R-E-S-P-E-C-T… find out what it means to me

 

I can’t hold it in any longer. I have tried, I wasn’t going to blog about this but the thought just keeps burning a whole in my brain.

I was a fan of President Bush. That is not to say that I agree with everything that he did durning his presidency but I do believe that he did the best he could with in the given circumstances. I grew very tired of all of the trash talk I heard everywhere I turned. I respect that man,  I respect the choices he made.

Last week on my drive to work I was listening to a morning talk show. The host referred to Barack Obama as just “Barack” and then said, “No wait, President Obama, he deserves more respect than to just be called Barack.” This is the same host that I have heard make a thousand President Bush jokes that certainly were NOT respectful! There have been others who speak of respecting President Obama but were more than disrespectful to President Bush.

I respect the position of President, I always have. I always will. I just do not understand all of this talk from people about respecting the president when less than a month ago they had no respect for the position. You may not respect the man who holds that title but as Americans I feel we need respect that office and watch what we say. I feel as if one day I was the only one who felt this way and now left and right I am hearing that sentiment from others. You can not say you respect that office the day after you have trashed the man in that office.

Okay rant over.

I have just got to tell you…

I just got an email from the lunch detention lady. Wanting to know how long I had assigned Curious George (name change to protect the goofy) lunch detention and why I had given it to him.

I responded that I didn’t give CG lunch detention.

She then asked if I wrote him up. 

I said nope.

She said he showed up yesterday and served lunch detention and signed my name as the person who gave it to him.

Hahahahahahaha, man that is funny. This kiddo has been pretty good lately, must have felt like he was going to be bad and pre punished him self.

hahahahahahahaha

Am I missing something?

I think I am, I really do think I am missing something, in fact I am sure I am missing something.

Wanna know what it is?

The faces of young men, I miss them. I just ran to the restroom (it is important that I note the restroom usage as I get so little) and on my way there I saw a student or I thought it was then I looked again and he had facial hair so I thought substitute teacher, then I looked deeper and thought nope student. I continued to ponder this student/substitute mystery while using the restroom (I know you are just loving the details here people) and then I rushed back to my desk to type up my pondering post (after using hand sanitizer of course).

I remember when I was in high school (it hasn’t even been ten years so cut me a bit of slack) and I can only remember 2 guys have facial hair. The first was a hippie that drove a V0lkswagen van in the summer (heater didn’t work so no winter driving in this thing), wore rainbow striped toe socks in the winter with his birkies, streaked at homecoming our senior year (I missed it BTW), and wore a rastafarian hat any time he could. So the fact that he had facial hair isn’t a big thing, in fact I think it was expected of him. The second kid that had facial hair in high school is the same kid that had facial hair in junior high. There were 2 junior highs in my hometown, I attended one, Beard Boy the other. I remember the first time I saw Beard Boy. My friend and I went to a basketball game, out team was playing Beard Boy’s school in the Beard’s gym. When he walked on to the floor we both about died laughing (13 year old girls think this is funny), we couldn’t believe someone our age could have a full grown beard. In High school we both got to know this kid better, turned out he started shaving in like the 4th/5th grade and by Junior High he had grown tired of shaving daily.

So recalling that and thinking of my current students and various others that I see in the hall, I am shocked by the amount of facial hair that I see. I now have a class of 23 before me, 13 boys, and 2 have facial hair. I think of my morning class of 24 and there are 3 in that class with facial. I had one in my afternoon classes that he shaved his beard and people noticed, like when a girl chops of 6 inches of hair noticed.

When my husband and his brother were in High School their father demanded that they be clean shaven everyday.

Have things changed that much already, in less than 10 years? I am appalled at several of the things my students do, things I have never done and would have never thought of doing in high school but the hair thing really gets to me. I just find it odd that kids that don’t even drive yet are walking around with beards. Any one else freaked?

Now I remember…

this is why I teach.

