If Someone Had Bribed Me to Read...

Tomorrow, my teaching partner and I are having our celebration for those students who have made the required number (20) of Accelerated Reader Points for the past nine weeks. I agree that 20 is lame; however, for some of my students, it is a struggle to get AR points. Some others, though? Not a big deal. I have several students who have close to 100 points and my star? He's got 270 for this nine weeks - down from his 300 for the first nine weeks.

Now, my unmotivated students? Pure unmitigated disregard for the entire reading process. The assistant principal's daughter? One point. ONE. She won't be celebrating with us.

Let me just say that when I was in the fifth grade, I lived in the library. I remember reading everything, everywhere. I remember getting the World Book Encyclopedias for one of my birthdays. I would sit and read those. If there was going to be a party for people who read, I would have been there. I don't get the ones who won't even read for the party.

Book Buddy Present Day

After weaning ourselves off the glitter, we continued making books for our 2nd grade book buddies. Each 5th grader is making his buddy a "Twas the Night Before Christmas" book. They are adorable but it was painful getting them to finish. Maybe I am just impatient (do you think?) but I need to get some grades together, some teacher presents finished, and my DESK CLEANED OFF. Please. For the love of all that is holy, I need to see the wood finish on my desk.

I have assigned my students regular work for the week - I am not sure what they expected because one of them actually asked me why I had given them so much work on a holiday week. I had to explain that the holiday really wasn't until next week. Precious angel.

The chorus will be gone most of tomorrow -yea!!!!!!!!!!- and that means that a lot of my talkers will be with them. I love it when a plan comes together, even when it isn't my plan.

Oh, and our district superintendent is coming for a visit tomorrow. Sounds like he's just showing us who's the boss. Someone needs to call me if he's bringing the Christmas bonuses. If not, I'll be in my room with the kids who think it is a holiday week.

And at my house, we are half way through exam week with two more tests to go. I don't know which of the three of us will be happiest.

Another Day, Another E-Mail

Today's e-mail was from the mother who is way too busy making excuses for her child instead of seeking ways for her to become successful. "Just moved here this summer...still trying to get used to the teachers and all the procedures and all this homework."

Whoa, Nelly. All this homework? I've got ESOL (or whatever acronym we're using this week) kids who are tearing all this homework up. Eating it for breakfast and asking for more for lunch. Please don't insult me, my other students and your own child by telling me I'm too hard on your kid when, in fact, I am not hard enough. This is the same kid who went to the guidance counselor a few weeks ago, and complained that I wasn't nice and I was "laying too much work" on her back.

Pardon?

Since when do you go to the guidance counselor to complain about your teacher? I thought savvy kids went to Rate Your Teacher. Complaining to the guidance counselor about the best damned teacher in the building (my rating, of course) will only incur my wrath at a location to be disclosed at a later date.

Precious, let's get a few things straight. I have several kids who are brand new to this building, this county, this state. They have figured out the procedures; they can find the bathrooms, the library and the cafeteria. No one is wiping their behinds and I would bet the farm that they will not only pass the stupid state test, but they could write a better state test than we will give. One of these new babies is from a country, far, far away. She has only spoken English for three years. She can out perform me in certain areas. I would trust her to run the room for me.

Maybe this will help. Yesterday, on an Oprah rerun, Andre Agassi was talking about the school he opened in Las Vegas. At one point, Oprah asks about parent involvement and support. "Parents have to buy into this totally," Agassi said. If they didn't support this, he pretty much said his school would be a failure.

Hello? Isn't this what we've been preaching for years? My parents who buy into the idea of education and no excuses and doing your homework and respecting the authority of the teacher and all the adults in your life are the ones who aren't making excuses and have the kids who are getting it done. The parents who don't buy into it are the ones who are busy making excuses for Precious. And e-mailing me about Precious needing more time to get used to the routines.