The Bullying Needs to Stop!

I had an incident at school today in which a select group of students were bullying another student in my classroom.  It's amazing to me how sly they can be, because I had no idea what was happening until the victim came and told me.  I've seen this happen before with these same students and the same victim and I spoke with these students at that point.  Obviously my words and the consequences for their actions didn't stick.  So what am I to do?  Administration says to tell them when any act of bullying takes place, but when it is solely verbal or multiple students' words against another's, nothing happens.  

Our school recently participated in a cyber-bullying training for our students.  I was surprised by the amount of students that had no idea that harassment over texting, the phone, or the internet was a form of bullying.  I have decided that since I am still witnessing the act of bullying happening in our school, I'm going to spend some much needed class time addressing this topic.  I proceeded to do some research on anti-bullying and I found an amazing website, that can be used by students, teachers, administration, parents, or just about anyone interested in helping a victim or stopping a bully.  

This educators link to this website is 

http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/adults/teachers-corner.aspx

If this is an issue you have seen in your classes, please take a look at this site.  It can be used as a great tool for students, parents, and even administration.  

Also, if anyone has any other resources or suggestions to stop bullying or cyber-bullying, please let me know.  I don't want to see this continue in my school and I'm going to do everything I can to put a stop to bullying, at least in my classroom.

Wanted: Time Management Skills

I feel as if I should post my calendar and agenda online for everyone to see, so that when I have to tell someone "no" they would understand why.  I have always been the first one to sign up to assist others and I have often put others before myself and I just can't do that anymore.  I'm finding that being enrolled full-time in a Master's degree program, teaching full-time, teaching clogging classes and private lessons, finishing two reading endorsement classes, and managing a household does not fall into place all on it's own.  I'm not sure where to begin.  I've tried to let household chores slide a little, but I can only handle that for so long.  My lesson planning and paper grading has been pushed aside, but these are responsibilities that must be taken care of in order to keep my job.  I have deadlines to meet and I'm doing everything to stay above water.  My concern is that my disorganization and lack of time management skills are weighing heavily on me at this point and I don't feel effective in any area anymore.  I'm quickly losing energy and excitement for the things that were once most important in my life.  If anyone has any suggestions or tips for time management, please fill me in...I want to be successful and I want to enjoy the journey!

Dealing with Parents and Difficult Situations

I teach in a high-achieving public school in which all of our classes are honors level or above and many people think that I have it easy. “Wow, you’re at ______, what a great school!” “You have a cake walk compared to teaching in regular schools.” “You can’t even imagine some of the stuff I deal with!” These are just a few of the statements that I hear on a regular basis. As great as my school is, it definitely has some downfalls. When dealing with an advanced population of students, you also are dealing with parents having high expectations for their children and of the teachers. There are always a few students that fit the bill of the classic, gifted, underachiever. I’m currently working with a student like this and the parents are doing everything in their power to find where to place the blame. Is it the student’s fault? Is it the teacher’s fault? Is it the school’s fault? Can it be our (the parents’) fault? These are the questions that are present in any parent’s mind whenever a seemingly intelligent child is not making adequate academic progress. I have been doing my own research to tap into this student’s interests and I’ve had little success. It is now being turned back to the school that it is our (the school’s) fault. We are now being considered the cause and the only solution in the parents’ mind. But, what if we are not the problem? How do I deal with these parents and this difficult situation? I am sure that I am not the only person that faces this type of problem, so I’ve done a bit of research and I found a checklist for how to handle difficult parents and a couple other links to explore. If anyone has any suggestions, I’d be happy to hear them. I can use all the help I can get at this point.

Checklist
http://www.athleticsearch.com/bonuseditorial/difficultparentschecklist.html

Inspiring Teachers http://www.inspiringteachers.com/classroom_resources/tips/parent_communication/dealing_with_difficult_parents.html

Education World
http://www.educationworld.com/a_issues/chat/chat111.shtml

NWREL
http://www.nwrel.org/request/march99/article7.html

Improving Literacy Through Technology

http://www.ncrel.org/sdrs/areas/issues/content/cntareas/reading/li300.htm

The above link takes you to a site that discusses how integration of technology can be used to improve and enhance literacy among our students. I currently teach middle and high school intensive reading. This is not an easy audience to motivate. Many of my students are capable of reading, but they don't enjoy reading. This lack of interest leads to the fact that they don't practice enough and sometimes lose ground without having the literacy exposure. I have been recently introduced podcasting to improve reading fluency. I had my students read books aloud multiple times, using appropriate phrasing and intonation to help increase fluency. They thought is was just for fun and didn't recognize that they were learning, until I told them the purpose behind the podcasts. I was amazed by the excitement of the students the first day I brought in my Mac. They were fighting over who would get to read first and then argued when they finished, that they wanted to read again. I have never seen my students that excited about reading!

In exploring the above website, I found that there is so much more to literacy than what I first understood. The meaning has changed over time and I believe it will continue to broaden and will be transformed throughout the 21st century with all the newly available tools and resources. I am very excited to see where this transformation takes my students and where it takes me as both a learner and an educator.

Games in the Classroom

Please visit The Teacher's Toolbox-Games in the Classroom.

http://web.me.com/wiseangst/Site_2/Games_In_The_Classroom.html

This is a website I helped create with my classmates from another class. The references for this page can be found on this site as well, under the 'references' tab. I'm constantly facing the battle in my classroom over appropriate use of online games. This link provides a few educational game websites with short blurbs describing their uses and appropriate grade levels. I am trying daily to convince my technology specialist and administration that games can have a positive effect on learning, if monitored and used appropriately. If you have any suggestions for bringing this change about in my classroom or in schools, please feel free to share. Also, if you have any favorite game sites, please send them to me...I'd love to have the chance to explore them.

Who I Am

I Am

by: Darla "Jolene" Tucker

 

I am a nurturer by nature.

I wonder if I make a difference.

I hear laughter and positive conversation.

I see fun times and new adventures.

I want to be the best friend I can be.

I am a nurturer by nature.

 

I pretend that all pain is gone when I’m with the ones I love.

I feel as if I can change the world.

I touch the heart of those around me.

I worry if I hurt someone’s feelings.

I cry when others are hurting.

I am a nurturer by nature.

 

I understand the needs and desires of others.

I say “I love you” often.

I dream of happiness and unconditional love.

I try to be a light for the people in my life.

I hope for acceptance and respect.

I am a nurturer by nature.