Molding Young Minds

Tue - August 8, 2006

After the move and some cleanup

Photos of my classroom, AFTER I worked several hours today to clean up the moving mess:

I just stood in each corner and took a picture. This is the back left corner.

Note new refrigerator and lots of microscopes. I have to share them, and that pisses me off because they are put away with slides still on the stages, or with the cord wrapped around the neck. Still a lot of stuff out.

Back right corner.

Stuff all over counter because this room does not have cupboards beneath the countertops like the lab next door, that I moved OUT of. Four, no five teachers are now sharing 2 rooms; two of them part-time. A chem teacher who had this room before me comes over from her math classroom to teach a chem class during my planning period, so I lose the use of my room then. A new, yet to be hired bio teacher will need to use this lab somehow, sometime. And then there's Miss IGottaMoveNow, currently in my old classroom/lab next door.

This view is toward the right front corner.

The door goes into the storeroom/prep room. You can see a front lab demo table full of the papers that could not be put away properly during the move. They are now in very messy piles on the front demo desk. I'd like to tear the thing out as its wasted space. I have to walk all the way around it to get to a kid. I don't like being on top of the kids, but I do need to be close to them. Keeps the insanity manageable if you are right thre.

Looking towards the door to the hall.

Still crap all over the student desks, and tomorrow I can't go back and do anything because my mom is having cataract surgery on her second eye and I have to drive her there, then stay with her til i have to go to the aquarium to dive with the sharks.

Close-up of the mess on the front table and the front desks.

Its mostly stuff I should have put away as I used it last year but didn't. Time was a bit short; I taught straight through all day with only lunch, no planning period. Yes, it was bought out and paid for handsomely; something i will NEVER do again. Besides losing the 90 minutes that I taught, I had to plan for that time, set up labs (it was a freeeking Physics course) and then do all the work I didn't get done during that time PLUS all the work I made for myself by teaching then. Never again; I was never close to caught up. Hence the reason for the piles.

I realize that I appear to be a bit behind with filing. I'll get in on Thursday and get it all cleaned up. Really I will. Note the large utility sink in the corner. I love that sink. It will make cleaning aquaria much easier. Oh yeah, I'm leaving one aquarium next door with Miss IGottaMoveNow, just because she asked and I am a nice person and want to model professional behavior. Sharing, I think its called. I was working up numbers for Biology texts that we will need next year, and she asked if I were ordering for her biology sections too. "But I thought we were all going to do the same things. And we will need another set of transparencies and materials, too, and a teacher manual." I told her that I did not need a teachers' edition so would donate mine, and all the other materials would be available. The new person might want to do things differently; we need to allow for that. (Read: the new person might want to do their own lesson plans instead of mooching all of mine.)

And here is a photo of the awesome Persmart aquarium, purchased at the garage sale mentioned in the first post.

I have no clue where I will put it. I'd love to make it a native PNW tank, but will probably need a chiller that costs about $400....... perhaps there are some native species that can tolerate 70+°.

And here is my desk.

Needs a bit of cleaning, huh? I like it. My last desk was a slab of countertop perched on my 2 2-drawer filing cabinets because I had no room for them anywhere else. Now I need to find a filing cabinet for New Person, as I have cleared a desk space and even a nice computer and some storage out of the Back Room. I even ordered extra office supplies for Him/Her today too. Now we just need to hire someone worthy of my efforts.

So the last 2 photos below, in case anyone is still actually reading, are of my old classroom, yes, that now belongs to Miss IGottaMoveNow.

Note the stacked up chairs and haphazardly--placed tables. They have not been placed anywhere because it is MY job to find her nice desks like the ones I took out. I have them located, and tagged, but am NOT carrying them over. Her kids could have done that the day she brought them to work, but nope, they each brought a laptop and plugged it into the network to play online games with their friends. Go figure. Networking our own personal laptops through the district "equipment" is strictly forbidden (thats why I have a broadband account, to prevent withdrawl:-) so I had to point that out to her lest the Network Nazis think I was plugging in MY laptop illegally. But I digress.

Look around this room. Bright, cheery, interesting, inviting? Makes you want to learn Physical Science, Astronomy, and Biology, doesn't it? I'm sure it will be much nicer after I add the nice desks for her.

Now, back to the dissertation. Really.

Posted at 10:20 AM |

Mon - August 7, 2006

What I did on my Summer Vacation

Actually, I never really left.

