High School Confessions of a Thirty-Something Teacher

Stupid, stupid kids...

2007-10-21T09:26:00.000-04:00

There has been a number of "false" 911 calls made to the police or schools in our city that there is a guy with a gun entering the schools. There has been 18 calls since September 21st!

What this means is that staff and students must go into Lockdown mode. All students must huddle together on the side of the room least vulnerable (no windows or doors), the teacher turns off the lights and covers the windows. And then you wait...Now when it's a drill, this lasts about 10 minutes. When it's a real 911 call (false or not) it can take up to 2 hours for police to secure the area.

As you can imagine this is very stressful for everyone involved.

At one school, 2 kids decided they didn't want to wait anymore so they left the room. The police had them down on the ground with the guns ablazin' in no time. They are so lucky that they stopped and did what the officers told them as they are now trained to shot to kill in these cases.

They finally arrested a 15 year old in connection with the false calls, but can only get him on one of them right now. While he was in custody over lunch, 3 more calls were made, locking down 3 more schools. So obviously, he's not the only one.

One school got the false calls twice in one day! Can you imagine?

It's just a sad situation all around. From the stress it causes teachers, admin and students to the young people who feel this is "cool" or the only way to get attention. Well they definitely have someone's attention now....

Home early

2007-09-24T16:23:00.001-04:00

Why, do you ask am I home so early (yes, I am that self-centred :tongue: ) The power at school went out today.

Guess at what time?

Yep, 5 minutes AFTER the final bell rang :no:

Why oh why could that not have happened at 10am??

very strange

2007-08-27T15:03:00.000-04:00

So a strange thing happened to me the other day...

I was at my weekly dance lesson. Yes, hubs and I take dancing lessons and absolutely love them! Anyway...We were just about to leave when I heard, "Hey Ms. T!". Turning around I saw a young gentleman who looked somewhat familiar. Obviously he was a former student as very rarely do I get called Ms. for any other reason. My head quickly went into archive mode.

Contrary to popular belief, I do not remember every single one of my students. Far from it. In fact, although I do very well at remembering their names by the first day, if I see them in the halls in a semester in which I do not teach them, I can't remember their names for the life of me.

So I'm hunting in my brain for who on earth this student could possibly be and the only person who comes to mind was this little shit that I taught about 5 years ago named C. My only thoughts were, "there's no way he would say hi, he hated me as much as I hated him." To top it off, being completely out of context in the dance studio was really not fair.

So I did the generic, "Hey, how's it going" To which he replied, "Not well". (Who does that??) So, I felt obligated to ask then, what the problem was. He diverted. So now I look even more like an ass. His instructor then jumped in and said, "Oh, you two know each other?" I was stammering when he answered, "yes, Ms. T taught me summer school a while back".

OK...I taught 2 semesters of summer school 4 and 5 years ago. These are kids from all over the city (so no frame of reference) and I only see them for 4 weeks. 4 weeks out of my teaching career!! I still felt bad, but at least I understood why I had no recollection of who this guy was.

After a very awkward few minutes in which he really looked liked he wanted to say something and me just really wanting to escape, I finally did. I think he was looking for recognition. I should've just said, "I'm sorry, I have no idea who you are". But I was so frazzled that I tried my hardest to play the game and ended up just looking like an idiot.

After he left, I asked my instructor who this person was. She laughed at me because she felt that we had such a connection (seemingly from him) that she was sure I knew who he was. She told me his name was G - boy was I ever happy I didn't say, "Oh, Hi C. How are things!"

I have to say though, I still really don't remember the G person. Oh well.

I really need a better way of dealing with this type of situation.

Globe and Mail

2007-06-12T06:55:00.000-04:00

Here's an interesting Globe and Mail article about the situation:

Deadline? What deadline?

Handing in a project late no longer carries an automatic penalty for Ontario students.

JOHN LORINC

From Saturday's Globe and Mail

June 9, 2007 at 12:00 AM EDT

Chatting away the lunch hour outside Toronto's Central Technical School one day this week, four students agree that when it comes to penalties for late assignments, the rule of thumb is that there is no rule of thumb.

"It's all over the place," says Raniqua Thomas, who is in Grade 10. Some teachers are "old-school" — docking grades or meting out "big fat zeros" for lateness — while others are happy to let things ride.

"If the teacher doesn't like the student," adds her friend, Daniel Blake, also in Grade 10, "they won't give you extra time. Most people don't worry about the due date, just about getting it done."

"They're pretty laid-back," observes a third student, declining to give her name. "It depends on the teacher, but you really don't get penalized."

Welcome to the fluid state of Ontario's high-school grading system, which has been mired in confusion since these kids were in elementary school, say many of their teachers.

The province's evaluation rules – unique in Canada – were introduced in 1999 as part of a curriculum overhaul and have been revised several times since.

They strongly discourage teachers from deducting marks for lateness, although grades can be lowered when all other forms of persuasion – detentions, calls to parents, etc. – have failed.

The policy also requires educators to disregard missed or incomplete assignments if they feel the student has already met the requirements of that particular curriculum unit.

As well, final grades are now calculated using a complex matrix, or "rubric," that deconstructs a student's performance into four achievement levels and four skill sets.

At the Toronto District School Board, still struggling to apply the new policies, officials also expect teachers to "eyeball" students' marks and estimate final grades based on their "most consistent/most recent" work, rather than on every assignment.

The upshot is that many students now know they don't necessarily have to do each test or turn in every paper when it's due – a sharp shift in expectations likely to come as a surprise to many parents.

Educators, however, know the score. The system's warts are never more in evidence than right now, when thousands of teachers are slogging through piles of late assignments and deciphering the complex formula for tallying up year-end grades.

"They are a royal pain and a bookkeeping nightmare," one Toronto science teacher says.

Indeed, the policies have caused much consternation among teachers unions, which accuse Queen's Park of tinkering with grading methods in order to buoy provincial graduation rates.

They also argue that formulaic rules undermine their professional judgment, deprive them of important tools for enforcing discipline and erode the value of high-school credits.

Some also worry that this system fails to instill learning skills, such as punctuality, essential in the working world.

"Every teacher I know is against the policy and strongly favours restoring penalties for late assignments or missing class," says Pickering teacher Jon Cowan, head of the Durham Region education-issues committee of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation.

In a OSSTF survey of 989 Durham teachers, almost 40 per cent said they felt pressured by administrators to lower failure rates and compromise academic standards.

Kathleen Wynne, Ontario's Education Minister, defends the approach, but adds that policies designed to allow students to make up missed or shoddy work are being reassessed.

"Everything we try will be to support the professional judgments of teachers."

Not all officials have such faith. Sue Ferguson, the TDSB's central co-ordinating principal, says many teachers simply prefer to do things the way they were taught.

"The world is turning. A lot of teachers want to control students with punitive strategies. They think that by docking marks, they'll improve student behaviour. But for at-risk students, it's a major deterrent."

That Ontario would even try to impose centralized evaluation standards surprises other provinces, where such policies are developed at the school or district level.

"I don't think that's something [Alberta Education] would take on," says Anne Mulgrew, supervisor of student assessment at the Edmonton School Board.

Does the Ontario ministry not "have enough to do?" asks Vancouver School Board chair Ken Denike, a retired University of British Columbia geographer. "I find that to be meddling in the extreme."

"What it's done is take some of the intelligence out of teaching," says Annie Kidder of People for Education, a parent’s advocacy organization. "I'm not sure parents know what a change happened when the reforms came in."

The initial motivation, provincial officials say, was to develop a consistent evaluation system and wean teachers from long-standing techniques, such as Bell curves. They also stress that boards and schools are supposed to adapt the provincial policy to their own circumstances.

Student evaluation is a hot topic in academic education circles. In recent years, influential experts, such as U.S. consultant Grant Wiggins, have promoted motivational, rather than punitive, methods of marking, always with an eye to making school less alienating for academically challenged or disadvantaged teens. Ontario policy-makers relied heavily on such experts in developing the current standards.

An article of faith among such experts is that a grade should be based on what a student submits, not when it's handed in. The reasoning: Not every kid works at the same pace, and some are holding down part-time jobs or contending with domestic strife.

So Ontario has introduced a range of measures to encourage underachieving teens to "recover" credits rather than flunk out. Officials point to rising test scores and graduation rates as evidence the policies are working, but Dr. Wiggins runs a company that trains teachers in evaluation and admits there is "not much data" on dropping the penalties.

And the TDSB seems in no hurry to assess the new evaluation system, for instance, by seeing if there has been an increase in late assignments. "That would be pretty difficult to do," says Ms. Ferguson.

