Choice Words

Schoolwide email I received today from my principal:

"Please be very careful talking in hallways...remember not to use unkind words when talking about students even if that student has made bad choices.  Words like brats, turds, etc should never be used by teachers.  Certainly there are days when kids are stinkers and make bad choices but if a parent hears you call their child a brat, even if you mean it in a kidding way, they might be very offended. I have a friend that is a teacher and she calls her kids turds, also not something I would want said here so please just be aware of what you are saying.  I am certain every teacher here loves all their kids but visitors might not know that so please keep positive thoughts and words on your mind."

There's just something about your boss using the word "turd" so freely in an email...I couldn't help but laugh out loud when I read it. But, they say laughter is good medicine. So, yeah. That's about all I have to say.

Braving New Frontiers

So yesterday after school, my principal held a "faculty meeting" which really turned out to be some announcements followed by an organizational meeting to start a PTA at our school site. I guess calling it a faculty meeting is one good way of getting a significant amount of teachers to show up?

Once we'd voted on becoming a PTA, membership dues, and standing rules, it was time to elect the officers. At my school, we have a whopping three parents who are consistently involved and dependable. And one of them is not even the parent of a child that attends our school - she's the mother of one of the teachers! As you can see, we don't have much to work with here. So, naturally, those three parents had been pre-slated for the offices of president, vice president, and treasurer. We'd naively assumed that would be a sufficient slate. The state PTA president (who is actually really cool btw) intervened. She had some strong words to say about the importance of the role of a secretary.  She even went so far as to say that the office of secretary, in her mind, is on the same level of importance as the president. She gave quite a schpeel. She didn't leave out the fact that this office could be a teacher, since it is the pTa after all. Since the only three parents in attendance had already been voted into other offices, a teacher it would have to be. The PTA rep opened the floor for volunteers.

Crickets. The silence was so silent, that I think I did actually hear a pin drop. Then some knucklehead thought to ask a question. It was a simple question, really. There was no intent behind it other than genuine curiosity. "How many meetings per year is the secretary required to attend?" I heard myself asking aloud. … BOOM. I was the scape goat. Suddenly everyone was filled with encouraging words and exclamations of how simple the task would be (although, strangely, no one seemed to be jumping at the opportunity themselves) and how it would absolutely be manageable for a second year teacher. Save one unnamed staff member, who was sitting near me and discretely whispering, "Dooon't dooo it." Looking back, I'm wondering who I should've listened to… It's likely that in the near future she'll have an opportunity to say, "I told you so." She may have been the only one who really had my best interest in mind. Time will tell. Either way, I was sworn in and signing my life away on the X before I really knew what was happening. It's all a blur, really. How many life lessons will it take before I learn to just keep my mouth closed?

Alas, I am secretary of my school's PTA, charter member of the state PTA. Wowsa.

Here's the twist: my school has never had a real PTA before now. So, in actuality, I'm one of the four founding members of our school's PTA. Annnnd I have no idea what the heck I'm doing. But, I do know that I'm accountable to the IRS if I don't have accurate records to show that our spending matches our budget. Goody.
Praise God the state department is offering a training on Saturday. Although I'm not thrilled about giving up my day off, I meant it when I said I have no idea what the heck I'm doing.

All I have to say, guys, is that when I googled "PTA secretary" THIS is what came up:


Not kidding.
Apparently I will, like it or not, grow to look like this woman by the time my year-long term is complete.

The upside is, holding this position as a second year teacher will look killer on my resume.  :)
So, I will embrace my new role as PTA secretary. This is merely another life experience. And what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Right?

Represent.

Is it sad that when I saw this advertisement at Quick Trip it reminded me of my students?


scary. right?

Appreciation is Appreciated

This week I have been shown some love.

I received my first gift of the school year from a student.

He came to school on Monday with his left hand swollen to twice its normal size. Not kidding/should've taken a picture. He said a butterfly bit him (he meant a bee stung him). His mom sent him to school anyway, and said it would be okay. I sent him home, and said he needed to go to the doctor. 

He brought me this dog when he returned to school on Wednesday (with a much more normal-sized hand). I guess he loved me so much for forcing his mom to take care of him that he decided a Valentine's Day stuffed animal was most appropriate.

Today a local coffee catering company voluntarily set up their bar in the teacher's lounge and spent the morning brewing delicious made-to-order beverages for all the staff. 

A cold front came through today with some light rain - it seemed to be the perfect morning for a coffee bar. And I certainly can't complain about starting my day off with some heart-shaped latte art. :)

Giving Back

"Our company has enjoyed great success over the years, largely due to the incredibly intelligent people who manage it," Hilco chief executive officer Jeffrey Hecktman said in a statement. "We believe that education, above all other factors, is the foundation of commercial success and so we have decided to do what we can to help ensure American children receive the best education possible. The book donation was only our first step in a continuing commitment to align our corporate resources with the needs of public education."

I'd like to say thank you, Hilco, for recognizing the value of public education.

Check out the full article here.

Tether Troubles

I'll never forget the time when one of the parents stood up in the middle of last year's 5th grade graduation ceremony and yelled to her kids,

"We got to GO!! My ankle bracelet is BEEPING!"

Then high-tailed it to the door.

chilin like a villain

Only at a school like mine…..    Or is it common for your students' parents to be on house arrest? Feedback?

Thanks, 5th grade teachers, for giving me a darn good reason to laugh out loud :) 

Caffinated

I went to a coffee shop tonight to have a "grading party" with a couple of my friends who are also teachers. Grading is almost always more enjoyable in good company.
It wasn't until 10pm rolled around, and I found myself wondering why in the world I don't feel tired yet, that I realized I forgot to order my latte decaf…
Upside: I'll get more work done tonight. Plus, the blog is getting updated.
Downside: Getting out of bed tomorrow morning will surely not be very fun.
Note to self: No caffeine after dinner on a school night.


Update: I was up until 1AM (!) when I finally forced myself to lay down and go to sleep. BUT it turns out I can be highly productive in the wee hours of the night. I analyzed all my students' literacy assessments, and used the data to organize my students for small group instruction in phonics, word study, and comprehension. I changed my daily literacy work station routine. I also reconfigured my tightly-packed daily schedule to incorporate time for much needed math fact practice AND math intervention. HECK. YES.