. Regurgitated Alpha Bits: Hi Ho Hi Ho, It’s off to Work I Go

Monday, May 26, 2008

Hi Ho Hi Ho, It’s off to Work I Go

My break is over…dammit.



It's back to work for me tomorrow. The one saving grace about that is I'll have more material to write about! I've been a little short on topics as of late. Joe C. ought to help me out there!



I've also been distracted by my newly adopted husky named Mya. She is WAY more fun than bitching about my job.



I'm entering my final five weeks of school. The final push before summer! I can hear The Doors singing now:



This is the end



Beautiful friend…



The end



Somehow, I don't think Jim Morrison was singing about the end of the school year for one burned out fourth grade teacher, but I'm willing to pretend he was. (Wouldn't that be a kick a$$ song if he was?!)



Testing is over, and frankly (I never thought I'd say this) but I am jealous of you Texas teachers out there. Many of you have written that your students have already gotten their test results.



No Fair!



We slow pokes in California will not know how our kids did until they are someone else's kids. We get our results back in July or August, looong after they will have any impact on the students who took "The Test." We talk up "The Test" with the kids, encourage them, set goals for language arts and math scores, discuss how they previously did, impart wisdom about what "band" they fall into and how far they are from moving up to the next one, etc, etc, etc…



But by the time the kids get to see their results, they've long forgotten the contents of "The Test." We wouldn't give them a spelling test, tell them how they did 4 months later, and then expect them to use that outdated information to do better the next time they take a spelling test in eight months. And isn't state testing supposed to be so much more important than a spelling test?



Oh well. What do I know? I just work here.



Another unintended consequence of testing being finished is that students begin asking me why we're learning things. All year long we tell them that these skills we're doing will be on "The Test," and now that "The Test" is over, they do not see why we are continuing to learn new things. I lie and tell them the skills will be on "The Test" next year.



I miss the days … blah blah blah



As I approach the end of the year, Open House looms large. Time to start dusting off all that stuff I've been saving all year and hanging it up. I have no idea how I am going to do that because the after school daycare program is scheduled to be in my classroom all month after school. This should be interesting. Hey! Maybe I can hang it on them and make it more of a "Living Exhibit."



We also have the annual softball game, sixth graders versus the staff. With how sassy our sixth graders have been, I wouldn't be surprised to see a few well-placed line drives headed towards some of them. Many more teachers have been working out at the batting cages this year…huuummmmm.



There's also the talent show. I've still got nothing for that one…



And then the end of the year! I'm always a bit nostalgic by the last day. I think back on all the good times I've had with the kids and feel I'm gonna really miss them…



And then I get over it.




4 comments:

Melissa B. said...

13 days left with kids & counting. AND, our district did a remarkable thing today--returned the standardized test scores to the cherubs! Will wonders never cease? Hang in there. You've crossed the bridge--the ocean is before you!

Edna Lee said...

We have about 20 days left, so you're right, the end is in sight! What am I complaining about anyway? I just had a month off.

Wamblings said...

I'm late. I'm late. To a very important...

I didn't take a break since hubby informed me we wouldn't be doing any travel this summer with gas prices and all. Of course, once I had set my summer teaching schedule he asked me when I was taking my break. Stupid man! I've been considering a short story about a hb deliberately doing things to drive his wife crazy... *eyes roll out of control* I still really don't get how they work the Year round school schedules. Weird. Anyhow. I start back at Montessori this coming week. *sigh* Yeah, I know. Random.

Edna Lee said...

The school year goes from the beginning of July to the end of June. Every three months, I have a month off.

My school is going back to a more traditional schedule after this school year ends though, so I will have summer break and no more glorious month off every three months...