Can I Get an Amen?

Summer school is over for another year - I hope everyone of those babies passed that test this morning. However, one of them tried to bubble in the math answers in the reading section.

Do you see what I've been working with these past few weeks?

I'm heading to Charleston and D.C. for the Fourth!! Can't wait. I hear I've got a great spot to view the fireworks this year.

Notes From Friday

• Three more days of summer school and then the Super Big State Test. We had to bubble the answer documents ourselves, thankyouverymuch. What, you morons at the school board, who took 2% of my pay, didn't realize who failed the test in April and didn't run the labels? So, I had to bubble Social Security numbers and names and grades and birthdates and all that ridiculous information for 15 fifth graders that you don't trust to do themselves? Do you realize that one day, they are going to have to bubble this same information on a standardized test themselves? The all important SAT that you believe everyone in the county MUST take in order to make yourselves look good - they do all the bubbling. Did you know that? Just saying..
• Went to the midnight screening of The Proposal last night with three teenagers. I think it was funny - I remember laughing, but I was exhausted. It has been a while since I stayed out that late and went to bed at 3AM. I'm still tired.
• Nestle has recalled all its cookie dough. And, of course, I bought some two days ago and have just been waiting to dive into it. If I hadn't had the news on this evening, I would be chomping on some e coli infested chocolate chip cookie dough. And just last summer, it was tomatoes. At least I can make my own cookie dough. I really couldn't do anything about the tomatoes until my father in law's tomatoes came in. And that drove me nuts.

Notes From Tuesday

• Iranian Revolution: hell, yes. And we're getting our news from Twitter and Facebook. Can you imagine Tom Jefferson and John Adams with technology?
• One of my summer school kids came today and was lethargic - leaning all over the desk and acting all tired. The problem? She was at a party and didn't get to bed until 1AM. So, you want me to babysit your sleepy kid that you've kept out until all hours of the night and that super big state test coming up in a few days is completely meaningless to you? Really?
• I went to the gym on my way home from summer school and my gym pass was tangled up in my car keys and earbuds and the old guy at the desk asked, "Are you loose?" and then he got all tongue-tied. "I didn't mean it like that," he said. I hope not.

Remember When I Said ...

I wasn't going to ever, ever teach summer school again? And then I signed up, but only to teach math because who, in his right mind, teaches reading to 5th graders?

Face it, in this economy, 82 hours at my hourly rate makes a difference. So, I am teaching summer school math and my class is made up of those kids who missed passing by 2 - 3 points. So, for the most part, they are vested in this.

However, my best story so far comes from down the hall from a friend teaching 3rd grade reading. She has a young man in her class who did not pass the super big state test and is here for reading instruction. She sat him down one day last week for some guided reading and asked him to read the first sentence and he told her he couldn't read. (For those interested, the word he got stuck on was the.) He told my friend, "Hers gots the markers." Holy English nightmare, Batman!!


He got suspended today for having a knife in his shoe. (?) I don't know how or why or what. I'm just reporting the facts.

However, we found out today a fact that might explain some of this - his father is his uncle.

Cue the banjoes.