Where is one place you would not like to go?
I would not like to go to my aunt's house because she is so picky with her stuff she dose'nt like anyone but grownups in her front room and that's what I call picky.
Monday, December 17, 2007
What would you do if you were chast by a strang men.
"If I was chast by a strange men I would do what my mom told me to do if a men of any kind tries to snach me up she told me to first, scream to the top of my lungs. Next, run ase fast as I can. then if he get a whole of me to bite his hand take my two finger and poke him in the eye's kick him in the unneasasery plays and than run untile I get far away as possible from him."
Amen.
Amen.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
I almost forgot...
The last few weeks have been so hectic, and I was so busy breathing, that I almost forgot to believe. Being a year round school, we let out for Christmas break tomorrow (!!) and get a full three weeks plus one day off! (Hooray!)
I have never in my life felt like I needed a break so badly.
In honor of the believing part, however, I would like to make a list of successes (small as they may be).
1) My students can now work in groups. (not always quietly, not always effectively, but still...)
2) We can remember that and is spelled a-n-d, not i-n about 50% percent of the time.
3) We can restate prompts as topic sentences.
4) We rarely say shut up, and we apologize immediately when we do.
5) Usually, we save our curse words for outside the classroom door (although today there were at least five slip ups-- it was a bad day, but there WERE some pretty creative combinations of words)
6) We are getting better at remembering to raise our hands.
7) Most of us are improving at our multiplication tables.
Hooray for small victories.
In honor of laughter and all things cheery, I'd like to share a piece of contraband student writing. All spellings are (sic)
"My Friend ______________ she gave me a neckle I bought her a pickle. the pickle was sour. she gave me a flower. I hite her in the head with a peace of corn bread she was died."
Um, yeah.
I have never in my life felt like I needed a break so badly.
In honor of the believing part, however, I would like to make a list of successes (small as they may be).
1) My students can now work in groups. (not always quietly, not always effectively, but still...)
2) We can remember that and is spelled a-n-d, not i-n about 50% percent of the time.
3) We can restate prompts as topic sentences.
4) We rarely say shut up, and we apologize immediately when we do.
5) Usually, we save our curse words for outside the classroom door (although today there were at least five slip ups-- it was a bad day, but there WERE some pretty creative combinations of words)
6) We are getting better at remembering to raise our hands.
7) Most of us are improving at our multiplication tables.
Hooray for small victories.
In honor of laughter and all things cheery, I'd like to share a piece of contraband student writing. All spellings are (sic)
"My Friend ______________ she gave me a neckle I bought her a pickle. the pickle was sour. she gave me a flower. I hite her in the head with a peace of corn bread she was died."
Um, yeah.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
man, girls be messin everything up!
Ah, the sweet, sweet sound of abstinence class...
I don't mean to offend any of my more... conservative... readers. We already know I am, well, not, so we know we'll disagree. Let's get over it.
I find the whole idea of teaching students who are knee deep in the trenches of sex that abstinence is the only answer to be absurd. I wholeheartedly agree that my students should understand that implications of sex. I think they should know that the consequences of sex will obscure their dreams, stymie their ambitions, and obfuscate their hopes of being an NBA star, an MLB player, or Chris Brown's wife. I think they should know that syphilis, AIDS, and gonorrhea will make their lives a living hell. I think they should know what my infinitely wise doctor sister once said: "there are some really pretty boys with herpes...". I think they should understand what pregnancy really means. I think they should be educated about the social, emotional, and metal pressures and consequences of sex. I think they should know the meaning of the words penis, vagina, ejaculate, sex, condom, and orgasm and be able to say them all with a straight face. I think they should not have sex.
But they do.
And they will.
And I think it is our job as educators to EDUCATE.
Not only to educate about what we believe to be the best choice, or the morally correct choice, but to educate about all the choices. If we are saying (as we do every day) "you are old enough to do this" and "you are at the point where you need to start being responsible for your decisions", then we need to admit that
a) my 6th grade students are at the place in their lives where they have been, are, or will soon be faced with the pressure to have, discuss, and think about sex.
b) if we don't give them the information they need, they WILL get it from somewhere and someone else (and you probably don't want to know the details of that!)
