Learn Me Good 2

Story time

2010-01-28T02:20:00Z

This week, as part of ELA class, I've been reading aloud a story each day and having the kids complete a small literary element chart. Characters, Setting, Problem, Solution, and Summary. Today, I read them MY story from last year -- The Million Dollar Test (which can be found here) . I needed another story, AND I figured it wasn't too early for them to hear a story about the importance of showing their work on tests. They really enjoyed it! In fact, my afternoon class was asking for copies of it, and asking if I could write another story! I'm thinking maybe I could charge a buck a copy and pay off my mortgage!

Crying? Good!

2010-01-19T00:52:00Z

I love to make kids cry. OK, I don't really, but I just HAD to write that first sentence. Occasionally, though, I do get a small sense of satisfaction when kids in my class cry. Because it tells me that something has finally mattered enough to them to get some kind of reaction. On Friday, several kids in both classes did not bring their conduct folders back signed. These folders go home every Thursday, and they tell the parents how their kids have behaved, if they have not done their homework, etc. It is the kids' responsibility to get their parents to sign the calendar page. When 5 kids in my morning class (and later 4 in my afternoon class) either did not have their folder at all or had brought it back with no signature, I was a bit ticked. So I took those kids down to the faculty phone in our hall, and I had them call their parents and tell them that they (the kids) had not done their jobs and that they were in trouble. During the course of this, several kids had tearful conversations with their parents, and during the course of THESE, I will admit that my internal voice shouted, "GOOD!! Now maybe this won't happen again!"

Top Ten Reasons I Love Benchmark Week

2010-01-19T00:51:00Z

10) Standing around, with nothing to do but watch kids quietly take a test, is practically another mini-Christmas. 9) Gives me a chance to see how students other than my own can do on difficult, tricked-up, culturally-biased questions. 8) My psychic ability gets a workout when I predict who will be next to ask to use the restroom. 7) I enjoy witnessing Einstein's Theory of Relativity in action, where every 5 minutes seems like 2 hours. 6) It's just about the only chance I get the time to quietly count pi out to 254,000 places. 5) As an army of one, I do less all morning than most people do before 9 AM. 4) I swell up with pride every time I hear that one of my students finished their test in 30 minutes without showing any work -- that's like doing a crossword puzzle in ink! 3) Sometimes I fall asleep and wake to find that I'm a giant blue creature on another world -- watching giant blue kids quietly working on a test. 2) With half the day devoted to testing, and shortened periods with my classes, there's not as much time for the kids to waste each day. 1) There is always the knowledge that next week will NOT be a benchmark week.

Back to school blahs

2009-11-29T20:32:00Z

Sunday has finally arrived. I know that I should be happy, grateful, THANKful to have just had a nice, long, relaxing break from school. Still, that doesn't change the fact that it is now the day before I have to go back to school (and have morning duty this week to make getting up even earlier!), and I'm wishing the break was longer. Before break, we were studying geometry, creating and identifying 2- and 3-dimensional shapes. We made a flip book for logging 3-D shapes and did a little scavenger hunt around the room for examples. ie, a whiteboard eraser is a rectangular prism, a chair leg is a cylinder, etc. I sent these flip books home with the kids over break and told them that their homework was to cut out pictures from newspapers, magazines, store fliers, whatever that showed examples of 3-D shapes in real life. They were to glue these pictures inside their flip books and then bring them back for display. It will be very interesting to see how many flip books I get back tomorrow. I have to say, I'm really not expecting much. A lot of my kids have trouble bringing back homework or signed papers from the night before, much less from 10 days before, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if I only get about half of them back, and of those half, several are half-assed. Oh well, in the meantime, if anyone is interested, I have set up a blog for my bride-to-be and me. It's got a little slide show and that's about it right now, but you might just see a softer side of Mister Teacher. I hope everyone had a great break, and good luck in getting back to the grind tomorrow!

