Classroom Biz

classroombiz is moving...

2009-04-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

Three years after making the move from the classroom to the administrative office and 2 school districts later, I've decided to move and rename my blog.
classroombiz.blogspot.com is now middleschoolap.wordpress.com.

Does this mean that I'm going to blog more often (or with greater intelligence, insight, and overall readability)?

I doubt it. But here we are, anyway.

See you at the new place!

(cross-posted at middleschoolap.wordpress.com)

No way it's only Wednesday!

2009-02-04T21:24:00.000-08:00

Oh. My. God.
This is really the only way I can describe my day: INSANITY!
It's been busy this week, and that's fine. I work as a school administrator, and know it gets busy. Beyond that, I've chosen to work in middle school, which comes with it's own set of issues. But today was just incredible.
I'll summarize quickly:
Suspensions (out of school): 12
Suspensions (in school): 15
1 fight. 2 kids throwing stuff into traffic. 9 kids with gunpowder-based noisemakers ("poppers"). 1 kid cursed at a custodian, then accused him of grabbing him. One kid lighting matches in class. Then there's the soccer games after school, the pep rally during lunch, the evening basketball games, the call to Child Protective Services, and the metal comb with the pointed handle (in the possession of a kid who was nearly expelled earlier this year!)
And it's only Wednesday.
Friday cannot come soon enough.

Give the man a chance, please.

2009-01-18T22:50:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is inauguration day, and odds are you are view this event with either a) great joy or b) serious apprehension.
If you are in group b, I'll ask you one thing: give the man a chance, please.

We've all heard the reasons why people would be concerned about what's going to happen to the country under our next President (we heard them all summer during the campaign!):

It's the end of our capitalist system! The man's a Socialist!
He's a corrupt crony-ist! (What President hasn't surrounded himself with friends and allies?)
Taxes, taxes, taxes!
Inexperience: he's never been a player on the world stage.
He's not a born American citizen! He's a Muslim! He's a serial killer who will murder us in our sleep and eat our livers!

Ok, maybe I made up that last bit, but these political topics get kind of heavy sometimes, and I felt the need for some levity!
I'm not going to argue these points; time will tell. It wouldn't be the first time that the American people have put their faith into a political leader, only to be disappointed. (Polk, Hoover, Nixon, and Clinton come to mind as examples.)

But, no matter how you feel about President Obama, I defy you to prove to me that things should remain the same, that we are not desperately in need of changes. 8 years ago, after all, we had a similar event. Since then,

We've fought a (unnecessary) war resulting in thousands of deaths
We've seen a huge increase in the cost of living as a result of that war (Gas prices, people, impact the cost of everything, from postage to potatoes).
We are perhaps at the onset of next great depression
We are in the middle of a housing crisis brought on by both political parties, Liberals trying to allow more people to own homes, Conservatives failing to reign in run-away corporate greed.
Unemployment on the rise as a result of all of the above.

Not all of this is the fault of President Bush. The Constitution's authors were wise enough to create a system of government where it takes a whole bunch of people working together to really screw things up, after all. But when the ship sinks, it's generally the guy at the helm who gets the blame. I respect President Bush, and believe he's done what he's done with a genuine belief that he was doing the best for the nation, but I'm glad his time is over.

We are about to experience the peaceful transition of power from one chief executive to another for the 44th time in our nation's history. This is truly an amazing thing, and there are many places around the world where it simply doesn't happen. Sometimes the results have been good, others not-so-good, but we, as a nation, have survived them all. We have entered each presidents' administration with the same 2 outlooks, never knowing what is to come and either hoping for the best or fearing the worst. I don't know on which side you fall, dear reader, but realize one thing: we have never, in the history of this great country, made progress by working against one another. Never.

Let us keep our discourse civil, our minds open, and our focus on our common goal no matter the label we attach to ourselves, liberal or conservative, libertarian or socialist. We, all of us, want the same thing: a prosperous and secure country to call home, one we can point to with pride and say, out loud, "I am an American!" We may measure these things differently, and we may vehemently disagree on the path we take in pursuit of our goals, but it is our diversity that makes us great, and at the end of the day we are really less different than we are similar.

Give him a chance. He's got the job now, whether you like it our not. Give him a chance to prove you wrong. You may be surprised, or you may be right, but either way, he is the lawfully elected President of the United States, and deserves the opportunity.

I'd have given Senator Mc Cain the same.

A Quickie!

2009-01-07T22:07:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to make a quick observation, one that was beyond the 140 character limits of Twitter:
I've been participating in a 365 Photo challenge, in which one takes, and posts to a blog or to Flickr, a photo per day every day of the year. This is my first time doing so, and I'm really enjoying it!
Once upon a time, back when photographers used film, I fancied myself a bit of a photographer. When I was in 7th grade, I won an Honorable Mention at the Los Angeles County Fair for a picture I'd taken. We even had photo as an elective at my middle school, and I took several years of photo classes through high school and into college.
In the end, though, it was never destined to be more than a hobby for me. And that is completely OK.
Now, though, as I participate in this project, I find myself looking at the world a little differently. I look around, at school, at home, during my commute, and wonder what would make a good picture. I've taken to snapping pictures from time to time, just for the fun of it, and look forward to time when I think there will be cool photo opportunities.
I have to admit, it's fun!
I'm not sure where this will lead, but for the moment I'm enjoying this medium of creative expression for the sake of creation, and encourage you, gentle reader, to participate yourself.

Go ahead. It's fun!

7 Things

2009-01-06T19:21:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by Chris Bell with the 7 Things Meme that's circulating of late, and far be it from me to decline such an invitation!
So, here's how it goes:

The Rules:

Link your original tagger(s), and list these rules on your blog. Or how about Tweeting them to break the rules?
Share seven facts about yourself in the post - some random, some weird.
Tag seven people at the end of your post by leaving their names and the links to their blogs.
Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs and/or Twitter and/or Plurk.

And all about me:
1. I've run 2 marathons, several 1/2 marathons, and more 5- and 10K races than I can count. I'm not fast, not by a long shot, but I do like to run. Unfortunately I don't have the time to dedicate to training (my expanding waistline can attest to that!), so I don't run nearly enough any more. Always trying to get back to it, though.

2. I am a pretty good cook. I can usually manage to create a decent meal from pretty much anything we have in the fridge, and if given time and ingredients I am even fairly creative in the kitchen. Alas, this is another thing I have too little time to do as much as I'd like.

3. My wife and I met via the Internet. Not that big a deal these days, but this was back in 1996! We met via Net Girl on AOL and have been together for 13 years, married for 11 in May. Funny thing about this? When we met we lived about 8 miles apart, but found out that 1) she had done temp work at the same company my mom worked for while in college; 2) had gone on a ski club trip with my sister in high school; and 3) we had both lived in San Diego for a time. Obviously we were destined to meet!

4. I am allergic to cats. Nothing against them, but can't be around them for too long. My wife, being a cat person, has borne this cross for me, and I admire her strength!

5. My first job out of college, once I quit my waiter/bartender job, was as manager of a coffeehouse (NOT the one with the green mermaid!). There I cultivated my tastes in expensive, fully-flavored products; good coffees, red wines, big beers, and cigars.

6. Yes, I enjoy the occasional cigar. Not my proudest vice, but not a bad as some. Between my first teaching job and the aforementioned coffeehouse job, I worked at a tobacco shop, and it's probably for the best that I don't any longer! Way too easy access to temptation!

7. I am one of 6 educators in my extended family: Myself, my wife, my sister, her husband, my sister-in-law, and my mother-in-law are all in education. Not so odd, particularly, but this is given the fact that neither of my (or my sister's) parents went much beyond a high school diploma. While they are not highly educated themselves, they produced children who between them hold 3 masters degrees and a National Board Certification. I am very proud of them!

Now, to whom do I pass along this honor?
Tom Haughton
David Feliciano
Ms Cornelius
Scott Elias
Diane Main
Ken Shelton
Mark Wagner

Ok, I've done my part! Enjoy!

What they didn't teach me in my admin program

2008-12-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

I'm nearly 1/2 of the way through my third year as a school administrator, and still love what I do. Lately, though, I've been thinking about the details of my job and wondering where I've learned how to do what I do.
For the uninitiated, becoming a school administrator is a similar process to becoming a teacher: a specialized training program where you are taught the theories and legal specifics of school leadership, and perform fieldwork to familiarize you with the day-to-day aspects of the job. Upon completion, you are certified by the state to work in an administrative capacity, deemed fully capable to manage a school.
I assume the majority of my readers have been through teacher credentialing programs, and direct this question towards them: How ready were you, your first day in the classroom, for actual teaching?
Yeah, that's what I thought. I hope you didn't spew coffee all over your monitor while you laughed at that.
Admin programs, at least the one I went through, do an admirable job of providing the theoretical foundation for school administration, but fall short of really getting one ready for the day-to-day dirty work, in much the same way that teaching programs fail to get teachers ready to actually run a classroom.
Some of the things I wish my program could have taught me:
1) How to interview a naughty kid
This sounds like it should be easy, but it isn't. Some kids will break down in tears at the first questions, others will look you right in the eyes and lie/blame others/deny knowledge of anything related to what you're asking about. To get to the bottom of things, you need to have a variety of questioning techniques at your disposal- the "I'm just here to help you out" technique, the "in-your-face-'you'd-better-come-clean-now'" approach, the "long, uncomfortable, staring silence" approach to name just a few. None of these were taught in my admin program- I had to learn them on-the-job.
2) When to give in to a parent demand and when to hold firm
This is a tough one, and it varies from situation to situation. There are easy ones, like "Little Timmy chose Home Ec as his preferred elective, but all his friends are in Band. I want you to switch his elective, even though it will whack out his entire schedule!" (No, sorry, but electives don't drive the master schedule. I'll be happy to make that change at the semester, though.) Some are much harder, like "Timmy is having trouble with one of his teachers. I don't want to talk to the teacher about the issue, but I want him moved to another class, and if you don't I'm going to the school board!"
3) When to give into a teacher demand and when to hold firm
Same as the situation above, but substitute "I'll go to the union!" for "I'm going to the school board!"
4) Student A is having a conflict with Student B, and Students C through R all have something to say about it.
Sometimes your office is just WAY too small for everyone you need to see.

These, among others, are the challenges of the job I don't feel were really addressed during my professional preparation, despite an otherwise excellent administrative credentialing program. Over the last 2 1/2 years I've developed some proficiency in dealing with these situations, but it would have been nice to have had some advance preparation before I started the job.

Other school administrators, what do you think? School admin wanna-bes, what do you think you need to know before you join the "dark side?"

It's not against the law to be old!

2008-12-10T21:03:00.000-08:00

I'm pretty sure our students look at us like this sometimes...

School reform is...

2008-12-10T16:40:00.000-08:00

...like building airplanes in the sky!

Find more videos like this on The League Learning Network

I love this video, especially the orange juice part.

What is our motivation?

2008-12-07T20:04:00.001-08:00

I attended the California League of Middle Schools (CLMS) technology conference in Monterey, California this weekend. This was an awesome experience, an opportunity to learn and mingle with some really cool people, and I enjoyed myself enormously.

The conference, however, is not the subject of this post.
The real subject of this post is a realization I had on the flight home.
As the plane approached Los Angeles, I was looking out the window at the landscape below. I don't live in LA, but being a Southern Californian the scene was at least somewhat familiar- rows of orderly streets, houses neatly laid out in blocks, swimming pools in many of the yards.
As we flew over the LA River, however, I noticed something. Well, it's not completely accurate to say I "noticed" it at this time, because it's something I've seen hundreds of times in the past: graffiti painted on the concrete walls of the river channel. Nothing terribly offensive, true, but still my first thought was, "[Expletive] taggers! Why do they have to do this? Are they so arrogant that they think everyone needs to see their names?"
Then it hit me: taggers have the same motivation for what they do as bloggers!
"Wait a minute!" I can hear you say. "Taggers are vandals, they destroy public and private property! It's against the law! Bloggers don't do that!"
True, and I certainly didn't mean to imply that bloggers are equilivant to taggers. I only meant that they have the same fundamental motivation behind their actions- a belief that they have something worth while to say and a desire to let that voice be heard.
While we have decidedly different approaches to realizing this desire to be heard, the essential motivating factor is the same. I would much rather see taggers utilizing a less-criminal outlet for their expressive desires, but understand now what it is they are trying to accomplish, which is the same thing I am trying to accomplish right now; make my voice heard. I don't agree with (or, quite frankly, understand) most of what taggers "put up," but neither do I agree with, or understand, a lot of what other bloggers post, but I now believe that we are all engaged in the same basic activity, and I think, the next time I see tagging, I'll be less likely to respond the same way I did today. I'll understand the intention, and complain about the execution.

Star-struck!

