Parent Conferences (and other ravings)

I don’t understand parents sometime.  What makes them think that it is okay to request a time for a conference, confirm that time, and then not show up to that conference, without a note or a phone call?  Do they not care about their child’s education?  Do they not think it is rude to just not show up for a scheduled meeting?

I honestly think a large percent of these parents do not place much value on their child’s education.  Maybe they figure that they didn’t get one, and they’re doing alright.  So anything their kids do at school will be an improvement.  I don’t know.

But I keep reminding my students if they want the best chance to do something for work that they actually enjoy doing, they had better get an education.  If they want to avoid working every day doing something they don’t like, they need to get an education.

But I think most of the parents think they have no control over what their kids do at school, and how much the child learns.  They expect the teacher to do all the work, and I think most are too busy and too tired to really put much effort into their child’s education.  Let me say that again.  I think most of the parents feel they are too busy or too tired to put much effort into their child’s education.

And I think the parents just feel they cannot get their child to do what they want them to do.  Between the TV, the game system, and their busy schedule, they feel like if they ask their child to do something, when the child doesn’t, or says no, then there is nothing they can do about it.

Two things I know.  If my kid was as low as some of my students, I would be in communication with the teacher frequently, and asking for help, and working night and day with my student to get them up to grade level.  And the other thing:  I would hate to spend a week in some of these kids’s lives.

New Kid

I got called into the office the other day.  They wanted to warn me that I was getting a new student, and his mom or dad was requesting testing and for him to be put into a Special Day Class.  Looking at his records, they didn’t see any glaring needs, and he scored high enough on one test to indicate that he wasn’t autistic.  They though his parents might have thought he had ADHD.

Later that morning the boy came to class.  We’ll call him Mikey.  Mikey did not seem ADHD, although he did seem to be a little odd, and he did have a rough morning.  He was crying in class, and students saw him hitting his forehead numerous times.  I had him go to the office with another boy to run and errand for me, and while they were out, I was able to talk with the class about the new boy, and how he was asking.  They all knew he was having a rough day, so they all agreed to be extra nice to him.

By the afternoon he perked up a bit.  While talking to him, he continued to be a bit odd, but nothing too radical.

That night, while chatting on line with our school psych, I mentioned that I did not think Mikey was ADHD, but that he did seem to be a bit on the spectrum of Autism.  She tentively agreed.

It’s been about 10 days now.  I think Mikey definately seems on the spectrum.  There is something familiarly odd about him.  He’s a really nice boy.  The way he talks, and some of the things he says, and they way he acts at time, make me think he’s spectrummy.  But I’m no expert.

Conferences

Had my first few conferences yesterday.  It was a half day, so I had 6 in the afternnon.  Well, 6 were scheduled.  But two of them were with students who were absent that day, so I had my doubts.  And sure enough, those parents didn’t show.  I wish they would have called, but that is pretty wishful thinking for these parents.

The worst part was that my 5:30 didn’t show.  I left a message earlier in the afternoon, and even at around 5:40.  But no luck.  The student told me today that she was sorry she couldn’t come to the conference, but she had fallen down the stairs, and that’s why she couldn’t come to school.  Hmmmm, there were 9 hours between school starting and her conference.  She could have at least called.

Planning Time

We have a half day today.  Well, it’s planning time in the morning for the Fourth Grade team.  So the four of us are in the conference room to do some planning.  Who knows what we’ll plan about, and what we’ll get accomplished.  Hopefully some science, and maybe some writing.  And math, too.

Report Cards

It’s that time of year again.  We usually get one or two minimum days to get ready.  You know, get our grade books up to date, things like that.  That was last week.  Report cards are due Friday, and although it seems that I have more time to do them between minimum days and the actual due date, the report cards seem more difficult than ever to do.  I don’t know why.

I’m about 2 thirds of the way through, but I then have to do ALL of the comments.  That can be the tricky part.  It would help if I could have a wireless connection at home.  Maybe I could go to Starbucks and use their wifi (that is not a bad idea!).

