The first month is down. There's not much to say today, really. I’ve got a bunch of kids in my reading class who still haven’t taken a reading test. They're supposed to read every day and take tests on what they read. Of course, they don't. I read a book to them for the first week of class and even walked them through the test, answering each question for them. I told them that I want them all to have points by the end of the week (that’s tomorrow). Sometimes I think it’s because I do too much for them.
Rodney was complaining about being hungry again. I got him to start talking and he said he could only eat a little breakfast or his parents would yell at him. Then, he didn’t eat the free breakfast the school provides because it looked “nasty”. He doesn’t eat lunch for the same reason. I don’t know what to do with a kid that turns down food that the government is paying for and them complains about being hungry. We talked about it but Rodney hasn’t come up with any solutions so far.
I just saw Jackie on the train. I taught her brother two years ago. I told her to say, “Hi.”
Thursday, September 30
Wednesday, September 29
The Honeymoon is Over
The honeymoon is over. We’re into the school year now. Kids aren’t trying to make a good impression anymore. They’re getting disruptive. We’re losing patience.
I finally got the OK to start distributing textbooks (four weeks into the school year). It’s about time. They wouldn't let anyone give out books until there were enough books for every student to have one. I guess they finally got enough delivered. The books are brand new. That means the students are responsible for any damage. This is going to be ugly. I think we’ll put book covers on next class.
I finally got the OK to start distributing textbooks (four weeks into the school year). It’s about time. They wouldn't let anyone give out books until there were enough books for every student to have one. I guess they finally got enough delivered. The books are brand new. That means the students are responsible for any damage. This is going to be ugly. I think we’ll put book covers on next class.
Tuesday, September 28
Some kids were good . . . some kids were bad
Coming back to your classroom after a day with a sub can be like coming into a war zone. It wasn’t bad today, though. There was just the slightest sense that things were not where I had left them. On the desk, a note from the sub—“Hi Mr. Moore, some kids were good, some kids were bad.” That pretty much sums up every day.
I always ask the substitutes to leave names of students who were acting up. That way they can be dealt with and it makes things that much easier for the next sub. It goes back to the days when I was substituting. I could walk into a class and tell which teachers had their kids on notice and which didn’t.
Expectations for substitutes are low. Some of them tell me they don’t sub for science because they can’t teach science. Of course, none of the subs can teach science. If they could teach science then they wouldn’t be subbing. All I’m expecting is for someone to pass out worksheets, maybe put a video in, be there in case something happens. If you speak English then that’s a nice bonus.
I always ask the substitutes to leave names of students who were acting up. That way they can be dealt with and it makes things that much easier for the next sub. It goes back to the days when I was substituting. I could walk into a class and tell which teachers had their kids on notice and which didn’t.
Expectations for substitutes are low. Some of them tell me they don’t sub for science because they can’t teach science. Of course, none of the subs can teach science. If they could teach science then they wouldn’t be subbing. All I’m expecting is for someone to pass out worksheets, maybe put a video in, be there in case something happens. If you speak English then that’s a nice bonus.
Friday, September 24
Weekend!
Weekend! I love the weekend! I left sub plans on my desk so I can call in sick on Monday. I really need a little break. Not only that, I have to get my homework done. Graffiti Boy was back in class today. I guess it was a one-day suspension. More of the same graffiti appeared on one of the student lockers today.
In another incident, I gave some students extra time to get to class from lunch. They finally made it back to the room from their lockers when LJ came strolling down the hall, taking his sweet time. He hadn’t even gone to his locker yet. I gave him the choice—-get to class on time without your stuff or go to your locker and be late to class. He went to his locker. About fifteen minutes later he showed up with a pass, yelling that I got him an In-School-Suspension. I kicked him back out and when I went out to talk to him he was gone. He reappeared for the last two minutes of class with a pass from his former Language Arts teacher. Everyone in class just laughed.
