R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

Find out what it means to me! (Sock it to me, sock it to me . . . . )

Enough. Actually, that's what's happening: they're socking it to me. Who? The town I work in! There's such a lack of respect for teachers, mostly coming from the School Committee. According to SC notes, there are items in the teacher contract that were added when "teachers were better than us." What?!!! (And I won't talk about the 8 pages of SC notes talking about sports or that one of the SC members talked about "band geeks." Oh yeah.)

This is all precipitated because every day I pass by an election sign for a SC member that says "Students. Parents. Community." Like it's them against the evil teachers. And this comes on the heels of my just spending a lot of $$$ on the Study Island Fiesta my classes are having this week. (Study Island is an online program that our students use to develop their math skills).

And why am I doing a Study Island Fiesta? Because school just isn't fun any more. I know, I know, people will say "it wasn't fun when I went!" Well, it WAS when I went . . . I remember having an International Day where we dressed in foreign costumes. I remember making ice cream in Mrs. Reno's 3rd grade class. I remember making crepes in French class. (Perhaps that is why clothes and food are still my vices!) Now it's all OEQs (Open Response Questions) and practice tests. Okay, I'm exaggerating, but not too much!

Okay, I'm getting bitter. I really do love my job! It's just hard to give it your all every day when outside forces are constantly belittling you! I get home and look in the mirror and remember the comment one 7th grader said to me way back in '93: "Ms. Rich, you look really nice every morning when you get to school." (Well thank you, Danny!) "But by the end of the day, you look like you're stoned." (Ugh, thanks?! I mean, I feel like I've been run over by a Mack truck . . . !)

3-Ring Circus: A Tale of an Observation

In my opinion, the only reason for snow is Christmas Eve (to give that Dickens kind of feel) and snow days. Therefore, snow on a Sunday morning is unacceptable! (Yes, I just had to venture out to move my car for the plow guy--men sure do love their plows!)


Yes, it's the winter doldrums in full effect. But there are a few bright spots in the near future: no school on Monday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.; Tuesday is a professional development day (not sure that's a bright spot--more of a comment); on Friday, term 2 ends, thus we are half-way through the school year; three weeks after that is Winter Break. And somewhere in between there I will have my final observation as a "non-professional" teacher. (Because apparently--although I've been teaching for 20 years--having recently changed school districts means that I'm no longer professional! ARG! Bring back the word "tenure!")

Mind you, I don't mind being observed. At my former school, my classroom also served as an informal hallway to the New Media classroom, so I'm used to a constant flow of traffic (administrators included). At my new school, however, it seems that something always happens on observation day. Let's recap my last observation in November . . .

The principal was coming in to observe me the day before Thanksgiving break. Because it was a short week and I didn't see all of the my classes, I was doing a "fun" filler lesson on fonts. (I'm a total font geek! I think it's one of my best lessons because I'm so into it and the kiddos really have fun with it!) I chose a class time that was right after I had to teach a library class--not really good planning as I was out of my classroom right before the class, but hey! I can handle it. As my library class was preparing to leave, the principal showed up to tell me that he wouldn't be coming--the high school was in a lockdown and they would be busing the students to our school. Totally understandable.

Cut to 3 weeks later, when he wanted to observe me before Christmas break. Once again, we were doing another "fun" lesson: cutting our heads out of digital pictures and pasting them on holiday or winter-themed clip art. (And I was able to tie it into 3 of the state standards! I'm good!)

I inadvertently signed up for one of my worst (chattiest) classes which includes a 1-on-1 aide who was busy typing her own work. There was no where for the principal to sit except at my desk, so I was constantly moving behind him to get to the computer and SmartBoard. Then the tech guy comes in to load software for a training—I asked if he could come back in ½ hour and he said "No." (Just no regard for the fact that I had a classroom full of kids and the principal sitting front and center!) Luckily, a student was absent and I had him start on that machine.

So I'm trying my best at this lesson, working from the back of the room where I can see all of the computers and the phone rings necessitating me to scurry to the front of the room, maneuver around the principal to get the phone. No problem--little Joey's being dismissed. (Actually a good thing, since that frees up another computer for the tech guy to start on!)

Back to rocking the lesson when the virus software decides to update! Up pops up a message to restart now or restart later (of course, not all computers at the same time! I told the kids what to do, but as each message came up I had panicked students begging for my attention).

Back (again) to rocking the lesson when another teacher pops her head into the class because she needed help on the library computer. (Anyone under the age of 60 who is still employed in the public school system should be proficient on a computer if they want "professional status." Seriously, she's only in her early 40's!)

To add insult to injury, I tried to do the lesson step-by-step with this class (as opposed to demonstrating the whole task and let them go ahead) and it just didn’t work out well. Note to self: don't try something new when being observed! (got it!)

I just laughed. It was good for the principal to see a fairly typical class--interruptions and all! His observation report was very complimentary, and he offered me great praise (I need my ego stroked every now and then!)

I can only wonder what will happen when my next observation is scheduled . . .

It's All About Me! (But when wasn't it?!)

Yeah, so originally I started this blog for a class. Oh, sure . . . it was going to be profound, thought-provoking and full of incredible technological shortcuts that would amaze teachers around the world and have them worshiping me. Finished the class, got an A. Done with blogging.

But then . . .

