If the story is true

this teacher needs to be removed from the classroom a.s.a.p. Anyone who thinks it's o.k. to put a child in front of his or her peers and have them vote on whether they (the child) should remain in the classroom does not belong in the classroom.

I hope the school acts on this quickly before more children are emotionally harmed. Sickening.

Restoration Begins

This is my husband's first love, a '69 Plymouth Roadrunner. He's had this car longer than he's had me and yes, I'll admit, there are times when that little green-eyed monster rears its ugly head. There is no way that I can compete with this baby, so I've learned to live with her over the years.


Here you can see that he is starting to sand down the window frame of the car. This is the inside of our garage - a garage that I've never had the privilege of parking in.


This is what a car looks like after all of the paint has been removed. At this point in time, the car needs to stay dry as it has great potential for rust. You may have noticed that the car is no longer in our garage - where I still can't park my own car.

That's all for now folks. He plans on going back down to the shop to do some more work on it this afternoon. More pictures to follow with the next step. I've been informed that he has more pictures so the metal no longer looks the way it does now.

No, I still can't park in the garage. His baby is coming home tomorrow.

It's Insane, I Tell Ya!

Remember last week how I was complaining about the heat? It was simmering around 100 degrees for about three or four days in a row.

This week-end it is hovering between 50 to 60 degrees! The good news for us is that there is a huge fire in the Santa Cruz Mountains that started Thursday morning. We had huge wind gusts blowing through which started Wednesday evening. Obviously the wind didn't help with the fire in the mountains. Hopefully with the rain, it will help the firefighters contain and eventually put the fire out.

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If you haven't already done so, please be sure to comment if you want a free book!

This is my "WOW" Wall

On this wall, I post work from my students that is of good quality. Generally, the papers are left up for about a week or so. The stars that are on this wall are for those students who have received an "A" in one of my classes. Below them are my smiley faces for those students who have received a "B" in one of my classes. These are their quarter grades and they are left up for the entire quarter.

I'm thinking of doing something similar for behavior and attendance next year, but probably on a monthly basis. I have students who are at school every day, who try their hardest, but their best may not ever allow them a spot on the way. I think that their effort also needs to be acknowledged.

I like the "WOW" wall (WOnderful Work) because for my 6th graders, it is not too babyish, but it allows some of them to have bragging rights. It is so funny to see the look on their faces when they've realized that the wall has been changed. They eagerly look to the wall to see if they have something displayed. Even my "toughest" kids often beam when they see their work displayed.

Sometimes it really is the small things that can make so much difference.

Free Book!

I just received this brand new copy of Lisa Delpit's Other People's Children: Cultural Conflict in the Classroom. Unfortunately, I already have a copy of this book and in an effort to reduce the mess clutter in my home, I am offering this book up for free!

This is what the review from B & N had to say about this book:

In a radical analysis of contemporary classrooms, MacArthur Award-winning author Lisa Delpit develops ideas about ways teachers can be better "cultural transmitters" in the classroom, where prejudice, stereotypes, and cultural assumptions breed ineffective education. Delpit suggests that many academic problems attributed to children of color are actually the result of miscommunication, as primarily white teachers and "other people's children" struggle with the imbalance of power and the dynamics plaguing our system.

So, this is what I'm going to do. If you would like to have this book, please leave a comment. I will have the youngest randomly draw a name out of a bag? box? some type of receptacle that is not a hat in five days. Feel free to let other people know about this offer of a free book and some other nice little surprise will, of course, be included.

Friday Five

1. What were some of the smells and tastes of your childhood?
The smell that stands out the most for me is that of cinnamon and vanilla. My great-grandmother used to always have a pan of water heating on her stove. In the pan, she would stick a cinnamon stick and some vanilla. When my dad was stationed in Butte, Montana, she rented a small house up there. This house had a floor heater and she would stick the pan inside the heater. Her home always felt and smelled like home because no matter where she lived, this was something she did.

