Invaluable Knowledge, Advice and Friends

From the beginning of last summer to the current time, I am so blessed and fortunate to be a part of the NTI family. Dr. B, Jessie and the other NTI teachers, I know I can't wear a hat in school, but if I could, I would tip my hat to you folks! You have taken a Polish person who knew nothing but the world of CNN and given him invaluable information and educational material to be able to convince the wonderful people at Lassiter High School that I actually have a clue about teaching Broadcast Video Production. The comradery (sp.?) at NTI is irreplaceable. My fellow Broadcast Video Production teachers have no idea how huge of an impact they have made upon my classroom. I will never forget our tearful laughter. For as much as I always did not look forward to going to class on Monday or a Saturday, when I walked into those classrooms, my spirit and attitude was immediately lifted because of the professional and personable instructors at NTI. Combine those people with my fellow CTE teachers/friends and life was a lot happier than I would give myself credit for. ........so, "thank you" in Polish is........." dziekuje"

CTE Worth....

Why are some school systems all ways threatening to cut CTE programs, it is as if we are not a significant part of the education system. If CTE is not significant, why invest thousands of dollars in state of the art buildings and labs. Why invest all that money into supplies and equipment and than question if a CTE program is going to survive – this does not make ANY sense to me.

CTE has been in school systems for many years. CTE is a true outlet for some students – a break from the normal school setting. All students are not college prep, so why not teach those students a valuable trade that they can make a livable wage.

Breathing Again...

It is Friday. I am working on my last two blogs for the term. WOW, what a feeling. NTI (New Teacher Institute) went by very fast for me, seems as if we just started. This passed summer, when I started NTI, I felt as if I was holding my breath. I really did not know what to expect after being out of school for so long, but everything was wonderful, new, fresh, and fun! The instructors could not have done a better job. But now, it is time to exhale. I strongly recommend Georgia State University NTI to any new teacher in Trade and Industry.

Not Good Bye But See You Later

As the senior silver-haired one of the group, I wanted to say that this blog thing has been a lot of fun as well as an encouragement to me. Special thanks to Dr. J and to Jessie who pushed us into this challenging new cutting edge technology. You both have been wonderful in the classroom and given us an amazing amount of knowledge and guidance. I would hate to see where I would be without it. I feel I have the tools I need. Now I want the time to develop them. I hope that every now and then everyone will feel the urge to type out a blog to the group. I plan to check it occasionally. It has been painful this year but well worth the pain. I will miss you all but not the weekly trips to GSU! I look forward to seeing you all at conferences and trainings from time to time. You are a super group of people! I feel blessed to have shared this experience with you.

GACE

just wanted to toot my own horn I passed all sections of the GACE test. wowo. yeahyes.

Career Expo

Another week down in the books. Next week is Skills USA / Career Expo. I am really looking forward to this. I have two contestants competing. We will leave Thursday morning and won't return until Friday night. We have our rooms booked at the Marriott. The career expo is one of the highlight trips for me each year. You make so many contacts it's ridicules. Plus I see many of the people I have worked with in the past which is the icing on the cake. I expect my guys to to do well in the competition.

A long But Good Day

So my burnout day is finally over. I must say I’m pretty proud of my students especially CS. It was senior takeover day he played Chef Scott and let me tell you I had a pretty stress free afternoon. He did some teaching to the freshman and juniors and said he felt very rewarded. At the end of the day he said he didn’t think he could be me everyday, which made me feel kind of good. I think he found new respect for teachers in general. He did mention something about teaching down the road.

I will also say I’m proud of myself too. I came in under budget on the catering job and people loved the food. I still haven’t lost my touch.

In the course of the day I met one of the “culinary instructors” from Columbus Tech. She seemed rather young but that was fine. I told her that I was taking NTI classes and that I had to go to GSU Saturday. She seemed rather appalled that I could teach without a 4 year degree and especially not having a teaching back ground. I think she said something about I just can’t believe the county would hire someone without a bachelors. I then explained to her I also had an associate in broadcasting and I went to college just as long as she did.

Well let me tell you about Ms. High and Mighty. She was an elementary teacher with a 4 year degree before she began teaching at Columbus Tech. After polite questioning, I do not think she ever divulged her qualifications for teaching culinary school. Later two of my students told me, after talking to her, that she had never worked in a restaurant.

I only have two more things to say.

First I set my temperamental chefness aside, took the high road and said nothing.

Second my high school students and I were the ones who cooked and prepared the food for the guests, the Columbus Tech students served the food. Everyone absolutely loved the food.

As Paul Harvey used to say “Good Day”

Closing a Blog experience

As NTI blog experience comes to a close, another educational chapter in my life will come to a close. Blogging was great. We have been given new technologies and concepts to bring about change in the classroom.Talk about great benefits, this has been an awesome experience. Words cannot describe what I have experienced over the last several months. We have been taught so much. Now, I will have to take some time to reflect about this entire experience. Again I say thank you NTI teammates and instructors.
I wish the best for each and everyone of you. May God continue to bless your lives abundantly. Blogging out.

"Don't tell me you care?"

I was notified that one of my students was suspended for 10 days pending a tribunal. Since this will be his 2nd tribunal there is a great possiblity that the school will not let him return this year. I have worked with this young man all year trying to keep him on track. He is so smart and very respectful to me. He never gives me the first minutes trouble, does all his work, is the first to volunteer for everything we do and has a B average. Pretty good for a kid that normally stays in trouble with all of his other teachers.
As I was signing in the other morning I overheard one of our Resource Officers talking to a teacher about this young man. I then heard him say that the boy probably wouldn't be
back because he was still in jail. Well, of course my mouth dropped and you probably already know that I had to ask. I just couldn't imagine him being in that much trouble. So I told the office that I taught the young man and asked what was going on. I suppose I had that "concerned mother" look because the officer gave me the oddest look and said, "don't tell me you care about this kid. You look like you could cry." Well, I wasn't going to cry and I told the officer that I was just surprised that the young man was involved in the situation. I told him that he was a wonderful student. His response was, "we must be talking about two different kids"
So why is so surprising that I would care about a student? Are we only to care about the fine, upstanding, All American student? Are we only to care about the ones that are in the IB programs or the outstanding wholesome athlete? After all isn't that a part of being a teacher?
Why wouldn't I be concerned or upset? Why shouldn't I care?

A long, long, long lunch

Does any of you have a 50 minute lunch period? Our administration has announced that they are contemplating (code for we are going to do it) having one 50 minute period for lunch where all students eat at the same time. They took away the 10 minute break between 1st and 2nd because we were having too many fights. The reasoning was that the students had too much free time. If they cannot handle a 10 minute break how in the world can they handle 50 minutes with nothing to do? One of the reasons for the All Student Lunch Period is that they feel most students will utilize it to make up work and get some extra tutoring. Are you kidding me? Not this student population. The teachers will have "duty" during this time as well as be available to students and somewhere in there eat lunch. I just think it is a bad idea to try and fit the entire student body into a cafeteria that is normally full each of the 3 lunch periods we currently have. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think this is just trouble looking for a place to happen. It's going to be a long, long, long lunch.

Honored

I'm a teacher and I realize that some students hate my guts. On the other hand, there are students who respect and appreciate me. The latter are the students that spur me out of bed and off to work each day. I have one student I have gotten to know better than most because she rode with me two consecutive days to a HOSA conference, one and a half hours each way. She also worked closely with me coordinating our blood drive. I have been very impressed with her from the beginning. She is pleasant, self-motivated, and exhibits exceptional teamwork and leadership skills. She also excels academically. Back in late February this student asked me to write letters of recommendation for her as she sought admission to a radiology school and a scholarship from the hospital where I worked until 11 months ago. I was proud to write recommendations on her behalf. We even drove to that hospital on our way to the HOSA conference and hand delivered her scholarship application to get it turned in on time.

In the past two weeks things have really come together for this student. She received letters saying that she has been granted the largest scholarship the hospital offers as well as acceptance into the radiology program of her choice. Additionally, it was announced at school that she has earned the honor of a Top Ten Senior based on her GPA. With each new piece of news she came running to me and we rejoiced! One day she came to say I had better not have any plans for the evening of May 10th. As a top ten student she got to choose one teacher from the 5th grade to the present that she felt was especially influential in her life. She named me and asked that I attend the Top Ten Banquet with her on the stated May evening. I received a formal invitation this week. To my surprise, the teachers chosen by the Top Ten Seniors are being honored as the Top Ten Teachers at the same banquet. I had no idea. What an honor! At least not all students hate my guts.

One More Year?

