Mim - Oh,yeah, you're right in the middle of it, aren't you? You're in what state? And they don't compensate you at all for National Board?
LaurieA - I did my credantial year when the first was in Kinder and the younger was in preschool
LaurieA - I'm in Calif
LaurieA - They had talked about a bonus but then it was pulled from the state budget
LaurieA - The district has not negotiated anything with our union. They help with the application fees but that's all
Mim - I student taught (might be the same thing) when my oldest was in second grade and youngest in kindergarten. It was so hard. I'm surprised that your union can't get more for you regarding this certificate. We get help with fees and in our district, I'll get an extra 1,500 for the ten years I hold the certificate. With my second one ready for college next year, it was worth it.
LaurieA - That would be more worth it
LaurieA - We get more for extra units but I'm maxed on that till I get the bonus for a Masters ($1200)
Mim - Yes - but the intrinsic value was priceless. It made me feel really proud to be a teacher. It seems that's getting to be more difficult these days. What grade and subject do you teach?
LaurieA - I think that would be great
LaurieA - I teach 3rd this year
Mim - Are you enjoying it?
LaurieA - I was teaching 4th the last 3 years at a low socio economic school
LaurieA - I moved this year to a newer school but I miss my other kids
Mim - That must have been very hard.
LaurieA - Yes, I do love it. The other school was hard but the staff was very committed.
Mim - Then you're a true teacher - to have that connection to the kids you've left. Is this a better opportunity or place for you? I think keeping in mind the toll your job takes on you and then ultimately on your family is always a good thing.
LaurieA - I put in for a transfer to try to get to the school my younger son is going to. I thought we could get an earlier start on homework
LaurieA - They didn't have room so they offered me third grade, which is held at 20 kids so far
Mim - Is he a good student other than the homework issue, or does he not like school?
LaurieA - At this other school. Oh well
LaurieA - He is bright but very slow in his writing
LaurieA - He hesitates to ask questions and has been diagnosed ADD inattentive
LaurieA - He just doesn't get started when he should
Mim - Is he slow because he needs time to think and process or because the physical act of writing is difficult for him?
Mim - Did you have him tested for learning disabilities, too?
LaurieA - He wants to have the very best answer, and sometimes he doesn't know what that should be. For example, in writing vocabulary words in sentences...
LaurieA - He took hours to come up with just the right sentences and wouldn't write just a simple sentence
Mim - Sounds like he puts lots of pressure on himself - that seems to add time when kids are doing their work
LaurieA - Yes, we had him tested and nothing came up as a learning disability
Mim - Just a normal child who wants to do things right - he probably cares very much what you think of his work, too.
LaurieA - He tested high when there was no time limit but on the timed tests he wouldn't go faster.
Mim - Hey, judes - sorry, couldn't resist.
LaurieA - He has a teacher this year who is worksheeting him to death
judes - hi, what's up?
Mim - He wants to do his best - that's a good thing, but sometimes not practical.
LaurieA - Last year his teacher worked very hard on him and he was becoming successful
Mim - judes - are you an NB applicant or certified NB teacher? I think I stumbled in here by accident.
LaurieA - I'm trying to get through this year and put in a request for a teacher next year who understands learning differences and differentiation
Mim - Laurie - the worksheet thing - yuk!
LaurieA - I stumbled in also and we've jus been chatting
LaurieA - I know... It's driving me crazy and we haven't had the option to change classes
LaurieA - He gets between 6 and 8 worksheets a day!
uni - oh and I saw Mim and thought maybe I missed a GATE chat
Mim - Sounds like a good plan. He sounds like a motivated student who needs the kind of teacher who will offer kids lots of varied opportunities to demonstrate what they know in a variety of ways. Worksheets make my blood run cold, although that's all my kids had in elementary - they went to parochial school - worksheet central!
uni - just a general chat?
Mim - What's a GATE chat? Talk about out of the loop - I have no idea what's happening here anymore.
LaurieA - He will write if its for a real purpose but hates to copy the sentence to put a perioad, question mark or exclamation point at the end.
uni - Well there is a Mim who is a GATE teacher and posts on the GATE board so I thought it was "my" Mim
uni - Gifted and Talented
LaurieA - I saw the GATE chat was scheduled for 4pm eastern
uni - LaurieA how old is your son?
LaurieA - He's 9 and in 4th
LaurieA - oops, period
Mim - I have to say, I don't blame the poor kid. My son about flipped with that kind of work. I remember him going bonkers about coloring. He used to take a brown crayon in the early crayons and just scribble a whole picture brown. He said the coloring was a big time waster, and he just wouldn't play. Oh yeah, he fit in real well
uni - and still getting endless worklsheets? That seems to me a primary thing in my district
Mim - uni - where do you teach? What grade and subject?
uni - I think the only thing I ever xerox are math word problems
LaurieA -they sound alike. His second grade teacher couldn't figure out why he didn't care about finishing fast enough to do the coloring
uni - 6th Grade everything
uni - and pre_algebra (middle school) to 4-5-6 advanced kids
Mim - Everything? Is it a self-contained - or do you teach a pull out of gifted and talented?
uni - No I have self-contained gifted
uni - magnet program within our school
LaurieA - His teacher copies everything. In our SST meeting I mentioned the practice book pages for the lang arts basal and she said she didn't do "every" page. I would hope not but it sure looks like it.
Mim - Laurie - when I look back, I wonder if I shouldn't have moved my son to the public schools (my district). I had to provide supplementary material for him both in and out of school. He was bored out of his mind, in trouble a lot, and very frustrated with the rigidity.
