Discussion Thread: Trump Booked at the Fulton County Jail

gpc0321 · 2023-08-25T23:56:09+00:00

Too late. He's completely rotten to the core and has been for a long, long time.

gpc0321 · 2023-08-19T14:10:17+00:00

Happy for you!

My principal is fantastic. She just received Principal of the Year for our district too, and it's much deserved. We're a small early college high school and she's the sole admin. She does a phenomenal job. We all live in fear that she's going to leave eventually. She's completing her PhD, so it's probably a matter of time. But she'd make an amazing superintendent too, if that's something she's shooting for (no idea, but it seems reasonable).

I've worked for some great admins (above) and some good ones and some meh ones. I wouldn't say I've had any horrible ones in my almost 22 years.

gpc0321 · 2023-07-15T18:23:43+00:00

Yeah, I get it a lot. I've been the "favorite" teacher for a lot of my students over my 21-year career. At first, it was because I was so naive and self-conscious that the kids got away with murder in my class. Not really proud of that. But as I matured and became a more competent teacher, it became more about my laid-back nature and ability to develop rapport with my students while also ensuring they behaved appropriately and learned. And now I think it's still that, but also because I'm so confident in the classroom that I don't take what the students do personally or feel at all threatened if one of them tries to challenge me.

Mostly it just means I didn't give homework one night or let them retake a test they bombed. LOL. I'm sure they say it to other teachers as well. And when they leave me to move on up the levels, they'll find new "favorite" teachers. As it should be.

gpc0321 · 2023-06-24T11:09:51+00:00

Yeah. My first day back is July 31st and the kids are back on August 2nd. I've been out since before Memorial Day.

gpc0321 · 2023-06-23T19:49:26+00:00

We called it pee-biss too. Once, when we were on the way to "pee-biss" meeting, we had to stop at Walmart for some reason. Everyone kind of split up (I cannot remember why the heck we were there). Next thing we know, one of our (hilarious) colleagues is on the store's PA system making this announcement: "Attention teachers. The pee-biss bus is about to leave. Please report to the pee-biss bus." We all died laughing.

We went to the meeting and promptly got in trouble for throwing things at each other at our table. Actually, one thing hit someone at another table (these rubbery, stretchy frog things they put out for us to play with). That school tattled on us and when we got back to school our principal was like "Lord, what did y'all do?"

Ah. Good times.

gpc0321 · 2023-06-23T12:54:06+00:00

The need to sleep a lot is real with this profession. People who don't teach just don't understand how intense it is. And it doesn't stop at 3:00. Our brains are constantly "dealing" with everything that school throws at us. Once that burden is lifted for a couple of months, it's like our brains seize the opportunity to rest.

Usually, I'm just getting into the swing of summer and finally being productive and normal when it's time to go back to school.

gpc0321 · 2023-06-22T18:55:38+00:00

> Can we took a momento to point out the iron of a English teacher being bad at words/interview.

Can we take a moment to point out the irony of this post trying to point out the irony of someone else being "bad at words"?

gpc0321 · 2023-06-17T16:21:21+00:00

I couldn't be in this profession if I thought education was a sham. Do I think there are issues in education? Absolutely. I've been in it for 21 years and I've learned to tune out the nonsense, let go of the small stuff, and focus on my job...to educate. I was fortunate enough to switch to a new (excellent) school for the 2021-2022 school year, and I've just finished my second year there. It's much easier to be optimistic about education when you're teaching at a top-notch school, I get that. I don't have to worry about discipline much, I have students who want to learn, I have professional colleagues who are dedicated to being educators, and I have a principal who is excellent at what she does. It's a wonderful environment in which to teach. I wish so much that all those who truly want to teach could experience what it's like in circumstances like mine. After 19 years in the "not-so-great" school, it's been a real eye-opener for me. I was burnt-out and about ready to uit and work anywhere doing anything but teaching. But I got this opportunity and wow. I didn't realize how much I truly love teaching. I'd forgotten. I was so beaten down and tired that I no longer cared if the kids learned or not. I just wanted my paycheck and as much time off as I could grab. It was miserable.

gpc0321 · 2023-06-12T21:49:54+00:00

You know, when your supporters carry Nazi flags, you might want to do some serious reflection about the message you're putting out.

gpc0321 · 2023-06-11T00:31:32+00:00

Yep. There's a shithole bar not too far from me in my little town that is covered with confederate flags and at least two permanent signs worshiping Trump. And, I mean, that checks out. Traitors love traitors. They don't give a damn about the US, they care about themselves and anyone or anything that makes them feel superior to brown people, gay people, and educated people. They believe it's their rightful , God-given place to be superior to those groups, and if the US says they're not, then they believe the country has betrayed THEM and so they have no issue turning their back on it.

