elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 18, 2012 15:23:53 GMT -5
Nice gathering!
Always like the plume and moss - especially the flame.
and Nice comparison Jugglerguy!
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 18, 2012 12:36:30 GMT -5
Note: New links added to top of thread provided by John.
I have not used this system, but others have spoken well of it. If you use it, please write a note here and indicate your experience with it.
Thanks,
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 18, 2012 12:21:56 GMT -5
Thanks John,
I went hunting for your link but ran out of time before finding it. If I haven't said it enough, I am extremely grateful for your help. And your offer of sending out copies is also very generous. (Is there any way of counting how many people have viewed or downloaded the files, or is your set up like an unlocked door that people can open and close without leaving a record? Thanks) I wasn't sure if your links were still up. If you don't mind, I'll toss them at the front of the Agate Index posting in the cabochon section.
My plan right now is to only work with the updated files and the Artists in Agates portfolios. All the smaller files have been superseded by the larger, more bulky monsters.
To all: I also plan on going back and reposting both File4Share and Mediafire links - both with heads up warnings regarding the limitations of each - login for one/possible virus issues with the other. I should have those up in a couple of days (as this is being done around Thanksgiving week activities.)
Thanks always for the support,
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 17, 2012 22:53:28 GMT -5
I am now working on getting the files prepped for mailing to people. The files will be on both CD and memory stick. (John, if you read this, I will speak to you regarding this process. I know you mentioned several times that you wanted to help.)
People responded earlier and these names are placed below. If you are not on the list, please indicate if you would like to be added. If you are on the list and have already downloaded these files, let me know and I will take you off the list.
The included files will be all 3 volumes of the 2012 Agate Index currently available + the 4 Artists of Agate files. These same files will be included in the Newbie Rock box as well.
ONCE YOU HAVE THE FILES - PLEASE COPY AND SEND ON. ALSO - if you belong to a rock club, share freely among your other members. The whole goal is get more people involved.
Here are the names of those expressing interest below. (I'm only listing user ID and not 'true' names to avoid me messing up.)
Note: The mailing list is not going to be done in this order. Instead I will establish a logical mailing route from west to east that shortens the time between drop points. I believe John stated he also could start a mail list from his spot down south. This means we could create a second mailing list for those on the east coast - meaning they wouldn't have to wait for the west to be completed. - I also have a couple names from another board that want to receive this in the mail, and I will insert those names into the file listing. I don't believe that will adversely affect anyone on the list, and it saves me from sending out a 2nd or 3rd file into the mailbox world.
Deb193 Gingerkid rocknut spicerm kap woodyrock sheltie shotgunner
I will also contact each of these people by tomorrow to verify and gain addresses. I have no deadline for mailing this out, but if I can get 10-15 people on the list, we can start it next week and add names as the file is passed around.
Again - thanks to Mel for being my encyclopedia and right hand man on this thing. Thanks again to John for keeping it visible. Thanks to all who have donated images.
Let's get this thing spread across this hobby landscape!
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 17, 2012 22:37:19 GMT -5
Still working on the California Index.
It's 66 MB and 172 pages long presently, and I haven't added the general Jasper section nor the peripheral material.
I'm thinking of putting the updated files on a CD or cheap memory stick and mailing it out to those who distrust downloading off the internet. I'll put a general feeling out on the General posting board and see if I get any feedback.
Meanwhile, I'm still plugging away....
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 17, 2012 20:17:41 GMT -5
I love the Maury Mountain.
One question, do I need to get my glasses, or does there look to be small spray-like structures just above the clear strip across the center of the piece?
Great gathering stock!
