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Confessions from the Couch

My adventures as a young urban teacher

March 2008 - Posts

Picture Meme
I’ve been seeing other people do this meme & I thought it was fun, so I thought I would give it a shot. Here’s how it works: 1. Go to Photobucket 2. Type in your answer to the question in the “search” box 3. Use a picture from the first page Read More...
Living my life . . .
Well, there has been a lot that has happened this week . . . so this post is just an update of sorts After posting about patriotism and reading all of the responses, I went immediately to an AP to address the situation. I was told that student MUST stand Read More...
School Policy & Patriotism
Dilemma: Depending on the day, during the pledge, I have a student who refuses to stand. I have told my students that I don’t care if they say the pledge, but they must stand out of respect for the flag. When he refuses to stand, I make him stand Read More...
FW Journal #4
I thought this was a response worth sharing. I validates why I do the assignment. Miss A, thank you so much for letting us have another freedom writing journal, the first was very helpful to me because I needed to express myself in writing instead of Read More...
Dreams: ANTM
Last night, I dreamed that I was a contestant on America’s Next Top Model. Yes, it was a very strange dream. And after sharing the dream with Miss CF, I realized that I am not America’s Next Top Model potential for several reasons: I need Read More...
What I know . . . What I think . . . .
Taking a cue from Irrational, I decided to think about my future. I feel like my future is a lot like hers. . . we are thinking along the same lines. What I know . . . . I know that I have been called to the field of education. I love working with students. Read More...
Foldables . . .
I had my students complete foldables on the the Middle Ages. I told them that they could use whatever information they put in this particular foldable on the test. I did inform them that the foldable itself would be a seperate test grade. Here is a slide Read More...
FW #3
So, I am still doing the “Freedom Writers Journal.” Even after my last run in. However, I have disclaimer on the powerpoint, that says “anything revealed that is a danger to yourself or others must be reported.” Most of the kids Read More...
Inspiration Days
One day when I was really down about my students and teaching, David popped up and gave me some ideas. He suggested that I try to give my students motivation or inspiration. At first, I thought, “That’s not my job, that’s their mama’s Read More...
Death of a Cheer Coach: The Email Version
I was saving this email for another day. But today after reading Kary’s latest post, I needed to get this out IMMEDIATELY. I really want people to understand what they are getting into. Parents are not as involved as they used to be. . .back in Read More...
Meme: Passion Quilt
I have beenasked by several people (Frumteacher, Stacy, Dr. Pezz) to complete this meme. When it first came my direction, I didn’t know what to do with it. I was absolutely stumped. And, then I got busy . . . so, it is now that I finally complete Read More...
Where have I been?
I have been busier than a dog with flees!!! I’ve been trying to catch up on paperwork. I feel like I’m drowing in it. Failure reports, lesson plans, parental contacts, conferences. . . it never ends. But, I have learned to organize myself Read More...
Protected: FW Journal #2
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post. Read More...
Crippling my students?
Tonight, I had sushi at a local resturant. While dining at the bar, the server stopped to chat with me about the book I was reading. I told her, “I guess I do a lot of reading b/c I’m a history teacher.” This excited her. She was only Read More...
Freedom Writers Journal
After chatting with a colleague online and reading some of your comments about teaching strategies etc, I realized that maybe I’ve been to restrictive with my students. Maybe I haven’t been providing them with the inspiration and motivation Read More...