Sunday, October 24, 2004
A friend of my dad sent me this quote...
After all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.
~ Hermann Goering, Commander of the Luftwaffe, creator of the Gestapo, and Hitler’s No. 2, testifying at the Nuremberg Trials
Scary enough to rule a country eh?
VOTE NOVEMBER 2
After all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy and it is always a simple matter to drag the people along, whether it is a democracy, or a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the peacemakers for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country.
~ Hermann Goering, Commander of the Luftwaffe, creator of the Gestapo, and Hitler’s No. 2, testifying at the Nuremberg Trials
Scary enough to rule a country eh?
VOTE NOVEMBER 2
Saturday, October 09, 2004
If you need help deciding who to vote for in the upcoming elections, take this quiz to help you.
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
13 Working Days Into The New School Year...
On September 7 teachers were to report back to school for professional development, set up our classrooms, staff meetings, and to get back into the swing of the academic school year. First day's meeting was a bit stressful. Our beloved Principal Larry retired. He was the "seller" of the school and turned it around to become a "spotlight" school for the district and city regarding academic progression based on student/family demographics (big immigrant second language neighborhood). Very sad to see him go- and even more sad to see our new Principal is the former 1st and 2nd grade Assistant Principal who is not exactly the "warm and fuzzy" type. I was actually excited to start the year- I love setting up my Dalmatians (my classroom theme) and creating the loving and nurturing environment I have for all my students. However, first thing in the morning we had a staff meeting and got yelled at by our new Principal about toughing out bad weather and making sure we all left earlier to make it to school on time. This wasn't a predicted storm- this was the aftermath of the most recent hurricane Francis that flooded the entire city and shut down the entire NYC subway system for the better part of the day. Some of the teachers were actually on the trains when it happened and had to evacuate out of the train and up through the street to safety. Yet, we got yelled at for not being more prepared- nice tone to set on day one.
The rest of staff development week went fine- she gave us time to set up our classrooms and during her final walk-thru she told me my room was "terrific" (yet she kept telling me my fourth graders would be very happy even when the other Assistant Principals reminded her repeatedly I teach third grade- it's good to be known were you work, right?). We did, though, have to find our own student desks and chairs to fill our number of students (you'd think they would be prepared when the kids register in the summer and order all the necessary furniture). I still can't believe I would have had students in my room with no place to sit- unbelievable!
Monday the 13th was the first day the kids came back. I was excited to meet this fresh new group. I no longer had the 39 kids I originally had on my register. My class list consisted of 28 kids (14 boys and 14 girls- perfect mix), only 6 of whom were hold-overs from the year before. From their record cards my new class seemed to be an even mix of high learners and low learners, there didn't seem to be any reported behavior problems, and there were no kids that would require extra ESL services (last year I had 8 kids that received ESL classes two hours every day). As I walked out to greet my students in the courtyard, some of my former students rushed me with hugs and "hi"s. Even my one hold-over from last year ran to me with open arms (as his family gave me the evil eye from his new third grade class line). As I was catching up with these new fourth graders and their families I heard, "M****" get over to your spot in line." I looked and it was the Principal yelling at me to move to my class. So I started to walk to where my class number is painted on the pavement in the courtyard only to hear, "M**** you need to line up with the other third grade classes." I looked at her and tried to explain my class lines up with the fourth graders because that's where my number is on the pavement and that's where my new students were all waiting for me to start our year together. She wasn't having any of that so again she yelled at me and pointed to another spot in the courtyard. There's nothing like being yelled at by your superior in front of your former students, parents, and your new students (not to mention the 1000 other students waiting in the courtyard with their new classes). I followed her order and redirected my waiting class to an undetermined spot next to the rest of the other third grade classes. Seems fine- teachers are flexible right? Well, I happened to be standing where another class (a fourth grade class) was starting to line up on their preprinted spot in the courtyard. Not only was my class out of the loop, but this other class now how to figure out where they were supposed to be. 8:30am on the first day of school- fun, fun, fun.
