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It's Not All Flowers And Sausages...

A place where teachers can breathe, vent and LAUGH!!

February 2010 - Posts

Why The Superintendent Firing All the Teachers in One School Should Be Ashamed Of Themselves...and Maybe Have To Wear a Scarlet D for ***

This whole "firing every teacher because we don't have the balls to dig into the larger problem and this seems like the easiest thing to do" business is totally ruining my office supply buzz. In fact, I just read through a bunch of articles and watched Read More...

Oh Manilla Folders...How Do I Love Thee?

Today friends, we are going to count the ways. First, a small photo montage (click for links) to celebrate you in all your fabulousness. From the very simple To the wonderfully bedazzled To the stylishly practical Is everyone else smiling? Now, on to Read More...

Fashionably Late to the Office Supply Party

I'm at the point with my love affair with office supplies, that I now get email alerts when there is a big sale. I know what you're thinking..."this girl needs more to DO!" Well, that's not true, but I probably could spend more time dissertating , reading Read More...

I Want To Go To There...

In light of my posts on teacher evaluations and Obama's new plan to improve teacher effectiveness, I just HAD to add this OpEd piece from the New York Times to the mix. It's about Ms. Kenny, the inspirational woman who has created three insanely popular Read More...

Teacher Effectiveness - As Defined By A Bunch of People Who Have Never Taught

It's another news day, friends. On Friday, I wrote about the INeffectiveness that is the reality of the teacher evaluation process for many of us. (Unless of course, those evaluations are exercises in judging our ability to a) be patient with administrators, Read More...

And In Today's Shocking News - Teacher Evaluations May Not Be All Their Cracked Up To Be

Yowza! So I'm taking a break from panicking about having a child having anxiety over my dissertation my morning routine and getting caught up on my education news, when I see this beaut in my inbox, just beckoning me to write about it. You see the New Read More...

The Teacher Olympics

I'm sitting here, comfortable on my couch with a fire going and my kitty by my side, watching the women's Olympic skiing. A little honesty here, I am absolutely okay with watching a workout DVD like it is a movie (complete with popcorn and maybe a soda) Read More...

Ah, The Elusive Prep

A few people commented on my First Year Tales of Woe yesterday and mentioned preps. Ah, preps. Just the thought of them sends me into an emotional tizzy. If tizzy is even a word that is - Big Mama Mimi uses it, so I figure it has to be legit. I mean, Read More...

What Snapped First - Me or the Pencil?

I was just thinking back to my first year of teaching. Don't ask me why...self torture? Self pity? Self reflection? Probably not. More like mind wandering, but whatever. I haven't written about those first teaching experiences very often because they Read More...

Sometimes Bigger IS Better

Man, do I need to get me some focus! Maybe it's baby brain, maybe it's being insanely bored with my dissertation topic, maybe it's not being in a classroom filled with the energy of small people. Whatever it is, I find myself distractedly clicking on Read More...

Vacation Station

Well, you made it! Either you are about to enjoy a long weekend in honor of Presidents Past or you are about to settle into a glorious whole week of winter break. Aaaahhhhh! (My apologies in advance to those of you who lost vacation days due to a hideous Read More...

Is That Puke? Yeah, It's Time For Vacation...

If you're a regular reader of this blog, you are probably familiar with the Legend of the Seat Sack which is really just a story of how my school prioritized new seat sacks complete with embroidered mascot over paper. You know, 'cuz in this digital age, Read More...

SNOW DAY!!!!!

I think it's pretty safe to say that everyone in the world has a snow day today. Okay, maybe not everyone in the world, but if you live in the tri-state area or anywhere in the mid-Atlantic states, you are hopefully just getting up, sipping some coffee Read More...

Hypocritical Times

Today I was at the library researching childbirth classes dutifully dissertating and maybe looking at maternity clothes online but whatever when I heard somebody's cell phone ring. Loudly. And repeatedly. As I am currently missing the classroom pretty Read More...

Now THERE'S a Finger Snapper!

Today I was at the library procrastinating taking a break from my dissertation to stay up on current events in education. A girl can't let herself get stale you know. I was immediately drawn to an article with the title, "Students show progress with new Read More...

Before You Poke Yourself In The Eye...

(Despite a bit of what one might call a liberal use of choice words, this post is really meant to warm the cockles of your heart. Seriously.) (Am I the only one laughing at the word "cockles?") (I mean, have you ever heard anyone say, "Geez, I think I Read More...

"Betty Bought Butter, But the Butter Was BITTER..." (Or Wait...Maybe I'm Just Bitter)

I'd say we're about halfway through the year, no? One might even refer to this as a "midpoint" or "mid year" or the "middle of the school year." All those terms would be accurate. And if one was giving, let's say, a midyear assessment, this would be the Read More...