The kiddos are back at school today. I wanted to schedule a post for y'all just in case I don't make it through the day. Ha!
Of course I'm joking! Who doesn't want to be surrounded by nearly 700 students ranging in age from 4 to 11???? Some will be so happy to be back, some won't. Many will be laughing and chatting it up, others will be clinging to their parents and crying. But they'll be there. And so will we.
In preparation for this reuniting of students, parents and educators, our faculty/staff enjoyed a lovely lunch last week. I didn't take many pix because the food was so tasty and I was hungry. :) Don't worry, I'll have plenty more throughout the year! With this bunch of crazy folks, the photo opps are always present.
The blurry ones are blurry because some people made me laugh. They are just a couple of the people at school who keep me laughing on a daily basis. I dearly love each and every one of them!
All of our faculty/staff are just wonderful people. And I know y'all have heard me sing their praises in the past. But it just can't be helped. When you work with people like the ones at our school, you can't help but be proud to be a part of it!
Good luck today, y'all! Let's keep that craziness going!
I'm talking to parents of young kids and my message is this:
WAKE UP people and educate yourselves in all things technology related. Or at least as much as you possibly can. And then some. Else your kids are going to get away with EVERYTHING.
Don't have the time? Aren't really worried about it?
Go ahead and keep those blinders on. Go ahead and tell yourself that your kid would NEVER do anything like that. Really? Not even in an attempt to defend a friend? Didn't think of that, did you?
Go ahead and keep those blinders on. Go ahead and let yourself believe that no one would ever do anything of a bully nature to your kid. HOW do you know this? Do you have control over other people's kids? I didn't think so.
Do you trust the parents of your kids just because those parents also happen to be YOUR friends? Well don't. Because they probably aren't worried about their kid EVER doing something like THAT to anyone.
Do you really care more about being THAT parent who never tells their kid, "No" more than about whether or not he/she is being cyber-bullied or committing the act themselves?
Did you know that:
While your child's school may have taken protective measures with the technology located within the school itself, they have NO CONTROL over what your kids are doing at home or out in the neighborhood.
Anyone AT ALL can set up an Instagram account? VERY easy for a 40 year old perve to set up a fake account and prey on YOUR child.
If there's a way around anything internet centered, your kids will find it.
Chances are, if your kid is being cyber-bullied, he/she will not tell you.
Most kids believe that it's easier to get away with bullying online than in person.
Over half of the kids out there have seen cyber-bullying and never spoken up.
Kids who are bullied feel different, powerless, unpopular, alone, sad, lonely, nervous, have a hard time standing up for themselves, have trouble in school.
Kids who bully often grow up to abuse alcohol or drugs; get into fights; drop out of school.
Tips:
Discuss the concept of cyber-bullying with your kids, making sure they know to come to you or another TRUSTED adult should they be the victim of cyber-bullying or know of it going on with a friend.
Make sure they know to tell you even if they are unsure that it IS cyber-bullying so that you can make that decision.
Check with your child's school to see what they are doing to educate students about cyber-bullying.
Educate yourself about cyber-bullying.
Pay attention to your kids- there are tell-tale signs.
Make sure your kids know that, if they can't or don't want to come to you, they go to another trusted adult.
The fact is, bullying is not new. But, what is new, is using
digital technology with which to bully someone. And it's starting at younger
and younger ages.
Cyber bullying is sending or posting harmful or
mean messages, images or videos about someone else via cell phones, the
internet and other digital means usually repeatedly. It can happen any time at home or at school and is very public.
Most kids will choose cyber-bullying because it's easier and they can hide behind a screen name. Anonymity makes them feel bolder than usual. It even makes it easy for a kid who normally would NEVER say anything like that to someone face to face.
Elementary students might cyber-bully because kids feel the need to exert power over other people who they see as weaker or inferior in some way. They may want to copy their friends or think that this will help them to fit in better. Sometimes they just feel that they are better than the kid they are bullying. Anyone with access to a computer or other form of digital technology can use it to take a swipe at someone they don't like.
Younger kids might do it to get attention or because
they think it will make them popular or
they want to look tough to make others afraid of them.
Because it happens online, it's easily missed by parents and
teachers. Cyber-bullying is on the rise with younger kids. They are
just beginning to use digital forms of communication and experimenting with
ways to test people's reactions to what they do.
I hope that I have come off strong and serious here y'all. This is NOT something to put off.
I made a few discoveries at work this week and thought I'd share some with y'all.
I discovered:
I am way more patient than I thought. I rediscover this every single time 5th graders come into the lab.
