Day 63

Can you believe I came home last night and forgot to make my posting for Tuesday. It was nice to get Tuesday over. Students had Tday fever and were hard to keep on focus. I am glad that I had today off. It has been a nice break.

I changed study buddies yesterday. I started out by appointing them to new seats and study buddies knowing it would get their dander up. It worked. I finally let them choose their new seats and study buddy. After a few changes, those who were at school yesterday got a seat they can live with. (They will have to for the next three weeks.).

I left last night near 6 p.m. and have most of next week all planned. I have things to do both Monday & Tuesday nights so I needed to get the first three days ready now.

My one drama was not real bad. I had a student who wanted to see the counselor because of some traumatic event. I told her she would have to wait until after lunch. I warned the counselor and asked her to come get my student if she had the time. I told the student that the counselor was busy (true) and would come get her as soon as she could. The counselor made a comment that I sure had a lot of students who were needy. I agreed. I do have a lot of high maintenance students.

Day 62

I hate Mondays before a holiday. It is getting real tough to get my students to stay on task and to focus. Math was a disaster today. Trying to get students to look at problem solving strategy is so tough for 5th graders. it is even tough for 5th grade teachers. I know that I did not get through to them. It was tough enough to get them to divide. Problem solving is worse. From day one I have had my students do story problems. From day one I have not been able to get the majority of them to think through the words and to set up the problem so it is a normal math problem.

Social Studies did not go much better. I showed them a web page about Jamestown and the settlement of Virginia. I could not get them to listen. I am almost ready to show it to them again tomorrow. I should have given them some sort of Graphic Organizer to fill out. I think why I did not was to see the web page on the PPP I needed to turn the lights off.

I left work today at 4:45 so I could go shopping.

Day 61

Yesterday was a Friday and was day 61. We are officially one-third of the way done with this school year. Where has it gone? One of my students said she could not believe that the school year has gone by so fast. I think she likes it.

I finally lost my first student yesterday. It was a teary departure for my student and a little heart tug for me. I will miss this student. She has been a lot of work, but has worked hard to learn. She was my top math student in ILS. She would have been better if her reading skills were a little stronger.

I offered to trade my new student with the sixth grade teacher for her problem student. Only kidding, the principal would never let us trade. I think we both would be happier with the trade. This student has only been in class for two weeks and he is really getting on my nerves and on the nerve of many of my students. I am not sure if this is just the "new student" syndrome or if this student is deliberately trying to mess with our heads. I have moved him from his initially assigned study buddy for a couple of days until I decide where to put him for the next month. Yesterday I showed him a place on the floor and told him to set there until I told him he could move. He stayed there for about 15 minutes and then it was time to go home.

I let my students participate in an alternative educational activity. They started arguing and so I told them that in stead of heads up-seven they could play heads-down-on-their-desk and shut up. It was a poor choice of words. I should have said mouth shut. They called me on it and said they were going to tell the principal. I offered to walk them down. No one took me up on it because they know it would end future alternative educational activities.

I left last night around 5:30. I had a good afternoon for planning and completed my Language Art lessons until winter break; and more importantly I moved the other 5th grade class to one week behind me so what I used this week, they could use next week. This will make my planning for them go smother.

Day 60

My students really had a good time giving the school counselor a surprise birthday party today. She equally had a good time and was surprised. I also held a special training for the student council and taught them how to fold the American flag. It went well.

Student drama has been down recently or I have become more tolerant and do not consider what was once drama now. It has become common place.

My student who claimed he saw a cat size rat in his room yesterday and fought it off, told everyone today that he fought the tow truck driver that came and hauled his mom's car away. Mom told me that he was upset and the car was towed, however all my student did was to trash his room, punch the wall, and kicked the door. He hurt his foot. This young man is strange.

I left work tonight at 5:30 p.m. so I could attend a Scout meeting.

Day 58 & 59

Sorry today is a tofer. Our electricity went out last night and did not come back on until after 10 p.m. I was already in bed and was too lazy to get up and make my post for yesterday.

