Well, we've been in school now for about a month--or 23 days of actual school. It's amazing where my class is now from the beginning of those 23 days. They are more solid in our routines. Our transition times are better, they are showing signs of academic progress.
They are enthusiastic about learning and that's why I love teaching second graders. They get excited about new things, they'll work hard for a sticker, they come up and give you hugs, and can be taught independence. I think by mid October we'll be running like a well-oiled machine. That's when I can take a breath....and sit back and watch them do as they are expected.
My job is far from over, though. I have over a year's worth of curriculum to teach them in a year. The district has our daily, weekly and monthly curricula to be taught all laid out. It just doesn't account for the lack of hours in the day. We've already taken out anything that doesn't fit the CAP. (that's the document we all follow) It sounds great to have everything laid out like that, but it doesn't allow for any reteaching when the kids don't get it...or interruptions such as fire drills or assemblies--or God forbid, fun things! When those occur, you are behind. It just seems like you are always trying to catch up.
This document says that students are entitled to a "guaranteed and viable curriculum" by Jeffco. That means that you could walk into any 2nd grade class in the district and we should be teaching the same things in math, reading, writing, etc. This sounds good...but if you walk into any 2nd grade classroom across the district you will find very different situations in each. We are not all the same. Some have very impacted populations that need lots of intense interventions just to get them to the level they should have started at. Others may have students whom can move quickly through the curriculum. Usually, we have both ends of the spectrum and are expected to provide individual students with what they need. That is what we all want to do...hope to do. However, reality steps in--and you do the best you can with the resources you have.
It gets overwhelming. I don't know how new teachers do it. I've been around for 28 years--and I still feel overwhelmed at times. The meetings alone keep your schedule filled. We have staff meetings every Wednesday. Team meetings every week. Meetings with our coach twice a month, we have a book study we are doing and meet monthly for, we have professional development in writing every month. Those are just the planned ones. Then there are the meetings that just seem to pop up out of no where. (parents, or principal, etc.) With all of these meetings, it's amazing that we can get anything done in our classrooms at all. I guess that's why I'm there until 5 or 6pm most days.
It's this time of year I look longingly back at the summer, when my time was my own and the only meeting I had was with my bike on a long path. I'll keep plugging along, and it will get easier, I hope. Until then....if you can't reach me, I'm probably in a meeting.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
SUB TRAUMA!!
I rolled into my classroom on Wednesday with fear. I had heard the sub I had to get "wasn't that great." I knew it was true when I open the door to find trash strewn all over the floor, the chairs in disarray all over the room, things left laying around. I slowly looked around at the carnage. Then I went to the front of the room to where my desk was and saw a big pile of dog poop. Yes, that's right, I said dog poop. I got a sudden case of "sub trauma."
I don't usually get sick too often, but when I do, of course I want someone I trust to take my class. You can't always have that when it's last minute--you get what we refer to as "potluck." When I woke up on Monday I knew I didn't feel right, so I decided to go for the morning and get a sub for the afternoon. What I was going to do that morning was just easier to do myself that to try and explain it in sub plans. I had this sinking feeling I shouldn't be absent..the kids weren't ready.
Most people don't realize that when a teacher is absent for sickness or whatever reason--she still has to do lots of work to prepare for that absence. It's usually more trouble to plan for the sub than to just stay and teach. It's even harder to write sub plans when you are already sick. You can't just leave your plan book for them to follow. You have to write out everything so specific with every detail. You also have to find all of the papers and books and have them out and ready.
When I my fever crept up before it was time for the sub to come...I got permission from the principal to leave while I had someone cover my class. I had the plans all set for the afternoon, and the promise of help from teammates and colleagues if the sub needed it. I went home and slept. If I weren't so feverish...I would have worried.
Getting a sub this early in the year isn't good. The kids are still fragile in their routines. They sort of know what to do but still need a lot of support and reminders to keep them on track. The fact that I have an extra half a class this year doesn't help either. The kids weren't ready to have a sub....but boy, I didn't know how NOT ready they were until I rolled in on Wednesday morning.
Of course, I had a meeting that I had to immediately get to when I arrived. It was an hour long staff development. I asked my former teammate, Julie about the sub. She said, "She wasn't very good. I think she didn't have good control of the kids." I told her what I had found when I had come in.
When the meeting was over I went back to my class to deal with the mess. When I had more time to look I noticed that one of my book charts had a page torn out. In the meantime the custodian came in and cleaned up the dog poop. I found out later that was the result of the principal's son letting his dog loose in the school when she told him to keep him under control.