I am still struggling a bit with this career choice. Is that normal, after a year and a half? In spite of the stress and pressures lately, my attitude is better now because of the changes our school is going through. My contract for renewal was in my box the other day. I left it in my briefcase for a couple of days before I actually decided to sign it. But I did! Thanks to NTI, I have better ammunition to deal with the daily challenges of being a teacher. With that being said, I guess it's all good, and I'm ready to start another year. Well, maybe not ready, but I do feel more prepared. I think I'll enjoy the summer in about four more weeks. The countdown is on.

substitute teachers

Until I became a teacher I never really though much about substitute teachers.
Now I have to question myself concerning the qualifications for this job. I have been out of my classroom since last Thursday doing the Habitat Build and every day it seems when I come in at the end of sixth period the room is trashed ,the T.V is on and there must be 40 kids in there 25 of which aren't even mine and she's just sitting there talking to numerous girls who I don't even know. Today I informed them that tomorrow they are to clean my room as I have Mrs. M. Then I left before I completely lost it. Don't think that I did nothing cause I did first I called the main office and informed them as to what was going on and then had security and the SRO sent down there unfortunately I'm sure it was to late and the bell probably rang before they got there. They had work some do it some don't but when there is no control nothing gets done and it takes days back in the groove that i had them in.So this poses the question what does it take just a warm body and a willingness to draw a check without any standards to adhere to? I'd really like to know.

Habitat for Humanity

Well this week we are doing Habitat. It has been good I am taking 9 students this week and for the first time in the four builds I have participated in we are doing things other than framing. We are doing vinyl siding and they also brought in there electrician and some of the students were able to work with them.
It has been a welcome change and a great opportunity to hone some skills that haven't been used in a while. If you don't use it you lose it and it had been a while.

GACTE

GACTE what can I say.110.00 to join or no extended day. because, if you don't join the county won't pay the 250.00 registration fee. I am sorry but I just spent 5000.00 dollars for NTI " money well spent but never the less spent" 125.00 for GACE test , 46.00 for registration for skills state competition 98.00 for a room the room for that night and there is much more. Provisional wages are great yet every time you turn around they are wanting m0re and more.
If they are going to make this a requirement then why not create payment options take it out of our checks payroll deduct build it into the contracts and do a mass membership each year. why does everything have to attack the wallet if you join GAE it is payroll deducted.
We need options.

EOCT/Certification for CTAE?

We are gearing up for End of the course testing with all core subjects in about two weeks. All classes will be on block scheduling beginning on April 23 thru May 04. Will CTAE programs ever be mandated to use EOCT or some other type of testing measurement towards certification? I think some type of skill testing should be required before students can proceed to intermediate and advance level courses. End of the course testing or some type of multiple phase certification testing will help CTAE programs our assist students to move closer towards industry certification in their respective areas. What a minute. Are we supposed to be getting our students certified? Or, are we preparing our students for career exploration and Tech Prep.
While attending one of our articulation meetings last week, we were informed that Tech Prep funding faced reductions. These reductions will affect many CTAE programs across the State. I also believe these reductions stem from the inability of programs to provide concrete evidence of assisting students’ transition to the workforce. The true benefit for our programs might be providing an industry certification with an EOCT at the completion on the program. An EOCT and certification test could help prepare the committed student with an opportunity enter straight into the workforce with all the proper credentials
EOCT with CTAE courses will provide administrators and state coordinators valuable feedback to better plan for various programs.
It was jus a thought.

Has anyone seen my Spring Break?

Has anyone seen my Spring Break? I know I was scheduled to have one but I don't seem to know where it is.
I cannot seem to enjoy my spring break because of all the deadlines before me. Is Spring Break not our own? Can we refuse and ask to postpone those deadlines til after the break? Do I have to give up some of my break time for my job?
Well, I didn't refuse, I did "their" work on my time and consequently did not accomplish anything on my "to do" list. So did I really have a break?

The pressure is on......

After a post evaluation conference with my administrator, I realize that I am expected to start a HOSA club and begin industry certification. I thought that HOSA was only required if I was receiving the extended day grant and it seems that receiving that grant is expected of me whether I want it or not. And when has industry certification become a requirement?

SkillsUSA has been an established club at Marietta for quite some time and I don't want to break away from the group. I have been told from administration that I should just maintain 2 clubs using the same officers for each. Why do I have to change when this change isn't necessarily good?
Oh, the pressure is on!!!!

Why bother?

Well, I spent some time putting together lesson plans for my students relocated while I proctored the GHSGT. Since they were going to be in the media center for 2 days anyway, I thought it would be good for them to begin their research for their oral presentation on diseases of the skeletal system. I left sign up sheets and rubrics and since my students had done this sort of thing before I knew they would have no trouble following the instructions. There was going to be a parapro to take role, give instructions and supervise all students relocated. To make a long story short, the parapro never showed up and no one gave my students any instructions. Needless to say, no lesson plan was followed and my students are going to be a week behind. How can this happen? How frustrating to take the time to plan when there is no one to follow through. Again, I feel as if what my students are studying is of no importance to anyone else. Why are we not instructed to just let our students have a "free" day? Why do I even bother?

Spring Break is OVER!!!!

Oh no, the time of the year that I waited and hoped for is over. Spring Break has come and gone. Classes resume in the AM. I had anticipated the break as the time to catch up on all the items that seemed to be piling up. Well, I must admit that there just wasn't enough time in the day. I did catch up on NTI assignments and my electronic grades, but all else seemed to slip away. The advisory group set up, HOSA planning, budget requests, and lesson planning did not get completed as I had hoped. Where did the time go???? So much for wishful thinking. My week just goes on. I do wish that someday I might get caught up...I think I will. Only 30 days left until Summer vacation. There is hope yet. Let's all just keep pushing on.

Wow..the end is in sight

It is hard to believe that we only have 2 more classes left. So much has happened the past several months. It was so great to join your NTI classes. Thank you for all of the great friendships that I have formed. The information that I gained was amazing. I have always said that people have worked in the industries make better teacher - more hands on ideals. You all are proof of that. The ideas and views that you bring to class are simply wonderful. I will walk away from NTI with much more confidence and creative ideas thanks to all of you.

Shrug Shoulders

Does anyone care about the education system and how dysfunctional it is? Whenever I ask questions as to why we are doing it that way, or why don't we change it to make it run smoother or more logical, I just a get a shrug of the shoulders and comments that it has always been that way. Why has it always been that way and how come no one else seems to mind that it is not the best system? I'm talking very general here, but I'm sure you guys have run across things since you've been teaching that would not fly in industry. If we are preparing our students for the business world, then why are we not given the same tools as the business world and held accountable the same as the business world?

I'm just venting. I see a lot of areas that need to be improved in my county and when I ask questions, it doesn't seem that anyone else really cares. I hope that our county will step up soon and make some improvements.

Teaching Schedule

Next week I’ll probably be notified what my teaching schedule will be next year. I already have a pretty good idea that I’ll probably have one combined class with mixed subjects (not different levels of the same subject). I’ve already been told that since my numbers are down that I will probably have to teach two Computer Applications classes so that I can get paid for full time. My complaint is this… we have a six period day, and regular full time teachers teach five periods and have a planning period. It looks like next year I’ll be teaching five periods, but I’ll have to prepare for six classes, since two of the classes are in the same room during the same period. Am I the only one who thinks that’s unfair? I’ve expressed this concern to the powers that be, but it falls on deaf ears. It’s all about how many periods you teach, and that’s it.

Frustration....

I have been feeling this for the last couple of weeks. Just like Natalie spoke about in one of her blogs, it is so tempting to go back into the "industry". Especially so when they call and offer you a different position and more money. I had a talk with a guidance counselor to do an interview. The counselor said sure any time just call me that morning and let me know. After doing the study on guidance counselors I realize they are very busy, much more than I had ever dreamed.
But now it's getting close for this being due and I can't seem to pin a time down with them. This is not something I have put off till the last minute. Maybe I'll have better luck next week. I guess the one thing I can not get used too is the lack of communication and organization within the system. There is a lot of changes going on next school year at our school. I hope it gets better.

Gimme' a Break!!!

I am finally going to say: "I'm on Spring Break!" I'm excited about it. I am not taking a fabulous trip like some of my coworkers, however, I will have a full agenda. I will rest, get extra sleep, catch up on school and NTI assignments. On a few nights I may even stay up late, fall asleep on the sofa and let the TV watch me! WHEW-WEEE...NOW THAT'S LIVIN'!!!
I hope you have a wonderful week...I will!!! :-)

From CNN To The Classroom

Today I was observed by Jennifer M of NTI. Over the past few weeks (minus the Spring Break) we have done Friday morning announcements "live" at L High School. It is a skeleton crew without teleprompter, but it is an environment that gets me "pumped". In the few short weeks we have done this, my students have created an "open" that features many shots from around the school and the music "rocks". The principal and other administrators speak very highly of what we have done in a few short weeks. I knew I had my observation today within my classroom, but it was a pleasure to have Ms. M watch and be a part of the excitement of the studio and control room. She witnessed a control room in a "live" environment with mistakes being made witnessed by thousands of viewers at the school. No "F" bombs were set off, but several students realized the pressure of being "live". Through many years of making mistakes that have been witnessed by millions of people, I immediately stressed the fact that, "you are angry with yourself because our "air" was not clean....... but, be ticked at yourself after we are not "live".....regain your composure and do your best. I didn't think about it, but Ms. M complimented me on how I went from a "Live" television atmosphere and returned to the classroom atmosphere that morning and continued with the lesson plan. It was a rewarding day. And if anyone needs a set induction.... I recommend the song "Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road".