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 17, 2012 20:09:58 GMT -5
The Oxnard Gem and Mineral show is open in CA this weekend. I put in a case of "agates south of the border". I haven't had much time to do much as it is report card/parent conference week, so I grabbed a few items on a simple theme and dragged them down to the location after school on Friday. It's a fun show, and I have been away from the hobby for the past few months and it was great seeing a bunch of old friends. I even ran into Christopher1234 there and had a great conversation. While setting up my case, one of their organizers came by and said that next year's theme is going to be agates and that he expects 3 cases from me. I said "Okay...." No worries. I can do that. I like to help. He then said I was giving one of the talks next year... Oh... He said I had 365 days to come up with a topic. I'm flattered but seriously, what I know pales in comparison to so many other people I know (I exist constantly knowing I am but living in the shadow of Mel)...but still, I have time to think of something... So, that said - here's my humble case: My friend Ron put in two cases: one of self-dug Dugway Geodes And another showing cabochons and their mother stones: Another friend put in a case with Australian material which includes this large Pilbara Agate: Finally, just for the heck of it - shots of my two biggest dinosaur bones I loaned the show for their dino table: I didn't buy much, some small polished wood pieces from Horse Canyon (better known for green moss) that I needed for the Index, and an average Crater Agate. Thanks for looking. Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 10, 2012 14:22:39 GMT -5
My wife had a business trip to Hawaii in September and because so much was already paid for, we decided to make a family trip out of it. The last time I was there was in 1980, and boy has it changed. Waikiki was so built up, it seemed like more Beverly Hills with its high end stores than a tropical island. The weather was nice, and food good, but still, it took me a couple days to unwind to the point of actually feeling like it was a vacation (the prior week at school had been bothersome). Part of it, I would guess, would be having my daughter there, as well. Walking around I always had to keep part of my mind focused on her and her wants/needs, and she is such the explorer type, it was a little draining. (NOT THAT I AM COMPLAINING THAT I WAS ABLE TO GO - mind you...just stating conditions.) So anyways, We flew out on a Saturday morning and arrived in Oahu with little incident. Our hotel was at the Hilton resort on Waikiki for the first couple nites, after which we would be transferring over to the Marriot. Here's the view from out first room: They upgraded us at the desk to a nice, high floor family suite which pleasantly surprised us. It was big and roomy and had space for Becca to run around in. The next day we headed out to Waimea Falls on the north shore. It is a botanical garden as well as a park. It is filled with blossoms from all over the world, and birds flittered everywhere, most - we read later - imported from elsewhere. There were also structures replicating the buildings the natives used centuries before, and a couple shrines as well - oh and mosquitos. (my daughter liked the buildings... and the fish in the pond by the waterfall) (and the Hawaiian shaved ice at the end of the trail) We drove back towards our hotel and stopped for lunch at a little sandwich placed filled with locals that a couple people in the souvenir shop had told us about. It was pretty good. We also visited a soap factory located in an old sugar mill. The next day was spent at Haunama Bay snorkling. Becca loved it. She was a natural in her flippers and mask, though she complained about the salty water afterwards. This was another place that had been changed since my last visit in terms of rules and oversight. Years ago you could bring bread to feed the fish to get them to approach. Now that was expressly forbidden and you had to work to get them to care about you. I saw a lot of great, colorful fish, but my wife saw the best, a snowflake eel. That night we allowed Becca to buy one of those oysters guaranteed to have a pearl. She picked a winner - it had two! We drilled one and made it into a necklace, and the other is now displayed in what we call our Cabinet of Curiosities - which is a carrying case filled with all the cool things becca finds (and rocks she steals from me...) The following day (Tuesday) my wife had to work, so it was a Becca/Daddy day. I asked Becca where she wanted to go, and she indicated the Zoo. It's a neat little zoo located in the shadow of Diamondhead, and Becca had a lot of fun running around and playing in the children's section. It was not the most intriguing place for me, but she was happy. It was here my camera battery died.... The last full day Becca and I spent at Waikiki beach. We went snorkling and she played in waves for the first time, giggling as each one lifted her up and lowered he gently back down. We also dove for little pieces of bleached white coral that the tide pushed up from the sand. That afternoon we took a bus around town and stopped at the mall. I was hoping to get a book that showcased the history of travel posters as I really like that romanticized imagery. What I found was a food court filled with stalls bearing steaming samples from all over the world. Damn, that place was a trove of regional cuisine. Becca and I flew out a day before my wife. For a five hour trip, my daughter was an angel. Couldn't have been better for being couped up so long in a metal tube. There is a chance my wife will be sent back next year. I'm hoping to return and see more of the island. thanks for lookin' Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 10, 2012 13:23:14 GMT -5
Haven't been much around with School and Daughter taking time. Will try to catch up on some fun events from the last couple months. My daughter loves bugs. Loves them and loves catching them. A month ago we came across this great guy while coming home from school. Becca had the critter climb about her hands and arms for a while, then we put him into a hedge nearby. She has put me to shame sometimes....as when she let a tarantula crawl over her hand at a local fair and, as I don't like spiders, I had to fight off the heebie jeebies and let the arachnid crawl over my own.
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Nov 10, 2012 12:05:23 GMT -5
Showing a picture from the end as that might provide another point of view.
I know Oregon has several famous places where limbcasts can be found, and it also has locations where green petrified wood is also encountered.
Fun piece! Keep hunting.
