I thought it was a full moon, at least that’s the way the kids were acting today. And not just my kids but the entire building. And it wasn’t just me. Sometimes you feel like at any moment the tables could turn and they could realize there are a lot more of them than there are of you. It is a fine line we walk every day. Like a line from one of my favorite movies: “I feel like I am riding a psychotic, out of control horse, toward a burning stable.” Maybe tomorrow will be better.
Filed under junior high, Kids, Middle School, School
I thought this was appropriate after I sat in a conference yesterday and waited several minutes while a parent was texting. Hmmmm have we overlooked our priorities? I realized yesterday that I treat my puppies better and have more concern for their well being than some parents do for their children. It is a rather sad realization. Parents are the key to the educational puzzle…President Obama said it quite well last night. When a kid is missing that piece, the odds against them are incredible. They are just kids and they are up against a huge obstacle if they are asked to navigate the waters of education on their own. They have to have that safe harbor to come home to at night. Often, we have to offer that safe place at school because it cannot be found at home and as educators we have to remember that when we are frustrated and angry…sometimes we also have to be their parent.
Filed under junior high, Kids, Middle School, School, Teaching
Unless you have stood before a class of middle schoolers you may not understand what this one means. You literally have to perform each day. I thought about making concert posters for my best performances and charging but since they have to be there, I don’t think that will work. I also thought about getting a set of theatrical stage lights. They have new LED ones that you can control by a computerized board. With those and the surround sound speakers I really do have…that would rock. We are pretty blessed in our district to have the amount of technology we have: new projectors, new apple computers, digital overheads, airliner slates, and ipods (the cool touch kind) for our kids. It really drives you to make interesting lessons but sometimes it’s a lot. Things seemed much easier when I was in sixth grade and the VCR was the size of a small house. But we all say that don’t we?
Filed under Friends, junior high, Kids, Middle School, School, Teaching
Well, I jinxed myself with yesterday’s entry. I came to school this morning and waiting for me was a crap load of parent messages. I spent my morning returning parent phone calls. I am thinking of copying this comic and passing out at conferences tomorrow night. It might cut down on the time a little.
Filed under Kids, Middle School, School, Teaching, teenager
Rough days always play out in the cartoons. As most teachers know you can’t say what you want to say when you want to say it. You have to save it or have “rewind” conversations in your head where you drift off to a place where exactly what you want to say comes out of your mouth exactly when you want to say it and then you get to rewind. I will say this, I have a list. A list of people I will be talking with when I retire. It might take me a month or two to get through everyone but I have a plan. As I run through this list, unfortunately, I am sure I will hear stories that end with, “I just don’t know what happened”. I’ll tell you what happened. You believed every word out of your kids mouth no matter how insane. You believed all the gossip you heard at the soccer field and never bothered to call the teacher. You wrote notes to cover up for your kid when they didn’t do their homework or a project. And most importantly you didn’t value education. You didn’t read to your kid and you just thought school was something that kept them out of your hair for a few hours a day. The opportunity for an education is a gift, more valuable than any new video game. A free gift that kids and parents give away every year. My Mom and Dad always said that there is nothing more important than your education. There is no excuse when it comes to school and the teacher is always right. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying we are always right but here’s an update, neither is your kid. The best way for any kid to be successful is for everyone to work together, not against each other. This kind of dynamic does no one any good…. especially the kid.
