teacherninja

i agree. smart boards are cool, but boy - i can't...

2008-10-06T20:16:00.000-04:00

i agree.

smart boards are cool, but boy - i can't even imagine the price tag to put them in every classroom (even classettes as they call some of the closets used for classrooms).

and then there is Fast Forward... yea, lots of $.

80,000 books - wow. wow.

did you hear that they let people vote more than o...

2008-10-06T20:12:00.000-04:00

did you hear that they let people vote more than once on this poll?

link

Thanks, missteachercasey. Somehow I doubt there's...

2008-10-04T08:21:00.000-04:00

Thanks, missteachercasey. Somehow I doubt there's a similar group for McPalin.

Yes, Nancy. Again and again and again...

2008-10-04T08:20:00.000-04:00

Yes, Nancy. Again and again and again...

It's so obvious, and yet it needs to be said.

2008-10-03T20:09:00.000-04:00

It's so obvious, and yet it needs to be said.

love this!!! :)

2008-10-02T22:11:00.000-04:00

love this!!! :)

I agree, Nancy. I'm a fan of technology as long a...

2008-10-02T16:03:00.000-04:00

I agree, Nancy. I'm a fan of technology as long as the money is there to support it. I personally don't give a fart in a high wind about test scores, just the actual learning that you mentioned.

School administration is so very very top-down.

2008-09-30T19:32:00.000-04:00

School administration is so very very top-down.

Personally, I'm really weary of seeing money throw...

2008-09-30T19:29:00.000-04:00

Personally, I'm really weary of seeing money thrown at technology to improve test scores. Whatever. I have a Smartboard, and it comes in handy as a tool for instruction - especially when we're doing computer things in the computer lab. But it's what the students actually DO in class where the learning happens.

God. Poor kid. I remember at one school, we were...

2008-09-27T09:48:00.000-04:00

God. Poor kid. I remember at one school, we weren't allowed to say anything critical about gangs, because many of the children's parents were in gangs, and that would have been DISRESPECTFUL of the parents.

That was the school where the kindergarten girls in the house corner played, "Call 911, My Boyfriend is Coming Over to Kill Me."

Doret is great! I was just about to forward her th...

2008-09-26T21:56:00.000-04:00

Doret is great! I was just about to forward her this post but she already answered it!

Booksellers rock! (I say that as a former longtim...

2008-09-26T18:49:00.000-04:00

Booksellers rock! (I say that as a former longtime employee of the Borders in Buckhead, Atl and B&N, and Scribner's...)

Big bad gang member breaks a third graders arm, wh...

2008-09-26T16:48:00.000-04:00

Big bad gang member breaks a third graders arm, what a bastard.

I found two books
Junebug in Trouble by Alice Mead
Cool Calvin:No Bandanas for me Staying Gang Free
www.coolcalvin.com

I am from a county that bought an ActivBoard for e...

2008-09-25T19:06:00.000-04:00

I am from a county that bought an ActivBoard for every classroom, conference room, etc. @ $4,000.00 a pop. Lots of training promised. Well, like every where in Fl., our budgets are bad and the training is in short supply. Oh, and that Supt. is gone!

Jim,If you'd like another perspective on Wes's pos...

2008-09-25T16:57:00.000-04:00

Jim,

If you'd like another perspective on Wes's post, try this one:

http://doug-johnson.squarespace.com/blue-skunk-blog/2008/9/25/and-not-or-redux.html

All the best,

Doug

Thanks, tracy, and I agree. Why is it that the one...

2008-09-25T11:16:00.000-04:00

Thanks, tracy, and I agree. Why is it that the ones that drive us the craziest STILL manage to connect with us? I usually LIKE these squirrelly kids. A fiend, in her first year of teaching, got mad at a kid and actually told him to shut up. She felt bad about it forever. At the end of the year he told her she'd been his favorite and still visited her for years. You just never know, I guess.

I would say yes, definitely, a first connection ha...

2008-09-24T22:06:00.000-04:00

I would say yes, definitely, a first connection has been made. Congratulations! What I have learned is that these connections need constant stoking. Usually the kids who we have such difficulty connecting with are the ones who need it the most. I love them - don't care how corny it sounds.

Aw, shucks. Thanks ladies.

2008-09-24T20:44:00.000-04:00

Aw, shucks. Thanks ladies.

the top of your head blew off because of the aweso...

2008-09-24T17:47:00.000-04:00

the top of your head blew off because of the awesome big brain you have!

It's a great book, thanks for all the comments.. ...

2008-09-24T07:49:00.000-04:00

It's a great book, thanks for all the comments.. I'm just sorry I don't have the time to give it a longer review. Perhaps next month when my book club does it.

I literally just got back from Tall Tales books (I...

2008-09-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

I literally just got back from Tall Tales books (I had a gift certificate) and looked at this book, thought it sounded familiar, then walked right by it. Next time!

Oh, it's 'The Messenger'. A lot of his work is tee...

2008-09-23T19:33:00.000-04:00

Oh, it's 'The Messenger'. A lot of his work is teen-orientated, with 'The Book Thief' being his first 'adult' novel. Didn't stop us for using it for Year 11 English classes though! :)

He's a nice guy in real life. Not just because he'...

2008-09-23T19:32:00.000-04:00

He's a nice guy in real life. Not just because he's a local lad. :)

Ninja, you rock.

2008-09-22T16:34:00.000-04:00

Ninja, you rock.

Thanks, guys. This was certainly a great book to f...

2008-09-22T00:14:00.000-04:00

Thanks, guys. This was certainly a great book to finish off my "pleasure reading" time now that grad school has kicked in.