Good Bye Pre Calc Class

As I write this post I am proctoring my college final. They are all busy working away on a test that consists of 34 short answer questions and 9 long questions out of which they choose 6. I think it is fair. I tried to take a few questions from each section and not put emphasis on any one topic. The course covered a lot of material. Although I think I kept to a pretty good pace, I didn't even come close to finishing the curriculum. The good thing is that unlike the high school, I don't have to finish. I am trusted. The chapter chair respects my teaching ability. In fact, she is waiting for me to retire from my day job so I can teach extra hours here. (As an adjunct I can only teach 9 hours a week.)

I just saw my observation report from this semester. It was glowing. It always amazes me that a teacher that does no right in the high school administrator's eyes does no wrong in the eyes of the college observer. I often wish they would both would observe the exact same lesson at the exact same time. The reports would be exact opposites.

My students are starting to leave. Even the ones that did not make it are stopping to say goodbye. I looked down and found a package with a bottle of wine and a beautiful card. The woman who left it hugged me goodbye and put it down on the sly so I could not even say thanks. I will have to look up her address so I can thank her properly. One girl who did not pass was upset because I am teaching a different course next semester and she will have to take this one over with someone else.

It is with happiness and sorrow that I say goodbye to this group. I know they are well prepared to take calculus next term, if they so choose. I will miss them. I will not miss running here two nights a week. Tomorrow, it is beer and veggie burger special at my favorite bar to celebrate a month of freedom.

Hard To Believe This Is Going On In The 21st Century

ATLANTA (Dec. 17) - A Muslim woman arrested for refusing to take off her head scarf at a courthouse security checkpoint said Wednesday that she felt her human and civil rights were violated.

A judge ordered Lisa Valentine, 40, to serve 10 days in jail for contempt of court, said police in Douglasville, a city of about 20,000 people on Atlanta's west suburban outskirts.

Valentine violated a court policy that prohibits people from wearing any headgear in court, police said after they arrested her Tuesday.

Kelley Jackson, a spokeswoman for Georgia Attorney General Thurbert Baker, said state law doesn't permit or prohibit head scarfs.

"It's at the discretion of the judge and the sheriffs and is up to the security officers in the court house to enforce their decision," she said.

Valentine, who recently moved to Georgia from New Haven, Conn., said the incident reminded her of stories she'd heard of the civil rights-era South.

"I just felt stripped of my civil, my human rights," she said Wednesday from her home. She said she was unexpectedly released after the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations urged federal authorities to investigate the incident as well as others in Georgia.
The group cited a report that the same judge removed a woman and her 14-year-old daughter from the courtroom last week because they were wearing Muslim head scarves.

Jail officials declined to say why she was freed and municipal Court Judge Keith Rollins said that "it would not be appropriate" for him to comment on the case.

Last year, a judge in Valdosta in southern Georgia barred a Muslim woman from entering a courtroom because she would not remove her head scarf. There have been similar cases in other states, including Michigan, where a Muslim woman in Detroit filed a federal lawsuit in February 2007 after a judge dismissed her small-claims court case when she refused to remove a head and face veil.

Valentine's husband, Omar Hall, said his wife was accompanying her nephew to a traffic citation hearing when officials stopped her at the metal detector and told her she would not be allowed in the courtroom with the head scarf, known as a hijab.

Hall said Valentine, an insurance underwriter, told the bailiff that she had been in courtrooms before with the scarf on and that removing it would be a religious violation. When she turned to leave and uttered an expletive, Hall said a bailiff handcuffed her and took her before the judge.

Moral Of The Story

Daisy was in my class a few years ago. She tried to cheat her way through, got caught, got embarrassed and started failing. I started mailing her test papers home. Daisy started studying and managed to pass.

Fast forward two years. Daisy is now in Math B and really trying to get that advanced regents diploma. Daisy comes into the room where I teach my AP Calculus class. Daisy says "Wow, AP calculus, I can never do that." My reply is "You can't do it now. When you were young, you were immature and did not take school seriously. You've grown up and matured. You can do anything you want. It might take you a little longer but so what? You'll get there in the end. The only limitations on you are the ones you put on yourself."

