February 2012
37 posts
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37 Ways Teachers Should Use Pinterest →
kbkonnected:
Great ideas!
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“Language Arts:
- Use the 21 sentence starters, adapted from Times essays and...”
– Valentine’s Day Across the Curriculum - NYTimes.com
Hopefully, you won’t run into the pay wall, but there are other ideas in the article for Social Studies, Economics, Fine Arts, and Science.
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Penguin Group Terminating Its Contract with... →
Limiting digital books from libraries! I think this is just terrible. If a library loans it, and the permissions are such that the book can’t be disseminated, then I don’t see what the problem is.
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Fire in the ... Wall?
Our school caught on fire today.
I think every kid sometimes wishes his school would go up in flames, particularly before a test, but today there was an actual fire. The fire alarm went off around 12:30. Of course, it was my prep period! I didn’t think much about it, thinking it was another unannounced drill. After 15 minutes without a coat, I was beginning to wonder. Then, the principal...
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“And that elephant is this: bad behavior, student apathy, and absenteeism are the...”
– Kelly Flynn Tackles the Learning Problem that Dare Not Speak its Name - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher
I’m not sure about the career “in shreds,” but the poor behavior of students and questionable parental choices is one of the things I deal with on a daily basis....
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Date Night
It’s 5:25 AM on Monday. I am eating my oatmeal and contemplating the weekend behind me, as well as the week that stretches before me. The weekend was just lovely! My husband and I went on a date! It doesn’t happen too often but with Valentine’s Day this week, we decided to go out and celebrate it. So, we went to a fancy restaurant in Boston’s North End, Mamma Maria. I had...
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Lovin' From the Oven: Day 11: S'mores Cookie Bars →
I have to make these.
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The Rough Patch is Sprouting!
I had word today that the student who I spoke of last week who swore at me after I reported he had a white substance on his nose was admitted to a Rehab Hospital last night!
I was told that one of his parents wrote a touching letter about how much his family has appreciated the school’s help and support over the past years and that they didn’t realize just how far their son had...
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A Rough Patch, Part 2
The day after grades were due, the day after one of my students swore a blue streak at me, my Union Rep walked me down to the Principal’s office. When I arrived at the office, the Principal told me he didn’t want to upset me further the previous day, after all that swearing, but that he had received an anonymous letter of complaint against me, allegedly from a parent.
I read the...
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By the end of this school year...
… I will have written about 2 dozen college recommendation letters.
I have never had so many requests in one school year.
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A Rough Patch, Part 1
Some weeks things go very well, and others… well, don’t. Here’s an example:
On Wednesday, I saw one of my students leaving the bathroom with a textbook, which is odd, as most students don’t carry their textbooks (not from my class, FYI) into the bathroom in the middle of class. A few minutes later, I went to talk to the student because he had skipped my class the day...
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WatchPoor brain-dead teen… Let this be a warning to us all. ;)
January 2012
25 posts
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Semester's End
The end of a the first semester usually creeps up on me! Thus, it is no surprise that I am sitting at my desk at home, surrounded by papers that beg to be corrected. I’ve put in about 7 hours this weekend alone, and I have until 8am on Wednesday morning to get the rest done. However, due to some good time management last week, as well as a husband who doesn’t mind correcting some...
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Teachers Offer the Wealthy an Escape from Poverty... →
Hmmm… very interesting perspective. President Obama’s remarks about education have set many abuzz. His remarks, while at first seem supportive and positive, do mask or ignore many of the pressing issues in Education today.
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MA Teachers Union sues over question | WWLP.com →
The issue is a ballot question that would change how teachers are evaluated, and hired and fired. Teacher performance instead of seniority would be used to determine layoffs, along other things I believe.
I have mixed feelings about this. I certainly know excellent teachers who have been laid-off when I think someone else should have been let go. But the flip side of this is who is doing...
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What a week...
Tomorrow my son will finally return to preschool after being out for a week with a fever and hacking cough. The cough is better, less persistent, and the fever seems to have gone. We went to the pediatrician twice and were finally prescribed some antibiotics for a latent ear infection that was most likely the cause of the fever.
Getting back to school after being out for several days including...
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First and Last
My son has a terrible cough and a fever, which officially makes him unable to go to daycare. I have been home with him for the past 2 days. Since Monday was a holiday, and Tuesday was a professional day, tomorrow will be the first day I see my students since last week, and also the last day before the weekend.
Oy.
I really hope the substitute(s) did what my lesson plans asked. My school has...
End Piracy, Not Liberty – Google →
Sign the petition, people!