Last week I lost EV to the ESE program, but I gained back JC. Not exactly an even trade. EV was a pain, but at least he didn't come to school much. JC comes every day. He was in my class last year and this year. He can barely read or write. He is ESE, but was going for a regular diploma. He was just lost in my class, and not improving at all, so in Oct., I got the ball rolling to get him into full time ESE classes. I was thrilled when it happened. He told me he'd be back in my class, and I just smiled and nodded. Then last week I get a copy of his schedule change. He's back! Apparently his mom came into town and raised a stink. Her boy is not ESE! (Even though he can only read on about a first grade level!)
Anyway, last night I came up with a brilliant plan. JC is always looking for food. I keep some Little Debbie snacks in my classroom, and gave him one once. After that, he came in everyday, looking for more. I gave him snacks a few more times, then ran him off. My plan is that I'm going to tell him that each time he reads a book AND passes a quiz on it, I'll give him a snack. We'll see if that motivates him.
Our school has been expecting a "visit from the state" for a month or so. The rumor was that it would happen before the end of January. Today is Jan. 30, so maybe it will be today. Everyone is a little freaked out by it. We've had planning period trainings on how to get prepared for when they visit our classroom. Every once in awhile we get emails saying, "If they ask you this, say this." I'll just be glad when it's over. I woke up this morning worrying because I don't have seating charts. UGH!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
How it all Started
When I was a kid, I loved to play school. As the oldest child, I was always the teacher. All through elementary school, if you asked me what I was going to be when I grew up, I always said "a teacher."
I loved school. Even in high school, when you're supposed to hate it. I loved my teachers, my friends, afterschool clubs, football games, everything. But, by the time I started to apply for college, I no longer wanted to be a teacher. It was the 80's and everyone was all about making money. Why would a smart girl like me want to teach?
I went to college with the idea that I'd graduate with a decent-paying job. I loved English and writing, so I gravitated toward the College of Journalism, and ended up choosing Public Relations as my major and an English minor. Public Relations never really did it for me, and a summer internship convinced me that PR was not the career for me. But by then it was too late to change majors. So what was the logical next step? Law school, of course!
I made it through law school and went on to practice criminal law. At first it was great...and then it wasn't. I started thinking about alternative careers. I kept coming back to teaching. But the DOE didn't make it easy. My law degree was worth nothing. In order to teach, I needed to go back to school first. I just couldn't see it.
Then one day I went to the FL DOE website (as I'd done many times before) and lo and behold, the criteria had changed! It looked like I could get a teaching certificate without going to school first. Because of my English minor, I could be certified to teach English in secondary school. I thought, what the heck, and applied. Sure enough, a few months later I received a temporary teaching certificate, good for 3 years. All I had to do was get a job.
The thing was, by the time I received the certificate, I was not hating my job. I hung the teaching certificate on the refrigerator, and forgot about it. Then, a year later, I was miserable again. I couldn't take the practice of law for another minute. I started applying for teaching jobs.
So here I am, almost 2 years later, in the middle of my 2nd year of teaching. Many days I am just as miserable as when I was practicing law, and I'm making less money! I created this blog because I needed an outlet. My husband is definitely tired of hearing me complain. I'm hoping that writing it down will help me figure it all out.
I loved school. Even in high school, when you're supposed to hate it. I loved my teachers, my friends, afterschool clubs, football games, everything. But, by the time I started to apply for college, I no longer wanted to be a teacher. It was the 80's and everyone was all about making money. Why would a smart girl like me want to teach?
I went to college with the idea that I'd graduate with a decent-paying job. I loved English and writing, so I gravitated toward the College of Journalism, and ended up choosing Public Relations as my major and an English minor. Public Relations never really did it for me, and a summer internship convinced me that PR was not the career for me. But by then it was too late to change majors. So what was the logical next step? Law school, of course!
I made it through law school and went on to practice criminal law. At first it was great...and then it wasn't. I started thinking about alternative careers. I kept coming back to teaching. But the DOE didn't make it easy. My law degree was worth nothing. In order to teach, I needed to go back to school first. I just couldn't see it.
Then one day I went to the FL DOE website (as I'd done many times before) and lo and behold, the criteria had changed! It looked like I could get a teaching certificate without going to school first. Because of my English minor, I could be certified to teach English in secondary school. I thought, what the heck, and applied. Sure enough, a few months later I received a temporary teaching certificate, good for 3 years. All I had to do was get a job.
The thing was, by the time I received the certificate, I was not hating my job. I hung the teaching certificate on the refrigerator, and forgot about it. Then, a year later, I was miserable again. I couldn't take the practice of law for another minute. I started applying for teaching jobs.
So here I am, almost 2 years later, in the middle of my 2nd year of teaching. Many days I am just as miserable as when I was practicing law, and I'm making less money! I created this blog because I needed an outlet. My husband is definitely tired of hearing me complain. I'm hoping that writing it down will help me figure it all out.
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