Anyone Want to Dance?

In life, it’s not about waiting

for the storm to pass over.

It’s about dancing in the rain!

I just found this quote on the Dr. Jean & Friends site. She has great ideas for teachers, mostly singing and poems for keeping them focused on the tasks at hand.

       I have been working to get my classroom set up and the lesson plans written for Monday. I have been in Third grade for the last 3 years and now I'm back in First. I am so excited. It is going to be great to be a teacher again.

It's been a good summer with many visits with Grayson.

Summer Is Over

       Time has flown and Houston ISD teachers return to school Monday. We will be starting school without a principal, but we all know what to do and will be fine. Most of the office staff has started school without a principal before, so we have it covered.
       I've spent the last 2 weeks getting my new classroom together. I had to move 2 times because of a last minute grade change but it's ok with me because I'm now back in 1st grade with the same people I was with 3 years ago. They are a great group and I'm VERY happy. We get along well together.
       We got a downpour of rain yesterday. I had to use an umbrella and got my shoes wet!! Was a little relief!

What I've Been Doing ----

Trying to survive at work! Have you heard about the HoustonISD policy? If a teacher's students do not grow a year or more each year on the TAKS test, the teacher gets put on a growth plan. It doesn't matter that the students all passed the TAKS or that they got commended (high recognition). For a 3rd grade teacher (me) they base that growth on the difference between a nationally normed test (Stanford) and the state-created TAKS test. It doesn't matter that you can't compare those statistically. The district has created a formula (not to be understood by mere mortals) to base this increase.
     Needless to say, my GT students, for the last 2 years, have not made a year's growth. You know, 4th grade level (at beginning of 3rd) to 5th grade level by the end of 3rd. AND this is all based on an arbritary test on 1 day out of the year!
    All this makes it possible for the district to fire me if they don't make that growth this year!
    I could go on adding more and more information about what the district is making all teachers do, but I won't!

    Why or why did I choose "Gratitude" to focus on this. But I am grateful for all I have: a wonderful supportive husband, healthy and happy parents, a wonderful son, daughter-in-law and grandson. I have wonderful friends - near and virtual.
     Hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Busy With School

     I'm having trouble finding the energy to work on the blog. School has begun and I now have a self-contained classroom. I am teaching all subjects. We have a new reading program that is that thinks we have 3 hours to teach reading. I have not taught 3rd grade math before and this is a new math program since I taught in 1st grade.
     I had a Harry Potter movie marathon before school began and then I decided to read the Potter books since the movies can't include so many great parts of the stories. I'm now on Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. It's great fun to listen to the books on tape and then read parts of the books at home. I live close to work but I can get quite a bit read to and from work and running a few errands in the afternoon.
    Hope all my teacher friends are having a good beginning of school.

Support Teachers

Where is Respect?

We need to return to being respectful and stop calling each other names. What are children learning from all the intolerant stories and actions they are seeing on TV?

http://www.everydaycitizen.com/2009/09/temper_tantrums_cant_overturn.html 

This article speaks my truth. I, too, am uncertain where this is going. Do your part to promote tollerance.

          It was really weird at school yesterday when I had a little girl put her hands over her ears because her parents didn’t want her to hear the president speak. (It was the announcer speaking!) The speech was wonderful – just what my students needed to hear. Don’t give up on yourself and you are the one in charge of how you turn out.

African Threads

Valerie Hearder started Textiles from South Africa to help grandmothers make a living while raising so many children who are orphaned because of the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa. She purchases these from the women directly and then sells them on Etsy. This is the latest one I have purchased.

This was just too perfect - a school yard at recess! The work is increadible. The detail. There is hardly a place without thread. Enjoy, and then look to find one for yourself.

Here I am, making sure everyone is safe and being nice to each other.

Don't they look like they are having a great time playing? Can you see all the details?

School is Coming!

I always know when I'm ready to return to school:

I begin to notice children in the stores and how cute they are. I talk them and ask what grade they are in and what school they attend. We are both usually in the back to school section looking at all the new school supplies. There is nothing better than new pencils and pens and folders to get "kids" (That's teachers, too.) ready for the new year.

I start looking at the school website to see any changes in the Houston ISD curriculum for the new year and searching the web for any new ways to teach that curriculum.

I am more anxious to read the books I brought home for the summer. Learning vocabulary is very important for my students to succeed and I want to find all the words I think they will need to comprehend what they are reading.

I love teaching school! I love the kids. I love science and reading and social studies. I love to model the awe I have for nature and our earth. I do not love state testing.

Let the fun begin!

School and Podcasts

Houston ISD teachers have to begin work soon. August 10 we all have to report to our respective campuses because of some problem with the payroll software. The district, then, does not have inservice until the next Monday. My school, Durham El., has voted each of the last few years to have professional development the rest of the week which covers 4 other days during the year. That means that we don't have take the schedules work days before the holidays. We all work during that week any way, we might as well get paid for it.

I have been reading student books this summer in preparation for my second year teaching 3rd grade. I want to pre-read the books to decided what reading comprehension strategies can best be taught with the book and what vocabulary the students will need to know. I love reading books.

Do you listen to podcasts? I have found so many podcasts on iTunes. There are ones about crafting, knitting, reading and even NPR. Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood has a wonderful podcast called "CraftSanity". She has a great interview style. She asks all of the artist/crafters she talks to define art and craft and say which definition fits their creations. You can download this podcast from iTunes or go to http://craftsanity.com/ to listen. I have learned a lot from all the people she has presented.