Wrapping up the Semester

I realize that I was somewhat lucky to be presenting on the last night. I was able to work hours on end making my CAP better. I hope it's better! After reading Prof. Domine's remarks I feel that I could've really put more information and statistics into the CAP. I'm comfortable with what I have because this paper isn't one where we hand it in and forget about it. This is really the first class that the final project will have us thinking and working for time to come. I really will follow up with my CAP and continue to monitor the progress I've already made. I hope others feel the same about theirs. I'm nervous about the grading too! I see that blogging is 30% which is just as much as this whole CAP. Man, I hope I've blogged enough.

Putting our CAP into action

I enjoyed learning a lot about change and how to institute it this semester but I have reservations about how everyone would actually insitute their CAP. Doesn't it seem that all too often administrators, the BOE and the public just talk a good game but nothing gets done? It's a rare sight these days to see someone step up, take full responsibility, look by any naysayers and get the job done. Does anyone honestly feel that they could pull their weight around, present their CAP to somone in power and get the ball rolilng on it?? Too often plans just have their wheels spun instead of put into motion. For example, if a student in class felt that too much attention was being placed on state testing and not the curr, their supervisor might say sure but how do we fix that. You can fix it by showing ideas proved in your CAP. Still, I have a hard time seeing anyone take a risk to change curr and attitudes about state testing.

Please respond to my CAP

I am blogging today as I attempt to finish up this project to present on the last time slot of the last day...UGH! If anyone reading this could respond and offer your opinion on my project and my progress it would be appreciated.

I am doing my CAP on a lack of outdoor facilities for student recess and physical education classes. Actually it's not that the facilities are lacking, it's that they don't EXIST. We work in a brand new building (5 years young now) and they outside of the school was never finished! It was left in litigation never to be touched again. I really tackle the issue of class sizes, safety of students playing certain gym games indoors and the absence of a place for the students to get some fresh air outdoors when the weather cooperates.

Professor Domine in her critique of my draft leads me to believe I'm too vague in explaining a lot of things. What was your experience as students in physical education class. Did you enjoy going outside for class. Can you imagine being stuck indoors for your 4 years at the school!?

Thanks in advance for your comments!

Are you all using FULLAN

How much is everyone using Fullan in their CAP. I feel as if I'm throwing him in there just to throw him in there. I am definately reading things I can learn and tie together but I dont know if quoting him or referring to him too often is just trying to prove to the professor that I'm actually reading. I'm also getting nervous that my CAP isn't about curriculum soley but about things I'd like to see changed in our school. After talking to some classmates I'm on track but I have nightmares about screwing this up.

Teacher support with discipline

Can someone reply as to how their discipline is handled in their school. For some reason, sending a student to the office is entirely frowned upon in our school. The attitude is "what, you can't handle that yourself?" or "well, why don't you call the parent it'll be good PR" It gets frustrating when they older kids in the school have figured out the system and aren't affraid of anything. Maybe that's why there's already been food fights...isn't that saved for the last week of school?? Teachers should never feel that the kids are getting out of control, especially at the end of FIRST MARKING PERIOD!

Part II Engage and Critique

Today, I find myself "lingering" in the complexity of my statement of need. That's what the syllabus has told me to do but I'm struggling to find 5 pages to write as I linger. I'm going to go ahead and delve into some ideas of how to go about acheiving my goal. I've been able to look at my problem from many viewpoints. I hope I'm writing this correctly. I was able to give clear details, almost a step by step of a day in the life of my statement of need...now i just need to expand it to make a bridge into party III, vision and planning.

Halloween

I actually wish we were in class tonight because I dont like kids ringing the bell all night. The dog goes nuts and I have to give candy I've paid for to kids who've never learned manners and how to say thank you. How bout a holiday where kids come around, ring my bell and hand ME something. Oh that's right, it's called mischief night and they hand me my busted up pumpkin that used to sit on my steps. HAHA this blogging is fun, the keyboard is such a whiner!

Principals know your students?

I work in a small school, grades 5-8 with about 120 kids average in each grade. The principal of the school must be in his mid 60's while our VP is in his 40's with kids of his own. I would be hard pressed to think that COMBINED they could identify and name a dozen kids in our school. I find this very unfortunate as I work my way towards my masters degree to be a VP. Of course the VP knows the trouble kids and sometimes develops a rapport with them, and the principal probably knows the kids whose parents complain a lot or are on the BOE. It's the nice, quiet, middle of the road kids that are never noticed. I always felt that the accelerated ACE students get special treatment and special trips. All the special ed, classified students get help and special, smaller classes. Where is the B student factor in all this....and what is their name!?

How do you throw away a garbage can?!

Okay, this might be the most random post ever made but it's something that is blowing my mind. I have this old broken garbage can that I want to throw away. It's so broken there are 3 holes in it one long slit and the handle is hanging off the side. Every garbage day I come home from work to see it left on my curb still!! One day I went ahead and left it upside down, nope, still there. Okay, fine, I spray painted GARBAGE on it...big white letters. Well what do you know? They probably think I was just labeling my belongings!! Still here! You dont see me spray painting JEEP on my s.u.v do you? My last resort, I turned the garbage can to the other side and spray painted "TAKE ME" on it. I know it sounds borderline inappropriate but it's all I could fit. Guess what....yup, I still own it. Do you have to leave a note I asked myself. So I wrote a note to the wonderful garbage men, apparently they dont read notes, they just dump whatever is in your can (EVEN IF IT'S AIR) and throw it back on your lawn. HAHA, I laugh out loud, this is becomming comical when I see this thing staring at me from the street when I get home every week. My last resort, I must get violent, NO, not with the garbagemen, with the garbage CAN...I step on it, i kick it, i jump on it, I crush the thing into a small enough piece that I can stick it in ANOTHER GARBAGE CAN....well that'll do it folks, it has been taken away from me, and unforunately the game is over...true story, but THE END!