My class loved the classroom. Not all the students showed up and the mix of kids seems right on. Again I'm the only white person in my room and have the only blue eyes. One of my students wrote about seeing my blue eyes on his "First Day of School Memories" homework because he'd never seen blue eyes before. Crazy! The first day with the students was great. They seem to listen and want to learn. I did get some surprises though that weren't mentioned on the record cards. One boy told me all about his fighting rooster. Yep, apparently his father thought he was old enough to own his own fighting bird and now this third grader does his own cock-fighting. That being shared with the rest of the class, I got an earful about others and their fighting "Pimp Bulls" (read as Pit Bulls of course). I guess, just like the kids on my block this summer, fighting Pit Bulls is still the thing to do in the city. I also found out I have a boy who is considered a "street kid" by the administrators at school. I remember hearing about him last year (he's a double hold-over, once in 1st grade and again from last year's 3rd grade). He is truant from school a lot and last year the principal would hunt him down in the neighborhood and bring him back to school. Sometimes he'd even show up to class, ask to use the bathroom, and never return. One to keep a watchful eye on. Oh, and he's neglected at home so sometimes the only food he eats is lunch at school. I already have the counselor on this one and it's one of those I need to have a one-on-one with every morning to make sure he's eaten in the last 24 hours and to just get some friendly contact to keep him at school (nevermind the fact he said "Fuck You" to me this past week and nothing was done about it). But, if he's my only "problem" child this year I am definitely luckier than last year.
I will have a challenging year academically. I have 6 hold-overs from last year who are really low (two of those students have been held-over twice so they are 10 years old and should really be in fifth grade). I have a handful of students that have some language difficulties and processing problems. They are really low academically but seem to enjoy school and try hard. For the most part these kids seem like a great little group and seem to really enjoy being at school. I am actually excited to get up in the morning (well, after a few cups of coffee) and welcome this group into my learning environment every day.
Everything seemed to be fine this year, even with the new administrative transitions. But, all hell broke loose on Tuesday and Wednesday last week. Tuesday, September 21, our new Principal's boss came to do a walk-thru of the school to see if everything was in working order. Mind you Tuesday was the fifth day of school because we had the Jewish New Year off. That morning I received a new student and took some time at the beginning of the morning to introduce myself and tell her some of the routines and procedures she'd missed the previous half-week. Of course the boss-boss walked thru my room at that time. She walked around my room, checked things out and left. Well, she must not have liked what she saw throughout the school, because on Wednesday all the administrators did a severe walk-thru.
Wednesday, September 22 right before lunch I was sitting doing a running record (reading assessment to determine reading level and spots I need to work on throughout the year) with one of my students on the rug, while the other students were at their desks doing their independent reading when all four administrators walked through my room. No one said a word to me, but the Principal walked through pointing, shrugging, shaking her head, and seeming very upset about the way my room was set up. I sat there and watched their stampede in my room. Not a word was said directly to me but my Assistant Principal was frantically following the Principal around and writing furiously in her notebook. Not only was I watching this "show" but my students were all very clued in to their unexpected and Hitler-esque march in our classroom. They walked around and I got my students ready for lunch. I led my students downstairs and dropped them off from lunch. I felt violated and was very upset about their walk-thru. I was upset because they seemed pissed and never even spoke a word to me about anything. At lunch I called my mommy so she could remind me why I'm there- for the children, and I called T just to hear his voice and tell him about my continuing frustration with this new Principal. After lunch when I gathered my students and brought them back up to the room, I had a little class meeting with them. We discussed how we all felt about their walk-thru and I reminded the students the administrators are there to help us. That's when I had a student (one of my best so far), raise his hand and ask, "Ms. M****, they didn't look happy when they were here. Are you getting fired?" Are you kidding me? This was the anxiety level of my class. Sure I was pissed and upset about the whole thing, but I was more upset they felt they had to do this walk-thru while my class was working. Never in front of the kids- jeez! After that question, all the kids wanted to share what they heard the administrators saying when they were in he room. I felt like crying. Here my class, that has been with me for only 6 school days, felt uneasy and upset about the comments they heard the Principal making about our classroom. These kids are too young to realize that what the Principal didn't like was my fault and they thought they were the ones getting "in trouble" because it was their work and ideas plastered around the room. That was the straw that broke my camel back. After school as J and I were driving home, I told her about what had happened. She said they did a walk thru like that in everyone's rooms. She did tell me though, that the boss-boss from Tuesday hadn't been into her room at all. So J and I had a beer and took my cats to the vet to get their ears cleaned (damn ear mites).