Anecdotally, though, teachers say students are taking advantage.

"Kids aren't different than adults," says Neil Orford, a history teacher and department chair at Centre Dufferin District High School in Shelburne, Ont. "If you give them loopholes, they'll use them."

"That's a classroom management issue," Ms. Wynne replies. "If kids are finding loopholes, it's up to the teacher to make it crystal clear what the kids' limits are."

Mr. Orford says his school came up with a "compromise." Students have a due date and a "drop-dead" deadline, after which papers are not accepted.

"Most kids respond to my 'window of opportunity'," he says, adding that good teachers always accommodated students with legitimate reasons for missed tests or late papers.

Technically, though, Mr. Orford is violating the letter of provincial policy and could be overruled if he gave a zero grade and a parent complained.

So far, it hasn't happened. But he does note an unintended consequence of the new evaluation system. Because fixed due dates are a thing of the past, students now find themselves deluged by assignments they put off until the last minute.

The juggling doesn't faze bright kids, Mr. Orford says, "but it's made it much harder for students who are struggling."

John Lorinc is a Toronto journalist.

I still want to see what they plan to do about plagiarism.

Like I said before, philosophically I agree with most of what is said. And if kids are struggling for whatever reasons and can't get an assignment in on time, most teachers are understanding enough to address each student when the need arises. Do we really need such a blanket policy which does open the door for misuse, hurting those struggling students that need those accommodations the most.

It'll be interesting to see what happens come fall.

Plagiarism

2007-06-07T19:26:00.000-04:00

I caught a student plagiarizing her major end of term project. It was a fluke really. She copied it from another student who took the same course with a different teacher first semester. I just happened to mention it to the other teacher and she remembered it and was able to produce the copy.

Wanna know what's frustrating?

Our board, by direction of the ministry, now has a "no zero" policy. Yep, that's right. First kids couldn't "fail" a grade, now they can't get zeros.

This brainchild is part of a philosophy that I actually agree with. Some students (who have learning issues) should be given as much time as needed to work on an assignment. Legally, we make accommodations for that. But there is the belief that there are so many kids that are not identified that we should give them all the benefit of the doubt and allow them to continue to resubmit their work as often as needed until the get the mark they want.

(say what you want, it is an unfortunate reality that I somewhat, but not completely agree with, but have to live with)

The ministry is now directing that students should be marked for learning, not behaviour. OK, I get that. Learning is one issue, behaviour is another. No problem there.

I spoke with the student, let her know that she needs to redo her project, and gave her the lecture on plagiarism. I then took this to the Vice-Principal (who even commended me on how progressive I am [this is a brand new policy]) hoping that she would deal with the behaviour of plagiarism. (detention, community service, suspension perhaps?)

This is the one V-P who I can usually trust to deal with the kids in an extremely fair, yet firm way. Can you see where this is going?

Yep. She called the cheater into her office and explained that she had to redo the project (yep, had that one covered) and how wrong it was to plagiarize (check 2) and that she was disappointed in the behaviour (no shit!). That was it. Done. No more discussion.

She called the other girl in who gave the work to be copied and did the same thing.

So, yeah, basically the behaviour wasn't dealt with AT ALL.

So now I have this kid who is graduating high school (oh yeah, she a grade 12 student), perhaps going on to University or College, and has really not learned any lesson on stealing someone else's work and calling it her own.

Basically now with this new policy, the same discipline that we have for students who don't hand in their work (nothing and allow them to hand it in whenever they wish) is the same discipline for students who plagiarize. Is not one behaviour far worse than the other?? Not according to the Ontario Ministry of Education...

Good luck professors.

Teenage Romance

2007-04-24T17:05:00.000-04:00

...is there such a thing?

One of my students started crying yesterday during our soccer game - no, not because we were losing, but because of a boy. Yep, a boy. He apparently dumped her because "he didn't want a girlfriend right now". How many times have we heard this ladies? Sure enough, he's standing on the sidelines with another girl, that he apparently doesn't want to get too serious with (??) So, this made my little soccer girl cry. Remember when high school romances were the end of the world type of seriousness?

Ah, life is funny. but what is even more funny is when she and I were talking about it she said, "Ms. T, you are soooooo lucky you are married!" Hah!! I had to laugh at this one. Very cute. I didn't have the heart to tell her that I waited until I was 33 to actually get hitched. :) It might have killed her hope. Hee. Isn't being 17 fun?

Interview time!!

2007-03-22T16:40:00.000-04:00

Ah, Parent-Teacher Interview time. One of my favorite times of the year. This is when we get to see that truly, the apple does not fall far from the tree.

And I have seen it all. Parents yelling at their kids, kids yelling at their parents (and yes, the few times it's happened, the parents sit back and take it). I've been asked out on dates (scary!) and had some insulting questions about my age (I didn't look that young!). But mostly, its the same thing time and time again. The kids whose parents I should really see never show up, and those who are 90%ers are always here. What do you want me to say about your kid? S/he's perfect. You are doing a good job, s/he's doing a good job. It's all good.

I just had an interesting one leave my classroom. Her son picked a bad day to skip... On the attendance, he's down as having a "Dental appointment" with a note from home excusing him. Well, mom knows nothing about said dental appointment. Why would you skip today, of all days??? You know your mother is coming to talk to me...

Then I had the lady who I made cry. We were waiting for her son to join us and in that time we began to talk about how many kids she has (4) and that she needed a really large family because she has no other family left. They were all killed by the communists in Cambodia from which she fled when she was 12. I didn't mean to make her cry, we were just making small talk, then the tears started rolling...

Another mother of an 18 year old came by to tell me that if her son didn't complete his work she needed to be called every time so she could be all over him. Lady, he's 18. If he doesn't get it by now, it won't be for another few years - or maybe not until you stop coddling him.

The parents at my school are loaded. I already told you about one kid's inheritance. Well, in march the mothers with their Gucci bags, Prada shoes, and Tiffany jewelry. If I didn't find it so ridiculous that they buy their teenage girls the same things, I might be jealous. Well, OK, maybe I am still a little jealous.

Another round done and I finally get to go home after being here for 14 hours. Can't wait to hear what the excuse is of the kid who had a "dental appointment"...

Another co-worker rant...

2007-02-19T20:33:00.000-05:00

And yes, it's about the same co-worker.

If you are sick, stay home. No one is that important that the world will stop functioning if you do not come to work. We have 1100 critters (ok, students) running around with all of their germs, we don't need you to add to the mix. Seriously.

She has Bronchitis and Strep Throat, yet continues to work. She sits directly beside me.

I am now sick with a very sore throat that makes me want to die every time I open my mouth.

Her comment to me when I mentioned that I wasn't feeling well?
"If I took a day off for all the times I felt sick I'd never get anything done!"

Yeah, I wanted to hit her.

baby carriers

2007-02-06T16:40:00.000-05:00

Yep, that's what one of my grade 12s just used to describe the importance of women in society. Baby Carriers. Considering the fact that he really didn't mean it to sound the way that it did, was quite embarrassed by it, and turned bright red after all the girls in the class turned to glare at him, I thought it was pretty funny... :)

The fun of exams!

2007-01-29T20:38:00.001-05:00

So I have this very weak student. He is identified which means he is entitled to special considerations such as extra time for test and assignments, extended due dates, etc. He is a very good manipulator as well which is why he has made it to grade 11 without being able to read and process information really well.

Conversation I had with dad:

ME: Hi there, I was calling to let you know that S___ has an exam today. He has not shown up yet, and only has until 1:30 to get here to be able to write it.

DAD: What? Ummm, he had an exam today?

ME: Yep, it's his [insert course name here] exam. He really needs this exam as per our conversation last week about him not turning in his major end-of-year assignment.

DAD: Well, I was under the impression that he was finished all his exams. That's what he told us, so I took him to [insert name of town 3 hours away from here] to hang out with some friends for the weekend.

ME: Unfortunately that's not the case. Our exam period runs for another 3 days. You might want to take a second look at the exam schedule that was sent home with report cards at the beginning of December to make sure he's not going to miss any others.

DAD: I'm going to call him now and find out what's going on. Obviously he won't be able to make the deadline.

ME: That's unfortunate. I don't think that S____ will be receiving his credit for this.

[end of conversation]

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? Is what I wanted to yell into the phone. Here's a kid who struggles, is not very bright, probably needs a good number of hours in order to review for his exams, and you just let him go on a mini-vacation? Without double checking his exam schedule??