2008-11-18T19:51:00.001-08:00

I had a training session today.
As part of my ongoing professional growth, I'm taking a series of classes known here in California as AB 430 training, in order to "clear" my administrative credential. These classes are at the the Los Angeles County office of Education, and the curriculum is mandated by the state legislature.
I have no objection to any of this- I'm a big fan of professional development, and realize that, as a professional in the employ of the state government, there are certain hoops through which I must jump.
But the point of this post is this: during one of my sessions today, I was provided with a list of resources in the area of educational technology, and on that list were the names Kathy Schrock, David Warlick, and Bernie Dodge.
Many of you are, no doubt, familiar with the work of these individuals. As a matter of fact, I've been followers of theirs since before I even considered going for an administrative credential.
When I finished my training for the day, I posted on Twitter that their names were included in the list of resources I'd received, and that, as I was a follower of theirs on Twitter and had even corresponded with them directly on occasion, I felt kind of special that they were already parts of my Personal Learning Network.
But the part that made me blush like a 12-year-old girl meeting the Jonas Brothers was the fact that within a few minutes of my Tweet, Bernie Dodge responded, with a direct message, that the honor was his.
Wow.
I've said this before: the blogosphere, and by extension the twitterverse, is a place where the run-of-the-mill-Joe like me can rub shoulders with the celebrities of the educational technology universe.
Gotta say, that makes me feel pretty good.

An Open Letter to my Teachers

2008-10-14T21:12:00.000-07:00

I sent this as an email to my 6th grade team today.

I'm still pretty new at my school, and we're in the "getting to know you" stage of our professional relationship. During one of the goal-setting conferences I conducted this year, one teacher mentioned some concerns/confusion she had regarding the discipline I'd handed out to a student she'd referred to me, and said it would be a good idea if I spoke to the grade level to bring them into the loop, as it were, with regards to how I planned to handle things. I couldn't make it to their meeting today, but still wanted to address this teacher's concerns, realizing that they were likely shared by others in the grade level.

Here's what I came up with, my disciplinary philosophy in a nutshell. I'm still going to meet with them, but I wanted to get this out there sooner rather than later.

What do all y'all think?

______

I don’t have a behavior/consequence checklist to follow, where “If student exhibits behavior A, he/she is issued consequence B.” In each student contact, I take into account several things, in no particular order:

What is the student’s past disciplinary history?
How much information has the referring teacher provided me?
How has the referring teacher dealt with this student’s behavior in the past?
Has this particular behavior been an issue in the past?
Was the behavior provoked by another student?
What was the motivation for the behavior?
Is the student one with a disability?
Does that disability have an impact on their behavior?
Does the student seem honest?
Are they remorseful for their behavior?
What impact has the behavior had on the others in the classroom, including the teacher?

Balanced with these, among other factors, are my overall goals in any student disciplinary situation: to assist students in stopping an undesired behavior and to support teachers as they perform their jobs. While attempting to reach these interrelated goals, I have to decide:

Does the behavior require a consequence?
How much of a consequence is appropriate?
What does the teacher who referred this student want to see happen?
Will this consequence have the desired impact on the student’s behavior?

Obviously, many of these require a judgment call on my part, and while I feel confident in my abilities and my experience with middle school kids, I will, on occasion, make an error. I may misjudge the impact of a particular behavior on your classroom, or I may be unaware of a student’s behavioral history in your class. These errors or misjudgments on my part may leave you feeling that I’m “too soft on the bad kids,” or “taking their side against us.”

I believe you will agree that allowing this sort of feeling to go unresolved is poisonous for the working relationship we need, but I have a cure to suggest: Come talk to me. Ask me why I responded to the situation the way I did, and I will be happy to tell you. Let me know when you think I dropped the ball, and I will either tell you why I don’t think I dropped it, or I will correct the situation. Either way, I want you to bring your concerns to me before you start trashing me in the lounge (There will be plenty of time for trashing me in the lounge after!) I don’t guarantee that you’ll like my response, any more than I promise I’ll like what you have to say, but open communication is vital.

Thanks very much for what you do for kids, and for allowing me the opportunity to support you while you do it.

It's a great day for teachin', Bob!

2008-10-14T16:35:00.000-07:00

I was watching the Red Sox get pounded by the Rays yesterday, and at the end of the game the usual expert panel post-game show came on. Cal Ripkin was one of the commentators, and I was reminded of all the retired pro athletes who do the color commentary and post-event analysis of sporting events.
Then the thought struck me: Wouldn't it be cool if retired teachers did running commentary and post-lesson analysis for current teachers? Imagine this scenario:
"We're joined in the studio by Mrs. Johnson, former 4th grade teacher at Jefferson Elementary School, to help us analyze Mr. Simmons' math lesson for today. Welcome, Mrs. Johnson."
"Thanks, Bob, I'm glad to be here. Mr. Simmons did an admirable job today in the math trenches. Let's go to the tape... Here we can see him introducing 2 column multiplication to his students. Watch as he goes to the whiteboard..."
"But what about here, Mrs. Johnson, when Simmons obviously missed little Timmy sneaking a peek at the answers in the back of the book before he raised his hand to answer?"
"Well, Bob, Mr. Simmons is only a 2nd year teacher, and Timmy's been pulling that same trick since 1st grade. Fortunately, Simmons has Suzie in his class, and we all know what a great undercover agent she is. Watch here, she's raising her hand and pointing at Timmy and his book! He's totally caught!"
You get the idea.
ESPN, I'm waiting for your call offering me the executive producer job for this one.

First one of the year

2008-09-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

I suspended my first student of the year today, in fact the first student at our school to be suspended this year.
I report this with no particular happiness- I take no joy in suspending kids, but simply as a fact. It happened.
Now, do I think suspending this particular student is going to have any positive impact on him or his desire to reform his behavior? Not particularly. But I'm not sure how many other options I had available to me.
Allow me to explain:
After school on Friday, this young man made, in front of me, a teacher, and a parent, what appeared to me to be an obscene gesture towards another student. I asked him to come over to me to discuss the issue, and was met with typical early-teen attitude and denial. My intention at the time was to give a brief "don't-do-that-here-again" lecture, but he continued with the attitude and started to walk away. I followed and told him to come back, but he continued to walk off. I said, "I'm not going to chase you, but I will see you on Monday," giving him a last chance to return without any serious consequence, but to no avail. I tracked the student down through a little detective work and found he had a history last year of similar behaviors.
Now, the question is, did I do the right thing to suspend him from school? (1 day, for those who are wondering).
My situation, I feel, limited me a bit:
1) I'm new at the school this year, so I am establishing my credibility with students, teachers, and parents alike at this point.
2) This incident took place in public, in front of parents and other students.
3) The student had a history of similar behaviors.

Number 3, more than the other 2, made up my mind for me. Had this been a first-time kind of thing, I would have chosen another consequence, but didn't feel like I could under the circumstances.

What would you have done?

Where to find the time?

2008-09-05T20:13:00.000-07:00

It isn't that I haven't had anything to say for a while, it's more that I haven't had the time, or the energy, or the time when I've had the energy, or the energy when I've had the time.

Yeah, that makes sense.

Now, though, I've got both energy and time, but no coherent thoughts to put down. That, however, is no obstacle to an intrepid blogger, so I shall press onward and upward, like Sir Edmund and his Sherpa.

Good Lord, what am I talking about? "Sir Edmund and his Sherpa?" Did I really say that? God, I am such a dork.

So here, then, are a few random thoughts from the last few weeks:
Geez, now I've abandoned the whole grand literary style for an Andy Rooney-type thing? Do I have an original thought left in my head? And speaking of Rooney, what's the deal with this external-italicized-internal-dialogue crap I'm doing here? I must have completely lost it.

The RNC. One word: Scary. Republicans have run out of ideas on how to improve the country, so they are reduced to attacking others. Nothing original, just bash the other guy.
Gas prices. Lower, which is good. Still way too high, and likely never to return to the $2 range (which, coincidentally, seemed outrageously high not too long ago.) We're used to paying more, and the oil companies will NEVER drop them that low again.
Cub Scouts. I spent 4 days with my 8-year-old son on Catalina Island at Scout camp. We had a lot of fun, but the best part was building the next phase of our relationship, one that's open and sharing. That's not easy for me, but I liked it.
My new job. I like it. A lot! I liked my old job, too, and I don't want to disparage my old district at all, but I'm really enjoying my new assignment. Especially now the kids are back at school. For a while I was spinning my wheels without much to really do. Lots to learn, but little to do. That's all changed now!

OK, better now, but still kind of weird. I mean, is this blog about education, politics, economics, or parenthood? What is the audience you're trying to reach here, anyway. And, seriously, this dialogue thing is getting old. Knock it off.

Blogging/blog reading. Haven't done much of either lately. I've spent some time on Twitter, mainly reading other's tweets and posting my own occasional update, but I have not spent much time reading other blogs or working on this one. I skim the titles in the RSS feeds occasionally, but don't do much reading beyond that. And unfortunately, I don't think that's going to change much soon.
I'm considering EdD programs in my area. Suggestions? I'd love to do USC or UCLA, but I don't want to drive into LA every week for the next three years. CSUF, APU, UCI, maybe even an online program. I want one with a good reputation that provides a vaild experience, but at the same time respects my time as someone with a demanding full-time job.

That's about all for now- I think that takes care of most of the mini-ideas that have been floating around in my head.
Hope you've enjoyed reading!

Still around...

2008-08-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

Been busy lately, and no time to blog. I'll be back soon, I promise!
If you truly miss me, follow me on Twitter (see the sidebar).

Club Two-Oh

2008-08-05T10:07:00.000-07:00

I'm in!
Classroom visits are, without a doubt, one of the key responsibilities of a school site administrator. Why, then, is it that we make them so infrequently?
Yeah, it's easy to say, "Oh, I had to do [trivial BS-du-jour], and didn't have time!" but let's face it: if you're not in classrooms, you're not doing your job. Simple as that.
I'm as guilty as any other busy AP of relegating this critical, but easily postponed, aspect of my job to the bottom of my to-do list, but no longer. I am, here before God and the Blogosphere, committing myself to visiting 20 classrooms per week, thanks to Scott Elias' example.
I'll post updates here and via Tweets as the school year progresses. I make no promises of success, but certainly promise to try!

iPhone?

2008-08-03T14:39:00.000-07:00

I have recently learned that my new school district has iPhone 3Gs for issue to administrators. Cool, no?
When the iPhone first came out last year, and with all the hype of the 3G's release in July, my initial reaction was, "Nah, I'm happy with my Palm and my current cell provider." Yeah, the iPhone did a lot of really cool things, and its "WOW!" factor is undeniable, but I really didn't feel the need for one. I even took pride that my usual "Gotta-have-the-bitchin'-new-toy" reaction was supressed. After all, my Palm was still new and functioning just fine, I didn't need access to the 'Net while out-and-about all the time, and I had no problems with Verizon, so I really couldn't justify to myself (let alone the Mrs.!) spending $400 on a new cell phone.
Then, last week, I heard about the iPhones from the district. Other administrators had already received theirs, and took great pleasure in flashing them around at a meeting we attended. My covetous urges started to emerge, and, all of a sudden, I WANTED ONE! My fellow AP and I felt left out, excluded from the party all the cool kids got to go to, and we wanted in.
That particular feeling hasn't gone away yet, and I'm really looking forward to getting my hands on one of these things, but I'm starting to ask myself, "What's the big deal? How is this going to change my day-to-day existence as a middle school administrator?" I realize that potential exists with this tool, but I need some guidance and direction. How do I use the iPhone to make my life easier? Why do I need this, above and beyond wanting it?

Digitally fluent, but I still have an accent.

2008-07-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

I was reading through my blogroll recently and saw a title that piqued my interest, David Warlick’s 2-cents worth post, “r u Reading Across a Generation Gap?” It was an interesting look at the current debate over what really constitutes literacy in the digital age, but what I noticed most was the title, specifically the “r u” part of it.

I’m sure everyone immediately identifies this as text messaging shorthand, ubiquitous among teens and young adults as they txt, IM, even comment on one another’s MySpace pages. Now, I’m not getting involved in the debate over the decline in the adherence to grammatical conventions by students or the value of this type of communication; I’m just acknowledging its prevalence and confessing that I can’t bring myself to use it. Maybe I’m old-fashioned with regards to my written expression, but I have to use capital letters, correct punctuation, and spell complete words when I text or Tweet. I know, it sets me apart from many others using this technology, but I can’t lose my digital “accent,” at least not without conscious effort. Oh, I may drop in a “where r u” or a “do u want me 2” every now and then, but to me it feels, I don’t know, just wrong.
Fortunately for me, I don’t correspond with students over txt or IM too frequently, so my awkwardness with this new language isn’t too apparent. (It has been commented on, though. “Wow, Mr. C, you write so formally! Yes, child, I know.) And, while it may take me a few extra seconds to send a message, I don’t feel like this malady has really impacted me in any negative way. Hey, maybe it’s not a bad thing, after all. Maybe I can be the spearhead of a new, Luddite-esque linguistic movement, in the same vein as an older family member of mine who refuses to surrender her rotary telephone!
Seriously, I don’t think my digital accent is really a bad thing. What would be a bad thing is if I didn’t use these tools, if I refused to make the attempt to learn this new language, even if I never learn to speak like a native.

