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1. Only use your first name (no last names, addresses, IM screen names, etc.)
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FINAL BLOG POST - OUR "DAILY TRIPLE" (DUE 12/1).
This week I would like you to use your imagination. You have just won the lottery and will leave your teaching post immediately to travel around the world. As you leave your keys you meet your replacement. You are asked to give this new teacher just ONE piece of advice. What would that be, and why? Enjoy your world expedition!

Blog Post - Week 7
This past week in my own teaching I felt a little disconnected which prompts my question to you, "What was the moment (or moments) when I felt most disconnected or disengaged as a teacher - the moment(s) I said to myself, I'm just going through the motions here?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 6
For the past couple of weeks you have experienced asynchronous online learning (doing modules by yourself). Previously this semester you have experienced synchronous online learning (all together in the Collaborate room). Which do you think is more effective and why do you think that? Which do you like better, and why?

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 5
This week we have what we call "open mic." You can write a post about anything related to your teaching that you would like responses from your classmates.

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 4
Here is this week's question: "What was the event that most took me surprise this week - and event that shook me up, caught me off guard, gave me a jolt, or made me unexpectedly happy?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 3
Please write a post about the following question, "In thinking about my past week teaching what is one thing I would do differently, and why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 2
Please write a post about the following question, " In thinking about my teaching activities this past week, of what do I feel most proud? Why?"

Fall Semester 2016 Blog Post - Week 1
Describe something you used in your program in the first weeks of school that you learned in the summer NTI program. How did it work? Did it get you off to a stronger start than last year?

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Just Plain Tired

School has just started and I am already tired. With this being my third year, I thought I would be prepared. The summer session really helped with getting organized. I thought I would be prepared for the students, but this group has been overwhelming. No one wants to do anything. The students before told everyone how much fun the class was, but forgot to tell them all the work required. They think they already know everything.

Oh, did I mention the gang issues. It's worst than last year. Each week it's something new. Some of the students are afraid to come to school because of the threats; the administrators don't communicate; the teachers don't communicate. I hope some of you are having a better time.

Mortissa

6 comments:

Stacy P. said...

I am very tired too. this has been a week from....
I think that we are all at that wall were everyone is tired. Several of the teachers at my school are having mental breakdowns. one of the teacher started crying in front of her class and told them all to go to ISS. Yes she put 25 students out of her class because she was upset that they did not want to learn.

steve said...

I think the breakdown of disipline in schools,and at home that started in the late sixties and early seventies is very evident in our schools today.There's more laws to protect the trouble makers in todays society than there are laws to help the people who really want to do a good job and learn.It's ashamed that Teachers such as yourself have to put up with these kind of students.OSS and ISS mean nothing to students today ,they get to make up their work and the days absent are not counted against them.So what punishment do they really have.I guess when all the GOOD teachers are gone, the lawmakers of this country will stop listening to the Talk Show host and make real laws to protect the teachers and allow the students who want to learn the same rights that the others students have!I tell my students anyone can NOT follow rules but it takes someone with backbone to follow the rules.

Jessie H said...

I agree with Steve that so much of what ails children and teen in our public schools today begins at home and with our society as a whole. Last year I watched a fascinating documentary film called "The Boys of Baraka". It was about a group of troubled boys who were taken out of the Baltimore City schools and sent to a boarding school in Kenya. The total transformation of the boys once they were out of their normal environment was both astounding and heart-breaking. The film really makes you stop and think about the issues that plague urban areas of the United States.

Culture and environment ("nuture") play a huge role in what shapes a person's character and behavior. Teachers and schools cannot be expected to fix all these issues. That responsibility should rest with parents, extended family, and communities.

Julie J. said...

I, too, agree with what Steve and Jessie have had to say. I am slap worn out from not going home yet a day before 5 pm and we are in our 7th week of school! I thought I was organized and ready for my 3rd year too Mortissa, so please don't feel alone. I have students who are lazy as all get out and I'm having a horrible time doing activities with them that are engaging. I did win with the gallery tour but it wasn't as coordinated as I wanted it to be. I guess I didn't make my expectations clear enough before starting. We don't have gang issues as much as drug issues right now. It's much worse than ever. Last week we had 4 students arrested at school. It's sad that they are screwing their lives up so early!

Perry said...

Hang in there. On 29 more weeks unitl summer. I know it seems like a long time but it will be here before you know it....

Victoria said...

I concur with all of your statements regarding the state of emergency that American schools are in. Our priority to teach has been lessened to become "babysitting" in some classrooms. Effective teaching skills typically work when inforced, but it can be emotionally draining when you have a whole class full of bad attitudes and uninterested students. I have faced a few students this year that are power strugglers and vie to have the attention of the class. I have implemented the discipline strategies learned in NTI and they WORKED.
Here are 2 things to do:
1st- I would invite a counselor or motivational speaker to come in and talk about HARD LIFE issues.
2nd- The other would be to show a video on "the gang violence", "homelessness", or other MAJOR issues facing society that will one day affect them if they don't get an education.
REMEMBER, KEEP a positive attitude, because "Behavior breeds Behavior!" Also, watch the movie "Freedom Writers" for inspiration.
NEVER GIVE UP...