The next morning I went to see my Assistant Principal and set up a meeting with her to talk about this incident one on one. Remember my Assistant Principal isn't a big fan of me because of my outspoken nature- she's one who hates confrontation and it's like walking on egg shells around her- very unstable and not a good supervisor in my opinion. I met with her. I actually started to cry a little about how I felt as a professional during their little "show" the previous day. I told her what my students had said they had overheard and she kept wanted to cut me off. Again, she can't handle confrontation. But, I wouldn't let her interrupt me and told her everything I was feeling (in a nice way) from the previous day. She actually told me my room looked great and there were only three things she wanted changed (two of which were labels for student work that I already had on my "to-do" list but hadn't gotten to yet seeing it was only the 6th day of school). After talking to her a little and hearing her explain "everyone is different in a management position" I actually felt bad for her- I don't think she's happy with the change in administration either. I left feeling better about the situation and headed to J's room to tell her about our meeting. When I walked in J's classroom, she was crying and was visible upset. Apparently our Assistant Principal went into her room that morning and pulled her away from the lesson she was teaching her students. In front of her students she explained there were things that needed to be changed in her classroom. As she was explaining the changes that needed to be made, four para-professionals started ripping things down in her classroom. Basically they moved and changed everything about her classroom- in front of the kids. Imagine having three walk-thrus before school starts and even into he first few days of school, being told your classroom looks fine, and then having it all changed and moved around by people that you don't even know, people that aren't even teachers. All of this done in front of the children. We expect the children to respect us, but that's hard when our administration apparently doesn't. It was disheartening and demoralizing to see many teachers visible upset (crying, talking about the frustration they felt, etc) walking through the school that week. Those next two days at school were very difficult and led to much alcohol consumption after school Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I had to constantly remind myself I am there for the kids.
This past week...Monday, September 27 things seemed to be back to "normal". There was still this strange vibe where non of the teachers seemed happy anymore. Teachers were upset about how it all went down in front of the students. I talked to many other teachers about everything and heard from more than one that they were considering transferring to another school next year. Even I was thinking about how I needed to contact the other schools I applied with a few years ago to see what their status would be next year. All of this thinking and it was only the ninth day into the 2004-2005 school year. Sad! Monday we received all sorts of memos about our "flow of the day" and scheduling subject matter in certain ways. Apparently we teachers are all robots and must do everything the same at the same time. Disgraceful. Our Parent Night/Back to School Night was scheduled for the next night and here they were changing everything about our academic day just the day before we had to explain our teaching routines to the parents. Nothing liked adding more work onto teachers that has nothing to do with teaching itself. Trust me, my parents are not concerned about the way the classroom is set-up. They just want their kids to pass this horrible city-wide test in April so their kids will go on to fourth grade. It was this time that I was experiencing horrible bug bites all over my body. Itching like crazy and noticing they seemed to only be at school. Tuesday night I returned to school for Back to School Night and had two fresh bites about 15 minutes after being in my classroom. I talked to my Assistant Principal about it and also to our union representative. Neither really had anything to say about it. I took Wednesday off from school (DMV, cats got neutered, and I needed a day to relax from he madness at school). I returned Thursday morning and met with our union rep. and his union rep. and explained the biting situation. They told me to talk to the kids and see if they were experiencing the same bites at school only. After lunch I talked to the kids about bug bites. 10 of the students raised their hands to bug bites received at school. I looked at them and sure enough they has visible bug bites just like mine all over their bodies. This is crazy! There is something apparently living in my classroom that is eating us alive. Bed bugs? Mosquitoes? Lice? No one knows what is eating us in that classroom, but you better believe I brought the digital camera and took pictures of the bites yesterday. Documentation. Apparently the custodian head is coming to check out the room on Monday so I should know more then. However, I was told I am not covered for stuff like this through the school so I may be talking to my union directly next week. The school nurse did check me for lice yesterday and I'm clean as a whistle- thank god. This is ridiculous. I came home from school yesterday itching like crazy and have 6 new bites. God, I hope I'm not bringing home whatever this is- T woke up with an itchy spot this morning.