Before going to teach my class this evening at the college, I stopped in the office to make copies and to check my mail. In my mail box I found my student evaluations from last semester. Here are the details:

-4 forms were filled out (I had 5 students finish that class, I started with 6)

- questions were ranked 0-5 (o-non valid response, 1- strongly disagree, 2-disagree, 3- neutral, 4- agree, 5-strongly agree.

On Quality of classroom instruction I received a 4.18. The high spots being “instructor makes subject interesting 4.0″, ” instructor is enthusiastic about subject 4.25″ and ” Instructor is well prepared for class 4.25″

On Quality of course I got a 3.92 but I have little to do with that. “I think course is practical and useful” well probably for some but not for all. Getting close to an agree (4 points) is good for me. At least they felt somewhat positive about the class.

On Quality of exams I didn’t do as well. I got a 3.25 on “exams and assignments are graded and returned in a timely manner. I admit I struggle with this.

On Instructors rapport with students (my fave by the way) I got a 4.06. With the questions being “Students feel free to ask questions, disagree, express opinions 4.25″, “Feeling between instructor and students is that of mutual respect 4.25″, “The instructor challenges me to do my best 3.75″ and “Instructor demonstrates concern for the success of students 4.0″ I like the mutual respect thing, when you are 26 and teaching no one under 30.I worried about this when I first started, I wanted them to respect me even at my younger age but I also wanted them to know that I respected them for what they were doing. I am also glad to know that my students can tell that I am concerned for their well being.

On other stuff I got a 4.0 on adequate instructor assistance is available for me outside of class. And I got a 4.25 in the “overall, I rate this instructor as a good teacher.”

These scores are important to me. I teach a required course. This is the math course that EVERYONE that earns a degree for this college must take. Several, if not all, of the people that I have in these classes hate math or fear it. Earning a 4.01 to me means I am doing alright. I know I could do better and I am glad that the students were honest about that. I can and will do better but it is always nice to hear that you are doing a good job. These evaluations mean more than any administrative review, because then someone is often looking at how you do things and comparing them to how they would do things.

These evaluations say, “Hey you helped me, you made me feel good about myself, you gave me knowledge.” and that my dear bloggy friends is why I teach!

I am going to jump off a bridge…

… if one more person says anything about this stinkin’ bridge project!

So just a recap here is what I have done so far for the bridge project:

created an out line (typed and sent to all other teachers)

decided what homework to assign

created due dates

created a handout for all students listing all requirements

created a quiz for all classes

graded 90 quizzes

designed a bridge

bought the stuff to build my bridge

built a bridge

bought everything but toothpicks for my students to build bridges (glue, wax paper, paper plates)

graded my students designs (all 90 for which they got a grade for the design and a projected bridge grade)

I have assisted 3 of my classes in beginning their bridges 

graded 90 bridges

Selected the best to be welded

taken the designs to the welding teacher

graded 90 journals

redrawn  bridge designs 

taken those designs to the welding teacher

Yesterday morning I get a call from the welding teacher, he wanted to let me know that he is only going to have one bridge welded to take with us next week. I swear I told him last week that this is what he should do. So that peeved me.

Then yesterday after school my phone rings, the welding teacher again. He wants to know if I can come teach his class this week, maybe Thursday? Um, no! I have to teach that day!  But I looked at my plans and found I could be gone Friday if needed. He then tells me that I need to ask the Big D if this is okay. Um, no! We talked about this on the 5th and you said YOU would do it!  He then tells me that in order for him to ask he has to drive from the technical center to the main campus here and he thinks it would be easier for me to do it. So guess what… I did. I know you are totally shocked at that! I emailed the Big D, there was no way I was going to wait outside his office after school to ask. I emailed him! I also let him know that I thought our project was fine with out this component, hoping that maybe he would think it wasn’t needed, he didn’t. So Friday I will be dressed in my old jeans, shirt and old leather boots (yeah cause I have those?).

