Ah, 7th graders. Always coming up with creative ways to be 12. I received an email this morning, to the effect of: the boys have a new game where they make a gesture with their thumb and fingers in a circle, which represents something inappropriate. If another boy sees it, it means they're gay. If you see this happening, take $3 off their paycheck.
It's a little funny, because I remember being that age, but it helped remind me how well my school is run. This school-wide communication helped us crack down on a morale issue amongst students almost immediately. I caught the behavior once and saw a colleague do it as well. I would be surprised if we saw it anymore by next week.
Of course, I want to stand on a table and explain what gay really means, and why it's not a bad thing to be. But sometimes I have to sacrifice my blindingly idealistic principles for the sake of job security.
Yesterday, I attended a 504 meeting. A 504 plan is a little less severe than an individualized education plan (IEP), and is often for students with ADHD (like this meeting was). What was different about this meeting, though, from ones I attended last year, was that I was included. My opinions were asked and valued. I was not disparaged by my principal in front of a student's parent. I was treated as a useful member of the faculty and was allowed to share suggestions that have actually helped this students succeed (I may know a little bit about attention deficits).
I had a quiz today that covered all of the content and the question types that will appear on the NSA next week. The average was 79%. I'm not thrilled but not disappointed either. I would love for all students to exceed 80%, but if I nailed that this year, that I'd have nothing to work for. I analyzed all of the questions and picked out the ones that many students got wrong, and then incorporated those topics into the next few days' review. It was a useful test, and I'm proud of most of the kids. I do have work to do, though. Tomorrow is another day. In fact, tomorrow is Lab Coat Friday!
No comments:
Post a Comment