Took that week's vacation the first week the kids were gone in June while Spouse had his new hip installed. Have been back in my classroom a few times a week at least, well weekends anyway to feed the fish. Hungry little buggars, they are. Every time I go in I see a new population explosion in the guppy tank. I do love the critters. I miss my gerbils too; not allowed to have them in Washington. Sniff.
Came back and learned we HAD to do the big classroom swap THAT DAY because the person at the tail end, the one who was to be last to move in the nice orderly switch, said that this was the only day she had all summer to move. So the rest of us called in students to help, rolled up our sleeves, and began to just make the switch as expedientl as possible. I had already moved all her boxes away from in front of my classroom cupboards. Apparently she had made the summer custodians move her things, and I arrived that morning to find them all piled in a way that I could not get my own cupboards open withoit relocating every damn box first. So I did that, then Miss IGottaMoveNow finally showed up and wanted to know what of my stuff she could move out of the way. I said, really, I will move it all once I figure out where to put it as the room I was moving into was still occupied due to the sudden reverse order of the move. So, the rest of us decided to just have at it and start with the originally-planned emptyroom end and work really fast, utilizing the football-types we had enlisted with bribes of pizza and cash, and got all the rest of the stuff moved, for 2 other teachers who never bothered to show up at all. Miss IGottaMoveNow waited until I was out of the room, then proceeded to empty all my stuff from her new room by placing it wherever she found space as we cleared it out. SO - once all is moved, I'm left with essentially a whole room of stuff with nothing in a logical place. Nothing. Guess what I've been doing since.

And guess who's been in a few times a week as well, walking around in her room that's neatly organized and ready for her students. Today, she had the nerve to ask if I'd been working at all as it sure didn't look very different. Yes, I had, as a matter of fact - finding new desks for her room, finding a desk and a place to put it for the new science teacher we must hire, finding course numbers for next year and scrounging textbooks, ordering materials for HER sections of biology....... I'll stop now.

And now - back to the dissertation, as my fun for the evening.

Posted at 08:51 PM |

Fri - May 26, 2006

My student immigrants

Much as i welcome diversity in my classroom, outside the classroom I have no tolerance for those who broke the law and have come into this country illegally.

That said, I must deal with students who fit in the latter category. One child in particular stands out. She is, I am guessing, not here with any legal paperwork. I don't know because the school is forbidden by law to ask. I don't honestly know if *I* can ask, but I don't. I overhear a lot, though, and can put pieces together pretty well. Anyway, this child is very very bright but hasn't much of a work ethic. Over this past semester since the child has been enrolled in my (semester-long) class, we've gotten said child's grade from a 35% after the first 4 weeks to a 78% which is almost a B. The child has vocalized about the good feelings one gets when one turns in one's assignments (I praise lavishly in these situations.) This child has dreams of law school, but yet refuses to consider college. Reasons for not considering college are pretty vague..... it's a lot of work, i can't pay, i'll be fine without it...... with a wistful "gee I wish I could go!" look on said child's face.

The child is in this situation not because of anything the child did. A mother and the mother's boyfriend with whom they live probably drug the child across the border 6 years ago (as stated by the child as to how long the US has been home.) This child would grow into an asset to the citizenry, well as much as a lawyer can be ;-) How do we get this child an education?

I would therefore propose that adult illegal immigrants be charged also with child abuse. What kind of life will their children have if they don't even have American identities? Perhaps we could keep the illegal's children who succeed in our schools, and send our flunkies to Mexico. There, the flunkies might just realize how good they had it here, and what they threw away.

Posted at 09:08 AM |

Tue - April 18, 2006

Video Games as Educational Tools

I had a dream last night.

I dreamed that every time a child booted up any type of electronic game - on the computer, online, on an expensive game machine of some type - the game would say "It's time to do your homework and read a book now."

Then the game would shut itself off.

Posted at 09:10 AM |

Sat - January 14, 2006

The semester from hell

... is almost over. I will never ever again sell out my planning period. I lost 90 minutes a day to actually teach, but also had to do the 90 minutes of work I would normally have done then, some other time. Then I had to plan for the extra class..... it was total hell. I spent today at school laying out my next week so that I could start to see some resemblance of normalcy again in my life. I loved my students this semester. I just wish i had had the time to get to know each one.

We are beginning a transition back to a traditional 6-period day for next school year. I will say that I will miss the 90 minute planning time that I had once, but we so desperately need the extra 20+ hours of instruction. We need the shorter instructional time so that difficult concepts can have time to sink in to the little brains from one class period to the next. Research shows this; we know this. We need this.

