Sad but true

If you haven't read Yong Zhao's blog you're missing out. He writes abotu the American public education from the perspective of an outsider. Zhao was educated in China and has few good things to say about how we are trying to change our education system into a test-driven sweatshop. In his latest entry he has six suggestions on how states can get a piece of the Race to the Top billions being dangled by the feds.
Zhao has 6 suggestions:

1. Stop paying teachers and principals a salary. Instead, pay them on a per-standardized-test-point basis each day.
2. Remove all “non-core” academic activities and courses and reduce all teaching to math and reading.
3. Make sure every child takes courses in STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), the more the merrier.
4. This suggestion is only for the states of Alaska and Texas, because the others have already committed themselves to doing it: Develop and adopt “a common set of K-12 standards … that are supported by evidence that they are internationally benchmarked and build toward college and career readiness by the time of high school graduation.” He points out that the countries that US students are supposed to be competing against don't have national standards, including China.
5. Write in lots of money for testing companies and assessment consultants in the application, because you will be rewarded for “developing and implementing common, high-quality assessments.”
6. Oh, and while you’re at it, include a proposal to bar all children under the age of 18 from entering museums, public libraries, and music events; lock up all musical instruments in schools, and fire all music, art, and physical education teachers; close sports facilities; disconnect all Internet connections; and cut down on lunch time, because the Race to the Top initiative wants to lengthen the school year and school day, and all these are distracting kids from studying for the tests.

As great as these reasons are it's his conclusion that struck me and made me feel much better about my own theory of education;

"But that requires you to discard the notion that creativity, talent, and technology are important for the future. You must also not think that a healthy society needs musicians, artists, and athletes. Nor can you assume that a well-rounded human being is essential for a democracy. Of course, you should also deny the fact that creativity, art, design, and music play significant roles in the world of science and technology today."

Thank you Mr. Zhao for a wonderful article.

Full article:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2009/12/16/15zhao_ep.h29.html?r=422744356

Zhao's blog:
http://zhao.educ.msu.edu/

Santa is alive and well in 2nd grade

We were discussing family traditions today and one of my 2nd graders said his favorite tradiont was Santa bringing gifts to his house.
It was a small thing but it still made my day.

$20 = a better grade

This article hit the Drudge Report this morning and is undoubtedly going to get much more ink as a result.

Here's a quick summary from the Charlotte News Observer:

"A $20 donation to Rosewood Middle School will get a student 20 test points - 10 extra points on two tests of the student's choosing. That could raise a B to an A, or a failing grade to a D.

Susie Shepherd, the principal, said a parent advisory council came up with the idea, and she endorsed it. She said the council was looking for a new way to raise money.

Shepherd rejected the suggestion that the school is selling grades. Extra points on two tests won't make a difference in a student's final grade, she said.
It's wrong to think that "one particular grade could change the entire focus of nine weeks," Shepherd said.

This is the kind of wrong-headed decisions that our "educational leaders" make that make my job, actually teaching much harder to do. Thanks.

Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/education/story/185460.html

Why I love George & Martha

Every year that I have taught ELL, I have used the book George and Martha.

I have used it with 3rd graders, 4th graders and now with 2nd graders.

Each year I get a little different reaction from the students, the 4th grade thinks it's an easy book until they have to read it aloud. To their credit they always tackled the book and practiced the book until they could read it fluently to their kindergarten reading buddy. As much as the kindergartner liked being read to, it was the 4th graders who really got into the stories. They enjoyed using voice intonations to show emotions in the book. Martha's anger when George peeks in on her during her bath, using their highest voice to convey Martha's vanity when she continually looks at herself in the mirror.
It also helped that I made them write at least 5 questions that they will ask their kindergarten reading buddy.

And now with 2nd graders an new experience; they identify with the relationship George and Martha have. Are George and Martha always nice to each other? No, but they always make up by being honest with each other. Do they always get along, no but they always put their friendship above whatever problem they are facing. Most of all, George and Martha reflect the relationship most 2nd graders have with each other; caring, honest and forgiving.
In other words, the relationship we all wish we had with each other.

Summer's over and 2nd grade has begun

Actually it began on 14 August but the first two weeks are mostly routine-building and setting expectations, not rules. I wasn't sure what to expect but I looked forward to seeing just what these little people were all about. They came in with smiles and happy, but I just thought it was because it was the start of the school year. Every grade/age group starts out that way but things change after a few weeks and 2nd graders are no exception. What I have discovered in the first 2+ weeks is they are similar to the older students I have taught and wonderfully different.

First, I have to understand that just cannot do as much work as the 3rd and 4th and 6th graders can do. This has been a great discovery because I felt at times that all I was doing with older students was assigning work that I was going to have to begrudgingly grade, probably at home.

This leads to my second observation; with less to assign I am able to get everything graded at school by Friday and sent home. I always wondered how K-2 teachers were always able to send work home so often, viola mystery solved.

Finally, they are still learning to read and they still love to do it. They are not reluctant readers and will try to read any book that I have in the room. If they can't read it, they pick something else, the same thing adults do. They recommend books to each other, again, the same thing adults do.

The most interesting thing so far is that they love to wash their hands, they aren't scared about H1N1, the administration is taking care of that thank you. I think they just seem to like to sight, sound and feel of the soap and water on their hands, but I don't really care why they like to, I'm just happy they are washing them.

A Nashville high school has lost $40,000

A NashVegas high school has misplaced almost $40,000 from concessions stands sales.

Huh?

According to our local paper, a former principal is being blamed for bad bookkeeping that allowed about $40,000 to go missing from the school's concession stands.

The principal reportedly asked school employees not to count cash at the end of basketball and football games and didn't require them to fill out the proper paperwork and inventory, according to a state audit. What?
The audit stops short of accusing the principal of stealing, but it does say he instructed staff to give him the cash after games and that his lax controls increased the risk of abuse and was a violation of state and local policies.

The former principal said Monday that the cash was turned in to him, then he stored it in an on-campus safe before giving it to the bookkeeper.

The audit, conducted by the state comptroller, estimated that $37,000 went missing from July 1, 2007, to June 30, 2008, and $4,550 was unaccounted for during a six-week summer school session in 2008. The audit was initiated at Metro Schools' request after the district received a complaint in November 2008.

This is the kind of story that sticks in the public's mind about MNPS schools. No amount of raised test scores or increased graduation rates erase this kind of publicity. Not because money is missing, that happens all the time in the government, it's not right but it is common, but because it's a school employee that in involved and probably responsible, a principal. He's blaming the bookkeeper, for any problems, the bookkeeper is accusing him of blaming her to cover his own tail. We'll probably never know the truth, but it's a story that people will remember.

I've said it before to colleagues over and over, if we as educators want to be treated like the trained professionals we are, we must act like it.

Two weeks and not one thought about school

We have been out on summer break for two weeks now and I have not had one thought about teaching or school. I haven't reflected on how the year went, what I need to improve to be a better teacher, or what trainings I am going to in July. I haven't worried about how I am going to start the year in 2nd grade and I haven't checked work e-mail until today.

BTW; it is great to see an e-mail in box without one message about an assembly, a meeting or an assessment.

I know it won't last, I have almost three solid weeks of in-service and training starting July 13th.

MNPS is changing staffs at 5 schools

As the students are beginning their summer vacation today, our two local papers gave very different headlines to the same story.