Why is the schedule not posted visibly on your refrigerator so that you have a clue as to what's going on in your son's life? I'm not saying you need to hold his hand, but you can sure still be on top of his homework and educational progrees. Especially a kid like this who constantly needs extra support.

I just don't get it. Well, actually I do. Sadly I see this far too often.

Another reason why I love my job..

2007-01-25T21:26:00.000-05:00

I hate that I am so conflicted about that. I love my job, but I really need to do something new - anything. Well, no not anything. Please don't ever make me teach Grade 9 geography again. Please!

Anyway, things like the following keep reminding me that for now my job is still pretty darn good!

I received this email during our current 'exam break'

Greetings and Salutations Ms. Teacher,

I would just like to express how much i enjoyed the class, and im am sad to
say this will be my last high-school class with you. You were my favorite
teacher throughout my four years, and i really do mean that from the bottom
of my heart. I promise to come back and visit you whenever i get the chance
next year!

Student_name

Aw, shucks! That makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. (and yes, the typos are his - good luck university profs! hehehe)

You're IT!

2007-01-24T21:26:00.000-05:00

Ms. Smarties has tagged me. Once you have been tagged, you have to write a blog with 5 facts about yourself. Then choose 5 people you want to tag and list their names. Then leave a comment on their blog letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I love Doritos, even if they smell like stinky feet!

2. I watch FAR too much reality television - it's actually hard to admit that one!

3. I've been taking social dance lessons for 6 months

4. I want to change up my career a bit but have no idea how.

5. I love that we now have winter!

I'm going to tag:

Beansie
Nerdalicious
Tinkerpuppet
AmyB
eff-see

Wow, a chain letter blog...hmmm Not sure how I feel about this.

And to add to my list...

Changa!

An oldie but a goodie

2007-01-21T10:16:00.000-05:00

A friend sent me this email today. I've seen it before but I thought it would be good to post it here. Now, I do feel that some of it is a little too overboard, but it's certainly something that I would like to say to those who believe that teachers don't do much and all we do is work 9-3 and have summers off.

WHAT TEACHERS MAKE

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life.

One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.
He argued, "What's a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?"

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers:
"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach."

To stress his point he said to another guest; "You're a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?"

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied,
"You want to know what I make? (She paused for a second, then began...)
"Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.
I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.
I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can't make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental...
You want to know what I make?" (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)
I make kids wonder.
I make them question.
I make them criticize.
I make them apologize and mean it.
I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.
I teach them to write and then I make them write.
I make them read, read, read.
I make them show all their work in math.
I make my students from other countries learn everything they need
to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.
I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.
I make my students stand to say the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag,
because we live in the United States of America.
Finally, I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)
"Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant...
You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make?"

Funny things happen in the new year...

2007-01-14T00:52:00.000-05:00

The first week back at school after the holidays is quite a strange time. People should be relaxed, ready to go and excited to be back. But we are not. Students and teachers alike. It's been a crazy busy week trying to plan for the last 2 weeks before exams and writing those darn things.

However, some interesting things do happen.

1) One of my students inherited 5 million dollars. Yep, 5 million. I have no idea what I would do with that kind of money at 17. My jaw hit the floor when I heard this. After picking it up from the floor, I wonder what type of parents would send him to school without at least counselling him about why he should not be running around the school telling everyone this. Ah, but maybe that's my jealous streak.

2) Another student, while working on her major project for my class recevied a phone call from a former Prime Minister of Canada. How cool is that? She was able to interview him for her project as I require she finds and uses primary documents. I guess this interview would count. Her mother I guess, knows a former assistant of his, and he got in touch with him and told him about her project. This former P.M. asked her when her presentation was so that he might stop by. Sadly, he'll be out of the country the day she's presenting. It would've been incredible for her to have had him come by for her presentation. Not to mention for the rest of us!

3) Two of my students were travelling to France over the Christmas holidays - seperately. They bumped in to each other, walking down some random street. That's pretty wild. I mean, what are the chances?

Anyway, that's all for now. With exams coming up I'm sure there will be some interesting things coming up - I'll keep you posted!

Dodge Ball!!

2006-12-17T12:37:00.000-05:00

Remember the game of dodge ball? The game where hurling little (soft) balls at someone is actually allowed? There were always the 'big' targets (the kids you hated and just wanted to cream them with the ball). There were the evaders (those annoying 'light as feather' folks who seemed to effortlessly float out of the way). And then there were the evil ones (the ones who had the arms of major leaguers and you couldn't get out of their path no matter what!)

Well, this week we had a school-wide dodge ball game. Us vs them. Yes folks, the TEACHERS vs. the STUDENTS. What were we thinking?

Every high school student's fantasy come to life. The opportunity of a life time! You could cream your teacher with a ball and not get in trouble for it!! How cool would that have been?

And yes, we sucked. The teachers lost every time. 0 for 3. Can't wait to get revenge next year...

Dr, Phil

2006-12-10T19:21:00.000-05:00

So, Dr, Phil was on the other day and he had a very interesting show on about teachers.

In one story, the woman had a seedy past where she had 'acted' in porn movies. Some students found out and her contract was not renewed. It was interesting. Does this woman have a right to keep her job? I don't know what the rules are in the states, but I seriously have a problem with this woman losing her job. She did nothing illegal and it happened 11 years ago. Personally I think she'd make a great role model of how a person can change who they are and the mistakes they've made. The main discussion of the show was if teachers should be held to a higher moral standard than the rest of the population. I find it funny that some people think that we can't have lives simply because we teach. My personal life should not reflect upon my professional one. But that's just my opinion!

The end

2006-12-10T19:17:00.000-05:00

So, my student teacher is done. She is finished her first round of "practice teaching". I think she'll be sucessful, and I hope I've taught her some things that she can take with her. What she lacks mostly is confidence - she's very nervous and soft-spoken. But, I do think this will get better in time.

I've really missed my classes. Connecting with the kids is such an important part of my job! I was starved for their attention. I guess like many other teachers out there, part of my want to be a teacher stems from wanting to be the centre of attention! har!

So, for the first day I had them back as my own, all we did was 'chat' and get caught up with each other. Yes, I do love my job!

Children...

2006-12-02T08:46:00.000-05:00

I work with children. Nope, not the teenagers I teach. My colleagues. The so-called professionals that take years and years of university courses and countless hours of teacher prep in the summer and evenings to become the best they can be. They are children.

We are supposed to be mature and adult-like, right? I wish some of my colleagues knew that.

First there is the woman that needs to know absolutely everything there is to know about the social life of 16 year olds. Who's dating who? Who is fighting with each other? Where this weekend's big party/bash is being held? There are times that she is so inappropriate and unprofessional that she really should be reported, but no one does. The kids can't stand her, yet they pretend to, because she sucks them right in to her gossip ring. Her gossip does not end at the students - oh no! She must tell everyone about the social happenings of her fellow teachers. And sometimes, she shares these with the students!

And boy does she get upset when you know something that she doesn't! I had my 12s write a paragraph of what they felt the 'bullying' situation was like at our school. They were told it would be completely confidential and I was looking more for the truth than anything else when I was marking it. What I got from them was amazing! Very schocking, yet not completely surprising things. I mentioned to said teacher what I was doing and she asked if she could read them. I said 'no'. (Any other teacher, I probably would've shared a few - but if I told her, I knew that it would get out to the students invovled) Well, she's not used to being told no, and didn't speak to me for 3 days! (and my desk is right beside hers) Unbelievable!

Then there is the arrogant asshole phys-ed teacher (not that I don't like phys-ed teachers at all...) I'll save his hissy fit for another day...

Not the most sensitive...

2006-11-17T22:50:00.000-05:00

So I spent an hour after school yesterday with a young girl who couldn't understand why she received a mark of 72% on a recent assignment.

This was a project that she chose to do as a group. When handing out the assignment I told them that if they chose to work in groups, the evaluation would be different than if someone chose to work alone - meaning that if 3 people are going to do the work of one, then it had better be well above and beyond what I was looking for. But, nobody actually had to work in groups - it was a choice.

Her group handed in a mediocre project that should've received a 72% if it was created by only one person. So, I was feeling pretty leninent in my marking as it was.

Anyway, she did not agree and wanted to argue her mark. I don't have a problem with this because I think that students should take responsibility for their education and they should ask questions about their assessment.

