner for my home team, the Babes of Wrath. We've recently had quite a few changes to our roster, so it was nice to get everyone together and hang out. Our captain ran us through a couple of party mixer type games. One of them happened to be called "Protect Your Egg." In a nutshell: teams get a bag full of random supplies (each bag contains the same supplies) and using only those supplies, you must construct something that will keep an egg from breaking when it is dropped onto your construction from atop a ladder (approximately 15 feet). In our bag we had: 3 clothespins, a napkin, a small snack bag, two zip ties, a wooden skewer, a paper straw, 3 candy corn, a couple of zip ties, a piece of parchment, a glue stick, a piece of a plastic bottle, and a piece of masking tape (perhaps there was more, I'm not sure). My awesome team won. Check the photos below.
It wasn't 5 minutes into construction with my team that I knew this would be a great team work project for my AVID classes. So, I pulled it together and we did it today. Here are some great photos from today.
What's In The Bag?
Tongue depressor, business card, piece of string, binder clip, 1 piece of printer paper, 1 napkin, a lifesaver, a twist tie, a toothpick, a bendy straw, a sandwich bag, a piece of masking tape, a paperclip, a Q-tip
8th Graders
7th Grade
Winners!!!
Watching the kids do this was so much fun. It was cool to see the very different ideas they all came up with. Some of them came up with things that my team didn't think of last night and made me feel really stupid. (Why didn't we blow the bag up like a balloon for cushioning???). 1 more day until we get a (VERY WELL DESERVED) week off for Fall Break. I can't wait to visit my nephew! I'm also going to see Lesley for the first time since she moved. Bring it on, Fall!
Wednesday, October 2, 2013
On paying it forward
I blogged a couple of days ago about something exciting that is happening in my AVID classes and I am enthused to be able to share it here now.
You may or may not know that my students and I are huge fans of Kid President. I have used a few of his videos in my classroom. I recently saw his Awesome Year Challenge video and knew that I wanted to bring that concept to my AVID kids to start and possibly extend it to my Leadership class. I decided to make it into a year-long project. Kid Prez gives us 25 things we can do to make the year awesome for someone else. Some of them are not very practical (mail someone a corn dog), but some are effortless (smile, high five someone, free hugs). I made a chart with some of my favorite of Kid Prez's ideas and left spaces for my students to come up with their own.
On Tuesday, when they came into class, I told them I had an exciting project for our class. I showed them the Awesome Year Challenge video, and then I presented the chart I had made. I told them we would be keeping track of the good we were doing for others. It would not be for a grade and there was no pressure. Doing things for others should not be done for a reward. I encouraged them to go outside of their comfort zones. Smiling/high-fiving/hugging your bff doesn't count (unless they're having a really bad day and need a pick-me-up). I also made sure to point out that not everyone was okay with physical contact and that you shouldn't go around hugging strangers without their permission. I hung up the chart and some stickers next to it. Whenever they did something to make someone else's year awesome, they should put a sticker on the box. Our goal is to make so many awesome years that we cover the whole poster.
I then gave them time to discuss other things we could add with the people around them. And while they were doing that, I gave them--cupcakes for no reason!
And undoubtedly, kids in my other classes want to get involved too. I invited them to add their own stickers for doing nice things. After 24 hours, our chart looks like this:
You may or may not know that my students and I are huge fans of Kid President. I have used a few of his videos in my classroom. I recently saw his Awesome Year Challenge video and knew that I wanted to bring that concept to my AVID kids to start and possibly extend it to my Leadership class. I decided to make it into a year-long project. Kid Prez gives us 25 things we can do to make the year awesome for someone else. Some of them are not very practical (mail someone a corn dog), but some are effortless (smile, high five someone, free hugs). I made a chart with some of my favorite of Kid Prez's ideas and left spaces for my students to come up with their own.
On Tuesday, when they came into class, I told them I had an exciting project for our class. I showed them the Awesome Year Challenge video, and then I presented the chart I had made. I told them we would be keeping track of the good we were doing for others. It would not be for a grade and there was no pressure. Doing things for others should not be done for a reward. I encouraged them to go outside of their comfort zones. Smiling/high-fiving/hugging your bff doesn't count (unless they're having a really bad day and need a pick-me-up). I also made sure to point out that not everyone was okay with physical contact and that you shouldn't go around hugging strangers without their permission. I hung up the chart and some stickers next to it. Whenever they did something to make someone else's year awesome, they should put a sticker on the box. Our goal is to make so many awesome years that we cover the whole poster.