These are the conditions I deal with at school in NYC. No wonder they have a hard time finding (good) teachers here. That's about all I can write right now- I'm tired and am really disliking the school year so far. The sad part of that last statement is it has nothing to do with the students at all. Depressing.
On September 7 teachers were to report back to school for professional development, set up our classrooms, staff meetings, and to get back into the swing of the academic school year. First day's meeting was a bit stressful. Our beloved Principal Larry retired. He was the "seller" of the school and turned it around to become a "spotlight" school for the district and city regarding academic progression based on student/family demographics (big immigrant second language neighborhood). Very sad to see him go- and even more sad to see our new Principal is the former 1st and 2nd grade Assistant Principal who is not exactly the "warm and fuzzy" type. I was actually excited to start the year- I love setting up my Dalmatians (my classroom theme) and creating the loving and nurturing environment I have for all my students. However, first thing in the morning we had a staff meeting and got yelled at by our new Principal about toughing out bad weather and making sure we all left earlier to make it to school on time. This wasn't a predicted storm- this was the aftermath of the most recent hurricane Francis that flooded the entire city and shut down the entire NYC subway system for the better part of the day. Some of the teachers were actually on the trains when it happened and had to evacuate out of the train and up through the street to safety. Yet, we got yelled at for not being more prepared- nice tone to set on day one.
The rest of staff development week went fine- she gave us time to set up our classrooms and during her final walk-thru she told me my room was "terrific" (yet she kept telling me my fourth graders would be very happy even when the other Assistant Principals reminded her repeatedly I teach third grade- it's good to be known were you work, right?). We did, though, have to find our own student desks and chairs to fill our number of students (you'd think they would be prepared when the kids register in the summer and order all the necessary furniture). I still can't believe I would have had students in my room with no place to sit- unbelievable!
Monday the 13th was the first day the kids came back. I was excited to meet this fresh new group. I no longer had the 39 kids I originally had on my register. My class list consisted of 28 kids (14 boys and 14 girls- perfect mix), only 6 of whom were hold-overs from the year before. From their record cards my new class seemed to be an even mix of high learners and low learners, there didn't seem to be any reported behavior problems, and there were no kids that would require extra ESL services (last year I had 8 kids that received ESL classes two hours every day). As I walked out to greet my students in the courtyard, some of my former students rushed me with hugs and "hi"s. Even my one hold-over from last year ran to me with open arms (as his family gave me the evil eye from his new third grade class line). As I was catching up with these new fourth graders and their families I heard, "M****" get over to your spot in line." I looked and it was the Principal yelling at me to move to my class. So I started to walk to where my class number is painted on the pavement in the courtyard only to hear, "M**** you need to line up with the other third grade classes." I looked at her and tried to explain my class lines up with the fourth graders because that's where my number is on the pavement and that's where my new students were all waiting for me to start our year together. She wasn't having any of that so again she yelled at me and pointed to another spot in the courtyard. There's nothing like being yelled at by your superior in front of your former students, parents, and your new students (not to mention the 1000 other students waiting in the courtyard with their new classes). I followed her order and redirected my waiting class to an undetermined spot next to the rest of the other third grade classes. Seems fine- teachers are flexible right? Well, I happened to be standing where another class (a fourth grade class) was starting to line up on their preprinted spot in the courtyard. Not only was my class out of the loop, but this other class now how to figure out where they were supposed to be. 8:30am on the first day of school- fun, fun, fun.