From the CityPaper: "All employees must reapply for jobs at five Metro schools"

From the Tennessean: " 5 schools to get 'fresh start'
Metro acts quickly to put new teachers in struggling schools

The teachers at these schools were told the last week of school, possibly the last day that they would be finding another teaching job at a Metro school. They can apply for their job back but the statement from the district is not encouraging that option.

Said the official statement:

"Five Metro Nashville Public Schools will be “fresh started” for
the 2009-2010 school year with employees in each school being asked to reapply for their positions in that school or request placement to other open positions within the district. MNPS has been working this week to notify staffs in the affected schools and explain the fresh start process to them prior to the start of summer break.

Each was selected by the district to receive a fresh start based
on the academic needs of students and because they have struggled for a number of years to show significant progress in student achievement. With the fresh start, administrative, teaching and support staff positions at the schools will be reopened for application. All employees have been notified through staff meetings at the schools, where they received information on the fresh start process and received the paperwork needed to reapply for their positions.
“We have visited these schools, analyzed the data and reviewed their history of progress,” said Dr. Jesse Register, Director of Schools, “and we have concerns their students are not making the progress that is needed.
These fresh starts are a proactive effort to put in place a strong, transformational leadership team at these schools, supported by highly-qualified, fully-certified staff.”
“Our first priority is to build highly-effective instructional teams that can meet the needs of students. In some cases, that means looking at a school that has been struggling and giving it a new focus that only a change like this can bring. I’ve fresh started schools in other districts and it works.”

Back in 2001, I went through something like this, I was teaching 6th grade and our school was losing both the 5th and 6th grades and we were told the same things, we could apply for a job in the building if there were any, there weren't; we could follow the students to the middle school, not an option I wanted any part of; or we could go find something else in the system, my choice.

I didn't choose the easiest choice, I had no idea where I wanted to go or what grade I wanted to teach, luckily, I had a great relationship with my principal who let me know what schools were looking for teachers and what schools she thought I would be a good fit. I was able to find a job at the first school I applied and have been there ever since. I have changed grade levels, principals and co-workers but I haven't had to face what the staffs at those 5 schools do, I wish them the best.

It could be a great summer break for them, they can embrace the chance to start over at a new school or they can stress about having to find a new job and be angry that they were seen as the problem at the school and not part of the solution. I hope they choose the former.

Changing rooms is a real drag

I was told by my principal on Friday afternoon that instead of teaching 4th grade ESL next year, I'll instead be teaching 2nd.

No big deal I thought, 2nd has fewer standards, no state testing and a more narrow range of reading levels. On initial examination it seemed like a really good deal.

Then she hit me with the 2nd part of the deal, I have to change classrooms...damn it.

Luckily, I have been given permission to move anything I want into my new room and I am using every able-bodied student I have to move stuff. It's amazing what kids will do to help you;they are packing boxes, a nightmare for any Type A which thankfully I am not, taking papers and old boxes to the campus recycling center whatever I need.

There will be no pictures of the present carnage in room 307.

Now I see why the boys in my class LOVE recess

The past three days this week, the boys in m y 4th grade class have been doing everything I asked to go to recess. Before this week, they liked going to recess but they weren't going to do anything extra. This week I asked them to do things that 10 year-old boys just do not like to do and they did each one without the usual resistance.

Finish the poems about our favorite family memory? No problem.

Use a ruler and a map scale to find out how far we went on vacation last summer? Sure, we'd love to.

Write an alternate ending to Strega Nona? Love to.
(BTW-most involved Big Anthony and the rest of Calabria being swallowed up by killer pasta before Strega Nona can save them.)

We went outside again today and one of my girls told me, in Spanish, just what was so great about going outside; the strip club.

My 4th grade boys have turned an innocent piece of playground equipment, a firetruck, into their own gentlemen's club. They sit or lay under it and maybe see what kind of underwear the girls are wearing. They haven't yet but not because they haven't been trying. The best part, according to the boys is the pole on the end. They are convinced that a 4th grade girl is going to wrap herself around it and slide up and down it like Rayne at Deja Vu.

Now the question is how to deal with this; to the office? No.

Instead, they don't get to help the kindergarteners during fun day, they get to help me clean up the room. When it's time for the 4th grade to go out they go and play, no need to make this a world crisis with 4 days left in the school year.

I wish they could help me with all my paperwork, now that would be a punishment.

TCAP questions

Now that I have finally finished TCAP testing, I have compiled the "least likely to be answered correctly question" from each section of the test. Go ahead and give them a try, remember you have to get at least 3 of them right to be considered proficient.

Most ridiculous TCAP test questions of 2009

Math:
Which number sentence can be used to check:
(2+5)+3=2+8?

(2+5)+3 = 2+(5+3)
(2+5)+3 = (2+8)+5
(2+5)+3 = (2x5)+3
(2+5)+3 = (3x8)+2

Reading:
Read these two sentences.
To make bread, you mix yeast and water and then add sugar. You stir in several cups of flour.

Which is the best way to write the second sentence?
F. First, you stir in several cups of flour
G. However, you stir in several cups of flour
H. Finally, you stir in several cups of flour
J. Therefore you stir in several cups of flour

Science:
Look at the picture of the train.


Most of the train is located

A. in the forest
B. over the water
C. next to the bridge

D. in a cloud of smoke

Social Studies:

What does the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantee?
F the right to a trial by jury
G the right to petition the government
H protection from cruel and unusual punishment
J protection from testifying against oneself in court

These are actual questions from this year's test, they are available on the state's website now that the test is over.

I don't mind preparing my kids for any test, it's part of the job, but I do have a problem with asking children seemingly random questions that are taken from the some of the least imporatant standards we are to teach.

I am not the one who has labeled them the least important the state has, the standards covered by these questions are not in the "core" standards we are to teach.

In math we are to focus on problem-solving skills, in reading on comprehension and identifying types of literature, science life cycles, solar system, cell structure, energy, states of matter, Social Studies, Tennessee history.

The questions above do not reflect these skills, SS is the one which is closest to the "focus" standard. After spending months teaching the skills we are told by the powers that be are the tested items we get the above mess.

Your employee health centers

Because the weather in NashVegas can't decide if it wants to be spring or winter, teachers and students are getting sick in droves. Thankfully MNPS has found a way to help their employees; Employee & Family Healthcare Centers.

It's a great idea, have a place close to schools, they are all at schools across the district, where employees and their families can go and see a nurse practionisher and hopefully get in and out in less time.

That all sounds fine until you find where they are: old portables.

Seriously, you can't make this sh-- up.

Yes, the very thing that has made more than one teacher and student sick in the first place is where MNPS is choosing to put these centers. Located in the distinctive yellow and gray portables at key locations across Metro, the MNPS Employee & Family Healthcare Centers are now open in their permanent locations.

I think I'll take my chances at a clinic.

Here are the services they provide:

Quick same day appointments
Same day appointments are available for acute illnesses or injuries.

High Quality Care
Highly qualified, Board Certified Family Nurse Practitioners affiliated with Vanderbilt School of Nursing. Physician available for consultation with Nurse Practitioners at all times.

High Value—low cost
Since the Centers are funded by the Teachers Health plan—certificated (teaching) employees and dependents covered by the plan will have no out-of-pocket expense (copays, deductibles).

Support staff and other Metro employees will have to pay their regular copays, coinsurance and deductibles

I think the sign says it all

Not much else to add, the school is valiantly trying to give students, faculty and parents all the important info. Good Job.

Math testing is really just more reading testing

Here are some examples of the math questions my ELL students will face the week of April 20th:

Instructions: Read each question carefully and circle the correct answer.