Daisy got an 83 on her last Math B test. She came to me, half proud and half ashamed, (ashamed she did not do better), to tell me her grade. I shrieked and hugged her. Here was a girl who stuck pins in a Ms. POd voodoo doll every evening hugging me!

Moral of the story: Never judge your students too harshly. Many grow up to be a lot smarter than we will ever be.

I Forgot My Golden Rule

17 is so right. I forgot my golden rule when I spoke to Mr. AP today.
NEVER TRUST AN ADMINISTRATOR!

I feel stupid.

(Although our APO has been very supportive)

Your Problem Is You Can't Hear A Pin Drop

Normally I would not post stuff like this here anymore but I already spent 20 minutes in the APO's office bitching about what I am about to write, I figured I could share it here.

Basically, Mr. AP told us yesterday that the kids in our classes should be passing. While he doesn't want them to pass for nothing, he expects us to reach the majority of them. If kids are not coming to class, we should do something about it. If kids are not doing homework, we should also do something. We should teach slow enough to reach them all.

I've been working my butt off to get my geometry kids to pass. I make flash cards for every topic. I go over the same topics again and again. I let them use notes on exams. I've given up on the proofs that they hate. They still don't get it. They still add up line segments and set them equal to 180. I don't know what to do with them anymore.

I made the error of trying to talk to Mr. AP about this problem today. After all, he is the chairperson, the master teacher, I thought he could help.

Mr. AP: Can you hear a pin drop in your classroom?

Me: No, those classes are quite difficult.

Mr. AP: Well, that is your problem. In fact, it is only you senior teachers that have this problem. If one kid is noisy, send him out and don't let him back in until his parent shows up. That will set the other kids straight.

Me: It won't work. Too many are noisy. Besides, a kid that can't divide 12 by 2 without a calculator cannot learn geometry, no matter how quiet the room is.

Mr. AP: It will. It is your fault the kids can't learn. Big deal about what you do. You are only teaching four or five kids at most.

At that point I walked out. There was no point in arguing with this madman. But, the steam was still pouring out of my ears and I decided to vent to the APO. She invited me to sit down and air my complaints. She listened sympathetically and promised to talk to him tomorrow.

Mr. AP has no answers to the problems we face so he is choosing the easy way out--BLAME THE TEACHER. The APO's conversation with him will do no good but it did help me to vent to her and knowing that she is on my side helps as well.

Mr. AP's comments mean nothing to me in the long run. There is nothing he can do to hurt me but I will not sit back and be his whipping post.

At yesterday's departmental conference he also made quite a few uncalled for comments and told us he expected us to do things that cannot possibly fit into our school day. I managed to keep my mouth shut for most of the meeting. Not one teacher opened up a mouth in protest to anything he said. If they choose to be beaten, so be it. NOT ME. NOT NOW. NOT EVER. And, if it really bothers him, I will stay on for another few years. I WILL NOT LET HIM WIN!

I Put My Boxing Gloves On Again

The union lackeys were back with not much to say this time.

I did ask them about perceived harassment of teachers.

Lackey: First, I want to know when the teacher can retire.

Me: What has that got to do with anything?

Lackey: The teacher might be better off financially not working.

Me: I know I would be better off financially if I retired, but I want to keep teaching. I'll keep teaching until I am ready to stop and not before. Money does not rule my life.

Lackey: I have more disposable income now that I am retired.

Me: You still did not answer the question.

At that point, he gave me some mumbo jumbo about our CC and district rep. I went back to marking some papers. These union guys are as bad as the city.

Departmental Conference

Economic crisis? What are you going to do about it? (Not really our topic of discussion, but it might have been.)

Try looking at ARIS.

A New Graphing Calculator

I can use any of the Texas Instruments graphing calculators expertly. I went to tons of training and then was able to pick up extra stuff on my own.

I've been looking at this Casio for an hour. Even when I figure something out, I have a hard time remembering how I did it.

I have a headache!

