I'm Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack :)

Grades were due by noon this past Friday...I stayed up the night before until 2 a.m. grading papers...which has been the normal routine around here for the last 4 weeks. 

Needless to say, after the gradebooks were turned in and my name checked off the list, I crashed...and then crashed some more today....and probably will crash again tomorrow after church.

But, I have soooo missed blogging.

and reading the blogs of others...

and reading PERIOD...

anything other than student essays for a few weeks please.

I love what I do...when I am in my classroom doing my thang, I am in my element.  There are teachers who are easier than me and others who are harder.  If I'm completely honest, I'd probably have to admit that there are more teachers who are easier than harder :/

Sometimes I feel funny about that.

And, I question myself.

But, then I remember that sometimes "hard" means you require work, active learning and student responsibility.  

I know I grade hard...but it's with the safety blanket of not counting off for everything I mark. In order to become a better writer, one must write.

In order to become a better reader, one must read.

It's actually pretty simple.

If a student is willing to do the work and pull his/her own weight, I'm available to help them 24/7. 

Only 2 students failed my class this summer...and both were extreme situations. 

One of the failing students has already re-signed up for my class in the fall.

I don't think the other one will though.

Still, another, an A student, chose her final essay to express her great dis-satisfaction with me personally: somewhere along the way, I obviously said or made some comment she didn't appreciate.  

Oh well.

She probably made some comment along the way that I didn't like either.

Such is the life of a teacher.

However, the rest of the 45 consistently recognized in their final essays that I required much of them and had high expectations for them, but that I only asked them to do as much as I was willing to do with them. And, almost every one of them recognized that they had progressed in some way as a reader and writer over the course of the last 4 weeks.

I can live with that.

Grouchy Teacher Blues

Just popping in to say I'm still here...

I got a little annoyed today when I overheard a couple of my not so stellar students complaining about "all the work she makes us do."

I really wanted to say, "Multiply the work you're doing by 40...and then you talk about how tired you are."

GRRRRR!

I think some students think teachers assign work because we like to cause them great pain and suffering...

I also think some students sign up for summer school because they think it's going to be 4 weeks worth of work instead of 17 weeks worth of work...when really and truly summer school is 17 weeks worth of work slammed into 4 weeks.  

I love that they think we can just throw assignments out if we feel like it.

If only I had such power.

We are definitely at that point of the summer semester (more than 1/2 way in) where the load is bending us all.     None of us is getting much sleep.

All of us are tired of seeing each other every. single. day. for 2 1/2 hours then going home and working 12 more hours on classwork/grading.

They're tired of my jokes and stories, and I'm tired of their whining.

They're tired of my nagging, and I'm tired of explaining the same simple things over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.

We will get there though...sooner rather than later.  This time next week, we'll essentially be done...

They will anyway....I'll still be grading till Christmas.

Those scantron teachers best not come near me for a while.

:(

Hurry, End of the Semester, Hurry!

This is the time of year that many teachers begin to wonder whether or not they chose the correct profession.

For some reason this semester especially we've had an abundance of undisciplined students.  I believe my success as well as my retention percentages in some of my classes will be lower than they have ever been.  I'm not a hard grader; I promise.  It's just that the students are not turning in anything to grade...they're not coming to class either...and they have an abundance of excuses to justify their irresponsibility. 0's don't average very well.

I'm done.

I used to think it was my responsibility to reach all my students...if I didn't reach even one, somehow I had failed.  I've changed my mind this semester.  At some point students have to learn to do their part...at least meet me half way (get to class and attempt their assignments) so that I have a place to reach.

I'm not giving up; I'm just switching my gears...no more bending over backwards and begging students to do their work...no more 16 chances to turn work in and improve grades...

I'm going to start applying some tough love and see if I can get their attention.

After the events of this past week, I feel like telling them all the story of Peter and the Wolf.
If you run around whining all the time about how hard you have it, about how the world ought to bend to your needs, about how unfair life is...

you may just find out exactly how unfair life is.

Time to put the big boy and big girl britches on.

The End.

Lifelong Literacy and the Changing Face of Reading

Last week was absolutely nuts...a good kind of nuts...but nuts just the same. 

Last week was so nuts that I'm going to continue my trend of breaking my own rules. 
This week my blog is going to be somewhat of an academic blog :)

But, in a good way, I promise.

The chaos started when several months ago I was notified that I would be receiving the Humanities Teacher of the Year Award for my school.  This award is sponsored by the Humanities Council for the state of Mississippi and I was honored and humbled beyond words to receive it.  I had to prepare a 30 minute presentation which took place this past Tuesday and I will also have to attend the statewide award presentation in February.  My parents attended the ceremony, reception and luncheon as did my middle and youngest child, Soccer Boy (representing my firstborn who was on a Senior field trip), the administrative cabinet from my school, faculty and students as well as a host of local media, a representative from MS Humanities Council and a representative from the governor's office.

Whew!

