Let's evaluate curriculum from a teacher's viewpoint

Published May 31, 2021 World History Quarter Power Standards Resource Supporting Standards Progress Monitoring World History Scope and Sequence 2021-2022 •McGraw-Hill: World History and Geography •Cpalms.org •Florida Interim AssessmentItem Bank and Test Platform Item Specifications Published May 31, 2021 World History 1 of 1 Quarter 3 Jan. 6 - March 10 SS.912.W.5.4 SS.912.W.6.2 SS.912.W.7.1 SS.912.W.7.7 SS.912.W.5.1 SS.912.W.5.2 SS.912.W.5.3 SS.912.W.5.5 SS.912.W.5.6 SS.912.W.5.7 SS.912.W.6.1 SS.912.W.6.3 SS.912.W.6.6 SS.912.W.6.4 SS.912.W.6.5 SS.912.W.6.7 SS.912.W.7.2 SS.912.W.7.3 SS.912.W.7.4 SS.912.W.7.5 SS.912.W.7.6 SS.912.W.7.8 SS.912.W.7.9 SS.912.W.7.10 SS.912.W.7.11 Teacher created assessments Required Instruction Dates: • Florida Jewish History Month (January) • MLKDay (January 20th) • President’s Day (February17th) • Jewish American Heritage Week (March 9-13) • Black History Month (February) • Women's History Month (March) • How did the Byzantine Empire impact the political structure, culture, religion, and economies of the civilizations that followed? • How did the major cultural, economic, political, and religious developments in medieval Europe and medieval Japan contribute to their, respective, overall growth? • How did Western civilization arise from a synthesis of classical Greco-Roman civilization, Judeo-Christian influence, and the cultures of northern European peoples, further promoting a cultural unity in Europe? • To what extent did developments in medieval English legal and constitutional history impact the rise of modern democratic institutions and procedures? procurator, plague, inflation, monasticism, missionary, abbess, nun, wergild, ordeal, patriarch, idolatry, icon, feudalism, vassal, knight, fief, feudal contract, chivalry, caracca, serf, patrician, manor, bourgeoisie, common law, Magna Carta, Parliament, estate, Khanate, Neo-Confucianism, dowry, samurai, shogun, Shinto, archipelago, bushido, daimyo, Zen, lay investiture, interdict, sacrament, heresy, relics, crusades, infidel, theology, scholasticism, vernacular, anti-Semitism, new monarchy, taille Students will: 1. Determine how the fall of Rome led to the rise of the Byzantines. 2. Identify the causes of the decline of the Byzantine Empire and examine its lasting contributions. 3. Analyze the structure of the feudal system and the role of the manor system. 4. Describe the Church’s structure, power, and influence during the Middle Ages. 5. Analyze the Magna Carta, parliament, habeas corpus recognize developments in medieval English legal and constitutional history 6. Define the major cultural, economic, political, and religious developments in medieval Japan. 7. Compare and contrast the development of Europe during the Middle Ages to the development of Japan. • Activities with inclusion of primary sources, political cartoons, charts, and document analysis. This will build skills necessary to perform well on the US EOC next year. • Analyze the impact ofthe Byzantine Empire on other civilizations. • Compare the major developmentsin medieval Europe and Japan. • Analyze the extent to which Western civilization came from classical GrecoRoman civilization, Judeo-Christian influence, and the cultures of northern European peoples. • Students will write a news broadcast announcing the main contributions of the Byzantine empire, using specific examples and explanations of how these impacted other civilizations. • Students will use a graphic organizer to analyze the similarities and differences between medieval English legal/ constitutional history and modern democracies. Incorporate PEARL paragraph structure when responding to text. • McGraw-Hill: World History and Geography • LearnSmart • Cpalms.org • Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform Item Specifications SS.912.W.3.2 SS.912.W.3.1 SS.912.W.3.3 SS.912.W.3.4 SS.912.W.3.6 SS.912.W.3.5 SS.912.W.3.7 SS.912.W.3.8 SS.912.W.1.1 SS.912.W.1.2 SS.912.W.1.3 SS.912.W.1.4 SS.912.W.1.5 SS.912.W.1.6 *Recurring Standards • How do the major tenets and practices of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam compare? • To what extent did political, economic, and social factors contribute to Islamic military expansion through Central Asia, North Africa, and the Iberian Peninsula? Sheikh, Quran, Hijrah, hajj, Five pillars of Islam, shar'i'ah, Allah, Muslim, Bedouin, caliph, vizier, caliphate, jihad, Sunni, Sultan, bazaar Students will: 1. Explain key figures and events associated with the rise of Islam. 2. Compare and contrast the major beliefs and principles of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. 3. Explain the achievements, contributions, and key figures associated with the Islamic Golden Age. 4. Determine the causes, key events, and effects of the European response to Islamic expansion beginning in the 7th century by analyzing the Crusades and the Reconquista. 5. Identify important figures associated with the Crusades. • Activities with inclusion of primary sources, political cartoons, charts, and document analysis. This will build skills necessary to perform well on the US EOC next year. • Compare the major tenets and practices of major religions. • Analyze the factorsthat contributed to Islamic military expansion. • Students will use a graphic organizer to analyze the similarities and differences of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. • Students will select an invention or achievement of the Muslim Golden Age and write an advertisement for it, as a product for purchase, analyzing how it impacted/led to the development of a modern item. Incorporate PEARL paragraph structure when responding to text. • McGraw-Hill: World History and Geography • LearnSmart • Cpalms.org • Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform Item Specifications World History Curriculum Map 2021-2022 Quarter 1 Aug 10- Oct 7 Specifications Quarter 3 Jan 6- March 10 3 of 4 Published May 31, 2021 World History 1 of 1 Standards (Power in Bold) Essential Question Academic Vocab Expected Outcomes Performance Task Writing Focus and Instructional Strategies Resources SS.912.W.8.1 SS.912.W.8.2 SS.912.W.8.3 SS.912.W.8.4 SS.912.W.8.5 SS.912.W.8.6 SS.912.W.8.7 SS.912.W.8.8 SS.912.W.8.9 SS.912.W.8.10 SS.912.W.1.1 SS.912.W.1.2 SS.912.W.1.3 SS.912.W.1.4 SS.912.W.1.5 SS.912.W.1.6 *Recurring Standards • To what extent did conflicts influence political relationships between the US, USSR, and their allies? • To what extent did the events of the Cold War have a global impact? • How did the goals of nationalist leaders in the post war era impact their societies? • How did religious fundamentalism, genocides, and nationalist conflicts impact the global community? satellite state, Policy of Containment, arms race, deterrence, commune, permanent revolution, proxy war, principle of nonalignment, discrimination, pan-Arabism, intifada, apartheid, HIV/AIDS, pan-Africanism, privatization, trade embargo, cartels, magic realism, megacity, welfare state, bloc, consumer society, Women's Liberation, real wages, heavy industry, de-Stalinization, détente, dissidents, occupied, state capitalism Students will: 1. Analyze and describe how conflicts influence political relationships between the United States, USSR, and their allies. 2. Summarize key events during the Cold War. 3. Examine key developments in post-war China. 4. Identify the goals of nationalist leaders in the post war era and the impact of their rule on their societies. 5. Explain the impacts on the global community of religious fundamentalism, genocides, and nationalist conflicts. • Activities with inclusion of primary sources, political cartoons, charts, and document analysis. This will build skills necessary to perform well on the US EOC next year. • Identify the political relationships between theUS, USSR, and their allies. • Analyze the global impact ofthe Cold War. • Analyze the impact of genocide and nationalist conflicts on theworld. • Students will write to argue: To what extent was the Cold War an extension of World War II? • Students will be assigned a genocide to research and will then write to explain the origins of the event, the international response, and ways in which they think international efforts could have been improved. Incorporate PEARL paragraph structure when responding to text. • McGraw-Hill World History and Geography • Cpalms.org • Florida Interim Assessment Item Bank and Test Platform Item Specifications SS.912.W.9.1 SS.912.W.9.2 SS.912.W.9.3 SS.912.W.9.4 SS.912.W.9.5 SS.912.W.9.6 SS.912.W.9.7 SS.912.W.1.1 SS.912.W.1.2 SS.912.W.1.3 SS.912.W.1.4 SS.912.W.1.5 SS.912.W.1.6 *Recurring Standards • How did major scientific figures and breakthroughs of the 20th century impact contemporary life? • To what extent can economic and social changes affect a country? • How effective is the global response to international terrorism? Perestroika, glasnost, autonomous, budget deficit, postmodernism, popular culture, cultural imperialism, per capita, One-Child Policy, deflation, corruption, normalization, remittance, jurisdiction, peacekeeping forces, nuclear proliferation, bioterrorism, pandemic, human rights, non-governmental organization, multinational corporation, globalization, collateralized debt obligation, subprime investments, ecology, deforestation, desertification, greenhouse effect, sustainable development Students will: 1. Identify major scientific figures and breakthroughs of the 20th century and assess their impact on contemporary life. 2. Examine the causes and effects of post-World War II economic and demographic changes. 4. Analyze how economic and social changes can affect a country. 5. Assess the impact of global response to international terrorism. • Assessments with inclusion of primary sources, political cartoons, charts, and document analysis. This will build skills necessary to perform well on the US EOC next year. • Identify the major changesin contemporary life during the 20th century. • Analyze the effectiveness of global response to terrorism. • Students will pick a scientific figure of the 20th century and write to explain the contributions of the individual. • Students will watch news broadcasts about modern forms of terrorism and then write to develop approaches to preventing future events. Incorporate PEARL paragraph structure when responding to text. 

