Thursday, Feb 14
Thursday, February 14, 2008
I have been CRRAAAZY busy
So, SLPS has decided that blogger.com is against policy and has "kinda" blocked it off. What that means is that I completely lost all the posts that I typed up and forgot to copy and save. Which makes me frustrated.
I've been pretty busy with my students and with my coursework. Last night in our research class, we worked on getting our data written down. I went through three surveys and was absolutely astonished to find that my students answered most of the questions wrong on pretty much all of the surveys. For example, when Irma answered the question on the Burke's Reading Inventory, What would you like help with as a reader? she answered, "Doctor".
What!? Doctor!? I guess what she answered in her head was what would she like to be when she grows up, but how does that have anything to do with the question? The rest of the questions were similar, and it made me feel like a rather crappy teacher. On top of that, I had read the questions off to the students, one at a time. I just don't get it. I'm going to have to have them take those surveys again, just to get a first and last attempt at them.
Irma, just to let you know, got into a nasty fight with another girl about three weeks ago. The next day her family moved her to Kentucky. I now have to find another student to use as a test subject.
Jero*, the amorous Latino who liked hugs from me and rubbing himself and sticking his face into my neck and sniffing me, has been moved out of my class. About two weeks ago he came back from being shipped off to another school (Blow) because they did not have an ESOL program. He caught me after school, claiming he left a green pencil in my room. I had remembered seeing one, so I let him in. However, as soon as the door closed behind us, he grabbed me into a hug and would not let go for ten whole minutes. Mrs. Stanley had left and so had the rest of the floor, leaving me alone with him completely.
I explained to him how uncomfortable I was, how this might look to other people, how my fiance might feel if he walked into the room. I tried prying away, I tried pushing, elbowing. His only response was, "This is how people in my culture show their affection."
After ten minutes I got him off of me, and walked him to my door. I was shaky and really upset with myself for--AGAIN--not following the rule of being alone with a male student. He asked for another hug and I said no. He then leaned forward and tapped his cheek, saying, "How about a leetle kees, Mees Frankleen." I yelled at him, "NO! Get out!" and he left. I cursed myself out for hours until I realized that it was not my fault; I did no wrong by letting him come in to get his pencil (which he never got, obviously). I don't wear revealing clothing, and I was just as kind to him as I am to any student. He just got the wrong idea.
He skipped my class for the remaining week, which was fine by me. Come that Monday, I asked for him to be removed from my class. I told Mrs. Brown, Laurencia, and Mrs. Firestone about his third (and hopefully last) incident. The last thing I need is to be labeled as a pervert; there really are some teachers who like that type of attention, but I am not one of them. It freaked me out so much I had nightmares about Jero being in my class, and--good Lord this is so stupid--I get slightly scared when I see him in the hallway. I shouldn't be scared of one of my students.
Anyhow, other than that classes are going relatively well. The kids are really getting into the routine of Read180, and have been able to do it even when I have a sub.
GET THIS! I was gone for the flu about two weeks ago. I had not expected it to happen, so I had prepared the board for the next day. I knew that since I was calling in that morning (technically, I came, tossed my cookies, and left within 20 minutes of getting there), I wasn't going to have a sub, but the ISS teacher filled in for me that day.
The kids went to their stations! I was so shocked! They did their journals, some finished their writing station packets that we had been working on, and they all did what they were supposed to do. I about died when I found that out, and I was SO HAPPY that they're becoming responsible. I wanted to throw confetti in the air and yell HURRAY!! I praised them all, of course, which they loved.
Also, I've been sending good notes home. It's especially working for those students who have been naughty all first semester, and when they have a good day I send a note home with them. It's completely turned around several of my most mischevious students, and on another good note a behavior plan I'm working on with another student is really helping as well. Kayse, we believe, has ADD and cannot sit still for more than 5 minutes at a time. She's normally doodling, writing notes, or being very loud and disruptive. I started a behavior plan with her last week and she's really responding well. She's cleaned up her behavior in her other classes, and really keeps track of her three goals we created together. She knows that having a behavior plan isn't a good thing, and tells other students that this is "for me to better my behavior. You're good, so you don't need one. This is for me and Ms. Franklin." She also told me that the chart really helped her track herself and to know if she's doing good or not. It's a great step for her, and I love that she's honest with herself when she knows she hasn't done well.
All in all--and hopefully I'm not jinxing myself!--this quarter is sizing up to be pretty good.
