The kids love being read to over and over and over and over and over and over again. ♥
Monday, March 8, 2010
Weird things heard in my classroom today
Me: Okay Lillian, you can get to your strip now.
(meaning she can go pick up her sentence strip and write her thesis statement on it)
Me again after Lillian laughs: Oops, that did not sound very good did it? You can pick up your sentence strip..there that's better! LOL Sorry about that!!
I'm going around checking the kids' thesis statements for their lit essays. Most of them are well written, as they are prepping for their l.e. rough drafts and this is step one. All is well until I come to Chankrifa.
Me: Krifa, are you ready for me to approve your statement?
Krifa: Yes...
Me reading aloud: Shining Moon must face many difficulties in her life, but learns that she can get through anything because she has her sheep by her side.
Me: So you're telling me that as long as I have sheep in my life, I'm going to be all good?
Krifa: hahahahaha No....hahahaha but that is what the character thinks!!
Me: Krifa--you need to revise this and avoid being so literal. I don't need sheep to live my life everyday, you don't either, and neither did Shining Moon. (kids around us are just dying laughing) So what do the sheep represent? Life? Dependability? Sustainability? Hope? Consistency? Hard Work? Love? (EVERYONE LAUGHS at the table)
Krifa: Ohhh Okay Ms. Fitz...I'll try again. :)
Me: Good...because if you're reading a book that is trying to tell you sheep will get you through difficult times in your life, I'm a bit worried. (She smiles BIG) I'll be back.
btw: her thesis statement was MUCH better when I returned a few min. later. ;)
Gotta love middle schoolers...at least they don't think my sarcasm is corny
(meaning she can go pick up her sentence strip and write her thesis statement on it)
Me again after Lillian laughs: Oops, that did not sound very good did it? You can pick up your sentence strip..there that's better! LOL Sorry about that!!
I'm going around checking the kids' thesis statements for their lit essays. Most of them are well written, as they are prepping for their l.e. rough drafts and this is step one. All is well until I come to Chankrifa.
Me: Krifa, are you ready for me to approve your statement?
Krifa: Yes...
Me reading aloud: Shining Moon must face many difficulties in her life, but learns that she can get through anything because she has her sheep by her side.
Me: So you're telling me that as long as I have sheep in my life, I'm going to be all good?
Krifa: hahahahaha No....hahahaha but that is what the character thinks!!
Me: Krifa--you need to revise this and avoid being so literal. I don't need sheep to live my life everyday, you don't either, and neither did Shining Moon. (kids around us are just dying laughing) So what do the sheep represent? Life? Dependability? Sustainability? Hope? Consistency? Hard Work? Love? (EVERYONE LAUGHS at the table)
Krifa: Ohhh Okay Ms. Fitz...I'll try again. :)
Me: Good...because if you're reading a book that is trying to tell you sheep will get you through difficult times in your life, I'm a bit worried. (She smiles BIG) I'll be back.
btw: her thesis statement was MUCH better when I returned a few min. later. ;)
Gotta love middle schoolers...at least they don't think my sarcasm is corny
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Update on School Related Stuff
We walked into school from the parking lot yesterday only to spot a local TV news van sitting across the street flagging down parents. They wanted to interview them asking what they thought of our failing school. Awesome. :(
I was part of a district-wide team who helped develop big ideas around our school's reform in order to write the grant that will be submitted to the state by the end of this week. It was an interesting process. We'll know by March 26 if we received the $$, how much, and start planning the intricate, detailed work.
Staff morale at our school is really low right now. We're all trying to get through this the best we can. Our Supt. is going to have recommitment conferences and ask each teacher/staff member if they are willing to recommit to the work ahead. Many are on the fence b/c we honestly don't know what the exact plans are that we are recommitting to. There is talk of PD being held this summer and summer school for incoming 6th graders. Will I be expected to commit to teaching that? I sure hope not. I have taught summer school for several summers and it was not very fun and totally burned me out by the time school started up again in Sept. :(
I think that if we receive the grant $, it will help us make some changes that need to be made. What scares me is how much work will lie ahead for us teachers. So many of us at my school already work REALLY hard. I don't know how much harder I can work. I don't want to be a Debi Downer before it even begins, but at the same time, I hope they are not expecting us to live at our school.