In another incident, I gave some students extra time to get to class from lunch. They finally made it back to the room from their lockers when LJ came strolling down the hall, taking his sweet time. He hadn’t even gone to his locker yet. I gave him the choice—-get to class on time without your stuff or go to your locker and be late to class. He went to his locker. About fifteen minutes later he showed up with a pass, yelling that I got him an In-School-Suspension. I kicked him back out and when I went out to talk to him he was gone. He reappeared for the last two minutes of class with a pass from his former Language Arts teacher. Everyone in class just laughed.
Thursday, September 23
The Morning After
The worst part of Back-to-School Night is the morning after. It feels like you spent the night in the school. I should just bring a sleeping bag in, throw it on one of the lab tables, and sleep till class starts in the morning.
The aftermath of Back-to-School Night is also fun. I had one long, irate email from a parent. It wasn’t directed at me but my name was in it, I got a copy of it, and so did all my bosses. I’m not sure which is worse. On top of that, we have all the kids whose parents suddenly decide that they want them in another class. So now we’re running around trying to change schedules. I also picked up two brand new students today.
The aftermath of Back-to-School Night is also fun. I had one long, irate email from a parent. It wasn’t directed at me but my name was in it, I got a copy of it, and so did all my bosses. I’m not sure which is worse. On top of that, we have all the kids whose parents suddenly decide that they want them in another class. So now we’re running around trying to change schedules. I also picked up two brand new students today.
Wednesday, September 22
Back to School Night (The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree)
Everyone should have the opportunity of being a teacher at Back-to-School Night. For the first few weeks of school you have all these kids that you can’t figure out. Then Back-to-School Night comes along and everything becomes clear. You see these older versions of your kids sitting in your room – some of them in the same seats their kids choose. We have a saying in education, it’s “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” And it is really true.
It’s been a long one. I got to school around 8:30 this morning. It’s now about 9:45 p.m. and I’m on the train going home. Mr. Burns had to rescue me. Most of my classes only had a handful of parents in them. One class had only two parents out of a class of more than twenty. My last class, however, was my honors class and there weren’t enough seats for all the parents. They wanted to stay and talk, too. Mr. Burns came by my room like I was riding home with him. Even then, one of the moms kept talking to us. She followed us all the way out of the building and to Mr. Burns’ car. We’ll have to watch out for that one. She could be trouble. Mr. Burns dropped me at the train station. He’s nice like that.
Graffiti boy was still in class today. I was not happy. After school the principal came by and explained that they just talked about the graffiti today and now he’s suspended. He’s been suspended pending a parent conference. Hopefully, that means he’ll be out of school for a while. Last year the parent would call the school to yell at someone and that would count as the conference. Then, the kid would be right back in your class. I guess we’ll see what "parent conference" means this year. Apparently, the school cop had a good talk with graffiti boy and scared some sense into him.
In other news, I have my name, "Mr. Moore" posted outside the door to my classroom. Someone wrote an “H” over the "M" in "Moore".
It’s been a long one. I got to school around 8:30 this morning. It’s now about 9:45 p.m. and I’m on the train going home. Mr. Burns had to rescue me. Most of my classes only had a handful of parents in them. One class had only two parents out of a class of more than twenty. My last class, however, was my honors class and there weren’t enough seats for all the parents. They wanted to stay and talk, too. Mr. Burns came by my room like I was riding home with him. Even then, one of the moms kept talking to us. She followed us all the way out of the building and to Mr. Burns’ car. We’ll have to watch out for that one. She could be trouble. Mr. Burns dropped me at the train station. He’s nice like that.
Graffiti boy was still in class today. I was not happy. After school the principal came by and explained that they just talked about the graffiti today and now he’s suspended. He’s been suspended pending a parent conference. Hopefully, that means he’ll be out of school for a while. Last year the parent would call the school to yell at someone and that would count as the conference. Then, the kid would be right back in your class. I guess we’ll see what "parent conference" means this year. Apparently, the school cop had a good talk with graffiti boy and scared some sense into him.
In other news, I have my name, "Mr. Moore" posted outside the door to my classroom. Someone wrote an “H” over the "M" in "Moore".
Tuesday, September 21
Sorry . . . I've Got Class
I just slipped out of a science department meeting early. Sorry, have to go. I’ve got class. It's a good thing, too. The professional development lady was getting ready to do a presentation and I don’t think I could sit through another one of those. It’s irrelevant anyways since I won’t be teaching here next year.
