I’m not sure why people are surprised that expulsions from preschool are much higher than that of K-12 schools. I suppose it is because people think that the behaviors of the little tots can’t be worse than what a teenager can throw at you. That much is true. But public schools, where most kids attend [...]
Monthly Archives: May 2005
Parental Excuses for Kids
24 May 2005 – 05:12
Today, our school’s dance teacher asked me if I knew a student named “Ami”. I told her that I did know her, but she dropped my class earlier in the year after she missed quite a few days. I was upset at the counselor because he dropped her from my roll at the end of [...]
The International Baccalureate and God’s Will
24 May 2005 – 03:01
Minnetonka, Minnesota, a western suburb of Minneapolis, has a good size group of parents who want the district to ecease its offering of the International Baccalurate program. The district is a relatively rich one; per capita income is 75% more than the average for Minnesota.
The parents have some strange beliefs that they are basing [...]
How I Spent an Hour Today
20 May 2005 – 02:14
Some people wonder what really goes on during teacher preparation periods. Today I spent an hour trying to get a bird out of a classroom that came in through the window. My neighbors class was totally freaked out, so they moved to the classroom next door which was empty for the period.
I spend the whole [...]
Scholarship Committee
20 May 2005 – 01:34
I love economics, and when “Freakonomics” came out, I got it right away. One thing that struck me the most was the chapter on parenting: “What Makes a Perfect Parent”?. The authors have shown that success in school does not depend on what parents do, but who the parents are.
What factors are not strongly correlated [...]
Darn, It’s Our Fault Again!
19 May 2005 – 04:21
Accoring to a new study High School Survey of Student Engagement, high school students just aren’t doing too much work. The study shows that 55% of all high school students don’t spend any more than 3 hours a week in preparation for their courses. However 65% of all kids say that they have grades of [...]
Funding Schools
18 May 2005 – 01:27
Today the teachers at my school found a “Pledge Card” in our mail boxes. The principal would like us to donate money to our own school. There are some checkboxes: $50, $100, $500, $2500, $5000, or “Other”. I’m just not sure which one to check.
My raises the last four years have been 2%, 2%, 0%, [...]
Something That I’d Never Do
17 May 2005 – 20:31
Today I’m eating the last piece of a dessert that another teacher had brought in for us. Because I took the last piece, I just began eating it when the students began entering the room. One student asks for the piece of pinapple on it; I tell her that is okay, so she takes it [...]
Today a teacher told me that she had it with a stu…
16 May 2005 – 20:49
Today a teacher told me that she had it with a student using their phone to text message in class. He was also a frequent user of the restroom, so she suspected something shady. So one day when he was playing with his phone in class, she took it from him and gave it to [...]
Prom Night
13 May 2005 – 21:18
Tonight is the night of the prom. In my junior/senior IB classes at the end of the day, I had exactly five students in each.
