At the risk of sounding negative again, I have some complaints about the way this school year has started out. Rather than going into specifics, I'll just list The Five Things I'd Make Sure to Take Care of Before School Starts if I Were a Principal or District Administrator.
The Five Things I'd Make Sure to Take Care of Before School Starts if I Were a Principal or District Administrator
1. I'd make sure that all the textbooks, workbooks and other necessary materials are ready to go on day one. They would be in the teachers' rooms, unpacked and organized at least a week before school begins. This way, the teachers would have time to analyze and plan before the children arrive.
2. I'd make sure that there were teachers for every necessary position in the school. I'd harass central office to make sure everyone was cleared before school starts. Let's take it a step further. I'd change the contract timing to make sure that everyone was hired for the next year before the current year ends. I'd have a full staff, with each teacher knowing exactly what grade and subjects they will be teaching when school begins. It all comes back to preparation time. Going into week two with two positions still vacant due to paper shuffling downtown does not make for happy parents or a successful start of the year for students. Bonding with a substitute and then having to make the transition to a regular teacher who is in total chaos and feeling overwhelmed is not good for the children. Any teacher will tell you that the first few weeks set the tone for the year - you establish routines, boundaries and goals during those important days. Starting one group of children out at a disadvantage to their peers is clearly unfair. Sure, life's not fair, but when it comes to public education, fair and equal is the law, right?
3. I'd have Open House/Meet the Teacher Night planned before school begins. Parents want to know when these things are going to happen some time in advance so they can get off of work, get a babysitter, or whatever else their circumstances require. A note home two days before the event is not sufficient.
4. I'd have the budget finished before school starts. I realize some of this is based on enrollment, but make a conservative budget, and then add or take away from areas as needed once the final numbers are known.
5. Most importantly, I'd make sure the teachers felt comfortable, appreciated, organized and ready for the year. I wish I could do a formal survey about the morale of teachers in this district. Many people I know from several different schools in different areas of the district all have the same complaints - the disorganization and chaos found at our schools is overwhelming. This, paired with the higher expectations and accountability standards [without, of course, any additional resources to achieve these goals] makes for a very fussy bunch when my teacher friends get together.
On the positive side, I absolutely love my class. They're good and respectful, and eager to learn. They like Science, and I think I can get them to like Reading and Language Arts more. My tactic is this: they're teenagers or about to be, and so they're at the point in their lives where they want to identify themselves as individuals and explore things that interest them. It's less about doing what family/teachers want them to do, and more about figuring out who they are and what they like. So, I'm going to try and help them while sneaking in the required elements and concepts. I'm going to let them choose books to read and study, and write about things that interest them rather than give everyone in the class a generic prompt about a time when they felt brave or a research paper about earthworms - that is, of course, unless earthworms are their thing, in which case I'd be happy to help them learn more about them.
Today I had them list ten book titles, authors, or subject areas they'd like to read this year. They don't know it, but I'm going to take their lists over to Half Price Books, and buy each of them a book they're guaranteed to like. I can't wait to see their faces when they come into the room next Monday and see their books tied up with little bows. I also can't wait to see their faces when I tell them, yes, you can write about different types of engines in fast cars, and yes, if you want to write about Hilary Duff that's ok too. My journalism teachers always told us the best policy is to write what you know, so that's what they're going to do.
Eh, if I plan to have any affect tomorrow, I need to go to sleep. I've been getting more sleep this year so far, and taking the time to pick out clothes I'm more comfortable and confident in. Don't say teacher clothes, because they're not, but the stuff I got for school this year definitely isn't anything I'd want to wear anywhere but work. I figure it's fine - businesspeople don't wear their suits to baseball games, doctors don't wear scrubs to the grocery store - there's nothing wrong with having a modified uniform for one's job. Ok, yeah, I'm justifying wearing long, floral dresses in public. Forgive me.
Last thing - highlight of my day - hearing an 11-year-old boy say "I'm a Democrat. I don't like our president at all. My mom hates him too."
Low point of my day - upon telling that kid to tell his mom to make sure and vote, he told me, "My mom doesn't want to vote because she thinks it's stupid."