I then gave them time to discuss other things we could add with the people around them. And while they were doing that, I gave them--cupcakes for no reason!
We brainstormed our own things to add to the chart. After my 8th grade AVID class yesterday, the chart looked like this:
Anyone who tweets or instagrams about our project is using the hashtag #AVIDawesomeyear. We are having a great time. My heart is full. My students are awesome. I can't wait to see what this looks like at the end of the year!
Monday, September 30, 2013
On...
Exciting things are going to be happening in my AVID classroom. I can't wait to post all about it here, but my students don't know about it yet, so for now you'll just have to guess.
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
On technology
The point of this tangent on technology is that I use it in my classroom as much as possible. I'm always looking for new ways to use it, new apps, new devices. I would kill for an interactive whiteboard and a set of student clickers.
I was introduced to Edmodo about 4 years ago and at the time, it was kind of lame and not very user friendly. However, I randomly thought of it the other day and decided to check it out again. It looked a lot more appealing.
Edmodo is like facebook for classes. A teacher creates an account and sets up groups--I chose to have one group for each of my classes. Edmodo creates a Group Code for each group, which the students will need in order to sign up. A student cannot create an account without a group to join. They don't even need to input an email address, but they can if they want to receive email alerts.
With Edmodo, kids can post things, upload files, add files to their "Backpack," which is a place to store work electronically that they can access again. As a teacher, you can send alerts, take polls, create quizzes and close them on a certain day so that students must take them by a certain time, upload assignments and documents, etc. There are even apps that you can add to the site. I added a flashcards app and created a stack using their vocab words. I shared this with them and now they have an online study tool--in addition to the cards they make in class. There's also a (free!) app for iPhone and Android. It's not the best, but it's functional.
It has been a slow process getting my AVID kids and my 8th grade grade-level English class to all get on the site, but my honors 8th graders are obsessed with it. They post silly pun-ny jokes and hashtag everything ironically. I'm having a blast using it with them. I have already used it to post homework, give them a quiz, have them all respond to a discussion question, and even post a grammatically incorrect sentence to see who would find the errors. My 7th grade AVID class has been using it to ask each other homework questions. As the teacher, you have the ability to delete anything they post, and you can even change the settings so that you have to approve every post before it goes up, but #Ain'tNobodyGotTimeForThat. :)
Some of my kids are not allowed to have Facebook pages, so this is the only social networking they get to do. And so they blow it up. They will come into the room and say, "Ms. T, check the edmodo site! Someone posted the most ridiculous joke."
Here are a couple of screen shots:
Monday, September 23, 2013
SMSS
Sh!t My Students Say:
My Leadership class had a game day since no activities are planned at the moment.
"Candy land is too intense!!!!" - P.L.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
On redecorating
Thought it might be fun to do a little classroom tour! I wish I had really taken before pictures of my classroom. I spent all summer painting it. Here are a couple of "before" pictures.
BEFORE:
My desk area
Can you see that disgusting teal color and the dingy color of the walls and door?
Gross.
AFTER:
Grey and yellow. So much more soothing. I wish I could get rid of those hideous shades that can be pulled across the top windows.
Of course it's not this neat anymore. This was before 200+ teenagers graced my classroom with their presence every day.
God, those shades are so ugly.
Aaaaaaand a great shot of today's Exit Ticket board (I got your engagement strategies right here, mister).
Direct or Indirect Characterization?
Wednesday, September 18, 2013
On the mend
I returned to school today after having been out for two days with a terrible cold. All day long kids would walk by my door, peek in and yell, "YESS!!!!!!!" or "THANK GOD!" upon seeing me sitting there.
It's nice to be missed. :)
I still felt like crap all day, but the homemade cheese enchiladas that a students' mother brought me (and the rest of her teachers) made the day brighter!
I used my voice so much today that I sound like some of my male students who are going through puberty right now!
It's nice to be missed. :)
I still felt like crap all day, but the homemade cheese enchiladas that a students' mother brought me (and the rest of her teachers) made the day brighter!
