Injuries and Such

If you want to row be prepared for blisters. Lots and lots of blisters.

If you want to know what's going on behind your back, just point the camera over your shoulder and click.

If you want to bang yourself up, climb up an unsecure ladder and then fall off. That's what Hubby did today. No pictures. Luckily he didn't hit his head and is doing fine now.

It was a glorious weekend. I hated to see the sun set tonight and know it was soon to be over. But before we head back to work there is a new episode of Doctor Who to watch. Yay!

My Boys

Mr. Socks had a couple of claws that grew back into the pads on his feet until they bled. When we came home from church Sunday and found blood on our bedspread and in the bathtub (he likes to lick the water from the faucet) we checked out his paws. The vet said it was very unusual for a cat to have this problem. So I guess we have a very unusual cat. I like to call him extraordinary. Anyway it cost us several hours and lots of money to get it fixed. Now we just have to keep it clean for awhile, which he hates. See the evil look on his face in the photo as Hubby applies the antibiotic?




For those of you who haven't talked to Mr. C for awhile, his voice is changing. Every time he says something I think of Walter in Secondhand Lions. If you haven't seen this movie, watch the clip above. I can't believe anyone hasn't seen this movie before though. It's great.

I Need Some of Her Energy

Just as I was sure that I would call it quits on teaching as soon as my assignment is up at the end of the semester, my marvelous daughter hits me with this bit of information:

Undergraduate dependents (under the age of 24) of officially certified or licensed full-time Tennessee Public School Teachers or  undergraduate  dependents (under the age of 24) of full-time or retired State of Tennessee Employees are eligible for a 25% discount on in-state maintenance charges. An original discount form must be submitted each term and is available in both locations of the Bursar's Office.

I looked up "maintenance charges" and found that they are what most people refer to as "in-state tuition".  UT considers tuition they money that out-of-state students pay on top of  "maintenance charges."

So I guess I will be back on the hunt for a job in January.

Speaking of Marvelous. She is. She is super busy with crew, school, a leadership class, and looking for scholarships. She is spearheading a card-making project at her school for the cancer kids at the hospital. She is going to deliver them on Tuesday and is excited to be going back to visit. I am, as always, amazed at how much she can get done. Today, on the one day she can sleep in, she organized an extra practice for her boat to improve their stroke and something-or-other. I still don't have all the terminology down. She must be working hard. Her hands are all blisters and we buy tape and band-aids in bulk now.

A Little More

Vintage Mr. C--2010

I hear frustration from teachers everywhere I go. Standardized tests. UGG! Paperwork. UGG! Not being evaluated on your teaching, but on your students' scores. Quadruple UGG!

I don't know what the answer is. I know that we need to improve the overall education level of Americans. But I don't think there is anything the schools can do to fix it. That doesn't sound like it makes sense, but we need to look at society, not just schools. These kids don't show up every morning in a sealed cellophane wrapper. They have issues and backgrounds that affect their ability to learn in school. Nothing I can do can put them all on a level playing field.

In theory I like the idea of putting together a binder of artifacts to prove that I am teaching my students. In reality, it is difficult to find the time to put together something that I feel is a thorough representation of what I do. Speaking of time. I received an email Monday night that we would begin SAT10 testing on Thursday. Tuesday was Open House and we put up all kinds of student work. I spent today covering all my walls with paper, removing nameplates from desks, rearranging the room so they will be separated, and giving them instructions on how to fill in a bubble without any practice materials (this is their first standardized test so they have never bubbled).

Today before they went home six of my girls gave me a giant bear hug. I really needed that. They are great and they like to learn. They can all count to 120, know that there are 4 oceans and 7 continents, and most of the time they play nice together. In short, they are pretty awesome!

Evaluations--Long Rant on Education

Is anyone else overwhelmed with documentation and evaluations? I heard one of the striking Chicago teachers on the news say that they (the teachers) were being asked to do so much but not given any resources to do it. That is about how I feel. I could use a personal secretary and I think that would take care of it for me. Down the hall from me, in kindergarten, they have 25 students each. There is one aide that moves between three classes. Can you imagine getting anything done with that many? For those of you not in education, there are a lot of assessments that need to be done one-on-one or in small groups. Now supervise 24 students while completing a running (reading) record with one student.

 I am a perfectionist by nature and do everything I'm given in the most detailed organized way I can. But it is taking a lot out of me and I feel like the part it is taking could be used for teaching. A recent comment in my email (I'll keep the sender anonymous):

Teaching is like starting all over again. We must have to do like you--write down all the standards in our lesson plans, document anything we do to help the profession, and document any means of awarding children and so on and so on.... We will be evaluated and compensated for raising scores. All of this really takes the fun out of teaching. I think a teacher knows what needs to be taught. Let him/her do it. Enough of that.

I have a 3-inch three ring binder I'm supposed to fill with Artifacts (such as the picture at the top of the post) that I am teaching. I keep forgetting to take pictures and write down things in the composition book I bought for that purpose. It's hard to stop in the middle of a lesson and have the students wait while you jot down something one of them says or how they are communicating during partner talks. I'm sure I'll get the hang of it, but it is all new right now.

Another thing I'm struggling with is copies. We get 600 a month which is not a whole lot for 18 students. The thing is that we have to make copies of assessments and paperwork for record keeping and there isn't a lot left over for worksheets for the students. I've been making a lot of copies at home.

I don't think most average Americans understand what teaching involves. When my mother-in-law visited last weekend, she couldn't understand why I went in to school on Saturday morning. So many people think you show up at 8:45 and leave at 3:45 and that's it. And how many teachers do you know who don't work on schoolwork in the summer? I know I personally put in 10 hours a day/ 5 days a week in my school building. Then come home and work. I don't think I'm the exception either. Most teachers put in huge amounts of time (and money!).

I guess this is my showing of solidarity for the teachers up in Chicago. Teaching is hard. There is not a lot of understanding or support. Those who do it have to be in it for the right reasons. And a lot of those are getting out.

By the way, we had our open house tonight. 1/3 of my students came (highest attendance in 1st grade!) and the parents I talked to were all great and really value their child's education. That's why I do what I do.