A few gift ideas

2009-11-24T05:00:00Z

My girlfriend, er, I mean FIANCE and I are travelling to her folks' house for Thanksgiving this year. Her parents do have internet, but it runs at roughly the same speed as Rosie O'Donnell. So I won't be blogging for a while. In the meantime, though, I wanted to put forth a couple of suggestions for anyone looking for some fun gifts for loved ones or co-workers this year. Readers on your list? Why not start by giving the gift of humor in book form? Check out my own Learn Me Good , the more recent It's Not All Flowe rs and Sausages by Mrs. Mimi, or the hot-off-the-presses How to Lose Your Self of Steam by Carol at Bellringers! (I just got my copy of Self of Steam in the mail and will be reading it at the future in-law's!) Seen enough books at school? How about a T-shirt or 2? Good news -- you're in luck! Check out the wide assortment of funny and witty shirts at my Speadshirt store . Here are a few of the designs: Savings available for the thrifty shopper! Take advantage of these deals from Spreadshirt! Want mugs? Tree ornaments? Magnets? Check out my Cafepress store ! Safe shopping as always, and Happy Thanksgiving!! You might also like:

What's the Difference?

2009-10-31T17:31:00Z

Well, we gave a subtraction test this past Thursday, and MOST of my kids did pretty well. Which is a good thing, since we've been practicing subtraction pretty extensively for the past 2 weeks!! The good news is that I started the year with about 4/5 of my kids thinking that 2-8=6 (not regrouping), and now I only have 4 or 5 kids that still do that on a regular basis. In fact, one of the questions on the test was "How do you know when you are supposed to regroup on a subtraction question?" I am pleased to say that all but about 3 of the kids answered something to the effect of "When you have a tiny top and a big bottom." Of course, some of my kids who still don't regroup got that question correct, so they KNOW when they are supposed to regroup in theory, they just don't put it into practice... What disappointed me was the other short answer question. Much like on our addition test, where I was looking for the word 'SUM ,' I posed a similar question on this test: What is the math word that means "the answer to a subtraction problem?" The answer, of course, is "Difference." This is something that we have talked about repeatedly, used in word problems, and it was even up on the board on a Clue Word list. However, I only had 16 kids (out of 40) that got this question correct. Wrong answers included the following: Sum (I guess they missed it on the last test and hoped to jump on the bandwagon this time) Check your work (Good advice, but does not answer the question) How many more Take away Compare Left (These words at least are subtraction clue words, but still don't answer my question) Subtract (Too obvious, kid) And my personal favorite (*SARCASM ALERT!!*): Addition. Yeah, the answer to a SUBTRACTION problem is called "The Addition." Just when I thought we had mastered the concept of opposites...

Linking while sick

2009-10-30T17:03:00Z

I called in sick today for the first time this year. I very rarely miss school, but I was just feeling horrible yesterday, and being able to sleep in till 11 this morning certainly seemed to help that some. I'm still stuffed up and I still have a sore throat and a headache, but at least I'm not having to deal with unruly children on top of that. So, since I'm home, I figured I'd go ahead and make a new blog post, pointing over to our good friend Tom deRosa's page -- I Want to Teach Forever (FAME!). Tom has hosted the Carnival of Education this week, and it's got some great posts, including Sum Wrong Answers from here at Learn Me Good . Now if Mr. D would just add me to his blogroll! :) I've also been slowly coming into my own in the Twitter-verse, but I'm still learning gradually. I know there are lots of you out there that are using Twitter that I have not hooked up with yet, so I wanted to send an open invite to anyone reading this to follow me @learnmegood and to leave a comment on this post with your twitter name so that I can follow you. Twitter Me Good!

I'll turn the lights off...

2009-10-20T04:11:00Z

My partner and I have been working hard to meet this year's decree that we have to conference with every student's parents. While some teachers are choosing to take this at its most literal level -- ie, hello, how are you? Nice to meet you, thanks for coming by, take care, great conference -- we are sitting down for 15-30 minutes with each parent and going over grades, benchmarks, expectations, etc. Last Thursday night was the "official" parent conference night, and we met with 15 students' parents that day. The next day, we were at school till almost 6 meeting with more parents. Yes, on a Friday. Today, we were at school till almost 6 again. At least I can say that the end is in sight. We have about 5 more scheduled for tomorrow, and then we have about 6 more than we haven't been able to schedule yet. I'm glad we don't have to do this EVERY time report cards come out...

