If I were a dog I would be running in a circle, chewing my own tail, and then looking around the room for a chew toy. This is just the way today is going. Scoring a tranquilizer or going on a kennel run should be high on my priority list. What does that make me? A golden retriever? A miniature poodle? A Jack Russell terrier? You’d think I was beyond the idea of writing my blog in bullet form or numbering, but today I am not. Today, I am a hyper dog.
1. Working in a school will ensure that you hear the same phrases over and over again. I’d list them all but if you work in a school you could probably come up with the same ones I have experienced. It’s a universal problem and I could spend a week in a school in Australia and recognize the language as being similar to what we hear in North America (see that, Canada? WE’RE TOGETHER IN THIS!).
What I keep learning is that it all comes down to beliefs. Teachers don’t want to enforce certain rules because they don’t believe in them. We end up projecting our values and norms onto students in our schools. I see it in our government right now when determining how we’re going to handle the proposal of health care. I’m not sure everyone in this country believes that we all deserve health care. Until that belief is there, we’re going to stop the work that is happening to get. (I do NOT want to start an entire discussion with the interwebs about health care in the United States. Dear sweet Jesus knows I don’t. Even dear sweet Buddha knows it. So does Confucius. Especially Confucius.)
2. One of my sons has a teacher who is giving extra credit for bringing in tissues and colored markers and canned food. I have so much of an issue with that right now and it’s not because we’re in a recession. Of course, we’re “in a recession” because I still have a job. If I were jobless then I’d say we’re “in a depression”. Anyway, I had to re-evaluate whether I did this as a teacher or not and I can’t remember. I probably did. What’s the statute of limitations on apologizing to my former students? SORRY, KIDS AND YOUR PARENTS. THAT WAS CARELESS OF ME.
3. Speaking of former students, one of them invited me to her pinning ceremony because she is getting her degree in nursing. Unfortunately, I can’t attend. Jamie is one of the students I had in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade (that was back when I looped with my kids and it was pretty amazing to see them grow in that amount of time) and she knows all about my friendship with Allen.
4. Shorty needs to just go ahead and call 911. He’s on fire on the dance floor. This is a constant concern of mine when I hear that song.
5. I have a LOFT giveaway going on in the review section of my blog which can be found here. Go and vote on your favorite outfit I created with the help of a stylist and you could win a $200 gift card from LOFT. That’s TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS. What dog gives away that kind of gift, huh?
This post is one of those that I probably won’t ever go back and read through again. Unless there’s lots of comments that make me ask, “What the hell did I write about that made them say that in the comments?”
Hyper dog, people. I can’t help it. I feel safe here so I know you’ll be okay with all this. CIRCLE OF TRUST.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
#2. One of my biggest pet peeves EVER. Grades should NEVER reflect a student’s ability to bring something in for the teacher. Ugh. We once had this DICTATED to us by administration. THEY put on some contest for some charity and one of the prizes was five extra credit points in the class of their choice. Really???? I believe that happened exactly once.
I would never give extra credit to a kid for buying something, because I don’t feel the need to reward kids who have disposable income and punishing those who don’t. So, duh.
#4 Dammit. Guess what’s now on repeat loop in my head?
Extra credit for donations?!?! WTH? Man my class is a bunch of suckers then…I convinced them to donate because it’s a good thing to do…not only did they bring in food, they have given me $30 to buy food too (48 cans of soup and 6 containers of juice to be exact!). I don’t mean to judge (if you did in fact do this in your past.
) but whatever happened to giving for the sake of giving?! Okay, off my soapbox I climb…
Is it a bad thing that I now have “We’re All In This Together” from HSM suck in my head after reading your first point?
I refuse to offer extra credit for anything other than doing EXTRA work in the discipline I actually teach. It has nothing to do with money – though I’m in agreement on that point too, but it never even gets that far – it’s just that I don’t feel there’s any reason that a kid’s GRADE should be higher because they did something completely UNRELATED to our actual curriculum.
(All those capitals should make it clear how I feel about that.)
Also, I want to win $200. I’m on it.
#4 – I’m currently dating a fireman and the ringtone I’ve set for him is that song. It cracks me up every time he calls; but, I might have to choose a different one because I tend to sing along with it rather than answer it in a timely fashion. If he ever catches on to that, I’m in trouble.
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