The Zoo

Today the girls finally had their long awaited trip to the zoo.
It meant I had to wake up early, after having a long night, and coming to school at 10:30.
I was pretty excited for the trip as well, so I didn't mind.
I packed a bunch of food, and rushed to school to get the kids on the buses.
The buses were pulling up to the school when we found out that 3 girls had brought cell phones along to the trip. This was sooo strange!!! Our teachers didn't even have cellphones when we were in seventh grade! ...Much less the students!
My co was pretty upset and we had to deal with the three cellphones. M.L.'s father picked hers up, G.S. left hers in the office, and C.C.K. gave hers to me to hold.
I was so surprised that parents who felt their daughters needed to take along cellphones!!
After that was taken care of we got onto the bus, began driving, got lost, got found, got lost again, and after an hour, made it tot he zoo.
Needless to say, it gets quite cold in December, and although today was a nice day in December, it was still a cold day in December. My fingers and nose were icicles. (Nah, I had a great time, it was about 45 degrees outside.)
The trip was very nice, I mean, how much can you write about a zoo? The zoo was full of animals and many more smells. We tried to be mature about the smells, but we weren't always successful.
The real action at the zoo was between the students. It's amazing how much better you get to see you students when they're outside of a classroom.
Take for example, G.S. and C.O. Lately, they've become good friends, and not a single person in authority likes the friendship. Both are smart, yet fresh girls, put them together, you have an uncontrollable pair.
These kids really gave me a run for my money.
The entire class was following my co, while these two girls were lagging behind the entire time.
The secretary and I were left at the back of the group just to watch out fot the two of them.
It really wasn't fair, because my co was left with all the other girls while the two of us were struggling with C.O. and G.S.
They got themselves lost a couple of times, and they were fresh in a way that would make any teacher faint.
There was one incident that really got to me.
I had just nudged the pair to catch up to the rest of the class, and G.S. just kept walking, ignoring me. I repeated myself, and as I did, she turned around with a camera and snapped a picture of the secretary and myself.
I was fuming. I stopped just short of killing her. I really gave her a piece of my mind then.
I told her that it was a real breach of Derech Eretz to take a picture of a teacher without permission.
She answered back, "I didn't take it of you, I took the picture of the secretary."
I looked at her sharply and told her, "It's irrelevant, taking a picture of someone without permission is wrong."
She made a face and asked me why.
This kid is like a child, she just keeps asking. She demands an answer for everything. G.S. has no idea what it means to accept something an adult tells her. She needs to know the exact reason for everything that she does.
I for one, don't feel like she deserves to know everything.
The way home was nice, we played a game with the students, and had a great time.
We got back to school around 4:30 and the first thing my co and I did was to talk to the principal about G.S. and C.O.
We didn't like the girls individually, but the friendship was worse. The principal agreed and she asked if we were ready to speak to the mothers of these girls.
We both were ok with that idea, and the principal said that she'd arrange for the mothers of both girls to come down tomorrow.
Yippee.

I Can't Believe Her 2!!

O.K. so today it's the principal.
Report cards were pushed off because of the principal's having been out for a couple of days, and because the printer had been slow in delivering the cards.
Today, we finally got our rating sheets back. The school would like to give the report cards out before Chanukah vacation (starting Wednesday.) This is a great idea, but I have a slight problem. Wednesday means Tuesday for me, because I'll be leaving to Israel a day earlier, on Tuesday.
I arranged for my co to take both classes together instead of a substitute, and I thought I had it all worked out. This would just be a slight problem. It meant I would be a bit rushed to finish grading everyone.
The truth is, I had already done all my grading, and now it was just a matter of tranferring the marks over to the cards.
But then again, I have found in my experience, ""Why should we give you something only moderately hard when we can torture you?"
The principal seems to be very involved in making my life experiences prove themselves over and over again, and she stopped me to tell me that I had done all my grading wrong.
I had used A's and B's instead of numeric grades. Usually it would be only a simple matter of unconverting the Alpha's to numerics.
Problem with me is that I had done my averages and then used to the Alpha rubric to write down the grade. I hadn't bothered to write down the numeric averages.
Mega problem.
I had a full afternoon scheduled and I didn't have time to do all that work.
I needed to mark some spelling tests, spend at least an hour and a half on a certain program I had began studying, set up the Menorah at home, finish polishing the silver I had left on my kitchen counter that morning, listen to my relaxation tape, and then, when I was all done with all that, I had scheduled myself to have a nervous breakdown.
Between polishing silver and having a nervous breakdown, I didn't have time for this.
I just can't believe no one bothered to tell me that they use numeric grades in this school.
Whatever!!!
Back to my other "I can't believe her" person, S.G.L. was at it again today.
Same story, took the gum out of her locker when I walked in, and began chewing. I stopped the class for her and made her spit it out, TWICE!!
I think I'll be calling her mother tonight.
I deserve that nervous breakdown!!

I Can't Believe Her!!

No, I'm not talking about the principal as you may have assumed. I'm talking about S.G.L.
I had specifically spoken to her about her chewing gum in school, and especially, in class.
I had also heard from the other teachers that this was a problem in all of their classes.
Today, I stood by the door before walking into class waiting for my students to stand quietly at their desks before starting the lesson. As I waited for the class to settle down, S.G.L walked over to her locker, took out a piece of gum, put it into her mouth, and began to chew in front of my face.
I refused to walk in while she was chewing, and I told her that I would not start class until she had spit out he gum. She looked at me and said, "So don't start class."
This is totally unexpected from her. I was shocked.
I gave her a sharp look, and told her to spit it out.
She didn't look at me.
I announced that I was going to start the lesson whether she liked it or not, but she couldn't sit there. If she refused to spit out the gum, she'd just have to explain to the principal why I sent her out of the class.
She spit out the gum,
I'm not sure how to handle her, or if I'm handling her the right way. I'm terrified of messing her up further, and I feel like it;s my responsibility, because the mother had said she liked me very much. I know she's looking for attention, but this is way to negative.
I can't give her anything but negative attention here, and that will definitely turn her off more.
I'm so stuck here.

Good Day!

Our trip to the Bronx zoo was cancelled due to a major transit strike going on in the city. The girls were devastated so we tried as much as possible to give them a great day.
They were allowed to eat their lunches in their classrooms, that was a major treat for them. (Never mind what a mess they made!) Then, my co and I took each class for 45 minutes before recess.
After recess we gave the girls a choice of watching 3 different National Geographic DVD's. We set them up in 3 different classrooms, and the girls were able to go wherever they wanted.
10 girls came into my class just because they wanted to be with me. The funny thing is...They even said so! When I was their age, I would've died before I'd have admitted to liking a teacher!
The videos were great, the girls had a blast.
After all the videos were done, they all went into the computer lab to watch one more film on animal clips. It was fascinating. L.K. kept screaming though every time an animal ate another one, and as a joke, the class began to scream with her.
What a riot.
I took advantage of the dark room to hand out my "special notes" to the girls who needed them, but I knew S.G.L. wouldn't take them here.
I watched her for a bit.
She was chewing gum again, and she was making a deliberate effort not to look up at the screen. Instead, she was slouched in her seat, looking out the window. She was obviously trying to get someone's attention, and she definitely got mine.
I snuck out of the room, and stuck the notes into her looseleaf. I can't understand why it's such a problem for her to admit she uses my notes.
I called her over after the film was over and the girls were heading back to class. The first thing I addressed was her gum chewing. I told her that I didn't want to embarrass her when I noticed her chewing before, but I was giving her a warning, that if she'd chew gum again, I would have to send her out.
The first thing she did was tell me that she wasn't the only one chewing.
I already knew that, and I had spoken to some other girls. I told her not to feel that I was picking on her. She made a face that clearly said, "I don't believe you."
Her mother had actually mentioned to me over the phone that her daughter felt that I didn't like her as much. I find it funny that S.G.L. is very quick to blame teachers, when all she has to do is spit out the gum, bring her books to class, and smile, for us to stop punishing her.
I told S.G.L. that I noticed something was bothering her. Her eyes teared up, but she didn't say anything.
"I'm not a good guesser," I told her. "But anytime you need anything, I'm here to talk." She nodded.
I told her that she didn't necessarily have to talk to me, it could be any teacher, or she could even write it to me, but we were all here for her.
I had had a meeting earlier with all the seventh grade teachers and the Hebrew principal about her. We were all very worried, and the other teachers kept saying something about her older sisters. I have to figure out the story there.
The Hebrew principal is going to try to meet with the parents tomorrow, I hope she accomplishes something.
By the way, the principal was back in school today. Her face looked terrible, (she has cellulitis) and she looked very uncomfortable and embarrassed. Her eye was swollen shut, and she had big red blotches on her face. I couldn't help feeling sorry for her, but I still dislike her, don't worry.

Parents!!!!

Sunday was a short day and the principal was extremely nice to me.
Today she woke up with blotches on her face, and didn't come to school! It was as if Chanukah came early! The teachers were so relaxed and happy, it was truly a beautiful sight to see! ;)
The sixth grade math teacher was going around collecting money so that we could buy the principal a nice present for Chanukah. I would rather give up a day's vacation than give her a present.
Actually, vacation would be nice, I'll have to remember to bring the money in tomorrow.
I got a note requesting that I call S.G.L's mother, and I did, as soon as I got home.
I don't know what to think about S.G.L. anymore.
She sits in my class looking miserable, and lately she began going against the school rules. It's obvious that she needs a lot of attention, and her mother thought so too, but this is negative attention she's trying to get. Two days ago she was chewing gum in my class, I had to send her out because of her missing a book, and teachers have had to yell at her for wearing a hooded sweater.
Today I had to make her face front a couple of times in class, and I had to literally open her book for her. She refused to do anything in my class. It's not only me, the other teachers are worried too.
The mother also sees that she's upset, and S.G.L. told her mother that she feels I'm picking on her. I wish she would see what she's doing to make me single her out.
The mother told me that her older daughter's best friend is starting to "go off" and is on the verge of being kicked out of school. She was worried that this was maybe having an effect on her daughter. I'm sad to say it, but I agree.
If the girl can't get positive attention by being smart and doing well in school, she'll be forced to look for attention elsewhere. In her mind, she sees her sister's friend as the epitome of negative attention, and she seems to be trying to get attention in the same way.
Something must be done. I know that the school arranged to have her talk to the school guidance counselor, but I think she needs real, professional help.
Another thing the mother said that really got ma angry, was that the reason they didn't get a tutor for her when she needed one, was because her son had a tutor, and it was costing them too much money to get another tutor. That wasn't the bad part. What got me mad was when she told me that her son didn't really need the tutor, her husband wanted one for him so that he can be top in his class. Her husband didn't feel that his daughter's education was so important, and he said he'd tutor her himself.
Understandably, he'd never get around to it, and she continued to suffer. He's the one against having her evaluated now, and his girl's confidence and happiness is going down the drain.
Male chauvinist! Even my husband has to agree with that one!

