Department Meeting

Department meeting today - Discussion of report of Southern Conference and Making Middle Grades Count:

My comments at meeting:

1. Everyone (at the top) is adding their own special ingredients to the soup and because of this we lose the ability to focus and be effective.

2. The emphasis on data makes us lose connection with the human beings we are teaching.

Glad I'm getting out. I don't want to be a part of what we're doing to kids. No one listens to the teachers in the trenches.

Notes From Parents to Teachers

(Names changed to protect the guilty)

Parent note #1: (Classes were reading Beowulf.)

"Johnny absolutely cannot read the book "Beowulf," because it is totally against our religious beliefs."

My note explained that students were taught reading, writing and thinking skills during study of this book. It also explained the following concepts students learn and think about in the "Beowulf" unit:

* Characters: how they change, motivation

* Theme: good wins over evil

* Symbolism: use of light and dark

* Style and figurative language: similes, personification

* Heroism: in classic literature and in our world today (9/11 fire-fighters, Rosa Parks, etc.)

* Life lessons: physical size is not necessarily a handicap; we are all capable of having hero qualities; use of brains rather than brawn is higher level social thinking

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Parent note #2: (A student, who has two straight E's in my class and says he's trying his hardest, was doing math work in my language arts class. I took it from him.)

"I understand that you took Johnny's Math HomeWork from him in your Class. I am not fully aware of what actually Happened, What I do know is We are having enough trouble getting Johnny's Grades up. You Are to return this to him at ONCE so he does not get a zero for not turning in his homework. If this ever happens again in your class you are to notify me at Once. [sic]"

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