These Kids Are Killing Me

In case anyone was wondering…I hate state testing. It is not what is good for anyone. At all.

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 15:32:50 -0400

In case anyone was wondering…I hate state testing. It is not what is good for anyone. At all.

laphamsquarterly: TERMS OF VENERY What’s your favorite term of...

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 14:33:25 -0400

TERMS OF VENERY

What’s your favorite term of venery? We enjoy of a shrewdness of apes, though a kindle of kittens is always nice to have around the house.

Calamity, thy name is spring break. When will I ever learn not...

Sat, 06 Apr 2013 17:14:29 -0400

Calamity, thy name is spring break.

When will I ever learn not to mix champagne with ANYTHING, but ESPECIALLY co-workers?

How do teachers get through the year?

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 19:06:32 -0400

How do teachers get through the year?

Hello new followers! ( there were a slew today!) Please visit my teaching blog if you like, at...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 23:58:42 -0400

Hello new followers! ( there were a slew today!) Please visit my teaching blog if you like, at www.thesekidsarekillingme.com

I love my family, but tonight’s dinner has included...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:56:30 -0400

I love my family, but tonight’s dinner has included yelling, crying, condescension, and general rude behavior. By my mother, mostly.

World, you're on notice.

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 22:54:09 -0400

girlcanteach:

I’m just adding super to words to make new words. Superfun. Superhappy. Superawes.

Just so you know.

Your made up words are my favorite. #teachercrush #tumblrcrush #swoontowne

Dude. When can we do supercake?

girlcanteach: gabrielgadfly: This is one of my favorite videos...

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 14:02:35 -0400

girlcanteach:

gabrielgadfly:

This is one of my favorite videos from the Poetry Matters project so far. High school teacher Delilah Montgomery talks about what poetry means to her and to her students. Check it out!

You can view the rest of the videos from the project at http://gabrielgadfly.com/poetrymatters, and please consider sharing one of your own!

This woman is one third of my teaching dream team and makes me a better educator and I love her.

I feel the same way about YOU!

girlcanteach: fishingboatproceeds: iam-thebookthief: The Book...

Sun, 31 Mar 2013 18:26:39 -0400

girlcanteach:

fishingboatproceeds:

iam-thebookthief:

The Book Thief (2014): Official Cast

» Sophie Nélisse as Liesel Meminger
» Geoffrey Rush as Hans Hubermann
» Emily Watson as Rosa Hubermann

!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS IS A THING!?!?

YES THIS ALL DAY LONG!!!!!!!

Have Passion. Will Teach.: How The Hunger Games sent me to The Capitol.

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 09:14:19 -0400

Have Passion. Will Teach.: How The Hunger Games sent me to The Capitol.:

girlcanteach:

When I sat down with two of my favorite colleagues to put together a reading and writing curriculum centered around The Hunger Games, I mostly wanted to plan exciting and enriching activities for our students and hopefully teach them a thing or two about developing research questions and…

It’s been the highlight of my career!

fishingboatproceeds: character-inspired-fashion: My The Fault...

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 15:23:38 -0400

fishingboatproceeds:

character-inspired-fashion:

My The Fault in Our Stars necklace

It measures approx. 37 mm x 52 mm, features the front and the back cover art AND includes the first two chapters of the book.

DO WANT.

I want to have this!

The End of The School Year...

Sat, 16 Jun 2012 01:29:23 -0400

Some reflective blogging:

http://www.thesekidsarekillingme.com/a-love-letter-…12-school-year/

girlcanteach: “We have bottled all the stars tonight, my young...

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:59:58 -0400

girlcanteach:

“We have bottled all the stars tonight, my young friends.”

::FYA Orange County Book Club, April:: We had champagne and cupcakes and tears and laughs.

You should read this book if you haven’t.

She’s right. Everyone should read this.

Spring is in the air...

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 21:38:25 -0400

New blog post here:

http://www.thesekidsarekillingme.com/spring-is-in-the-air/

And NOW, you can subscribe!

Teachers having the freedom to teach

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:42:59 -0400

What happens when teachers have the freedom to create curriculum that THEY are excited about? Read about it here:

http://www.thesekidsarekillingme.com/?p=322

Adventures in New York Day Two!!! http://www.thesekidsarekillingme.com/?p=157

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 19:37:22 -0500

Adventures in New York Day Two!!!
http://www.thesekidsarekillingme.com/?p=157

New post! Adventures in New York Day 1

Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:41:29 -0500

http://www.thesekidsarekillingme.com/?p=122

neil-gaiman: From the BUST Blog. Made by Bill Stiteler, who...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 19:34:10 -0500

neil-gaiman:

From the BUST Blog. Made by Bill Stiteler, who also directed and made my SFX acceptance speech video…

Photo by the amazing http://www.aliyanaumoff.com/

Something to amuse people until I return.

ABSOLUTELY YES!

New Post!

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 22:06:16 -0500

Go to here! Read about the nightmare audit!

http://www.thesekidsarekillingme.com/?p=107

Teaching a Student Teacher

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 01:09:38 -0500

Being a student teacher is a thankless job. They do ALL of the work that a regular teacher does, for NO pay at all. They have a full time teaching job and most credential programs recommend that they don’t work in any other way while they are participating in their student teaching. (Which is actually now called “guided practice”) This is, of course, impossible for most people because a part of being an adult is having bills and responsibilities. I remember the grueling year that I spent doing this, 5 days a week, then working until after midnight every night at a bookstore to pay my bills. I am extremely sympathetic to the plight of the student teacher, which is why, when I was approached earlier this year about guiding one, I enthusiastically agreed.

So in December she came, for ten weeks of “guided practice” which will conclude in the first week of March. As a guiding teacher, you never know what sort of student teacher you are getting, and naturally worry about what they will be like. I have to say that I am extremely fortunate. My student teacher is phenomenal. She knows her content, she has a million strategies that she uses, and she is constantly looking for a way to make the content more accessible and engaging to our students. She completely took over all of my classes WAY earlier than she needed to, and does a phenomenal job, which leaves one burning question in my head: What on Earth am I supposed to teach her?

What I started thinking about when I realized I was faced with this, are all of the things attached to this job that AREN’T just the delivery of content knowledge to kids. If that were all this job was, we wouldn’t need teachers. Computers can impart content knowledge, administer homework, even grade essays these days.

While our content is tested and monitored by the state, our ability to connect with kids is not. Teaching is knowing as much as you can about the lives of your students, and being there when they need you to be. Teaching is asking that kid who always hangs around after class if he is okay, because no one else does. It’s much more listening than it is speaking. Teachers have to be a mentor, a parent, a psychologist, a counselor, a friend, a guide and be all of these things WHILE teaching content. We teach kids behavior, morality, expectations, success maintenance, and how to discover who they really are. We are responsible for fostering those discoveries, and nurturing them so that when our students go out in the world at the end of 4 years, they are not only educated, but also good people with a desire for life long learning. It is a shame that THIS isn’t evaluated, because I will tell you, that the most successful teachers I’ve ever met are the ones who do this. The students they teach feel a sense of duty to that teacher because they know that if they fail, they are letting them down, as well as themselves. This is the essence of teaching, NOT the ability to get a student to fill in the right bubble on a scantron.

When I return to work tomorrow, my amazing student teacher and I will continue to have discussions about this, as well as all of the things she’s already picked up about our students. I don’t worry about her at all - she’s gonna be just fine. I only hope that the rest of them out there, will get this same lesson