I used my voice so much today that I sound like some of my male students who are going through puberty right now!
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
L-i-v-i-n'
Dogs have it so easy. My dog Ollie spent an hour basking in the sun rays on this chair. Then, he moved to the couch and slept some more. Then, he cuddled with me and got lots of pets and scratches. Then, we played fetch with his crinkly elf toy. What a life! He's just "livin'. "L-i-v-i-n." (Name that movie!)
Monday, September 16, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
A bunch of random thoughts about education
There are a few things I've been meaning to post here, but then life gets in the way and a week has past and I haven't posted, and now I have something else that I want to post about in addition to the first thing. *sigh*
I am in a perpetual group text with two of my best friends (and two fellow teachers). Lesley and I taught at SHS my first year teaching and were instantly inseparable. We had (mostly) weekly movie nights for the next 5 years. Then, two years ago, enter Jen. She was hired at SHS and Lesley was assigned as her mentor teacher. Jen came to one movie night and, to use a cliché simile, she fit in like a missing puzzle piece. Then, in June, the saddest thing in the world happened. Jen moved back to her home state of Minnesota, and Lesley and her family moved to Huntington Beach where her husband had gotten a job with OC Fire.
Almost immediately after Lesley's move to HB, she got a job with Girls Inc. which is a great organization. We have it here in our area and they work with the 8th grade girls at my school. She worked a regular 9-5, 5 days a week. She spent her summer taking middle school girls on field trips to aquariums and Knott's Berry Farm. She attended fancy luncheons where she convinced rich ladies to donate money to the organization. There was no more grading papers, no more staying after school for hours to help students who were struggling, no more attending funerals for family members of students who were killed in gang activity, no more teenage pregnancy, crying for the kids who were homeless at 17 because their dads kicked them out to make room for their new girlfriends, no more trying to control classes of 40+ students whose reading levels ranged from 4th grade to college level. The area where we live(d) is a very interesting one. Within a 20 mile radius, you have millionaires, migrant farm workers, gang members, and everyone in between. We teach (taught) in the less affluent area, but still even there, you have kids who live in huge houses and kids who live 3 families to a two bedroom apartment. Lesley's new job was a cake walk by comparison.
And she was unhappy. "I need pain-in-the-ass kids who drive me crazy." She said in our group text. "Teaching is 100 times harder than this job, but it is where I belong. I'm a teacher."
Most people would think she was crazy, but I get it. Jen gets it. Plenty of my other teacher-friends get it. We are teachers. The same way we are alive. Teaching isn't a job, and it's certainly not a back-up plan (I'm looking at you: people who have ever said, "well if that doesn't work out, I can always teach" as if it's that easy).
Which is why I get so angry when non-teachers talk shit about public education and how there aren't enough high-quality teachers. I teach in a very low-paying district. I am there early. I stay late. There is nothing I wouldn't do for my students. I spend hundreds of my own dollars every year on my classroom. I feed them. I counsel them. I nurture them. I protect them to fullest extend of my ability as long as their bodies are on our campus.
But I also get it. Because I've had colleagues I've despised because they had no business teaching. However, those people are few and far between. You want high-quality teachers? Give schools more money. Give them the resources they need. When it comes to the education of our children, why should any expense be spared? Why should I have to spend $400 on a class set of The Hunger Games so my kids can read a book they are interested in? I shouldn't. But I did. Because it means that much to me. Is it my fault that my school district can't afford to provide the resources I need to teach? No. But it's not the kids' fault either.
You want high-quality teachers? Pay them wages they can live on. I am always, always broke by the end of the month and I have two roommates. There is no way I could afford to live on my own. It really is no surprise that there is such high turnover in education. Perhaps if teachers were paid a lot more (the way they are in many other countries), education would be a more competitive field, and teachers wouldn't leave the field so quickly. Show teachers that their work is valued.
You want high-quality teachers? Make things equitable from school-to-school. Another middle school in my district just 10 miles down the road has smart boards, ipads, and apple tv. Some of our teachers are still using overhead projectors. Not LCD projectors. Overhead projectors. These things:
Some of our classrooms still have chalkboards. Chalkboards. There is a classroom on my campus where the floor tiles are coming up so badly that students (and teacher) routinely trip over them. But 10 miles away, they're having a ball with their smart boards and their apple tv's.