March is going to be a loooong month with zero days off. And 5th graders coming into the lab.
There are some wonderful teachers out there who are cut out to teach 5th grade. I am not one of them.
I thought kindergarten teachers had the hardest job at school. I was wrong. It's the teachers of 5th graders.
When a 5th grade teacher drops her students off and says to you, "Good luck," that's a red flag and it means, "RUN for you life!"
It's disheartening when there is a field trip for 4th and 5th graders and you think they won't be back in time for 5th grade to come to special area but they are.
That thoughts of various uses for duct tape actually DO wander through my mind at times.
5th graders develop a smart ass attitude during the second semester. It's not pleasant.
5th grade boys will laugh at anything and everything. Regardless. Literally.
5th grade boys are a little bit stupid. Not academically speaking. But in their actions.
Teachers of 5th graders look like they are teachers of 5th graders. So do parents.
Public school originated by parents of 5th graders.
That I am not afraid to whip out my 'mommy' voice from time to time when 5th graders are present. It can be a lot more authoritative than my 'teacher' voice.
I will stoop to saying to a 5th grader, "You realize that I know your mother, right?"
Why teachers of 5th graders drink.
Teachers of 5th graders should be allowed to have vodka at school.
Xanax should be shared freely and generously with teachers of 5th graders.
It was a four day work week at school. Every single minute lasted for three minutes. Couple that with 5th graders and you have a valid-legitimate-unequivocal reason to take up drinking.
As a matter of fact, they should lock you up if you don't!
I say something similar to that to my students nearly every day. Especially the younger ones. Why? Because most of them would rather sit right there and let me, or someone else, do it for them. I can't imagine from where this willingness to let others do for them stems.
Oh, wait. Yes I can. Mostly, it stems from home. And I get it. It is, often, easier to just do things for your kids. It saves time and frustration for the parent. I understand being a parent. I understand being tired. When the lovelies were growing up I had a conversation with someone about surgeries. I told them the main reason I feared being put to sleep was that I might never wake up because I was so tired. So I do understand.
But doing everything for a child does nothing good for the child. Not that I can see anyway.
Here's the amazing thing: once the students in my classes (k-5) understand that I am not going to do it for them and that the reasons that I'm not going to do it for them, the students, wait for it....do it themselves. Wow.
My fear is, if we don't start making the kids do things for themselves and use those wonderful brains of theirs, we're really going to be in for it when they grow up. Some people might believe that this all changes when these kids become adults, but it doesn't. At least, not for most of them.
When a child needs help, help them. When a child is asking because he/she wants you to do it for them so they don't have to exert the energy or do the thinking, don't. It's that simple. And, YES. It's quite easy to tell the difference.
I had someone not too long ago tell me that a student couldn't do something. I was told the student wasn't capable (not the exact words). However, once I sat beside her and asked her questions that prompted her to think about what to do, she WAS able to do it. And she is able to do her work by herself all the time now. Imagine that. Sometimes, for all of us, it's a matter of slowing down and thinking for a minute.
I've seen, over the years, the occasional teacher who will just do something for a student based on mom or dad saying their child is 'slow.' I know that there are special needs children out there. But, when someone isn't a special needs child, let's let them do their own thinking and their own work. Otherwise, they are not going to learn it. AND, they might just grow up with some resentments when they figure out why they can't do anything. I've even seen the student sitting next to that child reach over and do it for them.
So we talk a lot about using our own brains in my class. We talk about how our brains need exercise just like our bodies do. We talk about how when we do the work for our friends, that our brains will get tired and our friends' brains will get lazy.
I've experienced this in my own life. When I was growing up I was told that there were certain activities/chores/etc.that I couldn't do (and playing linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys was only one of the many). A lot of these things were activities and such that other people did just fine on a daily basis. Even after I got married I would hear things like, "Let him do that. You shouldn't have to do that." What? I STILL can't cut the grass. Sheesh.
Now, that's not to say that there aren't things I don't (or won't) do but that's because I don't want to. Not because I'm unable. And yes, I did get over it. But that's because I have a rebellious spirit and have always (ALWAYS) done exactly what people told me not to or that I couldn't do. And the things that I was told I couldn't do were probably based on an old fashioned gender issue.
Today, kids are not being told anything. All they have to do is sit there and wait and, eventually, someone will come and do it for them. Heck, that person might even decide the kid is 'slow' when, in fact, the kid is way smarter than the person doing the job for him or her. I mean, who's sitting there not having to do anything and who's doing the work?