Tuesday went well. After one day I have no real recollection about any issues. It is sad that I have such a short memory. I left last night at 6:30 p.m. I stayed longer because I needed to get some grades into the computer.

Today was about the same; not much happened.

I was asked to teach our student council how to fold the American flag and I will do it tomorrow. I have prepared a handout for the 12 members of the student council. My truck hit a deer last night so I am bumming rides again until it get fixed.

My class is planning a surprise party for our school counselor. She teaches a class on Thursday. They have prepared her a card, a banner, and are bringing treats. I am providing the cups & drinks.

I left tonight at 6 p.m. because that was when my ride picked me up.

Day 57

I am getting to like Mondays more and more each week. We worked hard, played some, and even got in some learning. I am not sure I can ask for more. I changed my student's desks around today for our SS lesson. I think some want to keep it. I will see after I complete my current SS instructions.

No real drama to report other than my student that was leaving last week is back for another week. I guess I really caused some problems when I told that dad I was going to miss his daughters when he did not know his EX was going to move. I apologized to all.

I had a SS meeting tonight after school so I left by 3:34 p.m. I was pretty much ready for tomorrow and will have to get to work a little early to finish my preparation. I thought I was going to be attending a course on Wednesday but I was told tonight that it had been cancelled. I have to let my sub know.

My students are into Lego's so I bought one to put on my shelf. It is not a real Lego even though it is a Lego brand. It is some type of transformer. My student had fun putting it together for me. It now resides on one of my selves.

Day 56

Another week has come and gone. Parent Teacher conferences was a real experience. I look forward to getting back to next week and back to a real schedule. I like consistency and normal. This week has been hard to get much going.

We had an assembly today to recognize our student readers. We celebrated their achievement in obtaining AR goals. I did not have may recognized. I will have to figure how to do better this next term. During SEPs I recommended to every student and parent that the student meet his or her AR goals this term. Time will tell.

I have one of my students have a breakdown today and I gave in. I let her choose her own poem style because I have seen how she writes and she does not need the structure that my other students do.

My student who is leaving after this week has been clingy all day. I am not a clingy type person and it kind of got on my nerves. When her dad came to pick her up I told him how much I will miss his daughter. He did not know. His EX did not tell him that she was moving. I spilled the beans and did not know it. Hopefully I have not cause problems.

We were told we could leave today after our student left as a reward for working late every day. I finally left at 4 p.m. I guess that was early for me.

Day 55

Parent Teacher conferences are finally over and I remained unscathed, sort of. One mom wanted to know why I gave her daughter a 1 in social skills and I told her her daughter's social behavior was unacceptable. I have offered to raise it to a 2, which is still unacceptable. I met with all of my parents. Not bad for a first year teacher. Parents seam to be happy and the students appear to like their class and teacher.

Today was another "normal" day with out any real drama. I met with one of my students who had written a note to another girl telling her she hated her. When I asked why she said the other girl and said that she was dating a female. I have to talk to the second girl and will try to get to the bottom of it. Hopefully, the first one understands why it is not smart to pass notes.

I left today at 5:45 p.m. Today was another half day.

Day 54

Day two of Parent Teacher Conferences and I am nearly done. All have gone well and I have had the chance to meet most of my student's parents.

Nothing of note happened in school today. We were out again early and I used the time to get ready for next week. Sorry the day was just boring.

I left tonight a 6 p.m. after completing my SEPs.

Day 53

I knew the no drama would not last. "MrJ do you hate me?" What kind of question is that? Of course I do not hate you. Why do you think I hate you? You got mad at me. I did not get mad at you, I just asked you to stop doing something annoying; and so forth and so forth.

Parent Teacher conferences went well (SEP). I met with eight parents and their student. i feel it went very well. I have eight more tomorrow and that leaves me with six for Thursday.

My new student seams to be pretty good. He reads well and is average on his multiplication tables.