Ok, so if you can understand all that wording above, you have a sample of what our curriculum map for world history looks like. I understand it, but the chances of covering each and every standard which is listed there is probably not going to happen. On top of these standards, I did not list all the other standards which we are supposed to include in each lesson but these include standards on writing and reading plus lots of English Language Arts standards. It can become quite confusing to new teachers and old teachers alike. 

Many times we are told to just teach the lesson and then pick and choose which standards you think you covered in the planned lesson. I also only included the 3rd quarter, which begins in January. As teachers, we are also required to list the standards taught in our lesson plans and on our boards so everyone can see what we are covering. These, in many cases, are so entry level reading and writing, I am embarrassed as a teacher, that we must cover things like this. On top of the many ESOL and ESE requirements which must also be met. 

I would like to see us go back to a more simple time of education. A time where a teacher taught, students learned, parents cared, and everyone else supported. It seems that is a which I will never see fulfilled. I was educated in Florida, oh so many years ago, as were my parents and grandparents. I graduated in 1975 and was allowed to take so many classes, my interest never left. 4 years of English included a year of Black Literature, a semester of American Short Stories, Creative Writing, Speech, British Literature, Journalism etc. The list of available classes was so varied, you could take your pick. Most were semester classes, but some lasted the whole year. From the depressed state of Emily Dickenson to the Harlem Renaissance, from William Blake to O Henry, I was taught. I did not do as well in some of those classes as in others, poetry is not my thing, but I had such a choice of classes, my studies were more enriched. The same for the math classes, science classes and social studies classes. Now we have standardized lessons and standardized tests. Who benefits from these? I can tell you that the students do not. Will it ever change? Nope, no matter what teachers think or students. There seems to be too much money made for too many people. We have experts in how to teach, what to teach, how to test and what to test. In the mean time, students are failing. I gave a midterm the final days before Christmas break. 1st period had a 69% failure rate. 2nd period was a little better at 31%. 3rd period rose a little to 33%. 4th and 7th jumped back up at 59% and 52%. These are failures, not passing. This was a test in which they were given the answers beforehand, instructed to copy the information down and study it. I think they weren't listening. I am not happy with those percentages and will be changing some things in the classroom. The failure percentages drop for the semester, which is good, but the numbers are still too high for my comfort: 1st 23%, 2nd 19%, 3rd 13%, 4th 9% and 7th 23%. Does this make me a good teacher or a bad teacher? I really have no idea. Percentages are really not my cup of coffee. Would this change if we could redesign how we segment classes? I am not sure but what they are doing now is not working for a large segment of students. If you think up any answers, let me know. I always strive to do better for my kids.