My class loved the classroom. Not all the students showed up and the mix of kids seems right on. Again I'm the only white person in my room and have the only blue eyes. One of my students wrote about seeing my blue eyes on his "First Day of School Memories" homework because he'd never seen blue eyes before. Crazy! The first day with the students was great. They seem to listen and want to learn. I did get some surprises though that weren't mentioned on the record cards. One boy told me all about his fighting rooster. Yep, apparently his father thought he was old enough to own his own fighting bird and now this third grader does his own cock-fighting. That being shared with the rest of the class, I got an earful about others and their fighting "Pimp Bulls" (read as Pit Bulls of course). I guess, just like the kids on my block this summer, fighting Pit Bulls is still the thing to do in the city. I also found out I have a boy who is considered a "street kid" by the administrators at school. I remember hearing about him last year (he's a double hold-over, once in 1st grade and again from last year's 3rd grade). He is truant from school a lot and last year the principal would hunt him down in the neighborhood and bring him back to school. Sometimes he'd even show up to class, ask to use the bathroom, and never return. One to keep a watchful eye on. Oh, and he's neglected at home so sometimes the only food he eats is lunch at school. I already have the counselor on this one and it's one of those I need to have a one-on-one with every morning to make sure he's eaten in the last 24 hours and to just get some friendly contact to keep him at school (nevermind the fact he said "Fuck You" to me this past week and nothing was done about it). But, if he's my only "problem" child this year I am definitely luckier than last year.
I will have a challenging year academically. I have 6 hold-overs from last year who are really low (two of those students have been held-over twice so they are 10 years old and should really be in fifth grade). I have a handful of students that have some language difficulties and processing problems. They are really low academically but seem to enjoy school and try hard. For the most part these kids seem like a great little group and seem to really enjoy being at school. I am actually excited to get up in the morning (well, after a few cups of coffee) and welcome this group into my learning environment every day.
Everything seemed to be fine this year, even with the new administrative transitions. But, all hell broke loose on Tuesday and Wednesday last week. Tuesday, September 21, our new Principal's boss came to do a walk-thru of the school to see if everything was in working order. Mind you Tuesday was the fifth day of school because we had the Jewish New Year off. That morning I received a new student and took some time at the beginning of the morning to introduce myself and tell her some of the routines and procedures she'd missed the previous half-week. Of course the boss-boss walked thru my room at that time. She walked around my room, checked things out and left. Well, she must not have liked what she saw throughout the school, because on Wednesday all the administrators did a severe walk-thru.
Wednesday, September 22 right before lunch I was sitting doing a running record (reading assessment to determine reading level and spots I need to work on throughout the year) with one of my students on the rug, while the other students were at their desks doing their independent reading when all four administrators walked through my room. No one said a word to me, but the Principal walked through pointing, shrugging, shaking her head, and seeming very upset about the way my room was set up. I sat there and watched their stampede in my room. Not a word was said directly to me but my Assistant Principal was frantically following the Principal around and writing furiously in her notebook. Not only was I watching this "show" but my students were all very clued in to their unexpected and Hitler-esque march in our classroom. They walked around and I got my students ready for lunch. I led my students downstairs and dropped them off from lunch. I felt violated and was very upset about their walk-thru. I was upset because they seemed pissed and never even spoke a word to me about anything. At lunch I called my mommy so she could remind me why I'm there- for the children, and I called T just to hear his voice and tell him about my continuing frustration with this new Principal. After lunch when I gathered my students and brought them back up to the room, I had a little class meeting with them. We discussed how we all felt about their walk-thru and I reminded the students the administrators are there to help us. That's when I had a student (one of my best so far), raise his hand and ask, "Ms. M****, they didn't look happy when they were here. Are you getting fired?" Are you kidding me? This was the anxiety level of my class. Sure I was pissed and upset about the whole thing, but I was more upset they felt they had to do this walk-thru while my class was working. Never in front of the kids- jeez! After that question, all the kids wanted to share what they heard the administrators saying when they were in he room. I felt like crying. Here my class, that has been with me for only 6 school days, felt uneasy and upset about the comments they heard the Principal making about our classroom. These kids are too young to realize that what the Principal didn't like was my fault and they thought they were the ones getting "in trouble" because it was their work and ideas plastered around the room. That was the straw that broke my camel back. After school as J and I were driving home, I told her about what had happened. She said they did a walk thru like that in everyone's rooms. She did tell me though, that the boss-boss from Tuesday hadn't been into her room at all. So J and I had a beer and took my cats to the vet to get their ears cleaned (damn ear mites).
