I opened the results of my Texas licensure tests just two minutes ago.
I was nervous in a defiant way---it doesn't REALLY matter; I'll have a job regardless.
But I still really wanted good scores.
For the Pedagogy and Professional Responsibility test, I scored 294 out of 300! (Minimum to pass is 240). Yay!
The 4-8th grade Generalist test was the one I lost sleep over. On that lovely bit of work I scored 283 out of 300! (Again, needed 240 to pass.) I only missed two problems each on the Language Arts and Science sections, and then eight and six on Math and Social Studies, respectively. As expected! I'm sure some of the SS questions I messed up on were the Texas-based ones.
So hooray! I can go get fingerprinted and pay my remaining fees and add another license to my collection.
I'm going to go make a celebratory drinky drink--won't you have one, too? Ye classique gin and tonic für mich.
26.8.07
the quiet
Wow, I really suck at blogging of late. I haven't been online for much beyond tweaking my Netflix queue.
Tidying up and cleaning is never attractive unless one has loads of undesirable paper-grading and lesson planning to avoid. My bag is overflowing with paperwork and scouring the bathtub has never looked so attractive.
I have to be careful about weekends--Saturdays are strictly off-limits for schoolwork while Sundays, between the hours of noon and 6pm, are dedicated to it, at least until I get a stronger grip on the curriculum and how I want to structure my classes. Need to find a rhythm.
The principal met with me yesterday to assess the year so far. She's heard Good Things from students and parents, which is nice. It's tricky, though--a LOT of the students have parents who work at the school, so you have to be careful about what you say to certain kids and/or coworkers. One of my students is the vice-principal's daughter, another is the secretary's and yet another is the daughter of the teacher in the classroom next to mine. Some families have several members who work at the school as aides or child-care supervisors. There's a husband and wife who both work at the school.
That means there is definitely a sense of community, family, even, about the school, but it also makes me nervous. Watch your mouth!
My poor camera is languishing on my desk and may have given up on me. Next Saturday? Maybe we can go play.
OH! I finally found a salon and will get a fabulous haircut by a curly-hair-cutting professional up in Austin. Only two more weeks of unrefined hair and then I will be highlighted and ringlet-ed to my heart's delight.
And now I am off to Sears to buy a vacuum cleaner with Bruce. Don't we have such romantic dates?
Tidying up and cleaning is never attractive unless one has loads of undesirable paper-grading and lesson planning to avoid. My bag is overflowing with paperwork and scouring the bathtub has never looked so attractive.
I have to be careful about weekends--Saturdays are strictly off-limits for schoolwork while Sundays, between the hours of noon and 6pm, are dedicated to it, at least until I get a stronger grip on the curriculum and how I want to structure my classes. Need to find a rhythm.
The principal met with me yesterday to assess the year so far. She's heard Good Things from students and parents, which is nice. It's tricky, though--a LOT of the students have parents who work at the school, so you have to be careful about what you say to certain kids and/or coworkers. One of my students is the vice-principal's daughter, another is the secretary's and yet another is the daughter of the teacher in the classroom next to mine. Some families have several members who work at the school as aides or child-care supervisors. There's a husband and wife who both work at the school.
That means there is definitely a sense of community, family, even, about the school, but it also makes me nervous. Watch your mouth!
My poor camera is languishing on my desk and may have given up on me. Next Saturday? Maybe we can go play.
OH! I finally found a salon and will get a fabulous haircut by a curly-hair-cutting professional up in Austin. Only two more weeks of unrefined hair and then I will be highlighted and ringlet-ed to my heart's delight.
And now I am off to Sears to buy a vacuum cleaner with Bruce. Don't we have such romantic dates?
18.8.07
the city of non-menacing clouds
Was it only last month that Kristin and Meera and I wandered around South Boston to the ICA? Seems so long ago! How I love that city.
Weekends are back. Yes, folks, this is BIG. It's been years since weekends held any magic for me; my lovely retail jobs of the past several years usually stole my restful Saturdays and Sundays. No longer! Thanks to the beauty of the School Calendar, I know my working and non-working days from here until May 30th (last day of school) (of course I'm counting!) and can MAKE PLANS!
Today was the first day of relaxation I've had in four weeks, what with prepping for school and those damn tests and general mania. I finished reading the last Harry Potter book (thanks, Dana!), drank coffee, watched baseball, got back on Netflix (reward for first paycheck) and lounged about. I am now enjoying a little gin&tonic and trying to decide if I want to read or watch movies tonight.
