Doh or Duh?

Here's a very interesting study about the effects of the Texas Accountability system.

Props to the DMN-I still miss Times Herald though.

A worthy blog from a crappy newspaper.

Prime Time Wishes

Received this from our Office Manager today. This woman is so nice. Don't you wish that it really was a series.

Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped in a high school classroom for one school year and will be provided with a copy of his/her school district's curriculum, a plan book, a key, and a class of 28-32 students. Each class will have a minimum of five learning-disabled children, three with ADD, one gifted child, and two who speak limited English. Three students will be labeled with severe behavior problems.Each business person must complete lesson plans at least 3 days in advance with annotations for curriculum objectives and modify, organize, or create materials accordingly and will be required to teach students, handle misconduct, implement technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences and must stand in their doorway between class changes to monitor the hallways plus other duties as assigned by the district, the principal, and the assistant principals. They must attend workshops, faculty meetings, department meetings, campus and off-site staff development, and attend curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor students who are behind and strive to get their two non-English speaking children proficient enough to take TX tests. Each day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into the program, maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment to motivate students at all times but, if all students do not wish to cooperate, work, or learn, the teacher will be held responsible.There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and lunch will be limited to thirty minutes. They will be permitted to use a student restroom as long as another "survivor" candidate can supervise their class. If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials before or after school. They must continually advance their education--at their own expense and on their own time.
P. S. So far, the Survivor show has received no applications for the upcoming season.

One thing

It's not that I haven't had a lot on my mind to write about, it's just that I can't seem to come up with decent conclusions for my posts. I therefore have a huge plethora of posts waiting in limbo like ripening literary fruit. One thing though that I must report. Something I never imagined saying to my principal: One of my 9th grade boys tried to get into a brawl with my 7 months pregnant student today. Sigh. I'd bet money that the pregnant student could have taken him though.

Arc-en-Ciel: I'll never taste the rainbow again

Change is more psychologically difficult to deal with than many people give it credit. Major life events such as a death in the family, a new job or the birth of a child bring new dynamics into even the most mundane everyday routines. They have been easier for me to deal with because they're so undeniable that you have to know that your life is changed from here out. It's the little changes in routines that give me the most trouble. These little routines provide comfort, stability and keep me sane. Even something small like a road closing forcing a new route to work throws me off. While the brain easily processes the new driving time and direction, I am somehow unsettled and not comfortable in the journey. This major life statement having been made, I am now keening my loss of my favorite Dim Sum restaurant. Arc-en-ciel made me feel cool, urbane and hip and allowed me to stuff myself silly with delicious little dumplings and sticky rice. Every time I drive by the shuttered windows, I sigh in sadness. I am left with a hole in my psyche and my tummy. My favorite restaurant is no more. Next thing you know, they'll be getting rid of Muchacos at Taco Bueno. The horror.

Looking for the magic

I've spent the past week frantically getting grades together to finish out my first semester as a high school teacher. I've also been evaluating the highs and lows of my classroom and the pros/cons of my new school. If I could sum it all up, it comes down to the fact that if I could have quit this semester, I would have. I think so much of my stress and angst could have been handled if I had been assigned an effective mentor. It's not like I didn't go ask for help when I needed something but having someone there to help me evaluate myself and to just figure out who to go to for little issues would have definitely made me feel less isolated. The little email reminders that new teachers received to remind them to ask their mentors first certainly didn't help. It's hard to ask someone scurrying past your door trying to avoid eye contact. My horrible 6th period has been observed three times by our Academic Coordinator and her only suggestion to help with it involved telling me how much she hated one of her classes last year. Veteran teachers tell me to stick it out until I can get Pre-AP classes or can teach a higher grade level. But where does that leave the 9th graders if the experienced teachers always run away as quick as possible? We are all hidden away on the third floor with the rest of the building sighing with relief that they don't have to deal with the Freshmen. Are classes of thirty five with at least 25% inclusions students really expected to meet the needs of students? The Pre-AP classes are running even larger w/o SPED kids of course. On the flip side, I work with some very dedicated professionals. Not that we meet to plan or collaborate but I like what I see when I pass their classroom doors. On the up side, my room is always clean and the our head Custodian is absolutely amazing. I have an up-to- date laptop station with a helpful librarian yet have spent more on classroom supplies from my own pocket than I ever have before. I feel like Peter Pan begging for people to clap for Tinker Bell. I know people are out there but the magic is fading. Is teaching 9th grade always like this?

Sorry Virginia.....

My Christmas story begins way back in February as I braved traffic jams from Richardson all the way through Allen three times a week as HOV lanes were constructed to improve Central Expressway/75. Not just any old HOV lane but a special HOV lane with what looks like miles of picket fence w/o the crossbar. Using my amazing powers of foresight I came to a quick opinion and prediction. Boy, that's stupid, how many of those pickets are going to get blasted to Kingdom-come every day and who will be stupid enough to get stuck in a lane where you are basically trapped in case of an accident or breakdown. My Christmas story picks up the Friday before Christmas as the 100 Farmers family attempted to leave on our trip to Grandmother's house across the Red River, over the Arbuckle Mountains, through the Ouachita Forest and into Stillwater we go. Yo ho. Here's where my amazing powers of foresight proved true as the "one day opened" HOV became a dammed(or should I say DAMNED) river of cars causing a 35 mile trail out of Dallas to last almost two hours. My powers of common sense must have been blocked by my other powers though because I was one of the idiots stuck in the HOV lane in Richardson. We sat and sat and watched lucky cars with one passenger whiz by. I wanted to believe in the powers of TxDoT during the Christmas season but the facts are hard to ignore. Sorry Virginia, the spirit of mass transportation does not exist here in Dallas.

Go and listen as Uncle Jay Explains the year in review - In Song!

I'll post the video as soon as it comes out on YouTube.