Like so many cities and towns around the country, the city where I work is facing enormous budget deficits for the coming year. The mayor is considering wage freezes. The schools are being asked to cut their budgets by 10-20%. That is pretty significant when you consider that there already is not enough money for basic school supplies like paper. The idea of wage freezes looks okay on paper but still doesn't guarantee that people won't be laid off.
Here is an alternate idea:
School headquarters is located in a really nice, really large building downtown. Many of the schools in the city will be closed as of the end of the school year due to low student enrollment and or poor performance indicators. Sell the big fancy building downtown which is in a prime location. The city will make a good chunk of money of the sale ,which can be used to balance the budget and hopefully generate a little extra money for the coming years. People who work in the downtown building can be relocated to one of the soon to be empty school buildings. If those buildings are good enough to send the children to, they ought to be good enough for the higher level management types of people to work in.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Monday, January 12, 2009
It's not the kids...
It's all the other adults that are in an around a school building.
For starters the custodian started the snow-blower this morning in the basement. For those of you may not know, my classroom, the space where I must teach and children try to learn for 6 hours a day, is in the basement. So it reeked of exhaust for most of the day. A parent dropped off her cherub and complained to the principal that I had the window open. The principal then told me to close the window, despite being aware of the exhaust situation.
Then I had to take a child to the nurse for some yucky possibly infectious mark on one of my students. She asked the student what happened and all he was able to do was point to the mark in question. She told me to ask him what happened and he responded the same way. They nurse then let me know that she couldn't possibly treat him if he couldn't communicate what the problem was. Considering his extremely young age and his disability, how would she have liked him to communicate the cause or reason for this injury?
And as if two incidences of annoying adult behavior are not enough for one day, there is yet another. I understand that "times are tight" and budgets need to be cut. I understand that schools are unfortunately not exempt from these tight, budget cutting times. So in order to save money the principal announced late in the day a "revised cleaning schedule". Basically the rooms on the first floor will get cleaned Mondays and Wednesdays and the rooms on the second floor will get cleaned on Tuesdays and Thursdays and all rooms will be mopped on Fridays. And we come back to the issue of the basement. When exactly will the basement be cleaned? Not just my room, but the other classrooms in the basement, the cafeteria, library, therapy rooms, and the bathroom? We have had a pest problem at least as long as I have been working there. At least half of the students in the school have to eat lunch in their classrooms every single day. Some kids, including mine, eat breakfast AND lunch in their classroom every day. Even though I do my best to clean each day, I am sure I am not perfect and that the other teachers are not either. It would seem to me that in order to prevent pests and general nastiness, that no single area of the building should be left off the cleaning schedule.
Tomorrow is another day, possibly filled with saner adults
For starters the custodian started the snow-blower this morning in the basement. For those of you may not know, my classroom, the space where I must teach and children try to learn for 6 hours a day, is in the basement. So it reeked of exhaust for most of the day. A parent dropped off her cherub and complained to the principal that I had the window open. The principal then told me to close the window, despite being aware of the exhaust situation.
Then I had to take a child to the nurse for some yucky possibly infectious mark on one of my students. She asked the student what happened and all he was able to do was point to the mark in question. She told me to ask him what happened and he responded the same way. They nurse then let me know that she couldn't possibly treat him if he couldn't communicate what the problem was. Considering his extremely young age and his disability, how would she have liked him to communicate the cause or reason for this injury?
And as if two incidences of annoying adult behavior are not enough for one day, there is yet another. I understand that "times are tight" and budgets need to be cut. I understand that schools are unfortunately not exempt from these tight, budget cutting times. So in order to save money the principal announced late in the day a "revised cleaning schedule". Basically the rooms on the first floor will get cleaned Mondays and Wednesdays and the rooms on the second floor will get cleaned on Tuesdays and Thursdays and all rooms will be mopped on Fridays. And we come back to the issue of the basement. When exactly will the basement be cleaned? Not just my room, but the other classrooms in the basement, the cafeteria, library, therapy rooms, and the bathroom? We have had a pest problem at least as long as I have been working there. At least half of the students in the school have to eat lunch in their classrooms every single day. Some kids, including mine, eat breakfast AND lunch in their classroom every day. Even though I do my best to clean each day, I am sure I am not perfect and that the other teachers are not either. It would seem to me that in order to prevent pests and general nastiness, that no single area of the building should be left off the cleaning schedule.
