Lazy "A" Teacher

Most classes I visit confirm that one cannot be lazy and be a teacher. It cannot be done! Teachers have so much they need to do and the children will not allow it!

However once in a while I see someone who ticks me off royally. I come into their classroom and they are sitting behind their desks in the same place I left them last week. Some older teachers still think that they sit behind the desks while the kids work--usually doing seat work after a boring lecture. That time has past. I'm not talking about the paperwork/computer work that has to be done from behind the desk. I'm talking about those who park their tuchas behind the desk at 8:00AM and don't move from the spot except for lunch, fire drills and break time. If they need something from across the room, they usually bark at a student or wave a finger at a paraprofessional. They are few and far between but they exist these lazy "A's."

I had a kid in a classroom where the teacher sat with her favorite para on one side while the other paras did most of the work. Did I say "most of"? I should have omitted that phrase. I gave her the benefit of a doubt at one time, thinking she may have been overwhelmed by a new situation. I gave her several ideas and showed her how to include the student with visual impairments. My that would be like too much work! I noticed that after I brought some materials in to the room they were used to rearrange her room so she could see who was coming into her class but those arriving would not see her immediately. She could jump up or turn to her computer keyboard and look quite busy to those unfamiliar with the situation. To keep the kids quiet in the mornings until they left for their inclusion classes she had prepared a binder of worksheets for each student. Did I ever explain how much I loathe an improperly used worksheet? That's a later discussion.

Even though the child was on my related service caseload I pulled the kid out to work with him so that he could learn something and not lose what he'd been taught the years before under a couple of excellent teachers. There were no lessons going on in there that I could observe and help her with modifying for a student with visual impairments, so for the sake of the child, I had to pull him out.

There is another teacher who has considered herself as mastering not looking as lazy as she is because she doesn't sit behind a desk. She does, however have several rolling chairs placed about the class and she will roll herself between the children's desks. She does not allow the children to get up or do much that is different. They must conform to the way she teaches or fail. The three or four students read on different levels from the same reading series with no modifications or outside sources. HELLO! YOU HAVE A COMPUTER TO LOOK UP THIS STUFF! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO LEAVE THE ROOM TO FIND SUPPORTIVE LESSON MATTER!! LAZY "A."


I need to write one of my lists. I think it should be called "You Know You're Lazy 'A' Teacher If..." Yeah. I'll do that.

Fw: Ms.Kathy: Mourn for public education on Black Monday, April 27!

Our governor may be the darling of the Republican party but how crazy is it to cut the budget on our most important resource. We educators are to use less resources and raise test scores. Go figure.

http://www.kathyskids.org

Ms. Kathy's Kids Blog: http://mskathyskids.blogspot.com/

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Louisiana Federation of Teachers;
To: MsKathy
Sent: Thursday, April 16, 2009 3:51:56 PM
Subject: Mourn for public education on Black Monday, April 27!

Mourn for public education on Black Monday! Join thousands of educators, students and friends of our schools, colleges and universities in mourning for public education on the first day of the legislative session. Wear something black to school or work on Monday, April 27. In an almost unprecedented display of solidarity, the state's most influential education organizations are joining with students around Louisiana to protest planned cuts to public education. The Louisiana Association of Educators, Louisiana Federation of Teachers and Louisiana School Boards Association have jointly announced their cooperation for the event. The student coalition Save Our Schools is bringing students from Louisiana's universities, colleges, trade and technical schools into the event. What's the reason for the outrage among educators and students? This year, Gov. Jindal's budget will cut nearly $200 million from elementary and secondary education, and $219 million from our colleges, universities trade and technical schools. These cuts show a clear bias against public education. The governor wants to spend more money on vouchers for religious schools, more money for consultants and contractors, and more money for a new accountability system. But his proposed cuts to public education are disastrous. His $219 million cut to higher education will slash important programs in every college, university, community college and technical school in the state. The permanent damage these cuts will cause to the economic development of the state is incalculable. The governor also plans deep cuts that will affect teachers, school employees and the students we serve in elementary and secondary schools. Money for professional development, instructional programs and some salary supplements will disappear. On top of that, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education adopted a Minimum Foundation Program that, for the first time, does not include a 2.75% growth factor. Pay raises and programs that depend on growth in the MFP will suffer. Mourning for our schools on Black Monday will send lawmakers and the governor a message. Public education, from kindergarten through college, is important to Louisiana's future. Education is economic development. Cutting school funds will cause permanent damage to our state. Please wear something black to school or work on Monday, April 27 and mourn for our schools! Please click here and download a Black Monday flyer to share with friends and colleagues. Please click here to visit the college students' SOS blog. Other resources Louisiana Federation of Teachers Web site: click here EdLog - A regularly updated source of information on the latest educational issues: click here American Federation of Teachers Web site: click here Visit the web address below to tell your friends about this. Tell-a-friend! If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for LFT Action Center.

teac

CEC SmartBrief article:Teachers use student work to create books, inspire

	Teachers use student work to create books, inspire A group of Wisconsin elementary-school teachers have helped their first-grade students publish books using their own drawings and poetry. Teacher Lynn Burzinski said the exercise was meant to inspire students to become writers and to teach them the steps involved in the writing process. Wausau Daily Herald (Wis.), The (4/14)