Funny moments

The two boys that sit in front of my desk are hilarious. Bryan says to Matt, “You should come to my house. And you should bring your pet cheetah. I’ll give him $1,000 because he’ll be mad. If you give cheetahs $1,000, they’ll be happy. “

Later that day, Matt asked, "Can I play Paper Wars? But not in the eye." I couldn't help but giggle at him.

Eight years old with a knife

Then the following Thursday I had a young boy bring a knife to school. That morning, the teacher’s assistant stopped me in the hall and showed me the knife. This hunting knife unfolded with a 4” blade. It was quite large and shocking. This student was having problems with the student sitting next to him. It would have been pretty scary if he had pulled it out in class.

Ball of poo

Last week, I had a student sitting next to my desk because he was running around not doing his work. When I am done helping students I walk to my desk and this student is holding a ball of poop. I was dumbstruck; I momentarily didn’t know what to do. He saw me look at him and he stuck it back into this khaki shorts. I immediately told him to go to the restroom. I was completely grossed out. I felt like taking a shower at that moment. Now, this ball of poo was not pebble size, or golf ball size…it was nearly the size of a softball….disgusting.

Exhale

This past week was Stanford 10 Testing. We have been preparing for this week for two months. I told my students that the rest is up to them; I did as much as I could. It made me so proud to see my low students really trying on the test. I rewarded them with snacks and a movie on Friday. 15 days left, I feel it and they feel it. Every day gets more and more difficult with behavior. But my students know that I reward them generously and they WILL miss out if they have outrageous behavior. 

I also was informed that I will have a job for next year. I am moving to first grade! Yay! I am excited to learn more about this school, the students, the faculty, and education. My principal offered me a chance to enroll in KASTOR, a pilot program with Neuhaus. KASTOR stands for Knowledgeable and Skilled Teachers of Reading. The teachers who participate in this program will be the brightest stars in the field of reading instruction. It's a two year commitment so essentially, job security. AND I was offered a grant to repay most the the fees for my Alternative Certification Program.

I received good news, good news, and good news. Now I can breath!

Don't let the BED BUGS bite!

I heard that bed bugs were going around in our school. Today, I discovered that one of my students had bed bug falling off of him. I walk outside to pick my class up from theater and the theater teacher pulls me aside and shows me a bed bug he killed and taped. (gross) He said he found seven bugs. So as soon as we get to the room, I send him to the nurse. The nurse walked him back and tells me she found seven more. Just the thought of it makes me itch. She will be taking him to the free clinic tomorrow. Poor boy, there is nothing he can do about it.

Now, I will have to check myself before I leave work. I definitely don't want to bring that aspect of work home with me. 

Off to the ZOO!

On Friday, all of second grade went to the Zoo!  I was looking forward to this day yet I was anxious. I knew I had to forget something. But, after all my hard work, the zoo field trip was a success. I had two students who did not bring their permission slip back and I left three students behind due to misbehavior. Yes, my class was the best behaved class at the zoo. I was incredibly proud of them. IF I had brought the three misbehaved students, it would have been polar opposite. I made a great decision.  That morning, we took our spelling and vocabulary tests, restroom break then off to the buses. The bus ride was relaxing, thanks to my students. When we arrived back to the school, the kids were pooped! I rented Disney’s Oceans to watch after the zoo. This helped with the exhausted students and my planning. All in all, it was a great day.   

From Chaos to Classroom Control

I went to a training today, From Chaos to Classroom Control. When my principal approached me with this training, I was ashamed. Did he really think I didn’t have control of my classroom? No, but he knows the students in our school and he wanted to prepare me with as many skills as possible to ensure I will not run away screaming in May. 

I learned: Teachers are, second behind police, the most diagnosed profession for depression.  Why? Long-term assignments with challenging students can have adverse impact on teachers. The average teacher remains in education for only 3.5 years. What do we need to do to “survive” in the classroom? 

Key Points on Misbehavior:

Goals of Student Misbehavior

1.  Attention
2. Power
3. Revenge
4. Display of Inadequacy

Discipline is a process that involves teaching students appropriate ways of behaving in a larger society. 

Strategies need to be proactive, not reactive.

1. Teach by example
2. Always be fair
3. Follow the golden rule
4. Discipline with kindness and respect
5. Accentuate the positive
6. Minimize the negative
7. Explain your expectations
8. Be consistent
9. Be patient
10. Act, don’t react

If a child can not behave, on top of everything teachers must do, we must teach them. When can you give up on a child? Never, every day is a new opportunity to reach each student. I can never predict what will come of my students. Therefore I need to keep high expectations not matter their ability level.

After Spring Break

The Sunday night before heading back to work I felt nervous and doomed. I knew it would be a difficult Monday. Not only would it be difficult to wake up, but I will have to deal with 18 students who have had little structure to their lives for the past 9 days. I walked into the classroom with a calm and easy attitude. I know my students could sense calm and played off of it very well. THEN recess came. I am talking with a coworker about the potential layoffs and we hear a crowd of students chanting, fight, fight! In a split second I am across the playground on the basketball courts. As furious as I am, I calmly walk the two boys to the office. That easy attitude has now been replaced with disciplinarian attitude.

Tuesday comes and BEFORE recess, one of the boys starts fighting with another student! Unbelievable. I laugh to myself, "And I thought this week was going to be difficult, ha ha." I talk with my principals about this student who has been fighting. We come to the agreement that he is having a hard time adjusting back to the school routines and rules. This is a reflection on the lack of structure in that household.

Luckily, I scheduled a dentist appointment Thursday morning and a training in the afternoon. Mini vacay so soon after spring break? Much needed.

Friday, I made an effort to keep the calm attitude throughout the day UNTIL I handed out rewards for the groups that earned the most points. Well, since my class loves rewards they try very hard to get points. The totals were as follows:  22-25-25-23-23. Since they were close, I decided to give each group a prize. The groups with 25 points were receiving a Hershey's bar and all other groups were receiving a Rice Krispy Treat. Let me tell you, I had three students tell me they didn't want the Rice Krispy Treat, they want the Hershey's bar. I looked at them and said, "If you do not want to prize I am giving you, you can sit down." In complete shock, I watched my students stand there with their hands still out and pointing to the Hershey's bar. I have never met such picky, spoiled, ungrateful less fortunate kids in my life!

Yes, that is how my week ended. I will never forget those three students.

The Calm Before The Storm

I am enjoying my last few days of my first spring break as a teacher. Before our break we were informed that we would know if there are funds in the budget for our positions when we get back. I am currently preparing my resume to begin a search for a new teaching position if I hear the bad news. HISD will inform all teachers by April 18th. My nerves are on edge now.

The school districts around my area have no postings yet and I hear they will only relocate current employees. So the search will be even more difficult than last year. Private schools may be the way to go; which means a pay cut but easier work. After substituting at private schools last year and talking with the teachers there; I realized they all "paid their dues" in the public sector. But let me say, NONE of them worked in HISD. There are public schools then there are urban schools. If you have worked in a urban school district, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

But...that is a whole other topic.