A Few Weeks Shy of the Real World

yanilavigne: (Quotes here) Lol unless you totally hate them...

Mon, 20 May 2013 23:41:04 -0500

(Quotes here)

Lol unless you totally hate them and in that case…

Why is involving young people in reinventing education important?

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:04:26 -0500

My simple answer: because we will never again be in those shoes. We remember things as they were, not as they are. Sure, we are here to try, but we can only try with what we know. If we involve the young’s minds and LISTEN to what they’re saying we will be able to change education. This is why it is forever important to keep our field fresh. We will always be an occupation that benefits from a new breed of employees. Those that can do the impossible, continue to grow and accept change at such a fast pace, will be those who succeed. Unfortunately, not everyone will be able to do that. Survival of the fittest, even here in education.

This is what I got today. :)

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:34:27 -0500

This is what I got today. :)

EDD: Post a picture (or describe) your favorite school outfit... like one of those outfits when you're wearing it, you have an extra pep in your step and you can't help but have a good day. :) Also, I think I might be channeling my inner Cher from Clueless right now. My humblest apologies. ;)

Sat, 18 May 2013 14:30:29 -0500

Super late because I was super sick this week!

I’m not home so I’ll describe. I love a pencil skirt with a bold blouse tucked in. Something like polka dots, gold accents, or neon! I haven’t gone without black tights this year, but when it gets too hot, I love a good metallic sandal or a pointed flat. :)

wincherella: New ink! Can we talk about how cool she is?

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:18:01 -0500

wincherella:

New ink!

Can we talk about how cool she is?

Photo

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:20:56 -0500

EDD: How long will (or did) you wait to go back for your Masters after graduation?

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:12:09 -0500

Details if possible.

Ex: Did you get a job right out of college in your field or specialty?

Ex: Were your tenured?

Ex: Were you as poor as I think I will be?

Flaw: When I get sick, really sick, I cry.

Tue, 14 May 2013 19:56:35 -0500

For real.

Slow, but I can't decide if it's painful or not.

Sun, 12 May 2013 23:21:00 -0500

It’s slowly, not all at once, but slowly sinking in that this is the end of my first year with my own classroom. All I keep thinking to myself is:

“Is this everything you thought it would be?”
“Do you have any idea how lucky you are?”
”Would you have have imagined this is how it would all turn out?”
“Do you have any idea that these kids are going to remember you forever?”

uh….ugh….yikes…what?…no….14 days?…. but hey, I’m still alive. And so are they.

WOW, I just lost a bunch of weight using the OFFICIAL TUMBLR DIET!! Are u using it as well? check it out at TumblrHealthDiet[d0t]com

Sun, 12 May 2013 16:12:59 -0500

SIGN ME UP.

Hey Beanni,

Sun, 12 May 2013 02:19:47 -0500

It’s almost 3 am Chicago time. Now would be the time to ask me why I’m awake. By now, you can probably guess why. You didn’t come party with us tonight, but you were there in spirit. I hope bizzle had a fun night, she was MIA hangin with her friends. Anyways, it was a fun night. Lots of celebration and anticipating of summer (here at least). Bummer that you are entering fall. I probably will laugh/be upset with this post in the morning. I hope you love it when you read it, Australian friend. Aka MATE.

Xoxo,
Me.

PS LOL Jk. We’re not eve Half way to 3 am yet. It’s 2:20.

Jbizzle

Sat, 11 May 2013 21:52:11 -0500

I’m in your hood. Your know my location. It’s country night. Come party with me. Check yo messages.

Holy shit why are you awake?!

Sat, 11 May 2013 21:12:39 -0500

I’m always awake, my friend. I don’t know when you sent this, but I can tell you right now that I’m at a lovely gathering place where there are lovely drinks being served. Come party?

Swedish and New Zealand Indie Bands is Where it is At.

Thu, 09 May 2013 20:06:00 -0500

Look what I got today! So excited! If you don’t follow...

Wed, 08 May 2013 19:22:00 -0500

Look what I got today!

So excited!

If you don’t follow The Frenemy…. You should and then you should read this book with me. If you like my humor, you’re in your 20s, you like pop culture and alcohol, and want to read things 379 times funnier than you could ever be. This is for you.

I’ve been waiting for this for so long! Hip-Hip-Hooray!

mixedupdays: A coworker just showed me this: rebinding a...