This morning I ran into Amber, a former 7th grade Health teacher. She’s substitute teaching. It was good to see her but at the same time she really shouldn’t be teaching. They really should require teachers to take a drug test. At least she’s not fulltime anymore.
For the most part, I’m happy with the way things are going this year. The kids are better behaved. They’re more pleasant and fun to teach, too. We have Back-to-School Night tomorrow night. We’ll see if the parents are well behaved too. I think they will be. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, you know.
This morning I ran into Amber, a former 7th grade Health teacher. She’s substitute teaching. It was good to see her but at the same time she really shouldn’t be teaching. They really should require teachers to take a drug test. At least she’s not fulltime anymore.
For the most part, I’m happy with the way things are going this year. The kids are better behaved. They’re more pleasant and fun to teach, too. We have Back-to-School Night tomorrow night. We’ll see if the parents are well behaved too. I think they will be. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, you know.
Monday, September 20
Shortest Weekend of My Life
This was the shortest weekend of my life. The Redskins lost an ugly one on Sunday afternoon (it was painful to watch)and by Sunday night I was thinking, “I can’t believe I’m going back to work tomorrow.” Then I overslept. My wife had to drive me to work. Fortunately, I was teaching the same lesson today as I taught on Friday and today's was much easier. I was tired but the kids were even more tired and that helps. Loco slept through class completely.
I caught the graffiti writer today. It was the student who I thought it was. I checked that his table was clean before class. During class I saw him writing something on it but didn’t interrupt. After class I checked and there were the gang names.
I can’t write. A bunch of people got on the train and started singing and handing out pamphlets.
I caught the graffiti writer today. It was the student who I thought it was. I checked that his table was clean before class. During class I saw him writing something on it but didn’t interrupt. After class I checked and there were the gang names.
I can’t write. A bunch of people got on the train and started singing and handing out pamphlets.
Friday, September 17
The Gangs Are Back
Thank goodness it’s Friday! I started the day with another meeting. For the third day in a row we discussed what we’re supposed to do with out honors science classes. For the third time nothing got done and for the third time I wasted my planning time.
The gang graffiti has started again. I’m not sure who’s doing it yet but I have my suspicions. I looked up his address and he’s in the right neighborhood. I had to clean it off a table—if you don’t then you get more. Two of my class textbooks are ruined. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about that yet. If I can figure out who is doing it then the school will suspend the student. Gang activity is one thing they take seriously—even last year. No bandannas, no gang colors, no signs—if it’s on your stuff then you’re out. The gangs stay one step ahead. I suspect that the current gang uniform is black tee shirt, cargo pants, and backpack with numbers on it. I see some kids that are looking pretty suspicious—including one of my little friends from last year. I’ll ask the school police officer about it.
The gang graffiti has started again. I’m not sure who’s doing it yet but I have my suspicions. I looked up his address and he’s in the right neighborhood. I had to clean it off a table—if you don’t then you get more. Two of my class textbooks are ruined. I’m not sure what I’m going to do about that yet. If I can figure out who is doing it then the school will suspend the student. Gang activity is one thing they take seriously—even last year. No bandannas, no gang colors, no signs—if it’s on your stuff then you’re out. The gangs stay one step ahead. I suspect that the current gang uniform is black tee shirt, cargo pants, and backpack with numbers on it. I see some kids that are looking pretty suspicious—including one of my little friends from last year. I’ll ask the school police officer about it.
Thursday, September 16
Amazing People Tricks
Isaiah walks up to me in the halls between classes.
“Mr. Moore, let me show you something. Hold out your hands like this.” I hold my hands out, palms down. He slaps me on the back of each hand.
“Which one hurt more?” I point to my right. He takes it in his hand and yanks on the last knuckle of each finger.
“Which one hurt most?” I point to my middle finger. He grabs it, turns it over, and starts rubbing it vigorously while saying, “Think of a number between one and five. Can’t be one, can’t be five.” He stops rubbing and inspects my finger carefully.
