Pictures of Hollis Woods

Don’t you think this book would make a great movie?  Especially with all of the flashbacks?  I love the way the story unfolds, and all of the foreshadowing.  (I still remember learning about that in the fifth grade; I’ve tried showing it to my fifth graders and they don’t get it.  Hmmm.) 
I don’t know why the [...]

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Time Card 12/22 to 12/28

Only one and a half days of actual work this week, thank God.  I can’t take much more of this class, and there are still over 100 days left!  Eeeek!
Monday 12/22: 10H 10
Tuesday 12/23:  half day: 7H 10 (cleaning up the room and schlepping stuff to my car, including 3 bags full of gifts that I surely [...]

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Rest & Relaxation

I can’t even describe how nice it is to not have to worry about getting ready for school tomorrow. Around 3 o’clock I got a twinge, that panicky feeling about what I needed to get done. And then I remembered – no school! So I went back to reading my book.
That’s not to say [...]

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“The Giver” as Teacher

I’m reading The Giver, and through the development of Jonas’ gift, I realized how sad it was the the others have no feelings or memories.  Actually, at first, I was incredulous that they couldn’t see in color, which is when I stopped thinking of it as Brave New World and more like Pleasantville.  After Jonas [...]

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Last-Minute Christmas Wish

Dear Santa,
I’ve been a very good girl this year. I work very hard at my job, but I don’t like it very much anymore. A wonderful present would be if my students listen and behave when we go back to school in January. If that’s too much to ask, maybe you can find me [...]

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Time Card 12/15 to 12/21

Monday 12/15: 8H 50 including monthly union meeting
Tuesday 12/16: 8H 25
Wednesday 12/17: 10H 05
Thursday 12/18: 9H
Friday 12/19: 8H 35
Sunday 12/21: 10 minutes making up questions for a math test – we got math experts in each building last year, and even though they had a year to redo the tests, they didn’t, so I’m doing [...]

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learn from your mistakes

No Holiday Party this year. 
I told my class last week there would not be a Christmas party.  We would still do the “stocking stuffer” (in lieu of a polyanna gift exchange), but we would not have food or stop to play games. Then they were good on Friday.  Monday morning I told them if they were [...]

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Secretary of Education

President-Elect Obama’s pick for the new Secretary Education, Arne Duncan, can’t possibly be any worse than Margaret Spellings, who had no experience as a teacher, principal or educational administrator. Her official White House biography (ed.gov) says she was chosen as Secretary of Education because she was Governor Bush’s top advisor in Texas for six years. [...]

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Stay with the group!

Two students were straggling behind the class on the way to lunch Thursday, and I reflexively blurted out, “You need to stay with the group!” I started laughing – as I’m trying to reprimand these two boys – because it reminded me of what happened on our field trip to Philadelphia last December.
Here is the [...]

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Imbibe Much?

Setting: Middle hallway, on the way to lunch. Students are in a pretty straight, mostly quiet line since they had just sat quietly for a minute and fifteen seconds after getting ready for lunch because they owed it for making me wait when I asked for their attention earlier this morning. The Title I teacher, [...]

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