Monday, May 7, 2012
Monday, April 4, 2011
Time for a Change
I think we should stop taking the DC-BAS (and/or take it 1 time fairly early in the year), and use all the money we would save to hire literacy, math and science SPECIALISTS who can assist schools and teachers in planning, implementing and tracking data for innovative programs that boost student achievement not just on tests but in LIFE and preparation for college.
Discovery Education is making millions off of DCPS to provide us with less-than-useless information that has had little to discernible and lasting impact on student achievement (and that is on their own scale, which I don't accept in the first place). Where is the data for how well our students have improved in college matriculation and completion rates? As far as I know, the only report I've seen from 2006 gives us an exceptionally low rating (~10% completion in 5 years), and somehow I don't see improvement on these multiple choice tests (which is negligible at best after years of obsessing over it) improving our students' ability to go and succeed in college and future careers which SHOULD be the main goal. I have talked to a lot of teachers, professional developers, instructional coaches, and administrators across the District about this, making it my personal mission to find one teacher who legitimately believes that the DC-BAS gives them useful information that they can use to help improve student achievement and isn't a waste of their time, and have not been able to find one. I know we have to take the DC-CAS to receive our federal funding, but I am also sure we do not have to take the DC-BAS to do so (having seen that other states do not waste their time and focus on tests like this nearly as much as we do, and those states are far more successful than we are). It is time to admit that Discovery Education is not working for us and move on.
The BAS is not aligned to our curriculum or the DC-CAS, it dumbs down education, it stresses out our students and I see it bleeding into larger and larger areas of our school as more and more students are tested and retested sometimes 4 years in a row! Our schedules get disrupted for several days each testing cycle, and as the testing date for the CAS nears, more and more students begin to disappear to drill for the test based on poor information from Discovery Education. And to what end? Not only do the students miss out on the real education opportunities in their classes, the school still doesn't meet AYP. The idea that a private company (whose only interest is in making a profit) gets to write our test, write our textbooks, our workbooks, and dictate our curriculum so that we can fail to jump through the AYP hoop for the 7th+ year in a row outrages me. I get more outraged when the District's administrative answer is to spend more time and money obsessing over this data. Hiring Instructional Coaches who then get sandbagged with dumbing down our education to drill our ever-larger cohort of tested students. Clearly Discovery Education and the BAS are NOT WORKING to improve our scores and meet AYP on the state tests, and they are most certainly not improving our students' chances of success in life outside of school and in college.
The fact that nobody on the administrative level is openly questioning the very validity of this test also outrages me. We tell our kids that we expect the best from them, that we are preparing them for college and then spend elementary, middle and 2 years of high school wasting their time and stressing them out on a lower-level test that most of them do not pass, while the real teaching has to get done on the side-lines. The most successful schools in our region do not obsess over the DC-BAS at the high school level (the top performing private schools don't even touch these toxic tests). But those of us whose students fail to meet "proficiency" "standards" over and over again get the extreme joy of restructuring - which so far I can safely say has NOT worked in the District.
I spend almost all of my free time reading education policy journals, news publications, articles and blogs (it is a bit obsessive some times). There are numerous studies, anecdotal evidence, and books that go against this narrative of 'accountability' and demonstrate the obvious fact that this is just a method for large testing corporations to bilk states for millions of dollars and get us nowhere. Where is the accountability for Discovery Education? Diane Ravitch who used to be a major proponent of these tests has come full circle and is writing and fighting to end this madness and move towards a curriculum that does not try and whittle down everything we do to a performance on a poorly written, graded and unfair set of tests. Others have written about how those who score our tests not only pay barely above minimum wage, but also change the scores if they deviate from the 'predicted' outcome. Making these tests a larger and larger part of teachers' and schools' 'accountability' is dangerous and only damaging our students' chances of success upon leaving these institutions. When our principals get ousted on a regular basis for 'failure to improve test scores' that disrupts our learning environment over and over again. When teachers get fired or told they are performing poorly based on test scores, it demoralizes them and makes it more likely that they'll either leave or begin focusing their curriculum solely on test prep (if they haven't already). It is time for our administrators to show some real leadership instead of following the real status quo which is the group that thinks that we can judge our schools performance almost exclusively on how students perform on a poorly written multiple choice exam.
If we want to seriously talk curriculum and saving money, and if we truly want to light 'fires in the mind' of our students, I say get rid of Discovery Education and stop letting them steal money from the District to give us useless information that we don't need and that dumbs-down our curriculum. Spend the money we would save by giving us real time and more support in the areas that we already know we are not performing well enough in.
Instead of asking kids to pick a 'theme' from a multiple choice test, have teachers actually discuss the themes and support their arguments with evidence from actual books (not just snippets and little poorly written passages) in class. Instead of having us spend countless hours and manpower 'analyzing' data and focusing on 'bubble' students in failed attempts to just pass a test, why not make education authentic and meaningful to their lives and accept that blatant test-prep fails our students on every level that matters? When you look at the best schools in the District and nation, they do not focus on lower-level testing as much as we do. We've been doing it since I arrived in DCPS, we had been doing it before, it is not working. It is time to re-evaluate what is going on here and try to change our mindsets and question the very box we are being put into. If my 10th grade student who can write me a 5 page paper analyzing human rights abuses in Guatemala and putting it into a global historical context turns around and fails the DC-BAS, then what is really going on here?
This is our chance to take some real leadership and make some real changes to what is going on. I know it isn't going to happen, that those in power want to hold on to it and keep their money, but it would be hypocritical of me to sit back and talk 'innovation' while really we are letting the status quo continue on and on and get worse and worse.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Field Trips
In the past month I have taken 2 different classes on 2 different field trips. The first group were my AP seniors. We got a bus and went to the American History museum to see four of the original freedom riders talk. The 2nd trip was with my 4th period 10th graders. We got a bus and went to the National Geographic Society building to participate in a training conference for Model United Nations. The one thing these two trips had in common: I was super angry at my students on the bus ride back. The anger built up during both trips throughout the day. I could not get over how whiny and disinterested my students were compared to all their peers from other schools (including schools that are supposed to be just like ours). While other students sat up straight and listened, my students slouched, slept or (in the case of my 10th graders only) talked out of turn and inappropriately.
Field trips are supposed to be a chance to expose my students to life outside of our ward and our school; A chance for them to get inspired and it really pisses me off when it doesn't seem to work. And as the field trip continues through the day I get more and more upset at the prospect of another attempt at inspiring my students failing miserably. I don't expect 'life changing movie moments' but I DO hope that I can see a glimmer of hope that my students are taking interest and getting at least something out of the trip.
But my attitude towards this has changed. On the bus ride back from my second field trip I talked with my neighboring teacher who also took his students to train for the MUN. He saw the trip in a different light. While he also was disappointed in some of the students' behaviors he also saw a lot more positive aspects to alight on.
