Counting down
So this week I had a kindergartener wet his pants in the (carpeted!) library, went on a field trip and made a fifth grader cry. It was an eventful week. (and the fifth grader was totally going to cry anyways, I was just the last straw. It was a whole dumb thing about some free tear out of Sports Illustrated kids baseball cards he found in the library, then some other kids hid. Finally after much arguing and ridiculousness I said "They don't belong to you anyway, they are from a library magazine and shouldn't have been torn out." He lost it and yes, I felt like a massive tool.)
The last few weeks have been unseasonably warm, so the lilacs are blooming a few weeks earlier than usual. I love lilacs. Way back when I was but a small crabby thing, there was a house near mine that had 2 giagantor lilac bushs that had former an arch. I have hazy memories of laying under that lilac arch in a state of blissed out little kidness. Then we moved to the suburbs and everything went straight to hell.
Had "Take your Child to Work" day this week, so each classroom was only about 1/2 full. Which was awesome, because then the kids actually have to work, think and learn. When there are 26 kids in a classroom, you are just sort of throwing information out there and hoping some of it sticks in their brains. When theres only 12 kids, they can't hide, they have to pay attention. I wish the chumps who keep "reforming" education would just suck it up and admit, that having classes with 15 or less kids would probablly be the best way to improve education, but since it would require lots of money to build more schools, get more teachers, they will stick with whatever crappy catchphrase they come up with now. My mom has been teaching long enough that some things have already cycled through once or twice.
Found out I have to re-apply for my job if I want it next year. Evidentally the librarian is going to take another year off, and the contract states that even though I have been there all year and done a non-sucky job, I still have to go through the whole crappy interview process. There will probablly be a mock lesson too, which I also hate. It's hard to pretend your teaching first graders how to alphabetize when it's just you and 4 bored looking adminstration types. I also have to get fingerprinted again, which will be an annoying hassle to prove I am not some sort of fiendish bad person. I supose I will have to get my self in gear and actually get application materials ready. barf.
The last few weeks have been unseasonably warm, so the lilacs are blooming a few weeks earlier than usual. I love lilacs. Way back when I was but a small crabby thing, there was a house near mine that had 2 giagantor lilac bushs that had former an arch. I have hazy memories of laying under that lilac arch in a state of blissed out little kidness. Then we moved to the suburbs and everything went straight to hell.
Had "Take your Child to Work" day this week, so each classroom was only about 1/2 full. Which was awesome, because then the kids actually have to work, think and learn. When there are 26 kids in a classroom, you are just sort of throwing information out there and hoping some of it sticks in their brains. When theres only 12 kids, they can't hide, they have to pay attention. I wish the chumps who keep "reforming" education would just suck it up and admit, that having classes with 15 or less kids would probablly be the best way to improve education, but since it would require lots of money to build more schools, get more teachers, they will stick with whatever crappy catchphrase they come up with now. My mom has been teaching long enough that some things have already cycled through once or twice.
Found out I have to re-apply for my job if I want it next year. Evidentally the librarian is going to take another year off, and the contract states that even though I have been there all year and done a non-sucky job, I still have to go through the whole crappy interview process. There will probablly be a mock lesson too, which I also hate. It's hard to pretend your teaching first graders how to alphabetize when it's just you and 4 bored looking adminstration types. I also have to get fingerprinted again, which will be an annoying hassle to prove I am not some sort of fiendish bad person. I supose I will have to get my self in gear and actually get application materials ready. barf.