The understanding of Bah, Humbug

 I woke up this Christmas morning thinking that soon the day would be over and we could go back to what we consider normal. I am not sure I have ever felt that way on Christmas morning before.

Christmas was always a time of joy in our family. My father was like a little kid at Christmas and loved the surprise of it all. I am not sure if it was because of how he grew up or because of the season or exactly why, but he loved Christmas like few I have known. 

My family has whittled down to very few this past year. My Mom and Dad are both gone, Many of my Aunts and Uncles are gone and the cousins are widespread from Florida to Texas. It seems the only time we get together is when a funeral happens.

My son is single so I have no grandchildren and Christmas has turned in to a very small dinner for two. I don't seem to enjoy the holiday like I once did. I searched and searched this year for some Christmas Spirit and everything just seemed to make me angry. I am not sure why.

So this morning I will walk the dog and look at the lights, try and put on the Christmas cheer for dinner today. Hope for a little surprise and when son see his gifts and retire early so today will be done. Perhaps next year will be different and I will find the Christmas Spirit which seems to have eluded me this year. 

What the heck is a parotid tumor?

 I knew you had salivary glands in your face. I have always had plenty of spit to go around. Dentists have commented on how active my salivary glands were and why that was a good thing for the health of your teeth. 

No one ever said anything about tumors in your salivary glands and until a couple of months ago, I had no idea what a Parotid tumor was. 

I haven't worn makeup for many years unless I am dressed up to go out but I still use moisturizer on my face and one morning as I was slathering my old standby, Olay, on the face, I felt a hard lump next to my ear. H'mm, that does not feel normal.

As someone who knows her body pretty well, gets all her checkups, scans, shots etc. that are recommended by the doctor, I know when something seems off kilter and this little lump was not normal. 

I made an appointment with the doctor and she concurs. It is not normal. It is probably a certain type of tumor, normally benign, so she is going to send me for a CT scan. 

I go have the CT scan complete with an IV and I hate needles so you can imagine how I felt about that, especially since they always seem to have such a difficult time finding a vein to jab. The results come back as a Parotid tumor. It looks benign, small and just to be on the safe side, have a needle biopsy done. Those instructions from radiologist.

Ok, great. So those must be done with radiology at Sarasota Memorial Hospital. I got an appointment the week of Thanksgiving, on the Wednesday before the eating day. I had made up my mind because of my hatred for needles that I would simply close my eyes while the biopsy was being done. The shot to deaden my face would be enough.

But the camera was right in front of me and I am such a curious human, I just had to watch. What an interesting thing going on. Then, done. I was sent on my way home to await those results. The doctor said he would have the results in a couple of days and would send the results to my doctor. 

The next week rolls around and my doctor calls to let me know that all the samples the radiologist took were clean. No cancer cells at all. Now I had to go see a doctor who does this sort of surgery. An Ear, Nose and Throat guy. 

I finally get in to see him on Monday. These guys also deal in allergies and tubes in ears and stuff like that. His recommendation is we wait. The Parotid gland has a facial nerve which runs through it. This nerve controls the motion on the side of the face it is located on. You have one on the left and right side of your face. He said these types of benign tumors grow very slowly and because this one was not impacting me in any way, let's just keep an eye on it before we rush to surgery. 

He has no idea the worry that was lifted from my shoulders. I really did not want to have surgery. I am not a fan if it can be avoided. I still have to go back in 6 months, sooner if I begin having problems from it. But right now, I am good.

Getting older, once again, is not for the weak. Thank God I have had good health for the majority of my life. I am not on a dispensary of medicines and am still  full of piss and vinegar. I am staying home for this holiday, though. The drivers in this area have little respect for anyone else's life. 

Teachers should love professional development

 

Winter break for teachers is right around the corner. This has been a tough year for teachers and students alike. Covid is still hanging around, there seems to be a lot of anger towards each other and we seem to be even more unappreciated than ever. 

But the hope for me lies in professional development. Not the kind our district wants to shove down our throat and make required. You know, the kind you take every...single...year regardless with the same information and videos. Being a social studies teacher means we have even less available for our content. 

So around the holidays, outside professional development begins to become available. The NEH (National Endowment for the Humanities) releases their offerings mid November and that seems to begin the flow of offerings for teachers for the following summer.

I have applied for two NEH programs, which is all you are allowed to apply for and if you are chosen for one, consider yourself extremely lucky. Remember, these are open to all teachers in the country.  You can check them out here: 

I have also applied for the USS Midway Teachers Institute. Because I have switched classes and now teach those more geared to world history than United States history, the offerings for classes I can actually use are reduced. I was lucky enough to take one of their online seminars last summer which helped me in classes this year. I hope an in person seminar will be even better. (Lesson on an aircraft carrier. How cool is that?)

Finally, I have signed up once again, for a seminar at the CATO Institute in Washington DC. A lot of folks may think CATO is trying to indoctrinate us to become Libertarians. (They don't) A seminar next summer is, "Incorporating Civic Culture Into Advanced Subjects" which will tie in beautifully with what I took away from the first seminar I took. You can check it out here: 

These programs inject new enthusiasm in to being a teacher. You are surrounded by other teachers who are looking for the best way to bring new information to their students. They are from all corners of the country, from all different kinds of schools; all trying to learn as much as possible to help their students. 

I have never understood why teachers don't even apply. I love the interaction we get to have. I come back to school in the fall refreshed and ready to take on the new school year.. Perhaps you should try it. 

How much sleep do we really need?