Why don't I go get a job there? Why don't I go get a job in a better paying district? The kids. I love our kids. I love the diversity. I, like Lesley, love the pain-in-the-ass at-risk kids who drive us crazy, but steal our hearts. Would our job be easier in a more affluent school where all kids are performing at grade level and behavior problems are few? Yeah, probably. But working with our demographic is so much more rewarding.
You see, it's not about the money, and it is totally about the money. I don't teach for the money (obviously. And I know you've heard that before). But could money make me a better teacher? I lie awake at night sometimes and dream of the things I could do in my classroom if I had the resources I want/need/deserve to do my job well. I know I'm the best teacher I can be right now. Would that be magnified if I had better resources? I get excited just thinking about it. Maybe one day. But for now, I'll continue to do what I can with what I have.
Because the problem with education isn't the teachers. It's the conditions under which they are expected to teach and students are expected to learn.
I am in a perpetual group text with two of my best friends (and two fellow teachers). Lesley and I taught at SHS my first year teaching and were instantly inseparable. We had (mostly) weekly movie nights for the next 5 years. Then, two years ago, enter Jen. She was hired at SHS and Lesley was assigned as her mentor teacher. Jen came to one movie night and, to use a cliché simile, she fit in like a missing puzzle piece. Then, in June, the saddest thing in the world happened. Jen moved back to her home state of Minnesota, and Lesley and her family moved to Huntington Beach where her husband had gotten a job with OC Fire.
Almost immediately after Lesley's move to HB, she got a job with Girls Inc. which is a great organization. We have it here in our area and they work with the 8th grade girls at my school. She worked a regular 9-5, 5 days a week. She spent her summer taking middle school girls on field trips to aquariums and Knott's Berry Farm. She attended fancy luncheons where she convinced rich ladies to donate money to the organization. There was no more grading papers, no more staying after school for hours to help students who were struggling, no more attending funerals for family members of students who were killed in gang activity, no more teenage pregnancy, crying for the kids who were homeless at 17 because their dads kicked them out to make room for their new girlfriends, no more trying to control classes of 40+ students whose reading levels ranged from 4th grade to college level. The area where we live(d) is a very interesting one. Within a 20 mile radius, you have millionaires, migrant farm workers, gang members, and everyone in between. We teach (taught) in the less affluent area, but still even there, you have kids who live in huge houses and kids who live 3 families to a two bedroom apartment. Lesley's new job was a cake walk by comparison.
And she was unhappy. "I need pain-in-the-ass kids who drive me crazy." She said in our group text. "Teaching is 100 times harder than this job, but it is where I belong. I'm a teacher."
Most people would think she was crazy, but I get it. Jen gets it. Plenty of my other teacher-friends get it. We are teachers. The same way we are alive. Teaching isn't a job, and it's certainly not a back-up plan (I'm looking at you: people who have ever said, "well if that doesn't work out, I can always teach" as if it's that easy).
Which is why I get so angry when non-teachers talk shit about public education and how there aren't enough high-quality teachers. I teach in a very low-paying district. I am there early. I stay late. There is nothing I wouldn't do for my students. I spend hundreds of my own dollars every year on my classroom. I feed them. I counsel them. I nurture them. I protect them to fullest extend of my ability as long as their bodies are on our campus.
But I also get it. Because I've had colleagues I've despised because they had no business teaching. However, those people are few and far between. You want high-quality teachers? Give schools more money. Give them the resources they need. When it comes to the education of our children, why should any expense be spared? Why should I have to spend $400 on a class set of The Hunger Games so my kids can read a book they are interested in? I shouldn't. But I did. Because it means that much to me. Is it my fault that my school district can't afford to provide the resources I need to teach? No. But it's not the kids' fault either.
You want high-quality teachers? Pay them wages they can live on. I am always, always broke by the end of the month and I have two roommates. There is no way I could afford to live on my own. It really is no surprise that there is such high turnover in education. Perhaps if teachers were paid a lot more (the way they are in many other countries), education would be a more competitive field, and teachers wouldn't leave the field so quickly. Show teachers that their work is valued.