4. The Smith family was on vacation. They had 2 months to complete their journey. They drove 50 miles on the first day. By the end of the first month, they had driven 1,500 miles. They wanted to drive 3,250 total miles by the end of their journey. How many miles do they need to travel in the last month?
A. 50 miles
B. 1,500 miles
C. 3,250 miles
D. 1,750 miles


5. The family baked cookies for the school fundraiser. They baked 2 dozen oatmeal, 3 dozen chocolate chip and 1 dozen peanut butter. They plan on selling each cookie for $1.00 and they want to raise $75.
How many chocolate chip cookies did the family need to bake?
A. 24 cookies
B. 12 cookies
C. 36 cookies
D. 72 cookies


6. Helen bought 6 green notebooks, 5 orange notebooks, 2 pink notebooks, 9 pencils, and 14 pens. How many notebooks did Helen buy?
A. 36 notebooks
B. 22 notebooks
C. 11 notebooks
D. 13 notebooks

7. Fill in the blank.
If N + 17 = 39, then N is _______.
A. 56
B. 663
C. 22
D. 2


8. Fill in the blank.
If N ÷ 24 = 6, then N is _____.
A. 134
B. 144
C. 1,444
D. 14


9. Fill in the blank.
If N x 4 = 112, then N is _______.
A. 28
B. 448
C. 108
D. 116


10. Mr. and Mrs. Taylor went to the movies. They took their three children with them. Adult tickets cost $5.50 and child tickets cost $2.75. How much did the movie cost the family?
A. $8.25
B. $19.25
C. $22.00
D. $27.50


11. Mr. Mila owns two restaurants in the middle of town. A total of 23 people work for Mr. Mila. There are 19 people that work at his Italian restaurant and 7 people that work at his Greek restaurant. How many people work at both restaurants?
A. 26 people
B. 23 people
C. 3 people
D. 19 people



12. Shantal bought 6 doughnuts for $0.45 each and an orange juice for $0.95. How much money did she spend?
A. $3.65
B. $1.40
C. $8.40
D. $6.15


13. Which of these numbers comes between
5.32, ___, 5.40?
A. 5.42
B. 5.28
C. 5.31
D. 5.34


14. Which of these numbers comes between
600.005, _____, 600.1?
A. 600.004
B. 600.11
C. 600.01
D. 600.2


15. What number comes between
48.56, ____, 53.56?
A. 58.76
B. 48.55
C. 51.10
D. 53.66


This is only 15 of 12o questions that take up 36 pages in the test booklet. Let that sink in for a second, 36 pages with 120 questions on one section of the test. There are three other sections that every 3rd and 4th grader has to take. ELL, autistic, special needs, life skills all get to sit through 4 days and almost 8 hours of testing. If they have a reading disability they can get the math test read to them but only if it's in their Education Plan, if not they are on their own. They are expected to read questions that are on grade level, answer them and achieve as well as a native English speaker.

How will my students do?
Better than any adult I work with who had to take the same test in Spanish or Arabic or Kurdish or French.

(Just 4 of the native languages of my students.)

The devious nature of test prep

We received the following e-mail from our principal today:

"Congratulations! According to our ThinkLink results, our scores on the third test showed:

Third Grade – 90% Advanced and proficient in Reading/Language and 91% Advanced and proficient in Math

Fourth grade – 90% Advanced and proficient in Reading/Language and 86% Advanced and proficient in Math

Thanks for your hard work. Now we just need to get those scores the week of April 20th."

Yeah, just the encouragement I need to do even more test prep exercises. It's also easy to see how easy it is for teachers to feel their jobs are tied to test scores.

We rarely get e-mails or recognized for how great our kids learned how to write about what chores they hate doing around the house, or what they plan to do on rainy days. How about the fact that my 4th grade ELL students came up 100 different dresses to draw and describe after we read The Hundred Dresses?

Nope, we get positive affirmation for our test scores. Yipeeee

A classic case of too much time on their hands

Al Gore is one of two things to most people, he's either the great messiah for climate change awareness to the masses or he an arrogant, preachy, fear-mongering, fact-twisting has-been. (Full disclosure, I'm not a fan of his methods, he's using the same methods used in the 1920s Red Scare, we'll frighten people into doing something, facts be damned)

But one thing Al Gore is; commited to his message that global warming is occuring and that we need to do something about it. Because he has accepted all the good with his role, namely millions and millions of dollars and a Nobel Prize he has also left himself open for some deserved and much undeserved criticism.
The latest in the undeserved categoty is this posting from Drew Johnson head of The Tennessee Center for Policy Resaerch. Tha article if from The Nashville City Paper.

"I pulled up to Al’s house, located in the posh Belle Meade section of Nashville, at 8:48pm – right in the middle of Earth Hour. I found that the main spotlights that usually illuminate his 9,000 square foot mansion were dark, but several of the lights inside the house were on.
In fact, most of the windows were lit by the familiar blue-ish hue indicating that floor lamps and ceiling fixtures were off, but TV screens and computer monitors were hard at work. (In other words, his house looked the way most houses look about 1:45am when their inhabitants are distractedly watching “Cheaters” or “Chelsea Lately” reruns.)
The kicker, though, were the dozen or so floodlights grandly highlighting several trees and illuminating the driveway entrance of Gore’s mansion.
I [kid] you not, my friends, the savior of the environment couldn’t be bothered to turn off the gaudy lights that show off his goofy trees."

Johnson also pointed out Al Gore's excessive use of energy in 2007.

But like any good politician, Gore responds; (rather his spokewoman does)
"The Gores honored Earth Hour by shutting off the lights at their residence. The heating and air conditioning were turned off as well. But more importantly, the Gores live in a Gold LEED certified home, powered by geothermal power. They have undergone renovations to put solar panels on the roof and participate in all of the renewable power programs offered by their local utility. They aren’t perfect, no family is, but they do their best, year-round to try to make a difference at home and across the country to make a difference on the climate crisis."

First, who cares if he left a few lights on or not?
Second, there are much easier things to criticize Al Gore about than this, this is the definition of petty.

Free flip-flops

Soles4Souls, started right here inMusic City, is giving away flip-flops to many kids in MNPS and today they are at my fair educational facility. They aren't fancy pink ones with hearts on them or black ones with IronMan but they are free and it's hard to find a kid who doesn't love flip-flops.

If you don't know about Soles4Souls here is a quick summary of what they do;
"Soles4Souls has a simple mission: To impact as many lives as possible with the gift of shoes.
Soles4Souls facilitates the donations of shoes, which are used to aid the hurting worldwide. Shoe companies, retailers, and individuals can donate footwear (both new and used). Soles4Souls is a 501(c)(3) recognized by the IRS, and donating parties are eligible for tax advantages.
The idea behind gifts of shoes is nothing new to the Soles4Souls team, as they coordinated relief efforts for the Asian Tsunami and Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, netting over 1 Million pairs donated for these disasters. The team originally operated as www.katrinashoes.org with several churches partnering in the collection and distribution of footwear.

Official press release from Soles4Souls:

"Soles4Souls will be delivering much needed summer shoes to Nashville area schools through April. On March 27th, we will be visiting ---------- Elementary and distributing shoes to the entire school after lunch! Summer fun!"

Shoes, not toys Daddy

While birthday shopping at Target with my daughter, she told me she had looked at enough toys and was ready to look at something else.
What?!

