School

A lot as been happening at school for the past four weeks. I'll try to go in chronological order since the beginning of October but no promises.

My class still has good days and bad days. There are many days when I feel like a terrible teacher. I know they are not learning enough to do well on CRCT but behavior in the classroom prohibits a lot of fun and interactive learning. I have three students that have really bad behavior and several with not great behavior. It is a constant battle and many days I get discouraged. However, they are improving!! I see them improving and life becoming less stressful at school. It would help if the school informed of things BEFORE they happen but that is for later in the blog. I have one student that has been suspended for at least 7 days. However, this past week (four days) he didn't even go to the office! I do look for the small victories. And I know the class is getting better.

Along the behavior lines, I have talked with several of the speciality teachers (PE, art, and computer) about the behavior of my class. We all have concluded that they act mostly like second graders and occasionally like Kindergarteners. They are very immature. I know this but one day this month I was shocked at how immature they are. It started when I noticed about three of my kids constantly suck on their thumbs. I don't say much about it because it keeps them quite but they are much to old to be sucking on their thumbs. I also noticed that no one in my class was teasing them about it. Then one day, I had a student playing with something that I knew she shouldn't be. It was also attracting attention of other students so I collected it to put in the May box (where all toys/collected items go until the end of the school year). What I had collected was a pacifier. Yes, I had a fourth grade student sucking on a pacifier in my classroom!!!! I was shocked but like I said my class is very immature. Instead of ridicule or teasing, they were interested. For all the teasing they do (mostly about others moms/grandmothers), they do not tease their classmates about these things. It was all quite revealing about their behavior. I'm considering asking some second grade teachers how they manage their classrooms to change my classroom some like that. I mean if they are going to act like second graders or younger why not treat them that way.

This month was also the end of our first quarter. I have made it thru more than a fourth of the school year! At the end of the quarter of course is report cards. Earlier in the semester the other fourth grade teachers said to be sure to collect grades and I was told where to find the report card template at. Well, since I didn't look very carefully at the report card until about 1 week left in the quarter I did not have all the grades I needed. I scrambled to get some things done. I spent much of the weekend report cards were due grading and of course completing the report cards. They take forever!!! We have to give behavior grades as well as the reading level, a reading grade, a vocabulary/word work grade, a listening/speaking/viewing grade, a social studies grade, a math grade, a science grade, a writing process grade, as well as a grade for the type of writing we taught (narrative for the first quarter). Oh and under each of those grades are little subtopics that we have to give a check, plus, or minus for. Of course we haven't taught all of them yet but there were still plenty to do.

I have made a policy since the third or fourth week of school to not do any school work on Saturdays. I refuse. I usually don't work on Friday nights once I get home either. It has been a wonderful policy and it has really helped me separate my work life from my home/social life. The weekend of report cards somewhat prohibited that policy for the first time since I had started it. However, I did got to the UGA football game that Saturday before doing work. I managed to get it all done.

We had conferences on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday after that weekend. Each day was a half day for the students. Tuesday night was the only night for conferences after 5. The conferences were only 20 minutes long and went really well. I had several parents that did not understand the severity of the students progress/behavior even with the weekly reports sent home. However, they weren't upset with me as much as they were upset with their students. I had a few students confess to not writing down all of the homework so they didn't have to do it all. I also found out that my sleeper (the one who sleeps through math about twice a week) was up playing his handheld video game at night without permission. He goes to bed at 9 and evidently was staying up very late playing his games. He didn't sleep quite so much this week. I had a good turn out too. I had 22 of 25 parents come and several had both parents come. I have since talked to 1 on the phone and up to talk to the other two next week.

I was very glad to have the conferences over. The Friday after was quite hard for myself and the students. I mean it really is unfair to expect them to come back to a full day after having three half days and for that full day to be a Friday! I'm glad that that day is over.

We are now working on our 45 day plan. What we plan to do reteach from the first quarter. We have completed the math one and will be completing the English/Language Arts one next week.

The reward for all of this hard work - FALL BREAK! Finally, a break. We have today (Halloween) off and Monday. The students also have Tuesday off because of the election. Many of the schools in the district are voting precincts. It is a work day for the teachers. And the administration is giving us the day to work in our classroom! I'm so grateful and excited. At ICS I always just wanted a work day (besides Saturdays) and they never gave one. Because of the work day, I can take all four days off and not do any work at all. I didn't bring any work home with me and I left at 3. It is a wonderful thought.

When we return we will have a three day week. Which will be madness but at least it will be short. Then the next week we have our Professional Development days. So for two of those days I will spend half of it in planning (which I love). The next week should be pretty normal and then we have two days and Thanksgiving! And we all know that from Thanksgiving to Christmas is a whirlwind. So I know I will find myself saying "Where did November go?" as well as "Where did December go?" For now though, as far as school is related, I'm glad that it goes by so fast. I'm also grateful that the first half of the school year is over because to me it is always the longest. From January until Spring break is also really long.

Oh yeah, the superintendent stopped by the week before last. He is one of my mentors and stops by at least once a quarter. He is proposing for a change in attendance zones to save on transportation costs. Currently students have a choice of many schools to attend and they can be bussed to any school that accepts their zone (there are four zones). Well this means that some roads have five busses that pick up kids to take them to five different elementary schools. Not very efficient. Anyway, the map shows an attendance zone and name for the school in my front yard. Since the superintendent stopped by, I asked him when that school should open as its own school and not a school temporary put there while they renovate theirs. 2011 was his answer. So if I am still in Athens and still teaching elementary school in 2011 I plan to transfer to that school so that I can walk to school everyday. I really is my front yard. I wish it was a little sooner but it will be good to stay at Gaines longer.

Well I think that is most about school for now. It is getting better. I don't cry nearly as often and I don't complain quite as much either. I just keep looking for the positives. I'll make it!!