Mon, 06 May 2013 17:09:00 -0500

mixedupdays:

A coworker just showed me this: rebinding a paperback book that has fallen apart. I can’t believe I’ve never thought of doing this!

OH GOD. Why didn’t I think of that?!

Men, Not even.... Boys.

Sun, 05 May 2013 15:28:00 -0500

ambedu: hisnamewasbeanni: poopin-tags: This is NOT the kind...

Sun, 05 May 2013 11:13:33 -0500

ambedu:

hisnamewasbeanni:

poopin-tags:

This is NOT the kind of blog I wanted to find scrolling through the education tag.

A teacher who mocks her students, doesn’t care about revealing their identities and potentially embarrassing them (c’mon, that Post-It isn’t hiding “Nancy’s” name), and uses her free time to upload such pictures instead of actually becoming a better teacher. If more than one of your students leaves HALF A PAGE of homework blank, you’re failing them. For a professed English lover to be teaching every subject except French, math included, is ridiculous. But to mock your own students on your blog? That’s obscene.

Who the hell promoted this hateful post?

Well, it’s too late and I should be in bed, but it was promoted (for god knows what reason), and it annoyed me so much that I’m going to respond to it in detail.

a) Wincherella is a wonderful, dedicated teacher who is ultra-dedicated to her students.
b) None of her posts have ever mocked her students. Ever. Read them, and please point out the specific quotes of hers that mock her students. Because I have (over the past year or more that I’ve followed her). And she hasn’t.
c) I don’t know what that student’s name is, but I don’t think it’s Nancy (you’d be able to see the bottom of the ‘y’, for one). And if it was? Even then, it would hardly be revealing a student’s identity. Knowing a first name and the location of “Ontario, Canada” isn’t much to go on. A post-it obscuring the name is plenty to preserve anonymity.
d) Teachers have free time. Teachers use their free time to relax and do non-work-related things. Teachers are human beings. You need to come to terms with this fact.
e) It is (very unfortunately) far from uncommon to have a student leave more than half a page unanswered in a test/quiz/homework sheet. There are a vast, vast range of possible reasons behind this occurring (including, yes, the possibility of an ineffective teacher). On each occasion, the reasons are particular to the student, class, subject, and specific task concerned. To blame the situation solely on the teacher is not only supremely unfair to that teacher, but also ignores the array of possible influences on the student that could otherwise be addressed (or at least acknowledged), to the benefit of the student. I can assure you that Wincherella will have done everything in her power to find what caused these students to leave sections of their tasks unanswered, and if remotely possible, to negate those factors and maximise the students’ learning capabilities.
f) It’s not ridiculous for an elementary teacher to be teaching many subjects. It’s normal. Perfectly normal. Yes, even math. Normal.
Yes, it is a big strain on the teachers themselves, but hey, that’s just more evidence of how much she cares.
g) Her blog is personal, anonymous, and appropriate in every way. Having just such a blog is a common way for many teachers to debrief, share stories, collect resources, and build relationships online. I know that you’re aware of this, because you were browsing the tumblr #Education tag, where many of us can be found.

On these personal-blogs-of-teachers, it is very common for us to share examples of student work (in fact, it’s even more common off the internet - and often nowhere near as anonymous)! This can be for many reasons, including (but not limited to):
- humour
- seeking the opinions/assistance of fellow educators (this is actually the most common one)
- sharing commonly encountered answers/jokes/problems
- venting frustration
- seeking camaraderie among fellow educators, or just friends
- preserving sanity
Also, (and I want to stress this), this is ok.

Agree.
Wincherella is an amazing teacher, who was not “mocking” her students. If a student did not seek out help prior to the assignment or assessment, what more can a teacher do at that point? Obviously they can reteach after the fact, but if a middle school student does not take initiative in some form to point out their confusion, a teacher can not read minds and identify every point of confusion for every student in every subject.
Education drama stinks.
Wincherella has been amazing to all the preservice teaches as well. I know she has helped me multiple times on middle school issues!

Been here on the receiving end, done this, Winch.

I’ll grab my pitchfork and we’ll fight back. I’m right behind you, Beanni!

WAARRRIORRSSS!

I have a feeling I will say this every May...

Thu, 02 May 2013 20:46:35 -0500

“And this summer I will make my classroom the best classroom where everything is organized and planned in advance!”

I'm so glad you're back! I missed your sass and fabulous sense of style.

Wed, 01 May 2013 22:04:23 -0500