Friday, December 14, 2018

Random Tid Bits

  1. Work has been slamming me hard!

    We're wrapping up the fall semester, which is enough really with tests, grading, photographing artwork and so on.

    They decided they need me to teach different days next semester. A schedule that will be harder on me. Since all the days changed, so did my classes...deadlines, dates, breaks and so on. Something did go my way. I get an assistant to help out in one of my classes because they stuck me in a crazy schedule. The Education Director needs the syllabi soon to proof. That's a lot of work!

    They also want me to have a professional development something-er-rather. Back in May I did a facebook blueprint class to get facebook blueprint certified. It was a lot of work. Get this...it won't count because they consider that to be for 2017-2018 school year, instead of 2018-2019 school year. I did it all at the end of May, after spring classes were over. I opened up all the certifications I got, Photoshopped July dates on them, and hope they'll take them. They'll never know the difference. But they may not take them because it was shady I sent them the first time with May dates. I'm not usually shady, but damn it it's one month off. I did a ton of work for those things!

    Then I got an email that they want me to talk about Squarespace and Wordpress for our Inservice, while the students are on break. I want to yell loudly.

  2.  This is Thursday morning that I'm writing this. Last night Travis decided to email the Principal at the elementary school to have a sit down meeting with Isaak's teacher. We've both just had it! It went from Isaak being one of the only boys she could trust to Isaak being one of the problem children. Is it because he's a talker, or is it because we've gotten involved over her head? He's never been seen as a problem child ever! I've never had so many issues with a teacher before. We have a meeting Friday late in the day.

    Isaak cries because he doesn't understand his homework content wise. When he tells her he doesn't understand she explains it exactly how she explained it before. She talks down to him. He didn't get it the first time, so he needs it explained in a different way. Then she tells the class to have one group read a chapter, another group read a different chapter to help with the chapter questions. Well they ran out of time to answer the questions. Then Isaak didn't know which chapter questions he had to answer. I helped him do both, and taught him how to scan or skim read. Then it was less daunting to him.

    She gives a lot of busy work. Example: They got a packet of crossword puzzles, word puzzles, math puzzles and so on. Before next week he has to get 14 pages done all the way. If they don't they have to sit to do homework instead of watch movies with their peers during the holiday performance. One word puzzle I couldn't figure out: hijklmno, I looked it up to find the answer was H2O. There was another odd one on that page. Then on the crossword puzzle there was, Another name for winter, after trying many things that wouldn't fit I looked it up and found it was Solstice. A 5th grader wouldn't know that! Those are just 2 examples. There were more! Isaak sees it as I have 14 pages of homework! It's not due until next week. When we broke it down it was 2 pages a day. That's not that bad, but that's also not how he absorbs the assignment.

    If you are familiar with Jane Elliot's Blue Eye and Brown Eye Experiment that's what this teacher does. Only Jane Elliot put one group of kids against another to show how unfair it is. This teacher does it because she has favorites. Isaak now labels himself as not one of the good kids when he's never been labeled this way. He's a boy full of empathy, and she's crushing him. I was holding it together, but finally broke down crying.


    My concerns about the lack of recess they are having is still there, but now it's bigger than that. Our whole family is feeling it. We all pitch in to help Isaak with his homework. Yes Mica and I helped assist him with some of that busy work like word finds, while he cried over math homework he had.

    One of Isaak's good friend had a birthday party last week. Get this Isaak wasn't invited. Hummm I wonder why? We've had their whole family over different times. They have a son in Mica's grade. Her Dad said, "So you coming to the party this weekend Isaak?" Isaak said, "I wasn't invited." It was like putting salt in the wound. I can't help, but to think, is it this teacher that put her against him? At first I thought it was just that she only invited girls, but that's not the case. I told Travis to feed them with kindness, and invite them to our Dance Party for New Years Eve. So...he did.
     
  3. Isaak's basketball team was going to break up. They stuck with it. I do wish the coach would put more emphasis on layups, and making simple shots. Instead he's all about scrimmage. The boys are just all over the place.

  4. I saw this meme about adding random strangers to your holiday card to get relatives talking. I really want to do this! I especially want to add an Asian kid, a Mexican kid, and an African American kid. Diversity in my card. It sure would get people talking!

    What's a crazy idea that you've had lately?
     
  5. Mica was top notch last year for his Science Fair Project. I think he thinks he is again. Travis started looking at all he's done, and was annoyed big time. All week along with Isaak's homework we've been working with Mica on his Science Fair Project that's due next week.

3 comments:

Theresa Mahoney said...

Poor Isaak. I hope you were able to get things squared away with his teacher during the meeting today. It's so hard to enjoy class when you have a teacher that is hurting more than helping. I had one my junior year (I didn't have parents to advocate for me though) and finally snapped and wrote an entire assignment with snarky answers. (It was one of those fake life scenarios and she made sure she gave me the occupation with like a 12,000 a year income just to make it harder on me). Every answer was a big F You to her, I'll make more of my life than you ever will. I got an F on that paper (well worth it) and she used it as an example of how not to go through life for her other classes, trying to demean me even more. I think I got the last laugh though because I've done some pretty freakin fantastic things with my life ad she's probably still sour grapes.

An Apel a Day said...

You go Theresa!

Indah Nuria Savitri said...

Hope all went well with Isaac.. I have similar problem with Bo, my son. As we move back to Indonesia, he is struggling with the whole adjustment and need extra time to grasp the new system. I hope he'll nail it eventually..I just don't want them to be traumatised with school

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