You want high-quality teachers? Make things equitable from school-to-school. Another middle school in my district just 10 miles down the road has smart boards, ipads, and apple tv. Some of our teachers are still using overhead projectors. Not LCD projectors. Overhead projectors. These things:
Why don't I go get a job there? Why don't I go get a job in a better paying district? The kids. I love our kids. I love the diversity. I, like Lesley, love the pain-in-the-ass at-risk kids who drive us crazy, but steal our hearts. Would our job be easier in a more affluent school where all kids are performing at grade level and behavior problems are few? Yeah, probably. But working with our demographic is so much more rewarding.
You see, it's not about the money, and it is totally about the money. I don't teach for the money (obviously. And I know you've heard that before). But could money make me a better teacher? I lie awake at night sometimes and dream of the things I could do in my classroom if I had the resources I want/need/deserve to do my job well. I know I'm the best teacher I can be right now. Would that be magnified if I had better resources? I get excited just thinking about it. Maybe one day. But for now, I'll continue to do what I can with what I have.
Because the problem with education isn't the teachers. It's the conditions under which they are expected to teach and students are expected to learn.
Thursday, August 22, 2013
New/old school year
The new school year started. I am teaching all new things, but 75% of my students are the same, so I don't really have the feeling of having had a summer off. I feel like, didn't I just see you yesterday? I am teaching Leadership again (which is awesome), 8th grade Honors English, 8th grade AVID, 7th grade AVID (AVID is a class for kids who have potential, but are kind of middle of the road achievers and will be the first in their families to go to college. They (ideally) start taking it in middle school and continue taking it every year through high school. They learn organization and study skills, go on college tours, get help applying for scholarships, applying for college, and filling out the FAFSA, etc), and regular 8th grade English. It's been overwhelming having 5 different classes. I like to think my Honors and regular 8th grade classes will do the same things, but they won't. The honors class is only 1 period, while the 8th grade class is 2. I love my kids though. They're great. The 7th grade AVID class is driving me mad though. There are some kids who really should not be in that class.
Enough boring stuff. Here are a few "Sh!t my students say" from the last two weeks.
---"Ms. T, I really like my AVID shirt, but when I looked at myself in the mirror, it said DIVA, and that was weird." (from a boy).
---Listening to hip-hop at the end of class, while the 8th grade girls were at a Girls Inc presentation...
Student 1 (dancing): This is how I be like at the club.
Me: What club? You're 12.
Student 2: The Mickey Mouse Club!
---Me: Okay, put away your flashcards. I'm going to hand out the quiz.
Male Student: One minute! I need to get 10 hugs!
Enough boring stuff. Here are a few "Sh!t my students say" from the last two weeks.
---"Ms. T, I really like my AVID shirt, but when I looked at myself in the mirror, it said DIVA, and that was weird." (from a boy).
---Listening to hip-hop at the end of class, while the 8th grade girls were at a Girls Inc presentation...
Student 1 (dancing): This is how I be like at the club.
Me: What club? You're 12.
Student 2: The Mickey Mouse Club!
---Me: Okay, put away your flashcards. I'm going to hand out the quiz.
Male Student: One minute! I need to get 10 hugs!
Monday, March 25, 2013
On Roller Derby...
The other day, I started thinking about derby and my place in it, what it means, how it has changed my life, and what a crazy, insane subculture it is.
Above all else, it is a sport. Those who don't understand it often ask questions like, "So, you beat people up on skates?" "It's fake like wrestling, right?" and, a favorite among the derby community, "Where's the ball?"
There are rules. Say whaaat? There is actually a 60-page rule book. (Interested in some light reading? Roller Derby Rules.)
As soon as you decide to make the leap into derby, it is impossible not to completely immerse yourself in derby culture. What is derby culture? It is difficult to define. It could be different for each skater, but I will attempt to do my best to describe what it is for me, and most of the members of my league, The Monterey Bay Derby Dames.
Derby isn't just going to practice, scrimmage, and playing in bouts. It is committee meetings and league meetings. It is derby weekends--traveling to see other leagues play. It is traveling to watch your travel team play other leagues, or play in tournaments. Everything else is put on hold because next to playing derby, watching derby is the absolute next best thing you could be doing with your time. And traveling for derby affords the best bonding opportunities for league-mates and teammates. (Sometimes, you have multiple teams within a league and there are some skaters you rarely have the opportunity to spend time with). It means that even though you skate between 4 and 8 hours a week for practice, you still choose to spend your free time at open skate at the rink, or skating outside on the rec trail.
