Two more days. Two more days. Two more days.
First, I have to give a big shout out to all of my peeps. Man, my last post had such wonderful, amazing, sweet, can’t-believe-it comments that I don’t know what to say. I really don’t. I wish I had the right words but the only words I can think of are . . . well, I can’t think of any. So you know those comments meant the world to me.
Also, Hadar of Miss Kindergarten is trying to get me more followers because she thinks I have low self esteem. Not really. She thinks I have low blog esteem. So she is going to give away her new Snow Packet to one lucky person if I reach 1000 followers. Really. I’m not joking. I didn’t ask her to do this, either. And if I analyze my post (Which I never do. I don’t. Who would do that? Not me. Really. Never. I just wouldn’t. Leave me alone.), I don’t think I hinted at this, either. But there you have it. Hadar, thank you. When I meet you IRL, I’m going to give you a big ole hug. If that’s okay. I mean, what do you guys think? We’ve never met but I feel like I know all of you and if we were to meet, I’d hug you and ask you how little Suzy or Drew or your adorable dogs are doing. Anywho, go check it out for yourselves.
Now let’s talk about pie. Today, we had our PTT meeting with the staff. I saw them yesterday at our Staff Breakfast in which our principal provides eggs, bacon, sausage, and some other goodies that I do not eat (because I am picky and one of the things I do not eat is a protein breakfast. I prefer carbs such as bagels, croissants, English muffins, toaster strudels, pop tarts, and creamer with coffee) so I just sit there and chit chat. My point is, I just saw the staff yesterday.
Well, today, I saw them again and we got our First Trimester District Assessment Data. And there were pie graphs. With advanced, proficient, basic, below basic, and far below basic percentages and other fancy math talk that is beyond my level of first grade skills.
People, I didn’t like my pie. Which makes sense because I ordinarily do not like pie. I occasionally enjoy apple pie but it has to have LOTS and LOTS of ice cream. The pie also needs to be heated. But other than that, I don’t generally like pie.
And I didn’t like this pie. I had some advanced, some proficient and some other stuff. Oh, the shame. But here’s why I believe my pie came out of the oven that way: I feel that our two-and-a-half-hour-holier-than-thou-language-arts-block is why my pie doesn’t look so good. I am teaching a “one size fits all” curriculum and therein lies my problem. My pie is PLAIN. It’s COLD and there is NO ICE CREAM.
I need it heated with ice cream. And apparently, my kids do, too. Then it’s fun and exciting and enjoyable and each kid gets the right sized piece.
UGH. I have NEVER had a pie like this in my entire teaching career.
I’m going to stop now for fear that someone might read this (powers that be) and try to shove ANY old pie in my pie hole.
I have to tell you that I couldn’t blog (and barely got a chance to blog stalk) last night because our bible study was moved to Tuesday for just this week. And tonight, I’ve been cleaning my house because I’m having some friends over tomorrow and then the day after that, my family arrives. (Can I just say mopping my floors on a Wednesday night is not what I want to be doing, and I need to go watch Survivor so my floors just got a quick brush-brush tonight and that’s all?) So it is with a heavy heart and a tear rolling down my cheek that I have to tell you that I don’t think I will be able to post again until Saturday. GASP. Whatever will I do? I may get the shakes.
But I may get to sneak one in. We’ll see. My twin may encourage it, and even though she will be sitting right next to me, she may tell me to JUST WRITE ALREADY.
I wish I had a freebie for you. But I don’t. Let’s count Hadar’s special giveaway for me as that for now.
That kind of pie really sucks! I may have withdrawals if you don't post until Saturday!
2B Honey Bunch
That pie doesn't sound good at all. Sorry. Meeting the needs of the kids while meeting the requirements of the district rarely coincide. Wonder if they'll every understand that.
Enjoy your busy next several days! We'll miss you! 😀
Dragonflies in First
The pie thing is painful. Sadly the idiots who created the world you must now live in will probably not see the true correlation and will instead think now you need kids to be pulled out for true RTI. Why would you need to differentiate throughout the class and the day? Idiots. Sorry.
Kimberly
1st in Maine
I can't believe suzy made the post!!! I love your PIE analogy. So true! But mostly I love you and I would totally have a screaming jumping up and down big bloggy hug for you IRL. (with lots of pictures so we could pick the best one and blog it up) p.s. I finally caught up to your 913 followers and you went and got another one…geesh. 🙂 not that I look…everyday…or….anything!!!
I really hate that kind of pie…and I usually love pie! lol
I also hate the fact that we have less and less control of what we teach and how we teach it in our own classrooms….how sad.
Jennifer'First Grade Blue SKies
How lucky that others have blog follower envy FOR you! I have serious blog follower envy myself– I have been hovering at the (very low) ONE hundreds for ages…so I decided to try a Gingerbread Man giveaway (only THREE lovely bloggers have entered so far!)
Anita
Mrs. Bremer’s Kindergarten
PS Sorry about your pie.
