"Students being used as Pawns"

          A national news headline, "Students being used as Pawns", and it just so happens to be referring to state of education in the great city that I live, teach, and send my own child to school in.  For those who somehow have not heard, the largest school district in the state has decided to delay the start of school indefinitely!!  At first I completely blamed the school board... If you have read any of my other posts you can see what great decision makers they are... but after reading an email or two I realized it is actually the city council.  In 2008 the city council and the school board went to court, the city thought it should no longer have to fund its school district....  What city would not want to educate its children...  Its future???  Only this great city we live in.  Well of course the School Board won the law suit BUT, get this, the city has not paid the schools any money since 2008.  No wonder our students are using 10 year old books that do not match the curriculums...  No wonder the air conditioners do not work the first week of school...  This is outrageous!!! Now don't get me wrong I would be happy for the start of school to be pushed back a little, I mean the first week of August is a little early, but not because of something so ridiculous.
           All of this comes tagged on to what was supposed to be the start of something brand new for me. I needed a new start something good to look forward to.  I will be teaching at a brand new school this year and cannot wait to get things started.  A new building also brings new challenges though.  This will be my first time under a new principal and my class sizes will be 3 times what I am used to.  The students will also be more diverse.  This school will have many English as a second language students and more concerned involved parents.  The parent thing is kind of freaking me out.  I haven't ever really had to deal with normal concerned parents before.  But anyway this is going to be an exciting adventure and cannot wait to share what this year in a new place brings!!!
      

A Quality Teacher Manifesto

This article was shared with our faculty during faculty meeting today.  This article is a good one.  It is so true.  The second and third elements I can personally attest to.  The teamwork and camaraderie really do make the work place so much more enjoyable and in turn makes you want to do a good job.  Last year, I felt like everyone at the school hated me, well they did, and I hated getting up in the morning and walking through the doors, I used to call the school 'hell' ( to the principle!!)  He moved me this year to another grade where I am working with 5 different adults and they treat me as a friend and I love going to work in the mornings.  I have also seen the results in the students.  I have very few discipline problems this year because we are working and engaged during class time.  My attitude is better which the kids can sense.  Children really do sense conflict and self doubt. This year they have learned to add and subtract mixed numbers with different denominators in one day.  I think my positive attitude and demanding excellence from them has forced them to use their brains.  I don't think that I am that great of teacher but i do think that forcing the students to think made them remember things from last year.  But anyway here is the link to the article, read it, it is a good one.  Maybe someone will email it to the district officials so that real education can take place here in my state.


well the link will not paste correctly but please google A Teacher Quality Manifesto this is an article by Deborah Kenny In the Wall Street Journal.