Interesting Observation

School has been out for nearly three weeks now.  I have many things I want to write, and will write them in days to come. 
In these last three weeks, I spent about one week working in my classroom doing some deep cleaning/purging of my files.  They have not been done for about 5 years because I generally don't have time during the schook year and usually feel rushed at the end of the year to make room for the summer school teachers who will be in my room.  This year my classroom is not being used, so I took advantage of the time. 
Then I took a week to work on the district level helping to align and write the common math assessment for our grade level next year.
This past week I have been doing work at home catching up on chores that have been neglected all year. 
Sprinkled throughout the 3 weeks have been fun days of relaxing, time out with friends, family, and lazy days. 
Tonight I went to a happy hour with a slew of colleagues at a local pub.  Three of them wont be returning to our building next year, so it it was good to have this time with them to laugh, to tell stories, and to have a good time.  I havent seen many of them since the last couple days of school 3 weeks ago.
One such friend looked at me and said that I was looking very relaxed-- that I looked happy and glowing and so different since school has ended.  She remarked that the time off has been good for me. 

How interesting---  that the stress of the year physically manifested itself upon me without me realizing it and now as summer unfolds, the year leaves me.  I know that this past year was a hard year. Physically, mentally, emotionally.  But I guess it was visible as well.       

One gone

I have some difficult children in my class who require more time and energy than I have.  Two especially compete to be my top tier kids and the top tier of the school kids.  One of these kids transferred into my classroom midyear and while my class was not perfectly run, it was managed with ocaisional outbursts by the other defiant one.  However, once the new student entered the dynamics changed and the  room seemd to explode.  I often wondered if I would make it to the end of the year.  If retirement were closer, I would have considered it. 

So, selfishly I was glad and relieved when I found out that the one student would be transferring out of my classroom before the end of the year. It is not a good move for the student-- three schools in one year--   but for my sanity , it is a wonderful thing.  For the rest of my students, it is a good thing.

The student has been gone now for two weeks and there is a noticeable difference in the class. It is not a peaceful class by any measure-- I am having to get it back to a place close to where it was before. But there is a tension or energy gone.  The defiant student that remains is wound tighter than a top and cannot make it a full day without having some sort of problem or disaster, other students are trying to fill in the void of the one who left, but the air is calmer and I can actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

I think I just might make it to the end of this year.

Pressures

I've been feeling some pressure the last month or so.  It could be perceived or it could be real.  It comes in waves.  At times it almost makes me want to just leave and find a place to work where there aren't so many problems--like a prison.   That is supposed to be a joke, but I don't know how far off it is.  Pick up any newspaper and you can find an article about the state of education today. 

Funding?  Cut, slash, cut some more...., increase class sizes until the seams are bursting,  problem kids stay in rooms because there are no behavior alternatives, but you better raise achievement, and the government may just pink slip you before the end of the year-- so even if we promised to pay you for the work you did --sorry.    

You are doing it for the kids, right? You're a teacher.

Even if all these things are happening...just give some slack in some area ....   somewhere.....  

Spring Break!

I'm looking forward to this week off for sprng break!   Although I will be going in at least one or two days to work.   Sleeping in, catching up on errands, lazy mornings......   ahhhhh 

Really? How Dumb Are We?

I've heard rumors that the business world thinks the education world is foolish. Well, I think I have been a part of an incident that perpetuates that myth. 

I attended a conference recently.  When I was first told that I was going, I was asked if I wanted a cash advance or to be reimbursed. I chose to be reimbursed thinking t woukd be easier on all involved. That may have been my first misjudgement.

Through the online registraton, I was told that I would not be confirmed until my payment was recieved. So I wrote out a check and mailed it in the next day.  A few weeks later I got a copy of a purchase order from our district to the conference listing the handful of local people attending with the accompanying registration fee.  I immediately called the office telling them that I had already paid this fee because  had chosed to be reimbursed--remember?--I then was directed to call the conference director and arrange to have them return my fee to me.  ( Which couldn't be done until a few weeks after the conference was over and they close out the books , understandably). Sigh.