I looked at the white board in horror when I saw 5 pieces of my own store bought chart paper (that's like a sticky note) hanging there with scribbling and very little writing on them. She had used my $30 for 20 sheets pad for the kids. It is like gold to me and I only use it for anchor charts I make with the kids I'm going to keep up. I think my blood pressure rose!
I went to my desk to read her notes. She decided to "wing it" for reading and made me get well cards instead. Well, that's thoughtful and all--but she gave them all of our colorful writing paper in our writing center to make them. They each get 3 or 4 pieces of paper and went crazy with it. Several of the boys got into trouble but I don't know if there were any consequences as she seemed to let them run wild. Did she not know that we are in a crisis with our money and supplies at school? She must have thought we get these supplies from the office!! WRONG.....I buy most of my supplies now. I saw on her nicely printed sub card she was an art teacher. No wonder the cards were to most unusual I have received.
When the kids came in they were glad to see me. They were all wild. They seemed to have forgotten our routines. This sub had them for a day and a half and it felt like it was the beginning of the year. As the day went on I'd discover more and more that happened...the drinking fountain in our room was broken, math manipulates were a mess, the secretary had come down to my room and the kids were so loud and not in control. It seemed endless.
My fever began to creep up again. I thought, no way am I going to leave my class to anyone else! I managed to get through the day but had a doctor's appointment that evening. I was going to will myself back to health if I had to.
I had written an email to my principal asking this sub be put on the "do not call" list at our school. I addressed all of the reasons and she agreed to do it.
I was angry that this woman who was obviously NOT qualified to teach an elementary class (she probably taught high school art) would be able to take this job. Last year so many good teachers lost their jobs! Good teachers are out there subbing. She took the half day and then saw my post online and took it for the next day! How could this happen?? How could anyone leave a classroom in such disarray and feel good about the job they did?
I'm feeling better now thanks to some antibiotics. It's a good thing too, because after that SUB TRAUMA....I'd drag myself into school shaking and puking before I'd let a sub like that teach my class again!
I don't usually get sick too often, but when I do, of course I want someone I trust to take my class. You can't always have that when it's last minute--you get what we refer to as "potluck." When I woke up on Monday I knew I didn't feel right, so I decided to go for the morning and get a sub for the afternoon. What I was going to do that morning was just easier to do myself that to try and explain it in sub plans. I had this sinking feeling I shouldn't be absent..the kids weren't ready.
Most people don't realize that when a teacher is absent for sickness or whatever reason--she still has to do lots of work to prepare for that absence. It's usually more trouble to plan for the sub than to just stay and teach. It's even harder to write sub plans when you are already sick. You can't just leave your plan book for them to follow. You have to write out everything so specific with every detail. You also have to find all of the papers and books and have them out and ready.
When I my fever crept up before it was time for the sub to come...I got permission from the principal to leave while I had someone cover my class. I had the plans all set for the afternoon, and the promise of help from teammates and colleagues if the sub needed it. I went home and slept. If I weren't so feverish...I would have worried.
Getting a sub this early in the year isn't good. The kids are still fragile in their routines. They sort of know what to do but still need a lot of support and reminders to keep them on track. The fact that I have an extra half a class this year doesn't help either. The kids weren't ready to have a sub....but boy, I didn't know how NOT ready they were until I rolled in on Wednesday morning.
Of course, I had a meeting that I had to immediately get to when I arrived. It was an hour long staff development. I asked my former teammate, Julie about the sub. She said, "She wasn't very good. I think she didn't have good control of the kids." I told her what I had found when I had come in.
When the meeting was over I went back to my class to deal with the mess. When I had more time to look I noticed that one of my book charts had a page torn out. In the meantime the custodian came in and cleaned up the dog poop. I found out later that was the result of the principal's son letting his dog loose in the school when she told him to keep him under control.
I looked at the white board in horror when I saw 5 pieces of my own store bought chart paper (that's like a sticky note) hanging there with scribbling and very little writing on them. She had used my $30 for 20 sheets pad for the kids. It is like gold to me and I only use it for anchor charts I make with the kids I'm going to keep up. I think my blood pressure rose!
I went to my desk to read her notes. She decided to "wing it" for reading and made me get well cards instead. Well, that's thoughtful and all--but she gave them all of our colorful writing paper in our writing center to make them. They each get 3 or 4 pieces of paper and went crazy with it. Several of the boys got into trouble but I don't know if there were any consequences as she seemed to let them run wild. Did she not know that we are in a crisis with our money and supplies at school? She must have thought we get these supplies from the office!! WRONG.....I buy most of my supplies now. I saw on her nicely printed sub card she was an art teacher. No wonder the cards were to most unusual I have received.
