New Summer Experience

So, teaching is done for now. We had an awesome last week together. We went to a park together and had a picnic. The weather was a bit breezy but the kids still ran around having fun. We had some parents walk with us to the park, help with lunch, watch them on the playground, and walk back with us. We had other parents come who didn't really interact with others, children and adults. We had a bloody nose and a couple of spats, but overall an enjoyable time. We also had our grade level potluck. Quite a few parents showed up which was great! It was nice to see some of them interacting with other parents and teachers. The children did a wonderful job reciting poems and singing a song for their grandparents. But, thank goodness this year is over! I've had some interesting experiences this year that makes me believe, even more, that looping from K to 1st grade is not always positive for the student and the teacher. Ah, that would be another blog title later.

I still see some of the kiddos around town, riding their bikes, playing with dogs, drinking soda, enjoying the nice warm weather. It will be interesting to see them after the summer. Given few months, they can mature so much, and hopefully gain skills they were not developmentally ready for. It's interesting to see students read at such a high reading level, but they still can't tie their shoes! They just need some time and kids all develop differently.

I've picked up a summer job this year. I'm working for the US Fish and Wildlife. They've hired me this summer to create themed kits for school use. I've been working on a tundra animals kit this past week for grades k-4. It's coming along very well. The kits include lesson plans for the teacher, demonstration lesson plans for a US Fish and Wildlife worker, hands on materials, and books. These kits are also linked to our science curriculum, so there's no reason why teachers can't use them! After the tundra animal kit is finished, I will start working on a tundra plants kit. The refuge building has a nice herbarium that I get to look through. I'm also hoping they have an insect collection hiding somewhere too! I am really enjoying working here this summer. They are so helpful with directing me where to go, giving advice, gathering information for me, and collaborating lesson plans. I would be happy to work here again some other summer. It is such a nice change from the school setting.

Violent Teachers

HOUSTON (CBS/KHOU) When their teacher backed one of their classmates into a corner, students at a Houston-area charter school thought it was a joke - but it allegedly turned into a shocking and brutal beating that was caught on tape.

Sherri Davis, a science teacher at Jamie's House Charter School, allegedly backed 13-year-old Isaiah Johnson into a corner and began beating him while his classmates watched.

At the beginning of the video you can hear the laughter and applause from the students as Isaiah is backed into a corner by Davis after Isaiah reportedly teased a female classmate. But Janiqua Johnson, a student who shot the video on her cell phone, says Davis "snapped" and started beating the 13-year-old, according to CBS affiliate KHOU.

cut and paste the link here:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20004788-504083.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CBSNewsPCAnswer+(PC+Answer%3A+CBSNews.com)

I don't care what is going on in your classroom, there should be no reason to beat your students. That is not our job... well, in some states yes, but that job should still be reserved for the parents! There are specific classes for teachers to take that help us to deal with violent students in a safe way for the student and for the teacher. I saw the teacher on Good Morning America this morning trying to defend her actions. She put a bit of the blame on the school not providing students and teachers with a safe atmosphere/building. What also shocked me was that no teachers or students tried to put a stop to the beating. I just cannot see how a teacher can be so enraged at their students to actually physically beat the child (well, I guess we all might have those days when you are just tired of dealing with certain students, but you've got to be able to deal with anger/frustration/stress in a safe way). We have the third most stressful job. I think it is an important priority to figure out your way of dealing with the daily frustration/anger/stress that comes with your job. (ie, yoga, ride a bike, judo, karate, aerobics, hobbies, a glass of wine, etc).

Strange Week

It's been kind of an interesting week. The weather for one. Warm, beautiful weather, then rainy and even snowy the next hour! Let's hope this weekend will be a gorgeous one. There is a Fun Run at the cultural center that I hope people will go to. I've asked a few ladies from work to join me on the 5K. I only plan to walk/jog some of the time.

School was incredibly busy. I've been testing all week, while still trying to keep up with instructional time. I was lucky to have parent volunteers in my classroom this week to help out with the busy-end-of-the-year-stuff. One of my parent volunteers brought me a gift. They are awesome parents and support what I do in my classroom. The gift was very unexpected and I got very teary-eyed when I opened it. The gift was a beautiful opal necklace (which all my kids know of my opal rings I wear everyday). It was thoughtful and very generous. The volunteer gift I planned to give out at our potluck seems so small now.

My kids did so well on their showcase. There were so many parents in the gym. I was so happy to see them come and support their children. The kids worked hard on using their actor/actress' "voice." Now they are a little prepped for our potluck presentation next week.

The federal papers for my job this summer are finally completed. There was a discrepancy with my previous addresses, so I had to fax a new copy over. I did not realize so much paper work went into getting a federal job. I suppose I should have realized this, but it seemed a 30 day, summer job, would be a simple hiring task. Nope. A giant packet was mailed to me. It was worth the hassle though. I am looking forward to my summer job: making themed lesson kits for U.S. Fish and Wildlife. It will be a nice change from teaching 21 students, to working on the computer/researching all day.

