As an educator to hormonally imbalanced and sometimes quite idiotic adolescents, I quite often spend my time calling people's bluffs. It's amazing to me how we are all born with an invisible line that dares to be crossed. We sometimes are the ones doing the crossing and other times, we're the ones daring another to cross. I've become quite good at recognizing a bluff as a bluff, but let me reiterate, I'm old and experienced. My poor children. They seriously don't have much of a fighting chance to pull anything over me. However, they are strong little girls and stubborn like crazy so already in their lives, they've made me call their bluffs. Today was one of those days.
Thing 2 has a notorious and awful habit of thinking that cleaning up is standing in the doorway and tossing your toys into your room. Thus, the issue. I've been watching her and waiting for her to suddenly understand the importance of her toys, of which she has quite a few, mostly hand me downs from Thing 1. That moment never arrived. I asked her daycare provider if she helped clean up there. The smirk and shake of the head was clear enough indication that we had a habit forming that needed to be broken and soon. I refuse to raise slobs. Yes, I know, I may eat those words someday when they're in those "rebellious teen years" I hear so much about, but when they're small and my house is filled with their crap, they will not be slobs.
I literally gave Thing 2 a warning two days ago that her toys were going bye bye since she couldn't pick them up. "Where they go, Mama?"
"Well, probably into a garbage bag so I can take them to another little girl who will love My Little Ponies and Barbies," I replied.
"I go get the bag," she stated matter of factly and by golly, she had a garbage bag in her hand and was standing in the door. "You clean it."
At this point, my blood began to boil, but I remained calm. I also realized I was in a pickle because I wasn't ready to truly tackle the whole project of getting rid of things. However, I began to throw things in the bag and she didn't flinch. Dang. I was seriously going to have to up the ante. I left some in the bag, but put the bag in her room and reminded her that if this wasn't cleaned up, it was gone tomorrow.
Tomorrow came. She didn't care. I was grumpy and had had it with life for the moment, so I walked into the house and said, "Thing 1, help me rid your sister of her mess, please." Thing 1 was happy to oblige because there is always a little fun to be had when your sibling is screaming her head off and you get to be on the better end of the screaming. The toys were emptied within 10 mins. The screaming lasted 40. I ignored. Thing 1 went about daily business. Thing 2 eventually stopped, went and stood in her room, grabbed her one toy that had been put away and came out to the kitchen where the computer is.
"I love you too much to let you be disobedient, Thing 2. I love you so much I want you to understand how important it is to take care of our things." I gave her a quick cheek kiss and went back to work. She sniffed and licked her running boogers.
"I love you too, Mama." If only I had the ability to "get over" things as quickly as she does. Of course, we'll see what the next hour brings....
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
And these are the moments that keep me coming back
We're in grammar at school right now. Yes, I said the G word. It's one of those hills I'm willing to die on, even when research supposedly shows that teaching grammar doesn't really work. I beg to differ. I'm sure that the research done to prove such nonsense didn't take place in my classroom for the last 20 years where I've continued to break the rules and teach it anyway. They took spelling away from middle school for Pete's sake, but no matter how sneaky I have to be about it, I will teach them what a prepositional phrase, action verb, linking verb, subject, predicate words and adjectives are. I have had more than one student thank me later on when they realized that the infamous research about grammar not mattering didn't get out to high school and college English teachers.
Regardless, one of the reasons I love teaching it is because most of my students are on pretty even playing fields when it comes to grammar. Not many have had specific instruction on it other than a worksheet here or there that introduces it and ends it all on one sheet. So, I truly believe they are interested in it because it is literally a new concept. Not only that but when they start, they think there is no way they will be able to do what I ask them to do. We're half way through my unit and guess what? THEY CAN DO IT! Today was a fun day of me watching them succeed. We laughed. We argued about certain words (which is good because that means they care for one nanosecond about something) and more importantly to me, I saw the invisible light bulbs lighting up as time progressed. I was assured once again, that I am exactly where I was born to be and that I love my job so much that I will go to work when my nose is running, my head is throbbing and my body is aching (that would be my last two days anyway). At the end of my day, I wrote a quiz for tomorrow and I smiled, not out of spite that they will be surprised, but because I think the surprise they will experience will be the growth that has occurred in the last week and half.
