Towards the end of last year, we had a little Professional Development in which I was not bored (the usual PD feeling) but instead pretty peeved.
These people that took over our school, their whole outlook is based on research, not experience. In fact, faced with a boatload of experience that contradicts their research, they will still cling to the research like it's the last canteen of water in the desert.
This PD was led by the same woman who informed me that the reason I was at school was "to have fun." It was entitled "Relational Discipline." I should have been exempt from this little demonstration from the get-go. If I can do anything, it's get along with adolescents. But anyways, there I sat, ready to learn nothing and play games on my phone.
The meat of their presentation dealt with the fact that they believed there was too much yelling in the school. And research shows that yelling doesn't work. And based on the assumptions that they as people isolated from our children made, they declared that we, as teachers, were getting too emotional with the children and were thus yelling because we had reached some sort of boiling point and we had lost control.
I will now give the exact quote that made me slowly put down my Blackberry in order to raise my hand and rant at everyone. "Don't get angry if one of the kids calls you a fucking bitch. They are just trying to test you. Remain calm and disregard it." They continued to insist that the reason we are yelling is because our feelings get hurt by our students.
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO. WRONG.
1. You know what? Sometimes I am a fucking bitch. It just goes along with being an adult that is dealing with children. You aren't always going to like what I say or do. I do not care.
2. Who cares what an 11 year old thinks?
I am yelling/angry/reprimanding this child because you don't use that kind of language in my classroom. End of story. I don't care if those are the only words you know--then you have to stay quiet.
I get what they are saying to some extent. But if Omar slaps Nia, I am going to yell at him. If Corey tries to stab Shae with a pencil, I am going to say something. There is extreme behavior pretty much every day, and this fucking bitch will let you know that it's not acceptable.
And you know what comes from that? Kids I don't even teach in the hallway apologizing to me for using profanity when they hadn't known I was there. Limited profanity in my classroom, and almost always apologies afterward.
The funniest part is that they constantly put me and another teacher up as the perfect model of what a teacher should be, and he and I both yell on a daily basis. Or at least use threats and intimidation. :)
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Errrr
So, a student I taught 4 years ago just got life in prison for murdering a 72 year old guy.
I only taught him for about a month (he was in and out of jail even then)...but still.
I only taught him for about a month (he was in and out of jail even then)...but still.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Best Compliment Ever.
"Ms. Vinson, if you was in a fight with Ms. Berry, you would definitely win. She might be stronger than you, but you are crazier and crazy wins every time."
The Beatings Will Continue Until Morale Improves
There are 7 teachers out on administrative leave for "hitting" students. (Hitting is in quotes because almost every case is questionable.)
There are 16 students who have been put on 45 day suspensions for attacking teachers. (You'll notice, attacking is NOT in quotes.)
Also, if they are a special education student and they attack a teacher, it can be deemed a manifestation of their disability and they cannot be put on a 45 day suspension. So, 16 is most likely NOT the actual number of assaults.
Don't worry about me though, you guys. All the kids are scared of me. :)
There are 16 students who have been put on 45 day suspensions for attacking teachers. (You'll notice, attacking is NOT in quotes.)
Also, if they are a special education student and they attack a teacher, it can be deemed a manifestation of their disability and they cannot be put on a 45 day suspension. So, 16 is most likely NOT the actual number of assaults.
Don't worry about me though, you guys. All the kids are scared of me. :)
What I Know Vs. What They Say
Last week something really sketchy went down at my school. The whole event played out one way, and then the news coverage of it was completely different.
What I Know:
-During 2nd period, various people came on the intercom to, at first, tell us to not give out any passes. Eventually, they said to close and lock all doors. Instead of the usual, "Any students found in the hallway during this time will be suspended," it was, "teachers if there are any students in the hallway please bring them into your classroom and close and lock your door."
-My classroom looks out onto a giant field. We had the blinds closed because we were watching a documentary. When all this started happening, one of the kids got up to look out the window (you can also see the front door from my room.) We saw a large truck parked and abandoned in the middle of the field and a police car in front of it.
-I texted the custodian to ask what was going on. She texted me back, "somebody over on the elementary side has a gun and i think they were shooting."
-We hear from someone else that there was a high speed chase and the guy jumped out and ran into the school.
