Day 169

• 6:15 -

Day 168

• 6:30 - 2:30, 5:30 - 7:30 (10 hours)

Day 167

• 6:30 - 3:00 (8 hours, 30 minutes)

Day 166

• 6:30 -2:30 (8 hours)

Day 165

• 6:30 - 2:30 (8 hours)

Day 164

• 6:15 -4:15 (10 hours)

Day 163

• 6:15 -2:30 (8 hours, 15 minutes)
• $18 (adviser tee-shirt and fundraiser car wash ticket)

Day 163

• 6:30 -1:30 (7 hours - woo hoo!)

Day 162

• 6:15 -1:30, 4:30 - 6:00 (9 hours, 45 minutes)

Day 161 - AP English Test Proctoring!

• 6:00 - 12:30 (6 hours, 30 minutes - an actual working-to-contract day!)

Day 160

• 5:45 -4:45, 6:30 - 7:30 (12 hours)

Day 158

• 6:15 -1:15, 2:30 - 9:30 (14 hours)
• $5

They grow up so fast.

The morning is starting off well:

• One of my former students recently got in trouble for creating a flip-book of two stick figures engaging in lude and lascivious activities. 
• I was privy to this conversation: 

"During class I flick pennies into the lake."
"Why would you waste pennies like that?"
"Because I'm not Jewish.  Jews save their change."

THINKING is so hot right now!

The assignment:  Read 2 easy pragraphs that summarize why the ERA never passed.  Look at a pretty, color-coded map of the US showing which states ratified and did not ratify the ERA.  Answer 7 basic questions.  In other words, busy work for a class that misbehaved for the sub.


Question 2 on the handout asked "How many states ratified the ERA?" The answer could be found directly in the 2 paragraphs, or the more adventurous (or anti-reading) students could count the number of gray states on the map find the answer that way.  I knew that some students would not read thoroughly or would not count carefully, and thus expected a couple of incorrect answers.  However, I never expected this gem:

58.

That's right, 58 states ratified the ERA. 

This student was seeking a free pass to the bathroom in exchange for answering 2 questions, mind you.  So, I sent her back to her desk to check that information.  She returned with her updated answer:

50.

That's right - all 50 states ratified the ERA, which is why it is in place today, which is why I am giving my students an assignment analyzing why it did not pass.  When I tried this sarcasm on the student, the student's response was "Well, that's what another student told me to write."  Am I more annoyed that she might have made this up this blatantly incorrect to take any responsibility off herself without actually thinking about what she was saying first, or that there may be other students in class who simply do not take the time to look at a map or read a couple of sentences anymore? 

Guys - I know that these types of assignments are not the most interactive, HD, iPad friendly assignments.  But they exist and you need to learn how to complete them and more importantly, how to learn from them.  Because you'll get them in other classes, in college, and at work.  Most shockingly, this mistake did not result from a lack of knowledge.  The answer was right there in the half-page reading and map.  If you all are not taking these kinds of things seriously, how do you ever expect to do well on an assignment that actually challenges you? How do you expect to be competitive in this job market when this is the kind of work you try to turn in at school?

"Reasons Why Kids Shouldn't Have Homework"

"Homework is the reason Hitler took over Germany."

**The kid responsible for the above quote also came up with the title for this post.

Day 157

• 6:00 -2:45, 5:00 - 9:00 (12 hours, 45 minutes)

Day 156

• 6:15 -2:00, 5:00 - 7:00 (9 hours, 15 minutes)
• $43 (SAT registration fee for an awesome student)
• detentions written:  2 (reason given on 1 of them:  "Did the exact opposite of absolutely everything he was supposed to do for one full hour.")

Day 155

• 6:15 -3:15, 7:00 - 7:30 (9 hours, 30 minutes)

Why?

As many of you know, I am in my third year of teaching.  Due to a variety of cuts in our pay, benefits and other bonuses, his year I am bringing home less money each month than I made as a first-year teacher (before I had my MA degree).  The outlook for next year is even more grim.

Yet, on a regular basis I read and hear comments from a variety of different types of people (including students) that public school teachers are lazy, over-paid, and spoiled. 

