I am a bad blogfriend

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!

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

Life is good!

Merry Christmas!

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...

for these two.

10 minutes...

Winter break starts in 10 minutes.

My joy knows no bounds!

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

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!

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.

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

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

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

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?

It's the Carnival!

It's of!

It's Education!

What more could you possibly ask?

Vote No on Everything!

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!

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

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.....

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

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

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'

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...

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?