Simply Periodical

2006-11-21T23:26:00.000-08:00

Ramblings of a Non-Working Employed American

Hmmm...Where to begin? It has been quite a while since my last post. A lot has gone on since September. Friends have been married (congrats Justin and Corrie), had babies (Maw and Paw Swayze), broken up, new friendships have been created. And, as it seems that life is moving forward, I still feel as if I am standing still. There is so much that I want to do, but I can't seem to either make a decision or locate the funds to assist in the decisions. In my efforts to choose a path for my life, I will fill you in on my roads diverged.

My first path of contemplation is a road fraut with journal article reviews, long lectures, and the pretensious world of academia. I have been thinking about going back to school to get my masters. I think that this stems more from the fact that I miss college life and less from the fact that I want to pursue an advanced degree. I've been looking into the University of Colorado in Boulder. They have a masters program that is very similar to my alma mater, but besides that, they are within a 2 hour drive from my favorite ski resort. I would like to try life in a place other than the hospitality state. I would have to live in CO for a year before I could apply for in-state tuition. Thankfully, every state is in need of teachers. One thing that is holding me back from headed to the Rockies is the fact that I would have to take out loans to go back to school. Yeah, I know, most districts will pay for you to get your degree, but I am not sure that I can fully give to both school and teaching. I would like to be able to focus all of my attention on one thing rather than trying to balance school and work. Also, I have enjoyed teaching, but I have become so disenchanted with the politics involved. I can't understand why the profession that creates all other professions is not supported by the same standards as comparable professions.

Assuming I do want to continue teaching, I have uncovered two great opportunities. One is the chance to teach in a school that is not affected by No Child Left Behind, overbearing parents, or silly state tests. A colleague of mine has been working in an independent school in Madison. This school is overseen by a board of trustees. The board develops a mission, and it is the duty of the students and teachers to move toward achieving their mission. If a student is not with in the boundaries of the ideals of the school, then they are asked to discontinue their attendance. My colleague speaks of students that are eager to learn, treat the faculty with utmost respect, and administrators that support the faculty. I was not aware that that actually took place. I thought maybe one out of three, but all three seemed to be quite the pipe dream. I have heard that there are several science positions opening up, and my name was given as someone to contact for an interview. I have not heard from the school, but if I do, I will definitely interview!

Opportunity number two is the possibility of teaching in an American school over seas. I uncovered the idea this summer while trying to find ways to get paid to travel. More recently, I spoke with representatives of the company at the National Middle School Association National Conference in Nashville, TN. The more I spoke with the rep., the more convinced she seemed that I was perfect for their program. The company acts as a head hunter for various schools from all around the world. They set up job fairs which are attendable by invitation only. Jobs are offered on the spot, and the school pays for the airfare/relocation costs of the moving teacher. Sounds phenomenal, right?! I thought so. The one thing that is holding me back from jumping all over this opportunity is that they require a two year commitment. One year, no problem, but two years seems intimidating. What if I get to my locale and totally hate it. I'm stuck there for at least two years. On the flip side, if the school loves me, and I love the school, they will ask me to extend my term on a year-by-year basis. What a way to see the world.

As you can see, breaks during the school year allow for a lot of thinking time (which can be quite dangerous). I know that ultimately I am going to be the one who has to make the decision, but I would greatly appreciate any bits of advice. Sorry, again, for not posting in so long. I will try to post more often so each one won't be so lengthy.

2006-08-21T19:59:00.000-07:00

Fall is Falling and School is Schooling

I have successfully made it through the first two weeks of school. I have been blessed with some pretty good students. I hope they continue to be well behaved. This batch seems a bit small, though (in numbers and in physical size). I only have 103 students this year as compared to 125. Many of the students resemble 5th graders; although, I do have some that tower over the rest. They seem to be pretty smart, too. As a pre-test, I gave them my comprehensive 4th nine weeks test on the fourth day of school. On average, the classes got about 33% of the questions correct which means, these students already know close to a third of what I am supposed to teach them. I am really excited about that because now I know what I need to spend a lot of time on and what I can skim over. I am really grateful for the GK-8 fellowship's hard work in metric last year. The fellowship did an ongoing project with my current 7th graders that beat metric units into their heads. I was totally take by surprise when each class was able to distinguish between mass and volume. I know it sounds silly, but that was something that really hard for last year's class to comprehend.