New Teacher Salery

My AP (Assistant Principal) told me last year that statistics showed that 70% of all first year teachers work two jobs to maintain their standard of living. These new teachers have invested four years of their life in the education to become a teacher. But, after dealing with students all day they have to go out and work a second job because they can not pay their expenses. WOW – what an unjust! Something is truly wrong with the teacher’s pay scale.

There should be some incentive for one to three year teachers to help them focus on teaching students, instead of “can I pay my bills this month”.

Articulation Programs

Do Articulation programs have a good success rate?

We had our annual articulation meeting this past week with Clayton State. This is my third year working with the Information Technology group. The meeting went well, but was somewhat disheartening as we attempted to discuss the success rate of past students. Our discussion revealed some alarming results. We have had zero students to take advantage of the articulation agreement in the last three years. This was our primary concern as we furthered the discussion.
Next year we will attempt help our seniors gain a greater understanding of how to better prepare for the college technology programs at Griffin Tech and Clayton state. We plan to work closer with Clayton State to promote the articulation agreements. The articulation concept can be successful, but only if both institutions work closer to enlighten students how to take full advantage of what is being offered. We look forward to making difference. Has anyone else had success with their articulation agreements?

Should I lose hope?

This past Wednesday, I attended an articulation meeting at a college by my school. We actually did have a lot to do since the curriculum did not improve and that some of the college courses were more or less of the same thing from last year. It has always been a pleasure to attend these types of professional development because it gives me the opportunity to talk to colleges professors and see what they expect our students to know before they get to them. I was glad to see that what I am teaching does really prepare the students for the next level if they do take the subject seriously on top of their core subject classes and that is where my concern comes into play. I always knew of a high dropout rate in college but to learn that the students coming from my school system and others from another county which I would not name are just not prepared for college. The professor was expressing his disappointment at the students' lack of work ethics, absences, study habit and on top of everything , the freshmen are very poor in problem solving skills, maths and writing.
As we continue the conversation I could just see the future for some of kids who struggle with in class on daily basis; those kids who everything to given to them, those want free points or somebody to do the work for them. I know somebody will tell me that if I teach them right , they should be able to do it themselves and become independent learners but we dealing with a generation of kids who want everything free and anybody can argue that but the reality is that they are more and more high school students who cannot read, write and spell properly at their grade level. What happened to those when failing was not an option?
Nowadays, you have students joking about failing a test, not studying for an exam, not worrying about a failing score.
My friends, we are in trouble>>>>>>>>..

IEP Cop-out

Am I the only one who thinks a lot of students use their IEP as a cop-out to get away with bad behavior and laziness? I assigned new groups in all my classes Monday when we came back from spring break. Today two girls got into a mild argument while doing a test review worksheet in their group. I took the two out into the hall away from the audience. One of them has a perpetual bad attitude. Out in the hall Miss Bad Attitude proceded to informed me she could not work in that group because she had anger management problems and would get in a fight if she remained in that group. (The emphasis was hers. I wish I could show you the body language that went with the words, but I'm sure you have seen it before.) Since this was eight minutes before the bell, I told her to go to her seat and do the worksheet on her own until the end of class. She informed me that I had to put her in a new group that she could work in, now! Her reason was that she couldn't work by herself because she works best in a group. She informed me that if I would read her IEP I would know all that stuff about her. I told her that I had read her IEP several times and that I would put her in another work group but not right now,so close to the bell. She informed me that she would send her case worker to tell me a thing or two. I said I would love to talk to her case worker. She informed me that I couldn't because the case worker is out on maternity leave. She still wanted to argue but I simply walked back into the classroom. You know, "It takes two to argue," so I ended it just like I am ending this blog.

What Spring Break

Over the Spring break I had an old college buddy ask if I would help him out with his restaurant. Well come to find out there is a student working there who will be in my culinary class next year. Then it became my mission to better this place. I want it to be a place this student could put on his resume and people would not scoff at him.

It was a Mediterranean place with plenty of Italian food but only Hummus, Spanikopitas Fattoush, and a classic Gyro. I added Falafels, chicken-shrimp or steak Gyros, a Falafel sandwich made with pita bread and tahini sauce. I also took of lasagna and replaced it with Moussaka. Originally the menu was pretty plain, so I revamped the menu a bit. In a few weeks (after the kitchen staff gets enough practice) it will be kind of like a Carrabbas with a Mediterranean flair. I probably won’t be back in there until the summer to make sure everything is going right. I think they really need to work on their wait-staff before the make the new menu permanent. So Isam (my friend) & Amehd (Isam's brother) and Muhammad (the manager) seem to be pretty happy with the results.

So Mrs. H if you ever have the chance to come down you'll have to critique me. During the summer Dr. B can come into town from Pine Mt. for Med/Itl. food and let me know what she thinks. Actually I’d love feedback from everyone since Mediterranean is not my forte. Don't get me wrong when it comes to food I can make anything taste good, but since I am a southern boy I have a tendency to over season so it may not be spot on to historical specifications, but I do want it to be somewhat close. I just want to know that this student (or any other students that become employed there) will learn how to prepare authentic tasting food no matter weather it is Italian or Mediterranean.

And for all you 24 watchers yes my friend and his brother are from Israel but they are both Catholic. How ya like them apples?

Frustrated

Last week I pulled out my portfolio assignment to update some information and to try to finish it up to turn in. I pulled out my disk that I have been saving it to and it would not come up. It said the disk was not formatted. I began to freak out because I spent all this time last month adding standards to it and I did not print them out or did not write it down on paper. I just figured that it was on a disk, I can just keep adding to it and I will print it all at the end when I am done. No, not a good idea. My first mistake was not saving it to the hard drive and then since I have been having trouble with my computer I should have saved it to a second disk. So for the past week I have been trying to redo some of the standards that I didn't write down or print out. I really hated computers last week but then I began to think that I should have taken precautions for such a big assignment. So learn from my mistakes always print out at least you will have a hard copy.

Excited

Last summer when we started NTI, I was really excited about getting into the class, especially because I was not hired on yet. I owe that all to Dr. B and Jessie. Thanks. I have learned so much that will help me in the high school classroom. I have already used it at the college level, I have seen a change in the students. I have heard all these stories about being at a high school. I am looking forward to being in a high school but also reluctant at the same time. I know there will be a lot more going on that I have not expected and had to deal with so far. I have heard you all commenting on how your weeks have gone. I just hope mine will go half that well. If you have any advice after going through this year and after NTI for a really new teacher to this, please feel free to give any advice.

New Teacher

I am still waiting to hear from Forsyth County on a Cosmetology Position. I have already been through an interview with the new high school principle at West Forsyth and it looks like they are only taking 1 teacher for the 2007-2008 school year. I am also talking with the principle at Forsyth Central and they are still waiting on numbers to see how many students they will have at the school for 07-08 year. I hate this waiting period. I just wish I knew something. I have also been talking with Roswell High School and there may be a position open there. If anyone knows of a school close by looking for Cosmetology Teacher please let me know. I am keeping my options open for anything relatively close. Thanks

catching up

I just realized yesterday in Monday night class that we should have another 6 weeks posted on our reflective log. So I have some catching up to do. I thought I was ahead of the game but I thought wrong. I have really enjoyed the NTI class. It has helped me a lot, along with everyone in NTI but I will sure be glad when it is over mainly for the cost of the class. I hear some saying that their county pays for it or partially pays for it. That's great!

Spring Break is supposed to be about relaxing

This week is Spring Break for us, and that’s a good thing because it gives me some time to recuperate. I was enjoying a relaxing week, and then on Wednesday morning my lower back went completely out, and I’ve spent every day since trying to find a comfortable position to sit down or lay in (standing and walking is painful and very difficult). It’s a little better, but it’s also extremely frustrating, and Monday is right around the corner. Assuming that I’m in the classroom on Monday it will be interesting to see how the students react to my limited mobility. I’m hoping that they won’t try to take advantage of me, but one never really knows. At least I can monitor their computer behavior from my workstation. Anyway, I hope everyone else who had their break this week had a fantastic time.

Here They Come...Around The Stretch

I, too, must comment on what is upon us for the next month and a half. This past week I have not been at a condo in Florida or a Spa in the Carribean. But I have gone camping with my daughter and roller skating with her too. I have a game plan for the rest of the semester and I have every intention of surviving it. Am I pleased or satisfied on how I have performed as a teacher? Not on your life. My class observations from Jennifer Mims and my principal, Chris shaw, have gone well. But, I am my toughest critic. I hope at the end of May I can look back and ease up on myself. These blog entries from my fellow NTI students/friends have been an incredible assest to me as a teacher and a human being. They will continue to carry me through the end of the semester. If you've finished your spring break..... I feel your pain of getting back into the routine of teaching. If your break is coming up (Lin), please enjoy it and get some mental rest.

R and R....

It has been a restful week for me! I was able to disconnect totally from teaching and do things I love. Sometimes it is hard to focus on enjoying your life when you are exalted from dealing with students all day. But, it is Friday and I know I have to do my lesson plans for next week and get mentally and emotionally prepared for my students. We only have two months to go before the close of the school term – YES!!

