What!?! A New Post!?! Yep, That's Right Folks, I Need to Vent

I know I haven't written a post for a very long time, but I needed to vent, and I remembered how wonderful it felt to vent on my blog, so here I go. I really don't even know how many people still check in just to see the picture of my cute red car that I posted almost 2 years ago, so for those of you who want to read the ranting of a Junior High teacher, please, keep reading...

Parents probably think they know what it is like to be a teacher. They might even think it is easy. We only have to see their child 45 minutes a day, but the parents are stuck with them forever because let's face it, the students we are talking about are not the ones who are going to go to college, have a career, and add to our society. We are talking about the students who will probably drop out of school, and then their parents and the tax payers, but mostly the tax payers, will support them the rest of their lives either by paying for welfare, or paying to keep jails open. THESE are the students that we are talking about. I just want to clear up a few things, and if anyone reading this is a parent of a 12-15 year old, or if someday you will be the parent of a child this age, you may want to take notes. I'm about to teach you some things that you need to understand and realize when you are a parent of Junior High School Student.

#1. Your student lies to you. Yes mom and dad, your "perfect" child will tell you ANYTHING you want to hear. They are MASTER manipulators. The secret is out. Teenagers know that their parents want to be their best friends. They know that parents are worried about parenting their children because heaven forbid your child ends up hating you for a few years in their adolescence. Believe me, they won't hate you forever. Teenagers will tell you exactly what you need to hear in order to get what they want. Examples of my favorite lies: "That teacher HATES me! He/She just gives everyone an F and then doesn't let us come in to make anything up." "I turned that assignment in, but the teacher lost it." (Side note, that has happened before, but if you hear this excuse more than once in 6 month time frame, it is a lie.) "That teacher is so mean! He/She is always picking on me!" "I didn't know I had to do that. The teacher never told me." "I NEVER talk in class, it is just everyone around me." "We never learn/do anything in that class." I could list more, but I need to move on to the next lesson. Remember, teenagers lie. They are selfish creatures so they will say whatever they need to in order to get what they want.

#2. You student is responsible for his/her education. This is a big one! Let me repeat for those of you who didn't catch it the first time: YOUR STUDENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR HIS/HER EDUCATION. This should not be a new concept. This should be a review yet I am SHOCKED by how many parent have failed to grasp this concept. There is only so much encouragement, help, support, prodding... a teacher and parent can do. The student must take responsibility and pride in their education. You may think that teachers have the secret answer on how to motivate your student. I wish we did have a magic solution. We will try to do what we can, but it doesn't matter how many emails you send, phone calls you make, or meetings you schedule; if you can't get your student to be motivated to do his/her work, teachers won't be able to either. Sometimes meetings with teachers are beneficial, but ONLY if the STUDENT is also present at the meeting. It doesn't do any good for a parent and teacher to meet. It won't make a difference if an administrator and counselor sit in on the meeting; if the student is not there, we won't be able to "fix" all the problems about why your student can't turn in their assignments.

#3. Teachers care about your student. It might not seem like that after reading my ranting and ravings, but inside, the reason teachers became teachers is because they love their students. They want to help enlighten the generations to follow. Teachers make a mark on the world by educating the future leaders, businessmen, inventors, and trying to inspire young people to think outside of themselves. At least that is my ultimate goal. After a day like today, I want to walk down and tell me principal that I quit, and he can find some other fool to deal with these kids, but then I don't. Why? Not because I'm terrified to do that (although I really am), but because when I get to that point where I am about to drop off the edge,I think about the students who come back to me and tell me about the things I taught them, and how that is helping them now. I think about my students who connect what they are learning to things outside the classroom, and then want to tell me about it. I think about the failing student who finally "gets it" and ends up passing. They students keep me going.

#4. Teachers have LOTS of kids. You may be the parent to 1, 2, or even 3 junior high students, but a teacher has upwards to 200 or more students that, depending on the schedule, they see everyday. We will do our best to remember the accommodations for every single student that we have. We will do our best to remember which students need their tests read aloud to them, need extra time on their assignments, need shortened assignments, need teacher outlines of all notes, need to sit in the front of the room away from distractions, need to be allowed to use the restroom whenever they want, have to use a calculator, can't be asked to read aloud in class, can't be graded on spelling or penmanship.... We'll do our best to remember all of these, but please remember, you have 1-3 students that you need to remember these things for; teachers have 200. Teachers will forget. It is NOT unreasonable for a teacher to ask the student to remind them of accommodations. We forget, and until we have a computer in our head that can pull up the accommodation screen for each student at the blink of an eye, we will continue to forget. Somewhere in between teaching, grading, planning, meetings, study hall, re-licensing, and many other things, we need to document EVERYTHING that we do to help your student, so that we don't get in trouble for not helping your child. Please don't criticize us when it takes us a couple days to send a book home or return an email or a phone call. Please don't be mad when we can't recite every assignment your child is missing and how much his/her grade will go up if he/she turns it in. And it is not humanly possible to grade every assignment and get it recorded in the computer before we leave at night. It can't always happen. Remember? Teachers have 200 kids. How many do parents have?