-After about an hour, we were taken off lockdown and I walked my kids to their next class. There were about 6 cops in the front stairwell.
-After I dropped the kids off, I came up to the school police officer and asked him what happened. He said they were chasing somebody through the school but they got away and ran up through the alley by the school. He said they thought he had a gun, but they weren't sure.
-The school police officer told me that the Police Dept. wanted to close school for the day, but the schools CEO said no. Hundreds of parents came and got their kids anyway.
The news puts this on their facebook page:
"Attn Harford Heights Elementary School Parents: We have spoken to City Police there was NOT a shooting at or near the school. Someone threw a bolt, which broke a basement window and resulted in a loud noise, which resembled gunfire. The school was placed on temporary lockdown until it could be investigated. There were no shots fired. The school was deemed safe. The students have resumed their regular schedule."
This is the picture:
SOMEONE THREW A BOLT??!?!?! You have GOT to be kidding me.
What I Know:
-During 2nd period, various people came on the intercom to, at first, tell us to not give out any passes. Eventually, they said to close and lock all doors. Instead of the usual, "Any students found in the hallway during this time will be suspended," it was, "teachers if there are any students in the hallway please bring them into your classroom and close and lock your door."
-My classroom looks out onto a giant field. We had the blinds closed because we were watching a documentary. When all this started happening, one of the kids got up to look out the window (you can also see the front door from my room.) We saw a large truck parked and abandoned in the middle of the field and a police car in front of it.
-I texted the custodian to ask what was going on. She texted me back, "somebody over on the elementary side has a gun and i think they were shooting."
-We hear from someone else that there was a high speed chase and the guy jumped out and ran into the school.
-After about an hour, we were taken off lockdown and I walked my kids to their next class. There were about 6 cops in the front stairwell.
-After I dropped the kids off, I came up to the school police officer and asked him what happened. He said they were chasing somebody through the school but they got away and ran up through the alley by the school. He said they thought he had a gun, but they weren't sure.
-The school police officer told me that the Police Dept. wanted to close school for the day, but the schools CEO said no. Hundreds of parents came and got their kids anyway.
The news puts this on their facebook page:
"Attn Harford Heights Elementary School Parents: We have spoken to City Police there was NOT a shooting at or near the school. Someone threw a bolt, which broke a basement window and resulted in a loud noise, which resembled gunfire. The school was placed on temporary lockdown until it could be investigated. There were no shots fired. The school was deemed safe. The students have resumed their regular schedule."
This is the picture:
SOMEONE THREW A BOLT??!?!?! You have GOT to be kidding me.
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Random Conversations RE: My Face
"Ms. Vinson I'm really glad that zit on your chin finally cleared up. It was really bothering me." -Desmond
Monday, March 14, 2011
Something Else That Makes No Damn Sense
There's a student named Asia.
She's super smart and has a severe emotional disorder. Before this school year, nothing was done to address her emotional problems. Her brother is in the Emotional Disorders program at our school. (Those classrooms have like 8-10 kids, they have one-on-one aides, and the teachers and staff have permission to physically restrain students who are a danger to themselves or others. They also have a "time-out" room.)
Our team referred Asia for this program earlier in the school year. She was able to maintain in the classroom about 60% of the time, but that other 40% she was running around tearing down bulletin boards or stealing people's work and ripping it up. Apparently she ran outside one day and tried to get into someone's car (someone who was sitting outside waiting to pick up a child.)
In November, she had an altercation with Ms. P (the one who's out on administrative leave...because of this incident.) After that, she started spiraling downhill. She stopped doing work, she was skipping class and getting in fights with other students. At one point, I saw her running down the hallway and banging her own head against the wall.
At the meeting we had to begin the process of getting her the help she needs, I turned in 20 pages of notes on her behavior. Two days before the meeting, she--completely unprovoked--attacked a teacher (who she didn't even know) in the hallway and followed that teacher down the hall and into the office and attacked her again in the office, hitting her with the notebook the teacher had been carrying earlier.
Asia was given a 45 day suspension for that incident. During her suspension, she has attempted suicide, she has run away from home more than once, she has broken her leg trying to jump out of her bedroom window to run away and she has been institutionalized for about 10 days. Her father has basically given up on her to the point that when she runs away he waits a few days to start looking for her. (She's 11 years old, by the way.)