Derby is crowding around someone's computer screen to watch live derby on Derby News Network.
Derby is spending your extra money on wheels, Derby Skinz, gear, and daydreaming about being able to afford Antiks.
Derby is RollerCon. A week of derby awesomeness in the stifling heat of Las Vegas. Over 2,000 derby people skating, swimming, partying every night, and receiving lots of confused looks from the hotel guests who are just there for vacation and know nothing about derby. Who are these weird people in ripped tights with numbers sharpied on their arms?
Most importantly, derby is having instant camaraderie with anyone else who plays derby. The best example of this happened just yesterday. The travel team for my league was in a tournament. Brain, woke up to find her car had been stolen. To add insult to injury, her skate bag had been in the car. She had no skates, no gear, and had a game to play at 10:30 that morning. The derby community pulled together unlike anything I'd heard of before. One of our sister leagues (one located very close to ours) had the first game of the day. They came off the track and leant gear to Brain so that she could still play in the tournament. Later, after hearing her tale of woe, 187, one of the skate pad companies, donated all new pads to Brain. Another vendor, Square Cat Skates, hooked her up with a brand new helmet. Everyone pulled together to help make the best of a shitty situation.
Derby is family.
Above all else, it is a sport. Those who don't understand it often ask questions like, "So, you beat people up on skates?" "It's fake like wrestling, right?" and, a favorite among the derby community, "Where's the ball?"
There are rules. Say whaaat? There is actually a 60-page rule book. (Interested in some light reading? Roller Derby Rules.)
As soon as you decide to make the leap into derby, it is impossible not to completely immerse yourself in derby culture. What is derby culture? It is difficult to define. It could be different for each skater, but I will attempt to do my best to describe what it is for me, and most of the members of my league, The Monterey Bay Derby Dames.
Derby isn't just going to practice, scrimmage, and playing in bouts. It is committee meetings and league meetings. It is derby weekends--traveling to see other leagues play. It is traveling to watch your travel team play other leagues, or play in tournaments. Everything else is put on hold because next to playing derby, watching derby is the absolute next best thing you could be doing with your time. And traveling for derby affords the best bonding opportunities for league-mates and teammates. (Sometimes, you have multiple teams within a league and there are some skaters you rarely have the opportunity to spend time with). It means that even though you skate between 4 and 8 hours a week for practice, you still choose to spend your free time at open skate at the rink, or skating outside on the rec trail.
Derby is crowding around someone's computer screen to watch live derby on Derby News Network.
Derby is spending your extra money on wheels, Derby Skinz, gear, and daydreaming about being able to afford Antiks.
Derby is RollerCon. A week of derby awesomeness in the stifling heat of Las Vegas. Over 2,000 derby people skating, swimming, partying every night, and receiving lots of confused looks from the hotel guests who are just there for vacation and know nothing about derby. Who are these weird people in ripped tights with numbers sharpied on their arms?
Most importantly, derby is having instant camaraderie with anyone else who plays derby. The best example of this happened just yesterday. The travel team for my league was in a tournament. Brain, woke up to find her car had been stolen. To add insult to injury, her skate bag had been in the car. She had no skates, no gear, and had a game to play at 10:30 that morning. The derby community pulled together unlike anything I'd heard of before. One of our sister leagues (one located very close to ours) had the first game of the day. They came off the track and leant gear to Brain so that she could still play in the tournament. Later, after hearing her tale of woe, 187, one of the skate pad companies, donated all new pads to Brain. Another vendor, Square Cat Skates, hooked her up with a brand new helmet. Everyone pulled together to help make the best of a shitty situation.
Derby is family.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
2013 And Beyond...
2013. Here you are. Seriously. 2013? I think it was Roo over at Nice Girl Notes who commented that 2013 sounded like a year somewhere in the far away future. I still feel like the '90s were just yesterday. Is this what getting old feels like? Do my parents still feel like the 70's were "just yesterday"? Wild, man.
