Okay, a long while. But I'm back now, so what of it.
Summer school went as well as could be expected. I did a much better job second semester than first and the kids reaped the rewards (though they would only tell you that I made them work everyday.) I still don't think that what I taught them could really be considered an Algebra I credit, but the last few teachers who have spoken up have been involuntarily transferred to not-so-nice places, so I keep my mouth shut and do what I'm told.
This year there are a few things that are piling up against us. I think the people at the Board have no idea what is going on in the classrooms. This, however, has been a long standing gripe of every teacher, everywhere, so I don't really feel special.
First, we have to read/present the appropriate grade level indicator to each class everyday. This not only takes up class time, but confuses most of the students. The GLIs and benchmarks were written to be read by teachers, not students and the kids usually don't have a clue what it is they are being forced to recite.
Second, we have to turn in lesson plans that outline pre-assessment, lesson summary, post-assessment, GLIs, benchmarks, incorporation of technology etc. Of course, I know all of these things for any given lesson and could rattle them off at a moment's notice, but actually typing them, printing them, and turning them in is not only a waste of time, but an insult to my professionalism. Also, the objectives must be aligned with the GLIs and Benchmarks, making it impossible to deviate from the prescribed curriculum and do those really interesting lessons that the students love. If I didn't have to document, I could sneak them in, but now I have to account for every minute of classtime.
Third, testing is out of control!!!!!!! We now have a private company that will give a pre/post test (standardized, of course) every 12 weeks with mandatory mini-tests every two weeks. Problem #1: Pre/post test takes a combined minimum of four class days. (Plus students who are absent being pulled out when they are present to take it). Problem #2: The two week tests must be done on a computer. This means that our lovely math lab will be taken up 3 days every week with Math, and social studies classes taking these mini-tests. The competition to book open days is going to be fierce. Problem #3: The people who are paying $20 per student for these tests simply took the companies word that they were aligned to the Ohio Graduation Test. The questions do technically cover the prescribed material (GLIs and Benchmarks), but the questions are worded completely differently. These questions are purely knowledge based and include no extended response, whereas the OGT is largely application and analysis based and has numerous ER questions. I piloted this program in summer school and when asked to give feedback said all these things (as did other people), but someone decided that we need data, so here we are.
Last year's OGT scores were better than we could ever have hoped or guessed they would be. We were so happy!! Now, it seems like we are being punished for low scores and the board is breathing down our necks to make us accountable. I can't imagine how this year would be if we actually did score low.
Anyway, the baby is doing well. I'm due in early Feb, though the exact date seems to flucuate a bit from one appt to the next. It's definitely a boy. He'll be named Spencer Moon. We've got the furniture and painted the nursery. The nursery theme is going to be Puppies. I found a great bedding set that is all puppies and such.
Dog training is also going well. We skipped a week in between ultrasounds, it was a tough weekend and we all needed a little break. We're back on track and worked with them tonight. Monkey is crawling to get to the hot dogs and Danger is rolling on his side when we say "bang"
That's it for now...