I left school tonight at 7 p.m. I am looking forward to tomorrow.

Day 52

Believe it or not today was a drama free day. I did not know what to do with myself. Today our new class president & V-President took over. Not bad for a first day.

We were only in school today for a half day. The other half day was for teachers to get ready for SEP (Parent, Student, & teacher's conferences) starting tomorrow. I have contacted all of my parents except two. One does not have a phone number listed and the other did not return my call. I will try again tomorrow.

I was notified today that I will be getting a new student tomorrow. His family requested a male teacher and I am the one and only 5th grade male teacher. I had the class get things ready for our new student. Other than his name, I know nothing about him.

I left today at 6 p.m. and I am ready for my SEPs.

Day 51

Happy Bday to me; Happy Bday to me; Happy Bday to me, Happy Bday to me. I planned a surprised Bday party for me for my class. They were surprised and I had fun acting surprised. I had my daughter get a cake and come to my school. I went to the office and asked them to page two of my students and they would think it was all real. They took the bait, they came into my class surprising me and every one had fun. I even put today's date on the board as 11/07/52. They told me I had the wrong date and changed it to 2008. I told them that I was born in 1952 and they still did not catch on. It was not until after the cake showed up that someone caught.

One of our teachers have been out for over a month and will be out until after the first of the year. I am now helping her do her LA. Not a problem; her class is behind me and I am using my materials with a little modification.

I left today around 5 p.m., when my ride showed up. I could have worked for a couple of more hours if I wanted to.

Day 50

Just a quick note today because I have to get off the computer. Today was another good day. There were only a couple of small fires to put out. One of my students was called a name and she fell apart. I talked to her and let her know that she knew the name was not true and that a friend could not call her such a name. I think I was able to get her to understand this time. She is a drama queen and gets her feeling hurt easily.

The other fire was less dramatic. I confiscated a toy for the rest of the day and my students hid her head under her coat and pouted. By the time school was over she was okay. The final student had a younger student mess with her. She is smaller than most third graders and she felt threatened. I talked with the third grader and to her brother who is in my class. Hopefully all will be well.

I left tonight at 4 p.m. because I had a Scout meeting to attend.

Day 49

No real news today--just a plain old average day (if there is such of a thing as average); well there was a little drama. One of my student blew up at me sort of and we had a long talk in the hallway (my office). I finally left him to think about it. He came back after school like nothing had happen. Another of my students became frustrated, but by the time school was over she seamed okay.

We settled our president elections by flipping a coin. It was their decision and my new class presidency will take over next week.

We had a faculty meeting today and it as same-o-same-o.

I left tonight at 6 p.m. because that was when my ride showed up.

Day 48

Today is election day, not national, but class president. We had four parties and each party nominated a presidential candidate. Next the candidates gave election speeches and then today the students voted. I voted early today and asked for enough "I Voted" stickers for my class.

I had each student signed in to obtain a ballot and when they had voted, I stamped their hand. The election turned out to be a tie and we had a re-election with the top two candidates. It also turned out as a tie. I am not sure how we will solve this issue tomorrow.

As drama goes, today was not too bad. Only one candidate became ill after not being selected president; however tonight after school I helped her with her math and she seem to be doing better.

Another of my students have been off her meds for a few days and she is hyper as can be. I talked to my student's sister and hope something is done.

I did not leave tonight until 6 p.m., only because I did not have a ride sooner. I was able to get a few things done that I have been putting off.

Day 47

Another Monday has come and gone. I have not been feeling well today and did not have the energy I normally have. I hope my students did not notice. I tried to put on a good front.

The school physiologist came in today and gave a presentation on expected and unexpected behavior. He did a pretty good job. He set on the floor, jumped on a desk, crawled under a desk, picked his nose and a few other gross behaviors. He than talked to my students about the consequences of unexpected behavior.

I left tonight at 5 p.m. fully ready for tomorrow and almost ready for Wednesday.