 One of the things I miss most since entering a more mature age is sleep. Growing up as I did, I learned to sleep anywhere, anytime, any spot I happened to lay my head down in. 

I am not sure if it was because I was a kid or because I played so hard during the day, but I never, ever had problems sleeping once those peepers were closed. 

In the last year or so that has changed. Now if I manage 4 hours a night, I feel extremely lucky. According to familydoctor,.org, just because you are older, you still need between 7-8 hours of sleep a night. I have never sleep that much except during my teen years but I always seemed to manage at least 6. That has disappeared. 

This site and several others also say, "As we age, our brains may tell us to go to sleep earlier. This is likely why so many folks fall asleep right after the evening news or dinner." Really? 

Last night I could not hold my eyes open past 7:45 p.m. I had a busy day and drove about 4 hours roundtrip to see my brother and my best friend. I did several chores around the house when I got home and went to bed. After about 4 hours, I was wide awake. I tossed and turned for several hours until finally giving up and getting up.

I was wide awake even without my morning cup of coffee. So I made coffee, let the dogs out after they woke up, and turned on the television. I did all my normal morning stuff, just 3 hours early. Perhaps I will be able to take a short nap during the day, but I know if that happens, sleep will allude me again tonight. I back to work tomorrow, so that scenario doesn't feel positive. 

So I will treat this like any other Sunday. I do plan on some yard work today. That may tire me more and hope for a better sleep outcome tonight. I am not sure why my sleep has been so off unless it is simply an age thing but I don't like it. I guess that doesn't matter since it has become the norm for me. I guess as long as I am not falling asleep in class, I am getting enough sleep. It sure feel weird, though. 

Growing older is not for the weak

 When you are young, you are invincible and you cannot imaging getting old. Especially old like your grandparents. You breeze through most things and you handle them with panache. 

When I was 22, right after my son was born, I was diagnosed with cervical cancer. Most people don't know that. I chose to have a vaginal hysterectomy at that time because I had no plans to have any more children. Being a single mom with one child after my divorce was enough for me to handle.

Since that time, I have been relatively healthy. I am not on a lot of drugs for any serious health issues and didn't really have any aches or pains until I went through menopause. Now let the fun begin. 

Several weeks ago, I happened to be putting some moisturizer on my face and noticed a small lump right next to my ear. I had no idea how long it had been there but knew it was not normal, so I called and made an appointment with my GP.

She felt it, looked at my medical records and told me it was a Parotid tumor. A what? I had never heard of this before. Your Parotid gland is a salivary gland on the side of your face. You have one on each side. She assured me they are normally benign but she was going to order a CT scan and make an appointment for me to an ENT doctor in the group.

I went for the CT scan and waited on the results. The radiologist said it looked like a Parotid tumor, most of the time benign, but just to be on the safe side, recommended a biopsy. Doctor called to let me know that I would be receiving a call from the hospital because that is where needle aspirations were done. 

So then I went to have the needle biopsy, which I had never had before, done. I had convinced myself I would just close my eyes which they were doing it but having a monitor right in front of me where I could watch the doctor thread a hollow needle in to this mass to get samples was so interesting to me,  I forgot about closing my eyes. Then it was done and I was on my way home. 

Now I get to sit and wait for those results to go back to my doctor so we can schedule a visit with an ENT so we can schedule a date for the removal of the tumor. This is advisable even when no cancer cells are present because they can grow and become cancerous.  ( I did lots of research on Parotid tumors)

So I continue to go about my daily routine and wait to hear from the doctor. I could call everyone I know and tell them the whole story, but that would do no good. It sure wouldn't make me feel better. I feel fine. 

I have decided that I am glad I was raised to face things with a positive outlook. If I had been like some people I know, I would already be digging my grave.  

She ordere

 

When I was younger, I was pretty geeky. I found out very early that I was pretty smart and school came easily to me. I had parents who encouraged me to work hard and I could be anything I wanted to be. I was called a teacher's pet, too many times to mention. 

When I hit puberty, my hair became greasy, pimples began cropping up and my legs and underarms became pretty hairy. That was when the bullying really began. I was called greaseball, zit face, gorilla legs and several other choice names I won't put on paper. It was a tough time for me but I tried to keep my grades up and would disappear in my tree when I got home and read books. I didn't have many friends then and when the decision was made to move back to Florida when I was in 9th grade, I was happy for the change.

My self confidence soared when I was so accepted at my new school. They liked me even though my grades stayed up. I ended up with good grades until I graduated and continued to develop my self confidence. I have a lot of friends and teachers to thank for helping me but I never knew how much it might affect those around me. 

I have said, almost since I began working, that I would not work a job I was miserable in. I work the same way I did school. With my all. I give it the best I can and I think that should be recognized. So my whole life working, I never hesitated to make sure that I my concerns were heard if I had a problem. 

I have had people ask me if I am scared I will get fired? What happens when you lose your job? What if you make your boss mad? Short story is, I don't worry about it. If someone in this day and age wants you to not have a job, they will find a way to make it happen. 

When I was gainfully employed by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group, I did a great job. I was always there. I could do just about any job they asked me to do and they paid me well for that job. I had my whole life planned out around that. Then I was called in a room, along with a bunch of other people, and told I would no longer have a job after a certain date. 

Then trying to find a job in the business that you had been employed in for 35 years was impossible. There just weren't enough of those jobs to go around. So at one point I was a 46 year old working 3 jobs to try and make sure my mortgage was paid. I didn't complain. Why? That would not have solved anything. 

So I learned that no matter how positive you are; how good at your job you are; how much you can bring to the company, if they want to let you go, you really have no say in it. So I decided to make sure that I did have a say. My say now is, "...so fire me. I will find another job."

My son brought this to my attention last night when he informed me that he was much happier now his self confidence was approaching the same level as mine. He was not scared to lose his job because he would not be able to find another one. He said he learned that from me. I guess there are worse things. 