I Used to Like Thursdays!

Same as usual, I dreaded going to school today, and the truth is, I had no reason to. This was supposed to be the most stress free day of my week. The girls were presenting their projects today, and all I had to do was watch them, and the 12th graders were still giving speeches, so I really had no pressure.
The girls performed beautifully! Their projects were magnificent, and you could really see the amount of work, (or not) in each group.
The last group to present in 7b was L.K., T.K., E.T., and C.S. T.K. was a huge kvetch the entire time the project was boring worked on, and today was no different.
The group had made this beautiful banner, I kept looking at it during the times I was bored with the other groups. I finally called them up to the front and only L.K. came up.
She took out 11 pages of notes (that's longer than the entire chapter!!) and began to read. She was not familiar with the material and she kept stumbling over her words. The class felt so uncomfortable.
I stopped her in the middle and called up another girl from the group to read. Not a single girl stood up. That all looked at each other and refused. They didn't answer me, just stared. L.K. was ready to bury herself.
I spoke to a sobbing L.K. during recess and asked her what had happened. She told me that she had been sick the night before, and she hadn't been able to get together with the group to do their banner. Therefore, the group made her do all the teaching and presenting.
I was disgusted. The girls had no sensitivity toward each other. I was actually quite surprised at C.S. She's not at all the type to have sat there and done nothing. I really must look into this further.
I promised L.K. that her mark would be different than that of the group, and I spent some time calming her down.
In 7a, the principal came in to watch some of the presentations, and horror of horrors, my cell phone rang. I just calmly shut it off, but I was ready to cry. My phone is always off in class (unless I'm waiting for an important phone call) and even when I leave it on by mistake, it never rings! Today of all days, when the principal herself was in the class my husband had to call.
The principal stood up asked to speak to me after school, and walked out.
As she walked out there was the sigh of relief I have already grown used to hearing from the class. The funny thing is, A.L. who was taping the entire presentation, got the sigh on tape. Heehee.
M.R. who was doing her presentation when the principal was there, came over to me crying and begging to do it again. She was supposed to speak ion a British accent, but lost her nerve in front of the principal.
What I don't understand is, if the girls don't like her, and the parents don't like her, and we don't like her either, who does like her?
I went to the principal after class, and she took me right in. She told me straight to the point that she had gotten regards that my cell had rang in class and I had picked it up. I didn't deny it, (when my niece got engaged) but I told her that it only happened once and that it wouldn't happen again.
She skeptically asked me why my cell rang in class today.
Try convincing her that this NEVER happens! I gave up pretty quickly.
She then went on to berate me for L.K. coming to cry to her earlier. I was shocked that L.K. still went to the office to call her mother after I had spoken to her, but I kept quiet. The principal told me it was my fault that it got so far. I should've come to he when I noticed there was a problem.
I exploded at her. "I did come to you! I came a couple of times. But every time I come, you're so busy criticizing what I did or didn't do, that you don't even pay attention to the problem itself!"
She was shocked, and she asked my why I felt so strongly about coming to her. I continued by telling her that I don't feel that I accomplish anything with her. The students do not respect a teacher who has to keep running to the principal.
Now I don't really believe that's true. A teacher and a principal should be able to work together, but I can't work together with her.
The principal said calmly, "Well that's paranoia. The students don't have to know when you come to me. You're embarrassingly young, you have a lot to learn."
-Right, like you don't call up the mothers who complained right after you yelled at the teacher. And "embarrassingly young"? What's with that?
She continued, "I think it's quite a shame. A teacher and a principal must be able to work as partners, together. I cannot invalidate your feelings, but if you really feel this way, maybe you should begin looking into other options."
Basically, "Find a new job."
I don't know how I got through 12th grade. I was in such a daze and in a bigger mess.
I wasn't fired, but I was being told to shape up.
I called Mrs. L.K. and the funny thing was, I didn't get the washdown I expected to get from her. Instead, she kept me on the phone for a long time to rant about the principal.
She was very disturbed by the fact that there was a problem in the class regarding the girls respecting each other, but she was more upset about the fact that the principal didn't even care.
She couldn't understand how the principal, who was so involved in all the nitty gritty details of the school, could overlook something this big.
I mentioned to her that I would do all that I could to help this problem, but she would have to talk to the principal herself. For me to do that could very well cost me my job. (I'm already half out the door.)
Mrs. L.K. said that she understood but every time she called the principal, she wouldn't give her the time of day.
"Who am I supposed to talk to in this school if not you?" She asked me.
I didn't know what to tell her, but I was thinking along the same lines. If the principal would just trust her teachers just a little more, and not get involved in every little thing going on, then maybe she'd have time for the big, important things.
I'm not the one with 30 years of experience, but I am the the one who's open to learn. By being open, I've discovered that I don't like this school system at all.
But then again, I didn't have to open minded to see that.

So it isn't Only Me!

I kept falling asleep all evening, I was so exhausted. With everything going on at school and all the work I have to do, I'm not getting nearly enough sleep.
I made it my business to be in bed by 11:30 so that I could wake up early this morning and take care of everything I had to do for today.
I prepared my lessons, and did a million things around the house, but somehow, nothing seemed to get done.
At 11:00 I realized that I had better get dressed or else I might be late for school.
Lately I've been dreading going to school every day. It's not easy to have to work so hard and still get it over the head all the time.
I had a pretty good day, gave a spelling test, taught the girls about dialogue and quotations, and gave them time to finish their history projects.
The girls are under a lot of pressure now. It's right before report cards and they have tons to do. I tried not to give them too much work, and I gave them a lot of class time for this project.
One group came over to me to ask me for more time. You wish I let them get away with that. I told them that in the worst case, they'd finish their poster for Sunday and they'd just present their project tomorrow.
Right way C.S.A. began to cry. She puts a lot of pressure on herself, and she's a real perfectionist. As soon as she started thinking of getting up in front of the class without a completed project, she began hyperventilating. Help.
I tried to calm her down, but she refused to stop crying. I just let her deal with it on her own.
L.K. and T.K. were sitting on the floor doing absolutely nothing, and just plain looking miserable. I tried talking to them, but T.K. just kept saying angry, fresh things, so I just stopped before she'd say something I'd have to punish her for.
I spoke to L.K. after class. She seemed so overwhelmed, that I had to reassure her that everything would be fine.
I told her that if she ever needed anything I would try my best to help. She was very appreciative, and even smiled.
Later that night I got a call from M.P's mother. Her daughter was very upset that she had to do the entire poster for tomorrow, and she still had a test to study for,and the other girls were not helping her claiming that they weren't artistic.
I was understandably very upset too, because I had specifically told the group not to drive themselves crazy. I have the feeling they all conveniently "forgot" to relay the message to M.P.
Mrs. P. was very upset at the situation in the class. The teachers noticed it too. The girls do not respect or care about each other.
I told her that she should rally talk to the principal, but she claimed the the principal wouldn't listen to her. M.P. asked her to specifically call me because I was the nicest of al her teachers and I would listen to her. Awwww....
So even the parents notice that there's a problem with talking to the principal....Hmmmm.