Reflecting back on the 2006-07 school year, I can say it was a good year for me. One thing I learned early is that you have to go to bed on time and get your rest or you want have the energy to deal with your students. I have decided to keep my mind on the end of the school term and move forward!!

Ahh Spring...Fists are in the Air...

Hi All!
I am not on Spring Break yet...I just wanted everyone to know. Any who- I think that the students as well as the teachers are ready for Spring Break. We made the local paper. We had about 2-3 student fights on last Friday the 30th of March. We had 1 fight today (4-6-07) . This fight was after school at 2:57 p.m. "Can't we all just get along?!?!"
Our school is having lockouts now. All students that are tardy to class must sit in the cafeteria for a full 90 minutes. Of course there are students (about 10%) who want to miss class so they are tardy on purpose. For the other 90% of students this plan is working. They do not want to miss class so the are 'bookin' (running fast) to get to class on time. WOW! See how they run...see how they run! Our school plans to carry out this procedure 'til the end of this semester.
Oh, by the way, my Spring Break starts week after next... Those that know the words of prayer... pray my strength in the school system! HAHAHA...for real now!
PEACE! (smile)

Technology: Ya Gotta Love It

For the past two days I've been trying to do my blog for this week. You know, get it done early so I don't have to stress over finishing it by midnight on Friday. Anyhow, my computer has been giving me problems lately. The screen keeps getting wavy and freezing up like there is a virus but Norton says it finds no viruses. I even bought a new monitor thinking that was the problem. It wasn't. So, I turn it on and off over and over hoping one time it will work. (Maybe this is the time!) I will have to break down and take it to the geeks but I was really hoping to make it through this semester first. I truly can't get along without it until the semester's end. My computer at school has too many blocks for me to do NTI work. Besides, who wants to stay at school until bedtime night after night! I stay too late as it is already.

My real classroom issue with technology right now is not the blocks on my internet access. My frustration is the beautiful interactive board that has been sitting there since before I entered the classroom for the first time on July 20, 2006. The first excuse I got from the county office was the absence of an LCD projector with which to hook it up. A few months into school the principal got involved and saw that an LCD was ordered and delivered. I contacted the county office again. I even got training in the use of the interactive board. Still nothing happened regarding hooking it up. Oh the plans I have for using that board! Yet, so far I have only used it as a display board, as an overhead transparency screen, even as a white board. I contacted the county office prior to Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Christmas Break, Winter Break, and now Spring Break. When I e-mailed before Spring Break, I copied it to my department head, assistant principal, and principal. That must have helped. Within two days I got a reply saying they had brought in a guy to give them an estimate how much it would cost to install it. I haven't heard any more. So, I am wondering when I get back to school Monday after Spring Break if the interactive board will be up and running. Dreamer, right?! I know one thing for sure; I will not be holding my breath. If it is installed though, I may have to get training in its use all over again to do all those wonderful things I have planned for its use.

Finishing Line

It has been a restful week, no referral to write, no announcement from the PA system and "fresh mouth" back talking to hear from the students. I do not if this is the same thing in your school but I have always observed that once we return from spring break , students have the tendency to get out of control as the weather warms up. You will see more absences, tardy and class cutting. I remember that last week before we left that our Principal was reminding teachers about teaching from bell to bell and that we still have 8 more weeks to go (my school system); Therefore my friends from NTI, do expect unannounced visits from your supervisors just to check what is going on. As far as my program is concerned, I plan to finish 3 long chapters that I have left and mostly work with my advanced class to prepare them for the A+ certification. I hope we will get enough time because we should not forget all the tests and exams that will take place within the next 5 weeks to come.
So my friends let 's lose track and focus and buckle up !!

Taking Care of Ourselves

There is one topic has not been addressed in NTI. Starting this week of Spring Break I have thought about this subject a lot. It is actually a Biblical principle. What is that topic? If you read my title, you know the answer. We must consciously take actions to preserve our physical, mental, spiritual, social, and emotional well being. I don't know about the rest of you, but I have clearly flunked in this category since starting NTI.

I read an oye-opening book a few years ago called, Margin - Restoring Emotional, Physical, Financial, and Time Reserves to Overloaded Lives, written by, Richard A. Swenson, M.D. In it he said that just as each page in a book has a margin around the edge, our daily lives need many kinds of reserves or we will experience overload and pain. I have gone bankrupt of rest, relaxation, and enjoyment over the past ten months. I am dedicating this week to getting caught up on NTI homeworkand doing taxes but also to sleep, exercise, eat healthy, read my Bible and pray more, enjoy my friends and family, work in my house and yard, ride the motorcycle with my husband, sing, shop, and what ever else I find enjoyable to do. Dr. Swenson would be proud. I look forward to being proud of myself when it is all done.

Read all instructions before you start

I start with an apology to everyone in the Monday night class. We were assigned the task to outline character traits that we find in out students Yes, I said "outline." I on the other hand wrote an entire page paper on the term "honesty". I am sorry that I made many of you endure reading this lengthy page; when if I simply would have continued to read the directions I would have found that it was only to be and "outline" Thanks to an e-mail I received form Jim - thanks Jim- I realized my mistake and reorganized my paper with an attachment of the outline of the term at the end.. I left the original paper, not for your reading enjoyment, but for me to use as an example in the blog as to what NOT to do. No excuses can be made for this- except I now know - as I should have - to read all directions before I start. Spring Break is just a few days away.

New Equipment

Does anyone have any ideas on what method to use in approaching central office to secure new equipment or software for your lab? I gathered quotes from venders on computer memory upgrades and SolidWorks engineering modeling software, which is state of the art, but designed for high school students. This information was submitted to central office in August 2006. Central office replied “this is good information; we will consider this”. That was the last I heard about the equipment. My concern is that I have 24 students going to my third level mechanical and electrical system class, but I do not have any courseware for the class.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on this matter, please blog. Help! Help!

School Equipment

I am very excited for those that were able to secure new equipment for your labs of any kind. I now see how resourceful my students and I have been to work with and make the best with what we have. I am thankful for what we have, however I am looking forward to receiving broadcast quality tools that are desperately needed for my classes. I hope that the equipment I have requested will come in before school lets out so that I may practice and become familiar with it before Fall. You guys have a great Spring Break...you deserve it!

Project deadline

Well, this week went better than anticipated. I had the students research a career they were interested in and then create a brochure with all of the requested information. I gave them two days to complete the project and found that was not quite enough time. A few students turned in their brochures on Thursday but the rest finished theirs in class on Friday. It definitely helped having a project with a firm deadline to keep them busy and focused. Of course, I still had to keep them on track at times because they wanted to talk about their plans or share their packing list for their beach trip.

I do have to say that I think I was more ready for this break than they were. Lately, I've started to wonder if I'm in the right career. I'm so overwhelmed with my classroom and all the many tasks that go with it that I'm missing out on life with my family and friends. The past couple of weeks have been really hard for some reason. I've already signed my contract so now I'm committed to one more year. I sure hope that next year goes better. If not, I'm really considering going back to industry just so that I will feel some kind of peace in my life. Right now, my life is a roller coaster and I'm ready to jump off at any cost. Has anyone ever felt this way?

Spring Break May Lead the Blog Entries

Hello All,

This entry is coming to you from very late within the Boyland household. BUT, myself and a little girl of 9 years of age are excited because we have the following week off. My fellow teachers have asked me what I am going to do to relieve the stress from first year teachers' blues. And when I respond.........I will complete assignments due to NTI and promise to have no fun, they are sympathetic and cordial. I had an unscheduled observation by my Principal yesterday, that went very well. My daughter was very proud when I posted my "report card" on the refrigerator next to hers.

My proudest moment was when my Principal walked into the TV studio, with a Coke in his hand, and every student whispered..."Mr. Shaw has a drink in the studio area." And then the Principal walked into the Control Room and the students yelled...."Mr. Shaw has a drink in the Control Room!" Mr. Shaw wondered about the excitement. I explained that he was in trouble and...........I was very proud that my students recognized that no food or drinks were allowed in the studio or control room. If anyone from NTI is on Spring Break this week...................Please Enjoy! If you are not on break or have had your break.................I hope your brain and body recovered.

Short Week!

Although I didn't teach but three days this week, it was challenging to keep the students engaged. They would rather be anywhere but at school, and they are anticipating Spring Break and what they will do during their week off.

Well, I guess I'm pretty much ready for a break too, even though I had a short one this week. I was only there Monday through Wednesday because I was ill Thursday and Friday. I hope everything is in one piece when I get back. I talked to another teacher Thursday afternoon to see how things went, and he said he had to keep going to my room to wake up the substitute teacher. He's lucky the students didn't super-glue his fingers together or tie his shoe strings together. I guess I'll hear if anything happened that was real interesting when I return from Spring Break.

