HI GUYS! Its been a while since we've talked! 3 weeks almost I think! 3 weeks since Christmas break...dang...its been cold, snowy, wet, grumpy and rude. I'm not just talking about the weather. Im talking about me, the kids, other teachers, the kids......me......and the weather. This time of year is especially stressful for students and teachers. Testing. Testing. Testing. Its basically a curse word.....testing......it makes teacher's blood pressure rise which in turn cuts their patients in like half. So I am writing a letter to the education police, the people who make decisions and standards and rules for teachers. The people who may have never taught a day in their life, but hey! They know best.....
Dear Education Police,
Hi, I have some questions. Feel free to answer these at your leisure because, as I know (being a teacher) free time is hard to come by. I can only imagine you are visiting schools and collecting data and information on how well your policies are impacting the schools and more importantly the CHILDREN of America :) Anyways! I understand the importance of collecting data to insure that what you are doing is making a difference. I realize that there needs to be standards. I realize that. I get it. However. I have been running into the same problem over and over again and I hope you can help me come up with a solution. See, here is the deal, there is SO much data collection, testing and progress monitoring that I am struggling to find the time to actually teach? I don't know maybe this is silly.......but there are only so many hours in the school day, and I'm quite sure that we won't start keeping students at school until 8 PM. When I was in grade school, which wasn't long ago...Im only 26, I don't recall having to do all of this. I was a very observant child. I would remember. Somehow I learned, and so did my peers! We learned things! School was so fun! We had projects and were creative. Now in school I feel like students HAVE to learn so many things, and are required to meet so many standards that the joys of learning have been totally killed. How is this fair to them? How is it fair to their teachers? Personally I went into education because I LOVE to teach. I DO NOT love to collect data, analyze, test, stress over numbers, present data and monitor data. If I wanted to do that crap daily I could, somewhere else, and get paid more.....To actually teach to the best of our ability, teach everything we want/need to teach our children, and do all of this extra business, we need to have like 3 teachers in every classroom. THIS IS CLEARLY NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. First, because there are not enough people who want to teach which is sad. Second, there is not enough money. Which brings me to another point, our education system is completely crumbling. Failing miserably....we are cutting programs like the arts and forcing state testing on students. If you haven't noticed, its not working. Lets look back at the years where our education system WAS working. What are the differences? I am sure you will find some. We don't have money to fix these problems? Oh shoot.....you're right.....hmmmmm well fine. Let's just forget the education system because its not like these kids are the future of America. Lets keep spending money elsewhere and just cross our cute little fingers that we find some money in our couch cushions. So I would love to hear any useful suggestions you may have.
Sincerely,
A Frustrated Teacher
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Wonderful
Today was completely wonderful. It was what I needed on the first day back. I was expecting crazy! I was expecting stressful. I got sweet, respectful and ready to learn. Towards the end of the day I was so proud of one of my students I actually cried a little. If I am too happy I cry and if I am too sad I cry......its awesome.
The first day back to school after a long break is usually rough. Kids have been chillin with their friends and like staying up late and eating straight up sugar in the form of canes and then they come back to school and its like a little Christmas break rehab for a week. They freak out. A SCHEDULE?!?!?!?! RULES?! No. They do not take it well. Also cabin fever. Its real. Its ugly. We are in for a long winter of no recess and I don't know who will survive. Whoops.....sorry for that tangent. Anyways. The first day back is usually dark, but mine wasn't.
It started like this:
I was out in the hall (actually excited to see my kids) and they walk in, not run, and I welcome their cute little faces in. They sit and eat breakfast and work on their morning work and things are good. Then I see the brother of one of my roughest and most special kids. I say "Oh hey *student* where is *brother student*" little man says "oh he's coming" I wait a few minutes expecting to see him BUST up the stairs and down our hallway. What do I get instead? A perfect angel walking down the hall he says "Hey Miss Philips! I missed you!" and then gives me a big hug. Cue heart overflowing with love.
Side note: I did only have 13 kids show up to school today, this could have been a big factor in my great day. However, I don't care. It was still great.
Then we read a story and I asked deep thinking questions and the kids answered them well and had other questions and it was awesome.
One of my fellow 1st grade teachers had to save something from a urinal (its not as uncommon as you would think) and we prayed to Jesus to save her from pee germs and it made me laugh really hard. And I was thankful again for the people I work with. They are friends who are also coworkers.
Then the kids went to their arts classes and were also AMAZING! Which does not happen regularly. I give MAJOR props to arts teachers. I cannot imagine how hard it is to have like 400 students.....couldn't do it.
Then lunch arrived and one of my other rough little babes was a SUPER STAR STUDENT. Like. I can't even. I don't think I can even tell these kids sometimes how proud I am of them. The only way I know how is to squeeze the life out of them and force them to hug me back and do little happy dances and giggle because I am so happy. Happy beyond words.
Then it was math time (poke me in the freaking eyes) (If Miss Philips has 2 eyes and she pokes both of them out how many eyes does she have left? Write a number bond showing your answer. And draw a picture. And a number sentence.) BUT SHOCK OF MY LIFE MATH WENT WELL! The kids got it. They smiled. We got silly and they were able to bring it back. And then we took a little quiz thing and almost all of them got a 100!!!!! Holy wonderful.
And then we did math centers and some of my kids were in a little argument (typical) and my special friend, lets call him Sea Biscuit because he loves horses, like LOVES THEM. Anyways, Sea Biscuit (I hope you guys think his nick name is as funny as I do....) he is next to the group that is in a tiff. He leans over and goes "Yall, yall, listen to me, yall. If you turn over a shark you put all your pieces back. Then its the next persons turn. You will get another turn its not that big of a deal. Keep playing, go on" Thats when I cried....he was like a little tiny adult. I say things that like ALL THE TIME. He listens.
