The Tetchy Teacher

Dog pile!!

tetchy teacher — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 02:21:30 +0000

Principal fired for jumping on students in cafe

gee, sounds like fun!

Helping Kids Who Hate High School

tetchy teacher — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:56:46 +0000

Jay Mathews – Helping Kids Who Hate High School – washingtonpost.com

Another very worthwhile read from Jay Mathews. Why? It is not some study – but a real teacher’s real observations about what we do right – and wrong.

Like, whatever happened to vocational ed, and why??

Easy Grading and more

tetchy teacher — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 20:35:12 +0000

Why Easy Grading Is Good for Your Career

A must read!!

I want Johnny in Mrs. Z’s class

tetchy teacher — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:55:37 +0000

Do parents know best? Or should they respect boundaries and let kids learn how to be resilient? This article only talks about parents’ role in picking kid’s teacher, but it is a broader issuer than that.

Article

Teachers as miracle workers

tetchy teacher — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 20:06:13 +0000

Speaking to the American Federation of Teachers on Monday, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said, ‘Great teachers are performng miracles every single day.” Later on, when asked during a press conference about what makes a good teacher, he replied, “An effective teacher? They walk on water.”

Should teachers be expected to perform miracles? Is that language helpful, misleading or pandering? More below….

Article and comments

Man sets record for running while on fire

tetchy teacher — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:31:30 +0000

ohhhhh kayyyyy

A Scottish man has broken the world’s record for running while on fire, witnesses said.m (He) had a team from the Hampshire Fire and Rescue department standing by as he sprinted in a ball of fire while wearing eight layers of protective clothing, including four layers of fireproof undergarments, the Telegraph sai”

Man sets record for running while on fire

Is Recess Necessary?

tetchy teacher — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 03:28:22 +0000

Work, kiddies! No time to play!

End recess?

School Memory DVD Shows Teacher Having Sex

tetchy teacher — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:17:26 +0000

OOPS!

ELK GROVE, Calif. — A Northern California elementary school teacher sent her students home for the summer with a video of class memories, only the DVD included six seconds of her having sex on a couch.
Officials at the Elk Grove Unified School District asked families of the teacher’s 24 students to get rid of the DVD after the unintended clip was found spliced in a scene where children were sharing stories in class.

Some memory!

Taking zero out of your grading policy?

tetchy teacher — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 06:05:33 +0000

This one stirs up teachers, but it makes sense to me. After all, get a few zeros and your chances to pull up your grade are crippled.

I DO leave it as a zero for emailed reports and non-official progress reports until grading for the period closes. Then I change them to 40%.

Of course I DO NOT use the district’s lame grading program – so I am able to give a footnote that says ‘never attempted or turned in’ so the parent knows the reality.

One more thing. Cheating and copying is RAMPANT at all levels of our schools. So I DO give zeros – to those who copy or cheat.

Read the article

Inspirational Story

tetchy teacher — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 06:13:34 +0000

Homeless girl finally has a home: Harvard

Love it when I find a story like this. You will too, unless you are even more cynical than I….