A Teacher in the Summertime

So, what does a teacher do during the summertime, you ask?  Let me share my summer activities.


The first week after school ended, I worked with about a fifty other teachers to create question banks for our district assessment tests.  It was a terrible and tedious and challenging experience, BUT it may be worth it.  I am one of the biggest complainers about these district tests, so at least being able to write questions that could be on the tests helps me be part of the solution.  The hardest part is that I teach 4 classes that are tested, but there were only people signed up to work on 3 of those tests.  SO, it is resulting in me working by myself on two of those tests, which is challenging.  I don't have anyone to bounce ideas off, and I have to go back this coming week to do some more work on one of the tests.  Oh well... I'm earning money for mine and the spouse's summer vacation.


Now... in two weeks I will be spending a week in a class.  It's a wonderful grant program that brings in professors from all over the country to talk about their expertise in American History AND we get the opportunity to work in a variety of achieves to find primary sources to use in our class.  Even more exciting... the grant gives each of us $1000 after we finish the assignments AND an opportunity to win a trip to the National Convention of History Educators' annual conference.  I was one of the winners last year and had the opportunity to present at the conference with my group!  So amazing!  And I made some wonderful teacher friends. 


After that, I will spend free time (with exception to my vacation week) planning curriculum for next year.  I have 7 different classes to prepare, two of which I've never taught before.  I have to meet with fellow teachers to help them plan their curriculum (they're teaching either a World History or a Geography class), while one helps me with curriculum for one of my new classes.  Thankfully, margaritas will be involved to help me relax, since I'm VERY nervous about teaching all those classes and 2 new ones!  I know it'll be okay, but still!!!  One more negative... I don't have the new text for one of my classes.  


To think... it's almost June and I return to school on August 5!! (Kids don't arrive until Aug. 11).  That still doesn't give me much time.  Scary thought...  BUT, not a dull moment in a teacher's life. 

Betrayal at home...

The end of the year has arrived... THANK GOODNESS!!!!  Well... mostly.  The last day of school was great... and terrible.  It was great to hang out with the students for one more day.  It was a half day with students taking finals.  After their finals, we got to chat about summer plans, etc.  


And yet, I said it was terrible.  During my planning period, I had a student working in my room on math (yes, I really can help kids learn math).  During the period, my co-worker Charisma stopped in for a moment to laugh about something random.  After she left, my student said to me, "Ms, do you know what I heard about her? Ms. Scott?  I don't know if it's true though."  So, of course, I think that students are spreading crazy rumors again, or that he heard a story of something funny Charisma said or did.  He tells me that he heard Ms. Scott had dated a senior the year before.  I started laughing because it was the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard.  I assumed the students were spreading rumors, so I asked him who had told him that.  His response struck me as odd... he said, "If I tell you, will you promise not to tell?  I don't want her to get into trouble?"  Still under the assumption that it was a student, I said yes.  Students don't get into trouble for spreading rumors, and it's the end of the school year.  Students were leaving in about 2 hours.  I was VERY unprepared for the next two words out of my student's mouth... "Miss Garcia"  Miss Garcia is one of our secretaries!!  How could an adult at our school, that I have worked with for two years, have been telling these stories to our students?!?  I don't know if I kept a straight face or not, but I know my brain had shut down.  I told the student that I know Ms. Scott VERY well, and that rumor isn't true.  


Then my brain started running a million miles a second...
What am I going to do with this new found information?!  I only promised the student I wouldn't say anything because I thought it was simply a student rumor, but this is SO much bigger!!  An adult!  Telling stories to students... stories that could ruin a teacher's career!!!  So, I did what I always do when I don't know what to do... I went to our counselor, and I asked her what to do.


I had to tell our principal.  And I was really okay with that decision.  I was SO upset!!  How could someone betray us?  Our school, our staff, everything about what we do is built upon trust, and someone we were supposed to be able to trust has begun telling rumors to students!  What the heck was happening?!?  So I reported it... but before I did that, I told Charisma.  That was probably one of the hardest things I had to do.  The look on her face will permanently scar my memory.  She was so hurt, so upset, so shocked all at one time.  It was as though she didn't know how to feel in that particular moment.  To be honest, I know that feeling... I had just felt it about 15 minutes earlier.  


So what happens now?  I report was filed, statements were given, and there is still a huge amount of mistrust in our school when it comes to Ms. Garcia.  We are all left in a state of limbo... what will happen next?  Thankfully our principal knows us very well and knows Charisma would never do such a thing with a student.  But we still don't know what will happen next?  And I still can't figure out how to work in our small school with someone I can't trust.


What to do?  What to do...

The Time Has Come... The Best of this Job

It has finally come upon us... the best part of this job.  Graduation!  Honestly, this is the part of the year.  After all their hard work, we have the chance to watch our seniors walk across the stage and receive their diploma.  My heart fills with pride for them.  Their stories vary.  They come from all walks of life and have a million different obstacles to overcome (including their own stubbornness).  And yet something has stuck with them... their desire to graduate from high school.