Tomorrow is another day, possibly filled with saner adults
Sunday, January 11, 2009
The Joy of Books
This past week, I was reminded once again of how important books can be to students.
I had two students who were creating roller coasters in the block area. They were working really hard, trying to figure out how to make a"loop de loop" with rectangular unit blocks. They were talking about how to make the cars go down the ramp faster, and how high the ramp needed to be in order to get the var to go upside down. They talked about roller coasters all day on Thursday, roller coasters they have been one, ones they have maybe seen on television, materials around the room they want to use next time they go to the block area.
Thursday night I made a trip to my local library to return some books that I had out for a while. After perusing the the new non- fiction books, I strolled over to the children's library to look for books that pertained to curriculum on wind and water. After using the online catalog and finding a few relevant and appropriate books, I had this feeling that I could do more, that I was forgetting something. And then, aha, I remembered the enthusiasm these two students had about roller coasters earlier in the day. I dashed over to the computer, typed in my search terms, and grabbed a book about roller coasters.
I went to school Friday eager to share the books I had chosen with the kids and especially curious to see how those two students would respond to the roller coaster book. They both looked at it excitedly during morning book look. They called me over and asked me to read certain parts of the book aloud to them (This book was a nonfiction text, with amazing photographs and very detailed text. The text was slightly beyond their level, but the "headlines in the book and photo captions provided a lot of information in shorter segments.) They took the book with them into the block area and used one of the photographs as a model for their work that day. Great, so those two kids know directly that there are books about almost any interest, and that they can learn things from books.
The excitement was contagious. Some of the other students wanted to know if I would look for specific library books for them too. Of course!
Happy reading and learning
I had two students who were creating roller coasters in the block area. They were working really hard, trying to figure out how to make a"loop de loop" with rectangular unit blocks. They were talking about how to make the cars go down the ramp faster, and how high the ramp needed to be in order to get the var to go upside down. They talked about roller coasters all day on Thursday, roller coasters they have been one, ones they have maybe seen on television, materials around the room they want to use next time they go to the block area.
Thursday night I made a trip to my local library to return some books that I had out for a while. After perusing the the new non- fiction books, I strolled over to the children's library to look for books that pertained to curriculum on wind and water. After using the online catalog and finding a few relevant and appropriate books, I had this feeling that I could do more, that I was forgetting something. And then, aha, I remembered the enthusiasm these two students had about roller coasters earlier in the day. I dashed over to the computer, typed in my search terms, and grabbed a book about roller coasters.
I went to school Friday eager to share the books I had chosen with the kids and especially curious to see how those two students would respond to the roller coaster book. They both looked at it excitedly during morning book look. They called me over and asked me to read certain parts of the book aloud to them (This book was a nonfiction text, with amazing photographs and very detailed text. The text was slightly beyond their level, but the "headlines in the book and photo captions provided a lot of information in shorter segments.) They took the book with them into the block area and used one of the photographs as a model for their work that day. Great, so those two kids know directly that there are books about almost any interest, and that they can learn things from books.
The excitement was contagious. Some of the other students wanted to know if I would look for specific library books for them too. Of course!
Happy reading and learning
Friday, January 9, 2009
The first week back
What a whirlwind. Being absent mid-week did not help. Going back Thursday with a vengeance and working really hard left me a bit tired today. The kids have adjusted fairly well to being back at school. As always they continue to amaze and inspire me more with each passing day.