Asia's 45 day suspension is over this Friday. She is expected to return to our school on Monday March 21.
Here's where the no sense making part starts. Asia will not be placed into the E.D. program yet. She has to be placed into the Special Education classes first. (Special Education is for those who have disabilities keeping them from working on the grade level of their peers; Asia's abilities are far above her peers.) She has to be observed by teachers, staff members and someone from Central Office in the Special Education classroom before she will be allowed to move to E.D.
At her meeting today (which she and her father were invited to, but did not attend) we pleaded with the Special Ed Office to immediately place her in the E.D. program. The Special Education classes are only TWO DOORS away from all of her former classmates and friends. She will see them in the hallway, and she will be embarrassed. I think Asia knows that she needs help, but let's face it, no one wants their friends to think badly of them and I'm worried she will act out just because they are there.
The Special Education teacher put it best when he said that the whole situation is a Catch-22. If Asia acts crazy and hurts herself or someone else, she will be allowed to get the help she needs. But if she acts fine while she's being observed, then she will be stuck in a Special Education class that she does not belong in.
This is my main problem with the whole thing. If Asia went to the mental hospital and has been DIAGNOSED WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS, she has PHYSICALLY ATTACKED two teachers and numerous classmates, WHY WHY WHY does there have to be one more week of pointless observation before she can be placed in a classroom for children with emotional problems? Why wasn't all that other stuff enough?!
This is the kind of stuff I can't handle. Blatantly ruining kids lives for no damn reason.
She's super smart and has a severe emotional disorder. Before this school year, nothing was done to address her emotional problems. Her brother is in the Emotional Disorders program at our school. (Those classrooms have like 8-10 kids, they have one-on-one aides, and the teachers and staff have permission to physically restrain students who are a danger to themselves or others. They also have a "time-out" room.)
Our team referred Asia for this program earlier in the school year. She was able to maintain in the classroom about 60% of the time, but that other 40% she was running around tearing down bulletin boards or stealing people's work and ripping it up. Apparently she ran outside one day and tried to get into someone's car (someone who was sitting outside waiting to pick up a child.)
In November, she had an altercation with Ms. P (the one who's out on administrative leave...because of this incident.) After that, she started spiraling downhill. She stopped doing work, she was skipping class and getting in fights with other students. At one point, I saw her running down the hallway and banging her own head against the wall.
At the meeting we had to begin the process of getting her the help she needs, I turned in 20 pages of notes on her behavior. Two days before the meeting, she--completely unprovoked--attacked a teacher (who she didn't even know) in the hallway and followed that teacher down the hall and into the office and attacked her again in the office, hitting her with the notebook the teacher had been carrying earlier.
Asia was given a 45 day suspension for that incident. During her suspension, she has attempted suicide, she has run away from home more than once, she has broken her leg trying to jump out of her bedroom window to run away and she has been institutionalized for about 10 days. Her father has basically given up on her to the point that when she runs away he waits a few days to start looking for her. (She's 11 years old, by the way.)
Asia's 45 day suspension is over this Friday. She is expected to return to our school on Monday March 21.
Here's where the no sense making part starts. Asia will not be placed into the E.D. program yet. She has to be placed into the Special Education classes first. (Special Education is for those who have disabilities keeping them from working on the grade level of their peers; Asia's abilities are far above her peers.) She has to be observed by teachers, staff members and someone from Central Office in the Special Education classroom before she will be allowed to move to E.D.
At her meeting today (which she and her father were invited to, but did not attend) we pleaded with the Special Ed Office to immediately place her in the E.D. program. The Special Education classes are only TWO DOORS away from all of her former classmates and friends. She will see them in the hallway, and she will be embarrassed. I think Asia knows that she needs help, but let's face it, no one wants their friends to think badly of them and I'm worried she will act out just because they are there.
The Special Education teacher put it best when he said that the whole situation is a Catch-22. If Asia acts crazy and hurts herself or someone else, she will be allowed to get the help she needs. But if she acts fine while she's being observed, then she will be stuck in a Special Education class that she does not belong in.
This is my main problem with the whole thing. If Asia went to the mental hospital and has been DIAGNOSED WITH A MENTAL ILLNESS, she has PHYSICALLY ATTACKED two teachers and numerous classmates, WHY WHY WHY does there have to be one more week of pointless observation before she can be placed in a classroom for children with emotional problems? Why wasn't all that other stuff enough?!