Mim - Oh, uni - you are my idol - I am very jealous. I have one advanced class (I teach 8th grade language arts on a middle school team) and I wait all day for that class!
LaurieA - He doesn't get in trouble but just doesn't finish his work. And if he'snot done she doesn't let him do the group work in Social studies, science
uni - Mim I am VERY LUCKY - we have a 4-5-6 magnet program and then GT Blocks in the three middle schools
LaurieA - I can't imagine teaching 6th grade GATE everything. I don't think I could keep ahead of them
uni - I know how lucky I am ---believe me!
LaurieA -
uni - Well it helps that I have 3 of my own identified
Mim - She sounds like a real peach. You know I used to tell my kids that once in a while, you'll get a teacher, or boss, or co-worker, you just don't agree with. When that happens, you just do the best you can, but you also have to stay true to yourself. I'm not sure that was the best advice, but both kids have succeeded, so at least they weathered the storms and survived. But, Laurie, it isn't easy, I know.
uni - and I actually have my degrees in other than education - I got my education license after dealing with my oldest frustraions in K -2
LaurieA - That's where we're at this year.
LaurieA - My older son has been in GATE is in honors classes in our middle school
LaurieA - The work they are doing in Pre Alg is what I remember doing in High School Algebra
uni - Laurie you sound like the parents of the kids I teach - they throw up their hands because they are so overwhelemed with the math (except the math professors of course)
uni - the kids breeze through it!
LaurieA - My younger son did well on the GATE test but didn't qualify this year because his second grade standardized test scores were so low. He didn't finish enough of the test to get a score
uni - Seven of my sixth graders have a special Algebra teacher who is hired just for them
LaurieA - Well, luckily I loved Algebra and if I look at the text I can talk him through any struggles.
uni - I just do pre-Algebra -
Mim - Laurie, does your son get upset with his requirements? Do you have to sit with him when he does his work?
LaurieA - The teacher have tutoring times at lunch and after school for kids who don't have help at home. I'm very impressed with their commitment
uni - since we are in a university town we have many unemployued teacher's around - and they are laying off more for next year so...
LaurieA - Yes, I sit with him. If he has a lot of problems he gets overwhelmed even though he knows how to do it, He just thinks he'll never get it done and hates the repetitive writing
Mim - uni - what state are you in? It seems everyone is getting hit with budget cuts. I'm in Michigan and next year will be a nightmare here.
uni - Indiana
uni - we have big big cuts in the budget - glad my youngest is graduating this year
uni - the older two are in colelge
uni - college
LaurieA - I've asked about modiffying the work load. Half the prolems if he can show he knows how to do it. But she said if they modify it the best he get is a C and he doesn't want that.
uni - Does he have an IEP?
Mim - Oh - right here in the midwest. I think we're all in the same boat. Our last governor spent 12 years throwing public schools in Michigan under the bus. He did everything he could to destroy the system, and it appears, he may have done lots of damage.
uni - we modify all the time with or without IEPs
uni - why can he get only a C if mdified?
Mim - We do to - modification, that is. The teacher sounds rigid, I hate to say.
LaurieA - If you're talking about my 9 year old we have a 504
uni - well we have a "no tax" state - guess what that does for roads, schools, etc
uni - Hey a 504 can require modification too
Mim - Nuff said
uni - have you talked "beyond" the teacher about this problem with modification?
LaurieA - The only requirements so far is his seating assignement and she is supposed to chunk the assignments, only give him part but I haven't seen evidence of this so far
LaurieA - Yes, she said she talked with other fourth grade teachers and they concurred
Mim - Yes, could he take some quizzes or tests, at least, orally? What about disgraphia? Does he have physcial or mechanical problems with the writing itself?
uni - sounds as if you have some ammunition to move up and include a counselor or principal in the next discussion
LaurieA - Well, the principal and the psychologist have been there.
uni - well that is not good enough - that SHE talked to them
LaurieA - He doesn't have dysgraphia as far as I can tell. His writing is beautiful but slow
uni - and do they also agree? You might want to start looking for alternative schooling --is it possible??
uni - why does he have a 504 ?
LaurieA - The psychologist talked about doing more on the computer, or assessing through other ways than writing but she hasn't agreed
uni - what about using computer? I have a kids with 504 who is required to have a computer for all tests, written assignments
LaurieA - The 504 was recently put in place because of the ADD-
Mim - Sorry, have to log off. Nice chatting with both of you.
uni - my 504 has Aspergers and an IQ off the wall
LaurieA - He works on the computer at home, but the teacher couldn't see how he could do the "worksheets" on the computer
LaurieA - Thanks, MIM
uni - but he does have communications problems
uni - those D***N worksheets again!
uni - we are not allowed more than 2 sheets of pepaer perkid per day
LaurieA - I've had a student that I thought was Aspergers, when I left that school he had not been diagnosed
uni - we have learned to be creative!!!!
LaurieA - I'm sure
uni - this is my 4th one in 6 years - I think they are purposefully moving them to my class now as I ahve been successful in dealing with the peculiarities
LaurieA - My student that I wondered about would probably have lost body parts between my class and the next door partner if they weren't attached
LaurieA - He was the sweetest boy but very disorganized
uni - just noticed the time - probably need to get to sleep too - son coming home for diner and laundry tomorrow and I still have grading/planning to do for next week tomorrow
uni - so th at means up early !!!!
LaurieA - Thanks for the chat. You must be in Eastern time too
LaurieA - G'night
uni - nice talking to you Laurie - I would still consider trying for modification and killing those worksheets
uni - good luck!!
LaurieA - I hoping for survival this year and something better next year
