Pssst...I have a secret

I really don't think standardized testing is the devil.

There.
I said it.

Does it take away from instruction?  Yeah.  Does the possibility of ONE TEST being a huge determinant of my salary scare me?  Yep. 

However, these tests hold value.  Really, they do.  Imagine you're a teacher (and for some of my readers...that's not too hard to do!) and there you sit, a blank lesson plan book in front of you, you know that 20 25 30  35 bright, shiny, new faces are going to be staring at you in a matter of days.  After the preliminary "getting to know you" activities parents, and your administrators, expect you to actually start teaching.  (I know...the nerve!)  Where do you start?  What are your goals?  WHAT THE HELL DO I TEACH THESE KIDS?

Those evil, no-good, dirty, rotten tests actually give me a starting point.  The bulk of my kids struggled with extended writing last year?  Great!  Guess what a focus of mine is going to be?  Their grammar and conventions suck?  I'll start pulling out the Michael Clay Thompson books.

Not only does looking at the data help drive my curricular planning, I look back at how my former class performed.  Did they struggle with identifying theme in their writing test?  Looks like I should hit it harder from now on, etc. 

Granted, once kids get to the upper-elementary/middle school grades, a ton of their test scores really do depend on their attitude.  There's a story of an 8th grader at my school that, while he had the ability to do well on one of his tests, he spent the majority of the testing sessions drawing sea life in the test book.  I'm assuming he didn't score too well...and I would also gather that his teacher didn't look to his scores to help her figure out her areas of strength and weakness as a teacher. 

There's also parents that don't put much stock into it, a friend of mine had a parent last year that said, "Well, all the kids know it doesn't really matter how THEY do...it's just a report card for the teachers."

^That^ statement scares me, but I'll save it for post some other day.

Does state testing foster "teaching to the test"?  Well...yeah.  But, the test reflects the state standards, which are reflected in my district standards, which are then reflected in my school expectations.  What is wrong with that?????

I know the horror stories of teachers just doing "testing workbooks" all year long, but honestly...how many of you have really seen/experienced that?  I know that my students will have to analyze some poetry, so I have them analyze some poetry throughout the year.  I also know that my students will be required to respond to a persuasive, descriptive, or explanatory prompt...yeah, they've been sharpening their writing skills in those areas throughout the year.

Frankly, if you are doing your job, and teaching to the standards and grade-level appropriate curriculum..you ARE teaching to the test, and that's okay.  I'm lucky to be in a school that allows a great deal of teacher-autonomy, so I can get my kids to write persuasively any way I want.  I had them identify propaganda techniques, read persuasive writing, analyze persuasive writing, research an issue, and finally, write a persuasive essay about the issue.  <----That, my friends is how AimCo " teaches to the test". 

So, long story longer, I don't mind the period of testing.  It gives me some data, I can get end of the quarter grading done, read some books, and organize my file cabinet...not a bad week, in my opinion.

Yogi Musings

This is something that I've been thinking about for a while...and the irony (or hypocracy) of how I live my life, and how I aspire to live my life struck me as I was sitting in the bathtub in a hotel "up the hill" last weekend.

For Babe's birthday, we got a room for a couple nights in a little gambling town and since it was the first time in a while that we were absolutely alone--no kids, no friends, no family..just US we decided to do it up right.  Needless to say, we lost a ton of money, drank a lot of alcohol, ate like shit (but it was delicious!) and didn't workout.

In the midst of my hangover (and you know after a 2-day bender, they suck ass) I decided to let Babe sleep and I figured I'd take a bath.  Since I finished my book the day before, I grabbed the most recent issue of Yoga Journal to flip through while I relaxed in the tub.

Now, I'm not a hard core yoga chick--I love doing yoga, but it's not like I visit a studio or anything--heck I do my yoga in my classroom using this website.  I do, however really enjoy it...I've gotten stronger, I think my posture is better, and it really is relaxing.  What I don't do is really buy into all the "feel the pulse of the universe through the soles of your feet" stuff.  The instructors that teach the classes I enjoy do throw some of the yogi-mystical-eastern stuff into their teaching, but most of the time their advice is sound: listen to your body, don't do anything that makes you hurt or feel uncomfortable, and live in the now.  I think we could all do that...

Anyway, back to the point.  There I was, feeling absolutely crappy, soaking in the tub (which I'm sure used gallons upon gallons of water) reading this magazine which is all about pure, healthy living.  The polar opposite-ness of it all hit me hard.  I would LOVE to detox my body: quit drinking alcohol, quit eating refined sugar, quit eating red meat (or most meat altogether), quit staying up until crazy hours, etc.

But. (There's always as but, right?)

I adore a juicy hamburger.
I love unwinding with a glass or wine or celebrating with my posse with a shot or something.
I treat myself with decadent spoonful or two of Ben and Jerry's Phish Food.
I stay up late with Babe some rights because it's the only time of the day where we get to be alone and have some grown up time.