Now for something completely different.

2008-07-20T10:20:00.001-07:00

A teacher asks her students if they're Yankees fans. All of the hands go up except for one student.
"Okay, Bobby. What team are you a fan of?"
"The Red Sox."
"Why's that?"
"Well, my parents are both Red Sox fans, so I'm a Red Sox fan too."
"That's not a good answer, Bobby. If your parents were both morons, would you be a moron too?"
"No, that would make me a Yankees fan!"

An Existential Crisis (Sort Of)

2008-07-14T20:00:00.000-07:00

I had an interesting conversation with my wife the other day about "THE FUTURE."
Now, it wasn't the kind of conversation you might be thinking, where she confronts me, a la Twisted-Sister-video-adult-"what-do-you-want-to-do-with-your-life?" This was more of a, "So, what's next?"-type of thing, and it raised some questions within myself.
First, a little background: I was a classroom teacher for 9 years, and while my colleagues and administrators might have described me as excellent or outstanding, I never really felt like I was that great. Sure, I knew my subject matter, I like kids, and didn't have huge classroom management problems, but I always felt like I could do better. I don't know if that's a result of insecurity with my abilities, low self-esteem, or an awareness that one can always improve, but I never fully felt comfortable with the praise of others.
During my teaching career, I earned a master of arts degree in educational technology (from a school where I really felt like I worked for the degree and deserved it, not a pay-for-advancement-on the pay-scale kind of place), and started providing tech support and some staff development at my school site. I received a stipend for this service, as well as spots on school- and district-level leadership committees. I felt comfortable doing this, and thought this might be the direction in which my future lay, a "tech guy" at a district, or even county, office.
A few years passed, and my classroom teaching experience began to decline. I was getting burned out, and didn't have the mental energy to devote to innovation in my teaching. Fortunately, I recognized this condition before it was too late, and knew I had to make a change, to get out before I became toxic to the kids and to the school as a whole. I went back to school again, and earned a masters in educational leadership and administrative credential. I felt that I could still make a positive impact on the lives of kids without grinding myself down in the classroom, a place I was no longer happy. I hadn't given up on the idea of a "tech guy" position, and in fact felt I was becoming more qualified be getting site administrative experience.
The doubts began to creep in, though, as I followed edubloggers, people like Bud Hunt, Kathy Schrock, Eric Langhorst, and others, who were really doing ed tech, who were innovating in the classroom and teaching others how to do it. "Do I belong with these people?" I asked myself. "Is this something I am really capable of doing?"

"Is it where I belong?"

What do I really have to offer as a leader in educational technology? Well:

I have a familiarity with what's "out there" because I keep up with trends and developments.
I understand how schools work and what teachers need, because I've been there.
I have a "big picture" point of view from my experience as an adminstrator (not to mention my experience as the husband of one!)
I have, according to my wife, anyway, an ability to explain technology to non-tech-y people.

But, I haven't really done a lot of the things that are big in ed tech now. Web 2.0 wasn't really in existence when I got my first MA, and by the time it was around I was in the throes of burnout. I used a classroom blog as a communication tool for students and parents, and tried to teach some information literacy along with the social studies curriculum, but never wiki'd, moodle'd, or podcast'd. I know about these things, but can't talk about them first-hand, can't say, "Well, in my class..." I believe these are things that are good for kids, good for schools, good for education, but I don't know that I have the "street cred" necessary for the "tech guy" job.

So, where does that leave me? As I see it, I have a couple of options:

Stick with site administration, and support my teachers as they use these tools in their classrooms. Encourage them to innovate where I did/could not. Hold them up as examples to others, and effect change that way.
Personal professional development. Attend workshops, NECCs, CUE conferences, whatever I can in order to fill in the gaps I perceive in my knowledge base, then go after that "tech guy" job. Instead of "This worked for me," say, "I've seen this work in other classrooms."
Become the leading Luddite in Southern California, fight against all technology in classrooms, and make sure my schools return to blackboards and paper-only assignments.

Honestly, I think some combination of the first 2 options is the way to go. I love what I'm doing now, and can see myself as a principal of a school in the next 3-5 years, but I don't think that's where I am destined to spend the remainder of my career. I still have 20-25 years or so left before retirement, after all, so it's way too early to settle in.
The question remains, though, "What next?" Right now, the answer is, "I'm not sure."
What do YOU think? I welcome your input.

New Job

2008-07-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

So, I started my new job last week, and, so far, things are going very well. The summer school principal element is really not that big a deal, particularly since the school principal is still around (at least until tomorrow, then she goes on vacation), and summer school kids, while not necessarily the best and the brightest representatives of the student body, are pretty well-behaved.
I've only had to deal with 2 disciplinary situations so far, one an ADHD 7th grader who poked another kid with a pointy piece of plastic he found on the ground (he got a 20-minute detention and a lecture to behave himself), and an 8th grade girl who socked a boy sitting next to her in the groin, then lied to my face about what had happened (she's done for the summer). Pretty typical middle school stuff, and nothing I haven't done before.
I've spent some time getting to know the campus and some of the staff, and have enjoyed going out to lunch with the principal and the other AP as we begin the process of bonding our admin team, but otherwise haven't really had much to do. That, I know, will change, but I am taking advantage of the slower pace for now!
I will, gentle reader, keep you posted as things develop.
Assuming, that is, that there are any readers of this blog. Could you comment, just once? Say something like, "Hi!" or "Hey there!" just to let me know I'm not blathering off into Cyberspace for no good reason. Please?

Roundup

2008-06-29T15:02:00.000-07:00

A few odds and ends...
* Got the new MacBooks (had a neighbor sign for them since they arrived the day we went on vacation, despite the expedited shipping. See earlier rant here.) So far, very happy with them. Still adjusting to the differences between them and the PCs we're used to, but nothing too difficult.
* Speaking of vacation, the Grand Canyon was, well, grand! (That's our tour guide, Oscar.) If you are interested in visiting, I recommend the Grand Canyon Adventure through the Auto Club. We drove from SoCal to Williams, Arizona, stayed overnight at the Grand Canyon Resort, then took the Grand Canyon Railway to the Canyon (about 2 1/2 hours away), stayed at the Maswik Lodge, then back to Williams. GCR works with the resorts, so we didn't have to worry about any luggage on the train; it was waiting in our rooms when we arrived at the Canyon and again back in Williams.
The staff on the train was great; we upgraded to a first-class coach (air conditioned, nicer seats, complimentary soft drinks and snacks), and the hostesses in our coach were full of personality. There was Southwestern-themed entertainment on both trips, and complimentary sparkling wine or apple cider on the way back, not to mention a train robbery!
If you do take this trip, some advice: 1) Upgrade your seats on the train- More room, more comfortable, and a nice experience. 2) Skip the included meals at Max and Thelma's buffet in Williams (this is a Grand Canyon trip, not a culinary adventure, and the food included isn't great.) Instead, walk 5 minutes into town and have your meals there. This is small-town America at its finest, right there on Route 66. And the Pale Ale at the Grand Canyon Brewery is pretty good! 3) Bring money for tips- the coach hostesses, entertainers, and train robbers all have a hand out.
We travelled with our own kids (boys aged 5 and 8) and another couple and their son (8 years old). The boys had a great time, and the adults enjoyed themselves, too!
* I start the new job on Tuesday. Looking forward to it, but would have liked a little more time between this one and the last. Oh, well!

Wow!

2008-06-23T16:27:00.000-07:00

I just came back from a presentation by Dr. Anthony Muhammad, a Professional Learning Community consultant, and WOW!
I've been through PLC presentations before, and think it's a fantastic model. I've even seen the DuFours themselves, twice, and find them to be engaging and motivating speakers. Dr. Muhammad is a DuFour disciple and presents many of the same concepts, but specifically from a middle school point of view, and is just as engaging and motivating as his mentors.
The reason for the title of this post, though, is the concept of the developmental stage of middle schoolers that he presented.
(In fairness, he did not present this as his own work, but I don't remember the researcher he credited with it. My apologies for the sloppy scholarship, but it was a very compelling piece of information and I focused more on the concept than the name of who came up with it. Sue me!) The gist of it is this:
When children are born, they are defenseless and totally dependent on others for their basic needs. At the age of 1 or so, they become what we call Toddlers, and begin to explore their world by walking, touching, grabbing, etc, and being talking. During this process, they are trying to find out what their socially-appropriate limits are in terms of their behavior, and take their cues for what is and is not appropriate from the adults around them. For example, a 2-year-old may tell his or her mother "NO!" when directed to stop playing with a particular toy, and in doing so is not being defiant, but is trying to find out what he/she is able to get away with. They test the limits we impose on them physically- ever see a toddler shaking a gate at the top of a staircase? After a few years, toddlers develop into children, and we send them off to school where they continue to learn the limits society has imposed on them, and generally, they accept them.
At the onset of puberty, kids effectively revert to toddler-hood; they are once again searching for their place in society and testing their limits, only at this point, we define that "NO!" as defiant behavior and refer them to the office. We don't put up gates at the top of staircases, we tell them, "You should probably stay away from that." Try that approach with a 2-year-old, and you can expect a visit from Child Protective Services. Yet, at 12 or 13, we turn kids out of our classrooms with an admonition to "behave" themselves, but don't supervise them as they move from class to class, and then wonder why we have problems with behavior.
I am not coming close to the succinct way in which Dr. Muhammad presented this concept, but I hope you get the idea; middle school kids, like toddlers, need adults to guide them, to put up appropriate boundaries to protect their safety, while allowing them the opportunity to explore their world and develop their independence.
I don't think this is all that revolutionary a concept, but I think too many of us at the middle school level have forgotten that the students we deal with are, in effect, just tall, potty-trained toddlers.
I repeat, "WOW!"

The year has ended

2008-06-21T14:09:00.000-07:00

...And I am now 2 days away from my last day in my current position, and will spend one of those 2 days at an all-day meeting in my new district.
I'm feeling kind of conflicted at this point. On the one hand, the new position pays more and carries the title of Assistant Principal, as opposed to my current position which, while the job is that of an assistant principal, carries a title that makes everyone think I'm a guidance counselor. On the other hand, I didn't ask to leave this job (it was eliminated due to budget cutbacks, and I'm the new guy on campus), it's in the county I've spent my entire career, and where I have a good reputation. Not to mention, the school where I work now is only 3 miles from my home. That's about 15 minutes including the stop at my kids' school for drop-offs in the morning.
I've struggled a bit with this change, mainly, I think, because I wasn't really ready to make it, but instead had it thrust upon me.
I've come to terms with it, though; my new principal seems great, the new district has a good reputation in the area, and they tend to promote from within so advancement opportunities are there. My commute will be only 10 miles, which isn't bad at all by Southern California standards, and did I mention the money? That comes with an extension of my school year of 15 days, cutting my summer vacation to 2 weeks from 7.
All in all, I'm ok with the way things have worked out. Silver lining, and all that. Now I'll just make the most of it.

I'll try to keep you posted!

Dear Steve,

2008-06-16T19:38:00.001-07:00

[An Open Letter To Steve Jobs]

I have to admit, I'm a little annoyed at you. Well, more accurately, at the Apple Store.
Let me explain.
First of all, I'm no zealot in the Great OS Debates. I believe that there's plenty of room for Windows, Linux, and OSX(+) in the world of computing, each with its pros and cons. I don't believe that either you or Bill G. are supermen come to save the world of the home computer user, but instead are extremely talented businessmen who have enlisted the support of dedicated followers. I'm fine with that. You make your pile of cash, Bill makes his, and the rest of us just live with what you decide to give us. Again, no problem.
But, here's why I'm annoyed: I've decided to make the switch from Windows to Mac. It's no religious conversion, and should Bill come out with something new and super-cool I could very well switch back, but for now I'm going over to the other side.
Steve, I want to give you some money. Not just for my computer, but for my wife's as well. That's two new MacBooks I'm looking to acquire.
Now, perhaps I'm naive, but I figured if I went to the Apple Store, I'd be able to get my new machines quicker than ordering online. I wanted to upgrade from the 2 gig memory to the 4 gig, and from the 160 gig hd to the 250 gig. That's an upgrade cost of $300/machine I'm talking about.
I didn't expect that the store would have these machines lying around, retail floor rents being what they are, but I thought that I'd be able to order in the store and pick them up there in a few days. This works for me, because the Mrs. and I both work so there's no one at home to sign for new computers being delivered. I could have them sent to work, but it's the end of the school year, and I don't know for sure when they'll arrive and if either of us will still be in the office to get them, so that's not a great option either.
Turns out, you can't order at the store and pick them up later.
I told the nice young man working for you, Steve, what I wanted. He told me to order online. Even offered to show me how. "Thanks," I said, "but I've already been on the web site. That's how it is that I know I wanted to upgrade the memory and hard drives."
I know how to use a stinking web site, Steve. I've done it hundreds of times. Even to order computers, much like the Windows machine I am using RIGHT NOW to type this. If I'd wanted to order online, I would have done it and avoided spending the time and gasoline to visit your retail establishment.
Steve, I'm still going to give you my money, because I think the product you are offering is the best to fit my needs at this point in time. But you are not winning a convert; you are temporarily gaining a customer. If you want to keep me, you've got to impress me, and so far...
...that ain't happening.

