I gave tests in all three of my classes today and they lasted for most of the period so, of course, that means it’s time for another edition of … Things That Interrupted My Class Today: 1. Two teachers seeking my expert advice on how to work the copier (“Remember, you’ve got to enter your…
read more »A conversation: Me: “So, does anyone know what the stock market is?” < a brief silence > T: “Yeah, they got one of them in [Gravelly Hill]!” (He names a medium sized nearby town.) Me: “Um, I don’t–” T: “They sell them fruits and things…” (He trails off…) A: “Naw, man. That’s something different.” T:…
read more »Friday was a riot of a day. This whole week I have been feeling my spring allergies descending on me. At home, especially in Santa Barbara, my allergies were much worse in the Fall. Eucalyptus is a major trigger for me, and the UCSB campus is covered with the beshitted trees. Out here Spring seems…
read more »Things that happened this week: 1. I made it through Monday on very little sleep. 2. The teacher next door to me missed another two days, bringing her yearly total of days missed up to somewhere around 50. 3. I showed my Foundations class clips of The Great Gatsby in preparation for discussing the “Roaring…
read more »A conversation I had with a fellow TFA teacher during lunch about some students we share. Him: “I don’t know. I just can’t get through to my 1st block somehow. When it is discussion time they just sit there with blank faces.” Me: “That’s funny, because during fourth block I can’t get them to sit…
read more »Let me ask you a question, oh TFA blog peeps; what do you do about students who sleep in your class? I don’t mean the occasional nap/ head down period for a sick or unusually tired student, I’m talking about full on, will not be woken up from the land of the dead slumber –…
read more »Well, I’m back from the great Senior Trip odyssey, extremely tired, but no worse for the wear. We got in at around 1:00am last night and I so badly wanted to skip school today but, as I lay there listening to my alarm beep over my head this morning, I realized that it would actually…
read more »I’m off on a 12hr hour bus ride to Florida with 41 seniors. Eep.
read more »Words I was asked how to spell by my 10th graders during a video reflection assignment today: Muddy Rot Graves Trench Mud (a different student than the one who asked about “muddy”) America Germany These are 10th graders; and this is my better class. Why does this still surprise me?
read more »One of my students, C, (he of the “Oopaloos”) was suspended yesterday for the rest of the school year. C and three other boys were on a field trip to a mall in a nearby large city with the E.C. department (…a field trip to the mall? Don’t ask me.) when they were picked up…
read more »“… and you know what else I hate? I hate it when they draw on my boards! I mean, do I walk around and doodle on your notebook? Would you like it if I did? No!” “Mmhmm…you right.” “I don’t need the note to know you “was here.” I already know you “was here;” I…
read more »As i am driving a student home from play rehearsal: ?”You, and your museum of lovers. The precious collection you’ve housed in your covers…” ? “Ms. W., is this a Gwen Stefani CD?” “Hm? Oh, well, it’s No Doubt.” “Who?” *eye roll* “No Doubtis the group Gwen Stefani was in before she went solo.” “Oh.”…
read more »Before the whole Bill Clinton thing went down yesterday, this is what I was going to post… We have a half day today, because in the afternoon the 8th graders are coming up to tour the school. Like last year, we will have a “curriculum fair” in the gym for them all to walk through.…
read more »I was about 9 1/2 feet away from this: Right now this is on my refrigerator: So. Cool. So, yeah, Bill Clinton is in North Carolina stumping for Hillary and he stopped in my little one horse town to speak to the people. I took some of my kids with me and hightailed it down…
read more »Things I have done in my classroom recently that have really worked well: 1) Gallery Walk – I do these frequently, and everytime they work I am still giddy with delight. This is probably the one best way I have found of disseminating information without lecture/notes. I find/buy a set of pictures (I have several…
read more »Friday was an “interesting” day. There was a meeting first thing in the morning (during our half an hour tutorial period) for all of the seniors going on the senior trip. Since I have apparently become the person in charge of that whole benighted outing, I had to be there to pass out itineraries and…
read more »Last night, as I got up from the couch at about 11:00pm and plugged my phone in for the night, I saw that I had a new voicemail. “Hi Ms. W. This is Mr. N, from [other high school in our district]. I’m scheduled to come observe HD tomorrow, and I just wanted to check…
read more »Third graders plotted to murder their teacher after she scolded one of them for standing on a chair: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23905909/ Man, and I thought the verbal threats were bad.
read more »Yesterday was a fine day inside my four classroom walls, but a brutal day outside. Our school is so small that the Social Studies department consisted (at the beginning of the year) of only three teachers and one tutor fulfilling a teacher position. Our tutor had small, specially selected classes, of some of the more…
read more »"Donta what *are* you doing back here?" "Not much, Ms. W, just chillin."