Now that you've got the facts, let me give you the "real deal" Peppermint style ;)

I am not a fan of acolades.  I'm going to do what I do no matter what.  It's nice to be recognized but not at all necessary in my book.  I almost get embarrassed...is that silly??

I LOVE a captive audience.  My students would roll their eyes at this statement.  I do not get nervous about speaking in front of people...not even this kind of crowd.  I think that stems from my passion about what I do.  I'm that sure that what I'm saying is what the audience needs to hear. 

The title of my presentation was "Lifelong Literacy and the Changing Face of Reading." 

I can talk about literacy with my eyes closed.

If I couldn't, then I would hope someone would show up to take my Ph.D. away.

I mean that.

My stand on literacy is not always popular with fellow teachers because I believe at least part of the problem is what is not going on in the classroom. 

Students enjoy hearing someone finally say that the problem is not because they are so "dumb," but faculty, not so much because that means they've got to examine themselves a little closer.

Effective teachers examine themselves and their classroom practices constantly and adjust things as needed.

Ineffective teachers...well...they don't.

Before any fellow teachers out there who stumble on my blog get their hackles up, I do not think the fault lies completely with ineffective teachers.  And, some ineffective teachers are ineffective because of local, state and national policy constraints. 

One of the local media asked me point blank "Whose fault is it that literacy levels nationwide are so low and that each year more and more students who graduate from high school need remedial education when they enter college?"

Holy Smokes! What a question.

A good question, but certainly a scary one to answer.

I told her there are too many variables to point fingers in one direction. 

But, the system itself seems to value test scores more than student learning.  Until that focus shifts, the literacy situation in our country is not going to improve.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Just for fun, here's a shot of me telling my story...

More tomorrow...

Coach Patti

I really didn't fall off the face of the earth last week.

I had to take a blogging sabbatical of sorts for a very good reason.

This is my story...
and I'm sticking to it.

Each summer my BFF Missie puts together a "Kids College" on our campus.

Because I'm her friend, I get to work too. 

Ain't that the way it always is?

Missie put me in charge of library last year...made sense to me...I'm a reader extraordinaire, teach reading and English, yada, yada, yada...

This year she put me in charge of PE.

P.

freakin'

E.

Now, I do not have one athletic bone in my body.

Not one.

I was a cheerleader in high school during the days when all we had to do was look cute on the sidelines and yell cute chants.

There was no throwing people around or really even any gymnastics.

We did run in with the team at the beginning of the game...then, we drank a little water and smiled for all the pictures our moms took.

I also ran track one year for one day. :)

It was hot.
That's the extent of my athleticism.

Anyhoo...me and my not one athletic bone did what Missie assigned us to do and taught P.E. all week.

Last week from 7:40 in the morning until 12:30 each day I shuffled little children (ages 1st grade - 6th grade) around the gym, blew the whistle quite often,





ran up and down the basketball court (I'm the one in the little black circle about to pass out),


took frequent water breaks, referred games, refereed arguments, took more water breaks, ate a snack pack of Nutter Butter cookies or Cheez Its for breakfast,




made up rules, broke rules, reminded kids about the rules,






blew the whistle some more, and most importantly (to the story I'm sticking to in this post) wore myself slap out.

Each day after clean up and a quick lunch with the children I gave birth to, my BFF Missie, and her kid, we had a couple of days of doctor's appointments (story for another day) and I worked hard to save my tomato plants.  We also had 3 extra kids at our house most of the week that my firstborn was babysitting and VBS at church from 5:30-8:00.

Lord, have mercy.

Suffice to say that by the end of each day last week, I was anxiously awaiting bedtime. 

And, when I say anxiousy awaiting, I mean standing by the window waiting for the sun to go down.

There was no more physical stamina for blogging.

There was no brain activity for blogging.

There was not even a real desire for blogging.

I just wanted my bed, some Ibuprofen and sleep.
Thank goodness I had already started some of the posts of the last few days or I would have never been able to catch up.

My entire body still aches.

I feel like someone (or a bunch of little someones) marched all over my body all week.

Particularly my knees.

It's official.
I'm old.

Classroom Visit

At the end of each semester my students each are responsible for preparing a powerpoint presentation.  I thoroughly enjoy listening to my students walk through their research process, sharing not only what they learned from their research but also what they learned (or didn't learn :) about the research process itself and the resulting paper. 

By this time in the semester the papers are all graded, some of the pressure of the semester is removed and we are all just relaxing a little bit. 

Yesterday this beautiful young lady, who I've known for several years, was presenting her research. 

As she was discussing a semester's worth of work in front of a classroom full of her peers and her teacher (me) who is grading her, something happened.

As is customary in Mississippi when the temperatures begin to rise, men, women and children begin wearing flip flops.  You can find flip flops of every variety around here: sassy flip flops, shower shoes, casual flip flops, beachy flip flops in every design imaginable and even dressy flip flops.  On this day in particular, I had on my dressy flip flops.  I just happened to sneak a peek at my toes, which are in much need of a pedicure...and I saw this...

Standing right by my left foot was a spider very similar to this one...only bigger...with longer legs and more eyes!!