Love,

Mr. C.

It's official

2008-06-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

I had the honor of being introduced to the governing board of my new school district this evening. I say that without sarcasm, honestly. I heard some very nice things said about me, which is always good, and met some nice folks. While I don't particularly want to go somewhere else, the decision was made for me by the state of the economy here in southern California, so off I go, and it's up to me to make the best of it.
Found out tonight, also, that I'll be the summer school principal at my new school. That should be an interesting experience. Never done that before, and wasn't really planning on it, but it an AP's job description it usually says something to the effect of "Other duties as assigned."
Guess this falls into that category!
You know, the part that makes me feel sorriest for myself (not a major part of my psychological makeup, but something I feel obliged to acknowledge) is the fact that my summer break has gone from something like 12 weeks as a teacher, to 7 weeks in my current job, to about 3 weeks at the most. I suppose it's time for me to grow up and have a big-boy job now.

Ka-ching!

2008-06-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

Don't want to gloat here, but...
Signed the contract at my new district today. Yeah, I'm obligated to work 15 more days each year than in my previous one, but they're paying me, get this, $11,000 more.

That, I am OK with!

Job-seeking update, #2

2008-06-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

(#2 for this weekend, anyway!)

Success! At 5:20PM, Pacific Time, the superintendent of the district I've interviewed with 3 times called to offer me a position!
While it's not exactly where I want to be, it'll do, and I'm glad to have the uncertainty put to rest before the end of this school year.
I'm sad to be leaving my current school district, and somewhat apprehensive to be leaving the county where I've spent my entire career to this point and established what I hope is a good reputation, but I know things like this happen for a reason. I'm looking forward to the new challenges things to learn.

I'll keep you posted on developments!

The Tally So Far

2008-05-31T16:24:00.000-07:00

Here's where I am at this point, job hunt-wise:
Applied: 8 districts (plus 4 more I'm in the process of working on)
Interviewed: 3 districts
Call backs: 1 district, 2 times (didn't get first opening, but called again to go after another one)
Paper-screened out: 2 that I know about for sure; may be 2 others that just aren't telling me about it.
Out-right rejections: 1 so far, but one of the jobs I interviewed for is flying again. That is NOT a good sign!
Jobs pulled by district: 1
On the current position: I spoke with the Superintendent on Thursday. He was very sympathetic, said nice things about the district's opinion of me, and that he hoped I would have a spot with them next year. Also offered to call a friend in another district and put my name in for openings they may have. I said, "Yes, that would be great!" He is waiting on some direction from the Governing Board as to how they want to see the slightly-improved budget for next year used, so I still have a chance at a my job existing next year. (Sidenote: I wonder if organizing a "Contact the Board" campaign to keep my job would work? I've heard from several sympathetic parents... Nah, probably not a good idea.)

Like I've said before, I understand the situation. It's not personal, it's personnel.But that understanding does not make this uncertainty any easier to take. I'm not freaking out over the situation, at least not yet. I figure more jobs will open as districts get a clearer picture of who's going to be where in what capacity next year due to promotions and other attrition, and I don't think I'll be too nervous until later in the summer.
My wife, on the other hand, wants to see ink on a contract before the end of this school year. I can understand that, too.

No child left behind...

2008-05-28T19:46:00.000-07:00

Except the one who really shouldn't go to college.
Something that's left out of our educational system is preparation for those careers that do not require college, that leave out those students who are not, and never will be, college bound.

Why do we think it's bad if a kid doesn't go to college? We still need carpenters, mechanics, other skilled tradesmen/tradeswomen, don't we? Can everyone be in management? Do we need 35 million stockbrokers? Why don't we offer something for those kids who would be happy to learn a trade?

What's wrong with the system?

Still have some options...

2008-05-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Well, I guess if I don't get an administrative job, I can always fall go back into the classroom: I suspect there may be an opening coming up in this neighboring district!

Still workin' it

2008-05-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

Had interview number 4 today: 3 firsts and a second. Got a call from the district where I had the second; didn't get the job I was applying for, but they want to interview me again for an opening at another school.
I have to admit, it's good for my ego that they want to try me out for another opening... I completely understand that choosing an assistant principal is kind of like choosing a pair of shoes; it's really important that the fit is right. I'm not egotistical enough to believe that my skills automatically make me fit with any principal, but I'm confident enough to think that I'll be a good fit somewhere, and the fact that they want to "try me on" with another team is a good sign.
Still, I am exhausted by this process, the uncertainty of my situation for next year, the stress of the interview process. It's hard to put my fate, over and over, into the hands of others.
I know will all work out, and I'm taking to heart the message within a book I read this year and finding the power of losing control of my situation.
I must be very powerful; I've lost lots of control!

The times, they are a changin'

2008-05-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Years ago, this sort of thing would have required a darkroom, a Xerox machine, and several hours of work. Now, what, 15 minutes?
And kids are still surprised when it happens.

Amazing.

Anybody out there?

2008-05-20T22:03:00.000-07:00

I suppose it's my own fault. I went away for a long time, and was kind of hit-and-miss for a while before that, so it's understandable that the folks who used to read/comment here have moved on.

But...

Would it be too much to ask for a comment every now and then? Someone to follow my Twitter updates (besides Senator Obama, anyway, as much as I appreciate that!)?

Not complaining, just askin'.

Oy Vey!

2008-05-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was tough.
I rode the rollercoaster of emotion. First, my colleague texted me to say that he wouldn't be in due to a sick kid. There are 3 of us assistant principal-types on campus, so normally one being out isn't that big a deal, but the other has been in state-mandated testing seclusion for the last 3 weeks and wouldn't be much help. I knew supervision was going to be my job for the day. The worst part of that was that it was Wednesday, and our schedule is all jacked up on Wednesdays for collaboration time. This is before I even set foot on campus, remember.
Then, the first thing I did upon arrival at school was sign to indicate I'd received my notice that my job had, so sorry, been officially eliminated by the school board. Not unexpected, but still, it sucked. Things improved briefly when I was able to arrange for some substitute teachers to help out with supervision, but went downhill again when I saw the pile of discipline referrals on my desk (teachers and kids both go a little nuts during testing!).
Back up: I got a call from a district I interviewed with 2 weeks ago, scheduling a second interview!
Back down: lunch duty. We normally have 2 lunch periods, 30 minutes each, with about 15 minutes in between, enough time for us to grab a bite to eat. Wednesdays, it's 2 lunch periods of 35 minutes with about 8 minutes in between. I wound up skipping lunch, thinking I'd grab a sandwich after the lunch periods ended.
Wrong.
Way down: call from a teacher: "Student X is under the influence of alcohol!" Pull Student X from class, talk to her, she's in full denial mode. I asked another person to come in and observe her, but still inconclusive.
Back up: I go back to the teacher, ask for more details, and talk to another student in the class (Student X's good friend) and say, "Do you know why I pulled her out?" He answers, "Because she had alcohol!" Call the police, they send an officer out, she blows a .007 b.a.c on the breathalizer. (By the way: this is "up" because I was able to get the answer, not because I'm glad she was drinking. Student X is a sweet kid, but very troubled.)
Down again: Student X names another kid in connection with the booze, who in turn rolls on another, but neither of those really pan out.
Up once more: another district I applied with called to set up an interview- scheduled it for 90 minutes after the other one (district offices are only 10 minutes away from one another).
Down again: Cleared out Student X and her friends, talked to parents, and headed out the door, only to find one of our kids waiting for a ride home. By this time, it's 5:30, and school gets out at 3. 10 minutes later, mom rolls up and I'm on my way to pick up kids and get ready for a cub scout meeting. Still no lunch. Teacher observation writeups/evaluations need to be signed the next day. Only one is written yet. Still need to observe one teacher. Did I mention they are due next day?
Up, finally to stay: Beautiful and patient wife says she'll take the boy to the scout meeting. I get to eat, sit down, veg out for a few minutes before I start writing evals.

Today? Much better!

Required Reading

2008-05-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

Planning on being a teacher? Especially a secondary school teacher? Here's a brief reading list:

When Young Teacher Go Wild on the Web
Washington Post article about the impact of social networking sites on the careers of teachers. This poses an interesting question: do teachers (and by extension, other school employees) have to adhere to a higher standard of behavior in their private lives because of the public nature of their jobs? Considering the technological skills of our students, I'd say yes, at least in regards to what is posted on the Internet. Let's face it: 12-18 year-olds will Google their teachers, and share on campus anything "juicy" they find out!

Teacher Under Construction: Things I Wish I'd Known!: A Survival Handbook for New Middle School Teachers
This is an AWESOME overview of teaching in a junior high! Spend 2 days reading this, and you'll save yourself 5 years worth of trial-and-(lots of) error.

EdJoin.org
If you live in California, or want to work in California, this is the first stop: a listing of jobs, by county and school district. You can even apply on-line for many of them. Unfortunately, this is not exactly a great time to be entering the profession here in Sunny CA, unless you are a special education teacher or a speech and language pathologist... those folks are in huge demand!

California Education Code
Particularly section 48900. Here in Cali, this deals with the suspension/expulsion of students. Teachers should be familiar with it, so their expectations of student discipline are reasonable.

Obviously this list could go on and on, but this is all I have for right now. I'll add to it as I come up with more material.

Gripe session

2008-05-11T20:41:00.000-07:00

My wife is an elementary school principal. I love her, and respect what she does, but, frankly, sometimes her job gets on my last nerve.
Take this weekend, for example. It's the time of year when teacher evaluations are coming due, so my sweetheart has spent the last two days at her computer working on them. I took the kids to swimming and karate, did the grocery shopping, 5 loads of laundry, entertained the kids, got them bathed and put to bed.
I know. Many readers will say, "But that's not just her job! What kind of sexist pig are you? Can't a woman have a demanding job outside the family?"
Let me make this clear: I do not resent having to do these things because I feel they are not gender appropriate; I resent it because I have to do them all the time!
My wife and I have a wonderful relationship. In the 12 years we've been together, 10 of which we've been married, we have never had a fight. We've disagreed, certainly, but never stood in the living room yelling at each other. Our relationship has been an equal division of labor since the beginning, each of us taking responsibility for the things we prefer to do. I like to cook, she doesn't like the way I do laundry, so those tasks are divided accordingly. Under normal circumstances, things run very smoothly.
But the point of this whole thing is that, for the 2 years she's been a principal (and to a lesser extent when she was an assistant principal), I've had to take on more of the household responsibilities, and from time to time it annoys me.
When our kids were first born, we would have a conversation in the morning about who was going to pick up whom from daycare. Not anymore. Now it's assumed that I will pick them up, get them home, and get dinner started. She'll call me from work and ask if I have them, but I don't know what she would do if I was to say, "Gosh, I thought YOU were going to get them! I've gone to happy hour with my friends!" (Actually, I think I know what she would say, but this is a family-friendly blog!)
Don't get me wrong: I am fully aware that this is a selfish point of view, and I don't think I would ever actually tell my wife any of this really annoyed me, because I know she feels conflicted about it already. But here, in the safe anonymity of the blogosphere, I'm willing to let it out.
Anyone else have similar stories to tell?

I'm Back!

2008-05-10T15:01:00.000-07:00

Maybe.
It's been about 1 1/2 years since I last set fingers to keyboard to post to this blog, and I'm not sure if I'll be sufficiently motivated to post regularly now, but for the moment, anyway, here I am.
It's been an interesting time since I've last posted: my wife has ridden a roller coaster of elation and frustration in her principal-ship, the boys have grown up, and I have learned a ton. A brief summary:
** Teachers are never satisfied with the discipline handed out by administrators. If you give a kid detention, they want more detention. Give her Saturday School, they want her suspended. Suspend him, they want him expelled.
** 13 is the new 16. Where not long ago kids would generally begin their experimentations with drugs, alcohol, and sex as 16- or 17-year-olds now start at 13 or 14. "Early bloomers" might start in 5th or 6th grade. Scary.
** Kids today are the "Communication Generation." (Feel free to use the term; I don't think I stole it from anyone.) Cell phones and text messaging are the modern equivalent of the notes we used to pass one another on sheets of notebook paper. Trying to ban phones from the classroom is an exercise in futility, so we need to find a way to manage them.
** It's all about relationships with people: kids, parents, teachers, community, school board, everyone. You get nothing done if you can't establish relationships with those around you.
** Junior high kids are nuts, but I love them.

