A student is accused of spiking a teacher's drink with eye drops to get even with the teacher for suspending one of his friends. The threats had been in the wind days before the incident. When I first read this, I thought there had to be something I was missing.
VIDALIA, La. - A 16-year-old student is accused of poisoning his teacher, who went to the hospital with "severe intestinal distress" after the teen spiked a soft drink with eye drops, authorities said.
The teenager, whose name was not released because of his age, faces a charge of simple battery by mingling substances, the sheriff's office said Wednesday. The student was released to his guardians and has a juvenile court hearing scheduled this month.
The main ingredient of the drops — tetrahydrozoline — can be highly toxic if ingested and can cause such symptoms as nausea, coma and depression of the central nervous system, depending on the dose, according to the National Poison Control Center.
Most of us warn teens when they are going to a party to keep an eye on their drinks. Shouldn't we all take this to heart? I don't care where I am, I am not going to leave an uncovered drink unguarded and return for another sip. Even if it's not tampered with by a human, a fly or other unwilling occupant might be inhabiting your beverage without your knowledge. In a classroom, a bottled water with a lid works best. It can stay out of sight behind the desk.
The student accused of poisoning the teacher's drink with eye drops denies that he is responsible. It might be a tough case to prove. At any rate, it is just sad that teachers can't do their jobs and enforce the rules without worrying about repercussions.
One more lesson for this story is to keep eye drops and other similar products locked away from small children. I never would have thought that eye drops could be so harmful if swallowed.
Okay, I think I want to go back and give teaching science another try. I'm afraid I might be overdoing it with all of the websites lately, but if you have a minute, check out stellarium.org and take a look at a free open source planetarium for your computer. It's pretty cool.
I learn more from reading other blogs than I do from listening to the news. Jeff's post (The Thinking Stick) led me to the World Wide Telescope project launched by Microsolft this week. Oh, my! This looks better than a Mars bar for those who love science.
Want to see the same images that scientists at NASA use for their research or perform your own research with those images? Or do you want to see the Earth from the same perspective that astronauts see as they descend to Earth? How about taking a 5 minute break and viewing a panorama of a different city? Install WWT and start your explorations.
Just download the telescope and get ready to explore. No space suit required.
As college graduates grapple for interviews for the jobs of their dreams, they might want to look in the mirror and practice their interviewing skills. A list of top ten mistakes made on interviews might surprise even the most seasoned of interviewers. The worst interview mistakes from this year's survey conducted by careerbuilder.com are worth discussing with students ready to hit the streets (internet?) looking for work.
• Candidate answered cell phone and asked the interviewer to leave her own office because it was a "private" conversation.
• Applicant told the interviewer he wouldn't be able to stay with the job long because he thought he might get an inheritance if his uncle died - and his uncle wasn't "looking too good."
• The job seeker asked the interviewer for a ride home after the interview.
• The applicant smelled his armpits on the way to the interview room.
• Candidate said she could not provide a writing sample because all of her writing had been for the CIA and it was "classified."
• Candidate told the interviewer he was fired for beating up his last boss.
• When the applicant was offered food before the interview, he declined saying he didn't want to line his stomach with grease before going out drinking.
• An applicant said she was a "people person" not a "numbers person" -- in her interview for an accounting position.
• During a phone interview the candidate flushed the toilet while talking to hiring manager.
• The applicant took out a hair brush and brushed her hair.
On a more positive note, my son conducts interviews and informed me that his company hires candidates who possess impressive writing and speaking skills.
Writing a powerful email? Priceless. Sniffing your armpits? Ridiculous. They are what they are, dude.
I recently posted a list of the five most popular books per grade level. If you are looking for a new twist to add zest to existing novel units, try literature cyber guides. I found this site when I was reading Pat's blog and gave it a "look see" as my mother would say. The site is definitely worth keeping on your radar and reviewing during the planning stages of a literature based project.
Yahoo!Kids offers a variety of educational activities and also provides links to help students with homework assignments. Kids can look up words, ask questions, conduct an encyclopedia search, view news slide shows, etc. The list is enlist. I can't wait to share this website with my grandsons.
I found math baseball at Funbrain.com along with a plethora of other interactive games. Since my first grade grandson takes a weekly math test over addition and subtraction facts, this will be a way for him to practice his facts that won't be as painful as flash cards. Students of all ages will love the Mad Libs reading section of the site and learn new words at the same time.
My sixth graders enjoyed working in groups as they came up with words for Wacky Web Tales. This activity is similar to Mad Libs and provides practice using Parts of Speech. It's pretty obvious if a mistake is made, so they carefully checked out the words before using them.
