Thread: Introduction

Hello and welcome, Todd! I'm your neighbor to the north, teaching in the Antelope Valley. This board has been quiet for several months. We are a friendly group, and when we do get going the conversations are engaging.

What about teaching attracts you?

Welcome Todd. Glad to hear you are seeking advice fromr all different angles before making a decision about teaching.

geekswife: Thank you for the warm welcome.

Kelley_the_Gardener: Howdy Neighbor! I applied to sub in a few districts by you and they were interested, however by then I had enough bites closer to home that I was content. As for what attracts me to teaching, there are many things and I was hoping to get feedback from experienced teachers on all of them. I thought it might be easier for people to respond if I make each one a different post. So I'd appreciate it if you'd keep an eye out for my posts and respond if/when you get a chance.

Looking forward to hearing from you and others on the boards!

Welcome, Todd! Nice to have you here and also to hear that you're planning to post a lot- Sometimes this board is a little slow with the posts. Everyone is busy at this time of the year. Hope to hear from you again soon!

Welcome aboard. As my co-moderator said - this forum has its up's and downs. But - we always seem to surface eventually. And _ new listmembers are always welcome !
Peace from Olav
( :idea: )

klh_VanBC & Olav-
Thanks for the warm welcome and for the heads up...I'll be sure to include a generous statute of limitations on expected responses to my posts

Todd, please post away! The more posts the better! I've posted less, only because it can be embarrassing to see my name over and over, with no one else...

And because the direction my state/district has been heading narrows actual classroom practice. I hear the words "standards," "accountability," "test," "NCLB," too much already, and everything we do has to be attached to those things. So, other than periodic fuming, I haven't shared much about day to day classroom issues.

Here are some things that would make good topics; feel free to start some threads!

What do you do to bring joy and enthusiasm to the process of learning?

How do we develop intrinsic motivation?

How do we make partners of parents instead of adversaries?

What conferences would you like to attend? What have you attended, and what was of value? What was not?

What sort of professional development do you think is most helpful to you personally? Does your district offer it?

Kelley_the_Gardener: Thanks for letting me know what's new on your end. Any changes since that last post? I'll try to post those topic questions when I get a chance, and/or others as they come to mind. For now, I just wanted to respond to a few of the threads I authored that people were kind enough to take time and respond to.

Changes since my last post:

:cry:

My district did away with class size reduction. We are now 30+ kids in every room, K-8. They went back to a traditional calendar, doing away with the year-round schedule. We are packed tight as sardines. Our student population has grown by 1/3 since last year, all using the same facilities.

Our district has decided that compliance with NCLB means standardizing all 2300 or so teachers/classrooms. We are now doing quarterly testing amounting to about 4 hours a month. We have to score these tests ourselves and fill out individual score sheets to send off to the district. They haven't told us just what the scores will be used for.

We also have random room checks every week to make sure we are following the district's schedule and using the mandated materials.

I was supposed to teach a new grade level...5th. Instead, I have a 5/6 combination. Two new sets of standards to become familiar with, instead of one. And all of the headaches involved with combination classes.

All of this has put our special programs at risk; we can't maintain them and meet district mandates without killing ourselves. So far this year, I've been in my room for a minimum of 11 hours every single day. Sometimes more, and I'm bringing more work home than I ever have. I'm not the only one; work has been grim. When I pass someone in the parkinglot at 6 or 7 each night on the way out, they are either enraged or in tears. One teacher quit last week; her husband makes enough money to allow her that choice.

Still...in all of that, I love my 5th and 6th graders. They are what I'm showing up for.