I have decided that I want my students to write lab reports. I have looked all over trying to find exactly what I want my 7th graders to include in their reports. I think it will be a challenge for them, but I have prepared several things to help get them on their way. First, I created a handout that shows them exactly what each section should have in it and how it should be formatted. Second, I have prepared a rubric so they will know exactly what is required to make and A, B, C... Third, we are going to do a mini-lab turning cream into butter. After we finish, we will write a superior lab report together. This will serve as a perfect example of what I am looking for. Wish me luck, because they already seem apprehensive about the task at hand.

I've got to mention this. Thursday night was meet the teacher night. Parents came to school and ran their students' schedules. Each period lasted 8 minutes, and the parents had 2 minutes to change classes. I prepared a PowerPoint that showed the parents some of the things we did last year which included an energy commercial created by some of last years students. I got more complements on my enthusiasm and preparedness that night. It really helps me to believe that I am doing a good job. I hope that the parents remember some of the things I said when they see the caliber work we do this year. I hold their students to a high standard, so I am glad they were able to get a glimpse of what's to come.

2006-07-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

Stupid Marketing!

Why is it that it's O.K. for corporations to market a product that is so misleading. I am vacationing at the moment in McAllan, TX visiting family. Today, I decided to go to Best Buy and purchase some new C.D.s. I have developed a new taste for Tool and A Perfect Circle (keep in mind that I have never bought a Tool CD). I alphabetized areas, and my eyes fell upon the band for which I was looking (Tool if you haven't already figured that out). Perusing through the numerous albums, I found a disk that had many of my favorite Tool songs. I read over the front, back, and the top sticker (which clearly said TOOL). I decided to purchase it along with A Perfect Circle "eMotive". Getting back to my aunt and uncle's house, I anxiously put my new Tool CD into the computer for listening purposes. The first song begins, and I begin to realize that this CD sounds a bit unusual. Chalking it up to the fact that the only times I've heard these songs on satellite radio, I continue to peruse the CD. It's at this point that I realize that no one has started singing on any of the tracks. I look back at the CD case and realize that Chamber Made is not the name of this album, but rather the name of a Baroque group that has covered all of these wonderful Tool songs. What a scam! I like classical music and all, but this is ridiculous. So here I sit, typing a new post as I listen to the Baroque stylings of Chamber Made whilst they cover some of my favorite Tool songs. Caveat Emptor!!!

2006-06-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Life is Good

I am pretty nervous about next year because I have become quite accustomed to sleeping late, sitting around watching T.V., and doing what I want. I have come up with a few new ideas for my new group of seventh graders; for instance, on parent night, I am going to show a brief slide show (with some video) of fun things we did last year. I think parents like to see what they kids are going to be doing in school; what a way to show them. I have also revamped a couple of fun lessons from last year so that they will be even more effective. Other than that, I guess the only thing I have improved is my ability to predict the outcome of People's Court cases. I know it's sad, but I absolutely love that show...besides that, Marilyn Milian is the hottest judge on T.V. I love it when she puts cocky people in their place.

I may be enjoying a lazy life at the moment, but I am going to get some culture tonight. I am going to see Pirates of Penzance at the Gertrude Costello Performing Arts Center in the booming metropolis of Oxford. The piano player at my church is in it; that's not why I'm going, though :) I've never seen this performance before, so I hope that it is good. Of course, you can't go wrong with pirates, right Justin and Corrie!