On My Case Again

I've learned an important lesson today. "Stay out of the Principal's way."
This really all made sense before, but for some reason I like to keep proving myself over, and over, and over, and over again. I'm a people pleaser, and for some twisted reason, I keep wanting to impress this being we call the principal.
Today I had some incidents that bothered me very much, and I was at a loss of what to do.
T.K. had gone a little too far with her chutzpah act. I know she tends to get frustrated easily, but lately her frustration has been taken to a whole new level. Instead of asking for help, she started becoming angry and fresh. For example the incident with her test last week, the way she handed it in after 10 minutes. I had to force her to take the test back, I then sat with her, gave her extra time, and she ended up with a 97%.
When I marked that paper, I was ready to rip it in half. The nerve of the girl! She could've easily done well without my help, and yet she put up such a fuss!
I didn't say anything at that point, but it it did bother me very much.
Today, I gave the girls a literature quiz. The quiz was really supposed to be yesterday, but due to my excitement about my niece and everything, I told them it would be pushed off to today.
T.K. had given me a note yesterday explaining that she didn't understand what she had read in literature, and that I should take it into consideration. I gave the class the extra day, and told them to ask their classmates for help if they didn't understand the chapter that well.
Today when I gave the quiz, T.K. refused to take out a paper. She decided that because of the note she had handed in yesterday, she should be excused form the quiz. I told her that was unacceptable.
T.K. then took out a paper and marked it with a big zero, and sat with her hands folded as I began to read the questions. She marked her paper before I even began the questions. I have very little patience for things like that, and I could feel myself getting angry.
Later, as the class joined their history groups, T.K. refused to join them. Instead, she sat in her seat and looked at me.
I called her over and explained that I knew she was frustrated, but it couldn't be expressed this way. If she had a problem I'd be more than willing to help her, but not in this way.
She listened, and then proceeded to go straight back to her seat.
I was so shocked, I could've slapped her. I asked her to go to her group and she just looked at me.
The bell rang while I was still debating the issue of punching her.
I know that the other teachers have been having a problem with her too.
In 7a, S.G.L. was my recurring problem. It wasn't only me. Again, the other teachers felt this too.
This girl was more that just having a problem learning, it was affecting her socially too. Her father had been against having her evaluated, and so she was sitting in class suffering.
Like T.K. she reached a new stage, she began getting angry.
Not angry in the same way as T.K, though, she was going around breaking rules, and refusing to do any schoolwork because she hid under the excuse of being dumb.
I don't know a lot, but my guess is that scholastic work isn't easy for her, but I don't think she really tries. T.K. on the other hand, will study for hours and then blanks out during a test. S.G.L. is different.
S.G.L. won't study on her own, she insists on studying with her mother all the time. She'll never take out her notes (if she even bothers to write notes) and study by herself. I have a feeling that she's starting to give up before she even tries. She goes around telling everyone that she's dumb, so that she has an excuse to go and fail every test.
The teachers are climbing the walls with her, and so is her mother. We need her to be evaluated, but we need the parent's consent. The teachers all think that if something isn't done with this kid, she could very well turn out to be a child at risk.
She doesn't bother bringing her books to class or updating her journal. I finally gave it to her and sent her out of class for not having a book. She was flaming mad.
I cannot describe to you the letters that she keeps giving me. Every single test means I get another letter. She begs me to take over every test because she feels like garbage if she doesn't get 100%.
I began giving her easier tests, but as soon as one girl hands in he test, she stops working. She's so pathetically paranoid that the girls who are finished are going to look around and see that she taking an easy test. So on the one hand she tells everyone she's dumb, but on the other, she still wants to get 100%, but she doesn't want anyone to know she's getting help. Sheesh!
I was at my wits end, and went in to talk to the principal.
As I had expected, she spent more time criticizing my technique than focusing on the girls with the problems.
Finally, we arranged for her to call S.G.L.'s mother and I was going to call T.K.'s mother.
I did call Mrs T.K. and she was extremely nice, (everyone says she looks like my mother, and I think so too!) believe it or not, I let her do all the talking.
I asked her what was going on in the past week and a half that T.K. was acting this way, and she told me about all the pressure she was under etc. I barely said a word, I let the mother talk.
I learned a lot more that way. We ended off by agreeing that if T.K. needed any help I'd be more that glad to help her and that the mother shouldn't hesitate to call me.
It worked out well.
Now back to the principal. She criticized everything I did, and she even called me "hog" because she felt I spoke too much. (No kidding! That's why I became a teacher!!) I listened to her advice and that's why I barely said anything to Mrs. T.K., and it worked well.
I believe that what the principal tells me is right. She has lots more experience than I do, and she's dealt with many more people and situations. Everything she told me today made a lot of sense, but I disagree on one point.
I HATE THE WAY SHE TREATS HER EMPLOYEES!!
She's so careful that her teachers should always say the right things in the right way to their students, but she has no concept of how to treat people. Everything she told me could've been 100% true, but the way she told it to me was unacceptable. Calling a person a hog? (Even tough I probably do deserve it, I talk way too much!) That's disgusting and unprofessional. I can't stand to work under someone like that. If you don't treat your employees with respect, why should they treat their students well?
I'm so angry, I'd rather slap her than T.K.
S.C.W. a twelfth grader came up to my apt. before. It's convenient that I live near school and she has where to run during play practice!
I fell asleep before because I was so zonked, and while I was dreaming, I heard my husband talking to my mother on the phone. Even he told my mother he felt sorry for me. I'm working so hard, and all they do in this school is work you harder.....for the grand sum of $6,000 a year.

What a Day!!

My day was nuts!!!!
I was waiting all morning for a phone call that never came, so I kept my phone on all day in class. I was nervous and jumpy, just waiting for it to ring but it didn't until 3 pm.
When it did, it was with the good news I had hoped for, my niece (who is my age) became engaged!
My students had a field day when I picked up the phone in class, but I managed to keep them learning whatever I had to.
I had introduced the history project to them last week, and they were having a lot of fun with it. I gave them a lot of free time today for the projects so that I could sit down and digest my wonderful news.
I also began marking some of the things I needed to get done, because I believe I have a busy night ahead of me. I feel like a little kid, I'm so ready to jump up and down and make a fool of myself!
But the truth is, I'm really under a lot of pressure right now. We have report cards coming up, my rating sheets have to get handed in Sunday, and I have family matters to deal with as well. I didn't begin to fill in the rating sheets or do any comments on the report cards, I didn't even finish marking all my "Letter to Selves."
Pressure is an understatement.

Test Again!

It seems that all I do is give and mark tests.
And what a test this was.
It wasn't different than any of my other history tests, but this time I had everyone crying. Really I think they were just overwhelmed. They had tests every single day this week, and today they had history as well a science quiz.
C.C.K. was crying, T.K. handed in an empty test after 5 minutes, and L.K. almost did the same thing.
I was so busy running around answering questions, I thought I would lose my head. Between C.K, T.K, R.H, and L.K, I barely had the time to help everyone.
As girls gave in their tests I begged them to look them over and see if they had any questions.
I finished marking them, and I feel terrible. C.C.K. got an 85% while R.H. got a 97%. C.C.K. doesn't deserve that mark and R.H. only got this mark because I helped her. I'm so caught in the middle of this game. I'm literally going nuts now just thinking about their reactions when they see their marks. M.L. in 7b drove me insane. She crushes me to pieces, and unfortunately, she's not one of those cute kids who can crush you and you're actually able to love them back.
This girl waits for my sister to leaver her house every morning so that she can stare at her because this is the closest she can get to me. She gives me updates on my sister every day. She needs me to look at her and smile, but sometimes it ain't easy. Especially when I found out that my sister was going to take out a restraining order on her.
Today she kept interrupting me while I was helping other girls to ask me dumb questions that have nothing to do with history. She's extremely needy, and she feels special that she gets to see my sister every day, and that I give her easy tests. I think that because of the "special" attention, she thinks I love her and that I would do anything for her, even at the expense of other students.
I have to have a talk with her.
The second class was much cooler about the test. They even finished with time to spare. There were much fewer questions, and I think the marks show it. Of course D.T. got a 106% and M.L. got a 99%, but there were other girls who got in the 70's. I was happy to see that S.J. got a 97%. She works so hard, I really like it when she does well.
M.R. got a 70 something and I feel horrible. I wish I could go home every night with these girls and help them study so that they'd know the material.
I wonder if this is what my teachers felt like when I flunked a test. What could I do?! I wish I could give every single girl a mark in the 90's. I want them all to do well and be happy.
S.G.L. got her special test again, and I was disgusted. She did moderately well, she got an 80%, but she has this sick habit of writing self deprecating letters on all her tests. She's out to prove to her teachers that she's dumb. She is so focused on telling me how stupid she is, she didn't even leave time to write the answers on her test!
She's also horribly afraid that other girls will find out that she's taking an easy test. So as soon as girls finish their tests and begin looking around, she stops working because she's afraid they might discover her deepest and darkest secret.
I almost hate her for it. My job is hard enough without having to create special lessons and tests for girls like her. And with all that work my job is more than hard enough without having to become her psychologist.
We've requested that she be evaluated, but her father refused. This kid has a MASSIVE self esteem problem and it will NOT get better. The longer you wait, the harder it is to treat. I hope her father realizes that, and I sure hope he notices that soon, because if her doesn't, I might have issues of my own to deal with!
12th grade was cute today. Only 3 girls gave speeches, my cousin included, so I was left with some free time.
I called a girl up to the front and had her tell a story without using the words, "um" "like" "you know" and "whatever." Every time she said those words the class had to bang on their desks. It was cute.
It turned against me in the end because the girls did it on me too, but it was fun.
End of another week!

You do the Dirty Work

The principal requested to see me about having the class do a history project.
It seems that she's extremely worried about how behind my classes were in history. She decided that instead of me teaching the 13 colonies, I should have the girls put into groups, have each group prepare one section of the chapter, and then teach it to the rest of the class. It should take no more than a week and their presentations themselves will be considered their test.
It isn't a bad idea considering that this topic could take anywhere from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 weeks to cover.
I also liked it that the girls would be doing some of their own work instead of having me spoon feed it to them.
Because I smiled a lot, and really agreed with the principal, I believe she has put me back into her good graces. She was very excited about the whole thing and she even walked me to class.
That's when the trouble started.
The science teacher was doing life forms with them, and she had brought mealworms in for them to study. The worms were left under the windows all night, and by this morning they had literally frozen to death. Aside from the science teacher, everyone thought this hilarious.
When I walked into class, the board read the following:
"We cried and cried, it's very sad. The funeral will be held at 2:45 pm and we will be sitting shivah in room 406"
underneath this message, someone had been giving a history lesson, so she had written a bunch of history facts and my name.
When the principal saw all this, she thought that they had put my name under that message on purpose. She ran into that class to give them a talking to like they've never had. Aside from the fact that my name was on there, (which was a total misconception,) she was upset because two kids in the class had lost family members and funerals were not a joke to them.
I agreed that they needed to be spoken to, but I didn't like her approach, and I told her so.
The principal yelled at me too telling me that I'm very young and inexperienced and that I didn't know anything about how to teach young girls important lessons. She also asked me not to come into class and that I should wait out in the hallway.
So, for the second time in less than a week that I'm stuck walking in the halls while my class is being spoken to.
When I walked into class the girls were pretty upset, and they tried talking to me.
I turned the situation to my advantage and told them that I have a policy not to get involved in class politics.
I told them that I like to make my own impressions of my students and were I to be involved in every petty situation I might start looking at them differently. I might begin thinking of girls as troublemakers or as immature. I told them that I leave it in their hands to impress me and that not necessarily is the Principal's problem one that concerns me.
The girls were so excited and they told me how they loved that I'm so neutral. (I just hope they don't get their hands on this blog and see how much I really know!)
I totally don't mind the principal making issues out of tissues because now my students just like me more. It definitely makes my life easier. The down side is that the principal just wasted an hour of my classtime in a class that I'm already behind in. Yippee.
The principal also tried coming in to speak to both classes about the hygiene problem in the grade, but she didn't even get two words in before the bell rang.
I have a feeling that I'll be hanging around the halls for quite some time!

