on teaching salaries

A quick article on why teachers in predominantly minority schools typically make about $2,500 less than teachers in predominately white schools.

1. They are typically new teachers because of the turnover rate
2. There is no room in the budget for bonuses

"...Closing the achievement gap requires some serious investment banker-style hours." Um, yeah it does. 

this is what I look like

courtesy of mr. peden

phases of teaching

This article outlines the different phases a new teacher goes through.

Anticipation - July, August

Survival - September

Disillusionment - October, November, December

Rejuvenation - January, February, March

Reflection - April, May, June

Needless to say, I'm looking forward to the next few months...

A combination of stress, exhaustion, illness, and overwhelming responsibilities can throw a new teacher into a "pit of despair." Your tendency may be to focus on what hasn't been accomplished and what has gone wrong over the past several months. Report cards, parent-teacher conferences, and your first teacher evaluation are looming. Classroom management issues can be discouraging. Self-esteem may be at an all-time low. Many new teachers consider leaving the profession during this stage. 

sundays

I always feel like I'm at the top of the biggest roller coaster hill, in that moment before the cars slip from the tracks and your belly goes flying.

Last night I had a dream that I accidentally overslept until 9am. It took me all day to get to work. Then I got fired. I woke up at 8:30 and panicked because I thought it was Monday.

Hello, Week 6. Bring it on.

marshmallows and fluff

I have been desperately emailing the distributor of out carpet trying to get a delivery date before my students ate me alive.

"Our carpet is never going to come."

"It's going to take a hundred years."

Every. Single. Morning.

Tuesday while they were in art I received an email that said it should be there. I ran to the office, and sure enough. ENORMOUS carpet obstructing the sitting area and no one thought to call me.

I quickly set it up and went to get them from art. Next, madness. They danced with joy for a full 30 seconds before I had to stop them from hitting each other.

"I didn't know it was going to be this big!!"

"Ms. Haley, how did they make it so soft, like marshmallows and fluff?"

Everybody has a facebook page, but I have a fan page. Mhm, it's been blowing up. Messages, posts, everything.

- high schooler on the subway

"Ms. Haley, you're the smartest teacher I've ever met."

Maybe you're a suck-up, but I'll take it.

love. this. book.

My teacher friend, Elizabeth, shared this with me. It's just so good.

Field Trip requests are due next week! My grade-level partner and I having been brainstorming. If you have fond memories of a class trip, please share your ideas.

gives new meaning

...to "everything I need to know, I learned in Kindergarten."

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/28/business/economy/28leonhardt.html

a small victory

K made it through the whole day Friday without any holes in her tights!

mr. agitated

During QT (quiet time), I watched as he peacefully laid with his eyes closed. Then, I watched as he very matter-of-factly stuck his finger up his nose, ran it around the inside, licked his finger like a lolli, and stuck his finger back into his ear.

Here's to being a Kindergarten teacher.

mailboxes

For anyone who knows me, you know how much I love getting mail, of the handwritten variety.

Well, just this week we got our mailboxes and since we had an extra, I gave myself one as a way of collecting absence notes or other important forms. Imagine my utter delight when my kids started putting notes and drawings in of their own accord. I'm getting an average of three messages a day. Beautiful colored scribbles and pictures. And even some coloring book pages.

And they're just figuring out that I always write back, so I'm getting ready for an influx.

"Ms. Haley, I'm feeling very agitated at you."

carpet

I showed the littles a picture of their new carpet today at the end of the day, and you wouldn't believe their reaction.

They were so excited that they sat up in their seats, and all simultaneously gasped. Then they broke out into cheers and starting high-fiving each other. I wish that I had a picture to share because it was literally one of the best things I have seen. Ever.

Says K (who pulls her uniform tights every day until they rip) while she fiddles, fingers entangled, with her now-shredded tights, "Ms. Haley, can you make this hole go away?"

"No K, but if you stop pulling on it, it won't get too much worse."

"My momma says she's gonna whoop me if I come home with another hole in my tights."

the interrupters

A few weeks ago I went to see The Interrupters, a film about treating violence in the city of Chicago through CeaseFire.

Imagine walking down a street where everyone is armed – with guns, rocks, knives – and a fight is breaking out. Imagine walking into the middle of that fight armed with nothing but your own love, your own courage, about 40 hours of conflict and anger management training, and the lessons of your own violent past. Imagine pulling the participants apart, listening to their grievances, and talking them into being a little bit better than they think they can be, and if you do your work right – if you can listen hard enough and love hard enough – maybe no one dies today. 

Read the rest of the review here. I cannot recommend the film enough - if you have a chance to see it, see it.