Winter Wonderland In NYC--Replacing Department Conference News

There is nothing like walking around the city this time of year to help an old sour puss like me. I love all the store windows and the tree in Rockefeller Center. No matter how many times I see it, I always feel the magic. The tree at Bryant Park.

Skating at Bryant Park. There is no charge to skate but the line is ridiculously long.
The angels at Rockefeller Center.

The tree at Rockefeller Center.

Sak's window. I wasn't going to go over because the crowds were so big, but I'm glad I did. These were the best windows around. They told the story of Mike, the snowflake that dared to be different. The first window began with a story from olden days consisting of pictures of hippies and dinosaurs.
Cartier's had little red jewelry boxes that kept moving and opening up to tell a different story.
Big red bow around Cartier building.
St Regis Hotel
A well kept secret--the bathrooms in Bendel's. They are right down the steps, by the main entrance. Each stall is a little room is equipped with its own sink

Bergdorf's windows were unbelievable. This mannequin looked like she was standing on ice, with a whole underwater city underneath.

The lights and colors here were fantastic.

More Bergdorf's

Pedal vehicle in the form of a train at FAO Schwartz, one of my favorite stops. I guess I am just a big kid at heart. I got there early so I didn't have to wait on a long line to get in.

Victoria Secrets

Hammacher Schlemmers

Bloomingdale's windows were great. The theme was the new album just put out by Tony Bennett. His music was being pumped onto the street making the exhibits especially exciting.

Bathroom in Citicorps Building. (I know, I am obsessed with bathrooms but finding a decent one in the city takes know how.)

Trains in Citicorps Building . Unfortunately the exhibit doesn't open until noon so I missed seeing my trains go around. Still, it was nice to see.

The rest of the pictures are here.

Get Away Parking

Parking at work is important. I know. I used to work in Manhattan and got to work two hours early to make sure I got a spot on the one block available for teacher's cars.

I'm spoiled now. Parking in the area I work in is a breeze. The area is all residential, with mostly private houses. Now, I seek the coveted "get away spot." This is the spot that gets me away from the school the quickest. It has to be close to the exit I leave from and my car has to face in the right direction so I don't waste any time making a U-turn.

When I go in for period one, I always get the perfect spot. Now that my college now class is over, that type of spot is not as easy to come by.

I'm not complaining, but I miss my perfect parking spot.

Waiting For The Storm

We had a senior assembly today during period 3. I was my normal POd self and pissed that I had to go. All senior English and history teachers were invited. Math teachers with seniors did not get personal invitations. We are the step children of the school. I was also pissed that I knew nothing about the assembly until the day before it was scheduled to occur.

I would like to apologize to all the administrators involved who I cursed under my breath. If I paid attention at the faculty conference I would have known about the assembly. (Too many of those conferences with Suit makes me turn deaf when any administrator is talking.) If I read the weekly bulletins (which is not going to happen until I get access to a computer at school) I also might have known about the assembly.

Lightning might strike me for writing this, but the assembly was great. No one made stupid jokes or comments. No one was insulted. Hula got the kids excited about being there. The kids were well behaved. They listened to everyone who spoke. All the admins, the college counselors and the senior advisers made their points and stopped talking. The meeting ended on time.

Things are far from perfect at Packemin HS. The drive-by observations still have everyone on edge. Suit left a big mess that has to be cleaned up. Just like the dog that has been abused, teachers like me will not trust a new administrator too quickly. But, for the moment things are good. I'll keep my umbrella ready for the clouds to burst but for now I am enjoying the sunny weather.

Snapshots

My sister in law was the most beautiful bride ever.

Yet, every snapshot taken of her made her look like this:

Snapshots observations do the same thing to teachers.

Sour Puss

As a "baby" teacher, I loved going to the school holiday parties. They gave us all a chance to cut loose and get to know people that we never had a chance to know before. They gave us a chance to get to like (a little alcohol goes a long way) people (even administrators) we never liked before. I even remember dancing with Suit at one of these parties.