When the kids came in they were glad to see me. They were all wild. They seemed to have forgotten our routines. This sub had them for a day and a half and it felt like it was the beginning of the year. As the day went on I'd discover more and more that happened...the drinking fountain in our room was broken, math manipulates were a mess, the secretary had come down to my room and the kids were so loud and not in control. It seemed endless.
My fever began to creep up again. I thought, no way am I going to leave my class to anyone else! I managed to get through the day but had a doctor's appointment that evening. I was going to will myself back to health if I had to.
I had written an email to my principal asking this sub be put on the "do not call" list at our school. I addressed all of the reasons and she agreed to do it.
I was angry that this woman who was obviously NOT qualified to teach an elementary class (she probably taught high school art) would be able to take this job. Last year so many good teachers lost their jobs! Good teachers are out there subbing. She took the half day and then saw my post online and took it for the next day! How could this happen?? How could anyone leave a classroom in such disarray and feel good about the job they did?
I'm feeling better now thanks to some antibiotics. It's a good thing too, because after that SUB TRAUMA....I'd drag myself into school shaking and puking before I'd let a sub like that teach my class again!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Love Labor Day
We're two weeks in and boy was I looking forward to Labor Day weekend. I remember the old days when that signaled the start of the new school year. Now we start so far into August--it seems like the summer is over way too fast.
Well, I survived a fire drill, two massive days of testing, scheduling changes, and then more changes, numerous meetings, antsy kids who think school is over at 2:00 instead of 3:30, Back to School Night and the principal popping in to check for my objectives on the board. (they were not)
We are slowly but surely getting up and running. The kids are starting to learn our routines--after repeating them 3 million times. (is that exaggeration??) There seems to be a nonstop "stream" of kids that need to go to the bathroom. Maybe they just need to get up and move around....or they just have very small bladders! They can't seem to figure out our bathroom passes, either.
Their "I'm on my best behavior" behavior of the first week of school has long gone. They are behaving the way they normally would--trying to rough house when it's time to get ready for home, playing around with grasshoppers during a fire drill, and forgetting to come in from recess when it's over. Nothing too unusual. They are kids. If they only knew how many times I have to suppress a laugh at some of the things they do. Many times I'll just make a joke of it--and hope they get it. If not, I'll have to say it in a non-joking way.
The day seems too long. Our school stamina still needs some work. I have them at the gathering place trying to discuss coins and their values--and I feel like no one is there. My mouth is moving, words are coming out--but they are going out into the atmosphere without being absorbed! I look into a sea of faces and they are all looking around and chatting with one another. I know that's the time when we need to stop. Unfortunately there is still another hour and a half of school left.
That's why we all needed this weekend. I have relaxed and even gotten some exercise in. Now we face a four day week, which doesn't sound bad. It's just that we try to get five days of learning into four. I am going to enjoy what is left of my three day weekend--and try not to think about the multitudes of things I need to do tomorrow.
Well, I survived a fire drill, two massive days of testing, scheduling changes, and then more changes, numerous meetings, antsy kids who think school is over at 2:00 instead of 3:30, Back to School Night and the principal popping in to check for my objectives on the board. (they were not)
We are slowly but surely getting up and running. The kids are starting to learn our routines--after repeating them 3 million times. (is that exaggeration??) There seems to be a nonstop "stream" of kids that need to go to the bathroom. Maybe they just need to get up and move around....or they just have very small bladders! They can't seem to figure out our bathroom passes, either.
Their "I'm on my best behavior" behavior of the first week of school has long gone. They are behaving the way they normally would--trying to rough house when it's time to get ready for home, playing around with grasshoppers during a fire drill, and forgetting to come in from recess when it's over. Nothing too unusual. They are kids. If they only knew how many times I have to suppress a laugh at some of the things they do. Many times I'll just make a joke of it--and hope they get it. If not, I'll have to say it in a non-joking way.
The day seems too long. Our school stamina still needs some work. I have them at the gathering place trying to discuss coins and their values--and I feel like no one is there. My mouth is moving, words are coming out--but they are going out into the atmosphere without being absorbed! I look into a sea of faces and they are all looking around and chatting with one another. I know that's the time when we need to stop. Unfortunately there is still another hour and a half of school left.
That's why we all needed this weekend. I have relaxed and even gotten some exercise in. Now we face a four day week, which doesn't sound bad. It's just that we try to get five days of learning into four. I am going to enjoy what is left of my three day weekend--and try not to think about the multitudes of things I need to do tomorrow.
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