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Oct 20, 2012 20:21:37 GMT -5
Sorry - I reread my post and I failed to mention that the soon to be expelled student threatened one student on Friday and two girls on Monday....of course, never reported until the weapon was brought.
But in the days of Columbine, of Virginia Tech, of anything and everything else that kills the young and old in droves via bullets and blade - I gotta take seriously.
Whether a chemical embalance or not, when you make a threat, then bring a weapon - you've gone beyond what can even be considered acceptable in today's environment. Would it be different without the threats and it was a fishing knife or something to cut his sandwich with? Sure thing - still punishable, but more understandable.
I'm sorry for leaving that part of the equation out - which reinforces my being taken back by even the consideration he shouldn't be expelled.
Thanks for support. - And as for lying, Mel two things - I try to reach for the highest standard, and not based on any examples set by our government. I understand the point you want to make on one level, but my class policy is - you lie - you lose two days recess. If I cannot trust you, if I don't know where the truth is - then it lowers my ability to help the students and protect them. Lying - in most cases - is wrong.
As for government - don't care which side of the political agenda you're on - there are enough lies to be found - just count the number of people caught in political controversies. It's not on one side of the aisle, and to think it is, I gotta tell you all, is blind. I'm not taking sides but I have to say that Republican slant on Obama's "You didn't build that" surely didn't try to take the truth of his statement that any business needs the infrastructure provided by government and other businesses to succeed. To cherry pick a specific line to misrepresent a comment is just as bad as lying (BUT IT"S A GREAT WAY TO INFLUENCE PEOPLE) (just don't try to argue that one....it was ludicrous at the Republican convention.) and I'm not letting the Demos out of their poor showing at the first debate. They got issues themselves - not going to deny it. I'm just saying Republicans ain't without guilt.
Don't just put silvery halos above one group of people and horns on the other. It's about the agenda you most fall in line with. Just because you disagree doesn't make it wrong. Just means you disagree.
It is when people become blind to the failings of their own favorite party that they begin to sound like they are more interested in pushing an agenda than actually finding some middle ground - and then I stop listening.
I'm tired. I deal with arguing all day at school.
Seriously - both candidates have huge credibility issues in my opinion.
L
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Oct 19, 2012 21:02:55 GMT -5
Oh man....this is the first post I've looked at in over a month.
I might as well go back and disappear again. Ain't going to be much that rivals this selection in the eyes of this agate lover.
Damn fine stuff, Roger. Envious as always.
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Oct 19, 2012 21:00:08 GMT -5
Dear Diary,
Been a while, but I've been busy. Been focusing on my classroom and trying to get these kids moving higher. They're missing a lot, but I've already told you this.
It's been a busy month. Visited Hawaii, got hit by the flu, kinked my neck and now it's feels like it's sitting crooked...need to get that fixed up.
But that's just me.
My school has been in lockdown (domestic fight in front of school where the husband pulled a knife on the wife).
I've had a student expelled (threatened another student the Friday before and a couple girls on Monday....on Tuesday he brought a 4" pocket knife). The issue here was the district teetered on expelling him since there was no history of violence with him. So I said - so we actually need to see blood to expell? Is that the new criteria? Great - next time I won't call the office when I hear someone has a weapon. I'll just let the p*ssed off kid walk around with it some more. Yeah....Great policy.
Had a kid come to school with a black eye the other day. I asked him if he had been in a fight at school (I had been out with the flu), and he said No...he had got into it after school with a middle schooler who was wearing a Raider shirt....My student was wearing a Cowboy shirt. If you don't know - the local gangs have adopted these teams as symbols of their affiliations. So my 12 year old student gets a shiner...
Listen, Diary, my school and my class has a lot of great kids, but when I find out that 6 of them knew about the knife and NOONE told me, that tells me there is a serious division between how they see how the school environment should be and how adults view it...
But then again, a parent of a child the other day defended his child who lost two days of recess when he lied to the Principal...."That's too harsh. Everybody lies, you lie, I lie. Everybody lies. He shouldn't lose recess over that."
I am beginning to think I should avoid people more often and get back to rocks...
Truthfully - I have a ton of great students, but I fear for some of their futures.
Hence - Hi y'all, again.
L
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Oct 19, 2012 20:47:03 GMT -5
Just an FYI.
Been gone for a while for various reasons (work, health, vacation, just plain dead in the head) and been taking a break from my favorite hobby.
Back now - if anyone is interested.
Am working on finishing California, updating everything with new links, and getting this monstrosity moving again.