One kid came to school with a tin of cookies and note from his mother, thanking me for my work with her child. She went on to say that she knows the cookies are not much but she did want to give us something. Such expressions from parents are rare and her note, written on a lined index card, will be treasured for years to come. The cookies were wonderful but the note was more than enough. Sometimes, usually on my bad, self-criticizing days, I wonder if anything I do all day long really matters. Then something like this thoughtful note comes along and snaps me out of my funk. While I like to hope that I am making a difference for all of my students, at least I KNOW for sure that I am making a difference to one child and his family. Knowing that my work matters, is helping this child in a way that is obvious to others besides myself, is a gift. So thank you, thank you wonderful child and wonderful mother.
Today was the rescheduled winter concert for my class. We sang 3 non-denominational songs: "I'm a little candle" (to the tune of the little teapot) "hats, sweaters, pants and boots" ( to the tune of head, shoulders knees and toes) and Skidamarink, which is a class favorite this year. The students had worked hard practicing the words and gestures that go with these songs. We had made costumes and had rehearsals. I did not want to let all of their hard work go to waste so we invited the parents to come this morning. I also invited the principal. Only two of the eleven families showed up. Would more have come if it was the day before vacation? I don't know, it is hard to say. I was very disappointed that principal did not make it though, as he had told me in the morning that he would be there. Regardless, the kids enjoyed giving a true performance with an audience, however small that audience may have been.
Some of the kids were nervous and stared at me the whole entire time for cues. Others seemed as if they were waiting for this moment. These were the kids were barely audible during our rehearsal, who wouldn't make eye contact and did not do many of the gestures that went along with the songs. For these few kids, this "concert" was there 15 minutes of fame. Quite literally. Suddenly they were the strongest singers in the bunch, full of animation and expression. Following the performance and some technical difficulties, the students and their parents watched a movie. The "movie" was a slide show of most of the photos that I have taken throughout the year set to upbeat music. The kids loved it because it was about their favorite topic, themselves. They were also excited to see pictures of things we had done together that were meaningful and enjoyable to them, but not in their immediate memory. All in all, it was a wonderful morning.
We are beginning our unit on wind and water. One of the science experiments is to have the children make predictions about what the air will move and what it will not. We tested several objects, including a balloon, a pencil, a small paper cup, a play dough cookie cutter, ribbon, construction paper and the basket that holds the crayons. I asked students why the air couldn't move the basket and here are some of their responses:
"The basket is funny"
"If we take the crayons out, maybe the air will move the basket when it doesn't have crayons"
"We need more air to move it. we don't have enough"
"the other things are littler"
Their answers were fairly sophisticated given their age and that this is the beginning of our unit. Their answers led to a discussion of air and weight. I cherish these moments, I value each opportunity where I am able to learn more about their thinking and how they are making sense of the world.
It was an exhausting but highly productive and successful first week back after a long break.
One kid came to school with a tin of cookies and note from his mother, thanking me for my work with her child. She went on to say that she knows the cookies are not much but she did want to give us something. Such expressions from parents are rare and her note, written on a lined index card, will be treasured for years to come. The cookies were wonderful but the note was more than enough. Sometimes, usually on my bad, self-criticizing days, I wonder if anything I do all day long really matters. Then something like this thoughtful note comes along and snaps me out of my funk. While I like to hope that I am making a difference for all of my students, at least I KNOW for sure that I am making a difference to one child and his family. Knowing that my work matters, is helping this child in a way that is obvious to others besides myself, is a gift. So thank you, thank you wonderful child and wonderful mother.
Today was the rescheduled winter concert for my class. We sang 3 non-denominational songs: "I'm a little candle" (to the tune of the little teapot) "hats, sweaters, pants and boots" ( to the tune of head, shoulders knees and toes) and Skidamarink, which is a class favorite this year. The students had worked hard practicing the words and gestures that go with these songs. We had made costumes and had rehearsals. I did not want to let all of their hard work go to waste so we invited the parents to come this morning. I also invited the principal. Only two of the eleven families showed up. Would more have come if it was the day before vacation? I don't know, it is hard to say. I was very disappointed that principal did not make it though, as he had told me in the morning that he would be there. Regardless, the kids enjoyed giving a true performance with an audience, however small that audience may have been.