1) They could have been worse. Overall in the scheme of things they were a little loud and boisterous at times, but some of them were really on point, and they weren't so out of hand that they got kicked out or made the organization wish we hadn't come.
2) They were exposed to how other students behave and act, and to activities that were challenging and outside of their comfort zone. While it would have been ideal for them to adjust on the trip itself, it doesn't mean that they didn't take something away from the trip just because they had some instances of poor behavior.
3) We were the only school to bring a large group. While other schools had Model United Nations clubs or selected a small group of their elite upper-classmen, we brought as many of our 10th grade regular students as we could. This means that we aren't going to be exactly like the others because our group is the 'rawest' of them all. We should also be proud of the fact that we are really trying to expose those who rarely get these kind of academic opportunities to a very challenging and enriching arena.
4) We learned which students we will definitely not bring to the real Model United Conference at the State Department in May.
When we got back I was quite a bit calmer. I think I mostly agree with my colleague. While I don't think I need to feel bad about my anger, I've decided that one of the key things is to keep working with my kids and not shut down over it. My anger is legitimate, I want my students to become more engaged because I want their lives to be better and I want something (anything) to work. But they're 10th graders, they have a long way to go and some of them will get better. I can't just get angry at them, instead I have to better express why I'm getting upset to them and how much I want to see their potential get pushed in a more productive direction.
Friday I had a great class with 4 of the students who showed up (attendance is a HUGE problem with this class, but that is a whole other topic). They got into the activities we did and they really seemed to understand the causes of World War I (a topic that I seem to have skill at making interesting). So I guess there may be hope, just have to keep up a positive attitude while also recognizing the weaknesses and continuing to push myself and my students to improve.
Field trips are supposed to be a chance to expose my students to life outside of our ward and our school; A chance for them to get inspired and it really pisses me off when it doesn't seem to work. And as the field trip continues through the day I get more and more upset at the prospect of another attempt at inspiring my students failing miserably. I don't expect 'life changing movie moments' but I DO hope that I can see a glimmer of hope that my students are taking interest and getting at least something out of the trip.
But my attitude towards this has changed. On the bus ride back from my second field trip I talked with my neighboring teacher who also took his students to train for the MUN. He saw the trip in a different light. While he also was disappointed in some of the students' behaviors he also saw a lot more positive aspects to alight on.
1) They could have been worse. Overall in the scheme of things they were a little loud and boisterous at times, but some of them were really on point, and they weren't so out of hand that they got kicked out or made the organization wish we hadn't come.
2) They were exposed to how other students behave and act, and to activities that were challenging and outside of their comfort zone. While it would have been ideal for them to adjust on the trip itself, it doesn't mean that they didn't take something away from the trip just because they had some instances of poor behavior.
3) We were the only school to bring a large group. While other schools had Model United Nations clubs or selected a small group of their elite upper-classmen, we brought as many of our 10th grade regular students as we could. This means that we aren't going to be exactly like the others because our group is the 'rawest' of them all. We should also be proud of the fact that we are really trying to expose those who rarely get these kind of academic opportunities to a very challenging and enriching arena.
4) We learned which students we will definitely not bring to the real Model United Conference at the State Department in May.
When we got back I was quite a bit calmer. I think I mostly agree with my colleague. While I don't think I need to feel bad about my anger, I've decided that one of the key things is to keep working with my kids and not shut down over it. My anger is legitimate, I want my students to become more engaged because I want their lives to be better and I want something (anything) to work. But they're 10th graders, they have a long way to go and some of them will get better. I can't just get angry at them, instead I have to better express why I'm getting upset to them and how much I want to see their potential get pushed in a more productive direction.
Friday I had a great class with 4 of the students who showed up (attendance is a HUGE problem with this class, but that is a whole other topic). They got into the activities we did and they really seemed to understand the causes of World War I (a topic that I seem to have skill at making interesting). So I guess there may be hope, just have to keep up a positive attitude while also recognizing the weaknesses and continuing to push myself and my students to improve.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Restaurant Week @ the Oval Room
Just ate at the Oval Room w/Liz. It was amazingly good and I wanted to write about what I had before I forget. I had a hard time deciding what to get because almost every single item on the menu was something I really wanted to eat. But we eventually had to make some choices since Restaurant Week doesn't really work if you order everything :). For those who don't know, Restaurant Week in DC involves a fixed price dinner menu (set at 35.10) where you get an appetizer, entree and dessert. Definitely a great chance to try some of the best restaurants in DC (at least those who participate).
In the end, I got the following:
In the end, I got the following:
- Appetizer: Pastrami cured salmon, dijon sauce, romaine rib and pumpernickle. It was very beautiful though a little small. It was also quite spicy which made it a bit hard to really enjoy the salmon as much as I wanted to. I almost got a fried blue crab with a buffalo sauce, but it was a $5 upcharge and may have been a bit crazy since I was planning on getting the scallops. Still, very very good. Liz got heirloom tomato salad with a very fancy pepper sauce that was also excellent.
- Entree: Sea scallops with a stew of cauliflower, chorizo and apricots. I got three HUGE scallops, cooked perfectly with a very sweet stew (that was more like a sauce really) underneath. Liz got a steak which was amazing and that she loved very much.
- Dessert: Maybe the toughest category to choose from. I was really torn between the a 'warm carrot cake, rum raisin puree and cream cheese ice cream' and an 'almond brown butter cake, peach salad and sour cream ice cream' not to mention a 'goat cheese sorbet, berries and cumin short dough cookies.' Lucky for me Liz got the berries w/cumin cookies because she loves cumin in everything and is very kind and avoided the chocolate dessert so I could try it :). I went with the Carrot cake and it was EPIC. SO GOOD. I just wish they'd served like three times as much. Liz and I discussed how the amounts they gave were really quite perfect because you left feeling pleasantly full and not sick... but I wanted to get sick off of that carrot cake, I would eat it until I passed out. YUM.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Schoolpocalypse
Today my school imploded.
Lets start at the beginning:
1) For the past few weeks there has been talk about a "Reduction in Force" or RIF. Michelle Rhee and the Mayor have claimed that we are $40 million or so short in funds and therefore need to fire a bunch of people. The Council claims that the District has known about these costs for a long time and it should not be surprising or an 'all of a sudden thing' so it is impossible to really know what is going on. One could be paranoid about Rhee and Fenty (which I'm sorta tending towards) or the Council is full of bull.
2) Students begin to hear all sorts of rumors and statements from politicians, the news, etc. about what is happening and talk about it and worry about it quite a bit for the past week.
3) Students arrive at school this morning and find there are no security guards. They believe (falsely) that this is part of the RIF and decide to 'protest' outside the school and not go to class. [Turns out that the security company that DCPS employs went bankrupt today and so this was just extremely unfortunate timing.]
4) We eventually get the kids to come inside because they really weren't protesting they were just hanging out talking and refusing to go to class. This is about 30 minutes into the day at this point.