I have been CRRAAAZY busy
So, SLPS has decided that blogger.com is against policy and has "kinda" blocked it off. What that means is that I completely lost all the posts that I typed up and forgot to copy and save. Which makes me frustrated.
I've been pretty busy with my students and with my coursework. Last night in our research class, we worked on getting our data written down. I went through three surveys and was absolutely astonished to find that my students answered most of the questions wrong on pretty much all of the surveys. For example, when Irma answered the question on the Burke's Reading Inventory, What would you like help with as a reader? she answered, "Doctor".
What!? Doctor!? I guess what she answered in her head was what would she like to be when she grows up, but how does that have anything to do with the question? The rest of the questions were similar, and it made me feel like a rather crappy teacher. On top of that, I had read the questions off to the students, one at a time. I just don't get it. I'm going to have to have them take those surveys again, just to get a first and last attempt at them.
Irma, just to let you know, got into a nasty fight with another girl about three weeks ago. The next day her family moved her to Kentucky. I now have to find another student to use as a test subject.
Jero*, the amorous Latino who liked hugs from me and rubbing himself and sticking his face into my neck and sniffing me, has been moved out of my class. About two weeks ago he came back from being shipped off to another school (Blow) because they did not have an ESOL program. He caught me after school, claiming he left a green pencil in my room. I had remembered seeing one, so I let him in. However, as soon as the door closed behind us, he grabbed me into a hug and would not let go for ten whole minutes. Mrs. Stanley had left and so had the rest of the floor, leaving me alone with him completely.
I explained to him how uncomfortable I was, how this might look to other people, how my fiance might feel if he walked into the room. I tried prying away, I tried pushing, elbowing. His only response was, "This is how people in my culture show their affection."
After ten minutes I got him off of me, and walked him to my door. I was shaky and really upset with myself for--AGAIN--not following the rule of being alone with a male student. He asked for another hug and I said no. He then leaned forward and tapped his cheek, saying, "How about a leetle kees, Mees Frankleen." I yelled at him, "NO! Get out!" and he left. I cursed myself out for hours until I realized that it was not my fault; I did no wrong by letting him come in to get his pencil (which he never got, obviously). I don't wear revealing clothing, and I was just as kind to him as I am to any student. He just got the wrong idea.
He skipped my class for the remaining week, which was fine by me. Come that Monday, I asked for him to be removed from my class. I told Mrs. Brown, Laurencia, and Mrs. Firestone about his third (and hopefully last) incident. The last thing I need is to be labeled as a pervert; there really are some teachers who like that type of attention, but I am not one of them. It freaked me out so much I had nightmares about Jero being in my class, and--good Lord this is so stupid--I get slightly scared when I see him in the hallway. I shouldn't be scared of one of my students.
Anyhow, other than that classes are going relatively well. The kids are really getting into the routine of Read180, and have been able to do it even when I have a sub.
GET THIS! I was gone for the flu about two weeks ago. I had not expected it to happen, so I had prepared the board for the next day. I knew that since I was calling in that morning (technically, I came, tossed my cookies, and left within 20 minutes of getting there), I wasn't going to have a sub, but the ISS teacher filled in for me that day.
The kids went to their stations! I was so shocked! They did their journals, some finished their writing station packets that we had been working on, and they all did what they were supposed to do. I about died when I found that out, and I was SO HAPPY that they're becoming responsible. I wanted to throw confetti in the air and yell HURRAY!! I praised them all, of course, which they loved.
Also, I've been sending good notes home. It's especially working for those students who have been naughty all first semester, and when they have a good day I send a note home with them. It's completely turned around several of my most mischevious students, and on another good note a behavior plan I'm working on with another student is really helping as well. Kayse, we believe, has ADD and cannot sit still for more than 5 minutes at a time. She's normally doodling, writing notes, or being very loud and disruptive. I started a behavior plan with her last week and she's really responding well. She's cleaned up her behavior in her other classes, and really keeps track of her three goals we created together. She knows that having a behavior plan isn't a good thing, and tells other students that this is "for me to better my behavior. You're good, so you don't need one. This is for me and Ms. Franklin." She also told me that the chart really helped her track herself and to know if she's doing good or not. It's a great step for her, and I love that she's honest with herself when she knows she hasn't done well.
All in all--and hopefully I'm not jinxing myself!--this quarter is sizing up to be pretty good.