disturbing...

last week on thursday at my practicum school, the students were given the opportunity to buy snow cones for a dollar and popcorn for fifty cents. noticing in my class, that the 6 students with iep's didn't get neither a snow cone or a popcorn i became disturbed. i don't care if it had been a student without an iep, my point is that i believe in that if one student gets it then all of them should get it!! this was not any type of reward, it was just some type of thing to get money. being the person that i am and what i believe in, i got to my car searching for change and buy what i can. i ended up splitting the snow cones and popcorn between the six and they were so excited. also what was also disturbing was that the teachers got their snow cones and popcorn for free!! how can any adult enjoy something while a child is not able to enjoy it! i guess it's just how i was raised!! i know my mother always put us first or in any case any child first before herself and that's exactly how i feel. i didn't even have the desire to eat my snow cone or popcorn because i wanted to make sure that every child got to have some, so i gave mine away. one of the teachers selling these items asked me what was going on and i expressed to her how i felt and she went completely blank and another whispered to me that she agreed with me!! i don't know, maybe it's just me, but i was very disturbed by this situation!!

SOS

I try to be optimistic, not cynical. But this semester has made me pretty cynical. When I gave this some deeper thought I realized I am unhappy with this. I could not be more privilieged to have an education, a great family, good friends, and a boyfriend I love. But this as a career? I don't know anymore. It's hard when your so sure starting out. You have a purpose, you love it, and you don't mind the work because it's work you enjoy. But given deeper thought you realize your miserable.

Now, I feel so burdened. I agree with Steve. I am tired to hearing one thing and then in another class hearing the oppoisite. I have to keep the professor's wants separate and I have to make them happy. Then they tell us not to assign busy work, and yet that's all we get. I can think of one class where I feel like the work is practical. That means 1/7 of my work week is worth my time and money. The rest is overboard. And the teachers meetings - and Steve and Robin know what I'm talking about. Am I going to be happy here? And if the answer is No, then what? I feel stuck. The time and money invested, I feel like I have to keep going with this. Maybe the happiness will return and the cynicism will subside but I'm not so sure anymore.

A really good Idea

I just wanted to share with everyone a really good idea and activity set up that my cooperating teacher has made for her classroom.

She is doing a review of information to prepare students for the upcoming test. She has set up a TIC TAC TOE format of information for students to choose from for instance...

There are 9 squares in the grid of tic tac toe. In each square there are assignments such as complete a power point that describes the impact that physical features had on Egypt. In a different square is create a post card that illustrates BLAH BLAH on one side and you write to a friend explaining BLAH BLAH on the other. Stuff like that.

Students must Choose 3 squares to complete, but they must make a tic tac toe. She has it set up so students can do easier stuff, but also are forced to choose a more difficult task as well. The students are loving it! Each student that needs one gets a lap top for their project. They have done such a great job with it and I think they find it interesting and fun because they got to choose what they wanted to do for work.

Is It Over Yet?

I don't know about everyine else but I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed right now. We're down to our final 10 or so school days and there's too much to do and not enough time to do it all in. I know I'm famous for procrastinating but quite frankly I'm burnt out on all of these pointless assignments professors are handing out. I have acquired a lot of useful knowledge throughout the course of the semester but I'm tired of teachers preaching one thing and then contradicting everything they tell us. We've been taught over this semester to giving meaningful assessments that serve a purpose. Maybe it's because I'm young and naive but we're taught not to give pointless assignments to our students when we have a real teaching position yet those who are teacing us this semester do that very thing at times...it's becoming quite frustrating and even worse, confusing. alst semester I had 2 of the worst teachers/professors I've ever had. Luckly, I haven't had that issue this semester. I hope over the break all of our professors meet and collaborate with each other about what they are truely trying to teach us. One teacher says do this and don't do that and then another teacher will tell you the direct opposite. It's been frustrating for all students when professors contradict each others teaching. I'm glad this semester is almost over with and I hope everyone has a strong finish.

Rounding Third and Headed for Home

It was sad to hear that Joe Nuxhall had died. I still remember going to Riverfront with my Dad. I'd carry my little league baseball mitt, hoping to catch a fly. But Nuxhall's famous saying shares a little bit with my education right now. There are only a little over two weeks left until the end of the semester.

Although I'm happy that I'll soon be student teaching, it isn't without a little bit of anxiety that I head into the final weeks of this semester. I have so many things due, I have to teach one lesson, and I have yet to start on my Pro II portfolio. Add to that mix the housekeeping issues of getting a physical, filing for graduation, and trying to line up my student teaching abroad thingie, and I can feel my blood pressure rise.

The lesson I'm to teach, is on Thursday, but I haven't a clue as to what it's going to be over. I'm hoping to use one of my midterm unit plan lessons, but...

There's also a little trepidation as to my student teaching placement. I'll be in a school with great test scores, so I know I'll need to kick it up a notch. Right now, however, I'm feeling a little burnt. Much of this semester has been running on adrenaline and fueled by caffeine. I just hope I can muster what it takes to finish well--because it's not merely my GPA but my students' education that's at stake since I am to do some of the teaching.

Worthless

I have to agree with Steve when it comes to worthless school days before a holiday. Kids lack any form of concentration and the administration does things that make no sense at all. With all ready shortened classes they have a school wide fire drill- thus shortening classes that much more. Plus, kids can't go outside during class and return with any form of concentration. What a complete waste of a day. They night as well not have class.
In addition to all this at lunch I had to listen to some teachers bash some kids because of their lack of concentration. It was to the point I heard a teacher say about a kid, "Bot you think you hate me, I hate him ten times worse." I've never heard this teacher talk like this so I'll chalk that one up to a bad day. I have been hearing things like this more and more through out my practicum. I've also seen behavior that I've never seen before. It's going to be hard to show patience when it comes to heariing some of things that comes out of some of the students mouths. It's a very few number and it's always the EBD kids. I guess I'll just have to learn through experience.