Changes that will be happening:
*extending the learning day (not sure how I feel about this yet)
*new evaluation system for teachers
*possible incentives/rewards for teachers who raise test scores (I am completely against this for a NUMBER of reasons) I would rather get incentives for continually doing a good job vs. raising scores on ONE test
*We will definitely be losing our principal and getting a new one.
I think it's good the federal gov't and state gov't want to help reform our schools, but the ways they are going about it are just not the right steps to take. I wish they would have asked some teachers about this before jumping to conclusions b/c this reform really makes the teachers look bad and take the biggest part of the blame more than anyone else. And that is NOT right.
This morning alone, I had SEVEN kids in my 1st period class who did not come with a pencil. SEVEN. Is it my job to give them a damn pencil everyday? No, I do not think so, considering I have given out more pencils this year than ANY other year I have taught and I have less kids this year than I did last year. I have 3 kids who show up late to class every morning b/c they have to walk their sibling to school. Because no adult is home to do it. I have 20 kids in my class who eat free and reduced lunch. I have 10 kids who didn't eat dinner with their family last night b/c their parents are working two jobs or don't care if they are out running around late all hours of the night. I have THREE kids who read at a 5th grade level. I have FOUR kids who are SPED, including one who is EBD. TWO more of my students show up late everyday b/c their parents tell them they can stay home if they don't want to go to school. I have ONE student who's mom is in a psych ward b/c she's ill and she had to move in with her dad, after moving around to FIVE different schools in the past 2 years. I have another student who's brother was shot at point blank range last year at the bowling alley down the street. Four of the girls have siblings who have had babies at a young age and two of those four have siblings who dropped out of high school. Yet all 26 of my kids deserve the best education I can give them, despite their obstacles. I want them to succeed and be the BEST they can be. I tell them everyday that they too can and will go to college--that they HAVE to if they want to compete in our ever-changing world. Yet, alone, I am expected to ensure that all of these kids pass tests. No Matter What. No one has taken the time to notice the positive changes and emotional growth many of my kids have made because that can't always be measured.
My questions for our government officials include: What is the parent responsibility in this reform? What is the student's responsibility? B/c if it's only a one-way street of improvement, I guarantee the system is going to be broken for a long time.
On a very positive note, last Friday, I found out one of my former honors students who is a senior this year, was accepted into Harvard University. :) Harvard. She is going to become a doctor studying infectious diseases. :) Her parents are immigrants here in the U.S. and she is an amazing, beautiful, young and intelligent African woman. I am SO proud of her and I guarantee, this young lady is going to be famous for her work in the medical field. :)
I was part of a district-wide team who helped develop big ideas around our school's reform in order to write the grant that will be submitted to the state by the end of this week. It was an interesting process. We'll know by March 26 if we received the $$, how much, and start planning the intricate, detailed work.
Staff morale at our school is really low right now. We're all trying to get through this the best we can. Our Supt. is going to have recommitment conferences and ask each teacher/staff member if they are willing to recommit to the work ahead. Many are on the fence b/c we honestly don't know what the exact plans are that we are recommitting to. There is talk of PD being held this summer and summer school for incoming 6th graders. Will I be expected to commit to teaching that? I sure hope not. I have taught summer school for several summers and it was not very fun and totally burned me out by the time school started up again in Sept. :(
I think that if we receive the grant $, it will help us make some changes that need to be made. What scares me is how much work will lie ahead for us teachers. So many of us at my school already work REALLY hard. I don't know how much harder I can work. I don't want to be a Debi Downer before it even begins, but at the same time, I hope they are not expecting us to live at our school.
Changes that will be happening:
*extending the learning day (not sure how I feel about this yet)
*new evaluation system for teachers
*possible incentives/rewards for teachers who raise test scores (I am completely against this for a NUMBER of reasons) I would rather get incentives for continually doing a good job vs. raising scores on ONE test
*We will definitely be losing our principal and getting a new one.
I think it's good the federal gov't and state gov't want to help reform our schools, but the ways they are going about it are just not the right steps to take. I wish they would have asked some teachers about this before jumping to conclusions b/c this reform really makes the teachers look bad and take the biggest part of the blame more than anyone else. And that is NOT right.