Some of the kids were nervous and stared at me the whole entire time for cues. Others seemed as if they were waiting for this moment. These were the kids were barely audible during our rehearsal, who wouldn't make eye contact and did not do many of the gestures that went along with the songs. For these few kids, this "concert" was there 15 minutes of fame. Quite literally. Suddenly they were the strongest singers in the bunch, full of animation and expression. Following the performance and some technical difficulties, the students and their parents watched a movie. The "movie" was a slide show of most of the photos that I have taken throughout the year set to upbeat music. The kids loved it because it was about their favorite topic, themselves. They were also excited to see pictures of things we had done together that were meaningful and enjoyable to them, but not in their immediate memory. All in all, it was a wonderful morning.
We are beginning our unit on wind and water. One of the science experiments is to have the children make predictions about what the air will move and what it will not. We tested several objects, including a balloon, a pencil, a small paper cup, a play dough cookie cutter, ribbon, construction paper and the basket that holds the crayons. I asked students why the air couldn't move the basket and here are some of their responses:
"The basket is funny"
"If we take the crayons out, maybe the air will move the basket when it doesn't have crayons"
"We need more air to move it. we don't have enough"
"the other things are littler"
Their answers were fairly sophisticated given their age and that this is the beginning of our unit. Their answers led to a discussion of air and weight. I cherish these moments, I value each opportunity where I am able to learn more about their thinking and how they are making sense of the world.
It was an exhausting but highly productive and successful first week back after a long break.
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Sweet Reunions and tired teacher
Everyone made it in today. It was wonderful to see all of the kids today as there were low absences right before the break. It seems as though they grew up a lot in our relatively short time away from each other.
In general, I notice a greater awareness of letters in the environment and better understanding of letter- sound relationships. I notice students who came in knowing some sounds but unwilling or unable to commit that knowledge taking the risk, sounding out words and using inventive spelling to put their ideas on paper.
I notice kids who came in writing their name now are able to copy 3 whole sentences at once with little to no assistance. Kids who came to school unable to recognize their own name in print are recognizing and writing it.
Students in general are excited about books, and are very eager to go to the book area when they notice new books have been added. They notice more in general and have become such great observers. When we were going outside today to find a parcel of ground without too much ice on it, they noticed that there was considerably less snow than yesterday and that their foot prints had melted and other students had made other foot prints and that there was dog poo in the school yard ironically, right below the sign that said "No Dogs Allowed: Waste from animals transmits disease". At recess someone noticed that sun was "not reaching all of the snow in the corner. It cant melt. The sun is lazy".
They are more eager to learn than when school started in the fall and they already have learned so much in just a few months. In thinking about their progress thus far and feeling excited that I still have 6 more months to be their teacher , I am a little tired. Yesterday was rough as I had a hard time sleeping Sunday night. Sometimes, I still get a little case of back to school jitters. Sometimes I just think and think about the students and their families and doze off and wake up again and then before I know it is 4am. Today their energy and eagerness both inspired and exhausted me.
Early to bed
In general, I notice a greater awareness of letters in the environment and better understanding of letter- sound relationships. I notice students who came in knowing some sounds but unwilling or unable to commit that knowledge taking the risk, sounding out words and using inventive spelling to put their ideas on paper.
I notice kids who came in writing their name now are able to copy 3 whole sentences at once with little to no assistance. Kids who came to school unable to recognize their own name in print are recognizing and writing it.
Students in general are excited about books, and are very eager to go to the book area when they notice new books have been added. They notice more in general and have become such great observers. When we were going outside today to find a parcel of ground without too much ice on it, they noticed that there was considerably less snow than yesterday and that their foot prints had melted and other students had made other foot prints and that there was dog poo in the school yard ironically, right below the sign that said "No Dogs Allowed: Waste from animals transmits disease". At recess someone noticed that sun was "not reaching all of the snow in the corner. It cant melt. The sun is lazy".