5) First period is uneventful and I cover second period due to a teacher being absent. Things go well in that class and I actually get the kids to work through the period which is a miracle.
6) Then the principal announces that the kids will get an extra 20 min. at lunch to protest and let out their pent up energy. It also gets announced that there is a debate meeting at lunch when it is supposed to be after school (I'm the debate coach).
7) Lunch happens. The FBLA has a meeting that I help out a little bit with and then I head downstairs to check and see if any debate kids went to the non-existent lunch meeting and find a few of them and tell them to come to the meeting after-school.
8) A few minutes after I get downstairs, two very large boys barrel into the hallway I'm standing in having a huge fight. There are two police trying to break it up and a huge crowd of yelling and riled up kids. I get run in to by one of the fighting boys as I'm struggling to keep some of the kids away.
9) The police get the boys away and the kids seem to be milling about and I'm trying to get them into the cafeteria again and then all of a sudden there is a STAMPEDE (I mean this literally) towards the doors at the stairs. ALL the kids run full tilt, screaming to get upstairs. My boss had just gotten to me and pushed me to the wall so I wouldn't get flattened and those who stayed behind just stare fabbergasted. I have never seen anything like it.
10) I make it upstairs a few minutes later after assessing the downstairs situation and end up in the atrium. There I end up trying to disperse more students and break up a few more fights and almost fights. It seemed like every time more than 10 kids were in the same place a fight broke out.
11) As that calmed down a girl collapsed and had an asthma attack. We had to call paramedics and once again general insanity ensued.
12) I eventually collected about 1/3 of my students for 3rd period and that went very very calmly. For 4th period I helped a few students on applications and scholarships.
13) Then at 3:10 we get an announcement for teachers to check their emails. As the bell rings students are running around the halls yelling about how they don't have to have certain teachers ever again and how they hope so and so gets fired. And I have no idea what is going on but I tell them to shut up because what they're saying is really mean.
14) Kids tell me I have to check my email so I go back in my room and do so... at this point I am VERY nervous. There are kids standing around me and I open up an email that has the new master schedule. I read it over looking for my name and luckily I find it. All it says is I'm teaching World History II and American History. I don't know what this means and I won't really know until Monday apparently.
15) I have a debate team meeting for 1 hour after school w/about 6 kids (which is a miracle in and of itself so congrats to them for holding it together for debate).
Apparently tomorrow I'm going to the debate competition w/the kids... we'll see how that goes. Hopefully they'll come and have fun.
Craziest. Day. Ever.
Lets start at the beginning:
1) For the past few weeks there has been talk about a "Reduction in Force" or RIF. Michelle Rhee and the Mayor have claimed that we are $40 million or so short in funds and therefore need to fire a bunch of people. The Council claims that the District has known about these costs for a long time and it should not be surprising or an 'all of a sudden thing' so it is impossible to really know what is going on. One could be paranoid about Rhee and Fenty (which I'm sorta tending towards) or the Council is full of bull.
2) Students begin to hear all sorts of rumors and statements from politicians, the news, etc. about what is happening and talk about it and worry about it quite a bit for the past week.
3) Students arrive at school this morning and find there are no security guards. They believe (falsely) that this is part of the RIF and decide to 'protest' outside the school and not go to class. [Turns out that the security company that DCPS employs went bankrupt today and so this was just extremely unfortunate timing.]
4) We eventually get the kids to come inside because they really weren't protesting they were just hanging out talking and refusing to go to class. This is about 30 minutes into the day at this point.
5) First period is uneventful and I cover second period due to a teacher being absent. Things go well in that class and I actually get the kids to work through the period which is a miracle.
6) Then the principal announces that the kids will get an extra 20 min. at lunch to protest and let out their pent up energy. It also gets announced that there is a debate meeting at lunch when it is supposed to be after school (I'm the debate coach).
7) Lunch happens. The FBLA has a meeting that I help out a little bit with and then I head downstairs to check and see if any debate kids went to the non-existent lunch meeting and find a few of them and tell them to come to the meeting after-school.
8) A few minutes after I get downstairs, two very large boys barrel into the hallway I'm standing in having a huge fight. There are two police trying to break it up and a huge crowd of yelling and riled up kids. I get run in to by one of the fighting boys as I'm struggling to keep some of the kids away.
9) The police get the boys away and the kids seem to be milling about and I'm trying to get them into the cafeteria again and then all of a sudden there is a STAMPEDE (I mean this literally) towards the doors at the stairs. ALL the kids run full tilt, screaming to get upstairs. My boss had just gotten to me and pushed me to the wall so I wouldn't get flattened and those who stayed behind just stare fabbergasted. I have never seen anything like it.
10) I make it upstairs a few minutes later after assessing the downstairs situation and end up in the atrium. There I end up trying to disperse more students and break up a few more fights and almost fights. It seemed like every time more than 10 kids were in the same place a fight broke out.
11) As that calmed down a girl collapsed and had an asthma attack. We had to call paramedics and once again general insanity ensued.
12) I eventually collected about 1/3 of my students for 3rd period and that went very very calmly. For 4th period I helped a few students on applications and scholarships.
13) Then at 3:10 we get an announcement for teachers to check their emails. As the bell rings students are running around the halls yelling about how they don't have to have certain teachers ever again and how they hope so and so gets fired. And I have no idea what is going on but I tell them to shut up because what they're saying is really mean.
14) Kids tell me I have to check my email so I go back in my room and do so... at this point I am VERY nervous. There are kids standing around me and I open up an email that has the new master schedule. I read it over looking for my name and luckily I find it. All it says is I'm teaching World History II and American History. I don't know what this means and I won't really know until Monday apparently.
15) I have a debate team meeting for 1 hour after school w/about 6 kids (which is a miracle in and of itself so congrats to them for holding it together for debate).
Apparently tomorrow I'm going to the debate competition w/the kids... we'll see how that goes. Hopefully they'll come and have fun.
Craziest. Day. Ever.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
In Rio!!
Janet and I have arrive safely in Rio and have now been here for about 24 hours. We met at the airport, both having long but uneventful flights. Our stuff arrived, and we hopped in a taxi and drove to our hostel in Copa Cabana. The hostel is called Stone of a Beach. It is nice and has good security. Our room is on the second floor and has a private bath and a veranda, which just about doubles the size of the room.
Yesterday we walked towards the beach, went to a buffet for lunch, and walked down Copa´s beach to Ipanema where there was another nice series of beaches. We walked around a rocky point between the two beaches and then headed back to the hostel. The beaches are very scenic (despite all the tall buildings not far off of them) with dramatic rock outcroppings and cliffs surrounding them.
When we got back to the hostel we took it easy for a few hours, planning our route up the Bahia coast and then we went upstairs to the rooftop bar/hot tub/grill area and got yet another buffet (I´m sensing a theme here in Brazil. A tasty theme) - this time it was BBQ. Now one thing I can say beyond a doubt is Brazilians know how to cook meat. The BBQ was great. I had chicken, sausage and a bit of steak (in small quantities). The sides were alright-doesn´t seem to be high on the list of importance, but they focus on what is important.
