Goodbye Good Teachers

Ok, to this point I have remained relatively silent when it comes to the attack on teachers being mounted by the Alabama government. I read the articles and I don't love it but it is the comments that really piss me off. Thus, I can't take it anymore. There are holes in my tongue from all the biting. So, here we go.

I am SICK of all of the great people of this state who believe that we, "over paid babysitters", are greedy. I am even more sick of the argument that we don't do anything and that we are the problem. Thus, I am going to give you a run down of a typical day in the life of THIS teacher.

5:00 AM  The alarm goes off
5:30 I get out of bed and get ready for work.
6:15 I leave my house
6:45 I arrive in the office to sign in and check my mail for parent conferences before heading to my room
7:00 I am in my classroom turning on my computer, smartboard,and  laptop(which is mine not provided by the school) before writing assignments, warm ups, objectives, and national and state standards on my board
7:10 I am checking email for announcements and ISS names to ensure I have work assignments for them
7:20 The bell rings for school/I am in the hallway directing traffic and ensuring there are no fights before class begins
7:30-9:20  I am actively engaging my students in group work, individual practice, lecture, reading, etc. while never turning my back on the students bc if I do there could be anything from someone throwing a pen to an all out brawl.
9:20-10:15 I am on my planning period which means talking to co-teachers about struggling students and strategies to help them, making parent calls, filling out FBA's, or making copies for the next day. NO BREAK HERE
10:15-11:10 I am actively engaging my students in group work, individual practice, lecture, reading, etc. while never turning my back on the students bc if I do there could be anything from someone throwing a pen to an all out brawl.
11:10-11:55 I am escorting my students to lunch, sitting with them while they eat to deter induvidual fights or food fights, escorting them back to class, and supervising them in the hallway while they rotate to the restroom
11:55-2:45 I am actively engaging my students in group work, individual practice, lecture, reading, etc. while never turning my back on the students bc if I do there could be anything from someone throwing a pen to an all out brawl.
2:45-3:00 I clear the hallways and prepare my classroom for tutoring
*Somewhere in this, I also monitor 750 ninth graders in the hallways, break up fights, council students who are close to fights, listen to kids who are going through unimaginable home lives, give make up work and tests, keep problem students for other teachers, and keep track of truancy
3:00-4:30 I tutor struggling students in English and Reading through one on one attention and group work
4:30-6:00 I am in the auditorium working with the step team on routines for each upcoming show. (They are awesome by the way/I am proud of them)
6:00 I am locking my classroom and making sure no step members need a ride home
6:15 I am either heading home or taking a student home before heading home.
6:45-7:00 I am arriving home to eat dinner before working on a power point lecture, putting grades in INOW, grading papers, or completing my mountain of continual paperwork
8:30-9:30 Talking to SB, checking FB
9:30-10:00 Getting all things prepared for the next day/Paperwork, lunch packed, etc.
10:00 Getting in bed to toss and turn for 30 minutes turning my brain off from all the things I didn't get done before going to bed.
Finally falling asleep just to get up and go again.

Now, this is not complaining. I love what I do. So, please don't tell me if I don't like it, find a new job. I don't like it. I love it. That is why I do it. However, it is quite offensive to be told repeatedly that I don't work or that I don't deserve a decent paycheck or that I do deserve a pay cut bc I am greedy. Ask my bank account if I am greedy. Ask my students who can't afford a step uniform but miraculously have one if I am greedy. Ask the kids without paper or pens if i am greedy. Ask the young lady whose mother was buried by the 1,000 dollars given by teachers and administrators at Lee High School if I am greedy. You, dear ignorant people of Alabama, have no idea what greedy is. I work my ass off and I give until I have nothing left for the betterment of the children of this state. So, next time you feel the need to accuse teachers of greed, laziness, or incompetence please refer to this blog and my schedule.

Now, having gone through that, Alabama only has 2 things to offer good teachers at this point in time.
1. Tenure- I am not a tenured teacher and I get laid off yearly bc of that. However, it is what keeps good teachers in Alabama which does not pay as well as other states over time.
2. Retirement/Insurance- I get great insurance for a low price and a good retirement for the same. Again, if I can't have that, why not go to GA and make more money.
Therefore, citizens of Alabama, what are you going to do when all good teachers leave for greener pastures and you are left with the few teachers who really are crappy and can't find a job anywhere else. Good luck with that.

Random Things

After having a long, but good weekend, I thought I would blog before working. If I start work first, I probably won't get to the blog.

Well, first, I have had a UTI and not felt very well. It came at a bad time because this weekend was my step team's last big performance and I refused to not be there. So, I took my meds and depended on Ms. Dixon to come pick me up for the event. Well, once we were there and in our seats, the event began. Now, I am not overly religious. OK, I'm not religious at all. But sometimes I just feel totally out of place and a little offended by it.
So, this dude gets up and the said, "If you love Jesus get on your feet." Well, I was the only person of 1000 sitting. Now, this was at a public university, not a church. So, there could have been anyone of any faith there. None the less, I just let that go until the prayer started and the preacher stated, "lord, we both know that many people here are gonna indulge when they leave here tonight. But you can be the tires and the steering wheel." Now, I agree that many of those college kids were already drunk. But really, you pray that God help the intoxicated people(which is a sin) who were going to risk all of our lives by driving(all kinda sins in driving drunk) get home safely. The whole thing just left a bad taste in my mouth.
However, I was surprised to learn that SB was coming to Montgomery to take care of me. This is super cool bc being sick is just one of those things we have to deal with when it comes to the other. I am that person who wants to be pitiful and wants to be taken care of. SB is that person who wants to be alone and not be bothered until she feels better. Thus, she doesn't love my need to take care of her and I don't love her not wanting to deal with sick me. So, I felt very special and loved when she decided to be up half of the night while I tossed and turned and whined.
Now, this afternoon I get 10th call from Natalie and Edie asking if I am coming home for Easter bc they are. It began with,
You need to come bc the whole family can be together.
Then it moved to,
You need to come see the kids. They miss you.
Finally, the truth arrives,
Edie needs a heathen partner to stay home from church with her.

Oh, one must love the family. Now to get on that work that needs to be done.

Living the College Dream

So, this weekend I realized that I really don't have any college friends. Well, really it was pointed out by SB who asked why she had never met my college friends. The answer was that I really didn't make any close friends in college. This could have been bc i never lived on campus or bc I am antisocial in general. Either way, they don't exist.

Thus, I came home a little down about my lack of people with whom I shared those kinds of memories. Then, last night I was sitting around talking with J and Whitney(my roomates at 30) and I realized I am living that dream now. J and Whitney are completely nothing like me and yet we all mesh. We talk for hours.(sometimes to the detriment of my work) We laugh, discuss our lives and politics, and then make fun of the other people's flaws bc well, it's fun. I imagine this is what I would have done with college roomates or friends. Maybe I am just a late bloomer at everything.

Therefore, SB I do have some friends you need to meet. They just didn't graduate or even attend Alabama.