Looking up

2009-10-06T23:09:00Z

Our first 6 weeks grading period ended last Friday, and the grades are officially locked in place. We gave a cumulative math exam on Friday, and I was pretty pleased with the results overall. In my morning class, all 22 kids passed (above 70), and in the afternoon class, I still had a 30, a 45, and a few in the 60s, but the others did well -- and that one kid went from a 17 to an 80! I'm starting to think there's hope yet. This week has been rough, as we've given benchmark tests every morning. However, for the limited time we've had, the kids have done pretty well each day. Granted, we are going over 2 and 3 digit addition with regrouping, something that should be pretty easy for them. But they are all showing their work and making the effort, so that's nice to see. Tomorrow is the math benchmark. Typically, these things are atrocious, especially the first one of the year, but I have high hopes. My kids know place value. They know how to round. They know how to write a number in word form and expanded form. Most of them understand how to find a missing number in a pattern. These are the things that should be tested. The problem usually arises in the wording of the questions. Some of them are ridiculously over-worded or use vocabulary that nobody outside of Harvard would ever use. I seem to recall a question one year that asked, "What time does Tommy go to folklorien class?" What The Folk-lorien???

Adventures at the Taco Bell

2009-09-30T22:06:00Z

I thought for quite a bit before writing this post today. I certainly don't want to come across as seeming immodest or bragging, but I went through a very unique experience today (at least for me), and I really wanted to blog about it. I might possibly have saved a guy's life today. OK, there, I said it. There's the immodesty part of the post. Sorry. Today was a student holiday/staff development day. We sat in the cafeteria all day long while we had a math meeting, watched some required videos, filed papers in students' cumulative folders, etc. When it came time for our lunch break, my colleague, Mrs. Math, and I went to the nearby Taco Bell for some delicious and healthy food. We had eaten our food and were sitting around talking when I started hearing some odd sounds coming from someone behind me. Progressively louder burps, odd gurgling sounds, throat clearing, and so on. At one point, I whispered to Mrs. Math, "What the heck is going on behind me?" Instead of saying something along the lines of, "Some weirdo making disturbing sounds," she started describing the wallpaper behind the guy. Not long after, the sounds started really getting to me, so I suggested that we leave. As we stood up, the sounds from behind became markedly more choking-like, and I turned to see the guy. He was definitely choking and turning red. I don't really remember what I asked the guy -- I know I didn't say, "Are you choking?" like you're supposed to. I think I just said, "Are you ok?" But it was clear that he wasn't. I think of the Heimlich Maneuver in the same way I think of CPR and driving stick shift -- I know how to do these things IN THEORY. Actually putting them into practice is another matter, though. It was pretty obvious that this guy needed help fast, however, so my worries about breaking a rib were short-lived, and I stepped over to the guy and did my best version of the Heimlich on him. The first thrust seemed to work, as a lot of crap came out of his mouth. But when I pulled away and asked if that got it, he shook his head vigorously. So I did it a couple more times, finally getting a little more out. And that was pretty much it. The guy thanked me, he actually offered to pay me, I declined, and we left. And to think, we probably would have had a boring old time had we gone to Subway instead...

Well, at least I haven't heard THAT!

2009-09-22T00:13:00Z

As we enter the 5th week of school (and half my class is out sick -- not to mention the principal, the CRC, the nurse, and several other teachers), I realize that many and most of my posts here on my blog have been negative, complaining, or at least depressing. There's no doubt that I am having a rough year, but this blog is supposed to be about the OCCASIONAL rant, not the rant as norm. Therefore, it's time for some humor. Or at least some attempted humor. I thought I'd put together a little list of things that, despite all else, I haven't heard my kids utter this year. Yet. 1) What the heck are numbers? 2) Why is there green stuff shooting out of the toilets? 3) I think I should like to place myself in time-out, thank you very much. 4) This pencil is clearly of the finest quality! 5) What are those 2 lines? (referring to the equal sign) 6) My mom says if somebody spits on me, I should spit on them. (Oh wait, I DID hear that one this morning, from a little girl getting off the bus.) 7) Mmmmm!! Sloppy Gummy Bear Joe for lunch!! 8) Which end of the crayon colors? 9) Mister Teacher, I read your novel, Learn Me Good, this weekend, and it was awesome! 10) My parents let me have coffee and chocolate cake for breakfast!! 11) How much for your whole collection of markers? 12) Does this look infected to you? 13) Is Tequila a noun or a verb? 14) Par-kor!! 15) Let's play Golden Girls! I'll be Blanche! 16) The world is going to end in 2012 anyway, so why do we need to learn math? 17) My mortgage is killing me! 18) Something inside my desk is moving. 19) Kanye West is a jackass. 20) I got that question right. Where are the free hot dogs? 21) Edward or Jacob? 22) I lost a toe this weekend, doing long division. 23) Uh, I was told there would be no math.

Down with the Sickness?