You know me. I will make the best of it. I think I will take the video camera so I can show my students what is going on in the welding shop. I think they will really enjoy it. I mean if I am going through all this trouble, my kids should get something out of it.

Okay, now I have to go plan a short and sweet lesson on quadrilaterals! 

Caption This, January 26th, Part 2

Ok we have a fish theme today. Caption 2:

 

Color Fish Song (Tune: Here We Go ‘Round the Mulberry Bush)

I saw a fish go swimming by, go swimming by, go swimming by. 
I saw a fish go swimming by, so early in the morning.
I saw a fish stuck in the fence, in the fence, in the fence.I saw a fish stuck in the fence and now I wonder why….

Truth of the matter is these fish got stuck in this fence when the flood waters went down, the fish did not go with it.

Caption This, January 26th, Part 1

I had 2 pictures today so here is today’s first caption:

With the bad economy pedicures have taken a new turn!

If you can’t say something nice…

or when you can’t think of anything else to say… you post a meme. I stole this from Ms. More.

 

If you got trapped in an elevator with someone, who would you want it to be?
God. Then he could get the elevator unstuck. Elevators are okay for about 5 seconds, then I am done!

What is your favorite cereal?
Mini-Wheats if I am having cereal with milk for breakfast (which happens rarely) I munch on Cheerios most days

Do you own any cowboy boots?
I don’t. I have small feet so I think they would look cute but I hate boots of any kind.

What is something you would never do in public?
Show my fat rolls

Have you ever had really strange dreams?
Yeah last week I had a dream that some guy was trying to break into our house while we were in bed. It happened several nights in a row and we couldn’t catch him because we couldn’t see him, so our neighbor had to shoot him. Huh?

Name a friend or loved one who has passed away.
I had a cousin pass away when I was little. He was one of my favorite cousins when I was little.

What’s your earliest memory?
I remember being mad at my little brother because he was the reason my mom couldn’t come home with me. I was 4 then, I have other memories but this one stuck out.

Have you ever broken a bone before, and if so, how?
Praise the lord, knock on wood, I have never broken a bone. I think I may have broken a toe last year but maybe it was just a bad bruise, I didn’t go to the doctor.

Have you ever stepped in dog poo?
Yeah! Once on the school playground and I came back to class and it started to come off of my shoe, so I was surrounded by dog poo all day.

Ever bitten your toenails?
I don’t think I can bend that way, not that I would want to!

Who is your all time hero?
I don’t have one. I admire many qualities of the people in my life but I wouldn’t say that I have a hero

What colors do you think mix well?
I mix pastels with darker versions of themselves. I also wear black with anything but another black.

What did you eat recently?
Burger King for lunch.

What was your favorite cartoon movie as a child?
As a child? Not sure. As a preteen, “Lion King” as a teenager, “Anastasia” as an adult “Cars”

What’s your favorite movie now?
Now and forever “Anne of Green Gables”

Do you paint your toenails?
I paint 8 toenails and 2 toes. I am missing toenails on both big toes ( I had them removed, yes it hurt but I am not sorry). I put fake toenails on in the summer when I wear my sandals)

Is your computer a fast and awesome computer?
No just basic. The one I use most often is from the school and I hate it.

What do you do, or want to do for a living?
I teach HIgh School Math, I play with the idea of teaching full time at a college. I think it would be fun to work in a factory for a few weeks, just short enough to see how everything works and not get bored.

If one of your long lost exes called you and asked for you back, would you take them back?
I have very few exes, but I think not

Have you ever been a heart-breaker?
No I don’t think so. 

What’s your favorite instrument?
piano

What is a country you want to visit badly before you die?
Germany, there is so much I didn’t see the first time.

Have you made a bucket list?
No. When given a chance to do something new I ask myself, “Is this something I will regret not doing?” If the answer is yes then I do it, even those things that I don’t want to do.

What things in history amuse you the most?
I am amazed by much in history. I find the Holocaust, the civil war, greeks, romans, pioneers all very interesting.

