From Special Ed to Fourth Grade

Detroit has been ordered to close half the city’s public schools and consolidate students as part of an emergency plan that would eliminate the district’s $327 million deficit by 2014. The plan also means that class sizes in Detroit will jump to 60 students per class.

(Source: cbsnews.com)

Jacob Bronowski

Some days teaching math amazes me! How can we spend weeks and weeks on fractions with SO MUCH difficulty, but fly through long division?! I have never been much of a math student….it took me years to be successful. But I LOVE TEACHING MATH. You definitely can see the light bulbs turn on and witness many “AH HA” moments. Something must be wrong with me.

I had a teacher first today…..

During recess a parent came into class with her daughter (who had been absent all week) and said “I’ve got a job interview in Vegas and we are moving there for a month-we may come back. We don’t know”. Mom and daughter cleaned out her desk, gave her things back and were gone.

I wonder what will happen to that little girl…..

If she does return she misses a month of fourth grade. All of her standardized testing and a month of instruction.

If she stays…..who knows.

It appears that they are a duo that moves around a lot.

It makes me sad and hopeful for that little girl.

toughteacher:

Can I just say that after watching the State of the Union I feel very unsettled about the future of education. Every statistic stated was drastically skewed. Teacher effectiveness is EVERYTHING. But how do you measure good and bad? Teachers here are losing their jobs while lawmakers waffle and…

(via toughteacher)

I found this and thought it was so incredibly true! For all of you gossipy gals out there- I’m not pregnant. Just found this when looking for a project for a friends baby shower.

1. When on a dinner date, order the steak. 

2. Never make fun of your brother in front of other girls.

3. Let him take your coat. That’s the moment he’s been waiting for.

4. Don’t sleep with your bra on. So I’ve been told.

5. Yes, your skirt is too short.

6. Having an accent does not make him more sophisticated.

7. Learn to sew your own clothes. You’ll become a better shopper.

8. If you want to look older, try plastic surgery.

9. Keep a bottle of Champagne in the fridge and ice cream in the freezer.

10. Ride a bicycle.

11. You don’t need to do anything to prove you like him. Ever.

12. Dance with your father. And not just on your wedding day.

Bill “Spaceman” Lee

romanticplaces:

SUBMITTED BY: http://napkin.johnriley.me/

I took a trip all over Ecuador. Ecuador is the number one most biologically diverse country in the world. It is one of the only countries to be at the equator, but have all of the different climate zones. You can see everything from the beach, to…

I found this on another blog…..READY FOR A HAPPY EVENING!

With the start of the new season of American Idol, my fourth graders were more than excited to share in the creating of a new pop star. My favorite part of the conversations were how funny they thought the new judges were and how Steven Tyler looked. It led us (the classroom teachers) to realize our students had absolutely no idea who Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez really were in the music industry. They didn’t know about “Jenny from the Block” or Aerosmith, nor one single song either artist had performed.

We spent a few minutes this morning discussing who both the new judges are. What they have done in their careers and showed a video clip. The students were really interested in learning that having a title of judge was more than just being famous. It was a job. That even if the American Idol judges didn’t have rock star careers before their latest gig, they would need a lot experience in the field to be considered a judge or an expert.

We ended up talking about being legendary. What did it mean? Is that something that occurs quickly and easily? Does it take a lot of hard work? We decided that as a class we are going to BE LEGENDARY.

It was a fun and interesting start to Friday morning!