I get to teach marine biology next term. I am past excited; this has been one of my life's dreams.

And best of all. I will have a LIFE. I can be involved in school things again and be involved with kids again. I will have time to follow up with parents again, and help struggling students again. I will never ever ever give up my planning period again.

Posted at 06:23 PM |

Tue - November 22, 2005

Science Vocabulary Lesson

How is this word pronounced?

meiosis

Answer:
It is pronounced my-oh-sis.
It is NOT pronounced meeeeee oh sis.

Sigh.

Posted at 08:43 PM |

Mon - November 21, 2005

It's 7:20 and I am still at school

And cannot leave because a student is still here working - on a paper for college on my classroom computer and I can't get her out. So when I leave, I will go to Walmart for more mechanical pencils cause I lost my favorite one again today, and will get fish food. Then will go home and grade 20 lab books. In the meantime, I think I will just begin to cry because I'm tired. I had nothing to eat today until almost 4 when i had 2 cheese sticks and a yogurt - and thats it for today. I think I will get gummy bears at Walmart, too.

*sniff*

Posted at 07:20 PM Read More |

Mon - November 14, 2005

its 6:50 PM and I am still at school

I have been here for 12 hours now. Looks like I may be home by 8 PM. Then I have to deal with insurance for Mom and pay bills. Not taking one bit of this desk mess home with me. Not one bit. Phhhhffft. I may get fired for taking a stand on the running start student. . I think I have a grievance if they choose to push it. Sucks, not knowing Washington law like I did Ohio.

Off to deal with the desk mess and leave some piles for my TA's to do tomorrow. Yay.

Posted at 06:51 PM |

Sat - November 12, 2005

I worked all weekend and am not going to finish....

I spent most of Friday afternoon, all of Saturday, and all day today working on Physics and I have only plans up to Thanksgiving completed. The new materials I am using took a long time to sort, and I work EVERY freeking problem before deciding what to assign.

I have not yet had time to work on any of the units that we will do after Christmas. Perhaps to do this, I can just make more coffee and stay up all night? I still have to plan for Biology and grade tests from 4 classes.

Have I mentioned that I think the Conceptual Physics texts and materials are worthless?

Posted at 01:32 PM |

Thu - November 10, 2005

my day out

I got up today at 4 AM to learn that the grades I had posted did not post. Already behind, tried to re-post but found skywonk had locked us all out. Stopped everything to print (skywonk did permit this) and annotate with comments. In the meantime, I followed Geoff's instructions to register him for his classes starting in Jan at BG, although we are all pretty sure he won't be home by then anyway. Got to his BGSU registration site and found that he had already registered, somehow. Well, at least he's in, if he gets home.

Went to school with annotated grade print-outs and hand-deliver to school secretary where I had to grovel beyond belief, making me even later than I already was. Found that someone (a hacked-off student no doubt) had thrown boulders through the first-floor office windows of the principal and assistant principal. Glass everywhere. What a mess. Note to self: don't ever become a principal.

Went to WASL workshop. Had a nice morning with assistant principal (after I got to tell him about his office window; he was not there this morning) and 2 other district teachers. AP did note that when I have a long morning of death-by-powerpoint ahead I should have decaf as the high-test Starbucks offered at the convention center did not bode well with my ADD. Note to self: remember to google the morons on the state science committee. Also search out the research at BSU library site they cite for the methodology on scoring the stupid test.

Got back to school in time to teach my 4th period class. Still hyper; makes for interesting teaching. I should do this more often.

Got nice formal letter from a student requesting me (and 2 other teachers) to work with her privately for the last 17 days of physics between now and the end of December so that she might skip class and attend a running start program at the local community college. She had intended to do this in the fall but did not get her act together in time. So now, I am to run a second physics class independently for one person. I assume I am to do this in my other spare time.

Not. Nope. sorry, not doing it, and they can freeeking fire me if they want. I am sure it is in violation of our contract (yes we have one now) and in any case I see it eating another 4-5 hours a week at the very least as I set up and do her labs with her and provide private instruction because she will not be able to figure out friction without first knowing about forces. And we are a bit out of order this term as I was waiting for the computers to arrive. A consultation first would have been nice. She's a nice kid and I wouldn't mind helping her but there just are no more hours in my day. I'm already about as thin as it is humanely possible to get without blowing away in the wind. I'm going in tomorrow all day to lay out physics for the rest of the term. The rest of the term; and I will not budge from my syllabus. The rest of the darlings will suffer and for that I am dearly sorry, but so be it. We run a school, not a correspondence course here.