Anyone with a six year-old can imagine the shock that went through my system when I heard this. Every six year-old lives to check out each toy aisle just to see what's new and what toy they have to have, this is a great development I thought.

It means no more Littlest Pet Shop, I have yet to figure out which animal is which;
...the end of Polly Pocket and the 10,000 little pieces that come with each model . . . and oddly enough she had enough Barbie dolls already. (Can I have an amen!)

In my excitement over this development, I stupidly asked her what she wanted to look at instead . . .

"The shoes Daddy" she replied
Damn it...

Civll War re-enacting without the war part

This article is from Appleton Wisconsin, a hotbed of controversy. The district has decided that they are not going to allow the 5th graders to re-enact a Civil War battle any more. A few parents were upset that the re-enactment didn't fit with the schools anti-violence policy. They made their point to the decision-makers and convinced the district to cancel the event.
What about the students? They loved it. They still get the daylong educational program without the 20-30 minute battle re-enactment.
One of the students showed more wisdom about the re-enactment than any of the adults involved in the decision-making process.
Said Jamie Cronce;"The battle was like the climax of the whole day," she recalled. "It was what everyone was looking forward to. I guess (school leaders) are looking at how violent it was, but that's how history was."

From the Appleton Post Crescent:

"A school program designed to offer fifth-graders a feel for conditions faced by soldiers during the Civil War will no longer include its most popular feature.

The daylong education program will proceed as before, but without the 20- to 30-minute battle segment, Judy Baseman, assistant superintendent for the Appleton Area School District, said Wednesday. The battle segment was scratched after a group of parents raised concerns it conflicts with violence-prevention efforts and a district policy banning look-alike weapons at schools.
Jamie Cronce, 17, who participated in the mock battle as a Huntley Elementary School fifth-grader in 2003, said Wednesday she understands the district's position but disagrees with it.
"I can see where they are coming from" on the policy question, said Cronce, a junior at Appleton North High School. "But I don't think they should be altering the lessons they are teaching because of school policies."
Cronce said this year's student participants are bound to be disappointed.
"The battle was like the climax of the whole day," she recalled. "It was what everyone was looking forward to. I guess (school leaders) are looking at how violent it was, but that's how history was."
Parents of the nearly 800 fifth-graders scheduled participate in this year's Civil War programs learned of the change in letters distributed March 5.
The letter stated the battle portion of the re-enactment was dropped to fit with district policy "related to weapons" and efforts to promote "the desired school climate."
Nan Bunnow, the district's director of humanities, said principals of the 15 participating schools recommended the change to program leaders. Bunnow said students were generally disappointed, but complaints of the change from parents have been few.
"This has been such a popular and important event to the students, we hadn't really thought about (the violence)," Bunnow said.
"I know Johnston (Elementary School) had one parent that came forward" to protest the change, Bunnow said. "I think there have been a couple at Franklin, but it hasn't been a whirlwind of controversy because it's only the last 20 minutes of the event.
"With everything we've been doing with anti-violence and anti-bullying policies … we knew we had to take a look at this."
A group of parents concerned about the battle re-enactment began contacting school district officials last summer, Baseman said. The resulting review showed the Civil War re-enactment groups that made the program possible had eliminated battle segments from events held in other school districts after similar concerns were raised, she said.
Baseman said some students will carry the mock weapons during marching exercises, but not in combat situations.
"They'll learn about what it's like to be a soldier, but they won't have that one moment in time when they are attempting to shoot at and kill each other out on the battlefield," Baseman said. "That is the only aspect that is going away."
Baseman said students at Fox River Academy, which had withdrawn its participation in the re-enactment because of the battle segment, chose to rejoin the program this year after learning the battle was dropped.
Jean Herron, a parent of three children thrilled to participate in the mock battle as fifth-graders and a school counselor in the district, said she recalls mixed emotions when taking pictures of the battle when her son participated in 2002.
"It was exciting, but then … I remember thinking, here we have an entire park full of kids fake-playing like they were killing each other," Herron said."

Testing season has begun, teaching is done

With 4 days until Spring Break begins, the kids have Friday off, we have meetings, I have begun the best time of the year, testing season.

Our state testing does not begin until April, but those of us who teach ELL will not get to wait until April to start our testing, we are giving our ELL students the ELDA test this week. The ELDA is a standardized test designed to evaluate an ELL students' readiness to succeed in a non-ELL classroom. The description should any brochure for a vacation spot blush.

"The ELDA is designed to measure the annual growth of English language development in the domains of listening, speaking, reading, and writing of limited English proficient students. In addition, it will also yield a score for comprehension. The ELDA is aligned to state standards and has vertical alignment across clusters to measure growth in proficiency.
Also, the ELDA has five levels of performance standards, with a rigorous definition of full English proficient (FEP) at Level 5 and a realistic definition for beginners at Level 1. The listening, speaking, reading, and writing tests of ELDA are designed around four topic areas (three academic and one social): math, science, technology; English language arts; social sciences; and school environmental. This design will help schools determine if ELL students are linguistically prepared to function in mainstream content classrooms. Still, ELDA is a test of four language skills, not of academic content, and therefore, there are no content area prior knowledge requirements to score well on ELDA. "

Wow, only 2 acronyms, usually there are at least 10.

After giving my students the three reading sections this morning, we are now play catch-up. No time for SS and Science today, I've lost over 2 hours of teaching time and now have to get in all the reading and math possible.

I also have to "progress monitor" 6 students with the DIBELS test, one-on-one while the rest of

the class is engaged in... something. Another 30 minutes per day or so lost.

With three more sections of ELDA to go including the daylong Speaking section which is one-on-one, I expect to do about half of what I do in a normal week this week.

I can't wait until we get to even more high-stakes testing which will waste at least 6-7 days.

NashVegas: America's manliest city

Nashville likes to bill itself as Music City USA, and the home of the Grand Ole Opry now we have another name to add to the list; America's Manliest City.
Nashville came out on top in the study conducted by Sperling's BestPlaces. Mars Snackfood US and its Cmbos snack food brand commissioned the study. A well-respected research company that everyone has heard of.
The least manly city; New York.
Cities lost ranking points for "emasculating" characteristics like the abundance of home furnishing stores, high minivan sales and subscription rates to beauty magazines.

Nashville grabbed the top spot in the ranking thanks to its high number of NASCAR enthusiasts, popularity of hunting and fishing, and concentration of barbecue eateries.
Despite high ratings in the bowling category, New York City came in 50th because it apparently lacked in areas such as fishing, home improvement and drag racing.

As much as I agree with everything the study said about NashVegas, could we please, please have an IKEA here. If Austin can have one there certainly has to be a place for one here in Music City or Manly City.

How to almost ruin a vacation in one sentence

Last Wednesday evening I planned to fly from NashVegas to Denver for a ski vacation. I had my stuff all packed, ticket and boarding pass printed out and at the airport the required two hours ahead of time. I took my carry on and strode up to the ticket counter. The nice lady behind asked me for my ID which I promptly handed to her, then it happened.

The lady asked me if I had another ID that wasn't expired...huh....WTF?!....WTF?! My drivers' license is no good?! Sonofabitch... And sure enough, my license had been expired since I turned 40 earlier in the month. Expired without notice from the state, no reminder to renew, anger. Not at the airline agent but at the situation and the ramifications of not having proper ID. Now there would be no rental car to drive myself to the mountains and hit the slopes, I would have to hope that my brother and sister in-law wouldn't mind driving me the hour+ to the ski areas.