After an hour of going through the marking rubric with her, more explaining of the expectations and more tears, she still didn't get why her mark was "so low". (BTW I don't believe that 72 is a low mark) So, instead I tried a new tactic - I got pissy. I asked her where the other members of her group were if they felt that they put this tremendous amount of work in to this project. She replied that obviously they don't car as much about their marks as she does. I quipped, "Or, they understand that they did not put together a project that warrants a better mark." (in a very sarcastic tone) She left feeling no better than when she began, and I feel I could've done more to encourage her.

So much for marking / evaluating humanely and with sensitivity. I'll have to track her down on monday and hope she truly understands what I meant. It's amazing how much power a few little words can have and how much it can change a life just by being a little more sensitive to other people's feelings.

update...

2006-10-31T20:50:00.000-05:00

So, apparently B is fine. A broken leg and a minor concussion - I guess you can call that "fine".

After he was loaded on the stretcher and place in the ambulance, B, true to form gave his trademark "rock hand" or devil horns if you will, to the gathering crowd. Which, in turn, gave him a loud cheer! Ah, he's hilarious!

On another note, it was one of our students who was speeding and hit him. No news as to whether or not that kid will be charged...

2006-10-31T07:14:00.000-05:00

So remember waaaay back to my post about B ?

Well, yesterday after school he was hit by a speeding SUV on the main street in front of our school. He flew up into the air and landed on the windshield of another car.

He was taken to the hospital by ambulance and apparently he was conscious at that time. No other news or information.

Hopefully we'll get more of an update today.

God, I hope he is ok.

2006-10-25T18:26:00.000-04:00

OK, I normally don't complain about my job because for the most part I love it!

However, today is a day that I hate my job. It's VERY rare. But today I hate the kids, their attitudes, their behaviours, EVERYTHING!!!

So, today was my lunch 'duty' where I was responsible for making sure that the kids who sit in the main common area of the school don't kill each other and pick up their garbage, etc.

Today is the day they decide to have a food fight! Yes, it was little ole me and a few hundred kids! I was so pissed I finally had to leave and call for back up! After all was said and done I asked the VP to suspend 3 of the kids that were purposely targetting one particular student and hitting him with apples, sandwiches and jujubes! GAH! I was sooooo mad! 10 minutes later I saw one of the kids back in the common area joking around with his friends! WTF???? Suspend the prick!!

Not only that, but after the calm was restored, I saw another kid jump on a juice box that was full...you can imagine the mess! I took him upstairs to the office, the whole time he was whining "I didn't know it was full!" BS!!

ARG!! So.frustrating.

So, now I have to go back to my grade 11s who are the instigators of a lot of this stuff and be just peachy and pretend like nothing is wrong!!

Today is a bad day.

Reasons why I teach # 534

2006-10-15T18:56:00.000-04:00

OK, so this really isn't about being as materialistic as this is going to sound, so bear with me.

Last year in June, my most favorite class graduated . It made me really sad to see these kids go, yet satisfied that I had done all I could to help them on their journey. Last weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving) I got married to my boyfriend of 15 years. But, that's not why I am writing.

The week before my wedding, I had a number of graduated students return to the school to wish me all the best and to congratulate me on my wedding! Two students even flew in from Halifax and stopped by to give me a huge hug and a card and tell me that they wished they could be at my wedding (Ha! but I didn't invite them!) And, they probably actually flew in to see their family on Thanksgiving, not just to congratulate me, but who's keeping score, really?!

I also received a few wedding gifts from these students who stopped by. Chocolates, candles and an amazing crystal cake serving platter that I always wanted. I have no idea how she knew about that! What an incredible group of kids those were! I can't believe they remembered my wedding date.

I miss them.

It's time to give up the bar scene when...

2006-09-17T10:20:00.000-04:00

Conversation heard in my grade 12 class while students were supposed to be quietly working (yeah, right!)

Student #1: "So, I'm supposed to go to O'[insert irish name here]'s pub next weekend. There's a great band playing!"

Student #2: "Yeah, it's a great bar. We are there every weekend!"

Student #1: "Do you think he'll be there? What do you think I should wear?"

Student #2: "I dunno, I will ask him. Maybe I can invite him and his friends to go and you will just casually show up!"

Student #1: "squeal! Wouldn't that be sick!"

Yeah, OK typical teenage talk. Not really a big deal, right? Unless your Maid of Honour has been planning your bachelorette party for the exact same night at the exact same pub because it really is a really great band!

Crap! This is not good!

Montreal Tragedy

2006-09-14T17:15:00.000-04:00

Wow. Words cannot describe the shock of what is going on in Montreal right now. I am saddened.

Saddened because people are hurt, seriously or critically injured, and at least one victim dead.

Saddened because someone felt so alone, distraught, depressed, angry, that he would take his frustration out on innocent people.

Saddened because those students and teachers didn't need to go through this and will live with this trauma for the rest of their lives.

Saddened for the families of the young casualities who will have to come to grips with this.

Saddened because we haven't learned much from December 6, 1989.

Saddened because our Canadian coverage of this has turned in to much more sensationalized American style than ever before. ( I really do NOT think we needed to interview Columbine survivors to get their "take" on what went down - shame on you CBC)

Saddened because I wonder if we do enough?

Every year since Columbine and the Taber tragedies we practice secure classroom drills. We practice lockdowns, building evacuations, and bomb scares. Can we ever fully protect the kids that are placed in our charge day after day?

And do we know that if something like that were to arise that we would do what we should? Looking at some of that footage, I wonder. People walked by the gunman and the police without ever even realizing what was going on. The tragedy could be so much worse.

I guess we have learned a little from 17 years ago. They say the police knew exactly what to do and how to "take down" the gunman. The teachers knew to collect students into classrooms and barracade the doors. Some student did know to run for cover and get out of the way.

Many of the victims will survive. There are some that may not, but it really could have been much worse.

What a terribly sad day...

Phew!

2006-09-09T08:13:00.000-04:00

The first week is finally over. I swear it was the longest week of my life. For some reason this year I really did not want to go back. I was enjoying my summer far too much!

It was a little different this year since I had a student teacher right on the very first day. I never thought I would mind, but it was a little awkward. One of the most important things you can do is establish the classroom setting right from the start. Having her in there kind of distrupted my "routine" . It's fine though. I am really looking forward to mentoring her. She seems quite receptive to the hints I have given her. Some of the pointers include:

1) LEARN THEIR NAMES!! There is nothing worse than a teacher by mid-October saying, "Hey you, in the red sweater." This has to be the most important thing you can do as a teacher.

2) Never let them see fear. I definately recommend showing emotion - kids respond to that - but not fear. They will smell fear a mile away and can make your life miserable.

3) Make sure everything you do is purposeful. They will know when you are just "passing time". This will not give them the consistency they need. How will they know that what you are doing is important if you don't make it clear that everything they are expected to do is?

4) You are not their friends. Do not fall in to that trap. I know the urge is there to be liked, but you can be liked and still be their teacher. (Some parents could use this advice)

5) Play games. Learning is so much more fun to do when you are having a good time.

6) Tell stories. Learning is more fun when it doesn't seem like learning. Kids respond to stories very well and are much more interesting than a boring list of facts.

7) Be yourself. Again, kids will see right through you if you are trying to be someone you are not.

8) Journal everything. Write it all down so that you can go back years from now and remember what it was like to be a new teacher. At the end of each day, make sure you write about at least one positive thing that you remember. These will help you during the rough times.

I really enjoy mentoring my student teacher. I'm beginning to think I should go in to teacher training at the University. It would be awesome! But I think I'd miss the classroom too much.

T minus13

2006-08-22T15:08:00.000-04:00

The countdown is on. I have only a few more precious summer days to enjoy. Yesterday was beach day - a wonderfully hot, sunny day. *sigh* I'll miss those...

I just got an email from my student teacher who is in her first year of her B.ed. And boy, do I feel old! She's 22 (a few years younger than me...). All the student teachers I have had have been much older. It's their second career. Not her - she's 22. This will be interesting.She informed me that she was part of the last graduating class of OAC. Has time really flown by that quickly??

I'll be starting to go in these next few days to get organized, caught up, and hopefully ready for that first day of school. Do you remember how you felt on your first days of school? That sickening, deep in your stomach, heavy feeling? Yeah, I still get that. Every year. You'd think I'd be over it by now. The '06 / '07 year marks my 9th year of teaching. Strange - I still feel like I'm new.

Stupid commercials

2006-08-02T11:25:00.000-04:00

Come on, are you serious? It is only August 2nd and I am already seeing those pesky back-to-school commercials. Let me enjoy my vacation, please.

I have to admit, the Alice Cooper one, although old still makes me giggle.