2006-06-05T20:58:00.000-07:00

Ho-Hum

Well, folks, my summer started off with a bang. There wasn't a day that went by that I didn't have something to do; however, I have reached the inevitable point of nothing-to-do-ness. All I have done today is sit and reminisce about the past. I thought about old friends, old shenanigans, and other satisfying remembrances. The only problem with that is that when I start to reminisce, I often wonder "what if?" I begin comparing my life with the lives of those from my past whose current situations I have made up in my head. I was perusing myspace today which brought some of those current situations to light. This is going to sound extremely self-centered, but I tend to forget that other's lives continue to go on regardless if I am in the picture. After pulling up old friends' profiles, I felt as if I had been in a state of suspended animation while these people continued to live out their lives. I have this strange feeling that they have moved forward with their lives, and I am still the same guy I was 5 - 10 years ago. I am aware that my life has moved forward and that I have made so many new close friends, but it scares me to know that instead of being happy for these old friends of mine for growing up and moving forward, I am instead a bit jealous that I haven't been a part of it. I want to try and re-establish contact with them, but I wonder whether some of them will even remember who I am. I guess all I can do is reach out to open the lines of communication. If they respond, fantastic! If they give me the cold shoulder, then I guess they weren't a true friend to begin with. What an insecurity! Does anyone else ever feel this way?

2006-05-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

No More Pencils, no more books...

I can't believe it, but the school year is officially over. I made it through my first year of teaching, and I am still alive and well. I have already started reflecting upon what I did well and what I could do better. I know that this will continue throughout the summer because educators should strive to be "reflective professionals". Sure, there were some bad times, but the good times far out weigh them. I want to post a couple of letters that I received on the last day of school. One is from a student and one is from a parent.

Student
I just absolutely loved science this year. It was sooo interesting, not mention fun! Haha, 8th period could really get you off topic! Lots of good memories! I'll see you next year.

Parent
I want to thank you for the wonderful year of science that you've given my daughter. She has been so stimulated by the subject and your method of teaching. We are grateful that you followed your heart to this profession. (I hope I'm right - at least it appears so!)

I will probably keep these two letters for the rest of my life as a reminder of the good things that I experienced during my first year. As I recharge my batteries this summer, I am already feeling the nervous excitement of starting next year. I hope and pray that I will receive another wonderful group of kids. I guess all groups of kids are wonderful if you believe that they are. Once you make the decision that the students sitting in front of you, no matter how they behave or where they come from, are wonderful you will truly begin to see them grow as people.

I hope to continue this blog over the summer. I will try to stay current with any travels or events that may occur. For those of you that are bound to a 9-5 or irregular hours this summer, try to make the most of the time-off that you get. For any teachers out there...relax, reflect, and recharge!

2006-05-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

7.5 More Days and Counting

My, how the year has flown by. I know I have had my share of rants, but I do have to admit that I have had a pretty good first year. I'm sure that is hard to believe based on my posts, but you must keep in mind that I didn't comment on the whole first semester. My students have made quite the turn around academically. I just entered several grades, and I am happy to say that 95% of my students have a C or better for the year. We still have 9 weeks test to look forward to, so my grades could swing in either direction. I think that allowing the students to come up with test questions has had an influence in their test grades. Perhaps it gives them a sense of ownership which causes them to perform better. Every time I mention writing test questions I get a unanimous hem and haw, but I can't wait to show them Monday how much it has improved their grades. I am certain that I will continue this technique next year.

Speaking of next year, there has been a lot of unrest in my building lately. Teachers have been worried whether they will get their contracts renewed or not. There are also several teachers that have been at odds with the principal and are trying to form a united front to complain to the higher-ups about her. Thankfully, contracts were given out Friday (I did receive mine); I hope that things settle down with the faculty, now. I never knew how much teachers gossiped or how political education was. I am going to have to strengthen my beliefs/philosophy so that I can maintain a firm stance when questioned by other faculty.

I am extremely excited about the summer. I think it is so cool that I will get paid to sleep late, travel, kayak, watch T.V., and catch up with friends. For all of you that think teachers should work year round like every one else I say to you teach for a year and then make that comment with the same conviction. I hope that the summer goes by slowly so that I may fully recharge my batteries for next year. I am glad that I know have a year's worth of lesson plans with which I may reference.

One thing I am going to work on this summer is a children's book. I came up with the idea for a book that promotes literacy while watching an animated film. I would tell you what it is about, but I don't want any stray eyes stealing my idea that will allow me to retire :) I know what you are thinking: You always have some hair-brained plan to get rich quick. You are right, and I think this one may do the trick. I will try to keep you posted on the progress over the summer.

