Friday- Rain! Snow! What!?

10/04/13 – What is this weather!? It was pouring rain when I got up. Changed to heavy snow when i wasn’t paying attention. Now it’s a jumping-over-puddles-with-snow-on-my-glasses kind of day

Created a goal sheet to use in our smaller classes today. We are having a modified contact day. All day, but only about half the students – for goal setting. I don’t feel like I have had enough time to do the preparation to discuss grades and TCAP growth, etc. We only found this was all about goals… umm, after-school on Wednesday. I just want to get to my conference with a parent and start my buried-in-work weekend.

Organization-Stay the Course

10/03 – Thursday. Today I have all day PD on the Reader’s Workshop model. This is a method to shape time in class. We begin with a warm-up which leads to a focused mini- lesson, then work-time (I can conference or teach a small group), then a closing.  It is a model than works with Gradual Release of Responsibility… I do, we do, you do together, you do on your own… and is a great organizing/teaching tool. I’m happy because I have a student teacher who planned the day and will work with the sub – So no sub plans for me!! WooHoo!

I am truly juggling so many things this year, if I don’t stay organized I will crash.

1. Classroom/students: planning lessons, communicating with families, assessing progress towards goals.
2. Classroom/my performance: keep in mind, but it directly follows student work.
3. Team, Department, SAT, Committee work OMG, I’m feeling really full already!
4. Graduate classes: I want to put great work in, but find myself not doing A+ work.
5. NEA+: New and exciting, just making discoveries at this point- Trip next Thursday!
6. Things that aren’t education – like family, recreation, pets, cooking food

AAargh!I need to picture this part of my walk. It is the sidewalk/short cut between businesses and my school. Stay the course.. keep to-dos in mind… don’t stray!

Random Neighborhood Thoughts

10/2  My neighborhood – and the neighborhood of many students – is full of odd and interesting contrasts.

 

Here is writing on the sidewalk, written into once dry cement. Wouldn’t it be nice if you spelled this word correctly? I think they meant to write ‘penis’ in a statement of naughtiness, but maybe his/her nickname was ‘Peanuts’. Either way, this is bad spelling.

Then we have more writing on the sidewalk. This time with paint. Not really about spelling. Clearly, tagging is not what you want to see in your neighborhood. But, it better looking than pe permanent bad spelling. I know there are a few gang-kids around. Not really much noticeable, though.

Then on this same walk, I look up to a beautiful sky… And, surprise! One of the neighborhood horses is already up and out. Just such a unique and interesting place.

Clean my Desk

• 10/1 So I really need to get organized. Really. My desk just grows piles of papers. I have
• graduate class work.
• Student papers.
• graded
• to be graded
• Copies of worksheets, prompts, etc. 
• Assessment data
• TCAP
• Acuity
• pre-post tests
• SAT data.
• Read180 Data.
• Book Club stuff.
• Evaluation-PPP stuff.
• Planning/C-Cap standards, etc.

Gorgeous Monday

9/30 Today, I need to talk to classes about 1. Parent-Teacher Conferences: I have emailed all parents with information. Gosh, that took FOREVER!! Some have emailed back. Most asking how to schedule their conference. The kids need to tell parents they don’t need to schedule, just show up. 2. Modified Contact Days: Friday, only students with last names A-L come, Monday, M-Z. We’ll look at some data, one student at a time, and do goal setting. Look at grades, make-up work, visit the book fair. All I can think of now…