Interim, Nice work if you can get it

We had a faculty meeting the other day to meet the interim of special services. A man that has held several high ranking positions in our district. He was just approved to work in this capacity for a pay rate of $550 a DAY! I take offense to the idea of interim when there are many young men and women like ourselves with the certification and the desire to work and get our feet wet. How can our district pay these people these salaries when the budget just went down and they cut ALL the Freshmen sports programs. How much does it cost to run those programs...isn't everything we do "for the kids?!?!" Our school building has yet to hire a Media Specialist. Keep in mind i'm in a fairly new school building and the media center is beautiful, and it should be utilized by students everyday, but instead it sits empty except for a few music classes because they've assigned that teacher WAY to many students. Who is accountable for spending when my phys ed department just chipped in $20 each to buy more ink for our printer just so we can make dittos and tests for health class. Awful.

Is curriculum writing REALLY volunteer work

I apoligize for not "blogging" earlier but I guess I was waiting for motivation. Today, I was approached by my vice principal who said that the k-2 cirriculum was in what they call phase 3 which is the writing phase. The two teachers in their respective elementary schools have refused to write and/or volunteer due to their age and their general hatred of helping out anyone. Therefore, here comes the VP coming to see me (26 years old) and my non tenured co-worker in the Phys Ed health dept. He said "well, there's no one to write this so I told the super that you guys would be team players and help us out" My question is, who's job is it really to write curriculum. What if I have no plans to ever teach at that low level. Is volunteer work really optional. All these questions weigh on my mind as I dread the rest of the school year knowing that I have to re-vamp a whole curriculum before June. Health included. During phase 1 and 2 we're just looking at the overall status of the curriculum and in phase 3 we start writing. Phase 3 does earn you the pay rate of writing but what does that come down to per hour. Are we just bailing them out by doing their job? Does the strong arm come down because you're non-tenured? Is volunteer work mandatory!?

CURR Week 3 Curric Action Plan

I've just been pouring thoughts on paper about our rough draft. My district is in the midst of a 5 year curriculum plan...Many believe, however, it's just to save the job of the higher up administration for the next couple years. We've met a couple times as a department but nothing has really come of it. It's unfortunate that they want you to VOLUNTEER to be on these curriculum committees without paying us...faculty meetings are one thing but meeting after school for an hour or two for just some free professional hours, not everyone is jumping at the chance. They (admin) try to make it seem that it should be us that writes it because we'll be the ones teaching it, but many feel that it's us doing their work while they reap the benefits of looking good under a revised curriculum plan.

Just like Fullan has been saying it's tough to deal with the thoughts of change, and you see that with many older faculty members that have their plans set from sept to june. These teachers fear change and it's up to us to know how to accomadate change and make it an easier transition with them. We'll see how my rough draft finishes up, see ya Wed.

CURR 534 Week 2

Week 2's class session dealt a lot with todays society and our perception of it. Many felt to get attention, a child didn't have to be good or have talent, but get in trouble and make a name for him/herself. We felt they didn't care whether or not this "name" or reputation was negative, they just wanted attention any way they could get it. We all agreed that as teachers today we need to be entertaining and hold onto the shortening attention spans of todays youth.

I personally agreed with the fact that justice seems minimal and society as a whole is affraid to hand down a punishment that fits the crime. Speaking of justice, I think back of the article week 1 of class of the poor substitute woman who is going through legal battles because of a small incident that could've been dealt with quickly, quietly and internally. Is what this woman is going through really justice, with all the problems in the world and in this country, this is the person we're going after? It falls under the bureaucracy ideal, nobody wants to be accountable on top so let's blame this woman who gives her time to help us out by watching over children in our school.

Someone also added the quote "I feel betrayed". I can sympathize with this feeling because I feel leadership is at an all time low in administration, atleast in my eyes. I think discipline is huge with kids, but few have the nerve to enforce it, quicker turn an eye than speak a word of correction. What happened to "the buck stops here"...we all need to be accountable for our surroundings and our profession.

What Did I Learn

In third grade I remember learning how to write in cursive. Here I thought that anything cursive at 8 years old got me a time-out and my mouth washed out with soap, who knew the difference. I remember the old strips of letters that used to hang ominously over the chalkboard showing you how to create a certain letter in uppercase and lowercase. It always amazed me how different a letter could look transforming from big to small. One of the first things we needed to practice was how to write our name in cursive. The teacher couldn't be more correct when she said we'd use this skill almost everyday of our adult lives. Even though they are both done in cursive, there is just that huge difference between a signature and an autograph. I haven't found anyone who hasn't practiced their "autograph" in hopes they would someday hand it to an adoring fan. What a fantasy sitting in 3rd grade @ 10:30am on a Tuesday!

I have to say that I wish we were forced to practice cursive writing because I haven't used it in over 15 years. It was supposed to be this great way to cut down on printing time, but I couldn't even go through the alphabet correctly now!