Snow!!!!

It began snowing at about 5am this morning. Don't ask me why, but I wasn't sleeping. I actually went and woke my husband up so he could come to the window and watch the snow fall. Being that he has some sense, he remained in bed. I, however went to all the windows in the house to see how the snow looked from different views.
I know, I'm still a kid at heart.
So basically, I went to school on about 4 hours of sleep. I'm getting the feeling that this is becoming my Sunday morning routine.
I must've called the school a hundred times, full of hope, believing that school would be cancelled for an inch and a half of snow. No such luck.
School was annoying as anything, the girls were antsy, and I was tired.
I had a funny experience in 7a though.
We were discussing how hard it was to make journey in the olden days, and of course, G.S. claimed it wasn't so hard. She was convinced it would be fine to wear her whole wardrobe one on top of another, and then she would always have what to wear.
So then I asked her where she would carry her food and provisions. She was sure it would be no problem to carry them.
I called R.R, T.K, and S.J. up to the front and I had them all bring their coats and scarves too.
S.J. was the smallest of the bunch and I had her put on her coat, hat, gloves and scarf. Then, I had T.K. put her coat on top of S.J.'s. R.R. then helped S.J. into the third coat. By this time, not only was the class in stitches, S.J. couldn't move.
I then had to give her food and supplies, so I packed up my heavy teacher's bag and placed it on S.J.'s shoulder. With this new addition, S.J. toppled over. Literally.
I thought the class got the message, and G.S. as well, so I asked S.J. to please take off her layers. She was crying with mirth as she told me that she couldn't move to take everything off.
I could barely keep the class under control, much less keep a straight face, as I asked R.R. to help her out.
R.R. had the guts to ask if she could take a picture of me first, and I agreed. I stood next to S.J. and R.R. snapped the picture.
I was happy for S.J. I know she likes me and I think the attention was good for her.
The bell finally rang, and I dashed out of there as soon as I could.
I realized as I passed the principal when I was leaving that I made a mistake by wearing my knee high boots today.
She gave them a once over, and by doing that she basically gave me a look that said, "Now that I know you have regular boots, you can't get away with short ones anymore."
Oh well, she has much to learn about me I'm afraid.
P.S. I just got a call from a third teacher who wore booties today. She said that the principal gave her boots "the eyes" but she didn't say anything.
I'm left wondering, did my speaking up to her work, or is it that she only wants to torment me?

Too Far

This week was just insane. I was so pressured. I had a ton of things to do this week, and somehow, the more I tried, the longer my list became. I felt like nothing was getting done no matter how hard I worked on accomplishing everything I needed to.
I was so looking forward to the end of the day, even before I got to school.
I got to school early though, I had to start preparing lessons again. The lessons I worked on during the summer were fast running out, and I had to prepare some more. It's tedious work, but it has to be done. I can't risk the principal coming into one of my classes and catching me unprepared.
Speaking of the principal, she was on a roll today. She called in a teacher who wears short boots and told her that she can't wear them anymore. She claimed (and I stress the word claimed,) that a mother had called the school to complain about the teachers wearing booties, and now the principal decided that booties are against the rules.
This other teacher wasn't wearing booties today, but I was. I had a strong feeling that I was going to get a talking to too.
I wasn't wrong. I was heading to my class after recess, when I was stopped by my chief of staff.
She called me over nicely, but by this time, even her nice voice makes my skin crawl, so no points on that end. She told me that she preferred that I didn't wear these boots anymore. She made sure to assure me that she had spoken to the other teacher who also wore booties, and that it wasn't only me. I had a hard time believing that, but whatever.
I got a little angry, and I had the guts to say so.
"Mrs. ______," I said firmly, "I wasn't you to know that I'm not happy. I'm already making a lot of changes fort his school, and I don't like being taken advantage of. If these boots weren't against the rules last week, or the week before, I don't' feel that I have to stop wearing my winter clothing just because you're trying to please a mother who called up. You can't please everyone all the time, I don't feel one mother is worth driving myself crazy for."
I think that over this week the principal has begun to learn that I have a mouth. I also have a head that can think for itself, and I have common sense as well. I don't know how her mind works, but I really don't care. I need her to stop messing with my life.
The principal quickly changed her mind, let me wear my boots, and told me that she was just giving me a head's up, and if anything came up she would let me know.
I'm fuming. I think she's pushing me too far.
7a was fun today. We had 5 kids absent, so out of 16 girls we had 11. This classroom is the one they use for hebrew where they're 32 kids together, so basically, we were 11 girls in a classroom with 32 desks.
I had everyone move up to the first two rows, and I moved my chair inthe front of my desk. We experimented with story hour. This is how we learned, and it was pretty nice! I wouldn't do it all the time, but it was worth it this time.
Twelfth grade was pretty fun, thankfully, it was over quickly.
I cannot tell you what a relief it was to come home and just stretch out on my bed.
Finally! The weekend!

Not Again!

Well this never seems to end.
My class was observed today too! For 20 minutes the principal sat in my class during writing. She came over to me, asked if she could see me during recess, and then thankfully, she left my classroom.
I came to her recess time, and she went on to criticize my writing lesson. I was doing personal narratives, and she got angry about it. She asked how I was teaching if she hadn't given me writing lessons.
I told her that she had never given me the lessons, but she had told met to teach, so I went online and did my own research. I got a lot of nice material, and the class was really enjoying. She got angry and said that her research was much more thorough, and she didn't really like that I was teaching with material she hadn't made up herself.
I hate this! I'm trying to be a good teacher, and all she does is criticize.
We went through the materials I had and then she said,"This is why I don't like when you do your own research. You're teaching memoirs, not personal narratives!"
I told her that memoirs and personal narratives were similar, and that I had done my research, and explained the difference to the class. She refused to listen to me, and she insisted that I tell the class that we were going to do memoirs instead.
I told her that I wasn't going to do anything of the sort. Besides that it was degrading for me to go into the class after two days and tell them to scratch their projects because we were going to do something different, I worked hard, and I didn't' feel that she was right.
She saw that I wasn't going to give in, and she just told me to make sure that this writing should not take more than 2 weeks, and then they would do memoirs.
I told her ok, but I already planned for this writing to take a month, the way she had outlined it to me on curriculum day.
I'll play it by ear.
Before I left, I asked her why she was going around checking all the girl's loosleafs.
The principal looked at me and very simply said, "Oh, that's just my way of checking up on what you've accomplished."
I was disgusted and I asked her why she couldn't just ask me. I mean, she was already collecting my planbook every week.
She just smiled and said, "Well, it's just part of my jobs."
She asked me if I would mind if she went into my class for 5 minutes to talk to them about an important topic, and being the good one, I told her it was ok.
Guess what? 5 minutes turned into an hour and fifteen minutes, and I walked into the class with 15 minutes left to the school day.
I was about to leave the building at the end of the day, when there was an all call asking me to come to the office. Frustrated, I went back upstairs, and met with the principal who proceeded tell me how disappointed she was with me that I had never called B.E.D.'s mother when she didn't come to P.T.A.
I really got angry then, and I gave it to her. I asked her why the mother didn't call me when she had a problem. The nerve of the principal to side with whomever opened their mouth to her. I told her I'd call the mother anyway, but I was upset at her for being so one-sided.
I got a little more upset when I realized that none of the teachers had called this mother, but the principal only called me up to tell me how disappointed she was in me. I guess she just likes to make me feel like garbage.
I assume the other teachers aren't jewels she feels she has to polish.
I came home so annoyed and discouraged, I was close to tears.
Even my husband sat down to seriously talk to me about school. I don't know if I can continue doing everything I do without pay, without appreciation, and without trust.

Oooh, Boy.

Today was horrid.
I spoke to G.S. about all her potential, and basically what her mother and I had spoken about at P.T.A. She didn't really seem very receptive, and I think she only heard what she wanted top hear, that I thought she was great. I have a feeling she went and told al her friends already. Oh well.
I had to talk to the principal about making a presentation with my class, and the small details it entailed. Last year, the class had made a wax museum and I felt that a wax museum wasn't going to bring out all the talent my students had to offer.
I had seen B.E.D. last night, and she was actually smiling during that dance. I wanted to be able to recreate that, and see her smiling more.
My co and I had come up with an exciting theme for our production, "Don't judge a book by it's cover."
The production is really about literature, and this was perfect. We also had the normal 7th grade problem, stereotyping. This topic is really what the class needs. The more we came up with, the more "wax museum" we cut out. By the time we were finished thinking, we had renamed it a production, and basically were wondering if we could eliminate the wax altogether.
Well, my co had gone to talk to the principal about something else, and the principal had brought up the wax museum. My co had mentioned that she really wanted more than just to cover the girls in vaseline and have them stand like dummies. The principal wasn't only not open to the idea, she was adamantly against it.
I knew I had what to deal with when I went over to her.
The truth is, I didn't really want to talk to her today, I figured it could wait until tomorrow. But of course, no such luck. The principal came over to me and asked to see me after school.
I went in to her, and she sat me down to talk. The first thing she went through was the wax museum. Right away I spoke up and told her that I didn't like the idea. She kept arguing that it worked out well last year, so why not do it again. I forced her to listen to herself and I told her that it was she who always told me to bring out the best in my students. I told her that this was the way I was going to do it.
So she tells me, "Well, you have less than 3 weeks to get this done, that's why I thought a wax museum would be best."
I asked her if she was serious, and she said that she was.
I put my foot down then and there. I told her that I was the one doing this, not her, and she should kindly not push her demands on my time. I was going to make my production, and I was going to do it when I was ready.
Well, the principal just pushed me off by saying that my co, her, and I would have to meet to discuss this.
Then she went on to the real reason she called me in. She told me that when she was in my class on yesterday (for an hour and a half) she had noticed that I sometimes contradicted myself. I was surprised, and I asked her to tell me where she had seen this. She stumbled a little, and she really had no answer.
She said that she had written it down somewhere, and she didn't quite remember what it was that I had said. She explained that I was a natural born teacher, a jewel, and she just wanted to polish me.
I told her nice and clearly, "I'm so grateful for everything you're doing, but calling me in here right now is only wasting my time. I didn't feel there was anything wrong with my lesson, but I see you did. I would gladly go look back at what you're telling me, but you can't even point out where I really went wrong. You basically accomplished nothing except making me feel bad. I would love to listen to whatever you have to tell me, but don't try to 'polish' me if you have nothing to show me".
I think she got the hint.
I left school fuming.

