"What the peanut butter and jelly?"

Have you ever gone into the schools and noticed how many times "What the ___?" is said by students in one day? They rarely finish the sentence, but I feel it is just as bad as if they did. They say it whenever they feel like it, even if it does not fit the situation. For example, if a child can not figure out a multiplication problem, then look confused and frustrated and say "What the ___?" I don't understand it. "What the macaroni and cheese?" "What the steak and gravy?" I have wondered how they finish the sentence if they weren't around me or other elders who would undoubtedly punish them for not even completing the sentence. Oh, do not even start to think this is all your little angel says at school. I have heard so many interesting things that I can't even fathom to understand what they are trying to say. It is like they have invented their own pronunciation of some derogatory term they have heard on TV. It is almost like the "My bad" trend of the "Girlfriend!!" trend that has thankfully passed. These phrases were just annoying and seemed to come after every sentence. I guess I should be thankful because I havn't heard them used in a derogatory way. All day long I am playing a game to try and figure out what they are saying and trying to decipher whether it was meant to be bad or not. Teachers and parents need to work together to show students that even know a word or phrase is said on TV, doesn't mean that it is right or appropriate to repeat. If I were a parent, I would definitely not like to hear about my child saying "What the ___?" even if they don't finish the sentence. It is bad enough all by itself.

the little "c" within the circle

Lately, I have been reading up on Copyright guidelines particularly for schools and teachers. It has gotten me extremely paranoid! There are so many things you can not copy or show to your class because of copyright. Before I started reading this book, I did not really pay much attention to the little "c" within the circle. It was just something that was always there. Well, let me tell you, that little "c" can cost your school or district a lot of money if someone notices you not noticing it. Example #1: If I went to the teacher workroom and copied a sheet out of a workbook for my students, it is illegal. The problem here is distribution. You are not supposed to distribute copies of a copyrighted material. Example #2: One day I want to show my students a movie for good behavior...illegal. You cannot show a movie in a public place. You can show in your own home with your family but not with others. Example #3: One day, I was looking at my bulletin board and decided it looked a little sparce. So, I went on a website and pulled up an image and printed it out. I then proceded to blow it up on the projector so I could actually get an image big enough to fit on my bulletin board. You guessed it... illegal. And finally the problem is adaptation of a copyrighted material. There are so many guidelines that you have to go by to keep up with copyright. What you are supposed to do, if you would like to copy something out of a book or anything, is contact the copyright holder and ask for permission. Can you imagine asking permission for all of the things teachers copy in a day? I know I can't!

Dress Codes

Since I went to private school for fourteen years of my life, some people assume I had to wear a uniform for school. I most certainly did not. We had a vote in 10th grade whether or not we wanted uniforms. You can imagine the outcome of a10th grade vote on the subject. Anyway, now I see why some schools are switching to uniforms for school. I see so many students in the elementary schools who are wearing T-shirts that have alcohol advertised or suggestive comments. Even though they might not think any thing of it, it will probably affect them later in life. I also see girls wear shirts that are too short, too tight, too see-through, and these students are in the elementary schools! It says so much about those parents who let their little girls walk out of the house with more skin being shown than actual clothes on. As a teacher, I believe these types of clothing choices make it extremely hard for teachers to stay focused on their teaching and for boys to stay focused on their learning. I do not believe we need to encourage boys at a young age to let their eyes wander. With saying this, I believe in some situations, a more strict dress code is needed. I don't believe there is any way where having a strict dress code or even uniforms would be detrimental to the student's learning. In my opinion it can only help. Sure students are not going to want to wear the same thing every day to school, like I did not, but I think it would be a good change with the fashions that are coming into style these days. What do you think?

I Want Recess!

After talking to my little sister who attends Wrights Mill Road in 5th grade, I found out that 5th grade does not have recess any more. I could not believe it! Students need more rest during the day than just 30 minutes during PE and lunch. They need time to be children. I believe you can not expect a child to pay attention in class for long amounts of time if they do not have an outlet during the day to burn off their energy. About a year ago, I heard about an experiment a fifth grade teacher did where she gave her students two short recess times a day. Compared to the other fifth grade classrooms, her students were immeasurably more focused when they were in the classroom compared to the classrooms that did not have recess. She said her students deserved time to rest their minds after they had focused so intently in class. I completely agree with this teacher because I know I can not concentrate from 7:30 to 2:15 without a break either! Our minds are not made to run for that long on high. The reason my little sister said they don't have recess anymore is because they have too much to learn in one day and do not have any extra time to waste.. or that is what her teacher said. I have spoken with her teacher and know she is a wonderful woman as well as educator, but I am going to have to say that she is doing a disservice to her students. I believe if her teacher would let her students rest some during the day, then they would learn just as much or ever more as when they were in the classroom for the entire day. Let me know what you think.