Fast forward two minutes after running my quiz to the end of the school day. I met with some teachers and the discussion went to our governor and the sad state of affairs SD is in right now. It's hard to know how to feel right now. I know I make a difference. I work so darn hard and to me, it's not always work, but it's what I do. And guess what? I'm not alone in this feeling. Many of my colleagues do the very same thing. Give it their all practically every single day of school and beyond. And here we are, another year into the legislative session where education is being pooped upon. Literally. The governor's plan is to provide an incentive yearly to math and science teachers, stating of course, that we have a hard time getting good math and science teachers in our state. I would beg to differ. We have outstanding math and science teachers in our state (and yes, there are a few ringers too, but the majority ARE NOT) and I can speak directly for my team at my school right now. Do I believe they deserve to get the monetary incentive? Absolutely. Do I think they should be singled out to get it? Not on your life. Middle school is like a body in a sense. There is a purpose for each part. The science teacher is as important as the physical education teacher who is as important as the home ec teacher who is as important as the music teacher and the English teacher and the counselors. To say a body can function perfectly with only two parts is a lie. To say two parts of the body are better than another is also a lie. Yes, I know my analogy loses some footing when you compare the brain and the heart to the big toe, but just let me have my moment of believing it works. :o)
In addition to the monetary incentive for the math and science people, he then wants to give the top 20% merit pay. This is where I chuckle. Repeatedly throughout the nation this concept has failed. It will pit teacher against teacher (no matter how much they say it won't, with "they" being our legislatures supporting the concept). You can bet your bottom dollar that if I'm going to be getting merit pay based on my test scores and reviews, nobody else is going to get my secrets (of which I do have a few after 20 years, of which I religiously share without issue). I would even go as far as to say education, which is pretty much broken already (remember when it was fun in the classroom and you could be creative with your plans because the test was just a yearly occurrence and not the thing that your whole school was graded on---I DO) will become one big "Test Fest." I can imagine how incredibly fun that will be for my daughters to live through. "Oh, creative writing? Umm, no that isn't on our test. Let's do more prefixes." And yes, YUCK is onomatopoeia, which is maybe on the test.
Anyway, not sure where I'm at right now, besides dreaming of the days of old when the teachers were looked upon as knowledgeable, respected people who had the ability to make professional decisions and had the trust of the community. Now I know many think my job is easy and they can do it. Misconceptions about teachers and teaching makes me sad. But, I shall wake up tomorrow, eat my eggs, go to school and do my job because that's who I am.
Regardless, one of the reasons I love teaching it is because most of my students are on pretty even playing fields when it comes to grammar. Not many have had specific instruction on it other than a worksheet here or there that introduces it and ends it all on one sheet. So, I truly believe they are interested in it because it is literally a new concept. Not only that but when they start, they think there is no way they will be able to do what I ask them to do. We're half way through my unit and guess what? THEY CAN DO IT! Today was a fun day of me watching them succeed. We laughed. We argued about certain words (which is good because that means they care for one nanosecond about something) and more importantly to me, I saw the invisible light bulbs lighting up as time progressed. I was assured once again, that I am exactly where I was born to be and that I love my job so much that I will go to work when my nose is running, my head is throbbing and my body is aching (that would be my last two days anyway). At the end of my day, I wrote a quiz for tomorrow and I smiled, not out of spite that they will be surprised, but because I think the surprise they will experience will be the growth that has occurred in the last week and half.
Fast forward two minutes after running my quiz to the end of the school day. I met with some teachers and the discussion went to our governor and the sad state of affairs SD is in right now. It's hard to know how to feel right now. I know I make a difference. I work so darn hard and to me, it's not always work, but it's what I do. And guess what? I'm not alone in this feeling. Many of my colleagues do the very same thing. Give it their all practically every single day of school and beyond. And here we are, another year into the legislative session where education is being pooped upon. Literally. The governor's plan is to provide an incentive yearly to math and science teachers, stating of course, that we have a hard time getting good math and science teachers in our state. I would beg to differ. We have outstanding math and science teachers in our state (and yes, there are a few ringers too, but the majority ARE NOT) and I can speak directly for my team at my school right now. Do I believe they deserve to get the monetary incentive? Absolutely. Do I think they should be singled out to get it? Not on your life. Middle school is like a body in a sense. There is a purpose for each part. The science teacher is as important as the physical education teacher who is as important as the home ec teacher who is as important as the music teacher and the English teacher and the counselors. To say a body can function perfectly with only two parts is a lie. To say two parts of the body are better than another is also a lie. Yes, I know my analogy loses some footing when you compare the brain and the heart to the big toe, but just let me have my moment of believing it works. :o)
In addition to the monetary incentive for the math and science people, he then wants to give the top 20% merit pay. This is where I chuckle. Repeatedly throughout the nation this concept has failed. It will pit teacher against teacher (no matter how much they say it won't, with "they" being our legislatures supporting the concept). You can bet your bottom dollar that if I'm going to be getting merit pay based on my test scores and reviews, nobody else is going to get my secrets (of which I do have a few after 20 years, of which I religiously share without issue). I would even go as far as to say education, which is pretty much broken already (remember when it was fun in the classroom and you could be creative with your plans because the test was just a yearly occurrence and not the thing that your whole school was graded on---I DO) will become one big "Test Fest." I can imagine how incredibly fun that will be for my daughters to live through. "Oh, creative writing? Umm, no that isn't on our test. Let's do more prefixes." And yes, YUCK is onomatopoeia, which is maybe on the test.
Anyway, not sure where I'm at right now, besides dreaming of the days of old when the teachers were looked upon as knowledgeable, respected people who had the ability to make professional decisions and had the trust of the community. Now I know many think my job is easy and they can do it. Misconceptions about teachers and teaching makes me sad. But, I shall wake up tomorrow, eat my eggs, go to school and do my job because that's who I am.
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