Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Test Score Article

This article is a clear reasoned response to people who do not understand what AYP means and/or how AYP is reached.

To be even more telling, the Ledger-Enquirer, on FaceBook, shared this article and asked their readers "Are you considering switching from public to private schools due to recent AYP discussions?"

As private schools are exempt from AYP requirements, isn't that an awful lot like asking whether they prefer apples or grapefruit?

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

I'm Baaaaaaaaack!

If anyone ever says that they keep their personal life completely separate from their teaching, tell them they are full of crap. Well, maybe not out loud, but think it really hard. A major confluence of my professional life and my personal life ganged up on me and really did a number on me.

As (I hope) you noticed, I have not posted to this blog for about year. I mean I went and changed the name again, Room 308 now, but nothing else since the tech post last year. There are several reasons for this.

I was transferred, at my request, from teaching at the high school to teaching seventh graders again. I was widely seen to be insane, but I actually like seventh graders. When they act crazy, there is a reason. Their hormones are jumping around almost uncontrollably, their brains are rewiring, they are starting to realize they don’t really have to do everything every random adult tells them to do (or believe what every random adult tells them to believe). So I was happy to make the change. I knew it would be an adjustment, but I was rarin’ to go.

I was, of course, swamped the first quarter as I was adjusting to the new school, the new students, the other teachers on my team (more on team teachers in another post). I was able to keep afloat, but with 30-40 more students than I had had the previous five years, it was a lot to do.

As I was starting to get in the swing and get my feet under me, my personal life went BANG! My wife decided she was ready to move out and be on her own. That it hit me completely out of left field is probably an indication of real problems there. But hit me out of left field it did. I was sort of a wreck for the next several months. I was trying to teach, work out custody arrangements, figure out what happened and if it could be put back together. I really didn’t have the energy to write here then. And if I had, it probably wouldn’t have been much worth reading.

So between the professional upheaval (which I sought out) and the personal upheaval (which I didn’t), this blog has lain fallow. But, like any good field that has done so, I am hoping that now I intend to till it again, it will be even more fruitful and worthwhile.

I have had several ideas for writing posts during the year and now that I am in a position to work on them, I intend to start posting again. So, here we go again folks. Wish me luck.