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Sept 5, 2012 23:35:20 GMT -5
Dear Diary,
I let a few days go by as it got busy this past weekend, but I'm back.
As you know, I've been bemoaning the lack of effort some students have been showing with the multiplication homework I assign. Well, lo and behold, on Friday I had one one solitary student who came to school without this done. That's a load better than the start of the week when I had 15 who were trying to see how good my oversight was going to be. Seems they have been converted, and that has carried over to the new week as today, again, I only had a single student fail to do this assignment - and he is a chronic starer and proof positive entropy exists. I swear, I equate this young man to a lawnmower that has to be restarted every few minutes. I see from my desk that he's on the wrong page, or not reading with his partner, or not doing work during the short windows I allow students to start homework while I work with those who need help, and I go over to him, talk to him, rev him up, and he slowly kicks into gear. Then I leave to work with others and sure as the earth circles the sun, his head slowly lowers, his pen drops to the table, and he stares outwardly in a silent refusal to do work. There's more, and I'll work with him, but something is going on inside him that is killing his desire to expend energy. It's hurt his first set of grades from last Friday as well.
Speaking of last Friday, I gave my first spelling, vocabulary, and grammar tests of the year. The vocabulary is a very straightforward assessment that matches definitions to words. Later tests get harder and force the student to fill in a paragraph with blanks with the vocab words instead. Scores go down, but students will find new words primarily buried in context in their future, and need to be able to work with words in other ways at school to practice this. The spelling test my grade has developed over the past few years is not a typical 'read the word - write the word' system. We provide a series of sentences and the student needs to identify which word is misspelled in the sentence (or not) and write it correctly in a space provided. Another section tests their ability to identify the spelling pattern or concept we've worked on during the week. For example, last week we worked over short vowel sounds. This week we are doing long vowel sounds. To check to see if they can recognize the difference, part of the test is a series of words and they need to identify the ones that don't fit the spelling pattern. My grammar test is less straightforward as well, but it is a test that if the students have worked hard and followed along, they should at least score a Basic, which is one level beneath proficiency.
Which leads me to the topic of grades, which I realize I haven't even touched and I'm over a week into the school year. So let me clear this up. Out district does not use the standard A, B, C, D, F system that the middle school and high school still utilize. Instead we worry about the students' ability to master specific standards (such as knowing how to use the correct order of operations to solve a math problem.) The levels of ability have been broken down into 4 levels which have been adapted from the levels the California State Test (CST) gives out. In our district, the breakdown is as follows: (95% correct)- Advanced (80 - 94% correct) Proficient (60 - 79% correct) Basic (59% and below) Below Basic
I didn't give the reading comprehension test until today (wednesday) for our Hatchet excerpt as we still were going over the story elements on Friday - and I was very happy with the results. I should mention that we use Houghton Mifflin for our books but we have stopped using their tests in the sixth grade. The tests we found were too simplistic for our tastes. Essentially they consisted of two open ended questions based on topics already discussed in class if the lessons were followed, two multi-choice vocabulary questions, and two multi-choice comprehension questions. Our test eliminated this - for one reason we pulled out a separate vocabulary quiz, but more importantly, we didn't think it forced the students to use their logic and reading ability fully - especially since the HM tests focused on items that should already been talked about. I believed they tested what the students remembered from classroom discussions rather than tested their reading skills using parts of the story untouched in discussion. Basically I want to know what the students were able to DO rather than REMEMBER.
I also gave the latest multiplication test to the class. This past week, I mentioned that students who don't do the times homework can't take the test, and the only way to eliminate the homework is pass the test - so they are compelled to do the homework. Because the test still provides valuable data, I had everyone but those three who passed last week take it, even though I wasn't going to accept it from those who failed to do the homework. Well, when the test was done I collected all those that had been finished, even from the non-homework doers, and graded them real quick. I had four who passed. Funny (or not so funny depending on your point of view) three of those were students who hadn't done their homework. I was about ready to accept them when I decided to let my president (Rabbit, if you recall her moniker) decide if they should be input or tossed. I truly expected her to tell me to keep the grades and allow the three to get out of the homework, but she didn't. Even knowing that it might not make her popular, she said those students had not followed the system and therefore should not gain the benefit of a perfect test. Wow, tough decision made by a 12-year-old. I'm proud of her. She's taking her responsibility seriously. And I would have accepted them. It's why I like having a president.