I woke up this morning missing snow, wishing there were a couple feet of pure white stuff outside my window, locking me in the house in a secure cocoon of silence. I am not a summertime-is-funtime girl. Sigh.
13.8.07
day one done
THINGS I FORGOT ABOUT TEACHING:
- first days always suck (today sucked less than all previous first days, however)
- 6th graders are really gussied-up 5th graders and therefore clueless about many things
- I can lose my voice
- it has boring parts (explaining classroom policies and other First Day stuff is sooooo dull when you have to do it five times in a row)
- how exhausting starting at a new school is
Overall, it was an okay first day. The students aren't morons and I hope it won't take me too long to learn their 87 names; that is way better than the 125 students I was expecting. I am consistently frustrated with how long it takes me to figure a system out--be it for grading or planning or keeping track of STUFF. It is like I have to make as many mistakes as possible before enlightenment.
I'm ready for tomorrow! Thanks for all the good wishes!
PS: Looking especially professional on the first day is important, but don't bother with heels if your feet hurt so much by third period that you have to spend the rest of the day barefoot (and therefore not professional-looking).
- first days always suck (today sucked less than all previous first days, however)
- 6th graders are really gussied-up 5th graders and therefore clueless about many things
- I can lose my voice
- it has boring parts (explaining classroom policies and other First Day stuff is sooooo dull when you have to do it five times in a row)
- how exhausting starting at a new school is
Overall, it was an okay first day. The students aren't morons and I hope it won't take me too long to learn their 87 names; that is way better than the 125 students I was expecting. I am consistently frustrated with how long it takes me to figure a system out--be it for grading or planning or keeping track of STUFF. It is like I have to make as many mistakes as possible before enlightenment.
I'm ready for tomorrow! Thanks for all the good wishes!
PS: Looking especially professional on the first day is important, but don't bother with heels if your feet hurt so much by third period that you have to spend the rest of the day barefoot (and therefore not professional-looking).
12.8.07
consider yourself warned
I forgot I took this photo back in Boston--maybe I can use it in the classroom? I do miss that East Coast attitude. The kindness of Texans just makes me suspicious.
Well, I completed my preparatory tasks on time and had two lovely phone calls from residents of the great state of Massachusetts to boot. I am ready for school tomorrow, dammit. I don't know about Tuesday, but I am set for Monday. It is good that I am more excited than worried.
Also, I managed to fix the heat pump so the air conditioning now works and we will not melt overnight.
Wish me luck!
status check
Okay! It is coming up on noon of the day before the first day of school. I am to begin final preparations upon the noon hour and continue to 6pm. My first job is to clear off the dining room table. Second, I will brainstorm a list of actions to complete before those dear darling 8th graders walk in the door.
This will be a realistic list.
This will be a list of actual, doable tasks.
Ready set go!
This will be a realistic list.
This will be a list of actual, doable tasks.
Ready set go!
8.8.07
two times the power
I've been carting my laptop to work but they finally got my work computer ready! Yay! I'm transferring files and taking care of downloads.
Tomorrow is Open House, meaning students and parents will come in to scrutinize me and ask questions. Ag. First day is Monday! I'm not ready! Woot!
Bruce and I saw City Lights last night on the big screen and it was faaaabulous. The only bad part is that, during a mostly silent (Chaplin wrote and recorded a soundtrack and some sound effects) film, you can hear stomachs growling and people making noises and creaking seats, etc. A woman at the end of our row had the most obnoxious giggle. (Not a problem when we saw The General because there was loud live accompaniment.) Regardless, the film was a brand new print so it was clear and lovely.
Breathe!
5.8.07
after the crest of the wave crashes?
And now it is time for all the raving madness to cease and for order to return to my wits and for everything everything to line up. Pronto!
Those stomach problems will stop, the insomnia will stop and I will make great efforts to eat properly. Deal?
I took my tests yesterday. The first one took only an hour and a half so I went back home until it was time for the second. That one, the content one, was not as difficult as I expected but still not easy. It took me over three hours to complete (they allotted five). I recognized facts and procedures I used to know but for some of the problems, *cough* MATH *cough* that was all I could do. I flew through the reading and language arts, skipped all the math (save for last) picked my way among the economics and (Texas) geography and US government questions and performed quite well on the environmental science section. Scores will be weeks in coming but I'm not concerned.
