Friday was insane. Thursday was actually worse, being the instigator of the drama, but Friday was the aftermath, so while it wasn't as painful it was more involved and took longer.
Basically, I discovered a note in one of my students' desks that was incriminatingly sexual. (I'm not proud of how I discovered it. I can't let my anger impair my judgment like that.) Basically, Boy touched Girl inappropriately, Girl wrote him a note about it, and over its multiple back-and-forths wound up asking if he would like to "do it" to her.
ARGH.
Now, fortunately, the author of this note was not the girl in my class who actually has been a victim of sexual abuse (although she was sitting near him in my class for a while, so I am currently praying as hard as I can that Boy did not spread his efforts around). However, this only means that The Icing on the Cake has not been applied.
Of course, when I found this note (Thursday) the counselor was unavailable. I mentioned it to Upstairs Friendly Teacher (see previous note) who said that it would be OK to let it go until Friday, when Counselor would be available again, but to take care of it first thing in the morning. Obviously, I did -- I was not eager to have this thing burning a hole in my desk drawer any longer than necessary.
So, it got dealt with, over the course of the entire damn day. Boy flipped out, of course (I mean, he's eight) and was basically done for the rest of the day. Girl gets on my nerves anyway... Suffice to say, obnoxious day all around.
Best part was when the father of Boy shows up after school (innocuously -- looking for Boy's hat) and Counselor has gone home, so I get to go hunting for the principal and tell him what's up myself. Gah, gah, GAH.
Good part of Friday was math. They're doing a unit on measurement, and after having them do some seat work with their rulers on one-inch measurements, I allowed them to get up and walk around to do one-foot measurements. They had a good time, they didn't get in fights, and afterward we had a nice list of measurements. (I had to do the one-yard measurements, because we only have one yardstick. I think, upon reflection, that this is not necessarily a bad thing.) I wish I had more wall space for putting these things up in the classroom. My kingdom for a chart-paper holder. :P (More things for the DonorsChoose shopping list!) Hopefully the rest of the unit will provide more opportunities for moving around.
I need to incorporate more moving around into my lessons in general. It seems that they can focus on one thing but for so long while seated. Also need to start doing guided reading. I'd like to organize my morning literacy block like Mr. Byrd did -- four activities a day, in 20-minute segments -- so we'll see if I can work that out. Guided reading, journals, trophies, and somethingelsebutwhat? Grammar? Spelling?
Trying to get all my lesson plans for the week done today, between fending off a head cold and just generally wanting to go back to bed. At least it's a four-day week... and I'm almost done with literacy plans.
All I really want is one 8-hour day in which to go in to school and organize. Everyone else got those at the beginning of the year, why can't I have one?
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4 comments:
I too wish I had a real planning week. Mine consisted of meetings and field trips and crap of no use to a new teacher with no educational background.
As for 20 minute blocks of activities, that is a great idea. It moves with their attention spans and, in my opinion, if all is planned out ahead, makes the day go quicker.
What kind of guided readings are you doing? We're pushing all kinds of reading strategies at my school.
Mr. E,
Our guided readings are based off of "level-appropriate" books, which we pick out for them after giving the Developmental Reading Assessments. Like as not the books are dull as dirt (I haven't seen a good one yet) but for some of my kids (I have one reading on an end-of-first-grade level) it's probably necessary, just to build up skills. The readings can focus on any number of skills -- phonics, rereading, looking for context or main idea, etc. etc. They're supposed to read in small groups with the teacher at least twice a week. Ha, ha, ha.
I have to say that I chafe against the very idea, since I was always a precocious reader and the idea of having to read along at the same slow pace as all of my classmates always drove me crazy. (Fortunately my teachers never really made me do any of that stuff.) It's hard to remember that these kids need that kind of stuff...
Thanks for writing this.
Latanya,
Thanks for reading. :)
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