The Clinic is Open

Do I miss hands-on patient care? How could I! I do nursing of some sort every day at school. No, I am not the school nurse, yet there must be an invisible shingle hanging at my classroom door announcing, "Joyce D, RN, BSN. The Clinic is Open. " Students come to me regularly to ask about their ailment of the day. Before school is the peak time for visits. Sometimes the waiting room is bustling. Kids I don't even know come to the clinic. I give out bandaids, triple antibiotic cream, and medical/first aid tips daily. I look at every kind of bump, bruise, burn, and boo-boo imaginable. I do more listening than anything. I hear about students' and their family members' trips to the doctor or hospital. I hear details about injuries, even to pets. They tell me about medical things or non-medical things they have heard or have seen especially on TV. These conversations occur hourly in my classroom clinic.

The talk in my room usually begins something like this: "Can you feel if I have a fever?" "Would you take my blood pressure?" "What do you think is making my eye swell shut?" "My friend hurt her foot and it's all swollen up. Is it broken?" "What do you think these bites are from? They itch real bad!" "Is my belly button infected? I just got it pierced last week. I don't want to take it out!" "Look at this bump and tell me what it is." "I jammed my finger. What should I do? I can't even see my knuckle and it really hurts." "I have a pain right here. What's it from?" "What should I put on this sunburn?" I make a few comments or suggestions, but mostly, I look, smile, and I listen.

Yesterday a student stayed after class to talk to me privately. I was expecting something very profound. I had to mask a large grin when she asked if there was a medical treatment she could take to become taller. She wants to be a model and feels she can never reach her goal at the height of 5'2". She was very serious.

I went to the school counselor a few months back about a student's confession of depression and burning himself. This student occasionally comes by the "clinic" to talk even after finishing weeks of counseling. Several students invited me to the library to hear them as they read poems they had written. The recovering depressed student and others I knew spilled their guts as they read their poesm. I was an honored guest and they thanked me for listening.

Two of my students are pregnant. They have asked about fetal development and child birth. Another student confided she was afraid she had gotten pregnant over the weekend and wanted to know long until a home pregnancy test would give a reliable result. One senior was going for her first pap smear and wanted to know what to expect. She didn't want to ask her mom. Students tell me what they know and inquire if they are on target. I do explain some things to them, but most of all I lovingly affirm them and listen.

Even teachers come to the "clinic" at times. Several come regularly to weigh in on our scale. One is loosing too much weight stressing while her husband is in Iran. Some want their blood pressure checked and are concerned about their medication not working. I have been summoned several times by a teacher or administrator to respond when a student was having a seizure and the school nurse was not present. The student and their parents want to talk, to hear details about what happened, and to know what to communicate to their doctor.

One day last week a coach came running into the room asking for the wheelchair. One of our student athletes has a BKA (above the knee amputation) and a prosthetic leg. His "leg" broke at the ankle. He needed a way to get around school. They took the chair to him. At the end of the day the student came to return the wheelchair saying he had to go to a track meet. I asked how he would get around. He said he could hop. Until his prosthesis is fixed he is using our department's crutches after school and wheelchair during school. Every morning and afternoon he comes by to make the exchange and to talk.

You know, as a nurse in the school setting, I find things really aren't much different than they were in the hospital. There are a lot of people in both places that need someone to care for them but more than anything to listen.

The easy way out?

What do I write about this week? It’s been tough coming up with a topic because the week was for the most part uneventful. Considering that Spring Break is next week the students behaved themselves fairly well (although as the weather gets warmer the dress code takes quite a beating). I must admit that I gave myself a little bit of a head start though. I thought back to last year and remembered that the kids were pretty much done paying attention by mid-week, so I showed a movie this week on Thursday and Friday. One teacher made a comment to me that showing a movie was “cheating” and taking the easy way out. I started to feel a little guilty, but later I overheard that same teacher complaining that his students were “out of control” and being disruptive in class. I didn’t feel so bad after I heard that.

I know that the kids in our school are not unique in this regard. Did any of you try something different or unusual this week to get the kids attention? I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting ideas.

How effective is a conference call?

Scheduled any advisory committee meetings lately? They never seem to have the right timing. Getting everyone together can be a real challenge at times. Tonight, we had our scheduled meetings from 6 P.M to 7 P.M. Attendance and participation were low as compared to our last meeting. Looking back over the last several years, we have never really had consistency in total team participation.
Our group arrived at the conclusion that we need to remain proactive in building stronger communication channels within our advisory teams. If we can’t get them to meetings, then we can at least have dialog with the team wherever they are located. Technology allows this process to take place any time and anywhere.
One of the proactive steps we implemented during this meeting was initiating a conference call with one of our major corporations in New York. This appeared to be a fairly successful process, so we plan to be innovative, set-up and test conference calls periodically with all our advisory team members before our next semi- annual meetings.
We have innovation at our finger tips, so why not use it. It appears to work well in the private sector and in major organizations. The conference call has become a way of life. Every6ne is on the run and use conference calling in one form or another. We also realized that a number of our committee members drive across the city during peak traffic for a one hour lunch/dinner then return to work or home. Could we improve everyone’s time management through effective planning? We think the answer is yes. So we plan to put it to the test .before school ends. We have about 10 committee / teachers on the advisory team. We may test 5 to 7. We will let you know how it turns out.

So why can’t I get extended day pay?

Not only am I supposed to do lesson plans and teach now that the end of the year is fast approaching I have to be caterer. Here is my list of functions. April 19th – 200 people at the Civil War museum in conjunction with Col. Tech., April 26th Advisory meeting 20 plus people, May 1st 20-50 people Superintendents Luncheon, May 10th 500 people End of the year Awards Banquet, and sometime in between I was supposed to serve lunch to the Basketball team because the won state, and possibly a end of the year going away party for faculty that is leaving.
I very seriously doubt people have any idea how much time and effort is put into food preparation and running a staff. Did someone mention I don’t actually have a staff? I have some kids who half heartedly pay attention to me when they want to and if they can’t eat what they cook they don’t want to participate. Then there is all the time planning which is done after school. Going to and from Sam’s and or vendors (because the never return calls) eats up alit of personal time. Man it sucks to be me.

I’m sure next year this will happen both semesters

Hook a brother up already. Pay for my gas to Atlanta, pay for NTI, a fat raise, something, please.

the final count down

Here we go count down to spring break and boy is it taking its sweet time.I don't know about the rest of you ,but I am so ready scary. The kids are ready to there antsy truly a task to get them to work. However, somehow we do against all odds we do because we are teachers and that's our job.Do any of you just sit and listen to the students conversations you should some time. I'm talking about just listen not participating. It's amazing the info about what goes on ,has gone on ,and what is planned to go on next. you can find out and run blocker for so many of the issues in your schools and they don't even realize how their getting caught. A week ago I took a knife off of a student it looked like a pen until you pull it apart and there was a 31/2'' blade inside that student actually asked if I would give it back to him ''He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed '' I must say. I guess what I want to say is kids there ruff there bad but they are also their own worst enemy.

Should I or They

I didn’t know if we were supposed to do a blog this week or not. If we were, my fault. I’m late. Sorry

So lately, it’s seems like some kids just don’t get it, and then some really do. I have a student who is a freshman. He’s in my Work Place Readiness class. I’m not exactly sure if he has an IEP or not but he is definitely an average student. He struggles in class, but I encourage him all the time. He may come to me and ask me questions on the directions or exactly what needs to be done for the lesson. He wants to make sure there is no room for error and that he comprehends what he is doing. It may take him a bit longer to do his work assignment, but I don’t mind giving him the extra help or time. I also tech him to lift weights once or twice a week when I pop into the weightlifting class. I can tell he is very grateful.

Then I have a kid who is a senior who thinks he knows it all. He was an exemplary student until right after Christmas. He was an A-B student and worked at Callaway Gardens for almost a year. After he entered the Art Institute of Atlanta best teen chef contest his ego became inflated and he had no follow through. Not only has he entered the contest but he applied to the Art Institute right after Thanksgiving and has not heard back from them yet. He was going to do the page one contest but he didn’t finish filling out his paperwork nor did he ask me for a letter of recommendation. He just simply didn’t get to it. Now he is working at the prestigious Chattahoochee River club and I believe he thinks he has surpassed the master. Oh my lord does someone need to knock this kid of his soap box.

My point of this blog is: I would rather have a class full of kids like the first student I mentioned rather than the second. With the first student at least I know I would be giving that child skills for life and be nothing but proud of him/her every day and they would be grateful. With the second student that normally does well when they become sophomoric in nature they become apathetic and ungrateful and begin do disappoint you.

Eh, what can you do? Try – Try – Try, harder. Should I try harder or should they try harder?

Guidance Counselor

This week I sat down with our one and only guidance counselor at my school to complete the guidance counseling report assignment. I discovered, after speaking with her, that there is probably a large body of students who never utilize her services. The particular service I'm referring to is career counseling. Because our school does not offer a job-readiness course, I think that our students miss out on opportunities because they do not know the opportunities are there. Why should they ask her for help when they don't even know that they need help?

While talking to her, she gave me some websites that she refers students to when asking about careers and their options. I've scheduled her to come to all three of my classes on Tuesday and she is going to walk the students through taking an online survey which will determine some career options based on their likes and dislikes. Originally, I was going to have them search for jobs only in the graphics industry, but then I realized this might be their only chance to look into other careers.