I have one student who had her first baby when she was 15 years old... her second when she was 17.  And yet somehow she has balanced being a mother and a student in order to NOT be a super senior and graduate with her class.  She is the only teenage mother I have met that honestly puts her children first.  She puts them in the school daycare every morning, goes to class, and stops down to see them throughout the day.  And I get to see her cross the stage and earn her diploma.


Another student has a father in the army who has been in and out of Iraq these past few years.  He spent many of his years being the outcast in school... even in a school full of outcasts.  For 17 years he felt ashamed to tell his family and friends that he was gay.  This year, he finally felt comfortable with who he is, and earned a scholarship from our school district for college.  And now I get to see him cross the stage.


One of my favorites (yes... teachers have favorites...) is a young girl who is 20 years old.  She's a single mother, has been abused by her son's father, and been involved with gangs, drugs, and more for most of her life in some way.  Last year she didn't care about anything.  She didn't care about school, about a future career, about anything.  To be honest, I don't think she really believed she had a future.  By the end of last year and into this year, there was nothing more important to her than graduating high school, getting a job, and finding an apartment for her and her son.  I get to watch her cross that stage.


There are 15 students graduating tomorrow and they all feel like my children to me.  I have watched most of this these past two years... and it's AMAZING how two years can change people.  They have matured and grown and have found a purpose in their lives.  This is my favorite part of the job.  It's the happiest day we have... and I'm so excited for tomorrow.  Must bring my camera... 

Just Around the Bend...

So... it has finally arrived!  The last week of school!!!  You know the hardest thing about this week?  Actually focusing on classes.  Wednesday and Thursday are finals days, so that means Monday and Tuesday are suppose to be review days.  But I'm not focused enough tonight to even make up review games.  (I will... eventually... just not yet...)  But summer is just around the corner!!!  Yeay!!  I am so excited I can't even express it... I am SO ready for a break!!
The only down side to this week?  The husband has left me alone, so I must do all this celebrating on my own.  It also means I will fill my week with bad junk food and eat Turkey burgers for dinner every night.  The dogs will drive me bonkers without Husband to wear out their energy. 
But still... SUMMER IS JUST AROUND THE BEND!!!  WAHOO!!!
I suppose I'll keep this short in an attempt to create some review games... wish me luck!  As of Thursday, I'll be free as a bird (minus the summer courses and helping district create questions that actually reflect students knowing the curriculum and not the textbook)  But free nonetheless!!

The Man Who's Holding Me Down...

I know... two blogs in one day is a little intense for me, but with finals upon us at school, the man has begun to hold me down... again.  NOW, let's clarify, I am NOT referring to my principal.  He is the most supportive principal ever.  No... I am talking about the district administration... and I usually have a tendency to direct my frustrations at the superintendent.  So... here's the deal.  My district has decided to start paying teachers' salaries based on student performance.  There is a very intricate system to how the student data is used, looking at growth, stance compared to other students in the same grade, etc.  It's beautiful on paper, but terrible in real life.  How exactly does district expect to hold me responsible for bad parenting? Terrible home-lives?  Lack of motivation on the student's part?  I can teach the most amazing things until I'm blue in the face, and sometimes students just refuse to learn.  What exactly am I suppose to do about that?
In any case, the most recent display of "the man" interfering in my life comes in the form of district assessments.  We've had district assessments before in Social Studies and usually I don't care about them.  There are a variety of reasons for my lack of care.
1.  The tests had only been used to demonstrate, which areas students need more help in.
2.  They NEVER had to count toward students' grades OR my salary
3.  I HATE the questions!!  The entire curriculum (and thus questions) are based SOLELY on the textbook!  Any half decent teacher knows that the textbook is not always the source of good lesson plans.  I always use supplemental materials and I always teach toward the state standards.  I almost never use the textbook.  It's not student-friendly and I personally think they don't always teach the BIG picture questions.  After high school, How many people really discuss the numerous committees in the House of Representatives?  How many people ACTUALLY discuss the impact of the de Medici family on the Renaissance??  Not that these things aren't important if you're going to delve deeper into the subject, but if you're never going to study history again, what the heck?
Well... this trimester, I am REQUIRED to have the students take the district final as their final exam!  It counts towards their final grades AND it counts towards my salary.  I was reviewing the Government test, and although I'm not legally allowed to repeat any of the questions on the test, I will say that half the test is made up of the most irrelevant questions!!  I taught this kids about how the government affects them!  What Supreme Court cases have molded the education system and impact what they can and cannot do in society.  They learned about the different views of political parties and how the government was even conceived and created.  Were any of these things on the test?  No!  It is hard enough to convince my students that our government is something they should be involved in (even if it's just voting for the president) but when the district test doesn't demonstrate these things as important, why will they think they should be involved? 
To make matters worse, Government is a mandated class for graduation, and it is not easy.  Therefore I have MANY students sweating whether or not they will be able to graduate in 5 days because they're afraid they're going to fail this test!  Today I had to reassure them that I am only going to count the questions we talked about... and that is my personal rebellion against the system.
There is a small ray of hope.  Starting after next week, I will be able to participate in helping to create a question bank for the future district tests.  At least I can hope that will use some of my questions and students in the future will have far less stress... and I will have far less irritation at the man holding me (and my students) down...