We need more front porches

 

I have a variety of friends, some cultivated over years of conversation and some, simply because we have something in common.

The interaction between some of my friends continues to baffle me and with social media becoming so prevalent in most peoples' lives, it becomes even more interesting. People watching, if you will, on typed conversations. 

I had noticed that people tolerate other people complaining about their jobs much more than they do when a teacher complains. If a teacher complains everyone begins with the, "You knew what you were getting in to." "I thought you loved the kids." "Yeah, but you get summers off," The list can go on forever. I posted something on social media about this. 

Normally, I don't get a lot of response to my posts but I had one of my teacher peeps respond that he didn't put up with anyone complaining about their work, etc. I didn't think too much about it; he is what I call a conservative liberal and he does like to make statements just for the sake of arguing but he is fun and I laugh a lot. 

Then one of my other friends responded with a pretty vitriolic answer. I was actually surprised because I did not find what friend number one said to be that right winged. Then, of course, my other friend came back with a "Who pissed in your Wheaties?" question/

At that point, I wrote another post explaining who each was and telling them no fighting on my page. One poster removed his comments and apologized.

As our society continues to split and humans become more and more removed from each other, dependent on technology to communicate, I think we need more houses with front porches, open to our friends, where you could grab a glass of iced tea or a cup of coffee and talk. Just talk about things. And listen. Just listen about things. I think there would be less misunderstanding and more tolerance for different ideas. 

Just make sure the ones in Florida are screened. I think we can all agree that we don't like mosquitoes. 

My (relaxing?) weekend away

 

This is a photo I took of the Silver River last weekend. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and I wanted my friend, who had never been, to meet the large, alligator snapping turtle who lived on the kayak/canoe launch down the River Trail. 

I have been visiting this particular state park for 20 years or so and every time I walk down this trail and step on the launch, which is metal, this turtle sticks his head out. I am sure it is due to people feeding him, which you are not supposed to do, and I worry that some child is going to reach out for him and have their hand taken off. 

But I can't control others or their children as I found out last weekend. There were three little girls with their Moms? throwing Vienna sausage to this turtle and then laughing and screaming when the turtle dropped the food and the fish swarmed around to eat the leftovers. I then noticed one child had a stick that she was poking in the water. I told her to stop poking the turtle. Whew, then the adults began, "She wasn't poking the turtle. She was only trying to help the turtle get the food." Are you kidding me? Do you imagine that the turtle wouldn't eat if your child wasn't poking him? The ignorance is so strong. I imagine these were uneducated in any kind of science, but then, that would be judging them. 

At this point I knew I couldn't win the argument because they were going to do what they wanted to do, regardless of what was posted all over the park about not feeding things. 

It reminded me of the last trip I made and my advising an older woman who was obviously a tourist, to not let her little, white, fuzzy dog walk to the edge of the river and down in to the shallow water. I tried to tell her that alligators loved little, white, fuzzy dogs but she didn't listen because, you know, she is entitled to do what she wants. I hope she doesn't lose that dog, but it was obvious, she wasn't listening. 

The next day we went to the other side of the park for a glass bottom boat ride. I have been to many times to count but my friend was new to the park. As we were walking through the Ross Allen area, over the bridge named in his honor, (his Reptile Island used to be here), we both noticed the plastic water bottles thrown over the bridge in to the swamp and said something at about the same time. To watch people have such a horrible attitude that they believe they have the right to throw garbage in this most ecologically sensitive area continues to make me angry but I saved the best for last. 

Why, oh why are they allowing motor boats to come all the way up to the headwaters of the Silver River? Apparently, you can boat on up any springs as long as you only use wake/idle speed. I am stunned and a little bit, just a little, surprised. 

The state can scream about protecting our water but if you are going to allow people to take boats up in to the springs with no thought to the pollution, the manatees, the fish and turtles and the quality of the water, they you need to re-evaluate what your job function is. 

I know the pollution boats cause is an effect that we seem to want to gloss over and once again, the "I pay taxes and am entitled to do what I want, when I want" seems to be the norm, I wonder who in the heck is holding on to common sense and where did those people go that truly love our state and want to protect it. They obviously are keeping pretty silent at this point. 

Political emails are becoming unbearable

 "Jean, I'm falling behind" continues to clog my mailbox on an hourly basis. Does anyone else have this problem?

I have never tried to hide my political leanings. I have always tried to vote for the best candidate for the job and in almost every case, the Republican party is not my party of choice. Because of this, I do what I can during every voting cycle to make sure my candidate wins. Sometimes they do, and other times they are unsuccessful. I do not stop trying.

I am a political junkie. I have loved politics since I told my father I was going to be President after JFK was killed. I was 6 at that time. I dreamed about going to law school and when I went to college I received my degree in Political Science. I never made it to law school and there are way too many skeletons hanging in my closet to ever be involved in a political race but I follow politicians with a magnifying glass. 

On occasion, not very often, I have sent in small donations to political candidates. I can assure you they have never been more than $5 or $10  because I am a teacher, and I live pretty close to a budget. The candidates I do support are normally local or regional. I feel like the national party should have enough money to help the candidate without my small contributions. 

Every day my in box is flooded with political candidates wanting money. Over and over from Minnesota to Georgia, Virginia to Texas, candidates send me emails. I won't even mention the ones from Florida. I get so many from them, I have stopped counting. 

Do I want to defeat DeSantis? Absolutely. Do I think Little Marco and Rick Scott are two of the most useless, corrupt politicians our state has ever elected? Yep, I do. Can I afford to send just $3 or $5 every time I get an email from candidates who are running against them? Nope and them promising the world will end with every ignored email doesn't make them nearer and dearer to my heart. 

Social media, in my opinion, has ruined most normal talk and debate about political races. They do not exist any longer. We search for like minded people and never read anything that is in opposition to the way we think. When anyone tries, the anger and vitriol becomes unbearable. The left is as bad as the right and no one stops and listens to how they sound or what they are saying.