Another hit with my students was FakeOut! Again, they worked in groups to guess the definitions of words. Not only did my students look forward to guessing the definitions of words, but they also submitted fake definitions for future words. We looked forward to clicking on the website to see if one of our definitions had been chosen.
The wacky world of baseball is upon us again, and this season finds us as busy as ever watching our younger grandson play tee ball for the first time and our older grandson demonstrate the skills he has been learning for the last few years.
Oh, my! Things get competitive in a hurry. At the age of four, it's not uncommon to see a coach pick up a batter and carry him to first base. Parents are on the field to make sure the players are sort of doing what they are supposed to do. Everyone is smiling, laughing, and applauding for everything. It is just all so cute.
Seven year olds are quite serious when it comes to baseball. Parents are still supportive but are on pins and needles hoping that their kids hit and catch the ball. Kids this age are already putting a lot of pressure on themselves and are frustrated when they don't do well. At the age of seven, the tee is gone, and the rules are enforced. The coach is still allowed to pitch the ball, but other than that, it's a very competitive game.
I love the games and attend as many as I can. It amazes me how much things change from year to year and the increased expectations that come with each season. I am reminded of the time that my mother insisted that I try out for the tennis team when I was in high school. I walked into the tryouts with a new racket convinced that I would be chosen. The only big negative was that I had never played tennis before. Needless to say, I didn't make the team. It's all about the competition, and other students had a lot more experience than I did.
My older grandson and his friend love watching their younger brothers play. It's hard for them to remember that they were once inexperienced baseball players. They think it's funny that the players don't always know what to do. Experience does make a difference. For me, I'd have to be the one hitting off of a tee.
A Seattle teacher who opposed the state mandated test refused to administer the test to his students even though he knew his actions might cost him his job.
A Seattle teacher is spending two weeks on leave without pay for refusing to give the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) to his sixth-graders this month at Eckstein Middle School.
Carl Chew, 60, who teaches science, wanted to take a stand against a test he considers harmful to students, teachers, schools and families.
Before the WASL started at Eckstein last week, Chew said he told Eckstein administrators that he would not give the exam. He said they tried to talk him out of it.
He said he spent the first few days of WASL testing working at the district's Science Materials Center, preparing student science kits, as district officials decided what to do.
He then was suspended without pay from Monday through May 2, the day WASL testing ends.
Mr. Chew has been teaching for eight years and has been an artist for decades. He feels strongly that the WASL needs to be replaced with a "gentler, kinder way of finding out what our students know and helping teachers educate them better." He has let his district know that he never plans to administer the WASL again and hopes to come up with a "win-win situation" for next year.
I always needed my job and paycheck too much to openly oppose district and state policies and requirements. That old advice, "Don't quit your day job" somehow caused me to stop and reflect before going into rebel mode. Mr. Chew's brave stance makes me think he is a pretty good artist.
I'm not sure how long Hillary is going to hang in there, but I do think that she is one determined woman. If you would like to check out what the three candidates are saying about NCLB, teacher pay, and higher education affordability, click here. After reading their views, you might be as confused as I am.
Clinton
Obama
McCain
I have to add my own comment that they must all agree on brushing and flossing, because their teeth look shiny white. I also found a pretty funny joke on Giglish:) from Jay Leno that I just have to share.
Nevada governor Jim Gibbons has filed for divorce, and is now trying to evict his wife from the governor's mansion. Gibbons told the press, "You know what it's like when a woman just won't get the hint and leave."
To which Barack Obama said, "Tell me about it."
Most teachers I know have closets and shelves full of sweet gifts from students. Coffee mugs, earrings, ABC pins, perfume, more coffee mugs, etc. Personally, I loved the handwritten notes. They were easy to save, and I still enjoy reading them years later. Once, I received a bottle of perfume that was half empty and stamped "tester". Another unique present was a handmade, giant candy kiss covered with tinfoil. It was made of clay and had an opening for little candy kisses. The girl that gave me this knew that I loved chocolate.
One year the parents had each of my students write me a letter and made a scrapbook with the letters and pictures they had taken throughout the year. The scrapbook was a complete surprise and such a thoughtful gift.
If you are looking for some meaningful ideas for special teacher gifts, Joanne Meier over at Reading Rockets has a post you should read.
Two of Joanne's suggestions would have made my day when I was teaching, so I am sharing them here.
Donate a copy of your favorite read aloud to the class. Teachers are always looking for tried and true read alouds. If a book worked for you, it might work for the class too!