“Is it three?” I shake my head.
“Four,” he says confidently. I shake my head again.
“Two?”
Wow Isaiah! That was really amazing.
“Mr. Moore, let me show you something. Hold out your hands like this.” I hold my hands out, palms down. He slaps me on the back of each hand.
“Which one hurt more?” I point to my right. He takes it in his hand and yanks on the last knuckle of each finger.
“Which one hurt most?” I point to my middle finger. He grabs it, turns it over, and starts rubbing it vigorously while saying, “Think of a number between one and five. Can’t be one, can’t be five.” He stops rubbing and inspects my finger carefully.
“Is it three?” I shake my head.
“Four,” he says confidently. I shake my head again.
“Two?”
Wow Isaiah! That was really amazing.
Wednesday, September 15
Remarkably Unremarkable Day
It was mostly an unremarkable day. The usual kids were late. The usual kids were misbehaving. The usual kids were late and misbehaving. But today something very unusual happened. The principal did something about it. Today, Jamal got a detention for being tardy again.
All the other students had been in class for a couple of minutes when Jamal came ambling down the hall like he’s got all the time in the world. When he got to class he still had his bag so I told him to take it to his locker. He strolled over to his locker. I shut the door. “Go get a pass from the office. You’re late.”
The whole time I was waiting for him he was looking at me like, “What? You can’t do anything to me.”
About ten minutes later another teacher brings LJ to my class. She found him hiding under her desk. I told her I’d send him to the office but she said no, he was hiding under her desk because he had just come from the office. Thirty minutes later the office came for him. That was the last I saw of him. We have a good office staff this year.
All the other students had been in class for a couple of minutes when Jamal came ambling down the hall like he’s got all the time in the world. When he got to class he still had his bag so I told him to take it to his locker. He strolled over to his locker. I shut the door. “Go get a pass from the office. You’re late.”
The whole time I was waiting for him he was looking at me like, “What? You can’t do anything to me.”
About ten minutes later another teacher brings LJ to my class. She found him hiding under her desk. I told her I’d send him to the office but she said no, he was hiding under her desk because he had just come from the office. Thirty minutes later the office came for him. That was the last I saw of him. We have a good office staff this year.
Tuesday, September 14
Tired Tuesday
I’m tired. Today wasn’t bad. I was just giving the students their pretest for the year. It’s actually a nice break for me. I’m tired because of my class last night. I have class again tonight. I’m actually skipping a faculty meeting right now so that I can ride the train in time to get to class. This is going to be a long semester. I’m going to have to take some days off just to survive.
Remember the kid that I had to email home about (Jamal)? Well, he became the first kid that I had to send to the time-out room. He came to class and then just refused to stop talking. I put him in the hall to give him a chance to settle down but as soon as I tried talking to him he started up again. “Send me to time-out. I don’t care.” So I did. His mother/aunt/grandmother or whoever is the one I was in contact with on Friday emailed me back yesterday to tell me the problem was taken care of. I guess it wasn’t.
Remember the kid that I had to email home about (Jamal)? Well, he became the first kid that I had to send to the time-out room. He came to class and then just refused to stop talking. I put him in the hall to give him a chance to settle down but as soon as I tried talking to him he started up again. “Send me to time-out. I don’t care.” So I did. His mother/aunt/grandmother or whoever is the one I was in contact with on Friday emailed me back yesterday to tell me the problem was taken care of. I guess it wasn’t.
Monday, September 13
First Monday Back
Why does the morning have to be so early? Who made the weekends so short? It’s our first Monday back in school and our first full week of school. It started out with a meeting for 7th grade science teachers that wasted most of my planning time and, as near as I can tell, accomplished nothing. The kids were on me early. My third block is nice and quiet, though. Maybe too quiet. When I ask for volunteers no one wants to read. Still, I’d rather have it that way than the other way.
My fourth block noticed the classroom bird feeder. When the birds started squabbling the kids were picking sides. The only problem is that no one could tell the two birds apart. As near as I could tell, the small feisty bird chased off the larger one. It just goes to show you—it’s not the size of the bird in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the bird. The kids loved it. Loco was trying to place bets on the outcome.