They are more eager to learn than when school started in the fall and they already have learned so much in just a few months. In thinking about their progress thus far and feeling excited that I still have 6 more months to be their teacher , I am a little tired. Yesterday was rough as I had a hard time sleeping Sunday night. Sometimes, I still get a little case of back to school jitters. Sometimes I just think and think about the students and their families and doze off and wake up again and then before I know it is 4am. Today their energy and eagerness both inspired and exhausted me.
Early to bed
Monday, January 5, 2009
Missing some little friends and welcoming back others
Small numbers today, the first school day of the 2009. I am wondering what happened. Was the weather too bad this morning for some people? Did the students encounter problems with their transportation? Did the families know that school started today? Is someone sick? Hopefully, I will get in touch with people over the telephone and will be reunited with the students sooner rather than later.
The kids who are here seem both sleepy and excited at the same time. One of the students just stared at me this morning with wide eyes and and even wider smile. He did not say anything but the staring lasted for an unnaturally long time. Another student arrived with a belated holiday card in her hand in a bright white envelope with slightly tattered edges. The message was written by her mother wishing all of us a happy holiday season. Another student arrived eager to talk about her new shoes and what Santa brought her.
We spent some time reviewing the rules and discussing their vacation. I am always amazed when a student cannot recall one single event that happened over a 2 week period. I know students at this age have difficulties understanding time and retelling things from the past, but I still posed the question to them anyways. A lot of them were able to answer, but one student actually said "nothing". When she was asked further questions, she still said that she did nothing. As the morning wore on, their energy slowly dissipated. Most were hungry well before lunch and all slept soundly during rest period.
Happy 2009!
The kids who are here seem both sleepy and excited at the same time. One of the students just stared at me this morning with wide eyes and and even wider smile. He did not say anything but the staring lasted for an unnaturally long time. Another student arrived with a belated holiday card in her hand in a bright white envelope with slightly tattered edges. The message was written by her mother wishing all of us a happy holiday season. Another student arrived eager to talk about her new shoes and what Santa brought her.
We spent some time reviewing the rules and discussing their vacation. I am always amazed when a student cannot recall one single event that happened over a 2 week period. I know students at this age have difficulties understanding time and retelling things from the past, but I still posed the question to them anyways. A lot of them were able to answer, but one student actually said "nothing". When she was asked further questions, she still said that she did nothing. As the morning wore on, their energy slowly dissipated. Most were hungry well before lunch and all slept soundly during rest period.
Happy 2009!
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Long Vacation
Tomorrow we go back to school after a longer than usual December break. Our longer than usual break was due to some significant snowfall in December. The time off was greatly needed, however there were some things at school that I intended to bring home with me to work on over the break. I thought that there would be no school Friday and assumed we would be in school on the following Monday and Tuesday. No big deal, I would just grab what I needed then. So I was able to do some work and some planning without the things I left at school but I still am not feeling as prepared as I would like to be. I am hoping to arrive even earlier than usual tomorrow and work really hard and be incredibly productive in the morning.
Tomorrow, I expect most of the students in my class to be tired. I hope that some of them remember the rules and routines of the school day. I am disappointed with myself for not bringing home the work I wanted to do over vacation. I am curious to hear about their adventures over vacation. I am doubtful that we will have adequate heat in our building at the start of the school day. I am hoping the staff welcome-back party goes smoothly and that people actually attend. I am eager to get back to class and looking forward to starting a new unit with the students.
Tomorrow, I expect most of the students in my class to be tired. I hope that some of them remember the rules and routines of the school day. I am disappointed with myself for not bringing home the work I wanted to do over vacation. I am curious to hear about their adventures over vacation. I am doubtful that we will have adequate heat in our building at the start of the school day. I am hoping the staff welcome-back party goes smoothly and that people actually attend. I am eager to get back to class and looking forward to starting a new unit with the students.
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