#5. Finally, and this one is SUPER important, teaching is hard, and it is nice to have some gratitude every once in a while. Now I'm not looking for everyone to comment on how wonderful it is that I am a teacher, but it is important to remember that like every job, teaching is hard. Please take the time to thank your students' teachers. They are working hard to help your child be successful in life. They will not give up on your child, even when your child has given up on him/herself. Teachers will go home at night and think and plan and dream about what to do with their classes to make them more fun and interesting. They will get heartburn and ulcers over what to do with a unruly student and their unruly parents. They will spend hundreds if not thousands of their own money to go to classes, buy material, and attend training that will help them be better teachers. Heck, if you go to a party with teachers present, all they talk about is their classrooms and students. Teachers deserve some thanks for what they do.

I don't mean to stand on a soap box and lecture all parents out there. I recognize that parents work really hard for their children too, and really it is the parents who are involved, that usually have the students who are able to find success. I guess I just want parents out there to understand a little better where teachers are coming from. I hope it helps. If you have questions or comments, I'd love to hear them, but as a teacher, it will probably take me a few days to respond. :)

It's a GIRL!!!!

For those of you who not connected with Facebook, here is the latest addition to my little family. It was the easiest and best experience in the world. I saw her. I loved her. I bought her. It is a 2010 Toyota Yaris. I had a short list of things I wanted in a car. I wanted a cute car that was red, had a beepy thing for the locks, was automatic, and had an auxiliary thing for my ipod. She had them all. We got to the dealership, the salesman asked what I wanted, I told him, he showed me, and I was sold. I didn't even want to take it for a test drive, it was love at first sight. I did drive it though, and it only made me love her more. As soon as the paperwork was done, which took about 5 times longer than it did for me to decide what to get, I got to drive her off the lot. Now I'm looking for some good names for my little lady. Any suggestions?

A Letter to My Family

I emailed the following letter to everyone in my family, but just in case they don't read it in their emails, I thought I would post it here too. Anyone can read it, but just to clarify, I wrote it to my brothers and sisters

Dearest Family,

I am taking it upon myself to inform you all of some very important business.

First, I have no idea whose name I drew for Christmas, so I would appreciate someone emailing me to tell me. Thank you.

Second, as you are probably aware, I'm in the process of beginning to put together calendar pictures. If you have certain pictures that are perfect for the calendar, please email them to me or post them on blogs, facebook, etc. I will be looking through you blogs and such for pictures, so warn me if there are any there that you don't want used. Also, I'm just going to put this out there... Because of the difficulty of getting pictures of some people, please don't be offended if you are not found on a page on the calendar! I will do my best, but it seems like some people just find themselves behind the camera more than in front of it. Again, if you are not pictured on one page, please do not think that it is because I don't love you, because I DO!

Third, I love Disneyland. You all know that. I got to go to Disneyland this October with my friends, and it was so fun to see the park all decorated for the Halloween holiday. I didn't know that Disneyland could be so fun for the holidays. I probably shouldn't have gone in October, because now I have the desire to see Disneyland during every holiday! I was seriously considering just getting on a plane and spending a few days down there myself for Christmas, when my friends invited me to go with them. Now, I have a Season Pass, so all it would cost is airplane, hotel, food, and transportation once there. It really is a good deal for the trip. I was excited to go, especially because they have snow that falls on Main Street. How magical is that?!? I told my friends that I couldn't go with them this time.

This brings me to my final point of business. I WANT EVERYONE HERE FOR CHRISTMAS!!!! I know that everyone is struggling, and that people do want to come if it can work out, but I would like to help this happen. I figure that I would have spent about $500 going to Disneyland. To show you how much I love you, I turned down the trip to Disneyland because I would rather spend my Christmas with you guys than with Mickey and Minnie Mouse. I want a magical Christmas whether it is in Disneyland or home with the family, and I'm willing to pay at least $500 to have that happen. What I am saying is that I want to help you guys come for Christmas. I HATE the thought of having another year here by ourselves. Christmas in Utah is so fun! It snows, Santa comes, Stephie is here, it snows... I know $500 is not a lot of money, but if it makes my Christmas magical by getting you here, than it would be the best $500 I ever spent. This is literally all I want for Christmas this year. I already told Mom and Dad that I don't want presents, and that they can use the money they would have spent on me to help get you here.