Now I can focus whole-heartedly on the classroom and what sort of kick-ass year this will be. I met a few of my future students and they were all excited to read and write a LOT. As far as I can tell they did not do much of either last year; some will experience a rude awakening, methinks! Ha hahahaha!
Book and bed---
2.8.07
Things I Just Looked Up on Wikipedia:
Commutativity
Associativity
Distributivity
(I never remember those damn properties)
Quadratic equation
Linear equation
(y = mx + b; m=slope, m=slope, b=where line crosses y-axis, b=where line crosses y-axis)
polynomial
(ohhhhh)
Quadratic equation
(again)
(ax² + bx + c = 0)
(damn)
Asymptote
(okay, I don't think I ever knew that, so I can't feel bad for forgetting it . . . but I will forget about learning it)
(oh dear)
Associativity
Distributivity
(I never remember those damn properties)
Quadratic equation
Linear equation
(y = mx + b; m=slope, m=slope, b=where line crosses y-axis, b=where line crosses y-axis)
polynomial
(ohhhhh)
Quadratic equation
(again)
(ax² + bx + c = 0)
(damn)
Asymptote
(okay, I don't think I ever knew that, so I can't feel bad for forgetting it . . . but I will forget about learning it)
(oh dear)
troubled
I think I will do alright on the professional pedagogy test. Out of 37 questions on the sample test, I got two wrong. 95%! Yay!
The content portion began okay. I missed five of the first 38 problems. 87%, totally fine. That took about half an hour.
Then I hit the math portion.
In half an hour, I'd completed only ten of the 36 math problems. I checked my answers and I got half of those five problems wrong . . . bad bad bad.
I don't completely suck at math. I strongly dislike it but I took honors classes in high school and I do relish a balanced equation. However, my memory for algebra processes and geometrical formulas is shot and my knowledge of calculus is nonexistent. Rules for multiplying exponents? No idea! I haven't taught math (and that was 6th grade math) since 2001.
So I don't remember what an asymptote is. Sue me.
Even though I will NOT be teaching math, I still have to know all the 4-8th grade stuff (duh; I know 4th grade math. It's that 7-8th stuff that is above me) to get my general license. This sucks. When did they start teaching calculus in jr. high?
Bruce ran through some problems with me but I am not a good student; I am panicking. So I skipped ahead to the social studies section and did quite well until the questions like this came up:
Maybe it is time for the science section?
The content portion began okay. I missed five of the first 38 problems. 87%, totally fine. That took about half an hour.
Then I hit the math portion.
In half an hour, I'd completed only ten of the 36 math problems. I checked my answers and I got half of those five problems wrong . . . bad bad bad.
I don't completely suck at math. I strongly dislike it but I took honors classes in high school and I do relish a balanced equation. However, my memory for algebra processes and geometrical formulas is shot and my knowledge of calculus is nonexistent. Rules for multiplying exponents? No idea! I haven't taught math (and that was 6th grade math) since 2001.
So I don't remember what an asymptote is. Sue me.Even though I will NOT be teaching math, I still have to know all the 4-8th grade stuff (duh; I know 4th grade math. It's that 7-8th stuff that is above me) to get my general license. This sucks. When did they start teaching calculus in jr. high?
Bruce ran through some problems with me but I am not a good student; I am panicking. So I skipped ahead to the social studies section and did quite well until the questions like this came up:
Which of the following best describes the significance of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Marbury v. Madison (1803)?Erg.
Maybe it is time for the science section?
1.8.07
papers papers
The sixth grade LA program has FOUR workbooks:
reading
spelling
grammar
language arts practice
We are going to be so busy filling in workbooks that we won't have time to actually learn anything or do projects (can't waste the workbooks; they cost too damn much).
You know how much money you can save by having the students do problems out of the textbooks instead? Thousands!
I discovered today that the new lit books ordered for the rest of the 8th grade class are the new, non-Texas edition and now have to be sent back to the publisher.
I am kind of freaking out.
reading
spelling
grammar
language arts practice
We are going to be so busy filling in workbooks that we won't have time to actually learn anything or do projects (can't waste the workbooks; they cost too damn much).
You know how much money you can save by having the students do problems out of the textbooks instead? Thousands!
I discovered today that the new lit books ordered for the rest of the 8th grade class are the new, non-Texas edition and now have to be sent back to the publisher.
I am kind of freaking out.
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