I believe that it is our obligation to give our children the information they need to make informed and responsible decisions. It is important that we are honest with ourselves about the situations they face and the fact that they need to be able to make the best decision for the situation that they are in. If my students are going to have sex (and they probably will, within the next few years), then I want them to know that although it may not be the best choice they may ever make, that they can make it safely.
So...
Bring on our bodies ourselves.
Talk openly about your feelings and your needs.
Think about the implication of your decisions.
Keep a condom in your purse.
Know how to say no if you mean it, and stop if you want to.
Take your birth control regularly.
Know that abstinence is the only real protection.
Find other things that make you feel fulfilled.
Never forget that it's your body, your decision, and your right to choose who you are today,
tomorrow, and next month (even if those aren't the same person)
and please, please... retain a bit of your embarassment (it means you aren't totally comfortable). Here's a snippet from today's class (in addition to the quote in the title):
teacher (not me): So how exactly do you get pregnant?
*giggles all around*
student 1: sex
student 2: UNPROTECTED sex
student 3: Aw no. I can't tell him THAT. Aw, no. Not with Ms. K. around. Shut your ears. Cover your ears, Ms. K. Aw, no!
I don't mean to offend any of my more... conservative... readers. We already know I am, well, not, so we know we'll disagree. Let's get over it.
I find the whole idea of teaching students who are knee deep in the trenches of sex that abstinence is the only answer to be absurd. I wholeheartedly agree that my students should understand that implications of sex. I think they should know that the consequences of sex will obscure their dreams, stymie their ambitions, and obfuscate their hopes of being an NBA star, an MLB player, or Chris Brown's wife. I think they should know that syphilis, AIDS, and gonorrhea will make their lives a living hell. I think they should know what my infinitely wise doctor sister once said: "there are some really pretty boys with herpes...". I think they should understand what pregnancy really means. I think they should be educated about the social, emotional, and metal pressures and consequences of sex. I think they should know the meaning of the words penis, vagina, ejaculate, sex, condom, and orgasm and be able to say them all with a straight face. I think they should not have sex.
But they do.
And they will.
And I think it is our job as educators to EDUCATE.
Not only to educate about what we believe to be the best choice, or the morally correct choice, but to educate about all the choices. If we are saying (as we do every day) "you are old enough to do this" and "you are at the point where you need to start being responsible for your decisions", then we need to admit that
a) my 6th grade students are at the place in their lives where they have been, are, or will soon be faced with the pressure to have, discuss, and think about sex.
b) if we don't give them the information they need, they WILL get it from somewhere and someone else (and you probably don't want to know the details of that!)
I believe that it is our obligation to give our children the information they need to make informed and responsible decisions. It is important that we are honest with ourselves about the situations they face and the fact that they need to be able to make the best decision for the situation that they are in. If my students are going to have sex (and they probably will, within the next few years), then I want them to know that although it may not be the best choice they may ever make, that they can make it safely.
So...
Bring on our bodies ourselves.
Talk openly about your feelings and your needs.
Think about the implication of your decisions.
Keep a condom in your purse.
Know how to say no if you mean it, and stop if you want to.
Take your birth control regularly.
Know that abstinence is the only real protection.
Find other things that make you feel fulfilled.
Never forget that it's your body, your decision, and your right to choose who you are today,
tomorrow, and next month (even if those aren't the same person)
and please, please... retain a bit of your embarassment (it means you aren't totally comfortable). Here's a snippet from today's class (in addition to the quote in the title):
teacher (not me): So how exactly do you get pregnant?
*giggles all around*
student 1: sex
student 2: UNPROTECTED sex
student 3: Aw no. I can't tell him THAT. Aw, no. Not with Ms. K. around. Shut your ears. Cover your ears, Ms. K. Aw, no!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
yo habla espanol
Please explain to me why one of my students' science papers had one (correct) answer written neatly among the others.... in perfect Spanish.
He doesn't speak Spanish.
And yet there it was--
translation: a physical property is something that can be observed without changing the object, like color, size, and shape.
weird.