Right, so I have exactly 33 more days until I am back in the trenches. As much as I love my job, I also love my summers!

This year, since I am healthy I make a point of getting out as much as I can. The gym that I go to has an outdoor pool, so I get to pretend that it's my own backyard (except when the camp kids show up!). I get to read, read and read more. In the summers I like to read fluff - it helps to ignore the intellectual stuf until I have to go back to work.

Anyway, I'm off to enjoy a nice lunch with a friend on a patio. (Well, only if the heat and humidity doesn't kill us!)

School's out!

2006-06-30T09:37:00.000-04:00

...for summer!! (belt it out just like Alice Cooper did!!)

I'm so thankful this year is over. I had a really crappy dummer last year and am looking forward to an amazing one this year. Well, no matter what, it HAS to be better than last year.

Yesterday was commencement. I love watching these young people walk across the stage in their suits, dresses and gowns. Unfortunately we don't order the caps, but that's probably because the kids would steal them. When I graduated high school we had the option of buying them, but I guess the kids just don't want to wear them anymore.

I had the honour of reading names for the students as they received their diplomas. I volunteered to do this because this was the group of kids that started grade 9 at the same time that I started teaching at the school. I have taugh many of these guys for 4 years, sometimes even 5 or 6 times, depending on the course. I was so nervous about reading the names because even though I taught many of them, I rarely paid much attention to the correct pronunciation of their last names!

But, it went perfectly and I didn't feel nervous once I got up there. The fact that when I was introduced and there was a loud cheer and a "We love you Ms. T!" shouted from the audience sure helped. It was really nice to be able to give them a reassuring smile, or share a laugh before they took their journey across the stage. There really is value to this rite of passage, and I hope they all realized the bigs steps that they were taking.

Oh, sure there was the normal goofiness that goes one. Cheers, whistles and hand gestures that we have no idea and aren't meant to have any idea about their meaning.

The valedictorian address brought tears to my eyes. She spoke so eloquently, and touched upon many events in their high school years.

Many of my students are moving away for university, which I certainly encouraged them to do if they could afford it. Hopefully they will come back to visit, because as much as they made me want to tear my hair out, they are all good kids and I will miss them.

2006-06-24T12:26:00.000-04:00

I came across this while marking exams this weekend:

The questions was: Define and provide an example of the following terms. The term chosen was "Groupthink"

Student writes:

Definition: Groupthink is a very strong feeling or decision that is made by a group. Sometimes everyone feels so strongly about this decision that others cannot oppose it.

(pretty good definition of the term)

Example: Jessica Simpson is good looking.

Ha! Made me laugh

You be the judge...

I am slowly going crazy

2006-06-22T22:29:00.000-04:00

1-2-3-4-5-6- SWITCH!

I HATE MARKING EXAMS!!!

Why I teach...

2006-06-10T07:48:00.000-04:00

OK, this is going to be a long one.

I have a student who is a truly wonderful, loving, kind and HILARIOUS kid. (by kid, I mean 16 yr. old) He makes me smile and laugh out loud everyday.

He didn't hand in his final project, so I spoke with his resource teacher to give her a heads up. She told me that B is having a rough time because dad is abusive and mom is trying to get out of the relationship right now. There is an older brother and younger brother as well. Mom is trying to get all 3 of them out. (4 including herself)

I was a little shocked at this news. Looking at this big teddy bear-like kid an trying to imagine anyone being abusive to him really breaks my heart.

So, OK, no worries about the project, he can hand it in whenever he can.

Part of the project was an oral presentation in front of the class. B's presentation was this week. His topic was "youth homelessness".

This is a kid who hasn't had much sucess in school, doesn't read very well and writes like a 5 year old. (big, jagged, uncontrolled letters) He has a resource teacher, but he just doesn't fit the mold of a "regular, average student". He is however, very creative. He plays guitar in a very hard-rock Megadeath-like band. Interesting, but when he sings, he screams.

So, he gets in front of the class with a cardboard box all duct-taped together with photos that he took of homeless teenagers in our city. In his words, the box was his shelter. He asked 2 other students to sit up at the front with him and hold their hats out to ask for change. The rest of us were to walk in front of them while they begged for money.

While we were doing this, B began to sing a song that he wrote for this project. He pulled out his acoustic guitar and began.

I was floored. This kid has an amazing voice and is so incredibly talented. I had tears streaming down my face as I listened to him play. We all did.

He ended his presentation with an interview that he did with a homeless teenager on the street. In answer to his question "why are you living on the street?" the young man answered "Because life at home sucked so much. My dad was abusive and beat all of us. I would never go back (home), it was too fucked up".

All I could see was the pain in B's eyes as he read the interview to us. I couldn't help but think that this could be him...

Gotta love those girls...

2006-05-30T18:57:00.000-04:00

So tonight was our soccer team dinner to thanks everyone for a great season, and promote for next year.

The girls were really sweet and bought us (the 2 coaches) little gag gifts. I got a rain poncho and bonnet because it RAINED every morning practice and I never showed up with proper attire! We put the bonnets on for a picture - I was reminded of my grandmother...

They also decided that we needed to get a face full of whipping cream! Yeah, that was fun. Grease-based product all my nice white shirt!

Gotta love 'em!!

smashing the myth

2006-05-22T00:02:00.000-04:00

Soccer season is over!!

Yes, this year I decided to try my hand at "helping" to coach soccer. Even after last year's disasterous attempt at coaching badminton, I thought I'd give this a try.

The girls were great! I was amazed at how much fun I had watching them play. Even with the 7am practices 3x a week. A little bit of drama (they are girls, afterall); and a 1 and5 season. Now, on the surface that may seem like a terrible season, BUT since they hadn't won a single game in 3 years, and we didn't have 1 blowout, I'd say it's pretty darn great! (we kept our opponents to 2-1 and 1-0 scores - just like the World Cup!! )

The only reason why I "coach", is because of the infamous booze-fest also known as the "coach's banquet". For those of you who don't know, teachers like to party. In fact, we party HARD. We don't always party nicely though. Careful, I just may be about to smash some images you might have of your favourite, stodgy, old highschool teachers.

Coach's banquet is where:

- the booze flow FREELY (can't beat that!) normally paid for by your principal.
- teachers get a chance to dress up like it's their prom (so really we never actually grow up)
- pillars on the dancefloor become the dancefloor (yes, we do have some stripper moves in store!)
- clothing sometimes (most times...) comes off
- we turn into students sneaking smokes, cigars, and "other" stuff in the parking lot
- one night stands abound (not good for the next P.D. day)
- some even cheat on their spouses! (again, not good for the next day - period!)

Yes, it's all fun and games.

Just 2 more weeks until...

Con't...

2006-05-06T15:58:00.000-04:00

So, she decided to stay in my class. She dropped soccer instead.

I feel like crap! She should be able to play her damn sport.

Another reason why I hate this time of year...

2006-04-28T17:52:00.000-04:00

I should not teach grade 12 students. I just shouldn't.

I don't believe that education is a competition, I do believe that there is more to life than getting good grades. I don't think that universities should hold kid's lives hostage just for the "prestige" of getting accepted. I don't believe that your life is over if you; don't get early acceptance/don't get accepted/don't go to university at all. I always say that univeristies are businesses, if you don't get in the first time, they will let you in eventually. Even if it is as a mature student. Bottom line: THEY WANT YOUR MONEY.

The problem is, I tell my students that.

Another problem is, they don't believe me.

I had 2 students come to me the other day to talk about dropping my course. One girl was sobbing mercilessly about how stressed she was because she didn't get early acceptance to her program of choice. This is a girl with a 96% average. If SHE didn't get accepted, who the hell are they letting in?

Her course load: Calculus, Chemistry, Exercise Science and my course, Sociology. She plays 3 sports competitively, works part time, and as mentioned maintains a 96% average!!

Talk about breaking my heart.

I totally counselled her to drop my course. I believe that nothing, especially grades, is worth your health. She was still visibly upset, so I asked her what was really the issue. Was it that she'd consider herself a failure for dropping a course? No. Was she afraid of how that would look to the universities? No.

Her answer? She didn't want to disappoint me.

Rip my heart open and stomp all over it!

That answer made me sob. I hate when kids are practically killing themselves because of the pressures placed on them by the unis, their parents and themselves.

I hate this time of year.

The Greek Experience

2006-04-14T15:14:00.000-04:00

Greece 2006

So, we are back from Greece and we all lived to tell the tale. No one got lost, no one got hurt, no one stole a rock from the Acropolis - life is good!!