Will this work? I don't want you saying you won't take my money. I don't look at this as charity or a hand out. I want you here for purely selfish reasons. This is giving myself Christmas. I know that we could wait another year or two, but these kids are growing up! This will be our 4th Christmas in Utah. Can we please spend it together?

Have I used enough guilt tripping now? Please let me know what you think. I am really serious about the $500 and no presents thing. Call me, email me, have a meeting with me in person... :) What can I do to help bring us together this year?

I don't know what else to say. I love you guys so much! I hope to see you soon!!!

Love,

Stephanie

The many duties of a teacher...

I have said before how many things a teacher is required to do in one day, but today I think it is time that I revisit this topic. I am happy to to do the things that will help my students learn, and I am open to constructive criticism, but sometimes I wonder if people realize how much they are expecting teachers to do!

My principal is constantly sending out reminder emails that teachers need to be in the hallways during passing period. I understand the need to have people monitoring students, but if every teacher is out in the hall, who is monitoring their classrooms? I try to stand at my door, but often students will come up to me and ask what they missed from the previous day, or if they can get their missing work, or if I have a band aid, or that they can't find their textbook, or... The list could go on. As much as being able to be in 2 or even 3 places at one time would be helpful, I have yet to determine how it is to be done.

Teachers are supposed to come up with plans to help their failing students. My plan to help failing students is to teach them, give them assignments, and expect them to turn in their work ON TIME, listen when being taught, study at home, and ask questions when they don't understand. This is MY plan. I want to know what THEIR plan is. My class is really not that hard. There is no reason that ANYONE should fail my class, yet I still have students that do. However those students are the ones who turn NOTHING in! So, when my principal asks me what my plan is for helping my failing students, is it okay for me to ask to see their plan first? After all, it is THEIR grade that we are talking about...NOT mine.

Teachers are supposed to teach the state core. The state core for Geography covers general physical geography and human geography of the planet as well as the 200+ countries in the world. I am expected to teach this in one year in a 45 minute class each day. The teaching and learning activities need to be innovative and engaging, but able to be made up at home for those students who are constantly absent or in In-School-Suspension. There needs to be at least 3 smooth transitions in the class, and make sure that you assess student learning while you go. You must move quickly through the material, yet accommodate those students who can't read or write a complete sentence and need extra time to understand the concepts.

Teachers must make all the accommodations for students that have certain IEPs. These accommodations include: sitting near the teacher, sitting in the front, sitting away from distractions, sitting next to a positive role model, having a teacher outline for the notes, having extra time to finish assignments, not grading for spelling, not grading on neatness, and having tests read aloud. If there is only one student in class with these accommodations, the teacher considers herself extremely blessed. Most of the time, she struggles with meeting each accommodation. There are only so many seats in the front, and only so many next to the teacher. Try reading aloud a test and making sure no one else in the room is cheating. Teachers will wonder if the counselors who help to write these accommodations have ever been in a real classroom! You try sitting someone in a seat with no distractions in a 9th Grade Geography classroom. That seat does not exist!

Finally, the icing on the cake for me today is that teachers need to make sure their room is all picked up before the custodians get there. Forget the fact that you have had 230 students in and out of your room all day, by 10 minutes after school gets out your floor needs to look like it has been vacuumed. The custodians have many rooms to clean, and if your room is messy and takes too long to clean, they will tell your principal who will then tell you that you need to have the students clean up at the end of class. I'm sorry. I thought that telling them to throw all of their garbage on the floor at the end of class was acceptable! (Sarcasm - for those of you who can't tell through this written word.) I tell my students to clean the floor, but there is only so much that can be done. Heaven forbid the custodian might have to spend 5 minutes in my room vacuuming. I know, it is asking a lot. If they leave a vacuum in my room, I could vacuum in between classes... oh wait, I'm supposed to be in the hallway. Then I could vacuum during the last 5 minutes of class... oh wait, I'm supposed to teach to the bell and keep students engaged; not to mention I only have 45 minutes to begin with to cover the material. Well, I guess I could vacuum my room after school. I don't need to use that time to plan and grade, and de-frazzle myself from a day of teaching. If vacuuming my room would help the custodians not have to do so much, then maybe that is what needs to be done. I mean, shampooing the carpet in the hallways each week, and waxing the floors every other week, and sterilizing the lockers each night is really important stuff. I'd hate for them to have to waste time emptying my garbage and vacuuming my floor.