The weather is slated to be perfect for our stay in Rio. Clear blue skies, in the 70s and (most importantly) not humid. Today we are probably going to go see the huge Jesus Christ statue and maybe a tour of some other sites in Rio. We also want to take a ´favela´ tour - a tour of some of the poorer areas in Rio, and then of course hang out at the beach and relax.
Yesterday we walked towards the beach, went to a buffet for lunch, and walked down Copa´s beach to Ipanema where there was another nice series of beaches. We walked around a rocky point between the two beaches and then headed back to the hostel. The beaches are very scenic (despite all the tall buildings not far off of them) with dramatic rock outcroppings and cliffs surrounding them.
When we got back to the hostel we took it easy for a few hours, planning our route up the Bahia coast and then we went upstairs to the rooftop bar/hot tub/grill area and got yet another buffet (I´m sensing a theme here in Brazil. A tasty theme) - this time it was BBQ. Now one thing I can say beyond a doubt is Brazilians know how to cook meat. The BBQ was great. I had chicken, sausage and a bit of steak (in small quantities). The sides were alright-doesn´t seem to be high on the list of importance, but they focus on what is important.
The weather is slated to be perfect for our stay in Rio. Clear blue skies, in the 70s and (most importantly) not humid. Today we are probably going to go see the huge Jesus Christ statue and maybe a tour of some other sites in Rio. We also want to take a ´favela´ tour - a tour of some of the poorer areas in Rio, and then of course hang out at the beach and relax.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
The Cardinal Sin
I am being very bad in fourth period. While I have assigned a worthwhile project to the students and I intend for them to do a good job on it, I feel that I am basically just having them work on the assignments in class with little instruction. Project Based Learning at its finest. That being said, I am NOT wasting their time with busywork, I just also may not be strictly teaching new skills but having them practice ones they already have. I suppose if I throw in some formative assessment I can work it out.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Last period of the day...
It is a universal truth that those entering the last class of the day must act completely insane and different from how they have acted the rest of the day.
At this point in my short career I have taught four classes at the final period of the day. Three have been World History II and one has been Entrepreneurship. All have been crazy.
They all become different people when they pass through that classroom door.
Things that seem inconceivable in my other periods become altogether too possible in my last period of the day:
I understand that the day is long, but it doesn't justify the type of insanity I have often experienced in these classes (and the complete lack of control I seem to have over the situation). While it isn't every day, it is far more often than I find even remotely acceptable.
I am still trying to find ways to deal with this situation, because right now I really just try and ride the wave and power through it. But that is very tiring and it isn't good for the students overall (When I give out surveys to the students to assess how the class is going, the only negative comments I ever get come from 4th period, and the big complaint is usually the behavior problems of other students). I need to find ways to positively get the class under control.
I just don't know how to get through to them, to hold on to their attention throughout the day. I know one thing I can do is make the lessons more interactive and as fun and relatable as possible. But even some of (what I believe are) my best lessons have completely bombed in fourth period.
Fourth period requires a whole different way of thinking and interacting with the class. I can barely let them do independent work because it immediately dissolves into chaos. I can't let them talk much or it dissolves into yelling matches. I have to have a seating chart to keep certain students from talking all period and/or killing each other.
One thing that has helped is making them stay quiet but allowing them to violate school policy and listen to their own music on headphones (but that stops working when an administrator comes in and yells at the students - and me by proxy - to put them away).
I may need to institute some type of regular physical stimulus to both keep them interested and release their pent up energy (calisthenics anyone?) but I honestly don't have any experience in that arena and I don't know how I could do that properly without wasting too much time.
Any suggestions for helping students release all that energy in a positive manner on a regular (if not daily) basis?
At this point in my short career I have taught four classes at the final period of the day. Three have been World History II and one has been Entrepreneurship. All have been crazy.
It doesn't matter how big the class is (two classes had 20-25 student and the other two classes were under ten students).
It doesn't matter what grade the students are in (most of the classes have a lot of 10th graders, but are mixed).
It doesn't matter what the students are learning (in the first semester my third and fourth periods are doing the exact same content).
It doesn't even matter how 'high achieving' my students are in other classes (I have had both top honors students and students who barely pass their classes in my fourth periods).
It doesn't matter what grade the students are in (most of the classes have a lot of 10th graders, but are mixed).
It doesn't matter what the students are learning (in the first semester my third and fourth periods are doing the exact same content).
It doesn't even matter how 'high achieving' my students are in other classes (I have had both top honors students and students who barely pass their classes in my fourth periods).
They all become different people when they pass through that classroom door.
Things that seem inconceivable in my other periods become altogether too possible in my last period of the day:
Students talk out of turn at alarming rates.
Students get into physical and verbal fights.
Students yell.
Students run around the room.
Students don't complete a single assignment.
Students physically destroy each others' work.
Students steal the possessions of others.
Students from other classes walk into my room and do whatever they please.
The list could go on and on.
Students get into physical and verbal fights.
Students yell.
Students run around the room.
Students don't complete a single assignment.
Students physically destroy each others' work.
Students steal the possessions of others.
Students from other classes walk into my room and do whatever they please.
The list could go on and on.
I understand that the day is long, but it doesn't justify the type of insanity I have often experienced in these classes (and the complete lack of control I seem to have over the situation). While it isn't every day, it is far more often than I find even remotely acceptable.
I am still trying to find ways to deal with this situation, because right now I really just try and ride the wave and power through it. But that is very tiring and it isn't good for the students overall (When I give out surveys to the students to assess how the class is going, the only negative comments I ever get come from 4th period, and the big complaint is usually the behavior problems of other students). I need to find ways to positively get the class under control.
I just don't know how to get through to them, to hold on to their attention throughout the day. I know one thing I can do is make the lessons more interactive and as fun and relatable as possible. But even some of (what I believe are) my best lessons have completely bombed in fourth period.
Fourth period requires a whole different way of thinking and interacting with the class. I can barely let them do independent work because it immediately dissolves into chaos. I can't let them talk much or it dissolves into yelling matches. I have to have a seating chart to keep certain students from talking all period and/or killing each other.
One thing that has helped is making them stay quiet but allowing them to violate school policy and listen to their own music on headphones (but that stops working when an administrator comes in and yells at the students - and me by proxy - to put them away).
I may need to institute some type of regular physical stimulus to both keep them interested and release their pent up energy (calisthenics anyone?) but I honestly don't have any experience in that arena and I don't know how I could do that properly without wasting too much time.
Any suggestions for helping students release all that energy in a positive manner on a regular (if not daily) basis?
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Empowering the children or Disheartening them?
I am asking for the advice from my peers (and any who care to give it). Is informing students of the achievement gap and the structural factors that contribute to the achievement gap a worthwhile effort? Will it serve to empower my students or will it just dishearten them?