I think I am going to do some laundry. I'm feeling very pissed that the rest of the teaching staff is taking the weekend off and I am working my ass off.

Posted at 08:39 PM |

Mon - October 31, 2005

Message to a new teacher - UPDATE

14. and do not EVER say, to your class, when reviewing a test they took, "oh, I am throwing that question out because Mrs. Lee screwed up." EVER.

Posted at 08:46 PM |

Sat - October 22, 2005

message to a new teacher

1. You're new. No matter how much content area stuff and learning theory you know, how much sub or volunteer experience you have, how many new and wonderful ideas you have, how many university contacts you have, no matter how enthusiastic you are and how much you want students to learn, you are NEW and you don't know about teaching what a veteran teacher knows. No matter how much you try to convince veterans of your excellence, they are not going to believe you. You must SHOW them through your actions. Expect this to take 3-5 years. The best you can hope for is that they respect and admire you as a NEW teacher. On the meantime, use your ability to learn to learn from these people.

2. We were all new, once. We know how to be new and do it correctly as we have learned from our mistakes. We are happy to help you to NOT make mistakes. Just ask. Better yet, once you ask, listen.

3. EVERYONE was pretty lousy their first year of teaching. You were, too. You won't know it though, until you get several years under your gradebook. Accept this now, and spend some time praying that you haven't damaged any students too badly and that perhaps someone has actually learned something.

4. At staff meetings, shut up and LISTEN. If you have a question, first think about whether or not the rest of the staff will be interested in knowing the answer. If you are not certain that at least half the staff will want to know the answer, ask someone later. You do not win the respect of your colleagues

5. Dress professionally. You need all the help you can get to be taken seriously. School spirit dress-up days are for students. You are not a student. If you must partake, keep it to wearing a tasteful school sweatshirt, or professional clothing in the ascribed color. Under no circumstances can you do your job while wearing gym clothes or your pajamas, no matter what you happen to believe. Perhaps after 15 years of experience you will, but not now. And in 15 years, you will see that it is important to keep a distinction between how a student shows school spirit and how a teacher shows school spirit.

6. You are not an island. You have nothing to prove to anyone. No one keeps score on the implementation of things. Give thanks and credit where its due, and don't ask for thanks and credit on your own. It will backfire sooner or later.

7. Welcoming appropriate feedback from your colleagues is a sign of a confident, professional teacher. Look around you; we all do it, constantly. When you have a new idea, it is perfectly okay to ask someone if they have 15 minutes after school to listen to what you want to do and give you a reaction to what you want to do.

8. Your colleagues WANT to help you. We can only do so if you will LET us. In fact, the best way to win the respect of someone is to allow them to help you. This shows us that you acknowledge and respect our experience.

9. You can't turn the school around by yourself. Learn who else wants to make changes and join their efforts. That way, they will welcome yours.

10. You may speak no more than twice at any staff meeting, and then only after you have completed your 10th year with the district. Under no circumstances are you to ask any question at an education education bargaining meeting. NO circumstances. The district in general is NOT interested in your question or comment.

Posted at 08:54 AM |

Thu - October 13, 2005

Homecoming

The sophomore class hall decorations were torn down 3 times since yesterday. I don't know who did it.

Another assembly today. We wonder if we are here to learn, or to watch cheerleader/dance team types dance.

Insanity of course breaks out only when an administrator is gone. The rest of us do our best to keep peace and to intercept any potential incidents. The classroom across the hall from me threatens mutiny; the teacher is in danger of being overrun as they go out the door. I walk in' those who have been in my class before immediately find a seat. Those who have not figure it out pretty quickly, and find seats.

9 students after school. 3 were not mine but belonged to a colleague. These three and one of mine were making up a lab. One did not leave until 4:45. So, today, i had kids in my face from 7:10 until 4:45. 9.5 hours. Do we wonder why I am a little nuts?

I went to visit a wonderful litter of bull terrier pups after school for a break. i have most honestly never seen such adorable puppies.

When I came back, I prepped for the department meeting tomorrow. It will be just two of us; one colleague is going to Las Vegas until Monday night. The other is thinking that she is a teacher-island; perfect unto her own practice and needing no professional development. Her first comments when I told her what was planned for the department time were to ask whose idea this was and where did the materials come from? I shared with her that they were from the state and developed by National Board Certified teachers and she quieted, at least for the time being. So, tomorrow, we will read through the things a teacher should know and be able to do, and we will look at the continuum and will rate ourselves on the student standards. It will be interesting, but i will NOT go to lunch with her. I need to go to lunch with my friends. I need adult conversation and need to discuss things with competent teachers.