Yes, teachers have a lot of things to do. In between all of these fun activities we have meetings and parent conferences, grading and planning, but is it strange to say that I am still glad that I became a teacher? Crazy as it is, there is a smile on my face as I hear my 6th period boys calling down the hallway, "We're coming Miss Kay! Don't worry Miss Kay! We're almost there Miss Kay!" Or when a student that was failing decides to stay after school for a couple of hours to get some work done, and is then able to pass with a C-? How about the student that failed my first test and got an A on the next one? These are the moments that make all of the other JUNK that teachers have to do worth it. I think that maybe people should just be a little more specific in writing a teacher's job description, because it is a lot more than just teaching.

Summer Fun

I haven't posted since the last few days of school, so I thought it is about time for a quick update. I have been loving my summer! I think that payday for teachers are the summer. The last day of school, I had to hurry to finish packing up my classroom, and then I caught a plane for Washington. I spent 2 1/2 wonderful weeks in Washington splitting my time between Sarah and Justin's families. I didn't care where I was, I just loved spending the time with my family. While there, I got to go with Sarah and Sierra to Forks, Washington. For those of you who know nothing of current pop literature, it is where the Twilight books take place. It was fun to go through the town, and then read Twilight again. You can tell that the author spent time there because she describes the town very accurately. When I think about all of the things that Rochelle, LaMar, and Sophie said and did while I was there, I still laugh about it. Also in Washington I had my first pedicure. Oh man! Those are wonderful, I am completely a fan. I've already had another one, and can't wait to schedule my next one!

After returning to Utah, I spent a week as a volunteer councilor at EFY (Especially for Youth). As a volunteer councilor, the go home each night. I have come to love EFY, and saw many marvelous things happen the week I was there. My testimony of the spirit grew so much. I was amazed by the youth and the testimonies they bore to me, and the lessons that they taught me. This is the last year they are doing volunteer councilors, so I have to decide if I want to apply to be a councilor next summer. I'm not sure what I want to do yet. I love EFY, but I come back from one week physically, emotionally, and spiritually drained. I can't imagine doing more than one week at a time.

After EFY I had a lot of down time which has been nice. I've enjoyed many days floating in the pool outside, and trying to burn a tan out of my pale skin. I think I am finally succeeding, though I don't know that I will ever get to be as dark as my mom. Other exciting events that are coming up... I'm having a roommate reunion with the roommates I had my first semester at BYU-Idaho. I am so excited to see all of them. Also I am going with Lindsey to take Sierra, my oldest niece, to Disneyland! I'm so excited. I love Disneyland! Sierra hasn't ever been so it will be a real treat. I'm just glad her parents are letting us take her without having them tag along. Once I get back from Disneyland, I will be heading back to Washington for my cousins wedding, and then I have to return to start school. I love the summer, and hope everyone is having a fabulous time of it!!!

PS As soon as I get my camera down by my desk, I will upload some pictures of my adventures.

Spring is in the air...

I have often heard teachers being criticized for complaining about the long wait for summer. Those who voice that criticism will often say things like, "How nice it must be to get paid to have a 3 month long vacation," or "I really feel sorry for someone who gets done with work by 3:00pm. " For those who have ever felt to criticize a teacher, let me explain to you how the last couple of days have gone for me. I don't do this to complain, but only to educate.

I get to school about 20 minutes before my students come into that classroom. In that time, I try to check my email, pick up my copies, and prepare my classroom to welcome 30 students for the day. When 1st period starts at 8:10, I try keep my 30 students safe and on task as they run around the room, hit each other, call each other names, draw on stuff that is not their own, and steal items from members of the opposite gender (7th graders are just learning the subtle art of flirting.) On a good day, by 8:20, students are in their assigned seats, have their bell assignment done, and I can begin the day's discussion.


Once the class has settled down, I have 35 minutes to teach them everything I can about History. I must make sure they retain the new information, remember the information from the day before, and meet all of the state standards while teaching them in fun and innovative ways because if I don't make it interesting, the students begin to talk and hit and draw on stuff that is not their own and steal items from members of the opposite gender. 3 minutes before the end of class, students, who can't figure out when class is supposed to start but knows when it is supposed to end, will begin to pack up and go stand by the door, whether I am still teaching or not. The bell will ring, and I have 5 minutes to prepare for the next 30 students, answer any questions on missing and absent assignments, and try to keep the next 30 students safe and on task as they run around the room, hit each other, call each other names, draw on stuff that is not their own, and steal items from members of the opposite gender. This pattern repeats itself for the next couple of periods and then comes blessed lunch.