I have to say, these were the GREATEST GROUP OF TEENAGERS EVER! It was so much fun to take them on a trip like this. Well behaved, polite, mostly interested in what was going on, and no one got into too much trouble. Well, OK, that's not entirely true. There was the wadded up pieces of toilet paper out the hotel room window in Athens incident...but that’s another story.

The first day we arrived in Athens early afternoon. Our hotel was literally in the heart of Athens so we were very close to everything. We took a walking tour and saw the changing of the guards at Syntagma Square – I still don’t know why they wear pompoms on their shoes and short pleated skirts, but the kids were good enough not to laugh! We walked down to the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch where we got a really nice view of the Acropolis. That night at our hotel restaurant we looked out over Athens and had an amazing, non-obstructed view of the Acropolis all lit up. Incredible!

On the second day we had a guided tour of Athens. We went to the Acropolis, finally. Here we were able to see storm clouds rolling in. We could hear thunder and see the lightening. This was not the most pleasant thing to witness since we were on top of the largest structure in the city with metal scaffolding all around! Beautiful and very picturesque. We also stopped at the Kalimarmaro – the ancient Olympic stadium that was built for the 1896 games. This is the very same place the ancient Panathinae, which were one of the first sports events in history, used to take place more than 3000 years ago. For the 2004 Olympics, it was the finish line for the marathon and archery events. It’s hard to believe that it fits 70, 000 people!

The next day we took a day cruise to the Saronic Islands of Poros, Hydra and Aegina. The cruise literally took all day. It was close to 4 hours to reach the first island! The boat supplied us with a full “Greek experience” with music, food and dance. It wasn’t hard to convince our students to be up dancing to traditional Greek music at 8 am! The cruise was wonderful. The islands were beautiful and we got lots of shopping done, especially in Aegina, which is famous for pistachio nuts.

Then we boarded to bus for our road trip around the Peloponnese. Our first stop was the Corinth Canal. What an incredible feat in engineering! I can’t describe it in words, check out the pictures attached. In ancient Corinth, first inhabited in 5000 BCE, we saw what remains of the Temple of Apollo, the ancient bath houses and fountains, marketplace, the Bema and we even saw an ancient game of “marbles” that embedded over time in the stairs leading to the marble paved Lechaion Road.

Next we went to Mycenae. This place has such a rich history that it’s difficult to mention it all. The ancient kingdom is linked to Perseus, Hercules, Agamemnon, Paris, Helen, and can you see where this is leading? Yes, the Trojan War. We saw the famous Lion’s Gate, The Treasury of Atreus and the famous beehive tombs. These tombs are enormous in size. We got to walk in to one and see the inside of the structure. Amazing! Our final highlight of the day was the Theatre at Epidaurus, an incredible structure with amazing acoustics. Someone dropped a coin on the centre piece of marble and we could hear it throughout the theatre. A few students entertained us with their beautiful singing – incredible sound. Definitely a “wow!” moment.

Next day we were at Olympia. First built as a sanctuary to Hera, then Zeus, it became the site of the ancient games. What an amazing place; very spiritual and serene. The starting line at the stadium is still visible and we had students line up to race. I could’ve spent an entire day here walking around the ruins of the temples, gymnasiums, and the Palaestra. It was incredible to see that these huge stones used to build the structures are just left where they fall after earthquakes, storms or just plain age.

We traveled to Delphi to see the Oracle, at the Sanctuary of Apollo on the slopes of Mount Parnassus. It was a bit of a tough hike up, but worth it. The museum itself houses some of the finest works that survive the classical era, since at that time gifts and offerings were sent to Delphi from all over the ancient world. At night it was arranged that the students could go to a local club and enjoy a night of dancing.

From Delphi we were led to one of the most spectacular geographical sites I have ever seen. The rock formations at Meteora are unparalleled. They rise from the plain of Thessaly in huge clusters. At the very top of most of these formations are monasteries that were built centuries ago by monks who were seeking to lead the solitary life of hermits. Their only way to receive goods to their refuge was by ropes and baskets scaling the sleek rock face. We were able to walk around inside two of the monasteries, including Ayia Triada that was the backdrop to the James Bond flick For Your Eyes Only. Our return trip to Athens ended our journey.

In all, it was a pretty amazing trip. With so much history, I was truly in heaven. It really humbled me to think about the centuries that have past while these ancient structures remain and the millions of people who have walked there before me.

Whatever happened to "the most qualified"??

2006-04-07T20:34:00.000-04:00

So, it's hiring time with the school board. When I first became a teacher I really thought that you would ge a job depending on your qualifications, references and perhaps some good lesson plans and activities displayed in your portfolio.

I thought that since we were unionized, everyone would have a fair chance at every job posted. My illusion has been shattered. Even in teaching it's who you know and what you do to kiss someone's ass.

A really annoying supply teacher, more affectionatley known as "Loopy" got a temporary contract at our school. Yes, she is seriously loopy!. I even spoke with the VP about how I did not want her to supply for my classes again because she doesn't acutally follow the plan that I leave. She decides to do whatever she wants to do. Very annoying.

She first started supply teaching in February when another teacher went off on medical leave. Said teacher was having a very rough time with her pregnancy. Loopy told us she was only here for 2 weeks, "But, you know how medical leave is"...Right in front of us! Who A) knew the situation as to why teacher was off and B) are good friends with teacher who was off.

Loopy left that class in such a mess that the teacher who was off and is now back had a bit of a challenge to get them back. Fortunately this woman is a competant teacher, and has done so quite successfully. That class was out of control when Loppy was at the helm!

This is the type of person who knows how to work the system. She sends the office staff flowers once a week. Now, I agree that the office certainly deserves those flowers for all the hard work they do, but coming from someone who had only been at the school a week seems weird. How could they not see through this blatant attempt to shmooze?!?!

After only a week at school she also volunteered to do the following:

1) Coach a team. Great, thanks, but there are NO school sports that only run for 3 weeks (the original contract term)

2) Agree to help out at a school dance but never actually show up. (again, how this got by Admin I'll never know)

3) Help out with student council. She sat in for one meeting and told everyone how she was going to take it over next year!! (more on this later)

Then Loopy got another contract as a father went off for 2 weeks paternity leave. Again, she states, "Well who knows when he'll be back." Ummm, probably after his triplets come home from the hospital. And, oh guess what? He's back at work.

As for student council, the current teacher is moving to another country at the end of the year. She knows this (sadly). The other day Loopy walks up to him and says, "Guess what? I'm your job!" WHO DOES THIS?? Especially when there are 2 other qualified teachers on temp contracts who have been at the school longer who also want the job.

She's always hanging out in the main office to "get noticed" by admin. I just kept hoping that the more time she spends with them, the more they'll see what she's like. Apparently not, she is so working the system.

So, as it stands, my pleas went unnoticed. Since we are unionized, there's a limited amount of things we can actually say or do to affect her employment. Even my Department Head's hands are tied. (And she's the one who was first off on medical leave and had to come back to the mess!) Loopy is at my school for at least the next 6 weeks. Grrrr!

Mentorship

2006-04-03T21:35:00.000-04:00

I think that the universities in my area that have teacher education programs hate me.

Every year I sign up for a student teacher. Every year neither university that I apply to sends me one. Why?

Not only that, but on occasion, the universities send out pleas in September and February for students that haven't been placed. I answer those. I get no response. I feel like I'm being chosen last in Gym class.

I truly believe in mentoring a student teacher. After all, someone volunteered to take me on at one point. Also, I enjoy the discussions and I learn a lot from all the other S.T.s in my department. I look forward to adding new "spice" to my lesson plans, too. I hear a lot from other teachers that they would never take one on, and honestly I don't get that. What better opportunity to give something back, all the while ensuring that great new teachers are developed. I don't get it.

The only time I ever did get a S.T. she was absolutely loopy! I am not kidding. She would break out in to song in the middle of class (no, not related to the lesson), discuss her divorce in front of the students, and would break in to tears when I would say something so minute like; "Maybe next time you should make sure you have a pen with you so that you can take attendance accurately."

The kicker, the absolute kicker was when she showed up later for school one day. One of her fellow S.T.s asked her why she came in late (I hadn't gotten to her at this point) . She replied, "Well, I started masturbating and I just couldn't stop!". Honestly.

I must have done something in a past life to piss the Teacher Education teachers off!

This year I applied and did not get one, but a colleague of mine did not want to give up one of her classes. So, I jumped on it and said that he could take on one of mine. Fine, great, it was looking up for me!