I'll post again if I get inspired!

Bing said it better, but...

2006-12-22T19:03:00.000-08:00

I wanted to wish everyone in the Blogosphere a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Joyous Kwanza, Happy Hanukka, and a peaceful winter solstice!

Ahh, Memories!

2006-09-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

I've posted about my two sons here in the past. Now, I'm taking a trip down memory lane thanks to The Pig's Tales and her new little one.

My older son is 6 now, but I remember the first full day we had him at home very clearly. My wife and I had marveled at him all afternoon/evening the day before, handled him as if he were made of china, and fell in love with him more with every passing squirmy, scrunched-up face, bundled-up-like-a-burrito-in-his-swaddling minute. The next morning we put him on the changing table to change and dress him for the day. No sooner had we removed his diaper and lifted his bottom to clean him up, he let fly with a arc of liquid poop.

It didn't take us long to figure out you NEVER leave a baby completely uncovered, unless you're planning on changing the carpet and painting the walls soon.

Good times!

Honestly, I wouldn't change a minute of the time I've spent with him, or with his brother. The poop, pee, spitup, barf, snot, and sweat all wash off with soap and water (well, most of it anyway; sometimes you get a stain), but parenthood is forever. It's amazing what you are willing to deal with, if it comes out of someone you love more than your own life.

Ms. Cornelius, over at A Shrewdness of Apes, writes today about the difficulty she's had in reading books like The Lovely Bones since she's become a mom, and it's something with which I totally identify. I love CSI and shows of its ilk, but when the victim is a child, I have to switch to something else.

Anyway, I didn't want this post to become so morbid; it's intended to be a celebration, for Pigs, Ms. Cornelius, and all the other parenting/teaching bloggers out there. Enjoy your kids, and remember them when you deal with other peoples' in your schools.

There may have been a song or two about this...

2006-09-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Dealt with a student today who apparently really, really enjoyed his own company while in the classroom, if you know what I mean.

Fun stuff!

Africa hot

2006-09-05T21:38:00.000-07:00

Tarzan couldn't take this kind of hot. Bonus points if you can name the movie/book).

OK, walking around on the blacktop, wearing a long-sleeve shirt and tie, when it's nearly 100 degrees.

Not.
Fun.

Just so you know.

Whew!

2006-09-02T09:29:00.000-07:00

Three weeks on the job, three days with kids on campus, and I'm having a great time!

I've been busy, learning my new responsibilities, getting to know the staff and the kids, spending a lot of time on supervision duty, but I've enjoyed every minute. Even dealing with those parents (you know the ones!) has been a new and exciting challenge for me.

And I think that is the key... new and exciting challenges. I was, as those who have been visiting my blog for a while now may know, at the end of my productive time in the classroom. I wanted to leave before I became toxic to everyone around me, and this position has provided an opportunity to refresh and remember the reasons I got into education in the first place. And, boy, have I had some new experiences! One big one: helping Down Syndrome students, one of whom has a leg cast due to surgery and is in a wheelchair, use the bathroom.

Not that everything has been fun and games, of course. Parents in the community of my new school are inclined towards micromanagement; in fact, the first call I took on this job was a parent wanting to know her child's schedule before they were distributed so she could be sure the child was "in the right teachers' classes." This was an everyday, run-of-the-mill 8th grader. I could easily understand this level of interference if this was a special needs student, but in this case, not so much.

But overall my experience so far has been very positive. I'm having a great time learning my new role and getting to know the kids and staff, and feel good about what I'm doing.

Two weeks

2006-08-26T09:33:00.000-07:00

I've been at my new job for two weeks now, and my head is spinning. I only have a few minutes right now, but I'll blog about it soon!

What have I done?

2006-07-15T18:05:00.000-07:00

[Yawn!]
What, is it July already? How long have I been asleep? Since June 5? Wow, I must be Mr. C Van Winkle over here!

Seriously, though. My busy-ness continues unabated... a 10 page paper due on Tuesday, the wife going out of town for a conference most of next week, 2 young 'uns to take care of, and, oh, I forgot to mention: a brand new job! After 10 years in the same district, I'm moving on; I'll be the new assistant principal at a junoir high school in a district neighboring my old one. I'll also be teaching one period/day, so in addition to the new responsibilities, new district proceedures, new school personnel, new kids, I may have a new teaching curriculum to learn.

To refer to the title of this post again, What have I done?

I'm just a little nervous about all of this, but at the same time I'm excited about the possibilities. My new school is higher-performing than my last (an 843 API opposed to 703), which takes a lot of the pressure to acheive off, but adds new "keep it up, make it better" kinds of pressure. The chance to connect with kids on a new, different level is really exciting, but will I have time? How do I do it? Many things to think about...

And, throwing still another twist into the situation, I'm not the only member of the C family household to have a new job; my wife, who has been an assistant principal in the same district where I used to work (along with my sister and her husband... we owned that place!) is a newly-appointed principal, with all of its incumbent worries.

We're in for an exciting year!

UPDATE:
The little woman departed this afternoon for her conference (with some tears: it's her first time away from the kids for more than 2 nights), and the kids promptly tore the living room apart and made a fort of the couch cushions. I'm on page 5 of my 10-page paper, with 2 more days to work on it.
Fun stuff, huh?

UPDATE 2:
And no, it didn't hurt when my soul was ripped from my body as I signed my contract going over to the "other side!" :-)

What else could I do?

2006-06-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

There are some things you just don't do.
You don't bet with your heart.
You don't get involved in a land war in Asia.
And you don't ignore a request to post from Ms. Cornelius!

I've been waaaaaaaaaaaaaay busy of late, and haven't taken the time to read, let alone write, the blogs that are important to me. That's a choice on my part, not offered as an excuse, but my own personal reality. I'm working towards my administrative credential, coordinated my district's GATE program, and spent 8 days on the East Coast with 68 eighth-graders (that is a separate post altogether!), not to mention my two kids and beautiful, understanding wife. Blogging has taken a far-distant place in my priorities list.

But, Ms. Cornelius, my dear blog-friend, here you are. Thanks for keeping my in your thoughts!
And as an added bonus, here are a few pictures from my trip to the east...

A Post About Nothing

2006-04-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Um, Hi.
I'm feeling compelled to post, but don't really know what to post about. I could post about my kids, I suppose, or my wife, her job, my job, my admin credential program, even my dog (again).
I could post about current events, sports (though I'm not really a big sports fan), politics (can you say "Flame war?") or my favorite comic strip.
OK, I'll do a little of each! That'll work! First, obviously, is my favorite comic, Get Fuzzy. The charming cat is Bucky. Bucky is devious, mean, and bad tempered, like most cats. The guy in the tie is Rob. He's a rugby fan, is a vegetarian, and still overcoming a bad haircut. Not featured in this strip is Satchel, a less-than-intelligent dog who is often the target of Bucky's evil. Enjoy the comic!
Sports: I'm a Red Sox fan, mainly because of genetics (I was born in Massachusetts, moved to CA when I was 9), which can be frustrating. They're doing their usual hot/no-so-hot routine, so it's the typical Boston Rollercoaster.
The Jobs: My wife is applying for a principal's spot in our district, which I like to think she has a pretty good chance at getting. It's exciting for her, and I'm very proud! It's also kind of scary, because of the added responsibility and commitments beyond the school day.
I'm applying for an entry-level-type administrative job myself with our neighboring district. It's a high school spot, and I've been in junior high since I started, so that is also kind of exciting/scary. My resume looks good, I've got good letters of recommendation, but I don't know how often they go outside the district to fill this sort of vacancy. I just submitted my app yesterday, so we'll see.
The Kids: Awesome, as always. Both were sick last week (colds with fever) but are fine now.
The dog: no more bird incidents lately, at least that I know about, nor other small, dead creatures. She continues to delight us daily!

I'm hoping that I'll post more frequently over the next few days/weeks/months, but I can't make any promises. I haven't even read many blogs of late, so I have no clue what's going on out in the 'sphere. I'll do my best to catch up, but suffice it to say that I hope you all are doing well, and I continue to consider you my friends despite my apparent lack of interest. :-)

BK

2006-03-05T21:06:00.000-08:00

Again, this is Daisy. She's not really too smart, but she's been a good dog... soft with our kids, hasn't peed on the carpet too much, generally OK to have around.

Unless you are a bird, that is.

Yesterday, we looked out into the back yard to see our little darling with something in her mouth. Something with wings.

Eww.

I was promptly dispatched outside to relieve the dog of her conquest... no easy task, as she was quite proud of herself and unwilling to surrender the spoils of war without arguement. After some persuasion, I was able to convince her to give up the feathered prize, and she spent a few hours outside, hopefully getting the taste out of her mouth.
I don't know if Daisy did the bird in herself or found it in the yard, but the end result is the same... a formerly alive flying creature, without a head, in her mouth.

By the way; when a dog bites down on a dead/dying bird, it makes a very disturbing crunching noise. Just thought you'd want to know.

Tired... so tired.

2006-02-26T21:00:00.000-08:00

I'm worn out. Burned. Fried. Just call me crispy.

Get the idea?

This year hasn't necessarily been any harder than others. I'm not teaching any more students or more preps. I don't think the kids this year are any more challenging than the average 7th or 8th grader (which is plenty challenging as it is!).
Maybe I'm just ready for a change. I've been teaching for 9 years.; that's waaaay longer than I've ever had any job before. I still love the kids, but there's just so much crap that goes along with the job.

I'm probably just frustrated. Spring break is coming up soon... that should help.

Respond-o-Blog

2006-02-24T13:12:00.000-08:00

Polski3 Said: "Why are you district GATE coordinator? Do you get paid extra for this? I am looking for tips in helping my high achieving students (who are usually in GATE L.A. and maybe a our one "higher-level-than-the usual-basic-math-class" apply themselves more and learn more in my social studies classes."

I'm GATE coordinator as part of the fieldwork experience component of my master's degree/admin credential program. My wife actually held the position in our district last year, and "encouraged" me, in only the way wives can, to volunteer this year. I'm not getting paid any extra, although I suppose I could get the hourly rate for O.T., but I'm doing it for the experience. This year, anyway.
I see the same issue in some of my honors classes, with GATE kids who don't apply themselves. I don't know if it's because they're not being challenged, they don't want to be challenged, they're used to being successful with trying too hard, or if they don't think it's cool to be smart anymore. Unfortunately, despite my lofty title of GATE Coordinator, I'm no expert in GATE students or getting them to perform to their potential. The instructor of the class I'm taking now, though, suggested GATE contracts; students and parents agree to a certain level of performance necessary to remain in honors classes. GATE parents tend, I think, to be more involved than the average... Threaten them with being kicked out of the honors class, they may pressure the kids to do what they need to do to be successful.

Or, they may not. You may just get more parent phone calls and complaints to the principal. I don't promise success here.

More than 6...

2006-02-20T21:11:00.000-08:00

My friend Ms. Cornelius has requested more than 6 words... this is more than six. :)

Anyway, it's been a long time. An excuse? Not really. I've wanted to blog, but haven't taken the step of actually opening up Blogger to write anything. I've even kept away from reading blogs, knowing that I probably wouldn't put out anything of my own. Silly, isn't it?

Regardless, here I am now. What have I been up to? I've resumed my classes for my admin credential, taken on the role of GATE program coordinator for my district, taught my classes as best I could, and did my job as husband and father. ('Course, that last job is the most important!)

So, what have y'all been up to? I've missed you, even though my absence was self-imposed.

Hey, did anyone read the LA Times series on high school dropouts? In yesterday's paper, they had a sampling of responses to the series, one of which said, in effect, that if a pediatrician had a 50% fatality rate amongst his patients, there would be a criminal investigation, so why isn't there one when schools fail to graduate 50% of their students? An interesting point, to be sure. But there is a significant difference: kids who go to the doctor want to get better, but they don't always want to be academically successful. It's easy to say, "Oh, the schools are failing our children!" It's a lot harder to say, "Oh, our children are failing in school because they don't friggin' care!"

HE'S ALIVE!

2006-02-17T19:33:00.000-08:00

Back tomorrow. Promise.

Really.

I mean it this time!

I am a bad blogfriend

2006-01-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

I am a bad blog-friend.