On Tuesday I had a few students absent, but it was really an average day, though I had my first student written up and sent to the office. This girl had a reputation last year, and posed some problems for her former teacher, and I knew this, so I have been giving her small yet important jobs that required her to be on task and focused. (They also took away time from writing notes or talking....) She has been great with only the occasional short comment that I need to stifle. Everything else she does I give positive feedback for and am very polite with please and thank you. I figure modeling proper manners wouldn't be a bad thing. I believe in building pride in my students, but that is a topic for another day. Well, yesterday she was seen by another teacher showing classmates at lunch a mark on her arm. It turns out that she took ice and salt and rubbed it hard on her arm to turn it purplish red. She had done this at home, but she was showing other students this and laughing about it. The other teacher sent her to the office and had the school nurse and others talk to her about her actions. She wasn't punished, but in my head, I've got her flagged as someone to watch for additional, maybe progressive behavior in terms of self-abuse.
I have more, but I think I taxed your patience long enough and what I have to talk about is Prop 30 and raising taxes. I'll say this before I go, according to what I heard at my teacher meeting after school yesterday, if Prop 30 doesn't go through, I'm looking at 12 furlough days and a paycheck cut by $400 a month, maybe more, after January. This already on top of the raised $100 a month to my medical I mentioned early on in this diary.
L
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Sept 5, 2012 22:40:08 GMT -5
Beautiful country!
Glad to see your photos again (and nice pile o' rocks you brought home.
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Aug 31, 2012 3:20:39 GMT -5
I hope it is a great success and one day I'd love to get up there and see what it's like.
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Aug 31, 2012 3:18:41 GMT -5
Dear Diary,
Not sure how much I'm going to be able to put down tonight. It's been a long day and I'm struggling to stay awake.
Ever since I got my scores back, I've been rededicating myself to keeping my instruction organized. With everything that happened lasat year, classes got muddled, instruction sometimes was confused, and the results show. So now I'm staying later after school and making sure I have everything laid out nice and neat for the following day. I'm also trying to be proactive in copying material for the class. Occasionally last year I'd run to the Xerox machine only to find a primary school teacher running off 30 copies of a 6 page bundle which forced me to alter my plans at the last minute. I've been much better this year, but that also means I'm not leaving until 4:30 or 5:00 on Tuesdays and Thursdays. (The other three days I'm picking up my daughter at 4:00.) My new focus has been making me feel better. Things still aren't perfect, but it's good. The students are helping as well, as nobody has given me much of a pain yet - though two - who I'll call Natelli and Hills, are showing signs of losing some of their self control. I had to write up Natelli today when he ignored my lecture and idly taped a giant paper ball together. Hills' issue is that he can't control his mouth. He's a commenter, which means he wants to say something whenever I'm talking, and when I am chastising another student, he will start badgering them with "why didn't you listen to Mr. Foster?" It's rude and less than helpful.
Another bit of good news is that I'm down to only 5 non-multiplication doers, and two of them failed to do the assignment because they missed seeing it on the board. When I went to recount my numbers, I realized I underreported the number of students who failed to turn in their multiplication pages earlier this week. Tuesday's number 15 and Wednesday had 11. Today's five is looking quite good. I also have failed to mention that I've had perfect attendance the last three days. That is extremely rare. Last year, out of 180 days of school, I was lucky enough to have maybe 12 without an student being gone. Across my school district, absences were so numerous, it was as if each student had been absent 7 days during the year. If you think that is excessive, keep in mind that I have students who top 25 tardies during the year, and others with equal amounts of no-shows. To combat excessive absences, the school can take the family to court in a process called a SARB. This is a legally binding agreement that will actually ticket the parents $200 if their child fails to show up again without a valid excuse. We don't use it often, but it's one of the few things we can do to force parents to be responsible. I bring this up because two of my students told me they will be gone tomorrow for some retreat in a small resort town nearby. One said he didn't want to go but his parents are making him. I shrugged and am considering bringing something tomorrow to pass out while the other two are gone, but that's a little cruel, so maybe I won't. Playing on the angel side of my shoulder is the prospect of going to Hawaii in a couple weeks as my wife is being pulled out there on business. If I tweak the students' noses for being gone, and then do it myself, it would be unfair, and I know I will lose stature with them.
I did get to the store today for playdough, as we will be making playdough earths coming up in science, and constructing a page on the three rock types with playdough 'rocks' showing how each is made. I also bought 5 wire trashcans to put at the end of my rows, as there is beginning to be a laziness in getting to the main two trashcans and my floor is suffering. I also bought the students a class set of black dry erase markers. They have already been provided with small dry erase boards. My district has a policy that prevents schools or teachers from making the parents buy anything for use at school. The idea is that anything the child needs should be provided by us (ie for you out there) the taxpayer. On top of what the school provides, I toss in a few extras. The dry erase pens used by school can be old - having sat for a summer or two before being unloaded on us. So I buy a set for the kids, but they only get ONE. After that they can go to the dollar store.