I brushed it off, went to the conference and thoroughly enjoyed myself.  I learned a lot  and networked with some great educators.  I even ran into a gal I haven't seen since we went to graduate school!

I turned in my hotel bill and mileage.  The school office emailed me that the hotel bill was not a "zero balance " bill.   WHAT?   The bill shows the amount due.  It shows the amount charged to my credit card. In fact, when I checked out I made a special trip to the desk to ask for the special bill instead of lients a just taking the nice handy copy of the bill slipped under my hotel door.   But no, that is not good enough for the schoo office.   They wont take the bill that the hotel gves out to hundreds of clients a week ( and I am sure that a good portion of them need zero balance bills).  This wasn't a rinky-dink hotel,  it was a very nice place that shares a name with a socialite named Paris.

The school office told me to call the hotel and ask them to fax the office a copy of a zero balance.    So I called. The hotel bookkeeper told me that the bill I got WAS a zero balance bill.  I know that, she knows that, but the school office doesn't know that.  The bookkeeper was very gracious. I told her that maybe she could write on the bill that the bill was paid in full or something.  She said she would take care of it and get it faxed.  

All was well for a few days until I got another email from the school office.  She said she had submitted the paperwork and the school business office had rejected the hotel bill.  WHAT?  REALLY?  They will not accept a faxed copy.  They need an original.  BUT I ALREADY GAVE AN ORIGINAL!  It was very hard to write a reply email to the school office and ask what exactly they want me to do now without showing some kind of disgust/attitude.  I mean, REALLY?  Come on, people. 

It's not even the money.  It's the idea.  Come on.  How many times are you going to make me call this business and ask them to give you the same information that they have already provided in the first place?  Geesh.  No wonder the world thinks we're dumb. 

ELL Grant

I heard that I was accepted to be a part of the English Language Learner Certification Cohort Grant that I applied to a couple months ago.  This involves 21 hours of college credit, every Saturday for a year, and the cost of textbooks & incidentals.  It will culminate with a K-12 certification in ESL. 

I'm hoping that it will be another handy tool in my toolbox to meet the diverse needs of my learners, and that it will open any doors that may need to be opened in the future of my employment. 

A bonus is that another colleague of mine who works at my school also was accepted, so we can collaborate together or metaphorically run down the hall with a question if needed....

A first

I'm not proud, but today a first happened to me after 9 years of teaching.   The kids actually made me start to cry.  Darn it!  I hate it that it happened!   I am not usually an emotional ball of goo-- but they worked on me all day and wore me down.  My regular hard-hitters were on cue all day and I was deflecting them left and right with the best of them.  The hit I took that left me wavering with watery eyes and a quivery voice came out of right field. It was from one of my good kids.  One of the kids who who generally gives me joy when I teach.    He was mad and thought I was being unfair.  

We had an assembly today that was scheduled during our recess time. The children were upset because assemblies are always scheduled then.  I empathized with them but told them I didn't think it would change.  The assembly finished with about 30 minutes left before school was out for the day.  Our class still had things to pass out and closure to have for the week so we headed back to the room.  However, the other classes in our grade decided to go outside for a recess time.

My class whined and complained all the way to the room.  I considered letting them go out as soon as we got our things passed out, but they continued to whine and complain, and then began to accuse me of being unfair to them.  It didn't bother me at all until my good kid started in on me.  He told me that it is not fair because our class always misses alot of recess. 

I reminded him and the class that just yesterday our class took a double recess ( and only our class--the other classes went inside at the regular time).  He then went on to say that I sit at the computer and check my email and our class misses part of their recess all the time. 

Now I know this is not true.  I never check my email or do any personal things on class time.  In fact, I told the class that I felt I was more than generous with the free time and recess that they had.

I guess I am hurt because they don't realize how much I care and put in to working for them.  How many hours I give for the class.  It is not worth it.  When even my good kids begin to turn against me and take the joy from me, then I might as well stop putting in the time that I do. Maybe I will just do the 40 hours from now on and whatever doesnt get done--oh well.

No more tears for me.