Evidently, I am a Weakness

Imagine my surprise today when I walk into our conference room at FMS and see a poster from yesterday's Arkansas Leadership Academy meeting listing new teachers as one of the weaknesses of Fordyce Middle School.

Excuse me?

I tried my best not to get offended, but I can't help it.

Let me do some scenario setting for you.

I arrange my room each day so I can just walk in and start teaching. Some "seasoned teachers" rush around at 7:50am trying to get last minute copies made for 1st period.

I use High Yield Instructional Strategies almost daily in my room.
Some "seasoned teachers" are mad because the principal wants us to use ONE EACH MONTH.

I know about United Streaming and have been asking about it at our school for the last month.
Some "seasoned teachers" are technology illiterate and have no idea how to e-mail.

I have occasional discipline problems.
A "seasoned teacher" wants to put her 5th graders in my 8th grade tutoring class because "their personalities clash with the teacher's."
-I said no way, by the way.

I do my best to teach toward different learning styles as much as possible.
Some "seasoned teachers" complain about highlighting Bloom's verbs in their lesson plans.

I use graphic organizers at least 3-4 times a week.
Some "seasoned teachers" complain about having to use their copy machine limits in order to print lesson plans (when they can submit them via e-mail to save paper).

I already knew about most of the things addressed in our PLC meeting this afternoon thanks to the phenominal instruction by Dr. Hunnicutt, Dr. Zimmerly, Dr. Ghivan, Dr. Longing, and please forgive me if I left out anyone else.

I am young and have the energy to walk across the room.
Some "seasoned teachers" sit on their butts and teach from their desks and Elmo tables all day.

I am such a weakness to the school, yet no one has bothered to stick their head in my door and see for themselves that I am a weakness.

My literacy coach spends 4 out of 6 periods a day observing everyone but me.

While I am a weakness, my SPED kids are blowing the top off of my assignments, tests, and classwork.

One of my SPED kids does not want her work modified and can EXCEL with my normal classroom work.

Did I mention that I am the only 1st year content area teacher in the building?

Evidently, I am a weakness.

Obviously, I am not happy.
Is anyone else encountering these issues?

Kids Can Be So Mean!

I don't evel feel like elaborating. Kids can be so mean.

Men, please explain to your males that any comment directed toward a female having to do with weight is absolutely unacceptable. Oh, and NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES ASK A WOMAN IF SHE IS PREGNANT. Wait, add to that NEVER ASK PEOPLE AROUND YOU IF A WOMAN IS PREGNANT AND EXPECT NOT TO FEEL THE WRATH OF HELL WHEN YOU FIND OUT SHE KNOWS YOU ARE ASKING THAT BEHIND HER BACK.

She will take it personally and think that you are caling her fat.

Today has been horrible. One of my really special kids was taken into state custody today. We don't know if we will see him again. Hopefully we will see him back at school. I missed him being in class today. I'm at least glad that I got to give him back his 100+ test that he took last week. I really believe that it made his day. He beamed when he saw his grade. I'm glad I could make him smile a little. Who knows what was happening at home? It could have been anything.

And here I am, feeling bad because one of my kids called me fat.

Finding a Balance

I still love my job. I love it to the point that I don't call it "work." When I leave The Hubster each morning I say, "I'm going to school. See you tonight." It's school, it's not work.

I'm having the difficult task of trying to find a good balance between family, church, school, and classes. At this point, my proverbial see-saw is loaded down on one side. I need a bigger kid to come jump on the other side and bounce some of this stuff away so I can feel somewhat normal.

My kids in the youth at church miss me (which, I never in a kajillion years thought would happen). I miss them, too. Plus, we are in the process of trying to go to 16 hours a week with prayer and worship, with the goal of eventually moving out of the building and establishing a House of Prayer in Pine Bluff with 24/7 prayer and worship. So far, we have six two-hour sets per week. My husband leads one set with a team and our associate pastor and his wife lead another set. The rest are led using an i-Pod and a screen with prayer targets. They take place from 6am to 8am each morning. I'm on my husband's team, but all this has forced me to take a hiatus from leading worship. I chose to be a teacher, but the location of my school is what impedes my ability to lead worship on a consistent basis.

You could say I'm already in the market for another job closer to the church. We are also trying to buy property to build a house in White Hall. I'm really counting on a job opening up in WHSD. All the eggs are going into that basket. If something doesn't open up, I guess I could always look at SEARK. Teaching on the college level could be fun. If that doesn't pan out, I may have to abandon teaching for a season and be a mental health care paraprofessional. It's not ideal, but it is a guarantee if I can't get a teaching job.


I'm also finding that the busier I become with all of this, the more my little creative person wants to get out. I'm having such a huge desire to paint these days, knowing that I don't have time for it. I just want to sit down at the easel, put on some music, and create something. I'm also wanting to take some piano lessons and make The Hubster teach me some more guitar. I have all this creative energy and if something doesn't give, I am going to explode like Peter Petrelli.

But I'm not complaining.

I'll post pics later of my Wheel and my room.

Wheel! Of! Misfortune!!!!!!

To help control my classroom and keep punishment fair, I am using a Wheel of Misfortune that I inherited from my mentor teacher. She is the school's librarian and no longer needs her wheel. She gave it to me and it has been a hit! Well, the kids who haven't had to spin it, love it.

Here's how it works: it's a wooden wheel about 12' tall on a base. It has 8 different numbered sections with one tiny little section labled "fortunate." I have a poster on the wall next to the wheel with all the corresponding punishments. They are as follows: 1. lunch detention (10 min) 2. student writes letter to parent 3. teacher and student call parent 4. lunch detention (10 min) 5. student writes one page essay 6. student cleans my room at lunch 7. lunch detention (10 min) 8. student writes one page essay

It makes my job a lot easier not to have to dole out differnt types of punishment. They just spin the wheel and serve what number they land on. Plus, all I have to do is look at a kid with my "eye" and say, "wheel."

Eventually, I will post some pics of the wheel.

Zicam Should be your Best Friend

9/8- My principle somehow thinks that I am preggers. I don't know whether to take advantage of this and get some sympathy or be offended because I might look like I have gained a little (more) weight. Actually, I have been nauseated and sickly for the past several mornings. I know it's because I took an antibiotic on an empty stomach. I also get sick when I get stressed. It all affects my stomach. But she swears I'm preggo. She said, "it has happened." Sorry. No bebes for us at this time. But I might ride this super-sympathetic wave for a while... ;)

On Friday, I showed symptoms of contracting my first "bug" as a teahcer.

Thank you, Federal Government for allowing us to have the Labor Day holiday.

I have spent the long weekend eating antibiotics, downing fluids, practically injectingi Thera Flu, and resting.

We should all invest in a box of Zicam swabs and use them daily. Seriously.

My mentor teacher thought I had a great record being that I "got sick after the full first two weeks." She got strep after the first few days.