I'm trying something new this week so I hope that it goes well. Here is the plan: after they take the online survey, they will pick a career path and then make a brochure about this career. The brochure will include potential earnings, type of education required, the pros and cons of the career. At the end of the week, I'm going to have the students stand up and present the information about the career that they researched.

I really hope that this will be a good learning experience for them and for me. I'll let you know how it goes.

GACE....Two Thumbs Up!!

March 17, 2007 I took the math portion of the GACE assessment for new teacher. Compared to the PRAXIS series, GACE is a much better assessment of basic skills required for new teachers. The test was straight forward and no trickery of questions. All the questions were math you had seen and used before. Twice I have taken the Praxis (all three basic assessments) and I only passed the math portion. In my opinion, the Praxis Series was not trying to assess new teachers, instead, Praxis was used as a money making tool for the company.

Most people that I talked with who were trying to become teachers had taken the Praxis Series I or II, three or four times, at $115.00 for one test or all three sections. Do the math; this is expensive for a new teacher. The GACE series is only $25.00 per test which is very reasonable compared to the PRAXIS SERIES. I am happy Georgia changed to the GACE. I am confident I passed the test on the very first try!

Best Layed Plans Go Astray

I had an interesting learning experience at the start of this week. I had to call in a sub last week on Thursday due to illness (flu). Thursday was our last day and we had Friday and Monday off for vacation break. The call in for the sub went smoothly and I checked with the school in the early morning and everything was lined up. Emergency lesson plans were in place for them to use and it should have been an uneventful day. I came back Tuesday morning and the kids were raving how good the substitute was and wanted him back again. I came to find out that he never even used my emergency lesson plans(never received them from the administration). He allowed the kids to use the lab all day. He even got the administration to open up the tool room for him by telling them that the lesson plan for the day called for tools to be used. The administration did not have a key to the tool room so they allowed a student to use a ladder to climb up through the suspended ceiling, over the wall of the tool room and climb down into the tool room to open it from the inside. Unbelievable! When I confronted the administration on it about the emergency lesson plans not being followed and liability issues with not a qualified instructor in the lab, did I get a big run around. None of them wanted to talk about it or investigate it to correct a potential problem. Push it under the carpet and forget it. So now my students know how to get into my tool room without using a key. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that yet. It's been an interesting week dealing with students and administration. Hopefully next week will go better.
Mike M.

Lesson learned

I had an interesting experience this week that reminded me just how much trouble teachers can get into if they’re not careful. At our school, teachers that don’t have a 4th period class have to do lunch duty. My job is to keep watch over the kids who have been assigned to lunch detention, which is called the “Penalty Box” and is held in a large furniture storage room next to the cafeteria. Most students have to serve five days, and there is a list of rules that they must follow. We’ve had some repeat offenders, but usually once they get done with their week I don’t see them again.

On Wednesday I had just one female student, and it was her first day. She was polite and quiet, but not what I would call shy. We went into the detention room and I told her to pick a seat. I asked her what her name was and if she knew what the rules were. She gave me her name, told me that she had a sheet of paper with the rules on it and that she had been assigned three days. She took out her lunch and some study materials and the rest of the lunch period passed in silence (students are not allowed to talk). When the bell rang at the end of lunch she gathered her things and left.

The next day I received an email from the assistant principal who had assigned the student to the Penalty Box. She wrote that I needed to switch lunch duty assignments on Thursday and Friday with another teacher, who happened to be female. I thought it was a little odd but said ok, fine with me. After lunch on Thursday I caught up with the AP and asked her what was going on and also asked if she had saved me from a possibly bad situation. She said yes and then told me the story.

It turns out that after school on Wednesday the student went home and told her mom that she had been forced to spend lunch in a smelly storage room alone with a man. Of course, the mother called the school to complain. I certainly didn’t like the sound of that, but the AP told me that the situation had been handled and the teacher switch was all that was needed.
I was relieved that it was over but also realized again that we need to be careful and keep ourselves out of trouble.

Let's Play a Game!

Hello all! I have had a productive week. I finally used the Jeopardy game Ms. H. sent us last semester. My kids ate it up! They absolutely loved it. This was our way of reviewing for our Progress Check on Tuesday. My students know what to look for on the Progress Check. I didn't let them use their notes and they did really well without them! I was amazed at what they had committed to memory and how well they could guess! HAHAHAHA! That's it for me tonight. You guys have a wonderful weekend! -Lin

Lights.......Cameras........ Action

This morning Lassiter High School did their morning announcements "live" from the recently installed studio and control room for the first time in school history. It was not a major production that would have involved teleprompter, video sources and graphics. But it did involve 2 cameras, a news desk and a chroma-key curtain. I was, probably, more excited than the students. My adrenalin was high enough to feel like I was doing a "live shot" from The White House. Many students and faculty had positive comments. But what I tell my students is, that if people have good things or bad things to say, it means our viewers our watching and our Nielsen Ratings our high. It is just the beginning of what I expect to accomplish within the world of Broadcast Video Production at Lassiter. For as heated and tense that a control room and studio can get because of a "live" environment.................... no "F-Bombs" are allowed!

Block Scheduling can be Intimidating

We have been on Block Scheduling for the last several weeks while students prepared to take the GHGT. At first, planning for two hour instruction was a little intimidating but it all worked out.
This week we tested,(GHGT) so many of my classes were greatly reduced in numbers. It gave me the opportunity to spend time and provide quality instruction to some of my students that I would not have been able to give as much attention in our regular class time. Most of the students remained focused throughout the period with minimal distractions. We did some hands on activities and really explored the key points of the lesson. The students really appeared engaged and stated they learned alot from the lesson covered.I know it is a dream to think smaller classes and longer periods classes can produce successful instruction, especially in vocation classes. It just makes sense.Sorry, I got carried away, it was just a thought. I know someone out there knows that smaller classes might just yield quality results but they don't pay for themselves according to formulas used to calculate and allocate dollars from the government.Larger classes with major distractions tend to have higher failure rates and yield questionable results. Which would you rather? I thought we were discusssing block scheduling. Oh well, back to the grind.

Failed Test

After all the instruction we have received on writing tests, I should be doing a wonderful job of writing them, but I'm not. I gave a test this week and to my utter horror, half of my students failed. When my "A" students fail a test, I know there is a major problem. I believe that the problem this time was primarily me. The test looked flawless. All the directions were precisely written. The multiple choice and matching answers were all in alphabetical order. I used capital letters where there were supposed to be capitals. The multiple choice included one extra answer, to be sure students knew the material. All the columns were properly labeled. That test looked like a piece of art.

So where did I go wrong? For one thing, I didn't have time to write the test before teaching the material. I perfected the form of the test but not the content. Also, in teaching this particular unit, I used very little lecture. I thought it would be best not to bore them with listening to me teach a subject that they had previously covered in middle school, in biology, and etc. Students wrote vocabulary words with definitions to study. They did some wonderful activities to solidify the material in their brains, or so I thought. When I graded the tests I found that my students did not know what I believed they knew. I learned that I needed to spend more time in lecture and review of the material. Thankfully, this test was only given to my two smaller classes; students I have had all year. I love them and they know it and love me back, shortcomings and all.

What should one do after messing up so badly? Here's what I did. First, I apologized to my students and told them I felt I was largely at fault for the poor grades. I thanked them for being such good sports over breaking in a first year teacher who was learning many things the hard way at their expense, including the writing of tests. I told them that starting Monday, after I have the weekend to write a new and appropriate test, we will take a few days to cover the material be certain they understand know what is expectedof them. They will all take the new test and I will take the better score of the two tests. Being the great bunch of students that they are, they were very happy with this plan. More than that, they were happy that tomorrow is Friday and we are going to go ahead with our plans to do the "Autopsy of a Pickle" project to the body planes and directions. (I wish I could take credit for the pickle idea but it is not a Joyce original.) Anyway, the students aren't the only ones happy that tomorrow is Friday!

Planning

I'm starting to think that this last semester will be the most challenging as far as presenting material and making sure that the students retain the information. With the graduation test, then Spring Break in a couple of weeks, then end of course testing, and the nice weather outside all of this combined will make it difficult for me to present the material.

I'm planning to go ahead and present material the week before Spring Break that will be needed when we get back from the break. I just hope that I don't have to teach it all over again. This is my first time through this so I'm curious to see how the students will be in class with everything else going on.

Has anyone found it to be more difficult during the Spring semester to keep students involved? Just curious if I'm worrying about nothing.

Another week down... ___ to go!!!

This has been a good week. It was like Christmas in March! The whiteboard I requested last semester got installed on Friday! Hooray! I used an old green chalk board and yellow chalk. The chalk board was kinda old and it was a little difficult to read what I had written on it because it was old and worn. I am looking forward to Spring Break!

what a week

This has been the week from @##$. started off with a phone call on Monday from my "x " that they were pulling the plug on her father who had just suffered a heart attack. My son is (was) extremely close with him so i take off Tuesday and take him to see him before this happens I spend most of Tuesday at the hospital. Wednesday I spend getting things he will need to go to the funeral in Texas clothes ,school work ,etc... . Thursday was really non productive I spent most of it out side hanging up mess on the chain link fences with my students for my AP.Then Friday comes and I take my video to the media center to have it copied to VHS no problem I get home a little while ago put it in the VCR and bam tape is blank.
I can only hope that was the biggie since tomorrow I take the GACE test.I am afraid that after a week like this one I will have to apply Alcohol to the wounds.