I don't go to holiday parties, or any parties at school anymore. I still work because I love the kids but the party part of the job has been gone for years. Originally I stopped going because the parties were so important to Suit. Not going was a great way to ignore him without being insubordinate. Now, I look around and feel only sorrow for what the school has become. I've seen colleague turn against colleague to make a few brownie points with the administration. I'm sick of the whining from fellow pedagogues. They complain and complain but refuse to stand up for anything. (I know, you are probably saying I do a great deal of complaining myself, but I try to keep my complaining to this blog rather than subjecting others to it. I also stand up for what I believe is right, unlike so many others.) I've seen administrators harassing teachers over things the teachers have no control over.

I guess you can say I've become a sour puss. I try to keep to myself. I only really talk to select adults. To most, I just say hi, and keep going. I surround myself with papers so no one comes near me in the cafeteria unless I want them to. I put chairs in the hallway and tutor my students. I wander the building on my lunch and on my preps (when I am not working) and spend at least 10 minutes a day hiding out in the resource room with my kids. (I really do prefer the kids to the adults.)

I honestly hope everyone enjoys themselves at the party tonight. I am one person that will not be missed.

They're Back

Is anyone safe?

Wasting Money

Too much money is being spent on improving grades and getting kids to pass exams.

Too little money is being spent on improving education.

Data recovery programs are finding ingenious ways to give kids credit for "seat time."

We have data up the kazoo. A zillion dollars has been spent on ARIS so we can know that Billy, who is cutting our class this term, cut school last year as well, or that Julie, who couldn't read in eighth grade, still can't read, or why Judy, who has never failed, is all of a sudden failing math.

Classes sizes are still too large. Guidance counselors, attendance teachers and social workers have case loads that are enormous. Jimmy might finally pass the test but he still can't read.

The Straw That Breaks The Camel's Back

I told class to use colored pencils and I allowed them a "cheat sheet" so they could just apply the laws without memorizing them. This girl was really working. She told me the colors and the sheet helped.


I have a habit of photo copying exams and mailing them home when my students do not do well on them. I make no comments, just present the parents with the papers. Most parents get the papers but even when the kids manage to intercept them, the mailing makes a difference.

One of the girls I taught last year is not doing well this year. Her teacher is not sending the papers home and she is sliding down. I told her I was going to make up an exam, add a failing grade, put her name on it and mail it home. She was not pleased. (She also knew I would never do this.) When her mom knows she is not doing well, her mom puts on the pressure, she attends tutoring, studies and passes.

One Friday I gave a geometry test. All week I heard, "Are you going to mail them home?" I just answered "Study and we will see."

Ari is one of my most difficult students. Somehow I attract all the difficult kids. It has been a battle of wills with him since day one. He knows that I play to win and that I am determined not to lose my battle to a teenager. Mailing Ari's test home might be the one thing that works.

Ari's last test was bad, not bad enough to mail home but, I mailed it anyways. His mom went ballistic on him, yelling and grounding him for the weekend. Friday, as he looked at the test, he yelled out "Mailing this test home would be the same as if I told your husband you were cheating on him. " To which I replied "My husband would be thrilled that someone was interested in cheating with a woman as old and as ugly as I am. I have a feeling he would never believe you. On the other hand, your mom will believe the test when she sees it."

Ari did not pass that test, but his grade and his attitude improved (for the moment). Maybe I found the straw that broke this camel's back.

You've Come A Long Way Baby

We graphed a third degree polynomial equation today. We used minimum and maximum points. We used concavity and inflection points. When we finished, we compared our results to the results on the graphing calculator. The kids were amazed at how accurate our picture was. The teacher who entered the room as my class was ending was impressed.

I told the class to remember when graphing straight lines was a challenge. One boy took the picture above. They've come a long way, baby!

I Still Don't See How They Will Help

We heard all about IEPs at today's faculty conference. From what I heard, there is nothing on them that I don't know already. I know about the test modifications. My students already get extended time and different locations, if desired. If they need a reader or a writer, the resource room teacher must provide them.

I still don't know how reading them will help my students.