Until the e-mail. Over March Break when I was in Greece, we received an email stating that said S.T. had a crisis at home and needed to deal with it. He would be back the following week. I'm right away thinking, wow, major crisis, and feeling really bad for him. It was decided that he would drop a course so that he could deal with the issues and still keep his sanity. Guess whose course he dropped? Mine.

I. give. up.

Oh and BTW the crisis really wasn't all that big. No worse than what many other people have gone through in their lives. Maybe I am just being bitter, but in order to deal with the pressures of a first-year teacher, you gotta be tough!

Back from Greece...

2006-03-21T07:30:00.000-05:00

...and we all lived to tell the tale!

More on the subject later, but I thought I would at least check in.

I have to say, these were the GREATEST GROUP OF TEENAGERS EVER! It was so much fun to take them on a trip like this. Well behaved, polite, mostly interested in what was going on, and no one got into too much trouble.

Well, OK, that's not entirely true. There was the wadded up pieces of toilet paper out the hotel room window in Athens incident...

And, of course there was the "buying alcohol" incident. Too bad they were not smart enough not to get caught by the other teacher who came along on the trip. They waited an hour and a half outside my hotel room door to tell me that they, "Had done something very bad. Terrible, in fact!" (I, of course, am thinking the worst!) I asked them what their punishment should be and they replied "Well, we shouold be on hotel arrest for the rest of the trip. We shouldn't take part in anything! Not even dinner!" (I am serious here - they are sooooo innocent)

When I asked them if they knew what the ramifications would be once we got back to Canada, they replied, "Well, we know suspension, possibly expulsion. Our parents will know, the principal will know. And we know that it will go on our permanent record for all the univeristies to know!" (Man, it was hard to sustain my laughter. It's amazing how much you can punish yourself waaaaaaaay more that other people can.) Of course, I did not mention that Univerisities couldn't give a rat's ass about this. That, and the fact that it is far more difficult to expell a student these days. ( but they didn't have to know that!)

To prove once more how great these kids are, on the plane ride home, one of the offenders tapped me on the shoulder. He asked if it were possible that I could not mention it to his parents right away at the airport as he would like the chance to tell them himself and since he hadn't seen them in a week, and he didn't want to dampen their excitment of his return.

Wow!

I couldn't ask for anything more. They took responsibility, they punished themselves and they wanted to break the news to their parents themselves. I couldn't have done it better myself. All the things that they came up with on their own was exactly what I was going to have them do. (Except missing dinner and not participating in the rest of the trip. They were on hotel arrest, but they did not miss out on the educational or the nutritional part of the trip - I really didn't feel that this punishment fit the crime considering they may never have a chance to get back to Greece. Plus there was only 1 night left)

Memorable Teaching Moments # 326

2006-03-03T22:38:00.000-05:00

Ahahahaha! I am evil. Today, I began a movie study in my grade 12 class. A very good movie study I might add, where the students will have to analyze different scenes in the movie and relate them to different theoretical perspectives that we have learned about in the course. (it's a sociology course) Their assignment is only 5 questions, 3 of which must be answered within 250 words.

So, why do they hate me so much?

Well, the annual "Grad Trip to Cancun" begins on Friday, March 10th, the day before March Break. Traditionally, grade 12 students involved in this trip take the day off to pack, fake and bake, get their hair done, etc. So, once this was assigned, a few students asked, "So, when is it due?" I told them, next Friday!

That would mean they would have plenty of time to get the work completed since they had whined about how much work it was. (a very common occurance) I am even willing to give them an entire period in the computer lab to work on it next week. A huge groan errupted from the class when I told them the due date, and one very daring soul piped up, "But what about the kids going to Cancun?" To which another, even more daring voice piped up, "Who cares about the kids going to Cancun?"

That made my very hectic and crazy week!

reasons why I love teaching 18 year olds...

2006-02-17T17:59:00.000-05:00

OK, that's supposed to be sarcastic!

I love watching the Olympics. I think it's great watching the world come together in the name of good, clean competition. ( Don't worry, I know it's not all like that) This gives us a chance to watch so many different sports that we would never really get a chance to watch. Speed skating (especially short track) Luge, Snowboard X, Biathalon, etc. all fun and exciting sports to watch.

So, this week I had 4 students come in late to class because they were at home watching the Olympics. OK, I thought, since I love the Olympics so much, I guess I can't be too mad at them. So I ask them which events they saw. Can you guess? Yep, HOCKEY! (see earler rant) They stayed home to watch the very first Team Canada game! Like they can't see these overpaid millionaires every other night on TSN!

Where does the age of 18 fit in? Well, since they are 18, they stood in front of my desk and each wrote their own note excusing themselves from class! Not a thing I could do. I should've planned a test for that day...maybe I will for the finals!

2006-02-07T20:31:00.000-05:00

5 more weeks until I leave for Greece. It's going to be an amazing trip.

Today however, I was taken aback a little. A colleague of mine informed me that she did not think it was fair that I got to go on "all" the trips. She feels that we need to draw up a schedule and take turns with everyone in the department who wishes to go. (???) In other words, she wants to go on a trip. OK, I understand where she is coming from and I certainly do not begrudge her a trip. Yes, I went to Italy last year (but I didn't plan it, I was a secondary teacher when the numbers got higher than expected - and won it during a game of BINGO!). And this year, yes I am going to Greece. I am going because I DID plan it. I did all the leg work, paperwork, and administrative run-around. I dealt with kids whining about room allotments, parents and their fears, and the ever increasing charge of fuel taxes. It's an amazing amount of work. Not to mention the stress while you are over there making sure no one gets lost, hurt, kidnapped, etc. It's not a vacation - trust me.

But seriously, if she wants to take students on a trip, then by all means PLAN IT. Get your forms in a year in advance because that's how long you need for approval. Next year's trip is already being planned by someone else, so there's still plenty of time to plan for 2008!

I'm a little sensitive to this because last year another teacher said the same thing to me. She also wanted to plan a trip, but she has 2 small children. She said to me that she'd like to wait until they are a little older so that she could bring her husband and children along with her and have a nice family vacation. (???) Again, see above. This is NOT a vacation! When you sign up to take legal responsiblity of these students, you are responsible for them 24/7. No Breaks! As if she'd be able to diligently deal with the 30 or so students that she is bound to AND take care of her own children! Give me a break!

As much as I would like to continue doing these trips, I have a feeling that I am going to be usurped. Oh well, at least I'll then be able to plan for my own vacation.

Oh Canada...

2006-01-28T12:22:00.000-05:00

We are much more than hockey, right? We do have a history, culture and identity that involves more than a game on ice played with a stick and a puck, right?

I spent the last 5 months teaching my grade 12s all about Canadian History, Culture and Identity. (That's the name of the course, by the way) The course begins pre-contact, and spans until the 20th century. So we are talking close to 500 years or so of Canadian content.

Once, I repeat, once, I talked about hockey. I mentioned that during the Depression, many turned to CBC radio to listen to a hockey game to get their minds off their economic woes. That's it - the only mention of hockey.

Now to some hockey fans that might not seem like enough, but c'mon we are talking about 500 years of an entire nation!

My students wrote their exam last week (you know where I am going with this) where they had to answer the following question:

Many historians may argue that throughout Canadian history, Canada seems to have merely shifted its dependence from Great Britain to the United States and has never really achieved full independence. As a result, what it means to be Canadian has often been a difficult question to answer. Outline what you believe to be Canada’s identity.

Overwhelmingly the vast majority wrote about hockey; not Vimy, not Confederation, not immigration, the railway, or even the Acadians. Hockey.

I guess my exciting lesson on the War of 1812 couldn't compete with our national pastime.

poetic aliens??

2006-01-18T22:37:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I wonder why I bother. You spend countless hours explaining content and structure of poems, as well as the use of literary devices. Symbolism is another concept to discuss. The days are filled with numerous activities and exercises to prepare them for finals.

Now, I can understand how symbolism can sometimes be lost. Sometimes you just don't fully understand the meaning that some poets are trying to get across. I get that.

The poem in question: "Men In Green" by David Campbell. An exerpt:

Oh, there were fifteen men in green,
Each with a tommy-gun
Who leapt into my plane at dawn;
We rose to meet the sun.
...
We climbed towards the distant range
Where two white paws of cloud
Clutched at the shoulders of the pass;
The green men laughed aloud.
...
Oh, there were some leaned on a stick
And some on stretchers lay,
But few walked on their own two feet
In the early green of day.