Upon my return to NashVegas, I will look forward to the time I will get to spend getting my license at the DMV. Hell Yeah, time well spent.

When I landed in Denver, my Verizon phone could not find the network, turning it off and on, nothing; just the same message: No Service. Luckily I brought my old phone and was able to change phones so I could call and stay in touch with my family.

I finally got a phone that worked my wife left me a message saying to call her ASAFP. Great I thought, everything else has gone so well, this has to be good news. It was even better news that I thought; our bank had called and said they had found some charges on our check card that seemed unusual and they were going to cancel the ones we had, on Friday, and send us new ones...in 3-5 business days.

Super...no ID and now no way to pay for things except cash. Anyone know how many places won't take cash anymore? Too many. Ski rental; use the card to reserve them and maybe pay with cash, lift tickets; one window accepts cash and there might be someone there or not.

All this has happened before I have skied one single run, I haven't even gotten my skis yet, that was a smaller fiasco on Thursday; it would at least wait until I'd had a bourbon or two.

Despite all this I skied three incredible days in Colorado, three days of powder, and three days that made me forget how lousy the trip started. It snowed the first two days I went and it was cold enough that most people stayed home so we had the mountain pretty much to ourselves Thur and Fri. Saturday it was a nuthouse but there was still some powder and who could ask for anything more than that?

I am so grateful that my brother and sister-in-law who drove me around for three days, and put me up in their house. I'm going back to Colorado soon, probably not this season but for sure next year, I just love to ski too much to not go back.

Blogging vacation

Now that spring is trying to tease us with a little bit of warm weather here in NashVegas; it means that three things are about to happen.

1. It's very close to testing time here in NashVegas which means one thing; it's time to cram as much into each day as we can. Less time to blog at work.

2. Soccer season is almost upon us which means practice and games and most importantly watching the almost 6 year-old play. Less time to blog after work.

3. Finally, the spring lawncare season is starting up which means less time to blog at night and on the weekends.

Conclusion: less blogging

Two things that won't suffer: 1. time with family 2. Beer industry

Thanks to Thisisindexed.com for the fabulous description of my life right now.

7 Boxes of math manipulatives

I received 7 boxes of math manipulatives today, it was the ETA Cuisenaire Super Source Kit. I haven't even begun to look at everything there is, it's a little overwhelming. I know we are supposed to stand up and cheer everytime we get something, or in this case a boatload of stuff, but I'm not cheering yet. My first thought was just where was I going to put all this stuff. Most should fit in the three drawer cases but not all of it will. I know what I don't see I'll never use so I have to put it where I'll use the manipulatives for teaching math. After I figure that out I'll then be faced with how to use them.

Here's what came in my 7 boxes of fun:

1. The Super Source® Pattern Blocks Kits
Everything teachers need to explore geometry and patterning with students in the classroom! Each kit comes with a Super Source Pattern Blocks Teacher Resource Book, five VersaTote® Storage Containers of Pattern Blocks in either wood or plastic, and Overhead Pattern Blocks—enough materials for 30 students. Grades K-6.

2.The Super Source® Cuisenaire® Rods Kits
A complete kit to investigate and visually represent math concepts using Cuisenaire Rods! Each kit contains a grade-level-specific Super Source Teacher Resource Book; 12 Trays of 74 wood, plastic, or Connecting Cuisenaire Rods; Overhead Cuisenaire Rods; and a Cuisenaire Rods Template. Kits include enough materials for an entire class working in groups. Grades K-6.

3.The Super Source® Geoboards Kits
Encourage students to explore shapes and symmetry and to solve problems with these exciting Geoboard Kits! Includes The Super Source Geoboards Teacher Resource Book, 30 Geoboards, 1 Overhead 5 x 5-pin Geoboard, and 1 Overhead Circular Geoboard—enough materials for 30 students. Grades K-6.

4.The Super Source® Color Tiles Kits

Here is an all-in-one resource for hands-on arithmetic and geometric understanding! Each kit contains one Super Source Teacher Resource Book, four VersaTote® Storage Containers with 400 Color Tiles each, and a set of Overhead Color Tiles (plastic or ManipuLite® )—enough materials for 30 students. Grades K-6.

5.The Super Source® Tangrams Kits
These kits are packed with grade-appropriate activities for developing tactile recognition and enhancing estimation skills! Each kit comes with the Super Source Tangrams Teacher Resource Book, 24 Sets of Tangrams in a VersaTote® Storage Container, Overhead Tangrams, and a Tangrams Template. Grades K-6.

6.The Super Source® Snap Cubes® Kits
The Super Source Snap Cubes Kits—Packaged to Meet a Variety of Classroom Needs!
Build bridges between concrete experiences and abstract mathematical concepts with these bountiful kits! Includes The Super Source Snap Cubes Teacher Resource Book, 1,000 Snap Cubes (enough for 30 students), and a set of overhead Snap Cubes. Grades K-6.

7.The Super Source® Base Ten Blocks Kits
Use this exciting manipulative kit to develop students' critical-thinking skills, number sense, understanding of place value, and more! Kit contains a Super Source Teacher Resource Book, one set of Overhead Base Ten Blocks, and enough Base Ten Blocks for 24–30 students. Grades 1-6.

Teachers; Let's be professionals

Teachers are always wanting people to respect us more and to treat us like professionals. It's not an outlandish request, treat us like you do doctors, lawyers, business people, it's not that much to ask. But in fairness we teachers have to, absolutely have to stop doing things like this.

From the Tennessean:
"A third-grade Metro Nashville teacher is on paid leave after he confessed to taping several students' mouths shut and taping another student to a chair.
Kevin Ray, a teacher at Park Avenue Elementary, was suspended Feb. 6 after he reported the incident to the principal, said June Keel, head of human resources for Metro Schools. Ray could not immediately be reached for comment.
Keel said Ray reported the incident after realizing it was not an appropriate form of discipline.
He allegedly taped the students with packaging tape after they would not quit talking and taped one little girl to the chair while she took a test.
District officials are investigating the case and said they expect to have a decision on Ray's punishment by the end of the week. This is Ray’s first year teaching in Metro Schools. Park Avenue is located in North Nashville and has an enrollment of about 228 students. Principal Deltina Braden declined to comment. "


Finally, since Mr. Ray isn't tenured I would venture to say that he can find work elsewhere, if he were tenured, he would probably be moved.

What does an E mean?

This is the story about the kid, his parents were tired of him not getting better grades, of not even trying to get better grades. According to his parents they had done everything except turn in the work for him. So fed up by their son's lack of effort, his parents came up with the idea as a way to get through to the 15-year-old Western Branch High School freshman.

"He hadn't been trying at all," said the Rev. Donald General Jr., pastor of Perfecting Saints Church of God in Christ in Virginia Beach. "He's not even handing in work he does when we supervise him. My wife and I are not going to give up on Tre."

General and his wife, Tanyeil, say there is no excuse for lousy grades, especially since they said they both have several academic degrees.
As for their son, he hates it and has no plans to do be out on the street again. "It sucks," said Trenton, who apparently got the message. "I don't want to be out here again. I know that much."

I would agree with him except I have no idea what a grade of "E" means. I have the sneaking suspicion that it has something to do with students' self-esteem, and not wanting to make them feel bad if they have done poorly in a class.
Anyone know for sure what an "E" is and why it's being used.

The required list of 25 things

Since I cannot get Facebook at work, I am limited to how much time I can waste finding people I was friends with, people I don't remember going to school with and avoiding others. Despite these obstacles I have completed my required 25 things so here they are.