Right now, I’m riding the metro to my evening class. I had to leave school right behind my students and then walked past them as they were lounging home. Being a teacher is like being a celebrity, but only when school is out. While I was walking to the train station kids were leaning out of bus windows and shouting "Mr. Moore! Mr. Moore!"
I have to make it to class by five. All this so that I can get a permanent teaching license instead of the provisional license I’m on. I took the Biology Praxis test on Saturday. It didn’t seem too bad. We’ll see in 4-5 weeks.
My fourth block noticed the classroom bird feeder. When the birds started squabbling the kids were picking sides. The only problem is that no one could tell the two birds apart. As near as I could tell, the small feisty bird chased off the larger one. It just goes to show you—it’s not the size of the bird in the fight; it’s the size of the fight in the bird. The kids loved it. Loco was trying to place bets on the outcome.
Right now, I’m riding the metro to my evening class. I had to leave school right behind my students and then walked past them as they were lounging home. Being a teacher is like being a celebrity, but only when school is out. While I was walking to the train station kids were leaning out of bus windows and shouting "Mr. Moore! Mr. Moore!"
I have to make it to class by five. All this so that I can get a permanent teaching license instead of the provisional license I’m on. I took the Biology Praxis test on Saturday. It didn’t seem too bad. We’ll see in 4-5 weeks.
Friday, September 10
Day of Firsts
I’m tired. I’m glad it’s Friday. I have to take my Biology teacher certification test tomorrow morning and I better study tonight. I haven’t studied as much as I would have liked to. I’ve got a kind of achy feeling in my body that I haven’t felt since last school year. It’s the feeling you get when you’re just counting the periods until school gets out on Friday. Only now that it’s out I’m still tired.
It was a day of firsts! I sent my first email to a parent today. Actually, I guess it’s to his aunt/legal guardian. It always makes me nervous. I’ll probably come in on Monday and have a nasty message waiting for me or an angry guardian at my classroom door. Her kid is a real pain, though. He just doesn’t know when to stop. When to stop talking. When to stop fooling around in the halls and come to class. When to stop fooling around in class and get into the hallway.
I guess there have actually been three 7th graders suspended already. Schools with a lot of suspensions are usually frowned on but for us it would be a great thing. I don’t think we want to discourage our principals from suspending. The kids already get away with too much in our building.
I confiscated my first toy today! DaSean was bouncing a rubber ball in the middle of class. It’s going to make a nice addition to my collection.
Some of the kids noticed the birds coming to the window bird feeder. It will be nice if we can keep them coming all winter. I heard from Charles that he’s been transferred to another class. I ran into him in the office. He was complaining loudly to his teacher that he had been sent to the office without getting a warning.
It was a day of firsts! I sent my first email to a parent today. Actually, I guess it’s to his aunt/legal guardian. It always makes me nervous. I’ll probably come in on Monday and have a nasty message waiting for me or an angry guardian at my classroom door. Her kid is a real pain, though. He just doesn’t know when to stop. When to stop talking. When to stop fooling around in the halls and come to class. When to stop fooling around in class and get into the hallway.
I guess there have actually been three 7th graders suspended already. Schools with a lot of suspensions are usually frowned on but for us it would be a great thing. I don’t think we want to discourage our principals from suspending. The kids already get away with too much in our building.
I confiscated my first toy today! DaSean was bouncing a rubber ball in the middle of class. It’s going to make a nice addition to my collection.
Some of the kids noticed the birds coming to the window bird feeder. It will be nice if we can keep them coming all winter. I heard from Charles that he’s been transferred to another class. I ran into him in the office. He was complaining loudly to his teacher that he had been sent to the office without getting a warning.
Thursday, September 9
Do We Really Need More Meetings?
I had to come in about half an hour early for a mentoring meeting. It wasn’t very helpful. Some of the other mentors are really pushing for extra meetings after school and happy hours together (someone mentioned that we should invite the superintendent--who was arrested for DUI last year). The last place I want to be on Friday afternoon is hanging out with people from work. I mentioned it and they switched to Thursday. Still, do we really need more meetings? Some of these people really need to get a life outside of school.