I Need a Vacation!

I was so tired last night after P.T.A, I barely got anything done. I marked a few tests, and then, tired to the bone, I fell into bed.
I woke up this morning in a panic. I was so pressured with a ton of things I had to do. I had to update my blog, create a new test, mark literature tests and essays, and I had to type up a sheet of review questions for my weaker students.
In addition to all that, I had to prepare for today's lesson.
I worked all morning, until I looked at my watch at 11:30 and realized that if I didn't get dressed soon, I would be late for school.
I felt weak and sick all day, and I was terrified of not being able to handle the full day.
Somehow I did it.
Not only did I do it, I managed under extreme circumstances.
5 minutes into my lesson, the principal came into my class. She went through every girl's looseleaf, and looked at all their notes. She even corrected spelling errors!
The girls were horrified, and to tell you the truth, so was I. A looseleaf is a private thing. Going through a looseleaf is like going through someone's diary. I know that I wouldn't want anyone going through my stuff, and I'm a teacher with little to hide. Imagine these little teenagers!
The principal stayed in my class until recess. I believe that it's a record. I now hold the record for having been observed by a principal for more than a 20 minute sitting. More than 20 minutes was unheard of...that is, until now.
The girls were so upset, and I couldn't tell them how I felt. Instead I had to try and defend the principal. How sick.
The teachers were livid too. They were disgusted and upset about her going through looseleafs, and they were terrified of being observed for so long.
I was just glad it was over with.
By the way, I gave my literature test back without approving them first. It felt so good!
I came home at night exhausted. I was sick, and overwhelmed by all the work I still had to do. I worked so hard in the morning, but somehow I felt that I didn't get anything done.
I called my husband home from the office, because I think I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. I just needed to feel that I had someone home to fall back on.
I made supper, washed dishes, did schoolwork, more schoolwork, more schoolwork, more schoolwork...
There was a Chinese auction going on for the school tonight. All the money earned would go to sponsoring trips for the classes.
The teachers were all going to go, but I was too sick and too bogged down with work to move. I wasn't going to go, but my co convinced me, and a bunch of girls asked that I come watch them perform on their index cards. After that kind of invitation, how can I refuse? I'm just crazy over my students!
I went, even though I hadn't accomplished a thing, and surprisingly, I had a nice time.
I was so proud of the students who performed, and I spent a lot of time with my co, discussing the girls and their different talents. We're planning to put up a performance later in the year, and we were discussing which student would do well where.
I came home very late, and I still had a ton of work to do. I updated my blog, but I still have a test, the review questions, the essays, and a lot of preparation to do. This job takes every ounce of strength I got.
It's almost 1 am. I have to go to bed before my husband makes me call in sick tomorrow. I think I'll backdate the date on the blog so that this entry comes out on Monday even though it's already in the wee hours of Tuesday morning.
Ahhh...the life of a teacher!

P.T.A.

Not just any Sunday, this morning I had to get up early for P.T.A.
Understandably, I was a nervous wreck as I got dressed and prepared to leave for school.
The truth is, once P.T.A. started, I was so busy, I forgot to be nervous.
The parents came in, one after another, and I spent 3 hours talking nonstop. It was tiring though. My co and I were shocked at a lot of the mothers. A lot of them were not American, and most of them looked nothing like their daughters. Some mothers walked in and asked me to guess who's mother they were. I'm so bad at it, and I made a couple of mistakes.
C.O.'s mother was very sweet, I know her from down the block, and it was nice meeting her. She said that C.O. was finding school very hard because she felt she had to compare to her older siblings who are immensely talented.
I really pushed pursuing E.S.'s writing talent with her mother. She is such a great girl, and has so many talents, I hoped her mother knew she had what to be proud of.
One mother told me that her daughter, S.J. was a little upset about other girls getting an easier test. I explained to her mother that I'd rather have her daughter get a 75 with regular test, than a 95 with an easier one. After all, in life, no one hands you easy tests.
E.T. and Y.T.'s mother was very nice, but I felt that she compared her children a little. I asked her to tell me who Y.T.'s friends were,, and she couldn't tell me. I felt a little bit like she thought her daughters were taking care of each other and that they didn't need anyone else. We spoke for a while, and we decided that we would look into the friends issue.
S.F.F. mom was so nice, and I completely see where S.F.F. is coming from. Her mother didn't seem the type to stress on marks, she even said that she didn't do well in school either. I told her that as long as S.F.F. did her best, that's all I wanted. She didn't have to be 100 student, she had to try to do what she could.
B.G.'s mother was a PANIC! Right away, I was able to see where this kid gets her personality from. She was so funny and spunky, (Israeli) and now I totally she why B.G. doesn't try hard in school. No Pressure!
It was nice to meet S.G.L's mother in person, (instead of just over the phone all the time) and we went through some notes S.G.L. wrote to me on her tests.
D.T. mother was nice, and she kept telling all the teachers to challenge her daughter. She was so happy with the workload.
B.E.D.'s mother didn't come, and neither did R.R.'s. I sort of expected that to happen, but I would have liked to meet them.
T.K.'s mother was the nicest lady and we discussed how smart she is, and how I especially loved the sunglasses thing she pulled in class. I also encouraged her to save all of T.K.'s writings as she is a great writer.
T.J.'s mother was very nice and a little concerned for her daughter. All she wanted to know was if her daughter was a neb. Her younger daughter was much spunkier and she hoped that her daughter wasn't considered "nebby" by the other girls. I assured her that in elementary school where marks meant everything, not every child had a place, but I guaranteed that as soon as she got to high school, she would shine. High school offers much more extra curricular to the students and most girls end up finding their own niche.
A.L.'s mother and I had a long talk about her friendship with R.R. We both liked the friendship, but I wanted A.L. to have more friends. Both her mother and I were worried that the friendship might seem a exclusive, and A.L. should try and make that effort to get to know more girls and maybe spend less time with R.R. She also mentioned that she would like A.L. to switch classes, and I guess I'll have to look into that.
G.S.'s mother was a little shock, but very pleasant. I found I had someone to talk to in her, and she encouraged me to talk to her daughter about her being a leader in the class and reaching her full potential.
M.R.'s mother was the CUTEST lady in the entire world! She looked so young and sweet, and she was dressed, well, not to kill, but spunky and adorable! She was so cute and funny, and we just spoke about how mature and adorable her daughter is. I also mentioned to her that I figured S.G.L. was taking advantage of M.R. and asking her to study with her. Mrs. R. said that was true. I told her not to allow it, M.R. had to use her time for herself first, and then do chesed. S.G.L. needed a tutor and M.R. couldn't' t do it on her own. Mrs. R. agreed with me 100%.
M.L.'s mother was such a shock! She was this cutie Israeli lady with a short cropped sheitel. She was so understanding when I told her that I felt that M.L. was acting a little less mature than she usually was. I associated it to her being friends with C.O. and her mother said that it had happened before. I told her mother that I wasn't going to encourage breaking the friendship, but I just wanted M.L. to be aware of her image. Her mother assured me that M.L. was a mature, understanding girl, and that she would take whatever I said and really listen to it. So we agreed to speak to M.L.
In 7b, the mothers were just as nice and adorable.
C.K.'s mother was exciting to meet. I had spoken to her over the phone a couple of times, and she was very nice in person. We spoke about how well her daughter was suddenly doing. I had marked a history and literature test. She got a 90 on history, and a 95 on literature. (Compared to her last history test where she got a 61, this was amazing!) Mrs. K. also told me that her daughter requested that she tell only me that there was a problem with the personal hygiene of some girls in the class. I already knew this, and something had to be done, I would definitely have to look into talking to the class...How embarrassing!
C.S.A.'s mother is the high school principal, and she was the sweetest, most unprincipaly lady you have ever met. Of course I gave her all the compliments, and then came the topic of C.S.A. getting very stressed during tests. I have to speak to her about letting go a little.
L.K.'s mother was nothing like her. She was very serious, and down to earth. I told her about her daughter's failing to hand in several assignments, and we agreed to work on that together.
F.G.'s mother was exactly what I expected. Short, round, and her face looked just like F.G.'s. I told her a little about F.G. needing a lot of attention, and she totally knew what I was saying. I stressed that right now I was giving her a lot of positive attention, but it was only after a bumpy road.
T.K. had such a wonderful mother. We went through her friendship with R.H., which I felt was very competitive. I told her that I refuse to break up friendships, The girls have to do that on their own. I just wanted her to be aware that there is a lot of competition between the two. I also mentioned an incident that had happened last week where I spoke strictly to T.K. just so that the entire class should stop what they were doing wrong. T.K. was my scapegoat and I apologized. The mother was so thrilled that I apologized to her daughter, she was extremely impressed. :)
H.W.'s mother and I both agreed that H.W. definitely had more potential than she cared to show, and we both wanted to make sure that it was going to be used. She's a great student, I just think she can be the best. I also waited to know who her friends were. She's the type of girl who's quite content to stay home and read a book all night, she doesn't try to invest in friendships. I was slightly worried and pointed it out to the mother who said she would encourage H.W. to go out more.
I already knew F.F's mother from the copy room in school, and she was one of the first who came to see me. It was a relief to see her in the beginning, because I was so nervous. I discussed with her the possibility of her daughter being too good in the way she helped the rest of the class. Every other mother said that her daughter was friends with F.F., C.S.A., and C.C.K. It's almost funny (if it weren't so pathetic) how these mother's have no clue. Every insecure girl considers the 3 smartest, nicest girls in the class her best friend. I told Mrs. F. to make sure that F.F. knew how to say "no" to some girls who needed help.
E.F.G.'s mother was so convinced that her daughter was perfect, she didn't bother asking about her. She just went on an on about other things. She did say something very beautiful though. "A teacher has to pretend that one of the girls in the class is the kings daughter. Her only problem is, she doesn't know who it is." I thought that was very nice.
C.C.K.'s mother was my most major shock!!! She looked nothing like the sweet girl that sat in the front row of my class. Her mother definitely knew what a great daughter she had, but we also had to talk about how good she is. I need her to realize that she is not a professional tutor, and that she shouldn't do chesed before she took care of herself.
L.O.'s mother was another shock. She was a short little old lady with a hearing aid of all things! she seemed so fragile and old, that I felt bad telling her that I had a slight problem with her daughter. I managed to gloss it over by saying that she was so special because she was G.O. and that now the class looked up to her, and she had to realize that everything she did was being watched by everyone in the class. So that went ok.
C.S.'s mother also works in the school, so I already knew her, and she has the sweetest daughter, so she was a pleasure to talk to.
R.S.'s mother reminded me of someone I knew. She looked like R.S. and she seemed very nervous. I assured her that she had a great girl, and she just needs to space in a little in class. She warned me that R.S. has a low tolerance level, I already knew that, but I didn't say anything, and let her do the talking.
I very much wanted to meet R.H.'s mother. She came, but she didn't wait around for me. I want ed to discuss a lot with her, namely the fact that quite a few mothers had mentioned that their daughters were friends with R.H. and they all felt that it was competitive. I felt that R.H. needed her friends to make her feel good about herself, but she wasn't doing that for them. Instead she used them as a stepping stool to get higher. I didn't look at her in a bad way, it's a normal thing for seventh graders, but it's not healthy.
M.L.'s mother knew exactly who her daughter was, and she discussed a tutor for her. I told her that I was so proud of her daughter for trying hard even though she didn't always do so well. The mother walked out beaming.
The mother of M.P. was concerned at the way her daughter was coping with the workload. 7th grade is a lot of work, and her daughter, usually a laid back girl sometimes felt she couldn't breathe under the stress. I told her that I wasn't happy with the amount of work the girls had to get, and that I personally tried to give as little homework as possible. I told her to tell her daughter to pick 3 subjects to work hard on and sort of slack off a little on the others if she felt she couldn't do everything.
The principal walked in in the middle of one of the mothers and asked us to hurry up, because there were other people waiting their turn. The mothers hate her too.
This thing was supposed to be from 10 to 12, but I walked out of there at 1:15.
I came home zonked, and went straight to bed. I had a ton of things to do, but I pushed them all off. This job sure takes a lot out of me.

