Rules For Posting To This Blog and Weekly Blog Question

1. Only use your first name (no last names, addresses, IM screen names, etc.)
2. Show respect and consideration of others when posting and commenting. This includes individuals, students, organizations, political parties, colleagues, etc.
3. Check all posts for spelling and grammar errors before posting.
4. Protect the privacy of others. Gain permission from other people before you write about them. Avoid sharing someone else's last name. Use job titles or pseudonyms when writing about experiences with your co-workers or students.
5. Watch your language. Use politically correct and non-offensive language.
6. Make sure you write about things that are factual.
7. Keep your postings education-oriented. Avoid discussing plans for the weekend, etc.

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?

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Enjoy your Break!

Jessie and I are gone from GSU until January 7. We hope you enjoy the break from your school and from GSU as well. We will all meet January 12 for the first time. That will be our practicum session at Alpharetta campus from 10:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. See you next year! Dr. J.

Friday, December 21, 2007

when is the first monday night class?

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

SkillsUSA Club retreat

To all NTI teachers, are you ready for the break? I am. If anyone is looking for a place for a retreat for a group of students, why not try FFA compound in Covington Ga. It's just about 60 miles east of Atlanta. The dorms can hold 50-60 students and a room that can room 6 teachers.
The meeting rooms are free, there is a lake, basket ball court, soft ball ,baseball field, golf field, you can also throw horse shoe, and a game room with pool tables, ping-pong tables. We went Friday evening and left Sunday at noon with 29 skillsUSA students and six teachers . They provided 5 meals and the cost was just $62.00 per person. If you want they could make a bonfire for you at a small fee.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Registration deadline???

Does anyone know when the registration deadline to register online for the Winter semester is? I dont want to get into the same fix as last time. Appreciation in advance!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Shut down mode!

Hey ya'll,
It seems that a lot of my kids are in shut down mode. I've gone through all of the material that we had for this semester and decided to give the kids some easy grades for the last 2 weeks. After working in the shop this semester I've seen some areas in need of improvement. It requires an almost complete overhaul of the shops arrangement. I had a couple of rooms that were not being utilized to there full potential as well as other issues. The big roadblock was the lack of student participation. The work ethic that so many of these kids have is as poor as I've seen anywhere. I've done possibly 75% of the work myself. I'm gearing up the discipline approach for this next semester. This next one belongs to me! It's going to a lot of fun! Time out, write-ups, detention, ISS, you name it and I've got it!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Do I remember correctly at the beginning of the summer a lot of yall were told by financial aid that you did not qualify because you were post bac students or in NTI. If I do remember correctly what did yall do correct this.

Thanks

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Looking forward to next semester!

Hey Ya'll,
I'm looking forward to next semester not only to be finishing but to see everyone again. A little news on my house project. We just had our under-the-slab plumbing inspected, it passed! We are pushing to pour concrete on Saturday. I'll be starting the framing next week, do I have any volunteers from the construction sector? See you all soon!

Monday, December 10, 2007

A Big Thank You!

I want to thank all of you for contributing so honestly and openly to the blog. I have learned a lot about each of you from reading your posts and comments, and it has made me feel as if I'm a fly on the wall in each of your classrooms. This is especially nice for me since I don't get to see all of you in the field. I hope that blogging has been rewarding and meaningful for each of you as well.

You should be proud of yourselves for creating such a supportive community for one another. I know from my own experiences that at times I've felt bewilderingly isolated in my own classroom. The blog can help remind us that we're not alone. There is indeed a world beyond the walls of our classrooms, and we are members of one of the noblest of professions. That is something to be proud of and grateful for.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, your insights, and your stories with us this semester. I'm looking forward to your spring semester posts. Have a wonderful break and a great holiday season!

Jessie

Those were the days

Did you know that teaching is rank among the risk jobs in America? Did you know that teachers are among the endangered species in America? The high premium that was placed on education and its educators is now in the dim and distance past. School administrators are becoming less and less capable of dealing with the behavior that has pierce the walls of our schools.
Security is the biggest concern for most school principals, since some of our schools have become a battlefield for criminals. Some teachers have to contend on a daily basis, with students with knives and guns and parents threatening teachers at every opportunity they get.
Our young boys and girls are growing up without mothers and fathers, and the age of parent-wood is getting lower and lower each day.
NTI teachers please do not give up on our youths all is not yet lost the day is still young.

Midterms!



This has been an extremely fast semester for me! I have enjoyed teaching so much more since NTI and I am so grateful to have all of this new knowledge. I'm ready for NTI to be over so that I can have more free time, but I will miss the content and more importantly, the people.

Today has been very productive. I've paid my overly obese GSU spring bill, paid and registered for TIEGA and requested my day off, and have taught 2 of my 4 classes. Tonight I will celebrate by going to Jingle Jam. I hope you all have a great week and a wonderful holiday!

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Articulation

I have just found out that just up the road, Chattanooga tech (U of Tenn) has motorcycle and marine classes ( I teach these as well). I have sent 5 kids off to college last year with scholarships I helped them earn into Nashville and Daytona. This will be a big relief for a lot of my parents and students who didn't exactly want to move off. I had this technical school head come down and be a guest speaker and he mentioned that I have been teaching the same stuff they teach so we are embarking into an articulation agreement with this school. I took a professional leave day for Monday to go up and check the place out and iron out some things.