I have indignantly and self-righteously refuted these baseless claims for three years now, knowing full well how many hours, vacations, holidays and my own funds I have put in to doing this job well.  But, teaching is a deceptive creature and I am starting to wonder how the work that I put into my job compares with that of other jobs.  Hence, the format of this blog is changing, or just becoming more inclusive (yay BTSA vocab!).

To start, here is my income as a third-year teacher, including a break down of what that pay includes and does not include.

Annual Salary for 2009/2010:  $45,455
Master's Stipend (Annual):  $2,089
Annual Gross Salary for 2009/2010:  $47,544

This is based on 182 days of work.  By contract, 1 day of work is 6.5 hours (7:30 - 2:30, with a 30 un-paid lunch).

This comes out to $261.23 for every 1 day (or 6.5 hours) at work.  This is an hourly wage of $40.19...again, according to the contract.

Other details:

• Teachers are not paid for our coveted "vacations", like Winter Break, Spring Break, or Summer Break.
• We are paid for the 7 standard government holidays that occur during our work year.
• We do not get the standard paid 15-minute breaks, nor do we get overtime, holiday pay, or time-and-a-half.

Day 154

• 6:15 - 4:00, 6:15 -8:45 (12 hours, 15 minutes)

Deep Thinker

Asked by a kid today during our discussion of American wartime production during WWII:

"What can we do to just convince the rest of the world to like us?"

This same kid made the following prophetic statement no fewer than two weeks ago:

"Why don't we just drop a nuclear bomb on the whole place?" (referring to Iraq and Afghanistan)

While Discussing the Great Depression

While discussing the SNL episode where Chris Farley warns Christina Applegate and the other guy whose name I don't recall about living in a van down by the river:

"I don't think we were alive when that was on."

While discussing pictures of children living in poverty during the Depression:

"That girl has the soul of a wolf."

Honors Kids

Overheard in honors world history after a discussion about the Lost Generation:

"Your mom is an existentialist."

Shank Through My Heart

"I didn't even know that PBS is still a real channel." - Katie Stagg

Wolf Friday Drawrings!

Happy Wolf Friday!

Here's today's wolf shirt. Here's my favorite Amazon review of it.  The kids named the biggest one "Colonel Francisco".  The smaller one in the middle is named "Rufus", and the other smaller one is "The Situation."

Fifth period managed to talk me into letting them draw a wolf on their quiz for extra credit.  Pushover - very much.

Speaking of High Standards

"It's only going to be a good day if he notices that my roots complement my highlights."

Personally, I wonder what would happen if teenage girls obsessed more about...well...anything...than they do about boys. 

A Birthday Card for Jaqueal

Today is Jaqueal's birthday, and two of his friends made him this card.  He wanted it on the blog along with a picture of him, which I lack, so Jaqueal give me a picture and I'll add it.  Happy birthday to you AND to Wesley!

It's About Time

"It actually pays to clean out your backpack."

From Homework about the Economy of the 1920s and 1930s

An answer to the question "Characterize the general economic conditions in the US during the decades of the 1920s and 1930s":

The 1920s was a period of extreme economic growth, as was the 1930s.

their was drastic economic growth both decades

were somewhat consistent during the middle years (Inner monologue while grading this one:  You mean the years from, oh, 1928 until 1932?  When there was that big, some might even say "Great", depression that began right in the middle?)

An answer to the question "How many years did it take for annual sales to surpass what it had reached in 1929": 

cars

An answer to the question "Describe the production of cars in 1932, especially in comparison to that of other years":

it was the best (Note - 1932 was the year when the US had the lowest production of cars.)

The Majestic Wolf

Today I wore my "Three Wolf Moon" shirt. The kids were in awe. We named the wolves:

• Rafael (the "mysterious" looking one on the bottom)
• Jorge ("just cuz, Miss Nelson")
• Kodiak ("because he's so domineering")

Also, they suggested that I make every Friday "Wolf Friday".

An Opinionated Sophomore

"I hate fat people but I love fat cats."

Go Team

Played review jeopardy in all my classes today (what was in my coffee this morning?). The kids came up with some "creative" names, including:

• Shabookilabookie
• Nico is Not Nice (used in 2 periods)
• Your Mom
• Happy Birthday Miss Nelson
• 1 White, 1 Africans, 2 Asians and a Droid
• 4 Mormons and Niko