Tests!

Yesterday and today were spent taking tests. The girls took a history test Wednesday, and a Literature test today. I also took a test. My patience was tested to the fullest.
Giving tests aren't easy. Everyone has questions, and they all need to be answered at the same time. Some girls need a ton of help, and some girls just need attention.
I was looking over some of the test scores from last test, and I figured that I have some girls who need more time. I didn't think it was fair that I got 7b first. I don't specifically mean this class, but any class. My last test was given to the entire grade at the same time, and anyone who needed more time was able to go through recess, and even a little after.
This time, I was letting one class go first which meant that only one class had the option of extra time.
I decided to take some weaker students from my second class and have them take the test with the first class because I knew they would need and appreciate the extra time.
I spoke to M.R. first. I couldn't remember if she had needed extra time last test, and she said she didn't need it and besides, she was embarrassed to go into the other class.
I had spent the entire night on the phone with S.G.L.'s mother, and I was going to give her an easier test along with the essay of the regular test. I wanted her to take it in the first class as well, but she objected. S.G.L. was terrified with the idea of being labeled "dumb." She even refused to take the easy test because she didn't want other girls to see that she was given a separate piece of paper.
I had to arrange for her to have a real test with the special test stapled on in the back. And I had to arrange to get it on her desk. I managed. (Whew!)
I did get B.E.D. to come in to the other class, and it was great for her. She needed a full 3 hours to complete the test, and she got a 97 1/2. I was proud, but she has to be taught that she has to move a little faster in her work.
I spoke to C.K. before the test to assure her that I would answer her questions, and that she shouldn't giver her test in right away, even if she got frustrated. She was so relieved.
C.K. needed extra time as did T.K. and I was proud of the marks they got.
I spent all night marking them, and then today they took their very first literature test.
I went in to the 7a class first today, to give them a chance to take the test first. I called C.K. and T.K. to take the test first and the funniest thing is, every single girl finished before the bell rang. Even B.E.D.! I was so happy!
In the middle of the test, the principal came in to give back the history tests. I mark them and she takes them and goes through them and writes comments. The kids hate it, but it's part of school rules.
So anyway, she came in, and she stopped the test to tell them that there was no such thing as handing in a sheet that wasn't written in cursive. The girls were understandably upset. Actually, so was I.
To tell the truth, I find it much easier to read print than cursive. I feel that by seventh grade, most girls develop their own handwritings, and you can't change it. They discover on their own what is the most comfortable for them, and they go their own way.
Of course I couldn't tell the students anything, but I hope they won't take her seriously. What a killjoy. :)
I like to make the kids smile when they take a test, so I gave out some twizzlers during the history test. I told them it was really helping them cheat because a certain Indian tribe used to use strings for something very important. (The Incas used to tie knots in strings to keep records called quipus.)
I was thrilled to see every girl smile and understand my joke. I gave out jawbreakers today for no reason, but the girls seemed relaxed and confident today.
I went through some test without marking them, just to see how they did. I was definitely impressed! They're first literature test and the grade average was a 95!! This is unreal!
Sometimes I wish I could take these girls home with me and keep them. I heard something a while ago from an old, experienced teacher that really rang true.
She said, "At the end of every year, when a class I've gotten to know and love leaves my class, a little piece of my heart goes with them."
I feel the same way. I barely got a chance to know these girls. It's only December, but already I know that I'll miss them terribly.

"Nosenseday"

I was pretty confident today. I looked good, I felt good, and it was raining. (Don't ask, I just like rain.) Because it was raining, I wore a pretty pair of booties, nice and conservative, but still different and pretty.
I felt so good in the morning, I knew it couldn't last.
And it didn't.
The principal again. She took one look at my boots, and made a face that could kill. Now I'm lucky that the principal has this policy not to make you feel stupid in public, because I was surrounded the entire day, and she didn't have the opportunity to tell me something.
I have this feeling that she thought I was too pretty to teach in her school. I guess if you want to be a teacher in this school, you have to give up all femininity. Or, it could just be that she's picking on me!!
I know this sounds babyish, but this principal has a reputation for doing that- picking on her teachers. (Especially someone like me who refuses to bend to her mind control.)
I was happy, I taught a nice amount today, and I spoke to some girls.
My history test is on Wednesday, and I had to talk to S.F.F. about her taking an easier test, and M.L. who also needed one. I thought that B.G. could use some notes, but she didn't need an easy test, so I arranged some notes for her too. S.G.L. had a problem with last test. She gave back a blank test.
I spoke to her mother last time, and we arranged for her to take the test at home. She had it for three weeks, and when I asked her to give it back, it was still blank. I definitely had to talk to her too.
Of course, being Monday, my planbook was collected again, and I didn't have a plansheet for myself.
In the middle of class, I suddenly blanked out. I finished teaching everything I had planned for today, and I wanted to go on to something new, but I had no planbook to refer to. I improvised, and it worked out well, but I was so mad. Who am I writing a planbook for? Myself or the principal?
If you want to see it, look it over and give it back! But no, she takes it Monday and gives it back Thursday!!! Hello? Is there anybody in there?
Everyone is convincing me to start looking for another school to teach in next year. I don't really know if I want to, but this isn't the way things should work.
At least not according to my logic.

It Was Only a Joke!

Sunday again. I wish it didn't have to be the same every week. Why can't there be different names for days? Like "Icecreamday," or "Stormyday," or even "Stupiday?" Sunday sounds so fake. Please put the word "sun" in there. As if this day is the brightest and cheeriest day in my week. IT'S NOT. It's just the day I like to call "Function/on/little/or/no/sleep/day."
The principal wasted our entire first period on a dumb teacher's meeting, so she could prep us for PTA.
She started off with flattery, as she told us what great teachers we are. She then went on to warn us that we probably have the most under-appreciated job, and that we probably have the least paying job.
I interrupted with a wisecrack, "Probably? My cleaning woman makes more than I do! My father's illegal employees make more than I do!"
I honestly meant it as a joke, and the other teachers laughed. The principal though, didn't think it was too funny.
"That wasn't meant to be said." She told me, "It was out of place and uncalled for."
I was taken aback and replied, "I'm sorry if I misspoke, but I meant it as a joke. Obviously I knew what I was getting into when I signed the contract, I'm only making fun of the fact that you used the word "probably" in this context."
The principal didn't like my explanation, and went on to reprimand me.
Even the teachers noticed that she was taking it to an extreme.
Something is going on, and I don't like it. I'm definitely being picked on.