Friday, I'm getting impatient about not finding a sub yet because I don't know if my professional day has been approved yet. I put this in over 3 weeks ago, come to find out it had made it all the way through the principal, department head, and landed on my CTAE directors desk where it hasn't moved. When I called her, she didn't seem too pleased about it but went ahead and approved it. She came from a college system to work her current job, and she almost immediately set up a mandatory articulation agreement meeting with her former college and suggested we send all the student we can into this school. She also praised and praised articulation agreements. Could I have stepped on her toes by trying to help my students? Or did I simply pee in her cereal because I wanted to articulate with another school other than her former one? What do you think?

Why do Regular Ed. Teachers look down Career Tech?

I don't want to think this, or is this just me feeling this way
I look and listen to students talk all the time. I had a student to tell me, the reason he missed my class was because a regular ed teacher told him that this is not a core class and career tech classes don't count toward graduation. I started to go and have a talk with this teacher. I went to her room and stared and walked away. I said to myself as I was walking away this teacher is only about 22 years old, probably never had another job in her life and she doesn't have a clue about what the real world holds. I looked at myself and the next class. I got side track from my ritual and routine and started lecturing on life. I let the kids know that it takes a long time to make the Big Screen to become a actor. Some people are born with it and some people are not. Ask a career tech teacher about their work experience and not a 22 year old. I believe you will get more out of life.

TIEGA Conference

Public Safety Teachers
For those of you that are new in the field this is a good way to show your face in the place. You will met some good folks in the program and they are willing to help you become successful in the classroom. We can discuss the new curriculum making sure that we are all on the same page. Join TIEGA and I will see you in Newnan, Georgia Jan 26

Saturday, December 8, 2007

We've made it to the end of the Semester!

Well, here we are. We've made it to the end of this Semester! I am tired but relieved to have this much done!

School will be out soon for Christmas Break and I am soooo ready for it. I know second semester will fly by.

Hang in there everyone! We're half-way through! Let's focus on all our good points and use our mistakes as learning opportunities.

Merry Christmas to everyone! Enjoy your time off and enjoy your families!
Love, Connie

Friday, December 7, 2007

There is a light at the end of our tunnel

Hi Everyone,

I know that I am on maternity leave but today is the first day that I feel like I can stay at home and enjoy my baby. Leah went back to the doctor yesterday and has finally gained up to 6 lbs 8 oz. She is finally starting to gain weight (she is now 1 month old). We don't have to go back to the doctor until January! Her jaundice has cleared and she is now waking on her own to eat. We can now start enjoying our time at home. The pediatrician still doesn't want her to be out of the house until she is two months old so we are still very protective of her. I am so thankful that I don't have to put her in daycare when I return to work.

I also have news about work. I have decided to leave teaching and return to nursing. I have accepted a job as a school nurse at my kid's school. I really enjoyed teaching and may return to it one day but for now this is the best thing I can do for my family. I was at a different school system with an entirely different schedule. I will now be able to take my kids to school, be there all day and bring them back home. We will have the same schedule. Since my husband works 45 minutes away and doesn't get home until 6 pm this will take a lot of burdens off of us and my mother who has been picking them up and keeping them until I get home. She will now only be keeping the baby and won't have to take Leah out to go pick up my other kids. I think God puts us where he wants us and for now I think this is were I belong.

Are you in need of inspiration?

I think the end of the semester is often a time of low morale among teachers because we're so exhausted. Some recent posts to the blog seem to be illustrating this, so it's seems somewhat prophetic that this article, The Soul of a Teacher, was on my email doorstep today. I'm so grateful to be able to share it with all of you. I hope you will find this article comforting and insightful, and I hope you can all recharge your batteries over the holiday break to rediscover what inspires you about your teaching lives. Click here to read this inspiring article.

Warm regards,

jessie

Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Cheating

Does anyone else have a high number of students cheating this year? This has been the worst so far out of my three years. I had a student turn in her final paper today over a topic they have been working on all semester and she plagerized the whole thing from the internet. Word for word, line for line, misspelling for misspelling, etc. It makes me sick. She's one of my top students too. I had to call home and she has 2 days ISS.
How do we keep them from engaging in these activities and being outright lazy??

Sunday, December 2, 2007

Harder by the day....

Ya know, this teaching stuffs seems pretty good for the most part but it seems everyday there is a new task laid out for me. Between Skills USA, Motorsports club, being an NI 1 school, extended day, NTI, and trying to keep somekind of home life going I am completely full. Now my CTAE administrator comes back after 6 months from having a child she has an extremely sore attitude because of all the slackers in my department and decides to take it out on everyone. She is nothing more than a puppet on a string for the state CTAE people and its really starting to piss me off. She decided that she needs my certification timeline completed and completed now. All of my personal certification is up to date, all im lacking is another 800 square foot of space, a fenced in lot, and $130,000 in equipment. This is the same thing I told her this time last year. What exactly am I supposed to do here, wave a magic wand and make it appear? Sorry for the rant, just needed to vent. Surely there is someone here who has been in my shoes.

hi everyone, we have three weeks to go before this is all over. Oh, how I look forward to x-mas break. I would take any break i can get. I have jury duty on Tuesday and i am looking forward to that. I hope i get picked for a long murder trial and i will be out of school for months. I need help with my HOSA program. Tracy could you send the information about the t-shirts and any advice about HOSA meeting.