The copy machine has started jamming again. That, and we’re running out of paper. We talked about lab safety rules and following directions in class. Then we played “Mr. Moore Says” to practice following directions. It’s basically like “Simon Says” but who is Simon? Why does his opinion matter? In my class, it’s Mr. Moore's opinion that matters.
Last class, Arome insisted that I call her “Lymo” because lime is her favorite color. Today, she admitted that she just made that up. Charles got belligerent when I asked him to spit his gum out. I guess he’s mad at me since he failed my class last year in spite of everything I did for him. The Guidance Department is not supposed to put repeaters with the same teacher two years in a row. They should probably change that. Speaking of scheduling problems, for the third year in a row I have only one honors class. There are two honors Language Arts classes on my team and two honors math and a bunch of parents will be complaining to me that their kid isn’t in honors science. Then, my honors class will fill to overflowing, and then I’ll start losing my best students to other teams. The administration has agreed with me for the last two years that it is a problem and that they should fix it but . . . nothing has happened. All things considered, it’s been a good start to the school year.
The copy machine has started jamming again. That, and we’re running out of paper. We talked about lab safety rules and following directions in class. Then we played “Mr. Moore Says” to practice following directions. It’s basically like “Simon Says” but who is Simon? Why does his opinion matter? In my class, it’s Mr. Moore's opinion that matters.
Last class, Arome insisted that I call her “Lymo” because lime is her favorite color. Today, she admitted that she just made that up. Charles got belligerent when I asked him to spit his gum out. I guess he’s mad at me since he failed my class last year in spite of everything I did for him. The Guidance Department is not supposed to put repeaters with the same teacher two years in a row. They should probably change that. Speaking of scheduling problems, for the third year in a row I have only one honors class. There are two honors Language Arts classes on my team and two honors math and a bunch of parents will be complaining to me that their kid isn’t in honors science. Then, my honors class will fill to overflowing, and then I’ll start losing my best students to other teams. The administration has agreed with me for the last two years that it is a problem and that they should fix it but . . . nothing has happened. All things considered, it’s been a good start to the school year.
Wednesday, September 8
Opening Assembly
We took the students in to meet the 7th grade principal. This is when they explain all the rules and procedures. I had a good talk with my class beforehand. I explained that if they keep me happy then I will keep them happy. Then, I told them that one thing that makes me happy is when they make me look good in front of my boss. They behaved. Some of the other classes however . . . it's the second day of school, the principal is talking about discipline, and they can’t keep their mouths shut for two minutes.
Apparently, we had our first fight today. Welcome back! The good news is that the responsible party was suspended. Last year he would have escaped with a warning.
Apparently, we had our first fight today. Welcome back! The good news is that the responsible party was suspended. Last year he would have escaped with a warning.
Tuesday, September 7
First Day of School
School started today. I arrived a couple of hours early to get set up. I ran into Mark (one of my annoying students from last year) in the hallway. It’s two hours before school starts on the first day and he can’t wait to get back to annoying his teachers. He was like, “Hi Mr. Moore!” It took me a while to ask how his summer was.
Two of my eighteen homeroom students brought their locker money today. It’s a hyper bunch. I’ve already given them assigned seats. It’s amazing how they automatically seek out the people who will get them in trouble.
My second block class is WILD! In third block I had two students that I failed last year. Charles was miserable and quiet, only nodding his head when I teased the students about how this will be the hardest class of their life. Beyonce, on the other had, was energetic and seemed proud to be back. She already knows the teachers and routine so this is her chance to shine.
Two of my eighteen homeroom students brought their locker money today. It’s a hyper bunch. I’ve already given them assigned seats. It’s amazing how they automatically seek out the people who will get them in trouble.
My second block class is WILD! In third block I had two students that I failed last year. Charles was miserable and quiet, only nodding his head when I teased the students about how this will be the hardest class of their life. Beyonce, on the other had, was energetic and seemed proud to be back. She already knows the teachers and routine so this is her chance to shine.
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