I confess this with no small amount of shame, as good blog-friendship is something to which I aspire, but, alas, I can’t claim such at this point. Allow me to elaborate:

It’s been several weeks since my last post of substance. In fact, it’s been a few weeks since my last post at all, and that was just to flaunt my upcoming Vegas trip (which, by the way, was a lot of fun but expensive).

Not only haven’t I been posting to my own blog, but I’ve be lax in reading those to which I subscribe. Thus, I am well out of the loop as to the goings-on in the Blogoshpere. Even the Carnival of Education has been unable to draw me out of my inactivity.

My good blog-friend over at A Shrewedness of Apes tagged me with a meme- my very first, even- and I have yet to respond, a grievous breach of blog-manners.

What is the cause of this? Some mysterious depression? Lack of internet access? Extreme writer’s block? I am afraid that I can’t say with any certainty. My own theory is that I just got lazy over winter break, and have yet to overcome my post-vacation inertia. I hope that this post is the catalyst for a renewal of my blogging efforts, or at least gets me back to reading the offerings of my friends in the ‘Sphere.

Until then, know that I’m thinking about you and wishing you all well.

neh neh nee neh neh!

2006-01-04T21:30:00.000-08:00

I'm going to Vegas! I'm going to Vegas!
Gambling, adult beverages, cigars, and male bonding.

Life is good!

Merry Christmas!

2005-12-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to everyone!
Click on Santa and print it out for some coloring fun!
Or, for you sicker individuals, have your own caption contest (then send me the winning one!)

I'll put up with just about anything...

2005-12-18T13:09:00.000-08:00

for these two.

10 minutes...

2005-12-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

Winter break starts in 10 minutes.

My joy knows no bounds!

Thanks, Mamacita, for the trip in the wayback machine!

2005-12-10T08:42:00.000-08:00

A post over at Mamacita's place got me thinking about an experience I had:
While in college I waited tables in several resturants. One Fathers' Day I waited on a party of 6 or so, with a 3-4 year-old boy sitting in a highchair at the end of the booth (God forbid you sit at a table when a booth is open, but don't get me started on that particular nonsense!). This kid was too big for the highchair, and was fidgeting. As I delivered the drink order- I still remember it almost 15 years later: a couple of Heinekins, a bloody mary, shirley temple- this little darling grabbed the edge of the tray, causing the drinks to tip and spill all over him. I was able to keep the glasses and bottles from falling on his head, but he was drenched. Naturally, he started to cry, and the little cherub's mother asked me why I had attacked her son.
How could I respond to that?
Another server took over the table, management comped the meal for the party, and the kid's dad took him out to the car to change.
The server who finished the group told me the kid had wanted a grilled cheese or some other age-appropriate fare, but ~~monster~~ mother ordered him the steak and shrimp combo because it was free.
Nowadays, of course, these same folks and their ilk call and ask why I gave their child a failing grade, when all they did was earn a 22% for the quarter, or could I please accept the kid's work late because he had baseball practice and couldn't get to it.
Oh, well. The ability with which stupid people breed keeps me employed.

I love kids... it's just teaching them that makes me nuts!

2005-12-02T14:55:00.000-08:00

As individuals, with some notable exceptions, I like every one of my 180-or-so students this year. But en masse, they make me freakin' crazy! They assume that any time there are not actual words coming from my mouth, they have permission to talk. I then spend 3 minutes getting everyone back on task, only to be interrupted by a request to sign something, a phone call, or a p.a. announcement. Actual time spent teaching is probably 3% of the class period.
I don't blame the kids, exactly. I know that there are several things I could do, classroom management and curriculum-wise, that would make things run better. It's a matter of time and energy needed to plan and implement changes, and both are in short supply. The result is frustration for me, time wasted in class, and kids who are being short-changed. Honestly, I love my job... there are kids I am reaching, who are getting something out of the time they spend with me, but I really feel ineffective overall.
What do you do? What works?

I feel like crap.

2005-11-21T14:00:00.000-08:00

Today stinks.
I have a cold and a sore throat, it hurts to swallow and to talk. Both of my kids were sick for most of last week, and I think they decided to share with me. On top of that, we had parent/teacher confrences on Friday of last week, and talking to 75 parents didn't really help me much. I can't even plan on being out tomorrow or Wednesday, because I had to miss Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of last week for various meetings and a field trip with my kindergarten son (as a junior high teacher, this was a real eye-opener, by the way. I may post on this later.)

I just hope I feel better by Thursday, when I have to cook for 15 people.

Nothing to do with teaching

2005-11-15T20:54:00.000-08:00

Blogosphere, meet Daisy. Daisy, meet the Blogosphere.
She's not very smart, but she's a good dog. I rescued her from my campus about 7 years ago, and she's been our companion ever since. She loves our kids- after all, their spills have fed her well over the last few years- and they like having her around. All she asks of us is regular meals and occasional attention, and in exchange she gives us unconditional love.
What more could we ask for?

follow-up

2005-11-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

First of all: I LOVE the freakin' blogosphere! Teacher/Bloggers are the greatest human beings ever created/evolved/sprung from alien pods!
The other day I posted my frustration with the amount of management my classes needed. To recap, I mentioned it was more like I was a firefighter than a teacher, putting out flare-ups all period instead of teaching. It was especially frustrating becuse I started that day full of energy, ready to teach.
Today's post is mainly to thank the kind commentors, Fred, Polski3, and Lady Strathconn, for their support and kind words.
I have two sections of honors world history (7th grade), and they are just as noisy-if not more!- as the regular ed classes; the difference is they actually do their work in spite of the noise. I don't really mind the noise, so much, as long as they can be quiet when I need them to be. I like a lively classroom, when kids are engaged and active. I love answering their questions, even if they aren't necessairly on-topic; that's what teaching is to me.
The day I posted about was a particulary frustrating one, but the next few were ok. I'm not so depressed any more, thanks to the support of my friends and colleagues in cyberspace. This week will present its own challenges, and I apprecitate knowing that if I post about it, I'll have your support again.
Thanks to everyone!
J

eewwww

2005-11-09T18:44:00.000-08:00

They sucked it out of me today.

I started the day full of energy and excitement. I was going to TEACH today!

I could have, too, if it wasn't for all the blankety-blank classroom management I had to do. I'm a friggin' fire fighter, not a teacher for cryin' out loud.

Man, I'm depressed.

How could you go wrong?

2005-11-02T21:01:00.000-08:00

It's the Carnival!

It's of!

It's Education!

What more could you possibly ask?

Vote No on Everything!

2005-11-01T20:43:00.000-08:00

Ms. Cornelius over at "A Shrewdness of Apes" has commented on California's Prop 74. In a nutshell, this proposed law would increase the amount of time needed for a California public school teacher to get "permanent" status from 2 to 5 years, and would make it easier to terminate a teacher's employment.
As I commented there, I'm for teacher quality; I don't like it when other people make my chosen profession look bad through their incompetence. Teachers, like doctors, lawyers, police officers, hell, even gardners and pizza cooks, need to be accountable and held to a certain standard of performance and professionalism. That said, Prop 74, if it should pass, isn't going to help. Principals will be no more willing to let people go if they have 5 years in which to do it than if they have 2. Firing people isn't fun (I know, I've had to do it), and it's too easy to let the classroom door close and forget there's a problem. Or you give them the benefit of the doubt, or dump them on someone else who's going to be just as reluctant to fire them.
I also commented, in response to a comment by Polski3, about my general distrust of this particular election. Governor Schwarzeneggar has found himself unable to work with the state legislature through traditional methods (ie: Compromise), and is thus trying to get the public to do his legislating for him. He's using his celebrity to push through his pet agenda, at voter expense... remember: this is a SPECIAL election, not one that is normally scheduled, and is therefore an extra expense.
So, here's my advice, and I'm going to thank the Orange County, California Republican party for this (it's the exact opposite of the way they're asking me to vote in a "voter guide" I received today): Vote NO on Props 73, 74, 75, 75, 77, 78 and vote YES on 79 and 80. I'm calling it my "Screw Arnold!" ticket.

An aside: Funny story- I'm (no surprise here) a registered Democrat. Have been for many years. So imagine my surprise last year when I received a letter from the chairman of the Republican National Committee asking for a) my help in getting W re-elected, and b) money. I was tempted to fill out the survey they'd enclosed, and maybe effect some change, but then I realized that wouldn't work, so I just threw the letter away and celebrated the fact they'd wasted a few cents on postage that couldn't be used in the campaign. A month or so later, I got another letter. This one I had to respond to! I thanked Ed (I think that was the Chairman's name) for his interest in my opinions, but told him (kindly) that he was wasting his Limbaugh-loving time. Politics. Ain't it funny?

Of course it's funny... it's about poop!

2005-10-28T19:02:00.000-07:00

The Pig has an entertaining tale of kindergarten bowel control issues mixed with the always-fun parent-teacher conference. Like the title says: hey, it's poop! Of course it's funny!

80s Child

2005-10-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

Imagine the following scenario:
A group of 30-something adults sit around in a circle on folding chairs. Several are stirring coffee in Styrofoam cups. Nobody is speaking. Everyone looks a little embarrassed to be there.

The person wearing a name tag looks at the clock and says, “OK, folks. Let’s get started. Would anyone like to go first?”
One handsome fellow coughs, raises his hand. “Yes?”
“Hi, my name is Mr. C., and I’m a child of the 80s.”
“Hi, Mr. C!” responds the group.
“It started innocently enough. Not like I had much choice. After all, I couldn’t do much about the year I was born, could I?”
Low chuckles around the room.
"Anyway, when I was in high school I experimented a little, you know? Some Devo here, a little Tears for Fears there, usually just on weekends. Pretty soon, though, I was into the hard stuff. Duran Duran before school. Adam Ant between classes. But I knew I'd hit bottom when I started playing Murray Head's One Night in Bangkok over and over again. I needed help."
Murmurs of sympathy, nods of "Yeah, I've been there, too!"
"I got a little better around '91, thanks to Nirvana, flannel and Starbucks, but there was always a little voice in the back of my mind, calling to me with Wall of Voodoo and Bow Wow Wow. I was able to fight it off, though, and moved on with my life. I healed! I got married, had kids, started a career. I was ok... or so I thought.
"Then it was the '80's weekends on KROQ. "Hey, I'm just trying to relax, here! I can take it or leave it!" Denial, pure and simple."
"The real trouble started with VH1, and I Love the 80s! I'm only human! How could I possibly resist B-list celebs making humorous comments about the pop culture of my youth? It's not my fault!"
By this time, the group is starting to get agitated. Coffee cups are being crushed underfoot as thirty-somethings grab cellphones and BMW keys, heading towards the door in an angry mob. "Down with VH1! It's Not our Fault! It's Not our Fault! Death to Michael Ian Black!"
Nobody likes the 90s, do they?

Ummmmmm.....

2005-10-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

I quite simply have nothing to say. It's been a week since I last blogged here, and I don't have a single new thing to contribute to the blogosphere.

I will, therefore, exercise a level of restraint too often missing in today's society: I'll just be quiet, and refrain from adding to the meaningless noise of the Internet.

I hope I'll have something more to say soon.

Round-about commenting

2005-10-17T08:05:00.000-07:00

Today's Homework: If I Touch It, It Explodes. Graycie at Today's Homework posted about some bad luck she's had with the mechanical objects in her life, and I wanted to offer my condolences. Unfortunately, her commenting to her blog is currently limited to team members, and I'm not a team member. So, respectfully, I'll submit my comment here.

Graycie,
I would first like to offer you my condolences on the injuries and deaths of your mechanical family members. Be strong, you'll get through it.
As to your offer of long-distance voodoo on something I'd like to see "explode," I'd like to submit my school's PA system for your special treatment. The only days of peace we've had thus far this year were the two when the phone/PA system was out of order. It was truly blissful! So, if you wouldn't mind, my colleagues and I would be forever in your debt if you were to send a thought or two in its direction.