Have you ever eaten lipstick?
I licked chap-stick off my lips when I was little, remember Bonnie Bell.

What are 3 accessories you have to be equipped with when you go out?
Purse, Phone, and my new trusted inhaler (ick)

Have you ever licked a window before?
I don’t think so.

If someone dared you to run across a busy street for $1,000, would you?
Depends on definition of busy. Busy in my hometown? sure! Busy LA Freeway 5pm? Not a chance! Busy street amish country? darn tootin!

Would you kill someone for 9 million dollars?
No but I’ll give them an A in my class for just 1 million

Who is your worst enemy right now and why?
The clock. I always seem to be fighting it.

Have you ever been in a physical fight with anyone before?
Have you see me? No that’s right you haven’t. Short and scrawny for the first 24ish years of my life. Now just short and fat.

What brand of cell phone do you have, and which service provider?
Verizion, I am not sure a gray one?

Do you wear slippers or socks?
Slippers all the time. Like the soles are falling off of them!

Do your feet stink?
Not really, I am not sure why.

Have you ever picked your butt in public?
I have wiggled, I might have picked. I can’t remember.

What is the strangest pet you’ve ever owned?
Guinea pig, I couldn’t even hold the thing or I broke out in hives.

Do you love life or hate it?
It varies, somedays are great others not so much. I guess most days could be better (there is always room for improvement right?) and most days could be worse (I could be homeless or hungry, or beaten)

Who is the hottest person in the entire universe, in your opinion?
I can’t say that there is just one hottest person, there are features I find hard to ignore. 

What do you do every night before bed?
Shower. Then before I sleep I think of all the things I could have done during the day and what id left for tomorrow.

I didn’t dare give the look…

Writing my last post I remembered another look post that I was going to type up and forgot all about!

The week of semester finals I got a visit from the Big D (my principal, BTW his last name starts with a D I am not referring to him as a part of the anatomy). He brought with him a review worksheet from my upper level math class. It was a paper that was late. He explained to me how the mother of this student came to him and asked for his help. She explained that her husband had helped her son complete the assignment, she had watched them at the kitchen counter. The next day she found the homework on the counter. That night  she asked her son if it was an assignment that needed to be turned in, he said yes. She told him to turn it in the next day. He explained Mrs. Sassybug doesn’t accept late work.

Mommy dearest then waited a day before taking the paper to the Big D. He then waited a day to bring it to me. When he explained the whole story he also informed me that I didn’t have to change my “no late work” policy but if I could just give the kid a few points “you know 10 0r 12″ and let his mother know of my decision. He reminded me that it was my decision and I could do what I felt was best. I didn’t dare give him the look but boy I sure wanted to.

 

Just in case you are wondering her is the email I sent to Mommy dearest:

The Big D brought me Sonny’s assignment this afternoon. This packet was assigned Wednesday and therefore due Thursday. So having it in Monday it is still 2 days late. I am sorry that I can not change Sonny’s score on this, I truly feel it is unfair to the other students that turned in the assignment on time as well as to the others that may have gotten a zero because their papers were late. If he had turned in in on time he would have received a 95, I put that score in the grade book to see the change in his grade. It brought him up from a 66 to a 67. This one assignment could have helped his grade but only by a small portion.

Sonny’s final is in the morning. Please remind him to look things over this evening. The first part of the final is 50 multiple choice questions each worth 1 point. The Second portion is 15 short answer questions each worth 2 points. The final piece is the ACE questions, there are 5 and each is worth 4 points. If he does well this will really help his grade for the semester, he currently has a 65 for the semester, I would hate for his final to bring his grade below passing. That doesn’t happen often but has happened when a student chooses to do very little on a final exam. I think we can expect more out of Sonny.

Let me know if there is something I can do. He does have another assignment to turn in to me in the morning, please remind him to bring it and turn it in.

 

I wanted to send a copy to the Big D and remind him that he promises to “stand behind his teachers”.  