2. What did you have as a child that you do not think children today have?
Free-time and imagination.

3. What elementary grade was your favorite?
That would be 4th grade. The school I attended on the Naval base where my dad was stationed only went up to 4th grade, so it was kind of cool being the boss of the school at only 9 ;)

4. What summer do you remember the best as a child?
I loved my summers in Chula Vista, CA. My very first best friend lived next door. Her dad was some type of carpenter and she had the coolest playhouse in her backyard that I've ever seen. It had a sink with actual running water! This was between the ages of 6 to 8.

5. What one piece of advice would you give to your younger self, and at what age?
Don't worry so much about what your junior high and high school peers think about you. In reality, most of them you'll never see again.

The Black/White Suspension Gap

There are several articles that appeared this past week on the gap that exists between black students and white students. In many school districts across the nation, African American students are often suspended at a higher percentage than their white peers.

This is something that was discussed a lot in my teacher credentialing program, through BTSA and in my Master's program. One of the issues that is always brought up in this discussion is that it's white teachers who often are more willing to write the referral for suspension. One of the implications seems to be that white teachers do not know how to appropriately respond on a cultural level to their black students.

I recognize that more often than not, the person standing in front of the classroom is a white, middle-class, female teacher. So, now I'm curious. Has anyone investigated to see if this gap exists when a teacher of color is the one who is teaching? If there is a gap, then perhaps we can start to examine other reasons than the current presumption that its due to culture clash.

CTA President's Day

Today, chapter presidents attended the state capitol in Sacramento to meet with their legislators to discuss the Governor's proposed budget. I was asked by my co-president to attend with her because I'm a vice president for our local. She asked me last week and I readily agreed. When you're meeting with your legislator, your task is to talk about the issues as they relate to your school district. The key here is you need to talk.

I woke up this morning with the worse case of laryngitis that I have ever had in my life. I knew I was coming down with yet another cold, but didn't think I would lose my voice over it. Instead of talking, I squeaked to the best of my ability.

My husband has informed me that he is looking forward to a quiet evening. I'm ready to throw a pillow at him, which I would do were it not for the fact he just left to go get me some hot & sour soup to help me feel better.

I actually feel fine. Luckily, I didn't have to teach today (although like my husband, I'm sure my students would have laughed at me enjoyed it.) Hopefully when I return to the classroom on Thursday (we have bargaining tomorrow with the District), I'll be back in all my splendid glory.

Hotter than Hades

more cat pictures

Or at least it has felt that way for the past four days. On Wednesday, the Bay Area entered a heat wave that is not typical for this time of the year. It actually was over 100 degrees Thursday and Friday. We will more than likely go over a 100 again today because as of right now, it is 98 degrees.

I don't like turning on the AC until around 6 or so in the evening. So, until then, I'm somewhat of a wet noodle (I srsly resemble those cats in the above picture when it's this hot out) in the afternoon when I'm at home. I've got so much to do but I refuse to do anything until it cools off and until I can turn the AC on.

I almost blew up the AC on Wednesday! My husband does really poorly in hot weather. To top it off, the poor guy is cursed with very bad allergies this time of the year. I am usually home before he is, so I thought I would be a good wife and turn the AC on so that the house would be a cool, welcoming environment upon his entrance to our humble albeit messy abode. He was late getting home because he had to go to Kaiser for some allergy relief meds.

When he walked through the door, I heard him loudly exclaim, "Who turned on the AC?"

"I did, why? I wanted you to be nice and cool when you got home."

"Don't you remember, I told you not to turn on the AC because I have it covered up with a tarp?" (He had it covered with the tarp to protect it from our dog who kept jumping on it to escape our backyard.)

I quickly rushed to turn it off, but the damage had already been done. The AC unit had overheated and even after changing the fuses, it still would not turn on. Soon nightmare thoughts started clouding both of our minds as we envisioned a long, hot summer without any AC. We had been quoted a cost of around $5000 a couple of years ago to replace and upgrade our current unit. It is a not a cost that neither one of us really want to take on at the moment.

On Thursday, my husband called me up warning me that the AC repairman was on his way. I say warning because life has been very hectic and our house was not in the best condition. I had about 10 minutes to make it presentable. The doorbell rang and I calmly let Mr. AC repairman into a not so clean house. After about an hour and 200 bucks later, the AC was on!