Have y'all seen this happening in your neck of the woods?
I think it's because Next week is short- only two teaching days--and then, Thanksgiving. Right now, I'm thankful for Thanksgiving break. Because I won't have to play hooky. Sometimes, teachers just need a break.
On Wednesday, the kindergartners who came into the lab for special area, smelled like poop.
Yesterday, the first graders smelled like throw up. And one of them sneezed. All over her keyboard. All. OVER. It. Stuff came out. More stuff than you would think could be inside a first grader. Gross. And, yes. I admit. I made her clean it up. Then I went over it with Clorox wipes. About ten of them.
Today, the 5th graders acted like wild banshees at a frat party.
Our 4th and 5th grade students gave what I heard was a marvelous production of Oliver Twist yesterday. I wanted to watch the afternoon show and was all set to do so. Until the principal asked me to sit with a student who was in trouble and not allowed to go to said production. So, instead of being entertained by elementary talent (no sarcasm here, they really are quite talented), I sat with an angry, pouty 5th grader.
I've been MIA...more commonly known as 'BacktoschoolHell.'
When you have the position I have, your job is based on funding. Every. Single. Year. What that means is, I never know from one year to the next whether or not I will be teaching anything to anyone.
Yeah, it does kind of suck.
BUT- thanks to the county AND our most wonderful PTA--I am teaching again this year. So are several others.
The first few weeks have been nothing less than completely CRAZY. Though all seems to be falling into place now. Whew.
I could have thrown a few posts together I suppose. But I'm one of those who puts on her blinders when preparing for classes. What can I say- the kids come first.
I just wanted to pop on here today and send a huge "HELLO" to everyone! And to let y'all know that I'm still alive! :)
Hopefully I will soon find my groove and be back to a more normal blogging habit.
Meanwhile- FOOTBALL SEASON IS UNDERWAY! I've been working in front of the television this weekend. College ball is back and the NFL preseason is almost over. This is otherwise known as HEAVEN! Pure HEAVEN!
I also need to catch y'all up on the wedding plans since they decided against London. They booked a venue that I recommended a couple of months ago. When will they learn that mom knows best? LOL
We are facing a probable bus driver strike in our county. We have no idea when it will be BUT, everyone has to come in an hour early on Monday IF it happens AND, possibly, stay as late as 6:00 PM until it's over. Right now it's voluntary. Yes. I volunteered. I'm an idiot.
What else was I going to do? You know, there are a lot of ways to hold people hostage. And when children are the hostages, I get pissed. You don't even want to know what I think the powers that be should do. When people hold kids hostage or use them as pawns...that is wrong in EVERY SINGLE WAY.
It's not that I think bus driving is easy. It isn't. I wouldn't want the job.
It's not that I disagree with their demands---or the ones I know about. I don't really.
It's their method.
It's them putting themselves before CHILDREN.
It's their USING the CHILDREN for personal gain.
It's their willingness to endanger the CHILDREN and rob them of their education.
I can only imagine what might happen to some parents' jobs when they can't get there on time and then have to leave early. And what if they decide to just leave their kids at home alone because they have no other options? Go ahead, call me a worry-wart. Because I am.
When children are being robbed of so many things these days, those of us who can maintain normalcy, structure, safety, security, etc. SHOULD do just that.
Yes, our school (along with many others) is filled with caring, compassionate educators who will band together and do what is right by our students. And we do it willingly and without complaint.
But I expect that attitude from everyone who works with children. EVERYONE.
All I will say (cause I have a really LOT to say to them) to the bus powers-that-be is- Karma dudes. She's a Bee-otch. And she WILL get you.
Being a transplant to the low-country of SC for 31 years is still not long enough to be called a ‘benyeh.’ If I stay until I’m dead I’ll probably go a ‘comeyeh’ since I am, originally, ‘from off’ (which is the upstate but, rules you know). By day I take care of my sweet little granddaughter, Baby M and do all those things I did when I was a SAHM raising four daughters which has translated to, ‘by day, I am exhausted.’ By night I blog, blog, blog, and blog some more or I sleep, depending on my level of exhaustion (do they still make Geritol?). I have a very unhealthy addiction to sweets (nearly any kind will do) and all comfort foods not covered under the ‘sweets’ category. I’m known for speaking my mind so, if you don’t want to know, don’t ask me. I love to find the humor in my empty nest life. I live life hard and smack into that brick wall almost daily because I’ve always had to learn the hard way. Why change now? I’m so glad you’ve come to laugh with me as I do this middle age, empty nest thing like a BOSS!