Gather a few kids from the class. Have them look through old magazines and newspapers for words and pictures that remind them of their teacher. Cut and paste to make a gorgeous collage.
Since teachers always need more books for their shelves, parents donating books for that age level could make it into a class project. Perhaps parents and their children could also write short book reviews for their donated books inside the books to be read by other students throughout the years. Imagine the excitement if students saw a familiar name (brother, sister, friend) with a review in a book they had chosen to read.
After posting a list of the five most read books per grade level, my sister called with one of those "get over there quick" messages about a warehouse book sale put on my Scholastic Inc. I immediately changed my afternoon plans and was pleasantly surprised by the large selection of books on sale. Most of the books were 50% off, but I also picked up some for $1.00. Go here to find out when a Scholastic warehouse sale might be in your area. You can also print a $10.00 coupon.
This morning my sister asked, "Did you buy the book Take me out of the bathtub?" She went on to tell me about the book and how silly lyrics are sung to the tunes of old, familiar songs. Yes, great retired teacher minds do think alike. I had also bought the book, and I love it.
Imagine singing "Go Go Go to Bed" to the tune of "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" or "Stinky, Stinky Diaper Change" instead of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". The "silly dilly" lyrics are hysterical, and the illustrations by David Catrow are delightful and guaranteed to make you laugh. "Ripped My Favorite T-Shirt" follows the melody of I'm a Little Teapot". Of course, I have to memorize the lyrics to this one since it is one of my favorite children's songs.
Take me out of the bathtub by Alan Katz is perfect for all ages. I can just see sixth graders writing more lyrics and creating their own illustrations. As for me, I can't wait to sing some of the songs with my grandsons.
I also found the book for cheap online at abebooks.com if you can't wait for a warehouse sale. There are fourteen songs in all, so it's a great buy.
Children have welcomed the Harry Potter books in recent years like free ice cream in the cafeteria, but the nation's largest survey ever of youthful reading shows that the works of Dr. Seuss, E.B. White, Judy Blume, S.E. Hinton and Harper Lee are still the most read.
Renaissance Learning's Accelerated Reader software was the source of the survey of more than 3 million children.
It quizzes students to see whether they understand specific books, awarding points based on the average sentence length, average word length, word difficulty level and total words.
The five most popular books from each grade level are listed below. You can also download a complete copy of the report by going to the Renaissance Learning website. It's worth a look and has a printable version for a more comprehensive list of books.
First grade
1. "Green Eggs and Ham," Dr. Seuss
2. "The Foot Book," Dr. Seuss
3. "Are You My Mother?" P.D. Eastman
4. "Hop on Pop," Dr. Seuss
5. "Biscuit," Alyssa Capucilli
Second grade
1. "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," Laura Numeroff
2. "Green Eggs and Ham"
3. "The Very Hungry Caterpillar," Eric Carle
4. "If You Give a Moose a Muffin," Numeroff
5. "If You Give a Pig a Pancake," Numeroff
Third grade
1. "Charlotte's Web," E.B. White
2. "Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs," Judi Barrett
3. "Officer Buckle and Gloria," Peggy Rathmann
4. "The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs," Jon Scieszka
5. "Dogzilla," Dav Pilkey
Fourth grade
1. "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing," Judy Blume
2. "Sarah, Plain and Tall," Patricia MacLachlan
3. "Because of Winn-Dixie," Kate DiCamillo
4. "Charlotte's Web"
5. "Stone Fox," John Gardiner
Fifth grade
1. "Bridge to Terabithia," Katherine Paterson
2. "Hatchet," Gary Paulsen
3. "Holes," Louis Sachar
4. "The Sign of the Beaver," Elizabeth Speare
5. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," J.K. Rowling
Sixth grade
1. "Hatchet"
2. "Bridge to Terabithia"
3. "Holes"
4. "Number the Stars," Lois Lowry
5. "The Bad Beginning," Lemony Snicket
Seventh grade
1. "The Outsiders," S.E. Hinton
2. "Holes"
3. "The Giver," Lowry
4. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
5. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," Rowling
Eighth grade
1. "The Outsiders"
2. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"
3. "The Giver"
4. "Holes"
5. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," Rowling
Ninth-12th grade
1. "To Kill a Mockingbird," Harper Lee
2. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"
3. "Of Mice and Men," John Steinbeck
4. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"
5. "A Child Called 'It,' " Dave Pelzer
Three of the top five novels for sixth grade were required reading when I taught sixth grade. I do love the classics, but I'm glad to see that a few new books made the list. Plus, let's not overlook the fact that some books are on the "most read" list because they are part of the curriculum.