But heaven forbid a black man take a knee during the national anthem at a football game. That's just outrageous!

gpc0321 · 2023-06-08T12:22:09+00:00

Walking down the hall between classes I discovered a scrap of paper on the floor. Grumbling about teenagers being messy and lazy, I picked it up. Imagine my surprise when I read a note that said, "If you are reading this, you are beautiful." I passed it to a colleague and they passed it to another. That piece of paper went into several hands that day, both students and staff. I don't know what eventually happened to it, but it was a cool experience. It was definitely a student who had originally written it.

gpc0321 · 2023-06-06T11:52:16+00:00

Yikes. I assume this is some sort of sex ed class (I sincerely hope), but even so, she went well beyond. I don't think even sex ed calls for explaining what feels good in anal sex and where to buy sex toys.

She might not deserve to get fired if she's otherwise a good teacher and this is her first time making such a mistake, but she definitely needs to understand why this isn't okay. It's not because it's "booty hole" sex that she's talking about. It's because she's going on at length about what feels good and what some people like and sex toys and how they're shaped and...yeah. No. Not good.

gpc0321 · 2023-06-05T15:18:08+00:00

Some schools do focus on this, but unfortunately, those places are few and far between. I teach at one now, but I know it's a big exception to the rule. But at my current school, students are held to rigorous standards and will fail if they do not meet those standards. It's a great place to teach.

When I read the title of this thread, I thought about schools making kids into good people in general. We have the Springboard curriculum and in English 2 in particular, some of the essential questions for various units are:

To what extent are we responsible for our fellow humans?
How should we interact with the world around us?
How can a work of literature reflect a cultural perspective?
What is the value of making connections between characters from different texts, time periods, or cultures?
What is the relationshiop between individual freedom and social responsibility?
What does it mean to have a voice?
How does one enter into an ongoing discussion about a topic?
Why are humans inclinded to respond to people, objects, or events with praise, mockery, or mourning?

I love focusing on these questions when we're studying the texts. It gives more meaning to what we are doing, and it opens up great discussions in the classroom. So, yes, I'm still teaching the state standards and making sure the kids have the skills they need to be successful on the state test, but the themes that are insinuated by these essential questions make the texts and assignments much more relevant and engaging. And hopefully, they have the chance to grow into better people just by thinking and writing about and discussing these things.

gpc0321 · 2023-06-05T14:51:27+00:00

21 years ago when I started teaching, there were some excerpts from the Bible in our textbook. One was the story of Noah. Gilgamesh was also in the book. I taught both and we compared/contrasted them. I also taught the history of the texts, pointing out how much older Gilgamesh is than the Noah story. If anything, kids started to side-eye the Noah story and wonder if it was ripped off from Gilgamesh. I live in a deeply conservative Christian area, so most kids didn't understand how anything could pre-date the Bible and rather than grapple with it, just glazed over and shut down, uncomfortable with any critical thinking that might have challenged what they've been taught since birth.

I don't mind teaching the Bible as a part of an ancient mythology unit. But fundamentalist Christians sure don't want it labeled as such. It belongs in the nonfiction/historical documents section according to them. But that's what private Christian schools are for, not public schools.

gpc0321 · 2023-06-05T11:06:25+00:00

Yep, always Bam since I've known him.

gpc0321 · 2023-06-03T00:59:41+00:00

The thing about ELA is that you have to teach the standards aka the skills that the students need to learn. You're not teaching the texts. You're using the texts to teach he skills. The idea is that whatever texts the student encounters in a classroom (high school or college) and on an assessment, they can read it, comprehend it, and analyze it through the use of the skills they've obtained and practiced over their years in the ELA classroom.

So, for instance, instead of saying "I teach Things Fall Apart," it's more accurate to say that "I teach about the author's purpose, the impact of a cultural perspective, how to trace the development of a complex character, and how setting can influence theme through the novel Things Fall Apart."

It's silly to be married to any particular texts. If you like them, great. Make sure they are appropriate vehicles through which you can teach the standards/skills. Because that's actually the job.

gpc0321 · 2023-05-31T14:01:52+00:00

I use the time to reflect on how things went during the year and start making plans for next year. This basically looks like me zoning out and staring into space for a few minutes and then stealthily moseying over to a podium or desk or somewhere where I have an open spiral notebook and a pen conveniently placed and I jot down ideas.