End of the Week

...And Thursday is the day where you just want to jump into the weekend, so you have absolutely no patience dealing with school.
My students were off the wall today. But I was nuts too, so it was ok.
I came into class, and the girls were trying to fix my desk. It appears that some screws had "fallen" out (with the help of my more devious students) and the desk was now standing on three legs.
No surprise to see that after everyone had returned to heir seats, C.K. still felt that she had to personally support the desk. She got a personal invitation, and we started our crazy day.
7a had prepared chalk, some flowers, and a stick (so that I could point at the map which is too high for me to reach) on my desk. They also left the lights off so that I would be convinced to give them some rest time.
Unfortunately for them, no such luck.
I actually managed to get really far today. We covered a lot of ground in History, and I think that after their test on chapter two next Wednesday, I'll be ready to give them the test on chapter three.
I have a feeling the principal has it in for me now. I don't think she took that conversation we had yesterday very well....
I got my planbook back today, and the principal commented on it. She wrote, "Your plans are very sketchy. Please see me so we can discuss ways to make your book more understandable."
One second here....is she forgetting that she's talking to master of detail here? I mean, would I take the time to write a blog if I were a "sketchy" writer? I have one word to say:
"BLLLLLAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!"
There, I feel better now.
My twelfth graders gave great speeches. I had a great time with them, and believe it or not, I can't wait to go back in next week.
Oh, wait. Next week is Thanksgiving. My husband has no work then because Thanksgiving the market is closed.
I wonder if I can get away with pretending to be sick...Or will that be too obvious?

Same Old, Same Old

Wednesday is the kind of day where everything sort of blends together, and you're not sure what's happening anymore. It's too far into the week care about anything. Even my students feel the same way.
It was a rushed morning, I had an appointment in New Jersey, and I barely made it back to school on time, but I made it.
My 7a class is really livening up, and G.S. is at the helm of their ship!
When I started teacheing history, G.S. and the rest of the class groaned. G.S. aked if we could do something different for a change. So I told her top come up to the front of the class, and start teaching.
She came up, but of course she souldn't think of a thing to say, besides picking up a paper and telling the class that it was pink.
It was the break the class needed, and we had a succesful day.
I ran home to be there on time for the pharmacy delivery (I have an EAR INFECTION!! I haven't had one sinceI was 2!) and I sat down and began doing school work. I did school work until 11:30 at night! I revised a history test, made up a literature test, created a histoy sheet on the explorers, marked spelling tests, and did a bunch of other things for school.
I cannot believe I get paid $534.10 a month.

Experience Shmexperience

During class today, I got called out by the principal.
First of al the good part. I got paid for the full month of October. I received the grand sum of $534.10. That's the only exciting part.
Then, as I was about to go back into my rowdy class, the principal confronted me by asking if I had ever told a student it was her fault for not knowing something when it was me who had made the mistake.
Now this was absurd. I am always the first to admit I made a mistake, and that the principal should have to coma and ask me was pretty weird.
So I tried to be diplomatic and I told the principal that I didn't remember such an incident. The principal looked me up and down and said, "Well the reason I'm asking is because we had a parent call the school to complain about you."
My heart went into my toes, as the principal suggested I see her after school to discuss how I could work on myself to be less abrasive to my students.
I gave her a dirty look and told her I'd see her after school.
And after school I made sure to go over to her. But I did that on my own terms.
I went in to her and without waiting for her to start, I started talking to her about a bunch of kids I was having a problem with. F.G. C.K. L.O. and a couple of others. When I mentioned L.O, her eyes lit up and she asked, "Oh, tell me about her!"
So I knew now what I had guessed all along, it was L.O.'s mother who called.
L.O. is a great girl, but she definitely got on my nerves lately. For example, yesterday, I was making a very strong point to the class in literature, and the girls were all sitting quietly just listening, It was self understood that this was not the time to ask questions or even write notes. I wanted them all to listen, and they were. Except for L.O. of course, She kept raising her hand noisily, and I could see that besides for making me annoyed, the class was bothered my her too.
Now, this is the season where everyone is getting sick, and I had a number of girls who weren't feeling well, so I figured L.O. needed something urgently. So I called on her.
I was ready to slap her when she calmly asked, "What's the date today?"
I totally gave it to her, I was so mad. And she does this often. Sometimes, she'll be so busy raising her hand with a question, she won't realize that I'm already answering her question. When that happens I refuse to repeat myself and I tell her it's her own fault she missed what I said. That's why I figured it was her mother that called.
I also know that L.O. is extremely sensitive and I heard her mother is too. That would explain her mother believing this twisted story.
Well anyway, I made the principal see my side of the story. And when she finally agreed with me, I asked her if she would call back the mother who complained to tell her that it was her daughter who was the problem, not me.
The principal said she saw no reason to call her, because this mother was already made happy.
Now I got really upset, and I shot back at her, "Well that mother is happy at my expense! And you know what happens now? That girl was told by her mother that she is right, and I was told the same thing by you! That means that this girl will continue doing what she's doing wrong, and I will continue doing what I do, and it's a cycle that will keep repeating itself. I guarantee that this won't be the last phone call you'll get from her."
The principal tried telling me something about her years of experience, but I cut her off. "I cannot turn into the person you want your teachers to be based on your experience. History keeps repeating itself because people don't learn form each other's mistakes. Don't try to fight the system. I will not learn from your mistakes, I have to make my own. And if that means talking to angry parents, so be it.
Don't try to protect me from those parents, because if I was right, I will defend myself all the way. And if I was wrong, I will be the first to say so. There is no reason you should be talking to the parents instead of me. You weren't there during that situation, you have no idea what I was thinking, and you don't know if it really even happened. Do me a favor, and let me fight my own battles. When a mother calls, give her my number, I will gladly talk to her."
The principal was more than a little shocked, but I continued to tell her that this was coming from all the teachers. I went on to tell her a little more, and then I picked up my stuff and walked out.
I don't think this will change a thing, but at least I got to yell at someone.

Nothing Much

It's Monday and I feel bad about not writing since Wednesday, so I figured I'd sign in, even though there isn't anything much going on.
Well, Thursday, my twelfth graders began their speeches, and they were pretty good. I was really impressed. Now I'm just stuck with the troublesome task of marking them.
Basically, I have their marks, it's just that I feel horrid being only a year older than they are and giving them marks that are going to go on their permanent records. Sheesh.
Yesterday, Sunday was a regular Sunday. Didn't sleep well the night before, (that was due to a surprise anniversary party in my honor!) and I woke up sick in the morning. I had to rush to school, like every other week, and I basically managed to get through the day without hurting anyone.
Well, anyone besides myself.
During class in 7a, I banged my hand down hard on the desk as I was trying to prove a point, and I banged my hand right onto a thumbtack. I almost howled with pain!
I pulled the offending tack out of my palm, and nonchalantly commented to the girls, "NEVER EVER bang your hand down onto a tack. It hurts like crazy!"
The girls had a laugh, and of course, C.O. was the first to offer to go and get me a band-aid from the office. She's just a cute little attention seeker.
She also brought up the topic of cancer in one of my lessons last week. I think she was provoking me, trying to see how I would take it since she, as the rest of the class knew I had been sick. I took it calmly, it's not a big deal to me, and I didn't mention that I had been sick. I just explained her misconception and we went on with the lesson.
Oh, to add to my misery, the principal observed me AGAIN (!) in my 7b class. I believe this is the sixth time already! More than any other teacher in the school. I absolutely hate it when she sits in on the lessons. And when she interrupts to give her thoughts and to partake in my lesson. It's a whole lot worse! Someone should knock some sense into her! ...Maybe it'll even be me....Well, only after I leave this school!
Today was just like yesterday. I went to bed sick, and woke up sick. There was no sleeping late because my husband's grandmother died earlier that morning, and the funeral was at 10. I had to rush out of bed, prepare my lessons, (which I neglected to do last night) and do a bunch of household chores.
I came to school in another world, but somehow I pushed through a day.
I had spoken to R.H. yesterday about her behavior in class, and I did see an improvement, but I forgot to call her over and compliment her, because my head was somewhere else. But R.H. wrote a great persuasive letter to an ice cream company, so she'll definitely be getting some praise tomorrow.
She actually wrote the letter because I promised the class an ice cream party at the end of the year if we persuaded this ice cream company to make some of their products kosher. So R.H. being the type of person she is, went and began writing to them.
What a cute character!

Curriculum Meeting

The principal wanted me to stay after school today for a curriculum meeting.
Actually, she had wanted to meet with me for the past week, but I was busy, and couldn't stay after school. Would you believe that she wanted me to cancel some of the things that I was busy with to talk to her? I pushed her off for as long as I could, but I figured Wednesday was as far as I could push it.
Turns out, today worked out just fine.
My husband had a business meeting today, and so I figured it would be fine to do curriculum planning after school. But this morning, the principal called to tell me that she was busy with PTA, so she would only be able to give me an overview of the curriculum in the afternoon that would only take about 20 minutes of my time.
So right after school, I found her in the office, but the eighth grade teacher needed to speak to the principal, so I let her go first. I figured that 20 minutes wouldn't be 20 minutes so it wouldn't be fair to make the other teacher wait. Turns out, the eighth grade teacher took a lot more than just 20 minutes herself. I managed to finish reading an entire book during the time I waited.
Finally, I went in for my meeting, and I guessed right, it did take much longer than 20 minutes. Try like and hour. Or maybe an hour and a half. Or more.
By the time I got home, it was almost seven p.m.
And this was only an OVERVIEW!
Problem is, I'm completely lost, overwhelmed, annoyed, and angry. I keep being hit by the same question. How does this principal expect me to teach what takes a public school 8 hours to cover, in less than an hour and a half a day?!?
I think I've learned an important lesson today. Nod and smile, and then do whatever you want.

So it's True!