I am personally of the belief that by showing students the truth about their current situation and help them learn about the social, economic and other structural factors that are standing in their way, that I could empower the students to take charge and work harder to get where they want and need to go. I want them to see their obtaining an education as an act of social justice (and possibly even minor rebellion), something to do both for themselves and society at large.
On the flip side, this may just make them think that everything is hopeless and out of reach. I don't want them coming out of this kind of unit thinking that they are less than, that the cards are impossibly stacked against them, that everything is doomed to repeat itself.
Then there are the implementation questions + my initial thoughts on them:
I am personally of the belief that by showing students the truth about their current situation and help them learn about the social, economic and other structural factors that are standing in their way, that I could empower the students to take charge and work harder to get where they want and need to go. I want them to see their obtaining an education as an act of social justice (and possibly even minor rebellion), something to do both for themselves and society at large.
On the flip side, this may just make them think that everything is hopeless and out of reach. I don't want them coming out of this kind of unit thinking that they are less than, that the cards are impossibly stacked against them, that everything is doomed to repeat itself.
Then there are the implementation questions + my initial thoughts on them:
- Which classes would I present this information to? I want to say all of them, I can relate this kind of topic to World History, Economics and all my government classes. But at the same time, that may not be realistic.
- When would I teach this to the students? I think that this might be something to do near the beginning of the year. Starting with the personal and working outwards to the global (or national in US Government). Maybe instead of focusing on the schools I would instead focus on the communities at large and talk about the structural arguments towards both the achievement gap and poverty rates. Could I get away with spending a week on this kind of unit? There are many books that students have loved reading in the past (I could get a class set of Our America and also look at books/essays by William Julius Wilson -among others) and begin by showing what social studies can do while working on basic reading and writing skills and issues of social justice that directly pertain to my students.
Friday, May 1, 2009
All good things...
...clearly must come to an end here in DCPS and especially at my school.
*Stop reading now if you don't want to hear a long rant about technology and my school, because right now? I'm seriously annoyed.*
I have been experimenting with our laptop lab, having 2 of my classes basically conduct their entire class on the laptops. I believe there are a myriad of benefits from conducting these small classes in this manner including the following:
And then when I go to the classrooms that are asking for the laptops and I see what they are doing with them? They're having the kids do dopey research projects where I watch the majority of the kids cut and paste wikipedia pages into their 'research reports' and then watch as they get an A. There is no analysis, there is no thought, the kids don't even READ what they wrote! So pardon me if I get a little up-in-arms when they then "demand" that I return the hijacked laptops in their entirety so they can use them. I'm going to have to figure out how to get at least 5 laptops permanently housed in my classroom that have access to the internet.
AND THAT IS ANOTHER THING. The only reason they even HAVE the internet on these laptops is because I paid for a wireless router and it broadcasts from my room. I'm going to have to change that password daily from now on and make sure that only my students sign on each day. I know it is ungracious but I'm getting sick of getting taken advantage of, and frankly this particular wireless internet connection is something that I paid for and have to work my ass off to keep up and running (there has been a lot of troubleshooting on my side plus teachers interrupting my class to come and help them figure out the internet in their room which they only have thanks to me - which they have not once acknowledged).
Not only that, the teachers actually get indignant and complain when the internet isn't working perfectly. They have the audacity to try and make me fix it for their class during my class' time. That and fix every computer glitch they have (This occurs at least once every 2 weeks and some weeks as often as a couple of times per day). There are two problems with this.
*Stop reading now if you don't want to hear a long rant about technology and my school, because right now? I'm seriously annoyed.*
I have been experimenting with our laptop lab, having 2 of my classes basically conduct their entire class on the laptops. I believe there are a myriad of benefits from conducting these small classes in this manner including the following:
- Students get experience taking notes and completing all their assignments on the computer. This is exactly how colleges conduct their courses now, and it will be even more true by the time these juniors get to college in just under two years. So if they are good at taking notes, completing outlines and drafts of papers and using the internet actively in class (while also dealing with the temptation to just check their emails, etc.) they will be far more prepared for the modern college classroom.
- Moving towards an almost paperless classroom. In my first and third periods we have become almost 100% paperless with students submitting assignments via email and me giving them their grades and feedback the same way.
- Students have become reinvigorated to complete assignments and then revise them. I have noticed better notetaking; an increase in the level of submitted work for feedback (since we can both have a copy of the work at the same time); and an increase in a few students overall grades. While this is not universal, it is a very promising start.
And then when I go to the classrooms that are asking for the laptops and I see what they are doing with them? They're having the kids do dopey research projects where I watch the majority of the kids cut and paste wikipedia pages into their 'research reports' and then watch as they get an A. There is no analysis, there is no thought, the kids don't even READ what they wrote! So pardon me if I get a little up-in-arms when they then "demand" that I return the hijacked laptops in their entirety so they can use them. I'm going to have to figure out how to get at least 5 laptops permanently housed in my classroom that have access to the internet.
AND THAT IS ANOTHER THING. The only reason they even HAVE the internet on these laptops is because I paid for a wireless router and it broadcasts from my room. I'm going to have to change that password daily from now on and make sure that only my students sign on each day. I know it is ungracious but I'm getting sick of getting taken advantage of, and frankly this particular wireless internet connection is something that I paid for and have to work my ass off to keep up and running (there has been a lot of troubleshooting on my side plus teachers interrupting my class to come and help them figure out the internet in their room which they only have thanks to me - which they have not once acknowledged).
Not only that, the teachers actually get indignant and complain when the internet isn't working perfectly. They have the audacity to try and make me fix it for their class during my class' time. That and fix every computer glitch they have (This occurs at least once every 2 weeks and some weeks as often as a couple of times per day). There are two problems with this.
- I am not very good at troubleshooting problems on Windows computers. Internet issues are easy enough but when it comes to getting the projectors to work I am at a loss.
- They ask me when my classes are in session and sometimes when I am at the front of the room actively teaching a lesson. As if my time, and more importantly, my students' time is somehow less important than theirs. If you want to use the technology troubleshoot it in advance and get it set up in advance. I'll help when I can but you're on my schedule. And if you don't like that? Well then tough, go help yourself.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Fire Alarm... Again
We don't have to leave apparently, but we do have to sit and listen to it go off. It is really high pitched and annoying and LOUD.
Please turn it off soon!!!! We can't actually conduct class in these conditions.
Please turn it off soon!!!! We can't actually conduct class in these conditions.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
The Meeting
So I had the meeting with Ms. Rhee and overall it was a positive experience. I was not as coherent and organized and positive as I might like but she seemed receptive to hearing about our problems and of the same mind that a leadership change would vastly improve virtually all of our problems. I gave her an agenda, made the case for the students and that I firmly believe we should have an Academy. I then primarily focused on our entire academy's lack of focus and the lack of effective leadership. Then she asked me some questions, I told her what I thought would help us and then we were done! It was kind of a whirl wind, which is why I'm worried I wasn't as coherent as I could have been. I was pretty nervous but once I got going it wasn't so bad.