And, lastly, it has been brought up to me that someone is inquiring about my teaching skills. I do not know the particulars, but I get the feeling that these inquiries are not positive. It is a little disappointing to see this happening. But, there is nothing I can do or want to do about it. People are who they are.

I think next week will be so much better. The last week of school is usually the best time with the kids.

Suka vs Ducks

I think he is ready for summer too. He's been more rowdy and anxious lately (just like my kids at school!). I set up his 20ft lead outside the door so he walk around the yard. Suka doesn't really like it though. He'll scratch at the door and whine for awhile. I ignore him and after a few minutes, he'll sulk off the porch and wander around.

When I took him outside after work, I noticed the lake behind my house had a couple pairs of ducks wading around. They were pretty close and didn't seem afraid of Suka, so I ran inside to get the camera. Suka was interested in the ducks, but not too interested to hop in the freezing water. We'll see if he gets into trouble this summer with the neighborhood fowl.

Could It Be?

Is it break up time yet? We have had such beautiful weather lately that I am hoping spring is here to stay. Suka and I have been going on walks down by the river. But, the other day, we decided to walk down by Pinky's Park and explore the boardwalk. There is so much trash around town! Pop cans, chip bags, plastic bags, everything you can buy from the AC store. Isn't there some kind of community event to clean up the town? On the last day of school, the classrooms go outside in the morning and clean up the school area. And, I think there has been a clean up crew on the highway... but other than that...? In my home state, prisoners (the non-murderous/violent kind) are able to walk along side roads and pick up trash. Are the prisoners in the Bethel jail able to do this? I have never seen them out in their orange suits. It could be there is not enough people to watch the prisoners along side of the road, or Bethelites might not prisoners in the "downtown" area no matter what they are doing for the environment. I guess it is an issue of safety... but, if other states do it...?... (yeah, I know, will we jump off the bridge too?).

Mother's Day Project

This is one "holiday" I love to do in my class. We worked on some special stuff today for the moms. The kids work extra hard on these kinds of crafts because they know it will be going home to mom. We had a little discussion about how mom's like to keep their children's work so they can look back over the years and see how much their children have changed. I still remember making Mother's Day cards, flowers, vases, poems, wall hangings, and hand pictures. My mom still has that special school box in our attic. So, I want to give my students the same experience I once had, and I want their mother's to appreciate how special and unique their children are.

One of my students told me his mom still has the flower that we planted in kindergarten! Awesome!

Volunteers/Changes

I have been blessed this year with having the best volunteers for my classroom. I've also had the best parent support in the classroom this year. It's great to have parents come in and work with the children and help out the teacher. It's great to have them know what we are working on in the classroom and support what you are teaching. The classroom is a different atmosphere than home, so it's interesting for parents to see what their child is like with twenty other students.

The educational system is changing in this town because of our 5th year without AYP. The community has been informed through board meetings. Also, there are so many changes happening in the school district. New math curriculum and program, reading program, two language programs, and a new grading system. It is great to know that your classroom parents support the positive changes the school district is doing to improve our AYP. These changes are challenging for the teacher and for the students. The school needs all the support it can get. I hope next year I can have an awesome group of parents like I have had this year.

Less than three weeks of school left....

So, we've got about 14 days left of school and I am definitely feeling the crunch. I've been testing my students since the end of second quarter, but I still feel behind. So many indicators to complete and so much content to cover! I never feel satisfied at the end of the school year. Yet, I don't want the end of our year to be negative. We have had an awesome year. Hatching eggs, learning about plants, migration posters, field trips, showcases. We were a pretty successful classroom.

Our end of the year potluck is coming up. Our theme will be family and celebrating Mother's Day, Father's Day, and Grandparent's Day all in one afternoon. I'll probably get teary-eyed too. That's what you get when you have the same class for two years. Your really get to know your kids. You get to know their families, behaviors, problems, jokes, attitudes, mood swings, accomplishments. So much time is spent together. So, I want to make sure I end our year on an awesome note.

Bethel Spring

So, I woke up this morning and found 3 inches of snow outside of my home. The snow kind of crushed my springy feeling. It feels like we should start singing Christmas songs again.

Some good news though, I have bought my ticket home this summer with my miles. Bethel to Chicago, 40,000 miles. I haven't decided if I should fly from Chicago to Lansing or if I should rent a car and drive the 3 1/2 hours home. Driving would be quite an adventure with Suka. He can't even behave in a 5 minute cab ride. So, I'll be home for the month of July. July in Michigan is the best. Bon fires, fire works, family sitting around drinking and playing cards, road trips to Mackinaw Island, skate park with my brother, playing with my nephews in the backyard, and mowing my grandpa's lawn. I can't wait.

School is also finished in three weeks. I have had this group of kids for 2 years. It has been a long two years. I am going to be sad yet happy to see them go on to second grade. But, I will also be glad to get a new group of students. This group of kids have been wonderful, but they came with some challenging baggage. I learned, with this group of kids, that you can never please everyone. They will always find something at fault with your teaching and will probably always share the negative aspect of your teaching instead of informing you of the positive things you have done for their child. But, these experiences make you a better teacher and help reinforce why you decided to become a teacher.

Overall, spring in Bethel is a good thing. It means time for some change.