Today was a great day, I got work done, had a great lesson, and avoided the principal all day!
There was one major "event" that bothered me.
I came to school early like I usually do, and found one of my class' morning teachers sitting there. Now she's usually there at this time, and that's when we catch up on news, and talk about our students.
Today she was beside herself with something that had happened in her class.
Her brother had gotten married last week, and because of it, she was behind with some of her sheets she gave out to the class. Today, she had given out more stencils than she usually did in an effort to catch up to where she should be. She gave the class the stencils to be filled out for homework, and although there was some grumbling and a general attitude of unhappiness, these stencils were for homework and that's that.
Well, one student came over to her after the class, and started talking to her in such a disrespectful, fresh way, that she was shocked.
This girl never uttered a peep in her class, and now she was saying things the teacher never expected to hear from anyone, least of all this quiet kid!
The student called her an idiot, and said that she was mean and crazy..and she did it all to the teacher's face! She even shook a fist at her.
The teacher told me she had gone to the principal, shocked, and the principal begged her not to say anything to anyone. This student comes form a very important, respected family, and she didn't want the word to get out. She told me that the girl's mother was called down to school, and something was going to be figured out.
The teacher didn't tell me the girl's name, but I guessed, and I got it right.
The teacher was shocked, and asked me if I had ever seen her act this way. I told her the same thing she told me, that she was the quietest girl in the class. I knew, because she was the one who gave me the index card saying that she went to an anger management class every Monday after school.
The other teacher was shocked! I was too, to tell you the truth. It's true that she had told me about her problem, but I had never seen it, so I kind of put it out of my mind, almost believing that it was a made-up story trying to get my attention.
Wow.
The bottom line was, we agreed to keep it between us, the other teachers never ad a problem with her so we didn't feel they had to know, and we figured that if the mother was being spoken to by the principal, the mother herself would probably tell the school about her problem.
What I can't figure out is, why does a situation have to reach this point before a parent will tell the school some important information that we should've known 100 years ago!?!?
I said it as a teen, and I'll say it as an adult.....I'll never understand parents!!

Eventful Days

I was out all night, so it was a royal pain to have to get up for school when my husband had the luxury of staying in bed.
School was uneventful except for one very funny incident that somehow came up in class.
C.C.K. said something about her being one of 10 children. Another girl, I don't remember who, said something about a family who had 16 children, and the media was making such a big deal of it. She couldn't understand what was so huge, because many Jewish families have lots of kids.
So E.F.G. raised her hand to say that the typical American family has a girl, boy, a cat, and a dog.
The class laughed, but then someone, I think it was M.L, asked me why it was that the "typical American family" had about two kids while we had so many. She wanted to know who decided on the amounts.
Immediately, a few girls began smirking, and I felt all the blood leave my face.
It's the kind of situation where you'll get in trouble for whatever you say, and if you don't say anything, it becomes a big issue with the girls who were smirking.
In an instant, I had an answer, and it came to me out of nowhere. "That's how we see how special we are as a nation." I told the girls. "Hashem knows that maybe they can't handle having 10 children so he doesn't send them 10 special souls. He trusts us to raise children well, to be able to give each child what he or she needs, and that's why we are given more children."
Even the smirking ones stopped smirking long enough to ponder this idea.
Now that was a close one!
I was up until forever marking their essays on "My Special Day," while my husband was making supper. (!)
The supper wasn't ready by the time I fell into bed, but I was so tired, I ignored my stomach and promptly fell asleep.
My husband took all phone calls that night and told all my friends that heaven help them should they call and wake me up before 10 Monday morning.
Monday was just a bad day. I don't know if it's because it'd the beginning of the week, or just because I woke up on the wrong side of the bed.
The kids were terrors. I couldn't get a word in edgewise with all the calling out I had all day.
R.H. was really taking advantage of her seat in the front, and using it to have personal conversations with me all day. I guess she thinks she's above raising her hand.
C.K. was still a problem. Calling out, making stupid comments, basically acting as the "class clown." My patience ran very thin.
When I reviewed history, C.K. interrupted me to ask me some dumb questions that wasted half of my day.
L.K. also raised her hand a MILLION times to tell me stories. I kept trying to ignore her hand, but she would start oohing and it got on my nerves. L.K. also kept raising her hand to tell me that they had learned this material a few years ago, and she was bored.
I lost it there. I banged on the desk and got everyone quiet. "Don't make me walk out of this classroom with a different opinion of you than I had when I walked into this classroom." The class was quiet, and I was able to finish my lesson.
In the other class, I noticed a friendship I didn't like starting to evolve. G.S., a major bully, was turning around to talk to R.R. my insecure. learning disabled kid, all through class.
I kept telling them to face front, and even warned them a couple of times, but this friendship was what bothered me more than the talking during class. G.S. is a bully who has no friends. She is using R.R. so that she can look at her disabilities and give her ego an even bigger boost.
R.R. is this insecure thing who gets very excited when a girl like G.S. actually notices her. Something will have to be done.
the principal came around to introduce the girls to our new guidance counselor. I was pretty impressed at the way the girls reacted. Usually, I would've expected a lot of snickering and maybe even some giggling, but these girls were just looking and listening, trying to get to know her. (If I know these girls, they're just sizing her up so that they can make her miserable! Hah ha aha aha hah!)
But seriously, C.C.K. and C.S.A were both looking at her in awe, as if they couldn't wait to run down to her and pour out their hearts.
The truth is, I wasn't a seventh grader so long ago that I shouldn't remember what going to a guidance counselor means.
It means ridicule and embarrassment once your classmates find out. I have no doubts that the timeless story will play out in this school, in this grade again.

Sunshades

7a is really shaping up.
I don't feel like I'm pulling teeth anymore, and I'm actually starting to look forward to teaching that class.
Yesterday, we even joked around so much, I barely managed to finish the material I wanted to cover. And I thought the other class was the slow one!
Anyway, I noticed that 7a had this big problem with their windowshades. The shades are way too thin, and I find the most of the girls end up squinting, and moving their seats around, to avoid having the sun in their eyes. It's a big distraction, so I commented that we had to take a vote in class to decide if we should ask the school for better shades, or just invest in good sunglasses.
So today, when I walked into class, a whole bunch of girls were wearing sunglasses.
I am so proud, I can't tell you. These girls are developing a personality!
And by the way, I had my own pair of shades in my teacher's bag, I planned to wear them into class, but when I heard that my students thought of doing it on their own, I let them have that moment of glory all to themselves.
Today was a 12th grade day. I was surprised to discover that these girls were actually taking my class seriously enough to have started to prepare speeches(!)
We spent the lesson finishing up the speech we had started before Yom Tov, and that took until the bell rang. I spent an extra two minutes telling them about the speeches for next week, and that was the end of my very loooooong week!

It's Only Tuesday?

It seems like I've been back at school for ages, even though it's only been about a day and a half so far.
I had to go in early today because the 6th grade teacher got engaged last night, and the teachers were throwing her a party. (Now I know what our teachers did in there...they partied!)
Of course I was the first to come, and the other teachers barely made it to school before the 6th grade teacher walked into the room. But it turned out pretty well.
I went down to lunch, which in itself is a royal pain, and leaned against the wall while the girls finished lunch.
Bored, I called over S.G.L. and asked her if she had finished and brought back my test that I allowed her to take at home.
S.G.L. blushed, and didn't answer me, so I asked her again if she brought in the test. She looked down and told me quietly that her mother wanted to call the principal about the test.
My heart plummeted to my toes. The last thing I need is for the principal to go analyze my tests. She previews all my things before they get copied, and she had of course seen the history test as well, but I don't need her to go through it thoroughly now and start finding fault.
I told S.G.L. that it was fine for her mother to call the principal, but I still needed the test back, even if it wasn't filled in. I told her that yes, I would discuss it with the principal, but she should definitely bring the test papers back to me.
It turned out that her mother felt there was nothing wrong with the test, she only wanted to discuss her daughter being evaluated, but I'll still feel better once I have that test back in my locker.
As I walked into class, ready to hand out my maps quiz on the middle east, I found 11 girls crouched under my desk, scrambling to pick up a million tiny tacks that were scattered all over the floor. One of my students had opened the desk drawer to find a piece of chalk, and the entire drawer had somehow come out and spilled all its contents on to the floor.
I was impatient to start my day, so I sent the girls to their seats and had them start their quizzes. While I had 5 minutes of quiet in the classroom, I bent down, took a piece of paper, and shoveled the tacks back into the drawer. It didn't take long, but with my luck, the Principal chose to walk in at the exact moment I crawled under my desk.
Mortification is not the word. I didn't think that protecting my delicate feet from those dangerously sharp tacks should've been a problem, but apparently, in this school, it is.
The principal was upset why I was the one bending down, when the students should've been doing it out of respect for me.
I tried explaining to her that I was the one who sent them back to their desks so that they could start their quizzes, and I explained it to her again. I turned around to check on my students and I caught them all looking and listening intently, taking gin every word. Sheesh.
She finally got my point, but she didn't want me to continue picking them up in class. I hate to sound fresher than my students, but as soon as she left I bent down to finish the job. After all, my feet deserve some respect too, don't they?
While we were discussing the social classes in the ancient Aztec empire, madam principal walked in again. She interrupted the class to brief me about the writing projects she wanted me to do with them, and then she walked to the back of the class and stayed there.
Now I was pretty flustered, I tried picking up from where we left off, but the girls were suddenly very quiet, and not participating.
I somehow managed to keep up my enthusiasm, and pretended that I totally didn't mind teaching with a person breathing down my back. Eventually she walked out, presumably to bother some other unsuspecting teacher.
As soon as the door closed behind her, 16 girls breathed a very loud sigh of relief. There was a two second gap of embarrassed silence, and they all started laughing. I had to fight to keep a straight face because I was dying to laugh too. That's a great disadvantage of being a teacher, you always have to set an example.
But I'm so happy this happened today. It just goes to show that no matter what the principal brags, and besides for F.G. who would walk in a garden with her, most girls are not comfortable being observed in class. The teacher's room erupted in cheers when I told them about this incident. One point for us!
Another, pretty disturbing thing I saw today was in the other class, 7a.
We were continuing with our creative essays, and as I was going around the classroom, I noticed that B.E.D. hadn't written anything yet. I was surprised, and went over to her to try and help her, and she was barely looking at me.
I left her with some advice and went back to the rest of the class, making sure to keep an eye on her. I noticed that her hands were literally shaking for the rest of the period. She didn't write a word, but her hands shook terribly.
I don't know what her parents think they're doing, but they're really messing around with their daughter's life, and as a teacher, there's only so much I can do.