Jim

CA Social Studies Leadership Conference

2005-10-16T10:59:00.000-07:00

This weekend I attended the California Social Studies Leadership Conference, put on by McDougal Littell. It was kind of a cross between staff development and sales pitch, but an overall great conference.
Here's how it went: Friday afternoon I drove up to Marina del Rey (part of the LA megalopolis, right on the coast, for you non-CA folks) and checked into the hotel, then headed down to the first session, School Funding issues. Bottom line: not great, but not currently getting worse. Then it was adult beverage/networking time, and off to dinner. The keynote speaker was Tim Kanold, who gave a great talk on "leaving the harbor" leadership (don't sit back and enjoy your successes too long... go out and find new challenges. Ask, "Why not?") After dinner was more networking/adult beverages, and off to bed.
Next day started with breakfast and a great presentation on Standards and Assessment (read that as "high-stakes testing issues"). We then had some breakout sessions focusing on our concerns in areas of standards and assessment, readability and accessability of texts, and technology, followed by a ELL session. Lunch was a highligh: Holocaust survivor Gerda Weissman Klein spoke about her experiences and the possibilities available in this country.
The last two sessions were "curriculum solutions" (this was the sales pitch) and a very cool presentation by Bill McBride on brain-based and gender-based learning.
I had a great time at the conference. It was great to meet teachers and administrators (site and district level) from around the state. I usually only get to interact with teachers from my own county, so this was cool.
And McDougal Littell paid for it all. Conference registration, the hotel, parking, meals and adult beverages.
Certainly this is an important marketing event for them, building goodwill among schools for their own products, and also a market research opportunity (that "concerns" breakout I mentioned earlier). But I was very impressed with the overall quality of the conference. The speakers were excellent and avoided excessive reference to McDougal materials. The sales pitch was more of a showcase of the program they are offering (which looks good) than a "So, how many can we put you down for?" kind of thing.
Kudos to McDougal, and thanks for the opportunity.
And the food.

respondin'

2005-10-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

This is a response blog. In a previous post, I talked about some of the issues I am dealing with as I work towards my admin credential. Polski3 offered a comment, and instead of having my response follow in thread, I'm blogging it fresh.

My aspiration as I go through this process is to be the kind of administrator who works for the interests of the teachers and students. I've never been much of a political type, and kissing ass doesn't sit well with me. I've no aspirations for a superindendency, so I should be ok in that regard.
I truly believe that the right administrator can make a huge difference in a school, much the same way the wrong administrator can destroy morale and student success... Getting the admin credential doesn't have to mean selling your soul (I actually had an instructor in my credential progam describe it that way). It doesn't have to be an "US vs THEM" situation. Administrators can provide leadership without dominating, crushing creativity, or writing a script for every word spoken in the classroom.
The reality here for me, though, is that I'm looking for a key to open doors in the future. I don't see myself in the classroom 5 years from now. I already have a master's degree, so I'm as far over on the pay scale as I can get. I'm not doing this for the money. But if an opportunity arises, I want to have the papers necessary to try for it.
I think it's really unfortunate that so many teachers have had such negative experiences with their administrators that they have turned against the entire class of professionals. There are good administrators out there, and if more teachers were willing to become the type of administrator they want to work for,instead of just complaining about the one they have, the problem would go away.

God bless the shortstops...

2005-10-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

I was listening to ESPN Radio's The Herd this morning, and the host was telling a story about former Boston Red Sox centerfielder Nomar Garciaparra, and how he and another guy saved two women, one unconscious, who had fallen into Boston Harbor. (Read the story here.) The host, Colin Cowherd, said one of the funniest things I've heard on the radio in a long time: between New York Yankee shortstop Alex Rodriguez saving a 10-year-old boy from being hit by a car earlier this year, and Nomar's heroics, Boston now leads the nation in lives saved by shortstops.

I know, it doesn't seem funny now, but this morning I was laughing my rear end off!

It's the little things, you know?

I'm Tired.

2005-10-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

I can't wait 'til November. I need a break!
Yesterday: work, site leadership team meeting for 1:20, then off to class for another 4 hours.
Today: work, deal with stuff from leadership meeting, deal with stuff from class. Not to mention the usual "This needs to be done NOW!!!" stuff that comes up every day. And I have 2 kids at home who deserve my attention, and a wife to maintain a relationship with.
I need November... Parent/Teacher conferences (any day without students is a break!), Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, day after Thanksgiving. This haul from Labor Day to Veterans' Day is brutal.

How long should it take?

2005-10-07T19:10:00.000-07:00

Here in California, teachers need to be certified CLAD (Cross Cultural Language Acquisition and Development). I finally managed to meet the requirements to apply for the CLAD certicification and in August sent the paperwork to the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC).

As of 5 minutes ago, my application was "pending evaluation."

Come on! I sent in the application, a copy of my test scores, and a money order. How long should it take to evaluate that? Five minutes? Yet the CTC's web site says 75 WORKING days. That works out to some time in late November. I sent the application in mid-August. It's been a month and a half now, and I'm still waiting!

I understand that they have a limited budget and staff. But should it take this long? Geez!

Administators and unions; some musings

2005-10-05T21:28:00.000-07:00

As I've mentioned in this space previously, I'm currently enrolled in an admininstrative credential and master's program. This is my 9th year in the classroom, and, while I'm not really ready to leave teaching, I'm looking to open doors for the future.
Unfortunately, I'm kind of conflicted. I hear, and read here in the Blogosphere, a lot of venom directed at administrators at the school, district, and county level. Much of this I can identify with; there are many in the admin ranks who would identify with several of the points I made in my last post. But I don't think that this is necessairly an occupational hazard. I believe it's possible to be an administrator who is looking out for kids and for teachers. Adminstrators can be responsive to the needs of their school community and the demands of the county, state, and federal education agencies.
Why, then, are so many apparently not?

On a somewhat related issue: Last year, our district was embroiled in a labor dispute: we wanted more money, the district said there wasn't any. Both sides dug in. We "worked to contract." We quit doing afterschool interventions. There were "crisis" meetings. Teachers pressured, and I mean really pressured, colleagues to leave campus exactly at the contracted time. Teachers would wait in their cars in the parking lots until the contracted start time, then march through the office in unison, "United and Informed," wearing red t-shirts on Wednesdays. Teachers stood outside the campuses, and sometimes on campus, on Open House night and passed out flyers to parents. There was even a letter, formatted as a certificate of appreciation, handed out on Day of the Teacher, that was one of the most childish things I'd ever read.
You can probably tell my own position on the issue, and it leads to some of the conflict I mentioned above. I support our union. I pay my dues, I was the sole site rep on our campus for 2 years, and I honestly appreciate the efforts the union takes to improve my salary, benefits, and working conditions.
But,come on.
We want to be treated like professionals, yet when we don't get our way, we sulk like babies, throw tantrums, and act in ways we would never accept in our classrooms. How is it acceptable from us, then? Relationships with the administration of the school sites were damaged, and they had no control over anything we were upset about.
In the end, we got more-or-less what we wanted. I appreciate that. I don't think, though, the methods used were justified, or even really what led to the resolution. I dread our next round of negotiations.

Quiz: are you stupid?

2005-10-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

Ok, this isn't really a quiz, but rather a few observations I made on my drive home from work today. How many of these do you do?
Mr. C's Evidence of Stupidity
- (Men)You're over 2o years of age, yet you still wear your pants halfway down your ass
- You play your music so loud, or with the bass so high, that other drivers feel you coming before they see you coming. (If you do this in drive-thru lines, or in parking lots, you're also an asshole.)
-You really think a third party has a chance of winning a major election (Just kidding; it's not stupid, but it is naive)
-(Men again) You think the dancer in the "gentlemen's club" really is interested in you, not just your money.
-You think that yelling at service providers (waiters, clerks, etc) actually will improve the service you receive.

I know there's more. What do you think?

It's time for the Carnival!

2005-10-05T13:39:00.000-07:00

I have truly been remiss in my civic duties as a citizen, newly naturalized, of the Blogosphere. "What is my offense?" you may ask. With hesitance, reluctance, and shame, I admit that I have not yet mentioned the Education Wonks Carnival of Education in this space. As community service, undertaken in consequence of my sin, I hereby direct your attention to this week's Carnival. I hope that you, my fellow citizens, my paisans of the 'Sphere, will forgive me my lapse.

Yeah! Meetings!

2005-10-03T21:53:00.000-07:00

Had a staff meeting today to introduce the new assistant superindendent. She seems nice enough, and I've heard good things about her, so I'm optomistic. Our last asst. sup. was less-than-stellar, so it'll be easy for her to look good in comparison.
Then we had department meetings. My colleagues are passionate about what they do. (Read this as opinionated and vocally so). I was very tired at the end.

A little something for my "fans!"

2005-09-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

Howdy all! (however many of you there happens to be!)

Not much going on, but I'm feeling compelled to blog anyway, so this is going to be a disjointed series of thoughts and observations, rather than a cohesive essay.

I've started my admin credential/ masters in school admin program at Azusa Pacific University, and I'm working my tail off. It's a very cool program- cohort groups, really applicable material being taught- but it's very new. Actually, this is the first cohort group they're putting through. It's neat being part of the founding group, especially since we're modifiying the program as we go through it. The university is being very responsive and flexible. So far I'm impressed!
John Roberts is our new Chief Justice. I don't know how I feel about that. I'm an optomist, so I want to believe he'll be, as the job title implies, just. While I'm not a great fan of President Bush, and there are some things in his background that make me a little nervous, I'm going, for now, to trust in the process itself. The Founding Fathers gave justices lifetime appointments so they would be (relatively) free of political intereference. Indeed, there are justices who have moved from right to left, or at least towards the center, as their term progressed, so there is still hope. Now, about that other vacancy on the Court....
Back to School night was last night. Good turnout, parents seemed satisfied with what I had to say. No requests for schedule changes out of my class today as far as I know. I guess after 9 years I'm getting the hang of it.
We had to do some master schedule adjustment this week because of higher-than-expected student numbers. This is a good reason, but still very disruptive. I lost 2 of my 7th grade world history sections and picked up 8th grade U.S. history. I like the U.S. content better, but really like my 7th grade students. I'm sure I'll like the 8th graders, too, but I'm used to the others. Oh, well.
Any of the CA folks reading going to the Social Studies Leadership conference in Marina Del Rey next month? It's put on by Houghton-Mifflin (obviously to help sell the new book series), but the agenda looks very cool.
It's Friday afternoon, and happy hour beckons with it's sudsy siren's song! (How's that for alliteration? And I'm a History teacher!)

Take care.
Jim

WikiConstitution

2005-09-28T08:33:00.000-07:00

Check this out at The Onion. It's satire, so don't take it seriously, but I think it's hilarious!

A little politics, but I promise it won't last too long!

2005-09-26T15:21:00.000-07:00

Ok, I know the title of the blog is Classroom Biz, but sometimes we just have to go beyond our insular little world and deal with other issues. This is one of those times.

This is an editorial from the Sunday Los Angeles Times. When the story about President Bush allowing firms to pay less than the prevailing wage in Louisiana, I commented on what the outcome would likely be... more profits in the hands of large construction companies. Here's another side effect of the decision:

La Nueva Orleans

Latino immigrants, many of them here illegally, will rebuild the Gulf Coast -- and stay there.

By Gregory Rodriguez, Gregory Rodriguez is a contributing editor to The Times and Irvine Senior fellow at the New America Foundation.

NO MATTER WHAT ALL the politicians and activists want, African Americans and impoverished white Cajuns will not be first in line to rebuild the Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast and New Orleans. Latino immigrants, many of them undocumented, will. And when they're done, they're going to stay, making New Orleans look like Los Angeles. It's the federal government that will have made the transformation possible, further exposing the hollowness of the immigration debate.

President Bush has promised that Washington will pick up the greater part of the cost for "one of the largest reconstruction efforts the world has ever seen." To that end, he suspended provisions of the Davis-Bacon Act that would have required government contractors to pay prevailing wages in Louisiana and devastated parts of Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. And the Department of Homeland Security has temporarily suspended sanctioning employers who hire workers who cannot document their citizenship. The idea is to benefit Americans who may have lost everything in the hurricane, but the main effect will be to let contractors hire illegal immigrants. (Read the rest of the editorial here; registration may be required.)

I have nothing against immigration. I have a huge problem with the exploitation of workers- of any nationality or immigrant status- for the profits of industry. And this article in today's New York Times brings to mind a related issue: who's approving these contracts, and who's choosing the contractors? The potential for abuse and corruption is gigantic, and it makes me sick. Over 1000 people dead, mostly poor, and/or elderly, and/or black, and the loudest sound to be heard in the South right now is ringing cash registers.

Sanity: It's overrated!

2005-09-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a day where you feel like you are slowly sliding into complete insanity, and the kids are egging on to slide faster?

I had a day like that today.

It was a lot of fun!

I get to teach 2 sections of honors World History for our 7th graders. These are bright kids, a mix of above-average to “Whoa! That kid is SMART!” It’s nice that, for the most part, they pick up on what I’m trying to teach them quickly; it makes it possible for me to go into a lot more depth than I can with a standard class. But the part I like best is that they get my jokes, and actually enjoy my sense of humor.

Today was just plain wacky, though. I had several of them collapsing into giggles with little more than a raised eyebrow, which would make me laugh, which set them off fresh, which would then spread to the rest of the class. I’m amazed we got through anything on my lesson plan for today at all, but that’s ok. These kids will get the material, they’ll do fine on the CST next year and will do their part to help us make our API. What they did today was even more important: they reaffirmed that school is an ok place to be, that learning can be fun. And they learned, in addition to the origins of the word “plumbing” (plumbum=Latin for lead), that they have an adult in their lives that cares enough to play with them, even though they think they’re too old to play anymore.