25 things about me

1. I ’m thankful for my wife and our lovely daughter

2. I’m looking forward to going skiing in Colorado

3. The first car I had after college was a 72 Dodge Dart with a slant-6, it was a step up from the 77 Civic I had in high school

4. The only Van Halen on my iPod is from the Diamond Dave years, especially Diver Down and VH1

5. I miss “Survivorman”

6. I love reading to my daughter at bedtime, especially Knuffle Bunny and SkippyJon Jones

7. I watch the First 48 whenever it's in Memphis to see if I can figure out where they are

8. There is nothing better than a cold beer after working outside in the summer, or during a football game or with couple of buddies around a campfire, I could go on but I won't.

9. My best friends are all from college and after, I was finally a little more comfortable with myself after high school

10. I wish people who say they were Christians would act alot more Christian

11. I like teaching especially the interactions with the kids, I hate the paperwork and grading papers

12. My wife and I met in bar in downtown NashVegas, I told I might call her back, she thought I was a complete jerk. Thank goodness I called her back.

13. Whenever I don't like how things are going for me or in my life, I can think of at least 10 kids in my class who's families have it so much worse than I do

14. I've always treated the secretaries, custodians and cafeteria ladies as well as I could at every school where I have worked. Each one can make your job a living hell in their own special way.
15. I was just getting to know my dad when he passed away, in a weird coincidence he died on the same date as his mother and the exact same day of the Oklahoma City bombing

16. I want to go backpacking and camping with my family and friends more often

17. I love living in NashVegas, it's the only place in the country you can see Nicole Kidman, Taylor Swift and Peter Frampton in the same day and not see anyone taking their picture or hassling them.

18. If I could make money writing a blog about football, or if I could cover the NFL, I would quit teaching

19. I'm pretty sure I'm going to see some of my former students on either Dog the Bounty Hunter or Gangland

20. I have gotten a speeding ticket in at least 10 different counties in TN and have gone to traffic school in each of those counties

21. I'm sad that my daughter has already finished half of kindergarten

22. I'm 6' tall and I'm the shortest guy in my family.

23. September is too damn hot here, I'm ready for cool fall weather after Labor Day, not more August heat

24. My wife and I are on the wall at the Villager, we dressed as Pamela and Tommy Lee for Halloween, still the funnest costume of my life

25. I prefer Cracker Barrel to Starbucks

There they are, you can read them, comment on them, enjoy them or just ignore them.

Bonnaroo: The Best Music Festival of 2009

If you, or anyone else, are looking for four days of great music, you can't beat Bonnaroo. The Bonnaroo Music Festival has always gotten a wide range of musical acts and this year is no different. The acts this year span the music spectrum for The Boss to Snoop Dogg to Merle Haggard, truly something for everyone. The 8th annual Bonnaroo Music Festival will be held on June 11- 14 on the same location as previous years, a 700-acre farm in Manchester, TN. Here are the scheduled acts of this year's festival:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Phish (2 Shows)

Beastie Boys

Nine Inch Nails

David Byrne

Wilco

Al Green

Snoop Dogg

Elvis Costello

Solo

Erykah Badu

Paul Oakenfold

Ben Harper and Relentless7

The Mars

Volta

TV on the Radio

Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Gov’t Mule

Andrew Bird

Merle Haggard

MGMTmoe.

The Decemberists

Girl Talk

Bon Iver

Béla Fleck & Toumani Diabate

Rodrigo y Gabriela

Galactic

The Del McCoury Bandof Montreal

Allen Toussaint

Coheed and Cambria

Booker T & the DBTs

David Grisman Quintet

Lucinda Williams

Animal Collective

Gomez

Neko Case

Down

Jenny Lewis

Santogold

Robert Earl Keen

Citizen Cope

Femi Kuti and the Positive Force

The Ting Tings

Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus

3Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Kaki KingGrizzly Bear

King Sunny

AdéOkkervil

RiverSt. Vincent

Zac Brown Band

Raphael Saadiq

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

Crystal Castles

Tift Merritt

Brett Dennen

Mike Farris and the Roseland Rhythm Revue

Toubab Krewe

People Under the Stairs

Alejandro Escovedo

Vieux Farka Touré

Elvis Perkins In Dearland

Cherryholmes

Yeasayer

Todd Snider

Chairlift

Portugal.

The Man.

The SteelDrivers

Midnite

The Knux

The Low Anthem

Delta Spirit

A.A. Bondy

The Lovell Sisters

Alberta Cross

Band of Horses

Appoint or elect?

Tennessee has never been at the forefront of education reform, unless you count your state not requiring districts buy textbooks for every student progressive. Now the Tennessee legislature is looking into allowing school districts to elect their district superintendents.
A bit of history; 17 years ago, when the state launched another major effort aimed at catching students up with the national average. Back then, those who advocated for appointed superintendents said they were key to catching Tennessee's students up with their national peers.

The appointing advocates won and elected superintendents were abolished. Guess what happened? That's right; Tennessee remained in the bottom half of most educational rankings.

Studies by the state comptroller's office and the Southern Regional Education Board show that how superintendents are installed makes little difference in student performance. The only states where elected superintendents still call the shots are Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, and even in those states, some counties opt for appointed superintendents. The three states were ranked at a C-plus or lower in Education Week, a respected national K-12 education journal.

The idea of picking school chiefs through ballots instead of job interviews isn't common outside the South, education experts say. Some in academically high-achieving states say they wouldn't consider a switch to elections.

If the way a superintendent is chosen makes little to no difference to student achievement then why is the legislature taking up the issue? Because they can and it seems like a great idea.

Health Ed; British style

A high school in England has an unusual approach to health class; pole dancing. According to The Sun;

"Gawking teenagers watched a busty brunette give a pole dance lesson during their school lunch break.
A packed crowd of around 1,000 teenage students – aged 14 to 19 – saw the saucy display as part of a health drive.

Students videoed the dances on their mobiles.
A row has now erupted at South Devon College in Paignton after the demonstration prompted a wave of complaints from teachers.
The demo – held in a public area of the school – was run by Sam Remmer of pole dancing company The Art of Dance.

The 32-year-old said she was invited as part of the school’s Be Healthy Week.
But returning to the college two days later for the second demonstration she was told to move inside the sports hall and away from the main public area as there had been “a number of complaints”.
She was told staff had complained that after the first performance pupils were more interested in watching their mobile phone footage than they were in their afternoon classes. "

As cool it sounds, I still prefer to see this in a smoky room filled with cheap perfume beer goggling and thinking "Yeah that stripper is really into me" or "I gotta chance with that stripper"

video here:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2186897.ece

Why are subs such a damn crapshoot?

I have been teaching long enough to know when I have had a really good sub in my classroom and when it's someone who is just collecting a paycheck until something better comes along. Here in NashVegas that usually means when/if their country music career takes off, or when one of the songs they wrote gets picked up. I swear you can't swing a dead cat in this town without hitting someone who is trying to be a songwriter or singer or guitar player.
I had to be out three days this week with a sick child, flu in a 5-year-old really sucks. I was able to get a great sub for Monday, she followed the lesson plans and the kids work was excellent.
The sub I got on Tuesday however, wasn't so good. She was the classic, "I'm going to put everything on the board and I'm done. " Thanks, that always leads to excellent work from the students, and them getting the help they need. Come on, I don't expect much from a sub, assign the work at intervals during the day, I tell what time everything is, and let the kids work on it then and help them. It's not too tough.
Wednesday we had a snow day so I didn't have to worry about who was keeping my chair warm and making sure it didn't fly off into space.