This is the kind of stuff I can't handle. Blatantly ruining kids lives for no damn reason.
Friday, March 11, 2011
I'm Just Special
Last week, this kid named Corey decided he wanted to be in a different class. So he just started showing up to this new class. Apparently, I'm the only teacher who was not okay with this.
Administrator brings him to me last period because Corey said that was his class. I tell administrator that Corey is NOT in that class, he is in my second period...and I had written at cut slip for him during 2nd period.
This happens Wednesday AND Thursday.
On Friday, Administrator tries to bring Corey to me AGAIN during last period. "Miss Vinson, just take him, he's already been to all his other classes."
NO. NO I WILL NOT TAKE HIM. An 11 year old does not get to make my decisions for me. He is in my 2nd period. I will teach him during 2nd period unless you change his schedule.
He leaves and take Corey to the computer lab for the remainder of the period.
I'm sorry, but I just don't get letting a kid do whatever they want just because you don't feel like arguing with them. And I don't pick every battle with a child (Good Lord, there aren't enough hours in the day) but the battles I do pick, I AM GOING TO WIN THEM.
This past Monday, Administrator says we need to talk. He takes me into the conference room and says, "In all my years of teaching, I would have NEVER thought to raise my voice to an administrator and I cannot BELIEVE you did such a thing."
I told him that I was sorry he was upset, but I would not apologize and I would do it again if it came down to it. He said we should be able to talk about things out of range of the kids and without raising our voice.
Which, I agree with...HOWEVER. This was the THIRD day we'd had the exact same conversation ("Miss Vinson you can't expect me to remember everything.") And he's the one who forced his hand by standing in the doorway of the classroom and announcing that I needed to take Corey into my room.
I told him that I have to show up in this building and survive everyday and the only thing I have is my authority. And if he tries to strip that away, we are going to have some problems.
We decided to agree to disagree. And since then, he has come into my room and told me that he needs a copy of my curriculum to make sure I'm teaching what I'm supposed to be teaching. Apparently, they are suspiciously well-behaved for me and he thinks I'm just making shit up to keep them entertained.
Administrator brings him to me last period because Corey said that was his class. I tell administrator that Corey is NOT in that class, he is in my second period...and I had written at cut slip for him during 2nd period.
This happens Wednesday AND Thursday.
On Friday, Administrator tries to bring Corey to me AGAIN during last period. "Miss Vinson, just take him, he's already been to all his other classes."
NO. NO I WILL NOT TAKE HIM. An 11 year old does not get to make my decisions for me. He is in my 2nd period. I will teach him during 2nd period unless you change his schedule.
He leaves and take Corey to the computer lab for the remainder of the period.
I'm sorry, but I just don't get letting a kid do whatever they want just because you don't feel like arguing with them. And I don't pick every battle with a child (Good Lord, there aren't enough hours in the day) but the battles I do pick, I AM GOING TO WIN THEM.
This past Monday, Administrator says we need to talk. He takes me into the conference room and says, "In all my years of teaching, I would have NEVER thought to raise my voice to an administrator and I cannot BELIEVE you did such a thing."
I told him that I was sorry he was upset, but I would not apologize and I would do it again if it came down to it. He said we should be able to talk about things out of range of the kids and without raising our voice.
Which, I agree with...HOWEVER. This was the THIRD day we'd had the exact same conversation ("Miss Vinson you can't expect me to remember everything.") And he's the one who forced his hand by standing in the doorway of the classroom and announcing that I needed to take Corey into my room.
I told him that I have to show up in this building and survive everyday and the only thing I have is my authority. And if he tries to strip that away, we are going to have some problems.
We decided to agree to disagree. And since then, he has come into my room and told me that he needs a copy of my curriculum to make sure I'm teaching what I'm supposed to be teaching. Apparently, they are suspiciously well-behaved for me and he thinks I'm just making shit up to keep them entertained.
Idaho Started It.
Me: What two states touch ZERO other states?
Latifah: What?! They all touch each other!
Damon: EEEEEWWWWWWWWW
Latifah: What?! They all touch each other!
Damon: EEEEEWWWWWWWWW
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