Soaring high...

Here in the county as we aspire to acquire something, we seem to have lost our way and have thus fallen short of the honor of being named a “C” district. This God fearing state wouldn't even condescend to rate us as a "D" district. How did this misfortune fall into our lap?

1. Lack of parental involvement
2. Ineffective Inclusion program
3. Inability of parents to assist their children with school work

   

   District Report Card

4. No professional development
5. No learning or reading specialists
6. No interventionists
7. No educational consultants
8. No communication between administration and faculty
9. No professional learning communities (PLCs)
10. No teacher support team (TST)

This truly is a recipe for success…

We all need a friend...

Teachers have grown accustomed to little gestures like an apple on their desk or a note left on their desk by a student. We even enjoy the miscellaneous school supplies and candies that often find their way onto our desk since they can be re-gifted to other students with little inconvenience to our purse.

Something we do not expect to find is a little friend lurking inside our desk drawers. One teacher had the misfortune of finding a live mouse when she reached into her desk drawer.

I now know cleanliness is a top priority here in the county...

Something worth fighting for...

Each day young scholars take a stand to fight for a noble cause. Some people fight to end social injustices while others take up arms in self defense. Still others fight for less noble causes. 

Recently, one young scholar, student A, took up arms for a "less than noble cause". What was the less than noble cause in question? A bag of Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Freed from the strict rules of the classroom and free to join the zoo in the hallway, student A seized the opportunity to enjoy a light snack on the way to his next class. 

Unfortunately, another student, student B, wanted to join in on the merriment of eating Flamin' Hot Cheetos, so he asked to sample this delicacy. Deeply offended by this request, student A proceeded to shove student B and then grab student B by the neck and shove him against the nearest wall.

The culprit

I suppose we all must protect what is near and dear to us even if it is a bag of chips. 

The struggle is real...

  

Everyone has his own level of comfort

While cruising the streets in the county I happened upon a home that I am almost certain is unfit for human habitation.

I made inquiries and it seems that two sisters live in the humble dwelling seen below.

There's even trash pickup

I suppose everyone has his or her own level of comfort...

A celebration of black history...

Black History Month is supposed to be a time to celebrate the achievements of black Americans and to acknowledge the role that black Americans play in the history of our beloved nation. It should also be a time for African Americans to reflect and appreciate what their forefathers suffered for their present freedom.

A Celebration of Black History

As Black History Month comes to a close, it's interesting that my school has not done anything to celebrate Black History Month even though 99% of our student body is African American. It's also interesting to hear what some of my students think about important figures in the civil rights movement.

According to my students, Martin Luther King Jr. was an amazing person because he ended slavery.

Also, Malcolm X was a wrestler, and Martin Luther King Jr was killed by Elvis Presley.

 
Who knew slavery was abolished sometime during the 1950s or 1960s. 

The struggle is real...

Come prepared...

Since it is now February, every student should know that he or she must come to my class prepared with an appropriate writing utensil. Unfortunately, it's surprising to see how many students "forget" to bring something to write with, so I came up with a game plan to teach my forgetful students a lesson.

Since I am overflowing with generosity, I offer "charity supplies" to students who forget to bring a pen or pencil to class.

This is what you get when you ask the teacher for a pencil

How many kids will come to my class unprepared again after being forced to write with a nub or a crayon?

Ingenuity at its finest....

Focused?

It's always nice to know what my students are thinking about when they take an exam.

What one student drew on his desk when he was supposed to be taking his exam

It would be one thing if he had finished his test early and didn't feel like doing the extra credit assignment. This was not the case. About 30 minutes into the test he was only on question #3, but he managed to complete the masterpiece seen above on his desk

Still riding the struggle bus...