With the coming of 2013, I, like so many across this great land have vowed to be healthier. Over the last two years, I've gained about 40 pounds and I am not proud of it. In fact, I'm downright disgusted in myself. I can blame the broken ankle of 2011 and the broken wrist of 2012, but really it was the poor choices I made when it came to what I put into my body. It wasn't for lack of exercise. Roller Derby is a very physically demanding sport--especially when you're on the travel team in my league. I just used that as an excuse to eat crap.
This is the year of changes. I've spent the last two and a half years super involved in derby. I was team captain of my home team, secretary on the board, skated on the travel team, was the head fresh meat coach, and was also on 4 committees. This year, I have had to take a step back. My financial situation is at the worst it's ever been and the opportunity came up for me to sell out one of my planning periods at school in order to take on the leadership class. It means they have to pay me 1/6 of my salary on top of what I already make, which means I can start making dents in my debt. However, it comes at a cost. The biggest one will probably be my sanity. The other big cost is that in order to not lose my mind with the added stress of teaching the leadership class, I quit the travel team. I don't even know how to comprehend not being on the travel team. I'm literally cutting my weekly skating time in half. Travel team skaters have 8 hours of required practice a week. Home team skaters have 4. I'm also not team captain this year, nor am I having anything to do with Fresh Meat this season. I've scaled it back a lot, but I've taken on a lot more responsibilities at work. Again, is this what getting old feels like? I don't like it. I'd rather be super involved in derby than in work, but work pays the bills, so here I am.
I'm relishing in the last couple days of Winter Break. I don't want to go back to work, but I am also excited because we start The Hunger Games this Quarter and I can't wait! We had so much fun with it last year.
Other things I'm looking forward to in 2013:
City of Bones (the movie)
Requiem (the final book of the Delirium triology)
The Clockwork Princess (the final book of the Infernal Devices)
Disneyland and the possibility of my annual pass
RollerCon 2013
Being Healthy
Trying CrossFit this summer
Going back to Zumba
Junior Derby (we're adding a Junior derby league to our league! Little girls playing derby is so cute!)
I hope you all have great things to look forward to in 2013!
With the coming of 2013, I, like so many across this great land have vowed to be healthier. Over the last two years, I've gained about 40 pounds and I am not proud of it. In fact, I'm downright disgusted in myself. I can blame the broken ankle of 2011 and the broken wrist of 2012, but really it was the poor choices I made when it came to what I put into my body. It wasn't for lack of exercise. Roller Derby is a very physically demanding sport--especially when you're on the travel team in my league. I just used that as an excuse to eat crap.
This is the year of changes. I've spent the last two and a half years super involved in derby. I was team captain of my home team, secretary on the board, skated on the travel team, was the head fresh meat coach, and was also on 4 committees. This year, I have had to take a step back. My financial situation is at the worst it's ever been and the opportunity came up for me to sell out one of my planning periods at school in order to take on the leadership class. It means they have to pay me 1/6 of my salary on top of what I already make, which means I can start making dents in my debt. However, it comes at a cost. The biggest one will probably be my sanity. The other big cost is that in order to not lose my mind with the added stress of teaching the leadership class, I quit the travel team. I don't even know how to comprehend not being on the travel team. I'm literally cutting my weekly skating time in half. Travel team skaters have 8 hours of required practice a week. Home team skaters have 4. I'm also not team captain this year, nor am I having anything to do with Fresh Meat this season. I've scaled it back a lot, but I've taken on a lot more responsibilities at work. Again, is this what getting old feels like? I don't like it. I'd rather be super involved in derby than in work, but work pays the bills, so here I am.
I'm relishing in the last couple days of Winter Break. I don't want to go back to work, but I am also excited because we start The Hunger Games this Quarter and I can't wait! We had so much fun with it last year.
Other things I'm looking forward to in 2013:
City of Bones (the movie)
Requiem (the final book of the Delirium triology)
The Clockwork Princess (the final book of the Infernal Devices)
Disneyland and the possibility of my annual pass
RollerCon 2013
Being Healthy
Trying CrossFit this summer
Going back to Zumba
Junior Derby (we're adding a Junior derby league to our league! Little girls playing derby is so cute!)
I hope you all have great things to look forward to in 2013!
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