Maybe that is the reason for all the emails. Who can take the time to argue back? Who can discuss the truth or lies which lie in the printed word? Who will take the time? 

I use to read everything I could about politics. The most I see now, politicians are doing nothing but dunning me for donations. So I just send them all to the trash and go on about my day. I find that very sad. 

 

Teacher challenges have become the norm

 

Every day I read about another teacher leaving the profession due to a myriad of issues that we face on a daily basis. Many of these issues are not in our control but many teachers and administrators do not make our job any easier. 

I am not a new teacher. I have been teaching longer than three years and although there were times I wondered what the heck I had gotten myself in to, I have never regretted making teaching my second career. I have been supported by some wonderful professionals through my teaching; teachers who went out of their way to help and administrators who were so wonderful, I hated changing schools. 

I now teach at a Title I school where many of my students are either ESOL or ESE students. Many have just begun to learn English and many have learning disabilities, some to the extreme and others less noticeable. I went back and received my certification in ESE K-12 to help me better teach the students who are mainstreamed in regular classes. 

I also work in a great department (what history department isn't great) where all the teachers are supportive of what we are trying to do. Last year, I approached all the U.S. History teachers and asked them what was the most important thing I could do as a World History teacher to help pave the way for the students to succeed when they arrived in 11th grade. I took their suggestions and incorporated them in my lessons to help the students. Not one of them suggested that to be a good teacher, I should teach them U.S. History lite version while teaching World History. 

This year I have a student who has a SLD (Specific Learning Disability) and he cannot read or write. He can understand language but it must be verbal. He uses programs where he can listen to meaning and it helps him understand lessons. Although his grade is not where it could be, we are slowly working towards getting it up.

I had a teacher come to me yesterday to ask about this particular student and to get some suggestions on how to help him succeed. I offered what I knew and his response was he was receiving pressure to not teach so much of the part of his class that could benefit the student, but to concentrate more on other parts of the curriculum because then the teachers' job would be easier when the students arrived next year. 

I immediately asked him how long he had been teaching and sure enough, it was the 3 year mark. I wanted to tell him to teach HIS kids the way THEY would learn, not because next year the teachers wanted it easier. I tried but as most new teachers, he doesn't want to upset anyone or make anyone angry. He has not learned to have a voice in his students' education.

He will end up leaving the profession. I could just about bet money on it. He doesn't feel he has a voice or is worried if he uses it he will be chastised, even though he loved my ideas for this student. They won't be implemented and this student will probably fail this class. 

We are faced with challenges like these every day, on top of the pandemic, on top of parents who think we indoctrinate children or parents who can never be reached and could care less about their students' education. We have students who never come to school or students who come to school and sleep. We have paperwork and paperwork and more paperwork. Throw in evaluations and meetings to make sure we are good teachers and it is incredible they stay as for as many years as they do.

I love teaching and I am good at it. I normally form great relationships with most of my kids. They continue to stay in touch long after I have ceased being their teacher. I wish all new teachers had that. I wish the bully teachers would go away. I wish administrators would listen instead of shrugging off concerns. I do know that no matter how hard I try, I can't save all the students. I wish new teachers were as outspoken as I was. I think the students would be the beneficiaries of that.  

Can we just stop with the individual rights screaming?

 Many of you might not remember this, but way, way back in the 1980s, companies began what is now a common practise: drug testing. This was due in part because President Reagan signed an Executive Order for federal employees that they must all be tested. 

What an opportunity, which is exactly what it was, for insurance companies to make even more money. Either force your employees to sign a waiver to be tested or lose your insurance coverage. This was the excuse used by the Sarasota Herald-Tribune which was owned by the New York Times at the time. Of course, the popular line was they cared about all of us and wanted to make sure if we had a drug problem, we received the help we needed. 

I protested this with every inch of my being. Not because I am or was a druggie, but because I felt my bodily excretions belonged to me. I had never done anything to make anyone think I was doing drugs and I resented the fact that they could, at any time, send me for a drug test because I might be on drugs.

I worked for newspapers over 35 years. I have worked next to people who had a three martini lunch; a joint when they went home for dinner, doctor prescribed opiates where they were so loaded they couldn't keep their eyes open and never, ever had a problem. But now we were required because of insurance. 

Drug tests are now standard operating procedure in most companies as are legalized pot smokers in many states although using federal guidelines, it is still illegal federally. People don't even blink when asked to pee in a cup.

Insurance companies continue to make money off drug tests or at least requiring drug tests and real drug people continue to fool the tests and continue working. Nobody protests.

Enter vaccinations for Covid. Now that companies are requiring employees to get vaccinated or lose their job, which is along the same lines of the paper I had to sign agreeing to be drug tested, people are all up in arms about them having no right. No right to what? Protect the public? 

Why were signed agreements for drug testing okay and not to have a vaccination? I guarantee those agreements affected nothing but insurance costs. They didn't stop anyone from using drugs. I know. I still worked there. 

So my suggestion is to get the insurance companies involved. If employees are not vaccinated, they are fired or the company's insurance is dropped, just like they did for drug testing. 

Apparently I was the only one who protested that so I am going to assume everyone was okay with it. Easy, peasy, problem solved. Let the insurance companies make money and people won't complain any longer.

 Heck, it worked for drug testing.

Why vaccinate?

 

There is still a great debate about child vaccinations. Parents want the right to not vaccinate their children and communities (most) require children be vaccinated before they enter school.

Because of my status of Army dependent, I have every vaccine that could be given before I entered Kindergarten. The MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) was not available at that time so, as is true with most viruses, my brother, sister and I all had them. By the time Jeremy was born, a vaccine had been developed, and he had that. I had strep throat on top of the mumps, so I was kept in isolation in my brother's bedroom and missed almost a whole month of school. 

In 1955, when Jonas Salk released the vaccine for polio, you could not stop parents from making sure their children had that vaccine. It was not tried and true yet, but they sure didn't want to take any chances with their children's' lives. 