Speechless

As the week began, our focus has turned to next week GHSGT. I have never proctored the test before and didn't think I would be given that duty as I have 2 classes during testing time. They always use teachers during their planning. When Tuesday morning came around, a counselor was in our mailroom waiting to give out proctoring assignments. As I started to leave this counselor said, Ms. Vansant, you will need this information. You will be proctoring since your classes are smaller and you don't really do anything.....Well I was totally shocked and couldn't even respond to her. Maybe she didn't mean it the way it sounded but neverthesless she said it in front of my peers and that was so unprofessional.....well at least I thought it was. Her comment really hurt and I have carried it with me all week. When I go to interview a counselor for NTI, I am going to interview this very counselor. Maybe we can get to know each other a little better and she will find out that we indeed work in my classroom. It's worth a try.

I Need Vaseline!... I Don't Think So

I feel some of Chad's pain/post after today. A student by the name of Chase enters my second period class today and proclaims that he needs to go to the clinic as soon as possible because the ink in his new tatoo requires vaseline to stay moist and fresh. I ask him why he didn't go to the clinic before my class and he proclaims that he "forgot". I pointed out that if this medical emergency was so important that he would be at the clinic right now and not speaking with me. He glared at me and I glared back and responded that I am not responsible for the healthy procedures that are required to maintain ink within your skin. The class went about their business and continued to edit their projects. But I looked him straight in the eye (which he didn't have the backbone to do) and told him.........I will always be there for my students regarding their health and medical issues, but, "Do Not".....I repeat.."Do Not" try to "get away" with something because I am a first year teacher. We talked and his tatoo is alive today!

Rules? What rules?

Tuesday afternoon near the end of my 5th period class, one of my seniors stood up and told me that he needed the hall pass. I asked him why, and he said that he needed to get a drink of water so that he could take his prescription medicine. I saw him holding a prescription bottle and reminded him that he wasn’t allowed to be carrying medication around with him. He replied by saying that it was time to take his medicine and walked out the door. He returned in a matter of moments, and then the bell rang. Since I don’t have a 6th period class I walked down to the clinic to talk to the nurse. I told her what happened and she immediately picked up the phone and called the assistant principal that the student was assigned to. After telling him what had transpired, he then called the student out of 6th period up to the office.

When I saw the student the next day, he gave me very angry looks and would not speak to me. I spoke to the assistant principal and he said that the student told him that I was picking on him. When I ran what happened by a couple of other teachers, they indicated that they probably would have let it go and not referred the student to the office. WHAT???? We’re not talking about breaking a food rule or something trivial. This is state law.

It’s frustrating; students don’t like the rules or think they’re stupid so they thumb their noses at them and ignore them. For whatever reason, many teachers don’t want to enforce the school rules and just look the other way. Then when I enforce the rules, all I hear is, “all my other teachers let me do it.” I never used to believe that, but now I’m starting to. Maybe teachers just don’t want to “be the bad guy” or be perceived as un-cool. Maybe some of them just don’t care anymore. For my part, I’ve tried to teach the kids about taking responsibility for themselves and their actions, but I feel like I’m fighting a losing battle.

Hats Off to NTI

I take my hat off to NTI. Only a short time ago. I struggled haplessly as new instructor with numerous challenges to sort. I thought I was pretty organized but after NTI training I realized I still had a ways to go. I must say, this year has been rough with tests, observations and ect, but I can't even imagine if I were not enrolled in training what might be going on in my little world. Last summer's planning really helped me to change some things in the classroom this year.
I am proud to say my classes appear to be running alot smoother and my classroom management has gotten better. My discipline referral rate dropped significantly. That is not to say I haven't had any issues, but the students have settled down for the most part. I can only give praise and thanks to Dr. Band Jessie H for helping me to see light at the end of the tunnel. I know we still have a ways to go, but I can see light. So I guess I will keep trying to be the best teacher I can be. Thanks to all my NTI support. I would like to thank each and everyone of you for a rewarding experience. Thanks again! Now lets get through the next several weeks. Back to the grind.

Henry

Grandma's advice???

Just when I thought I had things going well another discipline issue came up. Yes, with the same student that I have been dealing with all semester. This time an incident occurred while I had a guest speaker from Erlanger Medical Center in my room. The student started eating chips while the speaker was talking. I quietly went up to her and asked her to stop. She blew up like fireworks on the 4th of July. I asked her to step into the hall. She continued. ( The funny thing was a simple incident involving chips now escalated into an office referral due to her yelling at me)This time I offered no discussion, I promptly escorted her to the office. Once there, she preceded to say that I am holding a grudge against her and blaming her for things that she isn't doing. At a loss for words I asked for a conference with the Vice Principal. I chose to offer a conference since the 2 previous write ups, lunch detention and ISS have done no good. We held a conference, where she sat in silent. The conference lasted for ~20 minutes.

I am doubtful that she is going to change. Her negative attitude has changed the entire dynamics of my class. It seems as though the students are watching to see what she will try next. It is not that I have lost control because the class is productive, it is just that by her having such a negative tone, the rest of the students are just going through the motions. Their enthusiasm is gone.

HELP!!! Does anyone have suggestions on what I can do with her? I am planning an interactive group activity involving food and nutrition in hope to generate the fun back into learning. As my grandmother used to say "No one can stay mad while eating good food"

NOTE: I have spoken to her parents too and offered a conference with too.

A Fisherman who casts a net reeps many

Last week I had a brand new experience with my 3rd block class. I had the opportunity to write up a discipline report on 12 of my 16 students. I was the "end all" for me. They had pushed me to the max. After many little antics the last being changing the time on my clocks, erasing key items off of the board and adding names to the missing assignment list on the board ( in the matter of just ~ 2 minutes while the rest of the class was finishing up a bathroom break and I was in the hall waiting for them). When confronted all denied doing it, so I wrote 12 students up for 4 hours of lunch detention. By 4Th block the rumors were flying that I had given them all ISS or that I thrown a desk. How funny. I had 3 parent telephone calls before the buses pulled out of the parking lot at the end of the day. I really started the fireworks. The next day as I stood at the time clock I was called in the office. The relief finally came when I was praised by my administration for standing my ground. My Principal actually called me a fisherman. A fisherman I asked?...I was told that I cast my net out and the fish just came jumping up and in. The guilty party was discovered that day and all write ups were disregard except the guilty party. I am so glad that my administration stood by me. That was a comforting feeling. I have fewer students who like me and I guess I will be receiving a few less Christmas cards ( hahahaha), but I think I will be fine. I have successfully calmed by classroom antics with one swipe of the pen. A pen is a powerful tool.
It is a sad thought that the actions of a few really change the dynamics of a class. These are great kids and up until now had been well mannered. This one student has really caused a discipline overhaul in my room.

Hectic Week

From reading everyone else's blogs, it seems my week was just as hectic. I had a somewhat panic attack the other night. I was looking through some material that our SkillsUSA advisor had provided listing the names of the state competitors that were going to Gwinnett. When reading through the list, I didn’t see any of the girls names that I was helping with the promotional bulletin board. I thought that the teacher next door had listed their names because they were his students. I went in to panic mode because I thought that I had screwed up and had not entered the girls who are all seniors and who had competed last year at nationals this past summer in the same area. I didn’t sleep well at all that night thinking about how much this would disappoint them. I was so worked up the next morning that I actually broke into tears when I spoke to the first teacher about the situation. By the end of the day, they explained the situation to me and the girls will be able to compete.

All of this stress is a result of the school not providing a mentor for me. I feel as if I'm a bumper car trying to drive straight and the bumpers along the side are keeping me somewhat in-line. I have to say that when you hit those bumpers you actually grow stronger and learn from the situations. I just wish that the school would acknowledge that new teachers need someone to walk them through a lot of these new processes. I feel that I'm a fairly intelligent person, but I can't sign-up or fill out applications that I don't know anything about.

I'm hanging on to the hope that next year will be better, at least, that is what everyone keeps telling me.

Week Is Over.............Where is the Time?

Well, I made it through another week. I had to deal with student discipline issues every day this week but they did becoming easier and less disruptive in the classroom as the week went on. I am finding myself dealing with them more quickly now and giving the student less time to continue on with the issue in front of the class. I am also finding myself confronting these issues and taking a less personal approach toward them. I am very concerned about the issues and the students but realize that where they are is there choice based on their attitude and emotions and only they can move themselves out of that poor choice area. I need to deal with those issues in a professional manner and move on with the class. I ended on Friday afternoon feeling pretty good about the week. I reflected on the some of the bad moments and realize that I had some dead time and need to address that in my lesson plans next time around. I also reflected on some of my good moments in teaching this week where I actually connected with some students and they showed appreciation for it………………and I enjoyed those moments. I’ll be back next week and see what that week brings! I'm still behind on lesson plans, budget items, NTI projects, etc....................that hasn't changed but what the heck...........there is always tomorrow and the summer to get caught up!