I realize that my day wasn't the norm probably, do I hope it is? ABSOLUTELY. But I left work in the best freaking mood. And I am still in that mood. I never want to lose it.
Sorry for the longest blog ever......
Actually I'm not. You don't have to read it. You chose to.
Btw thanks for reading my blog (I hate the word blog) I appreciate you.
The first day back to school after a long break is usually rough. Kids have been chillin with their friends and like staying up late and eating straight up sugar in the form of canes and then they come back to school and its like a little Christmas break rehab for a week. They freak out. A SCHEDULE?!?!?!?! RULES?! No. They do not take it well. Also cabin fever. Its real. Its ugly. We are in for a long winter of no recess and I don't know who will survive. Whoops.....sorry for that tangent. Anyways. The first day back is usually dark, but mine wasn't.
It started like this:
I was out in the hall (actually excited to see my kids) and they walk in, not run, and I welcome their cute little faces in. They sit and eat breakfast and work on their morning work and things are good. Then I see the brother of one of my roughest and most special kids. I say "Oh hey *student* where is *brother student*" little man says "oh he's coming" I wait a few minutes expecting to see him BUST up the stairs and down our hallway. What do I get instead? A perfect angel walking down the hall he says "Hey Miss Philips! I missed you!" and then gives me a big hug. Cue heart overflowing with love.
Side note: I did only have 13 kids show up to school today, this could have been a big factor in my great day. However, I don't care. It was still great.
Then we read a story and I asked deep thinking questions and the kids answered them well and had other questions and it was awesome.
One of my fellow 1st grade teachers had to save something from a urinal (its not as uncommon as you would think) and we prayed to Jesus to save her from pee germs and it made me laugh really hard. And I was thankful again for the people I work with. They are friends who are also coworkers.
Then the kids went to their arts classes and were also AMAZING! Which does not happen regularly. I give MAJOR props to arts teachers. I cannot imagine how hard it is to have like 400 students.....couldn't do it.
Then lunch arrived and one of my other rough little babes was a SUPER STAR STUDENT. Like. I can't even. I don't think I can even tell these kids sometimes how proud I am of them. The only way I know how is to squeeze the life out of them and force them to hug me back and do little happy dances and giggle because I am so happy. Happy beyond words.
Then it was math time (poke me in the freaking eyes) (If Miss Philips has 2 eyes and she pokes both of them out how many eyes does she have left? Write a number bond showing your answer. And draw a picture. And a number sentence.) BUT SHOCK OF MY LIFE MATH WENT WELL! The kids got it. They smiled. We got silly and they were able to bring it back. And then we took a little quiz thing and almost all of them got a 100!!!!! Holy wonderful.
And then we did math centers and some of my kids were in a little argument (typical) and my special friend, lets call him Sea Biscuit because he loves horses, like LOVES THEM. Anyways, Sea Biscuit (I hope you guys think his nick name is as funny as I do....) he is next to the group that is in a tiff. He leans over and goes "Yall, yall, listen to me, yall. If you turn over a shark you put all your pieces back. Then its the next persons turn. You will get another turn its not that big of a deal. Keep playing, go on" Thats when I cried....he was like a little tiny adult. I say things that like ALL THE TIME. He listens.
I realize that my day wasn't the norm probably, do I hope it is? ABSOLUTELY. But I left work in the best freaking mood. And I am still in that mood. I never want to lose it.
Sorry for the longest blog ever......
Actually I'm not. You don't have to read it. You chose to.
Btw thanks for reading my blog (I hate the word blog) I appreciate you.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Teacher Resolutions
Hi! I feel like I haven't written since last year (ha ha ha you can thank my dad for my awful sense of humor....)
But seriously....I haven't written for a while because I haven't had a reason! WE HAVE BEEN ON BREAK! Its been great. Going back to work is going to be hard, because I'll actually have to wake up. Yikes.
However, I'm actually ready. I miss my schedule. I miss my kids. I miss my coworkers. Its time to go back.
There are some things that I need to do as a teacher. Things that will make my life better and my students lives better.
-Get great sleep. To anyone who knows me like at all, you know how much I love to sleep, and naps. But great sleep will improve my mood and hopefully keep me from being a crab apple to my kids.
-Drink more water, this will improve my everything. I think.
-Prepare my week before its actually happening. Im a horrible procrastinator....this isn't fair to my kids. Im 26 now.....get it together Ele.
-Organize my classroom......I was suppose to do this over break....Instead I hung out with Netflix and a good book.....procrastinator Ele, tisk tisk
Ill keep you updated on how this all goes down. I'm sure you're all really excited :)
But seriously....I haven't written for a while because I haven't had a reason! WE HAVE BEEN ON BREAK! Its been great. Going back to work is going to be hard, because I'll actually have to wake up. Yikes.
However, I'm actually ready. I miss my schedule. I miss my kids. I miss my coworkers. Its time to go back.
There are some things that I need to do as a teacher. Things that will make my life better and my students lives better.
-Get great sleep. To anyone who knows me like at all, you know how much I love to sleep, and naps. But great sleep will improve my mood and hopefully keep me from being a crab apple to my kids.
-Drink more water, this will improve my everything. I think.
-Prepare my week before its actually happening. Im a horrible procrastinator....this isn't fair to my kids. Im 26 now.....get it together Ele.
-Organize my classroom......I was suppose to do this over break....Instead I hung out with Netflix and a good book.....procrastinator Ele, tisk tisk
Ill keep you updated on how this all goes down. I'm sure you're all really excited :)
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