2006-04-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

This and That

My oh my how time passes when things are going well. It has been a while since my last post. For those of you that are wondering, Spring Break was fantastic! I had an absolute blast carving up the slopes in bonnie Pennsylvania. Our first day of skiing, we nearly melted in the 74 degree heat. For most people, 74 degrees is a welcome temperature after a chilly winter, but when one is clothed in several layers of wool and water-proof apparel, 74 is H-O-T! A cold front moved in Monday night; we got snow all day Tuesday and half of Wednesday. I attempted snowboaring Wednesday. That is by far one of the hardest things I have every done. I still have a sore spot on my tail from busting it really hard on a patch of ice. I have a great amount of respect and envy for those who are athletically adept at snowboarding.

The weeks after Spring Break have been pretty nice. I have had a better attitude since the break; therefor, my students' attitudes have been better. It is amazing to see how one person's attitude can set the tone for a whole group. I try to remind myself on bad days that the kids will mirror my attitute. It is also easier to deal with bad students if I have a positive attitude. I don't get wrapped up in the drama or negativity.

These next copule of weeks are going to be fantastic. I have some college students coming in to teach several lessons. The more they do, the less I have to do; however, I know that they will do a marvelous job. I have been doing something different this week with how I test. I am getting the students to write two or three test questions at the end of each lesson and put them in a test bank. The test bank is posted on my wall, on the internet, and in their notes. When test day comes, I choose 25 of the 50-60 test questions to put on a formal test. It works really well. Many of my lower scoring students performed really well on the test we took last week. I hope that they continue to do well.

2006-03-11T16:30:00.000-08:00

TGISB (Thank God it's Spring Break)

Spring Break is by far the best idea that educators have created so far. I know my last few posts have been pretty negative, but the pendulum swings both ways. I had a very serious talk with my students about their performance. They worked really hard the days after my test and have greatly improved their grades.

It is so nice that I have this week off. The 3rd nine weeks is really long; we have few breaks. I am headed off to PA tonight. A couple of teacher friends and I are going skiing at Seven Springs Ski Resort in Champion, PA. We are driving out tonight at 11 and should arrive at the resort around 4:30 tomorrow afternoon. I know it sounds like quite the drive, but I think it will be fun. We are all really excited and are hoping for great ski weather. The forecast shows rain for Sunday and Monday, but we are all praying for a meteorological miracle.

My two travel companions are currently at the big corporation that we can't live without (I protested about going because I've already been twice today). I tell you what...Sam Walton really knew what he was doing. Sure, there is a lot of controversy about Wal-Mart, but I have to say two things: 1) They put me through my last two years of college, and for that I am grateful. 2) Now that it is so prevalent, I don't believe we could survive without it. Where else can you go and purchase groceries, try on clothes, get fitted for glasses, get your film developed, get a hair cut, pick up your prescriptions all while you get your oil changed. It is just way too convenient.

I may post another snipit of information during the week. It all depends on the availability of the net. I hope to post pics of our ambitious attempt to travel down a mountain on two skinny splinters of wood that speed over a thin surface of melted snow. Until then...please enjoy my Spring Break :)

2006-03-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

FRUSTRATION!

I just don't get it! I try to help these kids in so many ways, and they refuse to do their part. I just gave my nine weeks test today to first period. I have been so excited because of the review that we have been doing. I gave them a study guide and posted it on the district website, just in case they lost it. I created a fabulous jeopardy game on the computer. We played the game in class, and I also posted it on the district website. The nine weeks test was simply the tests we took this nine weeks, copied and pasted, word for word. I gave back the tests we took earlier in the nine weeks and allowed the students to correct them and write down anything they didn't already know. We did the same thing for the jeopardy game.

During my planning time, I went into the work room to grade the scantron tests. After all of the review we did, I still had nearly half of the class fail the test. I do not understand how that can happen. I was so hopeful that the few students that were on the edge of passing or failing would pass the test, and in turn, pass this nine weeks. Boy was I wrong. Now these students are failing miserably. I am upset because the administration is going to point the finger back at me. I know that I am responsible for teaching these kids, but at what point do we hold the kids responsible. I can not force them to study. I can give as many opportunities for success as I can think of, but at the end of the day, they are the ones that has to take advantage of the opportunities.