For lunch I have 45 minutes to clean up my room and prepare for my 9th graders who are a different content than the 7th graders. I must update attendance, run to the copy room, and get to the cafeteria and hope that the food they are serving is edible. After making my way through 600 students, I get my lunch and head for the faculty lounge. In the faculty lounge I scarf down my lunch and try to relax for 3 minutes before having to fight through the hallway crowded with students back to my portable to begin class again.

9th graders begin class a little differently. I try to keep students safe and on task as they complain about the weather, write on things that don't belong to them, make comments that inappropriate at any age but especially in Jr. High, and make fun of those sitting around them, all while I try to tell students what their missing and absent assignments are, and try to keep the students out of my personal space. Then I try to teach them about Geography while they complain that I don't do anything fun, and they have too many assignments. They are tired of taking notes, my games are dumb, they don't want to read or do assignments, and they think the movies I show are boring.

There are some students that I have just given up on getting them to do their assignments because after telling them 3 times to get to work, I decide it is no longer worth my effort; but I still must deal with the upset parents wondering why their perfect child is failing my class. Others come and ask me each day what they can do for extra credit. I fail to grasp why they think they will be able to get extra credit done when they can't finish their regular assignments.

When the blessed bell rings to end school at 2:55, I try to make some semblance of my disaster area desk. Respond to all the emails that I have received during the day, and correct the thousands of assignments my students have turned in. If I don't correct an assignment right away, students will ask me everyday when their grade will be updated. I only have to stay at school until 3:15 according to my contract, but many nights, I stay until 4 or 5:00pm in order to get things done. I then go home with my mind a mush from the day's activities, and get to start over again the next day.

Don't get me wrong. I love working with my students, and I can't imagine doing anything else, but when someone asks me how long it is until summer break and I can tell them how many days, class periods, and hours, please don't criticize me. Remember that teachers do not get paid to have summers off, but only for the 180 contract days during contract hours that they work. Anything above that is done out of the goodness of their hearts. Teachers get to spend everyday with 100s of students and try to teach them things that they won't learn anywhere else, all the while keeping religion, morals, and values out of the classroom so not to offend anyone. Spring is in the air. Students are crazy, teachers are worn out, and the countdown for summer has begun. Teachers need those 3 months. Without them, we would really see some crazy people in education - more than what we have now!

Change is an ever constant...

Time to update everyone on my life. I have been teaching Utah Studies and Geography at Syracuse Jr. High this past year. I have loved it, but am definitely counting down the days until summer vacation. I plan on spending about a month in Washington, a week at EFY, and a a few days in California at Disneyland. But now let me update everyone on my situation.

There is a new Jr. High school that is opening up near my house. Because of it's opening, Syracuse Jr. High is losing a good number of students, therefore a good number of teachers are being displaced. Since I have only been at the district for one year, I was on the top of the list of teachers to get the boot. The district told me that they would try to place me, but with budget cuts, and all sorts of other stuff going on, I began to get worried that I wouldn't have a job for next year. I had interviewed at a couple of places, without catching a break and getting a job offer. I was starting to get very discouraged.


Finally I caught a break. Yesterday I interviewed for a position teaching just Geography at Central Davis Jr. High in Layton. The school is about 10-15 minutes away from my house. After the interview I was resigned to the fact that I probably would not get the job, and today the principal called me. They were impressed with my interview and wanted to offer me a job before anyone else could.

I'm not saying this to brag, because I am the first to admit that I am a long way away from being a really good teacher, but I'm grateful that the Lord is watching out for me. It is a tender mercy that I got a job when others are still looking or getting laid off. I'm grateful to have been given the chance to teach at Syracuse Jr. High so that I was able to learn the way Jr. High works. I'm grateful to be teaching Geography again next year so that I can just improve what I have done this year and not have to start over from scratch with a new curriculum. I feel extremely blessed to be given this job. Now I will be able to enjoy the rest of the school year and my summer without the "unknown" hanging over my head.

So I'm going from a Seahawk to a Cub. I love bears! I'll have to bring my teddy bear collection in to decorate my room. The only downside to this is that I will still be in Jr. High, and the school colors are purple. I'll just have to get used to that I guess. I bleed blue, but I can appreciate purple too. :)