Conferences are next week.  We have two minimum days, then no school on Wednesday (Veteran’s Day), and then no school on Thursday or Friday.  I wish I could get them all in on one or two days, but it isn’t going to work out that way this year.  They’re about evenly spaced between the 4 days.

I just need to get the report cards done by Friday so they can be checked and I can hand them out for my conferences on Monday.

Field Trips

Field trips are…exhausting!  At least mine are.  Or should I say, is (we only get one).

We get on the bus for a 40 minute trip down to Upper Newport Bay.  Walk around for 2 hours doing 2 different activities, then lunch.  After that, walk around for 2 more hours doing 2 more activities, then back on the bus for the ride home.

This year it was hot!  I brought extra water and a squirt bottle to keep the kids cool.  It’s an okay trip, but it was hot and tiring.

The bus ride home is always great.  Everyone is tired.  I usually sleep for at least a few minutes.

Rainy Day Schedule

We finally got some rain today.  Rain always makes the day interesting at school.  The early kids go up to the library to hang out, instead of waiting in front of school (and getting wet).  A little after 8 (when teachers are supposed to be at school) the students are supposed to go to their room – which means us teachers have to be in their room.  The kids are always excited when they come in early.  I guess it’s because they know they get free time in the room.

Then there’s recess.  It usually comes a bit later than usual, and the kids know they will get to spend the time in the room.  Again, more free time.  They love it.  The room is usually a bit of a mess when I get back, and the kids are usually a bit on the hyper side as well.  I don’t seem to get as much done during recess when it’s rainy day schedule.  I’m not sure why.

At lunch the kids really love rainy day schedule.  They get to eat in the class room (despite the fact that the lunch tables are covered).  Most teachers try to put on a video during lunch, but I usually just let me students have free time.  If I thought about it earlier, I guess I could have a movie ready.  But I seldom think that far ahead.

Lunch is a half hour on rainy days, instead of the usual 45 minutes.  And when I come back to the class, the room usually smells of food – usually smells like ketchup and cheese.  I’m not happy with the smell of the room after lunch, but it usually goes away by the next morning.  Believe it or not, they asked us not to spray air freshener in our classrooms, in case someone is alergic to the scents.  What ever.

CELDT Testing

I find it interesting that in my school, and many, many others around Orange County,  we have to devote 3 mornings to doing CELDT testing.  CELDT is the test California uses for limited English porficient (FEP) students to check their improvement in English.  when a student is signed up for school, every parent has to fill out a Home Language Survey with about 4 questions on it.  If there is a language other than English on it, then they are considered FEP until the pass high enough on the CELDT.

In my kids’ school, they probably have 3 or 4 kids per class that need to be tested.  So they get pulled out, and the rest of the students aren’t bothered.  Nor is the teacher.  In my school, most of the students have to be tested, so the teachers have to do the testing.  Those who do not need to be tested (those students who are English only or have tested out through the CELDT) are put in another classroom where they can do some activities while the rest are tested.

It is very disruptive.  Your schedule has to change for those three days to get in the testing.  It’s not very hard to do the testing, and it is only 3 days or so.  I find it interesting, though, that in some schools the CELDT is a huge deal, and in other schools the teachers hardly even know about it.

Teaching Writing

I’m really frustrated.  We don’t really have any curriculum for teaching  any of the genres that fourth grade is expected to know.  I”m tired of making up stuff.  I’m tired of taking what I kind of knew and what sort of worked from a teacher 4 years ago and trying to use that again and again.

I want something, from someone, that is a plan for writing a summary.  I know how to write one, and yes, I’ve told that two my students.  But I want some curriculum that I can look at, tweak, and use with my students.

Bad News

At our staff meeting yesterday we were told that our school has been identified as a first year program improvement school.  What that means is that we are put in the first of three years to get our act together as a school, because of our low test scores.

Actually, low test scores isn’t right.  We haven’t improved quickly enough.  But the way I see it, we aren’t performing at a high enough level.  It’s the students’ fault, and it’s the fault of the teachers.  And it hurt to know that I am part of the problem.

Look at all the other schools in our district, and ours is one of only a few to be placed in program improvement by the state.  Ouch.