I sure hope that this first period class is not an indicator of how the rest of my classes are going to perform. Even if everone else does fantastic, it is still going to look bad having 6 or 7 students failing in one class. I feel totally defeated right now. I sure am glad Spring Break is next week! If anyone has suggestions on how to motivate 12 and 13 year olds PLEASE let me know.

2006-02-26T19:09:00.000-08:00

Ramblings...

I should be folding clothes right now, but I really don't want to. So, I will ramble on about my weekend. Friday night, the middle school had its first annual "Cutie Review". It's exactly what self-conscious pre-teens/teenagers need to increase their lack of self-esteem. Seriously, it turned out to be a good event. The emcee seemed a bit slow, though. Next year they need to make sure they get someone capable of reading dramatically without sounding like a learning disabled robot. I was so excited for the girl that won. The scenario could make for a great Life Time movie. The winner is quite the tom boy. She plays basket ball, softball, always wears a T-shirt and jeans, never wears make-up, and enjoys hanging out with the guys. She is one of those girls that doesn't know that she is pretty. She definitely deserved to win; she was beautiful. A teacher saw her the day after the padgent. She said she woke up, rolled over, saw the crown, furrowed her brow, and then remembered that she won a beauty padgent the night before.

I went and saw Madea's Family Reunion last night. It was hilarious. I almost didn't get to see it, though. It sold out Friday night for every time spot, and when I went to get my ticket at 6:30 last night for the 9:45 showing, I saw that all of the times earlier in the day were sold out, too. I got to the theater at 9:00, but no one was allowed into the lobby until 9:15. Finally, at 9:35, the ushers allowed us to enter screen #8. The movie started promptly at 11:06! That's right, it started one hour and twenty-one minutes late. The manager came in a couple of times and apologized for the delay, but it only made the crowd more upset.

Today, I spent five hours grading papers at a local coffee shop. I've really got to figure out a better grading system. I absolutely hate grading papers. Maybe I could just make up grades and put them in every once and a while. I really need to get me a teacher's assistant. Any takers?

2006-02-22T18:17:00.000-08:00

Too cool for school? I sure am not! We have been learning about mitosis the past couple of days. To make it exciting, I came up with some "interpretive dance" to perform mitosis. I told my students that we were all going to be sister chromatids, even the brotha's in the room. I showed the kids what the steps were, and many of them hemmed and hawed. I reminded them that no one was too cool to be a sister chromatid in the mitosis dance. Though they may have felt like total idiotas, they now know the phases of mitosis (that almost rhymed...oops). Besides, I got a little joy out of watching the "cool guys" do the Tina Turner strut, as named by one of my students, when they moved into anaphase.

It is during activities like this that I am reminded that I work with children. They may try to act grown up, but they are still entertained by little things like this. It feels so good when you see that student that usually sits with arms crossed, lip poked out, and eyebrows furrowed finally participating with a smile on their face. Or, to see them with the above mentioned facial features bent over, scooting backwards with their arms sticking straight out (Tina Turner strut) trying their hardest not to smile.

Every day is different. You never know which student is going to get it and which student is not; which student is going to respect you and which student is going to completely disregard your authority. These are things that I have not figured out how to deal with, yet. I hope it will come with experience, but I am sure that even seasoned teachers still struggle with these to issues. I guess all I can do is take my job one day at a time. Better yet, I should probably take it one period at a time.

2006-02-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

Ah, the joys of starting a new week. One great thing about most seventh graders is that they tend to forget things over the weekend. Last week was pretty rough; the kids just would not follow directions. One of my classes got a period long lesson on how to properly walk in the hallway. We practiced for close to thirty minutes. I told them they could defy me all they wanted, but we were going to continue walking until they followed the procedure set forth. Needless to say, they were MAD! I just knew I was going to catch all kinds of mess today because of last weeks mini-lesson, but thank goodness for hormones. You see, when a child reaches seventh grade, these wonderful little chemical messengers begin tinkering with the child's emotions and decision making abilities. We as middle school teachers get to ride the rollercoaster of emotions right along with our students. Let me tell you...it's fantastic. I have to remember not to take things personally which is very hard to do. Any who, I should go now. I've got to conquer the world that is my personal life.