Filed under Family, Friends, junior high, Kids, Middle School, Parents, School, Teaching, teenager
I have recently thought of having “Seriously?” mass produced on t-shirts and sell them to fellow teachers. It would save us so much time. Has common sense gone out the window or have we just enabled kids so much that they have forgotten how to think for themselves? Then, when we asked them to, they are lost. I distinctly remember being in sixth grade. I remember the mixed tapes that we would listen to at lunch time, Journey, Air Supply. Trading NFL pencils at recess. I liked the Steelers only for the colors, I had no idea where they were even located. And the dodgeball games…all I can say is sweet. Nothing like nailing the blonde chick who told everyone I was wearing a bra for the first time. The imprint of the ball on her face lasted until well after lunch. I remember the awesome home made hamburgers this cute little old lunch lady fixed and the deals and swaps that went on to get your hands on a second burger rivaled any Wall Street deal. I remember a field trip to my teachers house because she had horses and it was the best day ever. There was no HD or Wii. No one had to put on a concert for us to pay attention. We just did. I heard an interesting quote from Michele Obama today. She was talking to a bunch of junior high kids and she said that no one sprinkled magic dust on her head. She just realized that her fate was in her own hands. How do we make our kids realize that? That is the question of the day. If anyone has the answer, let me know.
Filed under junior high, Kids, Middle School, School, Teaching
Why does someone go to work day after day when they know this is what they look like to most students. Because every once in awhile you catch a glimpse of something in their eyes that maybe just maybe they understand you because you understand them. You latch onto that and hope for more moments like that and then you finally have an in. You wedge yourself into their lives and hope for the best. They will make you cry, make you scream, stress you out, and on a good day make you laugh like you have never laughed before. Those are the days I wake up for. And then maybe one day, one of them will come back and say that something you did made a difference to them. And that is what you have to remember every day.
Filed under junior high, Kids, Middle School, School, Teaching, teenager
And we wonder why they can’t find anything. AND when they say it’s in my locker, you know that’s not a one minute trip. And anyone who has been on the business end of a half full milk cartoon left on the top shelf for a quarter would call it nothing less than a bomb. I remember, not too long ago, opening the entire wing of a building in frigid weather because the stinch was making everyone gag. It only gets worse as it gets warmer.
Filed under junior high, Kids, Middle School, School, Teaching, teenager
It is simply amazing how nine inches of snow, the last count in my backyard, can just sneak up on you and smack you on the rear. I got out of bed this morning with the local meteorologists predicting nothing more than a dusting, an inch at most. Thank goodness I am a weather junkie who constantly monitors the weather forums. The weather geeks, as I like to call them, were all calling for 6-8 inches today. Because of the huge discrepancy between their forecast and the that of the local mets, I thought for sure we would have an inch or two at most. I guess that is why I just spent a half hour using a push broom to plow a path for Penny to do her business. She bounded out the back door and suddenly found herself in over her head, literally. I really don’t want her to lose the little twinkle in her eye that she gets from prancing about in the snow so I brushed off most of the back yard and for no reason. She belly crawled under the deck and did her business in private. Oddly enough Alexander seemed to take a certain pleasure in walking proudly, slightly above the snowline, suddenly becoming Balto, ready to rescue the whole town. He’s such a drama king.
So my cartoon today comes from the realization that several hundred kids are in fact doing the snow dance. I have heard of so many different versions of the dance. I also know that there isn’t a teacher among us who has not done the dance in some form or another. When you are two days over your five days there is a moment of hesitation though. I mean hey, now we are moving into summer territory. It is a fine line to walk and I think we are all ready to get on with the year. I certainly do not want to have to decorate my room for Independence Day.
Filed under animals, Dogs, junior high, Kids, Middle School, School, Seasons, Snow Day, Teaching
And so it begins again. You get a little time on your hands and suddenly the blog gets updated, the cafepress store gets updated….all because of a little snowstorm. Well, not so little. It started Monday night: snow, ice, ice, rain, ice, and then A LOT of snow again. Luckily we kept our electricity but we are now out of school for the rest of the week and I have a lot of time on my hands. A first in quite a while, obviously if you look at the date of my last post. My goal is to keep it updated more often. I would love to have new cartoons … I will certainly give it a try. What’s happened since the last post? A broken leg, a kitchen remodel, and several other events have left me with a lot more material for cartoons, that’s for sure. So….stay tuned!
Just Toonin' Around 