I really do like my job.

Couldn't have said it better myself!

2005-09-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

Here's another gem I picked up over at Endless Faculty Meeting. I'm thinking about handing it out at parent-teacher conferences. :)

Bush lifts wage rules for Katrina

2005-09-16T14:45:00.000-07:00

This is a wonderful development... if you are a major contracting firm in the southern United States. Think there will be any difference in the rates these firms charge for their work? No way! The only difference will be that their profits will be much larger because they'll be able to shortchange their employees. How many of these companies are Bush campaign contributors? Why make it even easier for people to profit from the disaster?
And this man gets TWO Supreme Court appointments!

Bush lifts wage rules for Katrina
President signs executive order allowing contractors to pay below prevailing wage in affected areas.
September 11, 2005: 11:59 AM EDT

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush issued an executive order Thursday allowing federal contractors rebuilding in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to pay below the prevailing wage.

In a notice to Congress, Bush said the hurricane had caused "a national emergency" that permits him to take such action under the 1931 Davis-Bacon Act in ravaged areas of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. (Read the rest of the article here)

Ok so far!

2005-09-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

I'm hesitant to say this aloud, but this year is going very smoothly. I don't take all the credit for that: this year's kids are different than last year's, more focused, more willing to listen, if not necessairly more gifted academically. Maybe it's the different schedule- a later start time, prep in the morning instead of after a long day. Maybe it's by virtue of my experience and recognition of the things I needed to change after last year.

I don't know why it's working, but it is, and I'm going to enjoy it while I can.

So long ago...

2005-09-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow this young man starts Kindergarten. (No, this is not a recent picture! He's much taller now, and the cheeks aren't quite as chubby!)

I think I'm ready for this. His readiness I'm not worried about, of course. It's mine.

He's been in preschool for the last 2 years, so it's not a huge transition for him, but it's big for his parents. This is REAL SCHOOL we're talking about, after all. Report cards, lunch lines, playground interactions, all kind of things he has dealt with before, but within the sheltered environment of small classes and ever-present teachers/classroom aides. Now he'll be going it "alone."

My baby is growing up! Alright, I'm starting to sound like his mom now. I've got to get a grip on myself, here. :)

I know he's going to be fine. I trust his school, I know the program he's in will be great for him. He loves learning, is smart and curious, and generally follows directions... all important for school success. And I know that his mom and I will be fine, too.

At least, until his little brother starts school in 3 years!

Update: His first day of school was great: he likes his teacher, he's made some friends. Of course, there was nothing to be nervous about, but what kind of parent would I be if I wasn't just a little nervous about something like this?

Bad times, good people

2005-09-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

(Thanks to The Endless Faculty Meeting for the link to this article)
I said this after 9/11, I said it after the tsunami in December, and I'll say it again: times of crisis bring out the best in some, the worst in others. People open their hearts and wallets for the victims of disaster in New York, Indonesia, and Louisiana, providing the support needed to help survivors remain survivors, both physically and emotionally. Others descend into a Lord of the Flies/Mad Max style of post-Apocalypse chaos. The very worst begin to salivate at the opportunities to profit from the destruction and heartache. Fraud artists. Price gougers. Looters. I hope that all of them burn for eternity. If there is justice in the universe, they will.
Mamacita over at Schiess Weekly says:

...All my life, people have teased me about my bleeding heart. Believe me, my heart is bleeding all over the place over this tragedy.

Not for the thieves, though. For the decent people who are being devastated twice: once by Katrina and again by their fellow man.

No, my heart is not bleeding for the thieves.

The thieves are scum.

I can't help but agree.

This situation will show us that people are stubborn and resilient: New Orleans will be rebuilt, life will go on. One hopes that lessons will be learned, and this particular tragedy will not be repeated. Mardi Gras 2006 will be a sight to behold!

I admire the human spirit, our willingness to go on with life, to grieve and to live on, to thumb our noses at adversity and tragedy time and again.
I am disgusted by the willingness of others to take advantage of tragedy, to use dispair, destruction, death to their own selfish ends.
I hope the good in us wins out more often than the bad.

One down, 179 to go!

2005-09-01T15:18:00.000-07:00

Acutally, today went pretty well. The only real snag I hit was that I forgot to hand out the lunch cards to first period, so some kids may have had trouble getting their lunches as quickly as they should. Mea Culpa. And of course my throat is sore from saying the same intro/welcome blather 6 times.
I think I'm going to like these classes. I had some last year that I had trouble saying that about, so this is a very nice change. There were several kids in each group who seemed like they really wanted to be here, and the others were at least willing to let me do my thing without interruption.
I can work with that.
Our new schedule is interesting... conference/prep period before the kids arrive, lunch after 3rd, then 3 and done. Dismissal is 1:15 later than it was last year, so that will take some adjustment, but I think it will be fine. I actually love the later start... time to settle into the day instead of jumping into it (or falling into it, depending on the morning!)

There're coming!

2005-08-31T21:10:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first day of school for students. AARGH!! I think I'm ready to start again. I'm actually looking forward to some aspects of the year ahead, and even got some good news regarding my class roster (can't be too specific here!)
Also found out that I've been accepted to the Administrative Services Credential program I applied to. That's good. I'll talk more about that later, though.
Alright, bring 'em on!

Meetings are fun!

2005-08-29T21:28:00.000-07:00

Today was our first official day back at work. I’ve been back a few days on my own, setting up my classroom and kind of puttering around, but today was the first “real” day. We had our district convocation (ie: pep rally) and staff meetings. We even got some really good news, which I can’t go into right now.
Overall, today was good. I’m the History department “coach,” so it was my job to run our department meeting this afternoon. We went over some test score information, looked for some trends, and did some introspection as to the strengths and weaknesses of our program. We came up with some solid ideas as to how to address some of our shortcomings, gave ourselves a few pats on the back for our accomplishments, and basically mentally prepared for the year ahead. While we still have considerable work to do, I think we’re heading in the right direction. And though it might sound like it here, I’m not really talking about improvement in test scores. That’s certainly an issue, of course, but what we’re working toward here is student achievement. We’ve got kids who aren’t making it, and not just in History. Kids who are falling by the wayside, and we need to find a way to reach as many of them as possible, which we can only do if we actually put names to the test scores. I think we can do it, if we are willing to make the effort.

Almost time...

2005-08-24T18:41:00.000-07:00

Kids come back to our school a week from tomorrow. Today was the first day I spent in my room. On the good side, my water fountain and faucet are finally fixed, after 4+ years out-of-order. Also, I have new glass for my window/sliding door, removing scratched tagging from who-knows-when. On the minus side, we were supposed to get new front doors... mine is one of three classrooms yet to be finished. Also on the minus side, this is a pilot year for texts, and I don't have the pilot materials yet.
On the whole, should be a pretty normal opening. I'm wondering, though, how many preps I'm going to have. Could be two, could be three. Might even be four (Lord, I hope not!). I should be able to find that out tomorrow.
This year we'll be starting "looping" with our Honors History classes. I had 8th grade last year, so it's not going to impact me very much, but I'm looking forward to it. I think spending a little extra time with the same kids will have a positive impact on their learning. And we can't forget: 8th graders take the History/Social Science Standards test covering grade 6-8 standards here in CA. I feel a lot better being the one who's teaching them 2/3 of the content they'll be tested on if I'm the teacher of record when the take the darn test.
This is going to be an interesting year, I think. I'm going back to school for a second master's degree, this one in school administration. I'm not sure that I want to do the principal thing, but neither do I see myself spending my entire career in the classroom. The Admin credential will open up some possibilities. But, regardless of how I plan to use it, going back means two nights a week, 4-9pm, in addition to my normal work load and family stuff. When I got my first masters we only had one kid. Now it's two (the older one is starting Kindergarten this year), not to mention I'm a little older. Oh, well. That's why there's coffee, right?

Update: It's three preps: 1 section of 8th grade US History, 3 7th grade World History, and 2 7th grade Honors World History. And the door should be done before kids arrive next Thursday.

Not too surprising, really.

2005-08-19T12:50:00.000-07:00

I can't say that I thought the questions were all that good... I'm probably more centrist than the options allowed me to be, but it was kind of fun anyway.

Your Political Profile

Overall: 35% Conservative, 65% Liberal

Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal

How Liberal / Conservative Are You?

Imagine the fieldtrip possibilities...

2005-08-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

There's a company planning to build headstones with embedded flat-screen video monitors (read the story here). Apart from questions about who would approve the content (family/cemetary/nobody) that the "stones" would play, I think this would be awesome from a history student viewpoint. Walking through an old graveyard, looking at headstones from 100+ years ago imagining who the people named were, what they did, what they saw , gives me a feeling of being surrounded by history. If those headstones were more interactive, think of the things we could learn!
OK, maybe it's a little morbid, but I still think it would be really cool. Imagine if they had these during the Civil War... Gettysburg would be even better! Or how about Arlington? Normandy?
Wow.

Video Games

2005-08-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

Interesting story from the UK regarding the academic value of video games.
I'm not sure that GTA: San Andreas is going to be in the curriculum anytime soon, but I am willing to concede that the skills students apply to their mastery of video games can be applied to the world at large, much like skills learned in the armed services can be applied to civilian jobs.
I don't think, though, that we'll see US state governments spending money to investigate a skill set that is not represented on standardized tests anytime soon.

Ok, I think I'm ready now.

2005-08-17T16:02:00.000-07:00

This post by Abigail on Social Studies made me think about a student I had a couple of years ago. She had a host of medical problems, the most severe of which resulted in frequent fainting spells (Long QT Syndrome, which is bascially a long pause in the heartbeat, resulting in drop in blood pressure and unconsciousness). I wound up carrying an ammonia capsule with me all the time in the event she "went down" in class (she did... twice in class, at least that many times on the school grounds, even during our district-wide disaster drill!) When she came to my class, I got a literal laundry list of medical concerns with this student, and couldn't help but wonder how I was going to handle having this fragile thing in my classroom.

I really had nothing to worry about.

True, she did have plenty of medical problems- wound up having at least two surgeries during the time she was in my class, one of which was to install a pace maker at the age of 14!- but she also had a real desire to learn and a stubborn streak a mile wide. (Here's an example: she tried to break out of the hospital so she could come to school on the last day of the year! )
This kid got something out of my class. She still calls and visits, considers history her favorite subject. I reached her, somehow. I even gave her a nickname she uses to this day.

When I get frustrated and burned-out, I think about her, hope she's not the only one I've helped, and I can go back to work.

Yikes!

2005-08-17T12:56:00.000-07:00

This is a truly scary story. I don't know what I would have done in her place, but I doubt I would have returned to the school in the fall if that principal was still there. I understand that administrators need to be careful around parents, but this is beyond messed up!

Blog Dominoes

2005-08-13T13:14:00.000-07:00

Man, this blogging thing is like making a row of dominoes... you read one, and it leads you to others. Pretty soon, you've got dozens of blogs to review every day, not to mention comments to read and make yourself. Then you've got to write your own entries, refer to the blogs you've read, and start the cycle all over again.
Anyway, I really like the Personal Contract idea on Steve Dembo's Teach 42 blog from yesterday. Every year our school makes goals. We write them up, turn them in, and usually forget about them. Not exactly a tool for reflection on our teaching/learning processes. Steve's contract is a combination of personal and professional goals (sort of a set of new school year resolutions) for the coming year. I hope that it works for him, and I hope that his administration plans on using the contracts in some constructive fashion.

Here goes!

2005-08-12T10:42:00.000-07:00

OK, I've built the classroom blog, now it's time to put one together for my professional/personal amusement. I've been reading several teacher and educational technology blogs the last few weeks, along with David Warlick's Classroom Blogging: a teacher's guide to the Blogosphere, and it's pretty amazing what's out there in terms of teachers reaching out to one another. This is an awesome profession!
Now, about me: This year marks my 9th in the classroom, teaching 7th and 8th grade history. I have a masters in Educational Technology and am going back this year for my Administrative Services masters/credential. I'm married (8 years next May) to a wonderful, understanding, supportive-and of course beautiful!- woman, and we have two great sons (ages 2 and 5). My wife is also in the biz (elementary assistant principal), as are my sister, her husband, my mother-in-law, and my sister-in-law. Family dinners can be interesting, especially for my non-teacher relatives!
So, what do I hope to accomplish with this blog? A couple of things, really. First, it's a place to vent some of the frustrations that go along with this profession. I don't want to turn this into a complaint forum, though. Instead, I hope that it's a place to find some solutions to the frustrations. Second, I want to build professional relationships with educators outside of my own district. While I enjoy working and socializing with my colleagues, I think it's worthwhile to expand my circle of resources as far as I possibly can. Third, and most important, I think it will be fun. And really, why do it if it's not going to be fun?
I hope you enjoy reading. Please comment early and often!
Jim