Not On A Teacher's Salary

There is a faculty conference on Monday. I don't know if there will be any interesting tidbits, but since I can't supply any details here, I decided to I go with another meaningless post. When I saw this coat, it was love at first sight.

It was on a rack at an outlet store--reduced to 1/3 its original price.

Alas, the picture is my only memory of this coat. The original price was over $6000 which made the sale price was just over $2000.

So I took a picture. That, was free.

Economics

A long, long time ago, when graphing calculators were first introduced to the mathematics curriculum, math teachers did not know how to use them. These calculators have long menus, hundred page manuals and and most teachers felt overwhelemed by them.

Texas Instruments was only one of the companies to introduce a graphing calculator. Theirs was not the cheapest, not the easiest to use, and it did not do the most, but it took the schools by storm. The reason for this was simple--economics. TI was the only company willing to supply the schools with the much needed technical support. They not only came to the schools to do workshops, they provided off site instruction and gave away many calculators and overheads for the schools use. The sad thing is, most teachers can still only do the very basics on those calculators.

I just found out my school will be getting Casios. I wonder who is going to teach us how to use them? Most of the teachers I know will not be able to read the manual and figure it out. The manuals are just too complicated. Will they be used to add, subtract, multiply and divide or will they really be used as they are intended to be used?

Anything But Math

Why is it that even these plain black sneakers are cause for discussion in class?

Evidently, the kids thought they were from some fancy designer and were impressed.


They should only know that they cost $5 at the flea market many, many years ago.

Too bad they don't spend the time working that they spend worrying about fashion.

More Powerful Than An Administrator

The words of my students do more for me than anything else at school.

I leave these notes under random piles of junk, so I find them whenever I have an urge to clean something up, which is usually when I am in a pissy mood.

I left school yesterday, ready to hand in my retirement papers and then I found this.

Fatima is in college now, studying to be a doctor. She is going to specialize in women's medicine because she knows she can make a difference in their lives.

Oy Vey

Today's memo. (You know where to find details.)

Up and Down and Up and Down and Up and Down...

My geometry classes are like a sine curve--some days they are up but other days they are down.

Yesterday we were at a max, flying high--I was feeling great. Today, I was at my lowest.

Today, I don't think I can even make it to June.

What is wrong with these kids? What is wrong with me?

Why are they so inconsistent?

My Hopes Are Alive Again

I decided not to teach proofs anymore. I know, I am selling out. But, I want them to pass. The proofs are just too abstract for them to grasp. I believe they will be able to pass the regents by doing the other problems and they are so weak, I have to concentrate on what I think they might be able to do.

I started parallelograms a few days ago. Just getting them to remember the basic properties is a chore. Then, they remember the properties but have no clue as to how to use them, even after we write a sentence like "OPPOSITE SIDES OF A PARALLELOGRAM ARE CONGRUENT", they still add two sides and set them equal to 180 degrees.

Today, I decided to move ahead. I picked a bunch of problems that required them to do the dirty word, "THINK." I got the shock of my life. They thought! They got excited when they found answers. They argued about different ways of approaching the problems. They got them right. I was so happy I danced around the room. They laughed at me, which is fine.

I know my dreams of their success will probably be shattered tomorrow, but at least for today, we made some progress.

The Black Hole

Is this happening to our students who are being forced to take courses they are not prepared for?

I Wish I Thought Of This

Ads on tests add up for teacher

By Greg Toppo and Janet Kornblum, USA TODAY
Tom Farber gives a lot of tests. He's a calculus teacher, after all.
So when administrators at Rancho Bernardo, his suburban San Diego high school, announced the district was cutting spending on supplies by nearly a third, Farber had a problem. At 3 cents a page, his tests would cost more than $500 a year. His copying budget: $316. But he wanted to give students enough practice for the big tests they'll face in the spring, such as the Advanced Placement exam.


LITERACY: How teacher who couldn't read hopes to help others
"Tough times call for tough actions," he says. So he started selling ads on his test papers: $10 for a quiz, $20 for a chapter test, $30 for a semester final.

