what they are shooting for

Last week as a national event go to college week. The promoter at our school did us proud. He had pins for teachers, a large banner for pledging to go to college, speakers the first day who were from the area who had made successes and a college day in which representatives from colleges and trade schools showed up and talked to the kids.

One day was wear your favorite college apparel. I wore a humorous tshirt about the mascot my master degree is from, borrowed from my husband who teaches there. Friday was "dress for college success". I wore my Master's robes. As I explained to the sponsor, who really loved my doing it, this is what they supposed to be shooting for the priviledge of wearing one of these. Every class I explained the meaning of the colors, the sleeves (master robes sleeves were designed to hold pens and such), the hood ("no really its not a cape or scarf, its a hood," flip up to show that it does cover my head). And that some places, very few, they are worn every day.

A friend asked me "don't you have any good students?"

"well yea, but they don't make good stories."

Today I finished a letter of recommendation for one of my best students. I was proud to write it and I hope she gets the scholarships she's trying for.

well at least I get some free time

One of our consultant groups is testing our Seniors. No we do not test them enough. They only are tested in 4th, 6th, 8th, Algebra, English, literacy, biology, geometry and Algebra 1. Heaven forfend we just say "hey, there are legitimate well established tests such as the Iowa that we can use every year and track how our students are doing. We only have to test them for one day and can do it all at once" No, like all the others, our state makes up the test we use. I am willing to bet that by the time the 8th graders reach 11th grade, we will have an entire new test for them.

Our consulting group has its own test. So 60 out of our 75 seniors have to go off site tomorrow. The office is calling off their names to go to the meeting so they know where to be...I swear its like the draft lottery, no student wants to spend all day testing. The name gets called and the student slinks out the door to the assembly. out of 11 students in the class, 1 is not called.

another one

Count of students
1 semi student (only taught a few days) in jail for capital murder.
1 former student in prison for manslaughter
1 former student on charges for robbing and killing an elderly couple. Since this was in a different town than mine I have had trouble following up.
A few former students in and out of jail for petty thefts, burglary and drugs.

Now another former student in jail for shooting into two homes. Seems he had issues with the residents.

good thing they like me

My students asked if Rosa Parks sat in the front.

"no, she was sitting down and was told to move..."

confusion.

"see she was sitting in the back of the bus where she belonged..."***70 percent of my class is black. "boy, did that comeout wrong, she was sitting in the back like the rules then said."

new music

the clueless b...ehem our educational consultant suggests that we play classical music for our students when doing seat work

this might work

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJXyYLOM8_4

Though a lot of my 9th grade girls really liked it when I played the Hairspray cast album. Had to explain the differences between the Broadway show and the movie.

"okay first off, understand, John Travolta sucks..."