Am I a bad person because I flat out admit that I enjoy some things that are bad for me and I have neither the willpower nor the desire to eliminate them from my life?  Or, am I doing okay because while I recognize that I have some unhealthy habits, I strive to live my life as healthy as I can?

I dunno...but I'll keep searching.

Dystopia...All the Kids are Doing It

My first post about books...I'm so excited! 

For those of you that know me, I'm a voracious reader--I read just about every genre, whether it's adult fiction or young adult fiction. I tend to have streaks where I read nothing but one type of book then I switch and read something else.  AS of now I'm on a bit of a YA fiction kick--which is so funny to me because the looks I get from the librarians when I'm scoping out the YA section make me laugh.  I'm sure they think I'm strange.  Whatevs, I read what my kids read (or what they may want to read) so I can make recommendations.  I'm not ashamed...

I've noticed that YA authors are trendy and the "hot" books at any time will spawn a bajillion other books of the exact same type.  It's fascinating, really.  From the loins of Twilight (dog vomit, if you ask me) sprung a million other teen vampire/werewolf/preternatural being books and series.  Don't get me wrong, I love the vampires.  I've been a Buffy fan from the get go and two of my favorite book series are the Anita Blake books (before they got all soft-core pornish) and the Hallows series.  But, one AMAZINGZOMGTHISISSOCUTTINGEDGE series is great.  Twelve of them...it's just overkill and unoriginal.

The other trend I've been seeing lately are the "dystopia" books...you know instead of a unicorn and rainbow utopia, everyone is living in Hell.  It seems like everyone is trying to emulate what I consider the ultimate of the genre, Lois Lowry's The Giver.  Books like The Bar Code Tattoo, the Uglies series, Fearless (just to name a few) are trying to recreate the horror and wonder of Lowry's book. 

They fail.

What we're left with is a bleak look at "what could be" with no hope for things to get better.  As with everything, there are exceptions to the rule--I'm totally digging The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games series.  I think what's different is that these are well-written, the characters are well-thought out, and while the plot points are a bit dark, they're dealt with in a humorous, empathetic manner. 

I really don't know the point of this post...it's not really a rant, not a book review...just some musing about what all the kids are reading right now. 

The Curse of Multi-Tasking

This morning I found myself face-down, ass-up in the bathroom.




(pause for effect)







No, Babe and I weren't having some "alone time".  I was cleaning up the mess of shattered glass and lotion that was once a lovely addition to my bathroom counter.  The reason it happened was pretty simple: Babe cleaned up the bathroom after a long day of teaching and coaching, so this morning, while I was brushing my teeth, I figured I could help out a bit by wiping down the counter.  One-handed, I got the cleaner, sprayed it all over the counter and the sink, got the sponge, got it wet, started wiping and moving things around so I could access all the nooks and crannies.  (Yes, I'm still brushing my teeth at this point.)  I moved the lotion away from its spot by the mirror to the edge of the counter.  Can you see where I'm going?

I finish brushing my teeth, stand up (I was leaning over and cleaning) turn, and jam my right elbow into the glass jar.

SMASH alloverthetilefloor.  All Babe can hear (he's still in bed at this point...it wasn't even 6 yet) is, "Shit!  Shit!  Shitshitshitshit!"  Of course, he's worried because he heard glass breaking and then me freaking out, but I can't let him in the bathroom because there's glass and lotion EVERYWHERE.  So I clean up the mess, while Babe gets the vacuum.  We get it handled and we move on.

 Lesson learned: Don't groom and clean at the same time.

10 Things: You Didn't Know About Me

Ah, when I don't have the time to write anything intelligent (and trust me, I know I'm using the term "intelligent" loosely...) I fall back on "The List".

1. Despite being a voracious reader, I've not read many of "the classics".  I find them boring.

2. I still bite my nails.

3. I adore U2...but really everything up to and including The Joshua Tree.  After that, I think Bono tried too hard.

4. I've been married three times.  (You know what they say, "Third time's the charm.")

5. I have a horrible temper.  In the past, I've been known to kick holes in walls and throw things through closet doors.  I've calmed down in my adult years, but I still get wicked pissed!

6. I have a weird phone phobia.  I blame the internet.  Now that I don't have to talk to people, I'd prefer not to.

7. My entire house is tiled.  It's really frelling cold in the winter.

8. I'm deathly allergic to cats...yet I'm considering letting Babe get one.  Is that true love or what??

9. I accidentally burned off the fingerprint on my left hand when I was in 7th grade.  When it finally healed, the print never completely returned.

10. I cry at commercials.

There you have it...the dirt.

I Need to Have a Topic!

This poem, written by a former student (she was a 6th grader at the time...she's graduating from high school this year...) sums up why I haven't blogged in a while.

i need to have a topic!

who knows what my topic should be,

not me.

it could be about 

life,

death,

happiness,

sadness,

love,

anger.

but no one to fit 

perfectly into my thoughts.

so many ideas 

but no topic.

wandering around

hopelessly 

trying to

complete the assignment.

but there's nothing, no

it's blank.

So many things to write...not enough time or motivation.  <le sigh>  I think I have the winter blues.