They had not feared the ape-like cloud
That climbed the mountain crest;
They had not feared the summer’s sun
With bullets for their breast.
...
And I think still of men in green
On the Soputa track,
With fifteen spitting tommy-guns
To keep the jungle back.

What's the first thing that comes to most people's mind when reading this poem?

Soldiers, perhaps? World War One, perhaps? Or at least some type of war requiring tommy-guns and bullets.

My students?

Wait for it...

ALIENS!

Yes, apparently the "men in green" are from outerspace.

Did these kids even read the poem?

*sigh*

It's two words, people!

2006-01-15T16:56:00.000-05:00

People wonder why I can't spell. "A teacher?" they say, "you should be GREAT at spelling!" Well, try marking grade nine students' essays for 8 years and tell me how good you are! I tell ya, I spell like a 14 year old who does not know how to proof read.

The most common spelling mistake that I come across that irritates me the most:

alot

THAT'S NOT A WORD, FOLKS!

It's two words, two words dammit! A LOT

Unless you are allotting someone a piece of land...

What they think they can get away with...

2006-01-11T21:47:00.000-05:00

OK, so we've all tried to plagiarize at one point in our lives. But we were at least smart about it, right?

The internet has become the bane of teachers' existence. It's so easy for a kid these days to Google any topic they wish and get a wealth of information at their fingertips. Some students' idea of research is cutting and pasting it all together!

I caught a student plagiarizing word-for-word an essay that had been posted on the internet. I confronted said student and asked him if there was anything that he wanted to tell me about his essay. "Umm, no," was the response. So I tried again, "Are you sure?". "Yep," was the reply. By now most kids would have the sense to come up with some "I-was-so-busy-and-had-a-million-other-projects-I'm-so-sorry-It'll-never-happen-again!" kind of excuse/plea.

Not this kid.

I got, "Well my parents helped me out a little with it." So I asked, "Really, is your father Dr. ____ from ____ University? No? OK, wanna try again?"

Still, denial. We went back and forth a bit until he finally admitted that he *might* have used someone else's work.

Are you kidding me?

Do they think I am an idiot?

Seriously, if they can find it on the internet what makes them think that I can't??

Romeo, Romeo...

2006-01-10T18:23:00.000-05:00

The next day we set out for Verona where we were first in line to enter the Arena Amphitheatre that was built in the 1^st century AD. It was so cool. The acoustics were incredible! We could clearly hear conversations on the ground from the very top of the amphitheatre. A great way to hear the students' gossip! We also visited Juliet’s balcony and her bronze statue. Supposedly, couples are to kiss in front of Juliet while the gentleman touches her breast for good luck. Not the best image to leave your students with...

Venice is everything that you read about and see in pictures! A beautiful place, and it didn’t smell – REALLY! Apparently it does in the summer though. Here we saw St. Mark’s Square (yes, what they say about the pigeons is TRUE!), the magnificent Doges Palace and a glass-blowing demonstration at a Murano glass factory. The teachers took a Vaporetto down the Grand Canal. The students however, took a Gondola ride. I guess we teachers are too cheap as we felt that Gondolas were far too expensive.

The architecture in Venice is amazing. We took many photos just of people’s doorways and gardens. I could’ve spent a few more days here – except for all those pigeons.

Fortunately no one fell into the canal. A big feat with 38 teenagers and their daredevil attitudes!

2006-01-08T16:18:00.000-05:00

Next stop was Siena – a beautiful medieval town in Tuscany. It’s famous for its Palio horse race and it’s fan-shaped Piazza del Campo. It was so beautiful here, but unfortunately we only had a few hours and we were on our way to Florence.

Here we did everything! I had a WOW moment at the Academia Gallery when I saw Michelangelo’s David. We also saw a leather workshop and how they shape real Italian leather goods - great discounts at the factory! We gave the students 8 hours or so to roam the city by themselves (which meant we had free time too). By the end, I was beginning to feel human again, finally getting over the jet lag.

We shopped on the famous “Ponte Vecchio”, almost waited 240 minutes in line to the Uffizi’s Museum (gave up after about 5 minutes), debated long and hard about purchasing a leather jacket from the Peruzzi shop and ended up buying an ancient roman coin set in white gold. Finally we climbed the Piazzale Michelangelo to watch the sun set – an amazing view!

Our hotel in Florence was an old lemon orchard, designed like a villa. A few pools, both swimming and reflection, were on the grounds, and the gardens in the spring would be magnificent. The rooms had curved ceilings and some had lofts and brick walls. Each had a chandelier of Murano glass in them. It was a really nice place.

I can't believe that we packed in so much culture on so little time...

When in Rome...

2006-01-06T23:59:00.000-05:00

Last year during Spring Break a colleague and I took 38 students to Italy. It was, needless to say, quite a challenge. I will be recapping the trip over the next few days.

OK first let me start off by saying that I had jet lag for about 3 days. I was tired and crabby and had to deal with 38 students aged 16-18. After the Rome experience (which you’ll read about) I was saying to myself that I would NEVER take another school trip again. By about Florence though, I changed my mind - call me crazy, more on that later!

Our first day in Rome was an exciting one – for many reasons. We got up bright and early to line up to enter the Vatican. We took a tour of the museum with a guide who gave us a lesson in art history of the differences between ancient Greek and ancient Roman art. Then we entered the Sistine Chapel. It is every thing you read about. At first I wasn’t really sure what the big deal was, but when I looked closely and saw the details that Michelangelo expressed in his work, I understood the importance. We also went into the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica, climbed all the way to the cupola and had a great view of Rome.

After a while we realized that we were missing two students. We had no idea where they were. Since the security at the Vatican is extremely tight, you can only go in one direction – no turning back. We had a feeling that they we upstairs in the dome, but security wouldn’t let us back up to see. For 4 hours my colleague and I tried to hold it together. We left a supervisor at St Peter’s square to continue to look for them, while the rest of us had to continue the tour to the Coliseum and the Forum.

I don’t remember much of those two places as my thoughts were elsewhere. For the first hour, I was angry, by the 3^rd I was worried and by the 4^th I was terrified. Finally on the way back to the hotel we got word that they had made it back to the hotel after being stuck up on the roof of the Basilica (where we thought they were) and unable to find the exit. Which admittedly is a little hard to find, but the other 36 students found it just fine.

I guess if we are going to lose someone in Italy, the best place for it would be the Vatican...

My favourite moments in teaching...

2006-01-05T16:20:00.000-05:00

This is a true story, honestly!

I taught Junior high (grade 7-9) for a number of years in Cowtown. One particular year I was teaching grade 8s - by far the most challenging grade. In fact, I swear I did not have a grey hair on my head until I began teaching them.

One day, as I was addressing the class a student kept talking to the student beside him. I ignored it at first, but it soon got to a point where I could no longer let it go. I told the student, "Please be quiet." In return, I got the following: "Why don't you lick my left nut!" Yes folks from a grade 8 student! Now I had to bite my tongue from asking, "Why the left one? What's wrong with the one on the right?"

2006-01-04T17:50:00.000-05:00

AND IN A MOMENT OF BRILLIANCE...

OK, so I have been marking like crazy, trying to get all the stuff done before school starts up again. Before the break, I had my students turn in an essay on To Kill A Mockingbird. Direct quote from one said essay:

"Atticus does not give his child Jem this advice just to blow hot gas."

Ahahaha! Makes me laugh!

2006-01-03T11:28:00.000-05:00

Well here I am, dragging myself kicking and screaming into this blogging world. I feel that I need to do this, if only to prove that I've still got 'it', whatever 'it' is!

See I am a High School teacher and have been for eight years now. I am only now beginning to realize that I am no longer cool, or hip if you will. I don't feel uncool or unhip. In fact I would tell you that I am the grooviest gal around. My students, however, would say something different, and probably not as nicely. So here I am, trying out the newest trend of them all!

Part of the issue is that over the years I have grown. I have changed, learned new things, experienced different events and happenings. My students do not. Every year the same phenomenon happens; I grow a year older, my students stay the same age. Their issues are the same (gossip, GFs, BFs, etc.) their behaviour stays the same (loud, vivacious, rude at times, and moments of brilliance) their clothes even, for the most part, stay the same (gotta love those baggy pants!). Although I have to say I am a little pissed off at the clothing industry who have decided to bring back the eighties fashions. It wasn't pretty then, it ain't pretty now.

Because of this, I don't feel I am any older. I still feel that I am only a few years older than them and can totally relate to their world. Ha! Not so...I realize this as I walk down the halls and can no longer understand their slang, and can no longer recognize the music they are listening to.

I have now become as uncool as my parents...sigh