Midpoint Review: Day 90

We’re halfway through the school year. Looking back over this blog, this is not how I wanted this year to go. It has been a disappointment from Day 1. I knew this year might be somewhat of a letdown after having my best class ever last year, but to go from best to worst has [...]

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The only phone call you WANT to get @5 a.m.

Ring, ring, ring
Me: Hello?
Grade Partner: Institutrice? We’re off.
Me: The whole day?
GP: Yup.
Me: Woo-hoo!
Click.
Back to sleep!

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Greetings from the Nit-Picker

Problem Child #1’s father has decided I nit-pick at his kid, and that the things PC#1 gets warnings for are stupid. I’m sorry, but since when is arguing with the teacher, making fun of kids, throwing things at kids, not doing work, not following 80 day-old procedures (for all 80 days), being totally disrespectful to [...]

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Time Card 1/19 to 1/25

Monday: school holiday for MLK Jr’s b-day, and I spent 7.25 hours grading tests!!!
Tuesday: 9H 40
Wednesday: 10H 10
Thursday: 9H 40
Friday: 8H 40
Weekend: nothing, again
Total: 45H 25

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Sick Again

Last weekend: started getting a stuffy nose
Monday: full-blown sinus infection trying to move into my chest
Tuesday: made the kids disinfect their hands with hand sanitizer as soon as they walked in the door; they laughed until they heard my voice
Wednesday: made the kids clean their desktops and chairs with Clorox wipes (since the custodian in [...]

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George Bush Elementary

While watching the pre-Inaugural festivities during library this morning, a boy turned to me and asked, “Is there a school named after George Bush?” My first reaction was to blurt out “no” and shake my head. (I really wanted to shout, “God, no!!!”)
A split second later I busted out laughing at the thought of the [...]

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We don’t need no spelling program!

We’ve been told the past two years not to teach Spelling, like it’s not important. Then, this group of kids had the same teacher for first and second grade (looping), both of whom refused to teach the district-mandated phonics program. Hence the spelling on the reading tests I am grading:
* bred
* chese
* peaces
* atension (attention, [...]

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Time Card 1/12 to 1/18

Monday: 9H 10
Tuesday: 10H 40 – first Reading Olympics meeting
Wednesday: 9H 40
Thursday: 9H 10
Friday: 7H 50 – plus our first staff volleyball game, pure fun and *great* stress relief!!!
Weekend: NONE – I had a lot of work to do and zero motivation; this class is draining, and I’m ready for this year to be OVER [...]

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Signs of Chronic Stress

Remember how my ears started ringing back in November? I blamed it on listening to my loud and obnoxious students for six hours a day. But then I noticed it was still there in the morning, and even after a few days away from them. Turns out ringing in the ears is a sign of [...]

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Battle of the Birds

As you know, I lived and taught in Phoenix, Arizona for a decade. I always remained a Philly fan, but I did attend games and root for Phx teams (unless they were playing my Flyers, Eagles and then Phillies once we got the D-Backs). Phoenix comes up in conversations more often than you’d think (after [...]

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