Along those lines, it has come to my attention that another staff member has pissed off our new administrators. I see the transitions of the past year as a time to help everyone on the staff readjust to a new way of working together. I need to put aside my own exhaustion from having no planning period and help others to settle back into their own teaching practice. I need to lift those who are struggling to the bar upheld by the rest of us so that our students may be the best that they can be. I've grown quite fond of them, this past year.

Posted at 10:39 PM Read More |

Fri - October 7, 2005

tired.

Sometimes, I think of things in the day to write about, but when I get a chance, I am just too tired.

Come, follow me around for a day.

I am up at 4:15 and try to clean up whatever I fell asleep in the middle of the night before.

I leave for school at 6:15-6:30. Thankfully it is a 10 minute drive.

Sometimes, I don't have to deal with anyone till students begin arriving at 7 or so, for make-ups and questions. Other times, the mentee is in my face, asking for things she should be doing by herself by now. She is always way too perky. At 6:30 AM, if you want something, ask quietly then disappear.

Two classes, both overfilled at 30, with only a 9 minute passing period consume me until 10:45. Lunchtime. Who eats at 10:45 am? Who eats? I am catching up on emails that i had no time to answer during the morning, gathering packets for absent students if my TA's did not, setting up for Physics class as it is held in another room and I can't leave expensive equipment there for someone else to watch, and maybe even going to the bathroom.

The afternoon begins at 11:19, with 2 more classes. 9-minute passing period. Last period leaves at 2:20.

Then, the afternoon shift comes in. Make-up tests, make-up labs, help sessions. I get all the mentee's make-up lab kids as she is in her own classroom doing whatever, then.

Most of the time they all leave by 4. Sometimes, I shoo them out earlier as
Mom has a dental appointment and I must leave to take her. I gather up all that I can carry and go home to work.

Other times, after they leave, I sort out my desk and stay at school to work until at least 5:30 but more often 7 or 8 or 9. There is always something more to take home and time to work there, until I crash on the sofa with ungraded lab books scattered about.. And it never all gets done, as I am a zombie by then. Never mind laundry and housework or working out.

This is not fun.

Next semester, numbers don't look so ominous and perhaps only 2 biology classes will be needed. This will depend of course on move-ins and who the mentee fails. I do not plan for anyone to fail, but a few will. The kid who has been in class for 4 days; and the girl who shows up 2 days a week will not make it. Perhaps a few others; but can add no more than 10 next term.

And that's why I am tired.

Posted at 09:26 AM Read More |

Sat - September 24, 2005

Professional relationships

I have been mentoring a new teacher since I arrived in this district. At least, I was asked to mentor her. Apparently, no one asked her to be the mentee.

Just during Thursday and Friday this week, she:

1. Grabbed the new textbooks that we ordered, stamped them with the school stamp and numbered them. Problem: she did not check the PO. The company sent the wrong books. We cannot return stamped and numbered books. Is this her problem? Nope. Her class HAS all the same books. I will now have 14 students with slightly different books.

2. Sent an e-mail to all the parents of her students, with a link to the on-line version of a textbook and support materials. Problem: The first link is available only if you have an instructor key, and it's not the right text book anyway. She sent another link. Problem: It's still not our textbook. Our textbook is so old that it does not have an online version. We will be replacing the books next year.

3. Broke a small beaker during lab and cleaned it up. Problem: left the dustpan containing the beaker on the counter in the prep room with a note saying "where's the sharps container?" The sharps container is located about 3 mm from where she left the dustpan.

4. Was working at the front supply table containing hydrogen peroxide, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, and glassware while yelling at her students to wear their goggles. "And that means EVERYONE!" Guess who was NOT wearing hers? I echoed, "And that means EVERYONE." I don't even let the paras in to help the SPED kids without goggles. I provide nice comfy colorful fun goggles for them, and they don't even question it because I am also wearing mine.

And that's just Thursday and Friday.

Here is an excerpt from an email with a colleague regarding my mentoring skills, which I vowed to sharpen:

"Most mentors have one thing going for them that you do not... their mentees believe that they need to learn. You are at a distinct disadvantage in that your mentee believes that she knows everything now
and her job is to help you to see the light."

Posted at 01:16 PM |

Things a student in my class should NEVER do