According to the CDC, the baseline 20th century annual morbidity rate was 16,316. This was the average in the 4 years before the vaccine was developed. By 1998, this number had been decreased to 0. 100% eradicated from the United States. The World Health Organization reports five out of 6 regions of the world are polio free. Polio is still endemic in three countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nigeria. 

Two other viruses have been eradicated in the United States: smallpox and diphtheria. Gone. 

One Florida senator, Manny Diaz (R) Miami, wants to review all requirements for vaccines, including polio, MMR, Whooping Cough, etc. How many children would be in danger if the state of Florida decided to stop requiring these vaccines for school children. Would polio make a comeback? Would you take that chance?

The year the mumps vaccine was released, 1968, 606 people died from mumps. By 1998, that number had decreased by 99.6%.

Last week, a high school student, 17 years old, died from Covid-19. I did not know her. I did not teach her but I know people who did. She will become another number in this political battle being waged about public health. Why?

When did parents stop worrying about their child's health because politics was the driving force behind the disinformation? What happened to science? 

When will those who are so against vaccines wake up? When will parents be able to send their children to school without exposing them to diseases which could be contained, controlled or even eradicated?

How many more kids must die?

Our students are our future

 I hear a lot these days about the state of our union when the young people rise to positions of power. I worry many nights that I am not teaching the right things or capturing the right mood for the students to realize their potential. I understand that many students do not have a good home life and their families have struggles that I cannot even begin to comprehend but in the eight years I have been teaching, my stars outshine the negativity that many people associate with students. 

One class worked at Habitat for Humanity and built an overflow storage shed which is still standing. They filled baskets with items like powder and soap, toothpaste and deodorant for a senior center and then spent the day listening to stories from the residents. (I get teary just thinking about it)

They move on and sometimes you can keep up with their lives and the feeling of pride for perhaps being a small part of their growth.

The two young women, and they are young women now, at the top of the page are two of my stars. When another hurricane, this one named Irma, caused damage to Arcadia, they were instrumental in delivering necessities to families that needed help. 145 families which meant a lot of time and effort to deliver these most needed items. The smile on my face is real. These young ladies were still in high school. That did not stop them. We had so many donations, they just kept coming. This was four years ago before this distinct, negative malaise fell over our country.

Not one time did anyone ask what their politics were. No one refused help or refused to help because of the racial makeup of the people receiving the help. It did not matter what your sex was. If you needed toiletries and they knew about it, they found a way to get it to you. My friends gave and gave and gave. 

These two young ladies, along with their parents who helped tremendously, (thanks Rachel) will continue to contribute to society. I hope they never lose their generous, giving spirit or let the naysayers make them feel that their contributions to their community don't matter. 

It is students like these that I teach every day. Please don't believe everything you read. They are our future and there are still bright stars out there, learning every day. The country and their communities are lucky to have them. Kudos!

Attendance Matters

 I listen to the education pundits every single day speaking on the problems within our schools. Most teachers have ideas about why so many of our students are failing or not living up to their potential. There can be many causes but I believe one of the most prevalent within our society today is the lack of parental push for the importance of education. One of the ways this can be measured is how often students are either allowed to miss school or are pulled from school because their kid called them to come and get them.

I think a lot of this can be attributed to lack of respect for education and the idea that it doesn't really matter if students are in school one day a week or 5, whatever the child wants is okay with the parent. 

I am not speaking about students who skip school. Those are still around and it still happens, especially when you teach high school as I do. I am speaking of students who tell their parents they just don't want to go that particular day and are allowed to stay home. It seems these teens make the rules in their households and the parents follow along because they feel what the students may learn in school takes a backseat to what their kid wants. 

It is not unusual for me to have 8 or 10 students missing from my classes every day. Out of a class of 24 or 25, that is huge. I have some students who are in my classes that I have never met. Never is the optimum word. They may be late to school every day and in my first period or they may leave every day and miss my last. I receive no email or phone call asking me about assignments, which are all posted in our online platform and if I try and contact them, I get recordings or no response at all. 

That is until the last day of the last week before report cards. Then they want to know what they can do to catch up. They couldn't help it if they missed school due to _____________. You fill in the blank. 

Where are the parents? Or parent or guardian or whomever is responsible for this child? They are normally driving the car. Or signing the excuse. Or yelling on the phone that we cannot possibly fail their child because it is their right to pull their child out of school whenever they want, for whatever they want. 

When I was a kid, we couldn't wait for Christmas break to come home to Florida and see our grandparents. I can remember Daddy picking us up from school after the last bell of the day, his thermos full of coffee and the car packed. He would never pick us up before the end of school because he held education as the most important thing he could do for us. 

I know their are reasons why students must miss school. I understand family emergencies. I also understand using family emergencies as an excuse to go out of town and take your kids. I understand doctors and dentists. I also understand that there are very few doctor visits that last the whole day. 

I know we have social workers and truancy officers and a whole plethora of experts who work on this problem but I also know whatever they are doing is not working. 

How do you get the students to come to school? I am not sure of the answer but I think it needs to begin with parents and until they take school more seriously, we can't expect our students to. 

A Medical Maelstrom

 When I first began working full time after Jeremy, my son was born, I had insurance through my job, which covered everything. I even had a cancer policy which carried me through everything associated with cervical cancer, not to mention Jeremy's numerous bouts with bronchitis, strep throat, and scarlet fever. 

I was making a little over $2.00 an hour, and I managed to get everything taken care of. That was before the For-Profit Insurance became so prevalent like it is in today's working world. My cost was minimal then, and I always made sure I carried as much as I could to cover Jeremy and me. 

In 1973 when the Health Maintenance Organization Act was passed, it took a little while for the insurance companies to catch up and realize what a profit they could now make.  "Aetna and Cigna were both offering major medical coverage by 1951. With aggressive marketing and closer ties to business than to health care, these for-profit plans slowly gained market share through the 1970s and 1980s."  These are multimillion dollar companies right now. Cigna had profits of $8.5 billion for 2020, Aetna, $3.07 billion, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, $30.2 billion. That is a lot of billions, so someone is reaping benefits.