After reading JTSpencer's post about chocolate helping teachers through stressful times, and Joel's post about writing a post with a list for his Blog Revolution, I decided to share my recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce. This recipe was given to me by a good friend when I was a busy teacher with three young children, and it remains a hit with my family. The warm chocolate is perfect over vanilla ice cream and is guaranteed to add comfort to any day. Plus, Joel, it comes with a list of ingredients.:) Just try out this recipe one time, and you'll be glad you did.
Hot Fudge Sauce
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 pkg. (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 stick butter or margarine
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Combine milk and margarine in top of double boiler. Heat slowly until margarine is melted, and mixture is quite warm. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate chips until melted, add vanilla. Serve over ice cream.
Of course, a little exercise might be beneficial after enjoying this tasty treat!
A lot of my friends have been talking about the 80 year old teacher from Irving who is still teaching. When her picture and story appeared in the paper, one friend shared that she initially thought the woman was a volunteer. Mrs. Martin, a teacher at Austin Middle School, is pictured using a walker as she makes sure her students are on task while working on their laptops.
This dedicated middle school teacher loves the students and her job and has no plans to quit. It seems that she is able to state the rules and class expectations, and the students do what they are told. Since I never found classroom management to be quite that simple, I am in awe of this kind of control.
IRVING – At age 80, Nancy Martin needs a walker or a motorized scooter to get around Austin Middle School, but that doesn't stop her from teaching.
With doses of discipline and lessons on good manners, Mrs. Martin teaches far more than career development at the south Irving school.
"Many of the children see her as a grandmother, and they really do love her," co-worker Judy Hughes said. "It's a mutual respect. They are expected to be ladies and gentlemen."
Each morning, she teaches career connections, an elective course where students learn about various jobs.
Mrs. Martin, who has arthritis, walked around slowly to check on them as they worked on their laptops. She's arranged their desks in a circle so she can make sure they're not on MySpace or YouTube.
"If I could teach them anything, it would be to listen and follow instructions – then they can be 'A' students," Mrs. Martin said. "That's my philosophy."
I like Mrs. Martin's advice about listening. It makes me wonder why people seem to prefer to talk instead of listen. After all, if people already know what they plan to say, wouldn't it be more entertaining to listen?
Mrs. Martin keeping an eye on her students.
When I was in college, I always found something to occupy my time if the lesson didn't interest me. I seldom caused trouble and was only reprimanded once when a professor noticed that I was reading a magazine in class. For the most part, I occupied myself by doodling on my notes.
When students are hooked up to technology, they are often in their own worlds. With gadgets getting so small, teachers may not even notice that their students are surfing the net. The University of Chicago Law School recently banned internet access during class in hopes that the students will listen more and surf less.
The school announced April 11 that the distractions afforded by wireless internet access no longer will be available during class time, although laptops still will be permitted for note taking.
The move comes as educators at schools and universities nationwide have struggled with how to keep students on task at a time when most have personal technology devices they bring to class. Although many professors have taken steps to block internet access during their instruction, the University of Chicago Law School is believed to be among the first to implement a school-wide ban.
Students will always be tempted to engage in off task behaviors during class. I'm glad that I didn't have a distraction as powerful as the internet during my college days. Just think of all of those online magazines!
My grandsons are still young enough to think of their teachers as people who are a notch above everyone else. If they see their teachers outside of school, it is a really big deal. Sometimes I joke with them about inviting their teachers and principals to family events and birthday parties. They can't even imagine such a thing. Of course, I include celebrities on my list too. My first grade grandson will give me all sorts of reasons why these special people couldn't possibly come.
I came across a collection of books about teachers on ReadingRockets.org for young children that focus on life inside the classroom. Teachers are like superheroes and celebrities to a lot of children, especially those in the primary grades. The books on this list look like enjoyable read alouds or night time reading by the students themselves.
Since I am always searching the shelves at Barnes and Noble for books, I will add some of these to my list. One of the books seems familiar to me since I found several objects in the bottom of my coffee cup over the years. Luckily, a bug was not one of them. The Bug in Teacher's Coffee is described below if you are interested. It does make me wonder if any of my former students are out there writing books about me.:)
The Bug in Teacher's Coffee
By: Kalli Dakos
Illustrated by: Mike Reed
Age Level: 6-9
Reading Level: Independent Reader
Teachers and children alike will see everyday school activities and objects in a different way through each short, easy-to-read poem. From the front door to the most everyday object (a pencil), each poem has its own slightly offbeat take on things, echoed in equally wacky illustrations.