2009-09-19T16:49:00Z

digg_url="http://learnmegood2.blogspot.com/2009/09/down-with-sickness.html"; Is it just me, or has this been the worst year for health in the classroom? I have not felt well since school started on August 24th. I've had a persistent cough, alternating runny/stuffy nose, watery eyes, and a general head fog. Yet I don't think I have a cold or flu or ebola -- I think it's just allergies from my really really awful classroom. Of course, it's not that true sickness is not going around, so I could be mistaken. 3 of my homeroom kids were out sick yesterday, along with one girl from my afternoon class. Plus one boy who has been IN class for the past two days, but making loud retching sounds before I finally convinced him to go to the bathroom if he was going to throw up. I had to stop my whole morning class yesterday and do guided practice on how to cough and sneeze into the crook of your elbow, and NOT into the general air supply, as had been the norm. Here in Dallas, there are people dying from Swine Flu, regular flu, AND West Nile Virus!! I just want to survive the school year!!

20 things NOT to do on the first day of school

2009-08-11T12:46:00Z

Summer is steadily slipping away, folks! So with that, I present to you the ANTI-Wong -- 20 things NOT to do on the first day of school. 1) Decide not to learn all of your children's names and just call them all "Kid." 2) Come to school dressed as a giant crayola crayon. Some teachers like to dress in costume, but nobody likes a corporate shill. 3) Sleep off a Nyquil-Vodka-Cherry Mountain Dew-induced hangover. 4) Update your Facebook status every 10 minutes. 5) Lecture the kids on how you could've had a V-8. 6) Pester the students for their honest review of your screenplay about intelligent rodents and the women who love them. 7) Mention The Girls Next Door. 8) Teach 8 ways to survive in prison. 9) Take the kids for a walk to the local quick-change oil lube joint. 10) Put on a viewing of The Godfather. 11) Run 10 fire drills back-to-back, followed by duck and cover. 12) Ask for their mother (or father)'s phone number for personal reasons. 13) Show off your prowess as an X-treme sport fanatic. 14) Try to have the kids solve the meaning of life. 15) Reenact the 100 Years War. 16) Model and try to sell your own personal brand of cologne or perfume. 17) Walk into the classroom at 8 o'clock, stare hard at the kids, and say, "You know what to do," and then leave the room for 4 hours. 18) Make a campfire and roast s'mores. 19) Consult a dog-eared, page-marked teacher handbook every 5 minutes. 20) Give the kids money for ANY reason.

A little help?

2009-08-04T22:05:00Z

Can anyone help me out with teacherlingo's create a post page? I haven't posted here in quite a while because I seem to have lost the ability to use rich text and hyperlinks. I used to have a whole task bar up on top with icons and everything, now all I get is a box for the subject and a box for the post. No options beyond that. Any help is greatly appreciated!

You're a superstar

2009-06-16T20:40:00Z

On the last day of school, I cringed as I saw many kids doing the usual end-of-school activity of signing their shirts. I didn't used to mind this so much when there was no dress code, and most of the kids wore cheap white T-shirts (or at least, if another color, still cheap). But now with the dress code of collared shirts, I just don't want to be the one that approves using magic marker on something that the parents might not want decorated. Some of these kids were wearing REALLY nice shirts too, with signatures all over them. A couple of kids even asked me if they could sign MY shirt! And my shirt was patterned, with multi-colored stripes! What are they thinking?? So as an alternative, when the kids came to my room, I gave them each a big sheet of colored construction paper. We folded them up multiple times, unfolded them, and then drew lines on the creases, creating a nice autograph page with many squares to sign. I even made my own for each class so that I could capture the kids' signatures and thoughts. Most of them signed their name and wrote something like, "Best teacher ever." I think that once the first kid wrote that, the others felt obligated. One of my sneaky devils -- really a sweet kid, but always doing something exasperating -- wrote, "Thank you for teaching me everything you know." Um, I DO have a few more tricks in the tank, sonny, but thanks for the sentiment. On one of the kids' pages, I wrote, "You are a math superstar!" For the rest of the day, I heard this boy going around telling his classmates, "I'm famous!" or "I'm a superstar!" One boy asked for my phone number, and then a bunch of them chimed in to ask for it. I declined, not really wanting to have to answer my phone at all hours of the night... We've been out of school for a week now. I do miss my kids, but I don't miss having to get up early every morning! Hope everyone's having a great summer so far!!