August 27, 2012
To Smile or Not to
Smile
I am a brand new
teacher who's been told to hide my smile
And it's clear that the teacher who told me that hasn't smiled in quite a while
With lines so deeply etched in her brow, it seems that there's no turning back now
Like her, I do not wish to be, so I'm trying to ignore her advice to me
And I notice that none of her students respond to her very kindly
They run out of her classroom each day when the bell rings screaming, "Finally!"
So smile I will and successful I'll be. A happy teacher my students will see
For happy students behave, I'm told. And miserable teachers grow miserably old.
And it's clear that the teacher who told me that hasn't smiled in quite a while
With lines so deeply etched in her brow, it seems that there's no turning back now
Like her, I do not wish to be, so I'm trying to ignore her advice to me
And I notice that none of her students respond to her very kindly
They run out of her classroom each day when the bell rings screaming, "Finally!"
So smile I will and successful I'll be. A happy teacher my students will see
For happy students behave, I'm told. And miserable teachers grow miserably old.
-Annette Breaux
News/Timelines/Due Dates
·
PRIDE
- Thank you for being a positive role in the lives of our students as
PRIDE leaders! Next Friday, August 31 will be an advisement lesson where
we will continue to build relationships and connect with our students.
Getting to know you, icebreakers, and group activities will be the focus of the
lessons. If you ever have questions about the lessons please ask a PRIDE
committee member for your grade level. They will be able to assist
you. Lessons will be distributed through your team liaisons and PRIDE
committee members.
·
Staff
Shirts – Usually, I would like us to wear our staff shirts on the last Friday
of the month, BUT NOT THIS FRIDAY!!.
This Friday, you are encouraged (and you should encourage your students)
to wear their college team colors as we celebrate the kickoff of the football
seasonJ.
Now last year I stated that you could wear any color except orange,
which I thought, was very reasonable. Of
course, some folks disagreed with me and decorated my office in all sorts of
shades of orange and blue (the M&M’s were delicious). As I reflected on that, it seems to have been
a providential event, because we beat all the teams that were displayed in my
office (except of course the ones we did not play). So wear your team colors proudly this FRIDAY
and you can even take the following Monday off.
·
We will begin doing walk-throughs today. Many times these will be done individually
and sometimes together. You will not see
us taking notes as the goal is to focus on the following questions:
1. What was the teacher trying to do?
2. Was the teacher successful?
3. What was the ONE thing that either made the students/teacher successful or could make the students/teacher successful?
2. Was the teacher successful?
3. What was the ONE thing that either made the students/teacher successful or could make the students/teacher successful?
·
A
Little Monday morning humor:
Here is an explanation of the school
homework policy: Students should not spend more than 90 minutes per night. This
time should be budgeted in the following manner:
·
15 minutes looking for assignment
·
11 minutes calling a friend for the assignment
·
23 minutes explaining why the teacher is mean and just does not like
children
·
8 minutes in the bathroom
·
10 minutes getting a snack
·
7 minutes checking the TV Guide
·
6 minutes telling parents that the teacher never explained the assignment
·
10 minutes sitting at the kitchen table waiting for Mom or Dad to do the
assignment
LONG TERM ASSIGNMENTS
These are given the night before they are due. This explains the name
"long
term". It is a long-term commitment to time that begins at 9:30PM and ends
at 11:50PM - or later. It is important that the whole family be involved in
the project. It is imperative that at least one family member races to
Wal-Mart/Kmart for poster board, and that at least one family member ends up
in tears (does not have to be the student). One parent needs to stay up and complete the project. The other parent needs to call the school and leave a message that the student is out sick.
term". It is a long-term commitment to time that begins at 9:30PM and ends
at 11:50PM - or later. It is important that the whole family be involved in
the project. It is imperative that at least one family member races to
Wal-Mart/Kmart for poster board, and that at least one family member ends up
in tears (does not have to be the student). One parent needs to stay up and complete the project. The other parent needs to call the school and leave a message that the student is out sick.
It is not necessary to have the student's name on the assignment.
Where is
Livingston?
Livingston is with Unnur Kornmayer this week. Unnur does an excellent job registering new
students and making them and their parents feel welcome. She put in countless hours this summer to
assure they were all registered for the first day of school. She continues to learn the many facets of the
job and all the legalities and she does so with a smile. She is truly an asset to the AMMS team!
Happy Birthday
Michelle Potts August 29
Robin Wexler August 31
Seema Pirani September
1