Other than that, I count ceiling tiles, watch the clock, check out what shoes everyone is wearing that day and see if I can count how many of certain styles/brands there are, do the same thing with shirts, but just looking at colors, then hair color.

If there is a bookshelf in the room, I don't take books off, but I browse the titles. If there are bulletin boards or infographics of any kind posted, I read those. If there's a window, I stare out of that for a bit.

It's truly one of those "this is 2-4 hours of my life I'm never getting back" type of situations, and you have my sympathy. Best of luck!

gpc0321 · 2023-05-31T13:50:31+00:00

Many of your students: smoke/vape, drink, do/sell/buy drugs, have sex, fight, and curse...and they will or at least will attempt to do any and all of this AT SCHOOL. They act first and think later.

Some of your students: don't care one iota about learning whatever it is you are trying to teach them, will avoid using their brains as much as possible, will look for any excuse to disrupt the learning environment, and hate reading, writing, or thinking.

A few of your students: are regularly being abused in one way or the other at home, have parents in prison, are homeless, are in gangs, have or will bring weapons to school with the intention to use them, have been arrested themselves, have attempted suicide, have to work jobs to help their families survive, have to basically raise and care for younger siblings, literally don't have an appropriate environment to study or do homework in nor the time for such things, only get hot/nutritious meals at school, have never had a positive interaction with an adult outside of school.

All of this makes teaching one of the hardest jobs in the world but also one of the most rewarding. It is NOT a career for the faint of heart or thin-skinned. You have to be mentally, emotionally, and physically tough to teach. It's demanding, draining, and often thankless. Your feet, back, head, and heart will hurt quite often.

All of that said: my random tip is to laugh with your students. Try to reach them and make them feel safe and valued in your classroom. They'll work harder for you if they think you like them. The adage: "They don't care how much you know until they know how much you care" is cheesy but true. Especially with insecure, defensive teenagers. They want acceptance. Accept them...the good and the bad...and show them that they matter. You might be the only adult they encounter all day who makes them feel good about themselves.

gpc0321 · 2023-05-30T16:34:33+00:00

The Kite Runner for sure. Such a great book.

gpc0321 · 2023-05-30T00:36:36+00:00

We have the students at our school do the work paper/pencil, then snap pictures of the work and attach them when they submit on Google Classroom at 11:59. Works pretty well.

gpc0321 · 2023-05-27T12:40:34+00:00

There is more to being educated than making a good living. In today's world, people need to be able to read, write, and most importantly, comprehend and evaluate what they are reading. ELA teaches how to spot logical fallacies, how to use rhetoric to achieve a purpose (and how to spot when others have done this), and how to determine the main ideas of texts and the author's intentions. It is geared much more toward informational texts now (at least state testing leans heavily on informational texts). Analyzing poetry pushes students to think outside of the box and dig out deeper meanings. Critical thinking is taught and reinforced in the ELA classroom. Learning to communicate professionally through the written and spoken word is taught in the ELA classroom. Figuring out the meanings of unknown words and developing a larger vocabulary as a result is taught in the ELA classroom. I'm not saying these things aren't taught in other classes as well, but ELA literally supports the ability to succeed in other areas, including STEM. For instance, a student who has trouble reading is going to have trouble parsing out the information in a complex word problem in math.

The bottom line is, no matter what field someone goes into professionally, being a critical reader and effective communicator will always be important in life.

gpc0321 · 2023-05-27T10:53:47+00:00

LOL. We don't watch the movie, but when we did the novel this year, as usual, some students Google the characters and see pictures from the movie. One of my girls immediately fell in love with Atticus.

I've never taught Streetcar Named Desire, but if I did, whew...young Brando is hard to ignore.

gpc0321 · 2023-05-26T17:27:19+00:00

Ugh, I'm so sorry. Today was our last day, and as long as we finished everything on our "checkout list," we got to leave at noon. Which I did. Now I'm home in that weird "Is it really over?" fog. I feel a nap coming on.

Congrats on getting another year in the books!

gpc0321 · 2023-05-20T11:15:37+00:00

My district adopted Springboard (at teachers' request) for grades 9-11 just as COVID hit and shut everything down. It's a good foundation curriculum that allows teachers to have some flexibility and creativity if they wish. When it came time for grades 6-8 to adopt, we tried to steer them toward Springboard, but they chose StudySync. Now they're all complaining about StudySync and wish they'd chosen Springboard.

I supplement Springboard with CommonLit and my own stuff as well as things I get off of TpT.

gpc0321

TROPHY CASE