Cut to 6 months later and I discovered It's Not All Flowers and Sausages. Mimi's my new hero! I think I have met my twin . . . just read her entry about school shopping at Staples and you can see why! She appears to be a decade younger than me, though, so maybe kindred spirits is a better description. (I even created a Meez avatar . . . and despite my attempts to have it represent me and my personality, it kind of looks like Mimi's!)


Okay, so while can only dream about being as witty and humorous as Mimi, I also have to admit that I'm at a disadvantage in that my current school--while it has its moments!--is run by a pretty competent administration. Oh sure, I've experienced many administrators and co-workers who have brought me to the edge of my sanity! My students are also older, but don't let that fool you--they can be adorable even at age 18! (Then there are others . . . well, I'm sure I'll discuss that later!)

Anyway . . . if you have stumbled along to this blog, please drop a comment and let me know!

Do We Deserve a Retreat?

I came across this article about a teachers' retreat being built in South Carolina. What was most interesting was the following quote from that state's schools superintendent:

"We are getting close to having a demoralized and compromised
teaching force," Rex said. "If we want our state to thrive, we must pay closer
attention to classroom teachers."

I don't think people realize how emotionally exhausting teaching is. I was teaching a night class about computer applications and one of the participants was a gentleman in his late 20s who was in the midst of his teaching practicum in the history department at a middle-size, upper middle class high school. He said "I've done construction work from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. and still was not as tired as I am at 3:00 after teaching."

Teaching is like performing . . . for 6 hours . . . to a very demanding audience. And the critics--uh, I mean parents--are very vocal whether they're talking about your "performance" to other townspeople at the local soccer games or commenting about you through local online forums. Mind you, they haven't seen your "performance," just heard about it through their child. (Conjures up memories of the old "Telephone" game?)

If you want to know what kind of work (and money) teachers' put into their "performances," talk to someone close to a teacher: their spouse, children, roommates, significant others. They can talk about the Sunday afternoons creating curriculum while (or instead of) watching the game, correcting papers on a drive to visit Grandma, and purchasing classroom supplies while at Walmart. (My students never have a pencil, but when I ask for collateral when I loan them one, they offer up their personal car keys, top-of-the-line cell phone, and video iPods!)

Our society--and I'm not blaming anyone, just commenting on it--is one of instant gratification. God knows even the microwave doesn't cook fast enough for me! But students expect the same instant gratification in school: it should be quick and easy and if it isn't--if it requires complete sentences or showing your work or following directions completely step-by-step--they don't want to do it! (Which somehow becomes the teacher's fault.)

Okay, I'm ranting. Just some food for thought.

Saving to a Folder on the Server

When working on your computer at home, you probably just save your files to My Documents. This is a folder on your computer's hard drive. However, while working at school, you probably have to navigate to your folder located on a server. While not difficult, it is often tedious. There's a way that you can make your folder on the server the default location to save.

In Word:

1. Under the Tools menu, select Options.
2. Click on the File Locations tab. The following window will appear:
3. Select Documents (the first item on the list), then click on the Modify... button.
4. Find your folder on the server, then click OK until you are back in the Word window.

Now, when you save a file, Word will automatically go to your folder on the server.

Another quick tip: when you are saving a document for the first time (thus giving it a file name), use the F12 at the top of the keyboard! It's the same thing as File...Save As, just faster! (This works with Word, PowerPoint and Excel.)

(See, it won't be all ranting and raving in this blog!)

$125,000 to Teach?!

So, while doing research for my grad class, I came across this article about a new charter school in New York.

"The school’s creator and first principal, Zeke M. Vanderhoek, contends that
high salaries will lure the best teachers."

Does this feed into the notion that "those who can't, teach."? I'm so tired of teachers being sub-par because of our chosen profession. Which is not to say that there aren't those in the field who are less than adequate, but isn't that true in any profession? It's not that I can't do anything else, it's that I chose to teach.

Here's the other kicker: Vanderhoek is 31-years-old. Now, he has taught middle school and I don't mean to undermine him because of his age, but how much time has he spent in the classroom? Three years with Teach for America. (I firmly believe it takes a few years to develop your repertoire and experience a variety of classes, students, faculty and administration.)

One final thought on the subject (for now, anyway): "only those scoring at the 90th percentile in the verbal section of the GRE, GMAT or similar tests need apply." So, you might be a great teacher who doesn't do well on standardized tests. Screw all that differentiated learning--they don't want you!

Yearly Burnout

RANT:
Finally March is over . . . for many reasons, it is the month I dread. It's long. No extra days off (unless you get a snow day, and at this point in the season, SNOW is a four-letter word!). The kids are rambunctious-- more so than usual. And here in Massachusetts we just finished the ELA portion of the MCAS tests. Yeah, I'm glad March is done.


For some reason, this year things seem crazier. The kids seem to be less focuses, I seem to have less patience, and others on the staff seem to be experiencing the same. Is there some sort of astronomical phenomenon that is affecting us all? Is anyone else experiencing this? Please share!


Tech Tip:
Instead of typing something in ALL CAPS (WHICH IS THE EQUIVALENT OF YELLING), try Small Caps. Look at the difference:


In Microsoft Word, simply highlight the text you want in Small Caps and hold down Shift + Control + K. If you use Small Caps, let me know!