The next morning I went to see my Assistant Principal and set up a meeting with her to talk about this incident one on one. Remember my Assistant Principal isn't a big fan of me because of my outspoken nature- she's one who hates confrontation and it's like walking on egg shells around her- very unstable and not a good supervisor in my opinion. I met with her. I actually started to cry a little about how I felt as a professional during their little "show" the previous day. I told her what my students had said they had overheard and she kept wanted to cut me off. Again, she can't handle confrontation. But, I wouldn't let her interrupt me and told her everything I was feeling (in a nice way) from the previous day. She actually told me my room looked great and there were only three things she wanted changed (two of which were labels for student work that I already had on my "to-do" list but hadn't gotten to yet seeing it was only the 6th day of school). After talking to her a little and hearing her explain "everyone is different in a management position" I actually felt bad for her- I don't think she's happy with the change in administration either. I left feeling better about the situation and headed to J's room to tell her about our meeting. When I walked in J's classroom, she was crying and was visible upset. Apparently our Assistant Principal went into her room that morning and pulled her away from the lesson she was teaching her students. In front of her students she explained there were things that needed to be changed in her classroom. As she was explaining the changes that needed to be made, four para-professionals started ripping things down in her classroom. Basically they moved and changed everything about her classroom- in front of the kids. Imagine having three walk-thrus before school starts and even into he first few days of school, being told your classroom looks fine, and then having it all changed and moved around by people that you don't even know, people that aren't even teachers. All of this done in front of the children. We expect the children to respect us, but that's hard when our administration apparently doesn't. It was disheartening and demoralizing to see many teachers visible upset (crying, talking about the frustration they felt, etc) walking through the school that week. Those next two days at school were very difficult and led to much alcohol consumption after school Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I had to constantly remind myself I am there for the kids.
This past week...Monday, September 27 things seemed to be back to "normal". There was still this strange vibe where non of the teachers seemed happy anymore. Teachers were upset about how it all went down in front of the students. I talked to many other teachers about everything and heard from more than one that they were considering transferring to another school next year. Even I was thinking about how I needed to contact the other schools I applied with a few years ago to see what their status would be next year. All of this thinking and it was only the ninth day into the 2004-2005 school year. Sad! Monday we received all sorts of memos about our "flow of the day" and scheduling subject matter in certain ways. Apparently we teachers are all robots and must do everything the same at the same time. Disgraceful. Our Parent Night/Back to School Night was scheduled for the next night and here they were changing everything about our academic day just the day before we had to explain our teaching routines to the parents. Nothing liked adding more work onto teachers that has nothing to do with teaching itself. Trust me, my parents are not concerned about the way the classroom is set-up. They just want their kids to pass this horrible city-wide test in April so their kids will go on to fourth grade. It was this time that I was experiencing horrible bug bites all over my body. Itching like crazy and noticing they seemed to only be at school. Tuesday night I returned to school for Back to School Night and had two fresh bites about 15 minutes after being in my classroom. I talked to my Assistant Principal about it and also to our union representative. Neither really had anything to say about it. I took Wednesday off from school (DMV, cats got neutered, and I needed a day to relax from he madness at school). I returned Thursday morning and met with our union rep. and his union rep. and explained the biting situation. They told me to talk to the kids and see if they were experiencing the same bites at school only. After lunch I talked to the kids about bug bites. 10 of the students raised their hands to bug bites received at school. I looked at them and sure enough they has visible bug bites just like mine all over their bodies. This is crazy! There is something apparently living in my classroom that is eating us alive. Bed bugs? Mosquitoes? Lice? No one knows what is eating us in that classroom, but you better believe I brought the digital camera and took pictures of the bites yesterday. Documentation. Apparently the custodian head is coming to check out the room on Monday so I should know more then. However, I was told I am not covered for stuff like this through the school so I may be talking to my union directly next week. The school nurse did check me for lice yesterday and I'm clean as a whistle- thank god. This is ridiculous. I came home from school yesterday itching like crazy and have 6 new bites. God, I hope I'm not bringing home whatever this is- T woke up with an itchy spot this morning.
These are the conditions I deal with at school in NYC. No wonder they have a hard time finding (good) teachers here. That's about all I can write right now- I'm tired and am really disliking the school year so far. The sad part of that last statement is it has nothing to do with the students at all. Depressing.
Friday, October 01, 2004
I'm Still Working on the Words...Here's This Year's Classroom