Now, I am a professional woman...I pride myself in my ability to stay calm. 

I have handled everything from vomiting, a seizure, a panic attack, angry students from time to time and once even a possible gun threat in my building.

You would think I could handle a spider, right?

WRONG!

I SCREAMED,

jumped up out of the chair I was sitting in,

and ran across the room. 

Yes, I did.

I ran across the room.

Then and only then did I return to reality and realize what I had just done. 

IN FRONT OF MY CLASSROOM FULL OF STUDENTS!

Of course, some of the young ladies in my class sitting on the front rows also saw Mr. (or Mrs.) Spider as soon as I jumped up, and they were also sitting in their chairs with their feet up.  One was even standing in her chair!

TRUE STORY!!

This wonderful young man who also sits in the front row became the HERO of the day.

As calm as you please, he got up, retrieved a magazine from one of my shelves and, amidsts squealing provided by me and my femle students, he killed the spider.

He then scooped the spider remains up and carried it to the recycling bin.

I told him he could go ahead and toss the magazine in as well.

You may be wondering what happened to the student who was presenting.

She actually stayed calmer than most of the rest of us.  She was already sitting on the side of a desk controlling the laptop.  All she had to do was lift her feet.

After we all calmed back down, and I found a completely different place in the classroom to sit, she finished her presentation.

She also received a perfect 100 A+ on her presentation.

As did my hero :):)

Research Papers

Oy!

So much for not bringing my work home with me.

I'm still grading.

I did take a break last night and had a nice glass of wine...ok, ok, I had two nice glasses of wine :)

I graded like a mad woman this afternoon and had to take a nap before evening church services because my head was throbbing...not from the wine :0)

The papers have ranged from really good, I'm very proud, maybe not perfect, but I think they learned a little something along the way...

to...

Where the hell have these people been all semester long????

At first I was going to give the "Where the hell have these people been all semester long?" papers back tomorrow and ask them to do some revisions.

By late this afternoon, I changed my mind.

We have worked on this project

all.

semester.

long.

If they haven't got it by now, guess what?

They ain't gonna get it.

I don't mean to sound harsh.

I'm tired.

These folks won't have F's because I'm teaching a process here...that is evaluated on more than just the final grade on the paper.

But they ain't gettin' an A either.

And then I can go on with my life.

So there.

The Light in the Distance...

I need a break. This school year has been difficult at best. Not just for me...our entire campus is exhausted.

Yesterday and today a particular student called me multiple times to beg me to let her turn in her end of the semester work.  I told her that my grades for her online course were due at noon today.  If she could get me her binder before noon, I would count it.  At 12:10 today her sister entered my office with the binder in question.  I opened the binder and guess what was in there?  Blank pages.  Yes, you read correctly.  Blank pages.  After holding up an entire class of grades, this student turned in a binder with blank pages inside.

I called said student on the phone and told her that her binder was incomplete; she would not pass the class. 

Said student responded, "What do you mean my binder is incomplete?" 

I explained to said student that her pages were there, but that the pages were blank. 

I promise on a stack of bibles that said student began to argue with me about whether or not her pages were blank. 

I described the blank pages to her.

It gets even weirder.

After I described the blank pages, said student continued to argue that the pages were NOT blank...BUT the reason she didn't do the assignments was because she didn't understand them.

Yes, I was confused at this point as well.

I explained that 10 minutes after grades were due was not the appropriate time to mention to the instructor that you did not understand the assignments and that there was nothing I could do to help her now...the binder is a major portion of the grade in the class.  Without a complete binder, she would fail. 

Then, yes, ladies and gentlemen, said student continued to argue...apparently she expected me to take some kind of responsibility for her lack of work, the excuse of not understanding should negate the fact that she didn't complete her work, and with the rising volume and tone of her voice, I guess I was supposed to be intimidated.

At this point I was stunned.  That's really just about all I can say.  I was stunned.  Speechless.

Said student then yelled into the phone, "My binder is NOT blank!!" and hung up on me.

Right now I'm having a difficult time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel...I know it's there...I can even hear the distant rumbling of the train. But, I'm still at that place where I've just picked up the sound and haven't quite decided whether it's a welcome sound or an ominous one. 

After spending 3 hours entering grades for 3 classes of students due to a server reminiscent of dial up internet, I have put 3 of the 7 classes I teach to bed.  The other 4 will be tucked in next week.

I'm looking forward to focusing on other things...I have books and magazines to read, a pool to swim in, a house that needs a serious cleaning, and 3 girls who need a full-time mommy the last few weeks of their school year. That's me. And, I can't wait.

May is around the Corner

This is not an academic blog. 

But, it's impossible to ignore my reality as May approaches.

The end of the semester is getting closer and closer.

This is what my desk looks like:

As a rule I don't bring my work home with me.

That's not always been my rule, but since I've been following this rule, I really think I like it.

Yet, this still awaits me at work:

These need to be graded too.

Looks like a stack of A's to me ;)

Oy!