Sorry about your pie problem! Did they display it for all to see and be attached to you? I had a similar moment a few weeks ago at a staff meeting. We were sitting around trying to figure out how many kids we had in my grade that would be not met, met, and exemplary. They looked at me when we started with exemplary, and they were like, yeah, probably none. Everyone was like "Aww…" I teach the low students and I told them I wear my badge proud! I don't know how you stand teaching your curriculum when you can't even level your kids in reading groups. Absolutely insane! Only one more day 🙂
Living A Wonderful Life
I need to count my blessings a little more. I teach in a district where they do let us have our pie in many ways. They do realize that children need lots of flavors, heated and cold, and sometimes even ice cream or whipped cream on top. We get to use leveled books for our curriculum so we don't have to stick to a one size fits all. We do get to add spice to the books we use and use things from our reading centers, libraries, you tube, movies, etc. We are moving forward and teaching kids to love reading while still attempting to get scores where they need to be and learn all the skills needed to move to the next grade. I wish your energy and intellilect could be at our building . . you would thrive here!
Girls, girls, girls – you have 900+ followers…that's 700 some more than me. {shoot, now I'm really depressed}
Wait…
January 2nd is The Bachelor…it's all good.
Throw some followers my way ok? {And plan a visit to Michigan}
Holly
Crisscross Applesauce in First Grade
I'm still REALLY jealous that tomorrow is your last day. I have to go three, yes, THREE more days next week. It's silly really & the kids are all sorts of crazy already.
Tomorrow (Friday) we have to go to Santa's Workshop. I HATE SANTA'S WORKSHOP. (Sorry to any elves that might be reading this) I know hate is a strong word, but I really do not enjoy going. It's an event the high school students in our district put on & it's just too much. It's overwhelming for my little guys, chaotic, over crowded, and makes me feel like herded cattle! And did I mention we see Santa. And did I mention I have 3, 4 & 5 year olds. LITTLE KIDS ARE OFTEN SCARED OF SANTA.
Oy vey. I needed to vent. This seemed like a good place! 🙂
Sorry to hear about your pie. Makes me think about how us Pre-k teachers & K teachers are going to have our performance judge by how well THIRD GRADERS do on their state testing. Makes sense right?
Creating & Teaching
My dear Kristin, Thank you for making us all laugh! This is such a crazy bad time in education, especially in our state. (DId you read the good news .. that our midyear school budget cuts will only be a million, rather than a billion or somesuch?!? The numbers were so big, that I couldn't begin to grasp them.)
Oh, the insanity … Kinder at my school is gearing up for a crazy version of RTI where we track the kinders (oh, wait, they keep telling me not to use the t.r.a.c.k.i.n.g word). The kinders are split into four groups: enrichment, benchmark, strategic and I forget the name of the other group, but it means really, really in trouble) – each of the four teachers will take a group and teach them. But this is only January of kinder! How can we be labeling these little kiddos and sending them to four different teachers when they are so young! Geez!
Kristin, you have opened the door to a ZILLION vents from all of us. Hey, why don't you create a new reality series … all about teaching dealing with the crazy people who make the decisions?
Virtual hugs to you!
Camille
An Open Door
P.S. You have about 950 more followers than me.
While I adore pie in most forms, that kind really stinks! Don't let it get you down though, you are still pretty much the most amazing person ever in my eyes!
🙂 Jen
http://www.firstgradersandcupcakes.blogspot.com
I second Holly on two things,
I have like 1 follower, share some with me
and 2
come visit Michigan. It would be way fun. It hasnt even snowed yet.
and. that pie it totes lame, did the curriculum cops get a wiff of it? And how the curriculum is obviously not the right flavor for ALL of the students.
off the soapbox now…
((((SMILING)))) having Drew on your BLOG made me so so so happy… I am ASSUMING it was my Drew you were referring to? And I am so sorry about the PIE situation YUCKY YUCK YUCK!!! We just had a data meeting by NEW (and NO ONE LIKES HER) principal…where she told us 4th grade was the DOWNFALL of the school!!! REALLY? I am thinking she is and I am pretty sure 99.9% of the teachers and staff would agree. She is of course basing this downfall on one assessment in which we got a 9% passing rate BUT the district had 14%!!!! WOW wouldn’t you think the assessment was SCREWED up with only 14% of ALL of the 4th graders passing… that my friend is how WONDERFULLY AWESOME my NEW principal is!!! I am willing to give up all markers and glitter for a year and possibly a lifetime if she would magically disappear from our school!!!
That would be MAGICALLY DELICIOUS!!!
I am SOOOOO sorry you have to make everybody else's pie without any specialness. That really stinks. I could start a rant here – but it may never end so I won't. I'll consolidate it into one statement: The wrong people make decisions, and they don't listen to the right people who maybe know some things about teaching children. Good luck with your pie next time. (Be sneaky – just keep your eye out for the Curriculum Police!)