She also put me in touch w/another person who was sitting in on our meeting and actually works in our building and is in charge of all the high schools. Basically they said that I could keep in touch w/him and meet regularly to discuss progress. So hopefully increased oversight will happen! So yeah, I should have maybe prepared exactly what I was going to say in what order a bit more (I had my agenda but hadn't necessarily run through it enough and planning exactly how I would phrase everything) but I think that overall it was a positive experience and I got my point across as much as could be expected.
I'm not exactly sure what concrete things will change soon, but she couldn't really make any promises and she said that the school is on her radar and she appreciates hearing about these problems. And frankly I understand her position. We are a very small academy at the moment, and we are relatively unproblematic compared to the larger schools. So I did not expect a team to immediately get sent in to fix things, but because it wouldn't take much to fix them I am going to currently believe that there is a possibility that we will get new leadership and that will make a huge difference.
What I do know for sure:
1) They aren't talking about closing us (at least not yet...)
2) They want us to increase enrollment
3) She said she hopes I stay at the Academy
4) I'm feeling invigorated to continue to fight the good fight and keep closely (hopefully not annoyingly) in touch with the official directly overseeing my director and seeing if some of my ideas can come to pass.
At least I'm trying both inside my classroom and out, that shows initiative and guts I would say and that can't be a bad thing in the long run. All in all this may be a chance for me to both show leadership potential and take on a more significant role in the future (let alone the chance that I could help effect real change - ok I know that is the best case scenario but that is the point right?). Who knows.
She also put me in touch w/another person who was sitting in on our meeting and actually works in our building and is in charge of all the high schools. Basically they said that I could keep in touch w/him and meet regularly to discuss progress. So hopefully increased oversight will happen! So yeah, I should have maybe prepared exactly what I was going to say in what order a bit more (I had my agenda but hadn't necessarily run through it enough and planning exactly how I would phrase everything) but I think that overall it was a positive experience and I got my point across as much as could be expected.
I'm not exactly sure what concrete things will change soon, but she couldn't really make any promises and she said that the school is on her radar and she appreciates hearing about these problems. And frankly I understand her position. We are a very small academy at the moment, and we are relatively unproblematic compared to the larger schools. So I did not expect a team to immediately get sent in to fix things, but because it wouldn't take much to fix them I am going to currently believe that there is a possibility that we will get new leadership and that will make a huge difference.
What I do know for sure:
1) They aren't talking about closing us (at least not yet...)
2) They want us to increase enrollment
3) She said she hopes I stay at the Academy
4) I'm feeling invigorated to continue to fight the good fight and keep closely (hopefully not annoyingly) in touch with the official directly overseeing my director and seeing if some of my ideas can come to pass.
At least I'm trying both inside my classroom and out, that shows initiative and guts I would say and that can't be a bad thing in the long run. All in all this may be a chance for me to both show leadership potential and take on a more significant role in the future (let alone the chance that I could help effect real change - ok I know that is the best case scenario but that is the point right?). Who knows.
Irony:
When teachers use copious amounts of paper, mass produced posters and other newly bought items (that undoubtedly came wrapped in plastic packaging) promoting 'going green'.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
A wee bit incensed
I don't mind sharing the technology that we have, so when a group of students come from the other social studies class next door to ask to use the laptops I motion them over to do it. But if I'm at the front of the room teaching a lesson, and they keep coming in and out, and then come in to interrupt my class to ask me to fix the internet (which they wouldn't even have access to if it weren't for me) I get a little p.o.'d
I'm not just mad at the students. If that teacher hadn't let them think it was ok to constantly come in and interrupt my classroom then they wouldn't be doing it, but since she doesn't ever actually teach, I don't think she realizes some of us actually do.
Plus they never actually do anything over there so the idea that they would be using the internet for anything other than surfing for private purposes is absurd.
I'm not just mad at the students. If that teacher hadn't let them think it was ok to constantly come in and interrupt my classroom then they wouldn't be doing it, but since she doesn't ever actually teach, I don't think she realizes some of us actually do.
Plus they never actually do anything over there so the idea that they would be using the internet for anything other than surfing for private purposes is absurd.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Interesting
This whole week practically the entire staff seems to be sucking up to me, or acting unusually nice.
Too bad. Too little, too late my friends.
YOU SHALL REAP WHAT YOU HATH SOWN (if I have any say in the matter)
- Teacher across the hall and I got into a cordial discussion about how crazy some of our boys are and mused on whether they will ever grow out of it. (she generally seems to huffy to talk to me)
- Teacher next door has been very nicely asking to use the laptops, returning them in a timely fashion, and then today offered me Chinese food (which I declined since I still harbor a fear that she's attempting to kill me. If her ineptness and lack of knowledge of social studies didn't do it, then maybe she's trying a more direct route)
- Young business teacher introduced me to some guy she's working on a project with, then tried to set me up with him. She has also been praising my efforts to help us 'go green' and has all of a sudden become very gung ho about the Going Green competition we're having
- Herr direktor has been giving me anything I want and going out of her way to praise me and what I do.
- The evil english teachers have been really nice to me and asking me to help them with things.
Too bad. Too little, too late my friends.
YOU SHALL REAP WHAT YOU HATH SOWN (if I have any say in the matter)
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Authentic as it gets
Well today my small Constitutional Law class and I were 20 people away from a life changing experience and were 'forced' to settle for a great experience.
Let me set the scene..
In March I took my students to see oral arguments for a Supreme Court case (Abuelhawa v United States). We didn't get to see the whole case being heard but we did catch the last 20 minutes and it was a lot of fun. The case was about whether or not someone should be charged with a felony for minor possession of a narcotic because they used a cell phone to facilitate it. What I noticed when we left was that even though we had gone through the background of the case, the students had a really hard time understanding what was going on when we were in the courtroom.
Taking this into consideration, and after reading an article in the Washington Post about a school in Virginia that did mock Supreme Court cases, I decided it would be fun to take an upcoming case from the Supreme Court and have the students be the lawyers and do all the leg work. So first I gave students brief summaries of the cases and then we picked one that interested them. The students picked the case Safford Unified School District v. Redding. This case was about a student who was strip searched when students were looking for illicit prescription drugs (in this case 400 mg prescription ibuprofen). The student says her Fourth Amendment rights were violated and she was traumatized by the experience, developed ulcers and had to leave the school. The school district basically says it was protecting their students and they need to maintain the right to do so. Once they had picked the case they were assigned to teams representing the two sides.
The first thing the students had to do was submit legal briefs. They worked together and performed research using only primary sources (the same sources that were used in the case) reading and citing previous legal decisions on the case (local, appellate and en banc), relevant Supreme Court decisions, and the sworn statements used in the case. While the final briefs were far shorter than the real thing, the students used legal terminology and made multiple outlines, drafts, and numerous revisions to come to their final product and gained experience using legal evidence and making strong arguments based solely on the law and interpretation of the law.