I still feel justified in my choice. If I accepted this late homework then to be fair I would have to go back and enter scores for all other homework marked late. THEN i would also have to change all zeros, because students know I don’t take late work so maybe they didn’t bother to turn in the assignment at all. I mean gee, I might as well just give all hundreds.

I guess I got the look…

Well it was bound to happen. I am not sure I got the look as I didn’t see her face but I feel pretty sure our department head gave me that look this morning. Here’s the story…

The teacher that did our math competitions for the last several years, moved. This left us with no one to do the competitions this year. When our new department head sent out an email asking someone to take over this task. I took one for the team (shocking I know) and said I would do these competitions on one condition, that someone help me with them this year and then next year I could do them all on my own. 

In September all of the competition stuff came rolling in. Pages and pages. I had no idea what to do with any of them, so I filled them all all out, registered for the ones I could. There where a few that required payment of some kind. I had no idea how to go about doing this, I have never spent any of the schools money. So I sent them to the department head who said she would take care of it. 

She ended up taking over one of the competitions that requires student test monthly, fine by me. I did NOT ask her to do this. She didn’t even ask if I minded that she took over, she just did! This competition requires that she compile the scores of all students tested each month. SHE CHOSE to do this!

In October another test, this one from a state college, needed to be given. I received the info from the college. I ASKED for help from this teacher, I got none. She sent me to another teacher for help, knowing that the teacher she sent me to was going to be gone the day of the test. She also wanted me to use this teachers room for the test AND find someone else to watch my first hour class. I had no idea what I was doing, could student use calculators, what if they came late, how do I score the test, can I answer any questions. I called my mother the morning of the test FREAKED! If these students did well they moved to round 2 and could end up winning scholarships. I didn’t want to be the person who screwed that up for them. I ended up having 6 students that morning, all mine. The department head didn’t have any of her kids take this test!

So yesterday I get this email:

Could you be in charge of the AHSMath contest for Feb. 9th?  I have the tests and have sent the dates out to other teachers.  You would just need to advertise in the halls and take care of the administering and getting the students excused from class.

To which I responded this morning with:

I am sorry but I can not do this. I know that I said I would help with these  contests. The last contest that I did, I did by myself. I thought I would have some help. I know that some of our students could do very well in these contests and would hate to be the reason that they do not do well. If someone else takes this task on and needs help, I’ll do my best to help but I will not take this on by myself.

And then I received:

I am doing the math league by myself along with the dept head duties and being on the leadership team trainings.  This is a one time event. You did say you would help.  I am sorry I cannot count on your help in this matter.  I will find someone else who might be interested in promoting math learning.

 

promoting math learning. I don’t promote math learning?

I am have busted my tail to create a project that promotes math learning that will be shared with Career and Technical teachers so that they might promote math learning. I am busting my tail to make sure that this project sparkles so I can, get up in a week at 3 am, drive for 3 hours and share this project with math teachers from across my state so they can be promoting math learning in their classes and so my principal can brag on how well his school is promoting math learning. I will also share it with the conference leader who will take it back home and use it to promote math learning across the entire country.

I also serve on the literacy committee. Where it is my task to make sure that even with literacy our school is promoting math learning. I also attend a monthly conference of literacy to see how we as math teachers in this school can use literacy to better promote math learning.

I teach at the local community college in the evenings so that I am promoting math learning to adults, not just children.

I am in my classroom every morning at 7am so that I can better help my students and promote math learning. I offer to be in my classroom everyday at lunch so that I might better promote math learning. Twice a month I surrender my lunch in whole so that I can tutor any student in the entire school and promote math learning.

Man I wish I could share this with her! I would like to see her list! Considering I teach 1 more math class a day than she does (2 if you count the college). I also have almost 40 more math students than she does and I have taken about 4 of her students this semester who did feel as if she was promoting math learning.

Okay I think I am done now, but this could come up again, beware!