Normally, I will not be writing "Highlights on the Weekend" because the only work-related activities I am usually doing then are working on lesson plans and IEPs. However, I have to share this story.
It is Saturday morning, and I am sitting in my pajamas eating breakfast with my wife. I get a phone call from a number I do not recognize. It turns out to be the mother of a girl I work with at school. This girl had brought home an electric simulation baby doll for the weekend for her parenting class to see how she takes care of it. It is one of those dolls that mimics the actions and needs of a real baby (crying, hungry, uses the bathroom, etc.) That morning the baby stopped working, and the girl is freaking out. I would be to, because those dolls are quite expensive, and the students are held responsible for any damage done to them. Mom wanted to know if I had a home phone number to contact the teacher of the parenting class. I didn't have one, and I recommended that she email the teacher, and hopes she checks her email over the weekend, and gets back to you. I guess I will find out what happens Monday morning.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
A Video for Sunday
"The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man" -Charles Darwin
Friday, March 4, 2011
Again, Thank You Jon Stewart
On last night's The Daily Show, Jon Stewart did another segment on the recent trend of teacher bashing. As I said in my previous post on this topic, I can understand how the salary and benefits looks pretty good in this economy to many, but it wasn't all that long ago teachers (like a lot of public sector workers) were considered underpaid and overworked. But now that times are tough, and so many in the private sector are suffering, public employee workers like teachers have it to easy. Everyone has to bare the burden. Everyone has to sacrifice. . .
. . .except, apparently, the CEOs of major banks and Fortune 500 companies:
Also on last nights episode is an interview Jon Stewart has with Diane Ravitch. Enjoy!
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Crisis in Dairyland - For Richer and Poorer | ||||
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. . .except, apparently, the CEOs of major banks and Fortune 500 companies:
Also on last nights episode is an interview Jon Stewart has with Diane Ravitch. Enjoy!
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Diane Ravitch | ||||
| ||||
Highlight of the Day: 3/4/2011
Gave a math test on Geometry today. Specifically: types of lines, polygons, types of triangles, finding the missing angle in a triangle, perimeters, area of square/rectangle, circumference, and area of a circle. The scores varied. What unit shall I cover next? I will probably work on money and word problems a little bit next week, and then decide from there.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Highlight of the Day: 3/3/2011
My teaching was evaluated by one of the principals at the high school I worked at. I did a lot better than my first semester evaluation, though the misbehavior of a couple of my students cramped my style. Still, I feel pretty good about it, and glad it is over. I will know the results of my evaluation Monday.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Highlight of the Day: 3/2/2011
As busy as I am, I don't get to do longer posts as much as I would like to. So, I am think I am going to try something new that would help me publish material on my blog a little more frequently. The "Highlight of the Day" is going to be something that happened at my job that simply shares what is going on in my job. It can be good, bad, interesting, or just plain bizarre. It really doesn't matter. I will tell you that most days, it will be short, and to the point. I won't promise that I will post it everyday, but when I am up for it after work, I will make an effort to put something. Here is my first highlight of the day:
Today, I got to play a 30-second sample of Bob Marley's Classic Song "Buffalo Soldiers" for my US Social Studies course. We are finishing a unit on the Civil War, and I gave them a worksheet on the African-American Army infantries with the same nickname. I thought the song would be a nice addition to the worksheet. Most of the students liked it, but a few were indifferent. Only a couple had ever heard of Bob Marley (I was disappointed at that).
Read a little American History, then listen to some Bob.
Today, I got to play a 30-second sample of Bob Marley's Classic Song "Buffalo Soldiers" for my US Social Studies course. We are finishing a unit on the Civil War, and I gave them a worksheet on the African-American Army infantries with the same nickname. I thought the song would be a nice addition to the worksheet. Most of the students liked it, but a few were indifferent. Only a couple had ever heard of Bob Marley (I was disappointed at that).
Read a little American History, then listen to some Bob.
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Thank You, Jon Stewart!
Teacher bashing is nothing new, but since the events is Wisconsin started two weeks ago, it has seemed to reach an all time high by many in the media. In the clips below, Jon Stewart takes a look at this phenomenon. Not only are teachers being blamed for the budget crisis that affects nearly every state across the country, but some of the oldest, most overused and unnecessary put downs of teachers are being used by pundits who feel most teachers have it easy. As The Daily Show played clips of these pundits talking about what a cushy job teachers have, I sat in cold silence with a smirk on my face, while my wife yelled at the TV because they clearly didn't know what the hell they were talking about.
Jon Stewart, certainly out of a love for his mother who is a teacher, takes on these pundits, and defends teachers against these charges. Anyone who is a teacher or who has a loved-one who is a teacher knows that teaching is anything but cushy (with the exception of the Fox News pundit in the first video below whose Mom is a teacher). There are many long hours outside of their work day where they are grading papers, planning lessons, or talking to parents. Chances are, if a teacher isn't spending time outside of their 8-hour contract period doing work, they aren't very good at their job. Yes, there are summer breaks, but many teachers teach summer school, tutor, take a second job to earn extra income, or spend time coming up with new lesson ideas and getting ready for the upcoming year. Often times, they are doing a combination of these.
Finally, there is the issue of teachers having a cushy pay in comparison to those in the private-sector workforce. I will admit that in today's economy, the pay of a teacher probably looks pretty good compared to the many jobs people are now forced to get because of hard times. But five years ago, when I decided to become a teacher, this was not the case. While teachers have always had their detractors, it was widely agreed that teachers were overworked and underpaid. One woman I knew growing up who is a now-retired professor of education joked that whenever I get married, I will know that girl is not marrying me because of the money I make (and I can honestly say that is true). But times have changed, and suddenly teachers have it easy, they are overpaid, and are living off the the hard-earned money of the taxpayer (how dare we do that). Fortunately, Jon Stewart challenges this thinking, and brings in some much-needed reality to this debate.
Here is Part 1:
Here is Part 2, a message to the teachers from Jon Stewart:
Jon Stewart, certainly out of a love for his mother who is a teacher, takes on these pundits, and defends teachers against these charges. Anyone who is a teacher or who has a loved-one who is a teacher knows that teaching is anything but cushy (with the exception of the Fox News pundit in the first video below whose Mom is a teacher). There are many long hours outside of their work day where they are grading papers, planning lessons, or talking to parents. Chances are, if a teacher isn't spending time outside of their 8-hour contract period doing work, they aren't very good at their job. Yes, there are summer breaks, but many teachers teach summer school, tutor, take a second job to earn extra income, or spend time coming up with new lesson ideas and getting ready for the upcoming year. Often times, they are doing a combination of these.
Finally, there is the issue of teachers having a cushy pay in comparison to those in the private-sector workforce. I will admit that in today's economy, the pay of a teacher probably looks pretty good compared to the many jobs people are now forced to get because of hard times. But five years ago, when I decided to become a teacher, this was not the case. While teachers have always had their detractors, it was widely agreed that teachers were overworked and underpaid. One woman I knew growing up who is a now-retired professor of education joked that whenever I get married, I will know that girl is not marrying me because of the money I make (and I can honestly say that is true). But times have changed, and suddenly teachers have it easy, they are overpaid, and are living off the the hard-earned money of the taxpayer (how dare we do that). Fortunately, Jon Stewart challenges this thinking, and brings in some much-needed reality to this debate.
Here is Part 1:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Crisis in Dairyland - Angry Curds | ||||
| ||||
Here is Part 2, a message to the teachers from Jon Stewart:
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Crisis in Dairyland - Message for Teachers | ||||
| ||||
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