This morning alone, I had SEVEN kids in my 1st period class who did not come with a pencil. SEVEN. Is it my job to give them a damn pencil everyday? No, I do not think so, considering I have given out more pencils this year than ANY other year I have taught and I have less kids this year than I did last year. I have 3 kids who show up late to class every morning b/c they have to walk their sibling to school. Because no adult is home to do it. I have 20 kids in my class who eat free and reduced lunch. I have 10 kids who didn't eat dinner with their family last night b/c their parents are working two jobs or don't care if they are out running around late all hours of the night. I have THREE kids who read at a 5th grade level. I have FOUR kids who are SPED, including one who is EBD. TWO more of my students show up late everyday b/c their parents tell them they can stay home if they don't want to go to school. I have ONE student who's mom is in a psych ward b/c she's ill and she had to move in with her dad, after moving around to FIVE different schools in the past 2 years. I have another student who's brother was shot at point blank range last year at the bowling alley down the street. Four of the girls have siblings who have had babies at a young age and two of those four have siblings who dropped out of high school. Yet all 26 of my kids deserve the best education I can give them, despite their obstacles. I want them to succeed and be the BEST they can be. I tell them everyday that they too can and will go to college--that they HAVE to if they want to compete in our ever-changing world. Yet, alone, I am expected to ensure that all of these kids pass tests. No Matter What. No one has taken the time to notice the positive changes and emotional growth many of my kids have made because that can't always be measured.
My questions for our government officials include: What is the parent responsibility in this reform? What is the student's responsibility? B/c if it's only a one-way street of improvement, I guarantee the system is going to be broken for a long time.
On a very positive note, last Friday, I found out one of my former honors students who is a senior this year, was accepted into Harvard University. :) Harvard. She is going to become a doctor studying infectious diseases. :) Her parents are immigrants here in the U.S. and she is an amazing, beautiful, young and intelligent African woman. I am SO proud of her and I guarantee, this young lady is going to be famous for her work in the medical field. :)
Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!
haha, Brynn has learned to say this after she wins a game. Her favorite games include Cootie, Zingo, and Uno Moo. She is really into competing and WINNING. (I can't say I blame her, as I am pretty sure she gets her competitive side from her mother). Because she LOVES to play games, we play at least 3-4 nights a week after dinner--a new little family tradition we've started. Baylen has been sucked into the game playing, and has caught on a bit to Zingo and a Uno Moo, although he is still learning colors, he is a pro at matching. If he listens to the directions, he plays just fine.
Whenever we play Zingo, it's so funny to watch how fast Brynn's eyes light up and race to grab the card she needs to match her score card. She'll yell, "I need a cat!" and zooms right in and takes it. Sometimes she even tries to take it from Dj or I if we pick it up before she realizes she needs it! She also tries to cheat in the games like taking more Uno Moo animals, or in Cootie, she finds the number on the dice she needs and just sets it down instead of rolling it and proudly announces, "I got a THREE!, Look everyone!" haha Anything it takes to win, I guess. LOL Whenever she wins, she thinks it's the greatest thing ever, but once, I think Dj beat her and she was not happy about losing. We had to explain that you can't win every time, but she tends to forget that rule often.
Vacuum King
This kid loves to vacuum. He bought one a couple of weeks ago with his Christmas gift card. He is super excited about using it all of the time. :)
Looking back, this one is pretty short, so he'll outgrow it quickly. Luckily, Toys 'R Us has them in taller, more realistic looking models, so maybe he can get an upgrade at Christmas time. LOL
This is how his hair looks OFTEN when he wakes up in the a.m. or from a nap. Totally Kramer. He does need a haircut...I'm thinking about a buzz cut b/c it grows in so weird. Not long after he gets a cut, it looks so old man-ish. I don't know what to do to fix that problem.
Monday, March 1, 2010
haha keep your eyes closed...
The kids are really into playing games. Baylen will only play Uno Moo with us, and the rest of the games, he's too young to understand. Brynn loves playing gams and some of her favorites are Zingo and Cootie, along with Uno Moo. It is so funny to watch them try and cheat. The best part is that Baylen hasn't figured out the cheating thing yet, but he does try and follow directions the best he can. So when we tell him to shut his eyes and pick 5 animals out of the barn, this is what it looks like, no joke! hahahahaaaaaaa (this picture is an action shot, totally NOT posed). We just crack up laughing EVERY time he draws. Soooo funny!
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