He doesn't speak Spanish.
And yet there it was--
translation: a physical property is something that can be observed without changing the object, like color, size, and shape.
weird.
Friday, October 26, 2007
i think it's taken over my life...
My life has always been education. It runs deep in my veins. My mom is a teacher. My dad is a teacher. My step-mom is a teacher. My step-dad is a teacher. I am a teacher. I long expected teaching to take over my life-- it's almost as if I have no choice-- I have never wanted to be anything else, and despite my difficulties this year, I am not happy doing anything else.
But I never, I repeat, NEVER, gave education permission to take over my apartment. There are teacher's editions on my dining room table, discipline books on my coffee table, supplemental materials on my study floor, lesson plans on my desk, school dates on my calendar, ungraded papers on my bedroom floor, and versa-tiles mixed in with my scrabble and boggle games.
I have come the decision that I need a school office. With a door. A door that shuts and locks. A door that can contain the multitude of THINGS that come along with being a teacher. I am thinking of buying next year (a grown-up step), and I have decided that an office with a door is an non-negotiable.
I know I can not block out the thoughts that come pouring out without cease-- discipline plans while I eat, science activities while I shower, math enrichment ideas while I put cream cheese on my bagel, but at least, at LEAST (hopefully) I can keep all the crap in one room and shut the door.
But I never, I repeat, NEVER, gave education permission to take over my apartment. There are teacher's editions on my dining room table, discipline books on my coffee table, supplemental materials on my study floor, lesson plans on my desk, school dates on my calendar, ungraded papers on my bedroom floor, and versa-tiles mixed in with my scrabble and boggle games.
I have come the decision that I need a school office. With a door. A door that shuts and locks. A door that can contain the multitude of THINGS that come along with being a teacher. I am thinking of buying next year (a grown-up step), and I have decided that an office with a door is an non-negotiable.
I know I can not block out the thoughts that come pouring out without cease-- discipline plans while I eat, science activities while I shower, math enrichment ideas while I put cream cheese on my bagel, but at least, at LEAST (hopefully) I can keep all the crap in one room and shut the door.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Victory is mine!
I had a sub today. A sub that came one and a half hours late so I could show up one hour late to a three hour PD that was worth about 15 seconds of my time. (on the plus side, I graded papers straight through the PD and actually got a lot of work done in the afternoon)
Meanwhile, in room 309...
My children were hooligans. By hooligans I mean out of their seat, not doing their work, yelling and screaming and (wait for it...) standing on desks, dancing, and jumping off HOOLIGANS. Which actually makes me laugh. Not in a happy way, but because my brain immediately responded to this with "well, at least they don't do THAT for you". Victory is mine. I walked into the room, said nothing, and the hooligans shut their mouths, stopped running around, and immediately returned to their desks. That, my friends, is a small victory.
I would, however, like to take a moment to rant. There are so many things I would like to rant about that it is hard to choose one, but choose I must, and choose I will. I hate that there is no community in my school. I feel like the teachers try (to come extent) to create one, but that the administration really does not support those efforts, and that without that community, the school is a lost cause. How can you support students fully when the staff is not being supported? How can there be growth across grade levels when there is no communication?
Any suggestions?
Meanwhile, in room 309...
My children were hooligans. By hooligans I mean out of their seat, not doing their work, yelling and screaming and (wait for it...) standing on desks, dancing, and jumping off HOOLIGANS. Which actually makes me laugh. Not in a happy way, but because my brain immediately responded to this with "well, at least they don't do THAT for you". Victory is mine. I walked into the room, said nothing, and the hooligans shut their mouths, stopped running around, and immediately returned to their desks. That, my friends, is a small victory.
I would, however, like to take a moment to rant. There are so many things I would like to rant about that it is hard to choose one, but choose I must, and choose I will. I hate that there is no community in my school. I feel like the teachers try (to come extent) to create one, but that the administration really does not support those efforts, and that without that community, the school is a lost cause. How can you support students fully when the staff is not being supported? How can there be growth across grade levels when there is no communication?
Any suggestions?
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