A Nerdy Teacher...

I know that it's the end of the year, and I SHOULD be all wrapped up in getting the kids ready for finals... and I truly am... BUT there are some other things that often distract me.  I LOVE researching new things to teach my students.  There's something about just sitting down with a computer and blank paper and filling that paper up with new information.  It reminds me of college, and I really did love college.  I love learning!  (At least someone in my classroom does...)
Currently, I'm very excited and planning for summer classes.  I get another wonderful opportunity to listen to phenomenal professors educate me on their specialities AND teach me great practices for how to teach these to my students.  This same class allows me to dig through archives around the state and find some AMAZING primary sources that link American History to our local history.  I'm also looking at another course that integrates psychology and history, which is great since I have to create a psychology course to teach next year!  
If that isn't nerdy enough, I just discovered free podcasts on iTunes (don't mock that I just discovered this...)  They have the Discovery Channel!!  They have "Stuff You Missed in History Class"!  They even have podcasts from an old professor at the University of Minnesota!  And I downloaded them for free to watch over the summer!  How fun!! (Well... I suppose my definition of fun is different than most...)  
Why do I have to spend all my time only researching fun things for the kids?  Why can't I just expand my knowledge and learning new things?  Sometimes I think it would be wonderful to just quit teaching and go back to school.  NOT high school... college school.  I couldn't handle that drama... it's hard enough to make it through the crazy high school drama that I deal with daily.  
In any case, as my students will tell you (they tell me on a daily basis...) I am a HUGE nerd!  I love learning.  I love reading.  I even love writing papers, even though I stink at them.  I love sitting and typing on my computer.  I love telling my husband the crazy random things I learn (although I don't know if he always loves that)  :)  I am a nerdy.  A very nerdy teacher.

FRIDAAAAYYYYY!!!!!!!!

You know the favorite day of any and all teachers????  FRIDAY!!  Now, this could be for a multitude of reasons.  First and foremost, it is the last day of the workweek.  We officially get two days away from students, HOPEFULLY relaxing and attempting to not look at to much schoolwork things.  You should actually see the excitement on teacher's faces when we have a three day weekend!  Woot!!  
Secondly, it means were one more week closer to the end of the year.  Not that we don't love our jobs and we're in a rush to get them over with.  Not at all!!!  In fact, if that's how we felt, we would get a nice, boring, regular 9 - 5 where there is no chaos happening every moment of the day.  And yet, we can't be a bit excited that we're a little closer to summer.  Who doesn't like planning a good ol' fashioned vacation (or just imagining sitting outside in the sun reading a book that has NOTHING to do with any of your classes...)
Finally, and this might be the most important, it is finally on friday night that we can go out and have a drink without worrying about having to get up for work the next day.  I'm not talking 15 shots in an hour drinking.  Just rest and relaxation, socializing with friends about anything but work, with a cold pint in hand.  I think part of the appeal is that it is grown up time... and not just 30 minutes while stuffing lunch in our face... grown up, lounging, and laughing time.  Hypothetically, high school students should be mature, and almost like adults... and yet they're not.  And thus, grown up adult time is soooooooooooooo needed.  Happy relaxation Friday!!!  Please let this weekend go nice and sloooooowwwwwww... 

Crunch time...

The most stressful (and honestly, the MOST annoying) part of the year is right before the end of the year (or end of the trimesters).  Students are extremely stressed about whether or not they're going to pass their classes, which is somewhat understandable... except that they are the BIGGEST procrastinators!!!  They have chance after chance to do make up work, and they don't.  So... the last two weeks before the year is over, what do they do?  Spend a ridiculous amount of time in my classroom trying to get as much make up work as possible. 

Now... I'll be truthful... I REALLY want my students to pass... even though for a few it's simply selfish reasons (so I don't have them next year).  But I really HATE the extra grading I all of a sudden have to do.  Grading is bad enough when it's just the regular amount, but crunch time grading is 3 - 4 times worse.  On top of the grading, I have students asking my hourly whether their grades have improved based on the missing work turned it.  HELLO!!  I HAVEN'T GRADED IT YET!  I HAVEN'T EVEN GONE TO THE BATHROOM TODAY!!  Holy smokes!  Obviously I really don't say that to them, but that's pretty much what is screaming through my head.  The graduating seniors are the worse.  You'd think that after I give them the "You need this class to graduate" speech the first day of the class, they'd understand that they should probably not fail.  Two years so far, and it's the same both times... I better buckle in and prepare.  I'm guessing this means it will be the same every year.

One thing that does make it all worth it is seeing those students graduate... and that relief will arrive in T minus 10 days.

And summer begins in T minus 12... Woot woot!!!!