The economy and substitutes

The local daily rag here in NashVegas had a somewhat interesting article in Sunday's paper about substitute teachers and the economy. In an article titled;

In sour economy, substitute teaching gains appeal
Metro has its pick of substitute teachers

The article goes on to discuss how the downturn in the economy has attracted subs.

The author claims that during the first half of the school year, the district filled 98 percent of teacher vacancies, compared with an 88 percent fill rate during the same period last year.
Almost half of the subs looking for work at Metro's most recent orientation last week said they were laid off from other jobs, according to Naomi Hill, coordinator for special services.
But even with the increased traffic, officials say they're still looking for more applicants.
"We just want the number to increase so when teachers are absent we can cover every class every day," Hill said.

Between 650 and 700 of Metro's 5,000 teachers are absent on any given day, Hill said. Central office staff tries to have three to four potential subs to call for any one slot, which means the district needs nearly 3,000 subs qualified to work at all times.
So far this school year, the district has hired 588 new subs as part of the 2,200 cleared to work.

I agree that it has been easier to find subs this year but what I want to know is; is NashVegas different or are the norm?

Bringin' sexy back StormTrooper style

If anyone still needs proof that we live in the greatest country in the world, the above picture should end all debate. Only in the USA can you not only buy a StormTrooper outfit you can sexy it up.
It's not as hot as the Princess Leia as a slave outfit but it's okay.

It's possibly English-Only for NashVegas

Nasville voters will decide today if English is to be the official language. The feelings on both sides of the issue have been understandibly strong and both sides have their backers. If it passes Nashville could become the largest U.S. city to make English the mandatory language for all government business. What that exactly means is unclear.

Personally I'm torn on the issue because although I'm opposed to using language to discriminate, I really don't trust the people who oppose the measure.

The proponents claim the measure will make the city operate more efficiently and cheaply because the government won't have to spend time and money translating documents. The fact is the city only spends about $500,000 right now on translating so savings is negligable so that argument to me is moot. If his goal is to make government run more efficiently, I'm sure there are better ways than this. If anything this is going to cause more headaches because no one really knows what will be translated. What is considered a health and wellness document?

What about the loss of federal dollars when/if this passes?

According to the opponents English First policy may not survive a court challenge because Title VI of the Civil Rights Act requires agencies that receive federal dollars to provide free translation services. That loss of federal dollars will total in the millions, possibly $25 million for the health department alone. Although I despise the federal government's method of compliance; "Do it or we won't give you money," it's the world we live in.

One bit of inforamtion that has gone unnoticed in all this is who is contributing.

Some of the largest contributors to Nasvilleforallofus.org represent several industries/companies that employ large numbers of immigrant workers, legal and illegal. The list includes; Steve Turner, a Gulch developer with Market Street Management, $50,000; HCA Inc., $50,000; Caterpillar Financial, $25,000; Ben Rechter, president of Rogers Group Investments, $25,000; Gaylord Entertainment, $10,000; Nashville Convention & Visitors Bureau, $5,000; Vanderbilt University also gave $10,000. Each of these companies including Vanderbilt have had their issues with hiring illegal immigrants.

I guess that I can't vote for something that I feel will discriminate even if I believe that many who oppose it are doing it to ensure they can protect their bottom line.

How to spend a weekend

Winter in Tennessee isn't as bad as winter in many other places which is nice because it lets me get out and do one of my favorite things; go backpacking. With the unexpected day off on Friday, I decided to head to a wilderness area about 2 hours from NashVegas and enjoy the peace and quiet.

I went with a friend of mine who I've hiked many thousands of miles with and who shares my love of the sport. Our wives however think we are crazy for doing this and so when we get back and tell them about the trip they just shake their heads and say, you two are idiots.

Back to the trip. We hiked about 5 miles on Sunday in bright sunshine checking out several overlooks and waterfalls in the Scott's Gulf wilderness area.

After hiking down to the Caney Fork River we decided that it was a great idea to ford the river and head further south to a better campsite. So we ate a little lunch, changed into Crocs and headed out into the river. Everything was going very well despite the bitterly cold water, the only reason it wasn't a sheet of ice was that it was flowing, until my friend shouted out, "Oh sh--! I just lost one of my Crocs." Right in the middle of the river in mid-thigh deep water he was stuck with his backpack on, no socks and just one shoe. I watched the pitiful Croc float away and then turned to try to help him the rest of the way across a fast-moving freezing river barefoot. We did get across then hiked another two miles to a beautiful campsite at the next river crossing. (Yes we were going to have to do it all over again.)

We spent the rest of the evening getting a fire going to dry out our wet clothes and get ourselves warmed up. After a hearty meal of Ramen Noodles and chicken noodle soup with a side of Fig Newtons and M&Ms we discussed the world's problems, which we of course solved, and caught up on other stuff. We headed to the tents to try to get a good night's sleep before facing the freezing river again in the morning.

Monday dawned a balmy 28, with the first flakes starting to fall. At first, we thought, no biggie it's going to stop before we get too far. Nope, it snowed all morning and was still snowing when we got to the truck to head back to NashVegas.

All in all a great trip. more pics on the way.

4 day weekend

We just got a wonderful gift this afternoon here in NashVegas; Metro Schools are closing Jan. 16 due to extreme cold.The official memo:

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Jan. 15, 2009) – Metro Nashville Public Schools will be closed Friday, Jan. 16, in response to forecasts of extremely cold temperatures and out of concern for student safety.
District administrators made the decision to close after reviewing weather forecasts and consulting with local meteorologists who are forecasting lows of 0-2 degrees Fahrenheit during the early hours of Jan. 16. Many MNPS students will be waiting at school bus stops, walking to school or waiting for MTA buses at the time of these low temperatures.

As a reminder, Metro Schools will also be closed Monday, Jan. 19, in celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.

There was much celebrating when we got the news, and yes I told my students as soon as I heard, it's pretty damn mean to keep that kind of a secret.

Not so fast little man

One of the advanages of having your child attend the same school where you teach is that you get some control over who they get as a teacher. You also get inside info, or rather unedited info, about what happens in the classroom and what the other students are doing in the class. This week I got a pretty shocking one, of my daughters' classmates wants to marry her when they get older. Some are saying, " How nice"; "Isn't that cute";

Not dad.

He's saying, "Um, little man, you're in kindergarten, the only thing you should be worrying about is learning how to tie your shoe and learning how to read." It's nice you like my daughter and you're a nice kid, but let's wait 15, or better yet, 20 years or so before we start deciding who we are going to marry. You've got nothing but time.

That isn't a picture oof the boy who wants to marry her in the picture. Duh, I have to protect the innocent.

My ultra-creative reading program

I am currently using, with great success the most creative, exciting and simplest reading program ever.

Unfortunately I won't make any money off my invention because it's not really my idea.

I can't even re-package it into the latest thing. I wouldn't feel right even if I could because it's so simple that every teacher should do it yet it's only done in Kindergarten, in 1st and sometimes in 2nd. It's rarely done in 3rd or 4th and from 5th grade on up it's totally abandoned. It a program all parents can do yet most would rather spend hundreds even thousands of dollars sending their children to any of the tutoring services and/or to private school.

This ultra-creative program is reading aloud to my students and they in turn read to the Kindergarten ESL/ELL classes every Friday. I choose one book for them or I check out a class set of the same title and they choose one to read to their Kindergarten reading buddy.