San Diego magazine and The San Diego Union-Tribune featured his plan just before Thanksgiving, and Farber came home from a few days out of town to 75 e-mail requests for ads. So far, he has collected $350. His semester final is sold out.

That worries Robert Weissman, managing director of Commercial Alert, a Washington-based non-profit that fights commercialization in school and elsewhere. If test-papers-as-billboards catches on, he says, schools in the grip of tough economic times could start relying on them to help the bottom line.

"The advertisers are paying for something, and it's access to kids," he says.

About two-thirds of Farber's ads are inspirational messages underwritten by parents. Others are ads for local businesses, such as two from a structural engineering firm and one from a dentist who urges students, "Brace Yourself for a Great Semester!"

Principal Paul Robinson says reaction has been "mixed," but he notes, "It's not like, 'This test is brought to you by McDonald's or Nike.' "

To Farber, 47, it's a logical solution: "We're expected to do more with less."

The National Education Association says teachers spend about $430 out of their pockets each year for school supplies. This semester, Christine Van Ruiten, a teacher at E.C. Reems, a charter school in East Oakland, has spent $2,000. She scours Craigslist for free supplies and posts requests to DonorsChoose.org, which matches teachers with donors.

Founded in 2000 by Charles Best, then a Bronx teacher, DonorsChoose has funded about 65,000 projects totaling $26 million. Best calls it "a more dignified, substantive alternative for teachers than selling candy door-to-door — and certainly than selling ad space on final exams. That's crazy."

The Ones With The Guns

I entered my current school through a side entrance. I was on childcare leave from a school I had no intention of returning to. It was a rough school, the chairperson was awful, but that did not bother me. I had no problems with those things. The school was in Manhattan and, having two small children, the trip was impossible.

A friend told me about the opening in my current school and strongly recommended me for the position. The chairperson liked me immediately but my being hired depended on the principal.

I was nervous when I met him. He asked me what type of students I did not like. Without missing a beat I said, "The one with the guns." He laughed and wrote the note requesting my appointment to this school immediately. That letter got me released from my old school (which was not an easy thing to do) and into my present position.

My current school is a country club compared to where I came from, but it took me years to adjust. I missed my old friends and the camaraderie. I missed my crazy students. There is nothing better for teacher training than starting out at a place like the one where I started. It taught me to be strong and to fear no one. (Actually I learned to be fearless growing up in the projects in the Bronx.) It taught me that most kids have good inside of them, you just have to look really hard to find it in some. I learned how to be in charge when the door was closed. I never really learned to dislike any kids, even the gun carriers. I still remember the big smile on the face of the kid who never came back because he shot an FBI agent over a weekend, or the boy who walked across the tops of every desk before he settled down to work, but never returned to class, when the dean found him with a sawed off shotgun in the bathroom.

Now, don't get me wrong. I prefer my current situation but it is my former one that helped me become the teacher I am today.

Even An Old Dog Like Me Can Learn Something New

There are decent principals out there! I learned something new today.

(details on the other blog)

Just When You Think Standards Can't Get Any Lower

A nearby high school has instructed its English teachers to toss out the literature books and teach only from packets provided by a well known test preparation company.

Schools might now be judged by how well their students are doing on SATs so doing well on these exams is all that matters.

Education be dammed! Make your school look good. That is all that matters.

A Good Thing

A good thing that came out of Principal Hula's reading of this blog is that I had plenty of chairs in my room this morning.

I did not even need the extra chairs I found in the hallway and greedily carried down the hall to my room!

I See The Light, Do You?

A few posts ago, people criticized me for refusing to read IEPs. Some said that I cannot do a good job of helping my students without reading them.

Instead of reading those worthless pieces of paper, I sat with two of my resource room kids today while they took an exam. In less than two minutes I was able to recognize the biggest problem both were having--reading the problem and pulling out the key words. It took me about 30 seconds to point them in the right direction, hand them a highlighter to help identify the important words and then answer the question that was being asked.

Would the IEP have told me to do this? Maybe yes and maybe no. By working with the student, I saw the problem and came up with an immediate solution. Is this a better approach than burying myself in paperwork? My guess is YES!