For the past few weeks, I have been volunteering in one of my children’s classes. After seeing the way another teacher runs the classroom and trying to integrate myself into that structure, I started thinking about this whole concept. Parent Volunteers… Do teacher like them? Loathe them? Struggle with control? Welcome with open arms? Try [...]
Teacher salaries are a touchy subject. What is the appropriate salary for a teacher? Unfortunately there are many sides to this particular debate. Let’s take a look. Current Averages/Starting The current national average for teachers is around $52,00. Starting salaries average $32,000. Now those don’t sound too horrible. I am okay with the starting [...]
Has anyone actually reviewed the days students get off from school? There are some pointless “holidays” including my favorite Columbus Day (*note the sarcasm). This year my children did not get the 2nd Monday in October off, but usually they do. Many of the other districts in the area did take the day off. It [...]
I mourn the death of the written word. Not by me, but by my students. Every time I assign a paper or really anything I internally sigh and then kick myself. Why am I doing this to myself? Because I am trying to actually teach students. Once the assignments are turned in, I actually kick [...]
I have a problem with names… Go back to when you were in 2nd grade… What did you call your teacher? I bet it was Mr. or Mrs fill in the blank. Why did you call them that? Why not their first names? the answer probably had something to do with respect. We are taught [...]
Why do teachers feel the need to be the potty police for high schoolers? Really I don’t need to know your bathroom business. Go and come back. That’s all I ask. Let’s take this back to elementary school. Do you remember lining up at the door? Boys on the right, girls on the left and [...]
After my angry entry about censorship yesterday…I had a bit more to say on the topic. During my random research on the amazing internet, I ran across multiple pages highlighting banned books. Often times the site listed the “reasons” for the ban. Many of these reasons are absolutely absurd. Some are merely an issue [...]
Censorship…. the evil ugly word. In my mind, censorship, the absolute banning of books is one of the most dangerous weapons of the modern age. We are essentially restraining creativity, discourse, and growth. How do we evolve as a society by limiting our experiences and ideas? I will tell you, we don’t. Banning books [...]
Quick! Why is September 17th important? No, it’s not your hamster’s birthday or the day grandma decided to wear her housecoat to the grocery store. Actually, I would argue that this is the most important holiday (federal observance according to Congress)…. Constitution Day. The day when our current Constitution was signed in 1787, launching the longest [...]
I recently attended my children’s Back to School Night and it got me wondering about the purpose of these crazy rituals… What usually happens on these nights? The parents are shuffled into a classroom, the teacher rehashes the syllabus, the parents ask some question that has an answer clearly stated in the syllabus, all shuffle [...]