Thursday, March 6th.
Today was an okay day. My day started at 2AM. Yep, 2AM. After crashing the night before, I woke up about 1:50AM. Since I had to spent the reminder of the night procrastinating and avoided the lesson planning, I ended up finishing about 5AM. I already did the 5AM bedtime a few times, and since I was feeling only a little bit tired, I decided to stay up and get an early start. However, my "early start" evaporated fairly quickly. I ended up in the usual rush to get out of the door routine. I caught my regular train to NY, and my day began.

Today was day 3 of the NYS exams, only the 4th graders were being tested. I think it was AP2's idea to have the remainder of the testing grades (3rd through 6th) do long-term planning for the remainder of the year. I liked the idea, but not the execution. Teachers were asked to plan (or begin planning) in all subject areas, including planning for extra activities, with everything stated in terms of standards. Again, very good idea, but poorly executed. We were told that next week admin will be doing a "walk through", and AP2 was asking for specifics of what would be taught when admin walks through "at any given time of the day, what standards would be the focus". It was a bit unsettling looking at a couple of my colleagues ramble on of this that or the other. Again, everything AP2 was asking for was what teachers really should be doing. However, having pointed out that it was not being done, and then expecting everything to be done (and visible)by the admin walk-through was a bit unrealistic(like expecting a couch potato to run a marathon). Since I have not committed the State Standards to memory, I had to keep my mouth shut. As AP2 pointed out a couple of times during the meeting, "if you don't know, then you should keep your mouth shut". She said it with a smile and a laugh, so I guess that makes it okay.

Anyway, I was getting a headache trying to keep track of everything that AP2 was adding to the table (literally and figuratively). I believe now that the standardized test are done, admin wants to make sure teaching and motivating the students would be still going on. I agree with the idea, but not the execution. I thought that we should have been laying out a general plan of topics to be covered in the remaining months, then pacing (recognizing holidays, and schedule changes etc...), and then attaching state standards to any lessons being taught. Instead, it was "what writing will you be doing on Tuesday and what standards will you be applying. Now, writing will be done during the Skills period (8:00 ~ 8:45) and again during the 37 minutes at the end of the day. Oh, and Science will be taught 3 times per week. When I did ask about the district literacy supplemental program (advocated by one of the literacy coaches, but not liked[I think] by AP2), I was told "squeeze it in".

I better change the subject, again, this blog really isn't about other people. Anyway, I spent the planning meeting blocking out the conversations going on around me. Down the Hall was absent, so it was up to Across the Hall and myself to do the lesson planning. After the meeting, I had my preparation period, and then lunch. I only had to deal with my kids for the two periods after lunch. Of course, they got a bit hyper, loud and rude. Cackler complained (out loud --of course) that she did not understand the concepts, and I'm suppose to be teaching, but she still felt the need to sharpen her pencil, talk to her classmate, play with objects, etc... She is another one of those impatient ones, everything has to be easy to understand, or she's not interested. Then when she finally understands it, later I get, "oh, this is baby work". I started to feel sick (headache and a runny nose, etc...), so I started to get in a bad mood. I started threatening the talkers and players with staying after school to do the assignment. With about 6 names on the list, they finally quieted down.

Unfortunately, when 3PM came, I did not follow-through. Too many times, I'm giving up my lunch time and after work time to be teacher, referee, babysitter etc... Since I was feeling a cold coming on, I was not in the mood for giving up my time.

Strange thing. Today, my plan was to be out of the building by 4 or 4:30PM. Did I make it? No, of course not. However, the strange thing was that time did not move as fast as it usually did. By 3:55PM, I felt as if it was much later. I actually could have made it by 4PM. Almost. But then, the literacy coach offered to do labeling for books in my classroom library, and a conversation with Across the Hall made time fly fast again. I was out of the building about 4:56PM. I was home about 6PM. I had a Weight Watcher's meal for dinner, and as per (recent) routine, I fell asleep soon after. I think I went to sleep about 7:30PM and woke up about 11:30PM(and again at about 1AM).

Completion Date - Friday, March 6, 2008 2:05AM
Post Date - Wednesday, March 19, 2008 2:20AM