I’m sorry, really I am, but I feel like all I do this year is rage against the machine. And nothing changes. So again I ask, who’s insane: me or the kids/parents/administration/machine?
Why is it too much to ask a kid to use a pencil for math, or to sit on a chair correctly, or to [...]
Archive for May, 2009
Another Rant
Posted in Philosophy 101, Time Out!, tagged behavior, discipline, education, following directions, kids, procedures, routines, teaching on May 30, 2009 | 10 Comments »
Last week, on Institutrice…
Posted in Faculty Lounge, Family Studies, Time Out!, tagged behavior, discipline, education, elementary school, kids, parents, teaching on May 29, 2009 | 3 Comments »
Random events this week:
Fashionista barged in my room on Thursday and shouted, “I hate my class!!!” I cringed and made an ix-nay kind of “zip it!” hand motion. I motioned her over and whispered, “Please don’t say that, because then they go home and tell their parents I said that!” She replied in [...]
National Spelling Bee
Posted in Recess, Reflective Teaching, Time Out!, tagged curriculum, education, Scripps National Spelling Bee, spelling, spelling bee, teaching on May 28, 2009 | 4 Comments »
I wish I had known the Scripps Spelling Bee was on tonight so I could have told my students to watch. It would have been especially fitting today as Do-No-Thing2 couldn’t even spell “friend”. It would blow their minds to see words like “passacaglia”. These students are asking for the language of origin to help [...]
Dear Diary
Posted in Time Out!, tagged behavior, discipline, education, kids, parents, teaching on May 28, 2009 | 2 Comments »
Miss America had a meltdown today. Usually she is sweet as pie, but every once in a while she cops an attitude that rivals any Bridezilla. It started after lunch when I told her not to talk back to the 5th grade Aide, and later she didn’t like it when I corrected her [...]
Oh, no he didn’t…
Posted in Faculty Lounge, Time Out!, tagged coworkers, education, elementary school, kids, puberty, teaching on May 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Today they got The Talk. Girls came to my room, and boys went down the hall. My boys had been rowdy when they lined up in the room so I made them sit down and try again. Once they got in the hall, the line turned into a blob and got loud again. They only [...]
The Strappy Sandal: Are You In or Are You Out?
Posted in Faculty Lounge, Poli Sci, tagged Birkenstocks, bosses, coworkers, dress code, education, feet, flip flops, pedicure, professionalism, sandals, teaching, toes on May 27, 2009 | 7 Comments »
Summer is upon us once again, and so returns the summer sandal. But its cousin, the flip flop, tags along with its fraternal twin, the strappy sandal. Sandals are permitted, but flip flops are not. What about the strappy sandal?
I say no to strappy sandals. I think they’re totally cute, but they don’t belong at [...]
Time Card 5/18 to 5/24
Posted in Time Card, tagged education, teaching, work on May 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Monday: What a long day! Right after school I had a monthly union meeting, then right after that a presentation on the responsibilities of being a rep, which lasted long enough that I had to go from there right to the school board meeting for Reading Olympics. 11H 45
Tuesday: workshop day: 7H 45
Wednesday: 7H 55
Thursday: [...]
Generation Me
Posted in Library, tagged teaching, behavior, rewards, kids, education, Generation Me, Jean Twenge, The Narcissism Epidemic, princess, Disney, Disney Princesses, narcissism, fairy tales, GenMe, consequences on May 24, 2009 | 3 Comments »
I stumbled across an article at MSNBC.com about Princess Fever. It talks about how little girls are becoming (becoming? How about ‘are’) obsessed with princesses and fairy tales, and how this is not a good thing. The author says how imaginative play is good for kids, but boys playing at Super Hero is not affecting [...]
Field Day Fun
Posted in Recess, Time Out!, tagged behavior, consequences, discipline, elementary school, Field Day, rewards, teaching on May 22, 2009 | 5 Comments »
I’m less sunburnt than I expected, but more tired. It was a good day. The weather was perfect, and the kids were awesome.
For lo and behold, a behavior miracle occurred for the second time in two weeks! I had told them 2.5 weeks ago that they would lose 5 minutes of Field Day for [...]
Primary Field Day
Posted in Recess, Reflective Teaching, Time Out!, tagged behavior, education, elementary school, Field Day, teaching on May 21, 2009 | 4 Comments »
‘Twas the day before Field Day
And all through the back hall,
Students stared out the window
Not paying any attention at all.
With all the screaming and cheering,
Teachers didn’t have a chance.
With every thump of the stereo blasting,
In their seats the kids would dance.
It’s Primary Field Day!
The little ones have a ball,
But upper-grade teachers
Bang their heads [...]
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