MikeM

Overload

This week was overload for me again. It seems like every week just gets busier and busier. I have been trying to find the Exceptional Children's class through another route than at Georgia State. I have been trying to get in touch with Forsyth County Board to see if the county offered the class. Finally, I received a call and it had already been offered (started in January). Fortunately, there are many agencies out there that offer the class. I checked with one in Roswell and it is an online class and very reasonable I thought ($400), compared to some of the other classes. So, I did sign up for the class on Thursday. I am really excited about the class being an online class, even though I was hesitant about doing classes online at first.
I also did my video this week in class. I felt that it went pretty well. I have not yet looked at it and did the remaining assignment on it. I really do feel that the video is a great idea. It helps you see what you are actually doing in the classroom even if you are aware that you are being taped. I was in the lab on this video and realized that I could add this to my video collection for the students to refer back to. I taught on clipper cutting and the students paired up to work on a mannequin. This will be a great learning tool for years to come for myself and the students.

Whew! What a week!

Friday was supposed to be a teacher planning day, but had to be turned into a weather make up day because of the tornado's last week. As of this school year so far we have not had a single planning day. With this AYP situation and Industry Certification there just does not seem to be enough time for it all. These late evenings and weekends are really taking it's toll on me. I worked on 100% commission for over 25 years in the industry and made a very good living. I actually thought I knew what time management was.
In the service world and then on commission as well you had to plan your every move to survive. In this world of education I feel like a fish floundering around out of water. How does everyone make time to do it all and not let something or someone fall by the wayside? A lot of stress and challenges came from different directions this week. I woke up this morning realizing that I used to be on top of my game and now I'm not (yet)! Hey but I'm still chipping away at the stone for now.

Technology Student Association!!

TSA (Technology Student Association) State Convention and Competition is coming up next month. I have to be at school on Saturdays for Four hours so my students can complete their projects for this event. Saturdays seem to be the only time I could get all my students competing in state competition together. CTSO (Career Technology Student Organizations) consumes a lot of my time. Getting the students to pay their fees and dues before the deadline is always stressful.

My students love to come to the Saturday workshop; they are all excited about their projects. The workshop is also a wonderful time of bonding for my kids which is really important when building a CTSO. I am really hoping some of my kids bring back trophies from their events. WISH US WELL….

Broadcasting = Controversy (sometimes)

This has been an interesting week. I am going to make this blog short and semi-sweet. There was an e-mail sent to the whole faculty/staff concerning 2 students that were out of dress code on a pre-recorded video segment which aired on our Morning Show. The e-mail stated that these students should be suspended for being out of dress code and not wearing their ID's during this recording. Well first of all the punishment should fit the crime. These guys are totally talented! They dance and do back flips like the pro's on tv that dance behind well-known vocalists on tv and in concerts. I was so impressed with these guys and most of the school was delighted with their performance. Well, I responded in a professional e-mail stating how I have this super opportunity to meet students throughout our school and tell them good things about themselves and their talents that they may not hear all day. I also mentioned how the ID's would have been restrictive with the demanding dance moves and the shirt tails being tucked, well, they didn't stand a chance! I had well-wishers congratulating me on the successful e-mail I sent in response to my co-worker's concerns. I was not offended with the person or the e-mail sent to me, even though some of the other teachers took the e-mail as a personal attack. I am just glad that I was able to address the concerns of my colleague in a kind and professional manner.

Long week

I’m not sure how this entry will turn out, because my brain is fried. I picked up a stomach bug early in the week, had training on Thursday for something that I had been volunteered for, and Friday was spent just trying to recover from the sub who stood in for me while I was downtown. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give this last week a 5 (probably too generous).

Speaking of substitutes, I have to say that I was spoiled last year. There was a guy I was introduced to who was new to subbing. He was available to sub for me most of the times I was absent for duty leave. He was fantastic. He kept the kids in line without being overbearing, and he left copious notes and fantastic feedback no matter what I had left him for lesson plans. I would come back after my absence and have a very good idea what had transpired in my classes while I was gone.

Unfortunately for me (and everyone else he substituted for), he found a permanent teaching position and is no longer available, so I’ve had to dip into the pool. I’ve had a number of different people substitute for me this year, but the result is always the same. I leave personal notes for the sub requesting feedback (having a pretty good idea that certain behavior will occur while I’m gone) but receive almost nothing. At the most I get comments like “everyone was good,” or “I had a good day.” My favorite was one from a couple of weeks ago. There was one “sentence” written across my substitute teacher feedback form that said, “your kids were awesome!” From that I should have been able to conclude that things couldn’t have gone better.

The day I come back I usually query some of my students about how things went. It turned out that in this particular case, the kids weren't what I would have called "aswsome." Some students were sleeping; some had food, and there were a couple of other things. But no mention of any of these things by the sub. It’s very frustrating. I’ve asked around to get names of subs who leave good feedback, but I’m finding out that the sub I had last year who was so good is the exception rather than the norm.

I know that substitutes don’t have the easiest job, but by not telling the whole truth to the absent teacher I wonder who they’re trying to score points with (me or the students). I’ve never been a substitute teacher, so I can’t really answer that question.

Where do their brain cells go?

As much as I needed a week off to catch my breath and recooperate from pneumonia, I am not sure that a week off was the best idea for our students. Maybe I came from a strange world where education was important to my family. My mother made my brother and I read and review during every break we had from school, summer included. There was absolutely no forgetting what we had learned allowed.
Upon returning to classes on Monday I was greeted with blank stares as I reminded my students that "in our last class we discussed........". I was shocked. What had they been doing over break? Did they give one thought to their studies knowing that they would eventually return to school? So I spent a class period reviewing......no reteaching.....because not only had they forgotten eveything but they couldn't find their notebooks or their notes to refresh their memories.
As a Healthcare Science teacher and one that has a fairly good grasp of Anatomy I wonder.........Where do their brain cells go?

High Alert

Daylight savings time and warm weather introduce new flowers, birds chirping and high school fights. The climate at schools will surely change as temperatures rises . It is as if there is something in the air. Students are starting to become restless with each day. We have been pretty calm over the last several weeks, but not without incident. We have had a few fights here and there, but I remain on high alert. It seems to never fail, warm weather brings out the worst in some students. Personally, I will put up my surveillance and keep me eyes open to all activity. This is not the time to let down your guard. Students must be closely supervised at all times. We as teachers sometimes get alittle too relaxed as June approaches. I just pray and hope we can keep our students focused and encouraged to be responsible. Reinforcing character education should play an important part of our planning this Spring. So man your stations and stay alert.

Henry

Spring Is Here

I do not know if that is the case in your schools but lately and particularly during this week that just ended, there has been more than 5 fights. As the weather starts to get warmer, students start to get excited are ready to do anything to get attention or stay outside. I am at my 6Th year teaching and every time Spring approaches it is the same situation. As a consequence of this situation, students are getting to class tardy, more are getting suspended or sent to ISS. Over the last 3 weeks I have 4 students who got more than 30 days OSS. Even though these students are going through some kind of social or emotional crisis (I believe) some needs to be done to address these issues. One particular thing that I see particularly across my district ( because my school is not the only one going through these latest situations) is that some of the new administrators are "too young". If age can not be used as a factor to determine once capacity to get the job done properly, in a high school environment, i believe that age, couples with experience does matter. Students nowadays do not want to listen, they don't care therefore they need somebody with experience in education (not less than 10 years and this is my personal opinion) and authority and who can get things moving!
Enough of the politics, the dysfunction and the promotion of some sorority friends

A Dose of Teenage Reality

Every 33 minutes a teen-aged student dies in an automobile accident. Today Lassiter High School gave their student body a real taste of real life teen age driving statistics. We had an assembly in the football stadium that involved Cobb County Fire, Police and Emts. We also had a Life-flight helicopter land in the stadium to take "critically injured" students to the hospital. We had "big-wigs" from Federal Judges to our Cobb County Superindendent Fred Sanderson speak. More importantly, we had fire and police officials really "lay it on the line" about teenage driving. There was a demonstration that involved freeing students from a vehicle with the "jaws of life". And placing students into a hearse because they were dead. During classes, every 33 minutes an Administrator would announce over the PA system that a current student had died in an automobile accident the night before. And,yes, the Grim Reaper would accompany these dead students around the school. As the Broadcast Video Production teacher, naturally, we had 2 cameras videotaping the events in the school and in the stadium. As the students filed into the stadium you could feel the energy that it was a Friday and they were going home after the assembly. But when the demonstration began with the "jaws of life" and the helicopter landed, I looked up into the stands and saw every face (student and faculty) totally concentrating and recognizing the severity of the demonstration. This sobering day was purposely scheduled because the Senior Prom is one week away. My last comment is, that as a teacher, I knew what was scheduled and planned, but I was wrong, the student body took it alot more seriously than I had anticipated.