I took a few days off from blogging. Mostly, it was because Thursday was a beastly day and I needed a few days to recover before I could write about it in a way that would be appropriate for public viewing.
Remember that special program on Thursday? It did not quite meet expectations. The woman who was teaching my class had not only never been in front of a classroom before, she was also unfamiliar with the lessons. She spent a lot of time trying to figure out what she was doing next, while I battled to keep the kids calm. The kids tried hard, they really did, but it's really challenging to stay calm and seated in the same classroom for an entire school day. It didn't help that the material was well above their reading level. They did, though, learn a few useful things, like how credit cards can be dangerous and that career planning should begin now.
And, that day began with a crying student approaching me to share that she was afraid to go home because her mother was going to hit her and her baby sister. Legally, I am obligated to call DCF (Department of Children and Families), but since I had a big class for the whole day (without breaks), I had to call the school social worker to handle it. Luckily for me, the social worker was in school that day. She only works at our school three days a week, because Bridgeport can't afford to hire a social worker for each school full time. And then the electricity went out for a little while, and we were grateful it was a sunny day.
I had left the classroom for a little while to go to a meeting that day, and arrived to find my helicopter missing. Awesome. Fortunately, it was the end of the day, and I was able to usher my kids to the buses before running to my car to escape.
Friday was pretty unmemorable, and the weekend was glorious.
This morning started with my brand new alarm clock that starts lighting up like imitation sunlight 30 minutes before the alarm goes off. I woke up feeling like a new person. Then I got to school and couldn't use the computer until the students arrived because it was being remotely defragged. In the process, they uninstalled Chrome, so I had to re-install it while running homeroom.
Over the weekend, I did some thinking about my expectations for Science Fair. I changed some dates around, and I think it's under control now. Before I go back to grading papers, I wanted to share the letter I sent home with my students today:
Dear Parent or Guardian,
This has been a fun and challenging year in science class. However, our most exciting event is coming up soon: Science Fair! Each student has already begun the process of designing, carrying out, and presenting an original science experiment. On Thursday, January 19 your student will be presenting his or her project, and you are invited! I will be sharing more information as the date gets closer. In addition, students who win the school Science Fair will be invited to present at the district Science Fair at the University of Bridgeport in February.
I would like to make you aware of the due dates of the Science Fair project parts. Please bear in mind that since Science Fair is a DISTRICT REQUIREMENT and any student who does not complete a project will fail the second marking period in science.
Upcoming Due Dates:
Monday, December 19 …..........................................Pre-Experiment Science Fair Packet Due
(Including Background Research)
Friday, January 6.......................................................Post-Experiment Packet Due (It is
expected that students complete the experiment during or before Christmas Break)
Tuesday, January 10..................................................Science Fair Presentation Board Due
(Students can obtain their own
tri-fold presentation board or purchase one from me for $3)
January 16-18............................................................Classroom Presentations
Thursday, January 19................................................Wilbur L. Cross School Science Fair
Please sign and have your student sign and return the bottom portion of this sheet.
Sincerely,
Ms.
Science Teacher
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I understand the expectations of myself for the Science Fair and that if I do not complete them, I will fail the second marking period in science.
____________________________________ __________________________________ _____________________
Student Name Student Signature Date
I understand the expectations of my student for the Science Fair and that if he or she does not complete them, he or she will fail the second marking period in science.
____________________________________ __________________________________ _____________________
Parent Name Parent Signature Date
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