The students then had to present 'Oral Arguments'. First the students had to write a persuasive speech representing their side. This forced them to pick only the strongest arguments for their side and work on their persuasive writing and speaking skills. Then they had to present the speech in front of their peers.
The next step was to simulate what it would be like to be in front of the Supreme Court Justices (who get to interrupt you at any time and interrogate you mercilessly). Because our class is too small to have a set of Justices, I decided to arrange it as a debate, where they would get to question each other and force the other side to answer potentially damaging questions.
The culmination of this project was for us to go to the Supreme Court and hear the Oral Arguments for the very case we had been studying ourselves. The students picked a very popular case, and one that has gotten a reasonable amount of press (far more than the other case we attended though certainly not a landmark case). I decided we had to arrive at the Court early because seating is very limited and it is first come, first serve. I figured that if I arrived by 5:30 then my students arrived by 6:30 and we would be fine.
I arrived at the Court around 5:35 and to my dismay saw a huge group of people already waiting. I ended up being about the 70th person in line. My students arrived and were able to join me (with a little bickering behind me) and we patiently waited in the fairly cool/cold weather to see if we were going to get in. I was not very hopeful but my students jokingly 'kept the faith'. After lots of time in line, we received the final 'placeholder' issued by the police at #75. We kept waiting since we only got one for the six of us. At one point we were offered $100 for the placeholder (which in retrospect my students said we should have taken haha) by a supposed friend of one of the attorneys trying the case. Apparently the parents of one of the attorneys trying the case was actually behind us in line as well, clearly no special privileges were given to anyone.
In the end we were about 20 people away from getting a seat for the whole trial (and when there are only about 200 seats total 20 is a lot). I probably would have needed to get there at least an hour earlier and the students would have had to have been there with me to avoid a riot. So we didn't really have a shot since the fifth student arrived around 7 AM.
We then moved directly to the 5 minute rotation line and were the first group to go inside. We went in, put our things in the little lockers, heard 5 minutes of the case, and were then led out. While we only got to hear a tiny portion of the case my students did not come across as very disappointed and were animatedly talking all about the case as we left. I can only imagine what it would've been like for us to hear the whole thing if 5 minutes got them going.
Here are the highlights of what we did get to witness:
Case and point: 3 out of 5 students are now saying that they are seriously thinking about law school (when before none of them had any interest).
Let me set the scene..
In March I took my students to see oral arguments for a Supreme Court case (Abuelhawa v United States). We didn't get to see the whole case being heard but we did catch the last 20 minutes and it was a lot of fun. The case was about whether or not someone should be charged with a felony for minor possession of a narcotic because they used a cell phone to facilitate it. What I noticed when we left was that even though we had gone through the background of the case, the students had a really hard time understanding what was going on when we were in the courtroom.
Taking this into consideration, and after reading an article in the Washington Post about a school in Virginia that did mock Supreme Court cases, I decided it would be fun to take an upcoming case from the Supreme Court and have the students be the lawyers and do all the leg work. So first I gave students brief summaries of the cases and then we picked one that interested them. The students picked the case Safford Unified School District v. Redding. This case was about a student who was strip searched when students were looking for illicit prescription drugs (in this case 400 mg prescription ibuprofen). The student says her Fourth Amendment rights were violated and she was traumatized by the experience, developed ulcers and had to leave the school. The school district basically says it was protecting their students and they need to maintain the right to do so. Once they had picked the case they were assigned to teams representing the two sides.
The first thing the students had to do was submit legal briefs. They worked together and performed research using only primary sources (the same sources that were used in the case) reading and citing previous legal decisions on the case (local, appellate and en banc), relevant Supreme Court decisions, and the sworn statements used in the case. While the final briefs were far shorter than the real thing, the students used legal terminology and made multiple outlines, drafts, and numerous revisions to come to their final product and gained experience using legal evidence and making strong arguments based solely on the law and interpretation of the law.
The students then had to present 'Oral Arguments'. First the students had to write a persuasive speech representing their side. This forced them to pick only the strongest arguments for their side and work on their persuasive writing and speaking skills. Then they had to present the speech in front of their peers.
The next step was to simulate what it would be like to be in front of the Supreme Court Justices (who get to interrupt you at any time and interrogate you mercilessly). Because our class is too small to have a set of Justices, I decided to arrange it as a debate, where they would get to question each other and force the other side to answer potentially damaging questions.
The culmination of this project was for us to go to the Supreme Court and hear the Oral Arguments for the very case we had been studying ourselves. The students picked a very popular case, and one that has gotten a reasonable amount of press (far more than the other case we attended though certainly not a landmark case). I decided we had to arrive at the Court early because seating is very limited and it is first come, first serve. I figured that if I arrived by 5:30 then my students arrived by 6:30 and we would be fine.
I arrived at the Court around 5:35 and to my dismay saw a huge group of people already waiting. I ended up being about the 70th person in line. My students arrived and were able to join me (with a little bickering behind me) and we patiently waited in the fairly cool/cold weather to see if we were going to get in. I was not very hopeful but my students jokingly 'kept the faith'. After lots of time in line, we received the final 'placeholder' issued by the police at #75. We kept waiting since we only got one for the six of us. At one point we were offered $100 for the placeholder (which in retrospect my students said we should have taken haha) by a supposed friend of one of the attorneys trying the case. Apparently the parents of one of the attorneys trying the case was actually behind us in line as well, clearly no special privileges were given to anyone.
In the end we were about 20 people away from getting a seat for the whole trial (and when there are only about 200 seats total 20 is a lot). I probably would have needed to get there at least an hour earlier and the students would have had to have been there with me to avoid a riot. So we didn't really have a shot since the fifth student arrived around 7 AM.
We then moved directly to the 5 minute rotation line and were the first group to go inside. We went in, put our things in the little lockers, heard 5 minutes of the case, and were then led out. While we only got to hear a tiny portion of the case my students did not come across as very disappointed and were animatedly talking all about the case as we left. I can only imagine what it would've been like for us to hear the whole thing if 5 minutes got them going.
Here are the highlights of what we did get to witness:
- Safford Unified School District was presenting and was talking about how the school district had to be able to protect their students from illegally using prescription medications and that there had been a history of students getting sick and abusing these drugs.
- One of my students who represented Safford in our class was very excited that she heard the very argument she used in her paper used by the lawyer
- Ruth Bater Ginsburg began to pull Safford's case apart
- Another student who represented Redding was very excited that the Justices seemed to be very harsh on the Safford lawyer
Case and point: 3 out of 5 students are now saying that they are seriously thinking about law school (when before none of them had any interest).
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Mission Affirmed
A student randomly came up to me in the hall who hasn't had me as a teacher all this year and told me that she thinks I am one of the best teachers in the school on the grounds that she always sees me standing and walking around the room, that I always seem to be teaching, and that she remembers she learned a lot in my class last year.