The school also Dibbled the kids today. I know that sounds like some horrible thing that Fox TV or CNN wants to hear so they can pounce and pump up their ratings, but in reality it's a little mundane and more than a little boring. All Dibbles entails is a reading fluency check following by a brief comprehension part. It just sounds horrible when "I dibbled a kid today," is heard in the teacher lobby. Our goal for 6th grade is to have students reading between 120 to 140 works with a retell above a score of 30. Looking at the numbers and the forms and the nuances of the process, I still haven't been able to figure out how they came up with the number 30. It's like the QB ratings in the NFL. We get the numbers back on Tuesday - don't forget Monday is a holiday.
I'll finish with one other random event. Today I started giving out the polished stones a friend of mine from Texas sends me every year. His support is extremely helpful in fostering the slow growing interest in science students at my school have. In the past I have placed his stones in baggies on my wall, but this time the students voted to have them taken down and put into one central glass container where they can see all the different types. They still want to be able to identify them (there is an accompanying document that lists each of the types of stones that is given to the students.) The box containing the shiny swag had been sitting in my room for a couple days and I swear, it was a salt lick and my students were the deer. Every couple of minutes one of the students would raise their hand (often in the middle of the lecture - which tells me their minds are wandering a bit) and ask when I was going to pass them out. At recess I would get mobbed and a barrage of questions and requests would pour over me. Well, I finally gave each of the students their first polished stone - except, of course, those who didn't do their multiplication. If they don't want to give me anything, I don't feel it's appropriate for me to reward them. Turn it in tomorrow, they get the stone. Of not - eh, more for others.
It seems my brain wanted to do some talking and my fingers were willing to type. I hope it doesn't sound to bad, cause right now, I've forgotten much of what I've said.
TGIF
L
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Aug 30, 2012 21:23:06 GMT -5
I should post a thank you here as well to Tim, for I also received a box of these guys. Mine, though, is still sitting in my front hallway waiting for me to dig into it. I have enough projects going on, I know if I open this thing, it's going to knock my schedule all to hell as I peruse its contents. Hopefully this weekend I'll make another slot on my specimen shelf for some new additions.
I also owe him a huge thanks for letting us use his excellent Luna NM photos for the SW Agate Index.
Truly, this gift was unexpected and is greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Lowell
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elementary
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Post by elementary on Aug 30, 2012 0:25:43 GMT -5
Hey Mel,
We are bringing in pre-algebra concepts this year, and if a student is capable, I don't see these as overly difficult. The problem is quite a few are not. Some of this is just a lack of natural affinity for math. Everybody has things that there are better at doing. In math, some 'see it' much faster than others. For some, they can't even form a internal picture of mathematical concepts, and it is very hard to work with them.
Now, regarding my students, my picture is slightly jaded, and it doesn't provide a complete overview of my class. I have about 12 very intelligent, functional, and responsible students. I have another 12 who struggle academically, but they put out their best effort. They just need a little help. Some of both these first two groups have the pre-teen idea that they can skip chores or work and still wind up okay. I'm trying to snuff that, but this can happen in any economic group. Then there are the others who I fear for their future. Some feel protected behind their overprotective parents who will fight for the 'dignity' of their child but not their education. Some are of parents who live deep into the gang life (we have them in the neighborhood). I have grandparents doing parenting for kids whose parents had kids way too early and they want to 'live their life' - or worse yet, are incarcerated.
But I've also seem many students make tremendous gains, become more responsible, begin to trust teachers again. I've seen the smile of the face of a kid who just completed a task he never thought he could finish. Science lives in my classroom, and for a demographic whose exposure is often limited to Alien Shows and Ghosthunters, I believe it's invaluable.
For the most part, students, if treated right AND TAUGHT HOW TO THINK AND ORGANIZE are surprising and genuinely amazing to be with. They are funny and witty and helpful.
So even though there is negative aspects, I know somehow, I make a difference, and it beats to hell working in a cubicle with pumped in air, a lousy boss, and tunnel-visioned clients who only care about making money. I've done enough business trips, read enough contracts, answered enough phones. I now make people better. I help them find power and believe. I love it (mostly...)
Lowell
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