What? Reading aloud? Where is the comprehension questions? The vocabulary? The predicting? The analogies? In short where are the worksheets?

I'll answer them from last to first.

1. There are no worksheets. 2. The analogies are in many stories and come from the vocabulary building we do. 3. That's an easy one, just ask them what is happening next and why they think so. 4. Vocab is all over in the books we read. I pick the some words I think they don't know and then add to the list or take away from the list as we read the books. Sometimes they know more vocab than I think they do and sometimes my list to too short. 5. I have them write comprehension questions to the books they are reading, they ask their book buddies the questions as they read to them.

Is it perfect? No. But it is the best thing I have found to help my ESL/ELL students learn how to read fluently and to increase their comprehension. And it teaches them the most important reason most people read; for the pleasure of it. The pictures are from my class reading to their book buddies.

Is this even news anymore?

It's a tired story but one that reappears in the news all the time.

Teacher seduces and sleeps with student. Teacher has Facebook and MySpace accounts and talks about student on both. What makes this case different? They had sex over 3o0 times between February 2006 and November 2007 and it didn't happen in Florida, it happened outside Boston. The teacher, Christine McCallum is 29 and is on leave from her position at Abington Elementary School. The picture is her and her husband Scott from Facebook.

According to the Boston Herald; "Her alleged teenage conquest told police they had sex more than 300 times - almost “every other day” while he was 13, 14 and 15 years old. The boy told police they had sex for the first time Feb. 7, 2006, on a couch at McCallum’s Rockland home while her husband slept upstairs, according to a police report.
McCallum and the boy had unprotected sex in the shower, on the kitchen floor and the living room floor on a green shag rug that was seized yesterday as a result of a search warrant, court documents say."

The teacher is denying everything saying; McCallum’s lawyer, Frederick McDermott, said McCallum took in the boy and his younger brother, who were being raised by a single dad. She denies all the allegations.
“She tried to mother the child because she felt sorry for them,” he said.

But the boy and several other facts seem to tell a much different story.

McCallum weaved her way into the boy’s life in late 2005, prosecutors said, when she became a tutor for his younger brother, let them stay at her house, emptied their backpacks after school, fed them dinner and gave them rides.
But within months, prosecutors said, McCallum was plying the boy with cranberry and vodka drinks, Jell-o shots and rum, and sleeping with him in her house and his house.
McCallum ended the relationship in November 2007 in a fit of jealousy, after she found out he was using the cell phone she bought him to text other girls, police said. They had sex that night for the last time, police said.
“She was crying. She kissed him and told him she loved him. He told her he loved her,” according to a police report.
Plymouth prosecutor Michael Scott said McCallum was “obsessed” with the boy, writing the boy 10 love letters. “I would choose you over this job,” she wrote, Scott said. “I trust you that ‘this’ can work.”
In a MySpace [website] message, McCallum wrote that she struggled with her desires, Scott said. “It’s hard to be with you and set boundaries,” she allegedly wrote. “It’s hard to kiss you and tell you no.”

WTF?!

Atlanta ends alternative learning program

The Atlanta Board of Education has decided to end it's alternative education program and dismiss alternate education Director Elven Duvall. The internal investigation conducted by superintendent Teresa Stauffer found that Duvall was providing students with answers on their GED tests and in several instances, completing the tests for them.

That's correct, the director was not only providing answers to the tests but doing it for them. With help like that why are people so worried about a few parents doing their kids homework or a project. What about the kids who didn't get help and failed these tests? How do they feel? We'll probably never know ho many kids actually passed the tests on their own or which of them got a diploma or passed to the next grade because of this. It's also pretty sad that it was a kid who noticed this practice and not another teacher or an administrator.

From the Atlanta Journal Constitution:
The first complaint was from a girl who had left some of her answers blank," board President Janette Sarkozi said. "She was told to go to lunch and when she came back to resume the test, the answers were filled in. She informed us, because she wanted to pass the test herself."
Another student twice had failed the reading section of the GED badly. The third time the test was submitted she scored 550 out of 600 possible points. The score differential raised red flags to the staff, which also noticed the handwriting was not that of the girl, but Duvall's.
"The whole matter was resolved very quickly and in the long run the proposals Teresa brought us will help the students who are struggling," Sarkozi said. "I think everything is out in the open now and we can move on."
The alternate education program itself has been a cause of concern for Stauffer and the board. There are questions remaining about attendance numbers. In the end, a decision was made by the board to close up shop.
"The closing has been coming since last year," Sarkozi said. "We have been concerned it wasn't being run properly and didn't know if it was in compliance with state regulations. If it wasn't, the state could have stepped in and closed it for five years."
The students have the option of transferring to Atlanta High School for the second semester if they choose. There, they will take regular classes and several online courses. As it stands now, five students are on track to graduate this spring.
"We want to do what is best for the kids, Sarkozi said. "We didn't feel the alternate education program was functioning correctly and the kids weren't learning the life lessons the way they needed to be."
At least one teacher who was involved in the program will be moving to the high school. Math teacher Crystal Horrocks will join some of her students when the second semester begins.
Sarkozi believes Duvall will put the incident behind him and stay away from legal action against the school and its governing body.
"I don't think there will be any fallout from him," Sarkozi said. "He requested an open public meeting and so we did. He didn't even show up. We went to his house to let him know what the board's actions were and he wouldn't answer the door. Time to move on."

I'm not going skiing with this moron

I'm heading out for a few days of skiing in the glorious Colorado mountains. I haven't been in about 5 years but I'm pretty sure I can handle the lift better than this guy.

I can't figure out what he was doing, the quad lift is a pretty simple machine, you sit down and wait, not too damn difficult.

Judging by the first picture, it was pretty cold in Vail when dumbass did this.

Photo from the Smoking Gun.

Home-schooling

As if we teachers didn't already realize it, more children are being taken out of public schools are are being home-schooled. For years parents were pulling their children out of schools because they wanted a more religious or moral education than was being offered in public schools. But in a recent survey a new reason has emerged why parents are choosing home-schooling: too much testing in public schools.

Really, what gave them that idea, the fact that it's in every newsletter we send home, it's on every school district website or is it that we are always sending home little hints and ideas on how to help your child test better. Is it because we talk about it at every conference we have with parents?

The 2007 survey by Education's National Center for Education Statistics added a seventh: an interest in a "nontraditional approach," a reference to parents, dubbed "unschoolers," who regard standard curriculum methods and standardized testing as counterproductive to a quality education. What a shock. You mean a parent who didn't take hours of education classes can figure out that we test children too much while our education leaders still think that the answer to improving education is to test more?

Good thing Barack Obama has appointed Arne Duncan, the former head of Chicago Public Schools who believes in one thing: testing and more testing. Yup, change we can believe in.

Some data:

The ranks of America's home-schooled children have continued a steady climb over the past five years, and new research suggests broader reasons for the appeal.
The number of home-schooled kids hit 1.5 million in 2007, up 74 percent from when the Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics started keeping track in 1999, and up 36 percent since 2003. The percentage of the school-age population that was home-schooled in-creased from 2.2 percent in 2003 to 2.9 percent in 2007.

Back to work Monday

After another great Christmas break, it's back to work on Monday. The students return on Tuesday so Monday will be spent wasting several hours in meetings, interpreting data and listening to someone complain about how much paper we are using to make copies. Man am I looking forward to next week...