While this was a very kind sentiment there is the dark flipside which is: if that is all it takes to be the best teacher in the school, then what aren't the other teachers doing?! I mean after she told me that she basically said "you aren't like those other teachers who always sit behind their desks and give out work in the first 5 minutes" and then pointed at a certain english teacher's classroom.
This just reaffirms the reason I have to talk to Ms. Rhee and try and work something out here. Our teachers are flat out lazy, and it is killing this school and making it a place that students don't want to be in. If I am the 'best' teacher (and while I think I do a good job and try pretty hard there is no way I should be considered a 'best,' especially since she had me last year when I was even worse than this year) that says way more about the other teachers then it does about me. So thank you my dear, you have convinced me that my cause is righteous and I will fight for you until I can't fight any more.
(Now what I have to do is see if I can get some students to fight for themselves. Admittedly it is hard when one does not know how to change people who have such authority.)
While this was a very kind sentiment there is the dark flipside which is: if that is all it takes to be the best teacher in the school, then what aren't the other teachers doing?! I mean after she told me that she basically said "you aren't like those other teachers who always sit behind their desks and give out work in the first 5 minutes" and then pointed at a certain english teacher's classroom.
This just reaffirms the reason I have to talk to Ms. Rhee and try and work something out here. Our teachers are flat out lazy, and it is killing this school and making it a place that students don't want to be in. If I am the 'best' teacher (and while I think I do a good job and try pretty hard there is no way I should be considered a 'best,' especially since she had me last year when I was even worse than this year) that says way more about the other teachers then it does about me. So thank you my dear, you have convinced me that my cause is righteous and I will fight for you until I can't fight any more.
(Now what I have to do is see if I can get some students to fight for themselves. Admittedly it is hard when one does not know how to change people who have such authority.)
Financial Anti-Literacy
I am just going to be taking some notes while this financial "literacy" "lesson" is going on.
- 9:15 - Carryout EVERY DAY is apparently a great way to save money. Who knew? Never mind the cost to your own bank account, the environment and your health. Who knew long term costs don't actually affect you (and that doesn't negate the fact that it is also a short term cost)?
- 9:45 - since when is POPEYE'S a wise financial decision?
- 10:22 - Keep it legal people. Keep it legal.
- 10:29 - Glossary = cheating
- 10:38 - Don't trust the internet. Espeically paying bills and online banking. (Ummm... new era lady)
- 10:48 - 2nd time we have brought up that you shouldn't bring a baby in when you ask for a loan. I mean ok, but twice? Really it needed saying twice?
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Beginning to lose it
Thank goodness we have a FOUR DAY WEEKEND that starts tomorrow!
Today I managed to wake up at 7:50 AM (2.5 hours later than normal) which already wasn't good since we're supposed to be at work by 8. So I called the director and informed her that I would be on time for class, but not any morning meetings. I got to school by 8:30 (I am that good). Kids were normal.
Then during 3rd period the fire alarm goes off - apparently a kid pulled it and an announcement was made for us to stay in the classrooms. So we sit in the classroom and continue to work, being blasted by this fire alarm for a good 20-30 minutes (or at least that is what it seemed like). It went off for a few minutes and then came back. I was really beginning to lose it when that happened, the sound is just so awful and it just keeps going and there is nothing you can do but sit there and try to survive the high pitched jarring sound.
Then about 15-20 minutes into 4th period the fire alarm goes off again! But this time the announcement tells us to evacuate. When we get outside I have to corral the students onto the basketball court, which is no easy feat, by threatening them with suspensions. I acutally ended up getting 100% of my students to not leave the school grounds. I then met up with some of the other teachers and we proceeded to find out that the banner wishing the 10th graders luck on the DC-CAS on the opposite side of the building from me (where I teach Saturday School) was lit on fire on both sides and there was also an even more severe closet fire somewhere near the gym. So 2 fires. We stayed outside in the sun until 3:15 when the kids were released. Also my fellow teacher (and rockstar) managed to pick up the fire marshal. Oh yeah, she's that good.
Anyways it is very difficult to get anything done when this keeps happening. I can't believe we are returning to this kind of insanity after holding it at bay for so long. Stupid spring, the minute the weather even looks like it is improving the kids go insane. Well actually that isn't quite fair, a few kids go insane and spoil it for the rest of us.
Today I managed to wake up at 7:50 AM (2.5 hours later than normal) which already wasn't good since we're supposed to be at work by 8. So I called the director and informed her that I would be on time for class, but not any morning meetings. I got to school by 8:30 (I am that good). Kids were normal.
Then during 3rd period the fire alarm goes off - apparently a kid pulled it and an announcement was made for us to stay in the classrooms. So we sit in the classroom and continue to work, being blasted by this fire alarm for a good 20-30 minutes (or at least that is what it seemed like). It went off for a few minutes and then came back. I was really beginning to lose it when that happened, the sound is just so awful and it just keeps going and there is nothing you can do but sit there and try to survive the high pitched jarring sound.
Then about 15-20 minutes into 4th period the fire alarm goes off again! But this time the announcement tells us to evacuate. When we get outside I have to corral the students onto the basketball court, which is no easy feat, by threatening them with suspensions. I acutally ended up getting 100% of my students to not leave the school grounds. I then met up with some of the other teachers and we proceeded to find out that the banner wishing the 10th graders luck on the DC-CAS on the opposite side of the building from me (where I teach Saturday School) was lit on fire on both sides and there was also an even more severe closet fire somewhere near the gym. So 2 fires. We stayed outside in the sun until 3:15 when the kids were released. Also my fellow teacher (and rockstar) managed to pick up the fire marshal. Oh yeah, she's that good.
Anyways it is very difficult to get anything done when this keeps happening. I can't believe we are returning to this kind of insanity after holding it at bay for so long. Stupid spring, the minute the weather even looks like it is improving the kids go insane. Well actually that isn't quite fair, a few kids go insane and spoil it for the rest of us.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Fire (?!) #2
Well we may have had a second fire, though we didn't smell anything and were only oustide for 20-30 min or so. It wasn't a drill, that much I do know. Rumors say that something happened in the gym. Fire trucks did come, we got out of the building much faster than normal and actually got the kids onto the basketball court. I forgot my jacket, and froze to death. We were having a debate team meeting... we don't have many left before the competition. We're back folks!!! Yay spring (that was sarcasm fyi)
Update 12:31 PM: Apparently there was a fire, and something looks black and you can smell smoke on the other side. It must have been easy to put out though since we weren't outside nearly as long and there wasn't water all over the floor. We really are back - the fire starters have reemerged after laying dormant for so long.
Update 12:31 PM: Apparently there was a fire, and something looks black and you can smell smoke on the other side. It must have been easy to put out though since we weren't outside nearly as long and there wasn't water all over the floor. We really are back - the fire starters have reemerged after laying dormant for so long.
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