Thankfully it has worked without fail since Thursday. However, I still refuse to do housework today until the AC is on. Instead, I'll waste even more time educate myself further by reading all of the blogs on my bloglines reading a lot of worthwhile information that is available to me on the Internets.

more cat pictures

Edutopia

Edited: Moving this back to the top for reasons explained below!

One of my favorite magazines to read is Edutopia. It is published by George Lucas and the magazine* is free*! You can also sign up for their e-mail with links to current articles on a variety of topics often focusing on innovation and technology in the classroom.

Today, I received an e-mail from Edutopia asking that I become a member. When you sign up for membership, you receive a free DVD, A New Day for Learning, a limited edition copy of The Best of Edutopia Cool Schools: Project Learning, a subscription to their magazine* and invites to webchats with "education thought leaders."

A starting membership was only $25.00, so I went ahead and signed up.

edited to add: I received a notice from Edutopia informing me that the original $25.00 membership fee was for an initial membership group. They are increasing the fee for membership to $35.00 and you can sign up here. I was also told that the print magazine will no longer be offered for free, however, the online edition will still be available at no cost. They are going to unroll their new program online next Wednesday on May 21st.

A special "thank you!" to Cindy Johanson who so graciously e-mailed me from Edutopia informing me of the above corrections. It was especially cool to know that someone from Edutopia actually visited my humble space in the blog-o-sphere!

*In the past, Edutopia was free to educators and I believe that it still is, so if you don't want to be a member, you can still subscribe to their magazine without paying a cent.

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I finally talked to daughter today. One of the hardest parts of parenting is letting go.

On Politics

Mike Hucabee, former GOP presidential candidate "joked" about a loud noise he heard while making a speech to the NRA. He said, "That was Barack Obama. He just tripped off a chair. He's getting ready to speak and somebody aimed a gun at him and he — he dove for the floor." I do appreciate the fact that apparently the audience didn't find this very amusing, but find it astounding that someone who thought he could be president (and had a lot of people supporting his candidacy) thought this was a.) appropriate and b.) funny.

You can read the original story here.

Of course, I am thrilled that California's State Supreme Court overturned the gay marriage ban. When I hear those on the Christian right proclaim that this will hurt traditional marriage and opens the door to polygamist and incestuous relationships, I can't help but wonder if these people have been living under a rock their whole lives.

I am in a "traditional" marriage. How anyone would think that allowing gay marriage undermines my marriage or theirs really has to examine their own relationship. By giving two consenting adults all the rights and obligations that I have with my spouse does nothing but enforce the whole concept of traditional marriage. Many gay couples have been in committed relationships for decades, however, there is nothing that legally protects either partner if something happens to one of them. Can you imagine if your spouse died and someone from his or her family legally had more rights than you did, even if they hadn't seen that family member for years?

Marriage really is a legal contract between two consenting adults. As far as I know, no one will be forcing churches to marry same sex couples. If churches are opposed, then they are free to refuse to perform marriages for gay and lesbian couples. I would assume that they can refuse on the basis of their religion.

I think the most ludicrous statement that I've heard from those opposed to gay marriage is the argument that this will open the door to polygamy and incestuous relationships. I would wager that those guys out in Texas are probably opposed to gay marriage and yet nothing stopped them from abusing children en masse.

Edited to add:
I completely love this response from Polski3 in regards to this post, so I wanted to highlight here. I certainly hope that he doesn't mind me doing this!

If someone is in love with someone of the same sex, that is no threat to my "traditional" marriage. The threat to marriage, IMO, involves the media, government policies that punish married couples (taxes), that punish families with "stay-at-home" parents, any religious organization that preaches or advocated hate and no tolerance for human differences.....IMO, those are threats to marriage, not Wilbur and Carlos or Helen and Hillary now being legally responsible to pay the state and someone to announce that they are now "married". And, as I have said, why shouldn't EVERYONE (of legal age), be allowed to experience all the joys and terrors, laughs and tears, smiles and silences of married life ?