Is anyone else overwhelmed by the amount of subjects, grades, and responsibilities we have? I just spent the entire day grading papers, posting grades, and doing report cards. Every year the district adds more and more for us to teach. This year it was Fundations (not fun) and next year we are getting a new Science curriculum. Too much all ready!!!
I hear you- it can be overwhelming. There are a lot of things that pile up quickly if you aren't on top of things. All you can really do is try to manage your time and prioritize.
Hang in there.. only another month till a well-earned break.
This skill is particularly important because of the proliferation of altered truths circulating the Internet through email and website propaganda that too many people take as fact because it is written, when, in reality, it is merely opinion.
First off I would like to thank all the teachers here who have dedicated their careers to educating children. My mother in-law and sister in-law are both teachers as well.
The reason I am posting here is to get feedback on a specific issue we are facing as parents of a second grader and as we are directly involved sometimes it can be difficult to be clear minded when making decisions.
Can you weigh in on the following method and let us know if you think it's appropriate and if not how you would recommend we deal with it.
Recently while doing homework with our son I told him to leave an answer blank as he did not know the answer and to ask his teacher tomorrow. He got very nervous about this and informed me he did not want to do this as he would be put in the hall for not completing his work and would have to finish it there. After some further questioning and prodding we found out this is standard practice of his teacher. If someone does not complete the work the class is doing in the allotted amount of time, they will be sent to the hall along with anyone else who has not completed their work. During this time they are left unsupervised sometimes with the door shut until they are finished when they can reenter. (sometimes the door is locked and he has to knock). The teacher continues with lessons while they are outside and they are expected to catch up. As this is sometimes difficult the cycle can be vicious and the same children may have to re enter the hallway at the end of the next lesson/worksheet.
Needless to say this is distressing to our son. He has told us it makes him nervous and has from time to time made him not want to go to school. His grades last year were very good where as this year he is barely passing (2nd quarter). One of the comments his teacher put on his last report card is that he is rushing through his work – which seems to be a logical result of putting kids into the hall if they don’t keep up. Additionally he told us that his teacher will announce to the class who is last to turn in a test. I.e. “ok John is finally done so you can put your books away.”. Our son said this is also stressful to him.
We are friends with a couple of the other parents in the class and they have confirmed with their kids this is an accurate account.
Questions :
Would you raise this issue? To whom? (Background on a totally unrelated issue we raised a suggestion to this same teacher via email which was met with less than an enthusiastic response, to the point she emailed all the parents and suggested she would instead no longer complete the activity with the kids at all. We spoke with the principal post this and the principal agreed with us. )
We have an upcoming conference with the teacher in a few weeks but we are not sure we should wait to discuss as we are only allotted 15 minutes. The conference includes the guidance counselor this time because my wife had raised issues with her regarding the poor grades and anxiety.
Your thoughts and opinions are very welcomed. Even if you us we are nuts for even worrying about it.
7. Boundless ...See MoreThese are some of the names of the books which could be used as read aloud books. 10. Virgie Goes to School with Us Boys by Elizabeth Fitzgerald Howard, illustrated by E. B. Lewis
9. Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
8. Sam and the Lucky Money by Karen Chinn, illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu
7. Boundless Grace by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Carolyn Binch
6. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle by Betty McDonald
5. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo
4. The Year of Miss Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill.
3. Matilda by Roald Dahl
2. What the Moon Saw by Laura Resau
1. Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson, illustrated by Hudson Talbott
Some classrooms have one desk per student. This allows students there own space for storage of school materials, such as pencil cases, books, folders, etc. Students are accountable for the organization of their own space. Some students need more reminders to keep their area clean than others.
Some have a table with four to six students using the space. This requires school materials to be stored on top of the desk or elsewhere in the room or both. For example, some have their own pencil case for pencils, colored pencils, crayons AND a group container for scissors, glue, markers, glue sticks. Both are stored on top. Extra papers or not finished papers are left on top of the table space. This frequently looks messy and very unorganized. In some classrooms, this can drive me crazy. So messy!
One classroom has no table space or desks for students. I am not sure how this works on a regular basis. Doesn't seem very practical to have to do everything on the floor!
Desks can be moved around. Desks allow for easy movement and social interaction. Everyone has their own space to be organize and clean. I guess I like desks.
Any ideas for affordable and well organized sites that allow such file sharing between teacher and families? Is threering.com a good solution? We want to get parents involved and looking at things with their kids but we are struggling with these massive files of data.....