I have not been without coverage since I was a young Mom, but have watch the cost, not only to me, but for procedures for which there is simply no reasonable explanation for. 

This was my latest experience so you can see why I feel this is a whirlpool of disappearing sense. I hurt my ankle in February of 2020. I had begun a walking regime with a friend and part of our walk was a spot that had no sidewalks along a busy road. I was walking on dirt and slipped in a hole covered by bushes. 

After several weeks of pain, tried to book an appointment to have it checked, but due to Covid restrictions passed in March, no one was seeing patients expect for emergencies. My first appointment was in June, 2019. The podiatrist I saw, advised me to stretch my Achilles tendon. It was tight. No x-rays, nothing. So I did. For three months with no relief from the pain. I switched doctors in September. 

The next doctor did take x-rays. He said I had a calcium deposit which was rubbing my Achille's tendon and needed surgery. I couldn't have surgery then because I am a teacher and could not afford to take the estimated 6 to 8 weeks off work to have surgery so he gave me a cortisone injection, sold me heel lifts for my shoes and sent me on my way. I was back in November and then February for 2 more cortisone shots. They helped the pain for a few days, but I limped a lot during those months, hoping to have the surgery he said I needed during summer break. 

In April, I tripped in my back yard over an aluminum pool pole and landed awkwardly on my butt with my right leg twisted. I heard something pop when I landed and the pain was incredibly intense. I crawled from my front yard inside and called a friend who came over and took me to the hospital. There, they put me in a wheelchair, elevated my leg and directed me to the waiting area. After an hour, they came to take me for x-rays and 2 hours later, after seeing no doctor, only the person responsible for getting money out of me, a PA with a EMT from the ambulance told me my ankle was not broken, only slightly sprained, fitted me for a boot to wear for six weeks, gave me one pain pill and a referral if it got worse. That little 4 hour trip cost me $800 because I could have been seen at a walk in clinic. Plus the $200 for the doctor who I never saw. Plus the radiologist bill. I cannot imagine the costs if I had not had insurance. 

Almost a week later, ankle is no better so I call the referral. I reached a very rude person who informed me that although the referred doctor had been on call the night I visited the hospital, he only dealt with ankle trauma. She couldn't refuse me an appointment, but I should really see my regular specialist. 

I called them. They didn't want to see me because I had a referral from the hospital but they would if absolutely necessary; they could set the appointment for 2 weeks out. Once again, no treatment. 

So I missed a week of work, wore my boot faithfully for 6 weeks, then took it off and tried to go back to my regular schedule. My ankle still hurt all the way to my physical appointment with my GP in July. She could not believe my ankle and set up an appointment with a new podiatrist in their practice. Yay!

Now remember, each time I visit a doctor it is a $20 co-pay. So I go see this new doctor and he asks a bunch of questions and his final question was, "Who did the MRI?" Guess what, no one ever ordered an MRI because the original diagnosis from the hospital was a slight sprain. So he said he wanted to see what he was dealing with and ordered an MRI. That makes another $400 to meet my in-house deductible and then they would pay. 

Three days after the MRI, I get a frantic call from the nurse. The doctor wants you back in the boot and on a knee scooter; absolutely no pressure on that ankle. It seems I have a broken ankle and a ripped Achille's tendon. Wow. You would think someone would have believed me. 

Next doctor's visit, two weeks and he orders a prescription for Vitamin D and a bone stimulator because the break is from April. I pick up the prescription, more money, and wait for the company to call me on the bone stimulator. They call and after a series of speaking to several different people, it was determined that after my insurance paid, my portion of the bone stimulator was going to be $700. 

STOP! I am a teacher with insurance and cannot afford to keep paying out these astronomical bills because the insurance company doesn't want to pay because_____________? So I told them no and I let the doctor know. They called me back and figured out of my charge would only be $100. I can do $100. (Bone stimulators have not been conclusively proven to help heal old fractures in all instances) 

So I am taking my meds and using the stimulator and then receive a call from a nurse trying to figure out if they are even going to pay for the bone stimulator. What? So I once again relayed all the information and am hoping in four weeks I can come out of this boot, off the scooter and try to rebuild my ankle using physical therapy, another $20 a visit. 

I wonder how much money could have been saved if the first doctor I went to in my plan actually took the time to listen to what I told him and diagnosed me correctly. Now, beginning in January, my plan is switching to a new plan and a new company. The only redeeming value in this is next year I will be 65 and eligible for Medicare. Although I am still working I think I will take my chances with them. They can't be any worse.

I am sorry for people who must fight this crap on a daily basis because of life threatening illnesses or simply age. I am relatively healthy and can still advocate for myself. I hope that doesn't change any time soon and I still hate insurance companies. 

Our students are learning

 Why do districts tie administration's hands when assuming our students are not learning because of test scores? The answer eludes me.

 Four weeks in to the new school year and I have already had 3 great teaching lessons where the students are engaged in what they are doing, curious about what comes next, and using those brains to figure things out. 

Their work, for the most part, is being turned in on time; I hear them whisper about how fast my class goes by; and the only students who are not passing are those who have not been in school or checking in on  our online platform with me. One of the reasons for this is not because I am such a great teacher, although I think I am, but because my class does not have any of those terrible tests associated with it. My students have to pass my class, but there is no state test associated with it to bring them stress and I don't have the restrictions of teaching a test so my students will pass. I have a lot of freedom. 

The first thing I did this year was make a decision to read at least two books, historical in value, taking place in other parts of the world, and I would do the bulk of the reading out loud. The reason for this is the majority of each of my classrooms have specific learning disabilities with very poor vocabularies. The understanding of the story needs to flow, which can't happen when students don't understand the words they are reading. I read a chapter and they go back and put words they don't understand on strips of paper which are then hung with clothes pins on a word line. The next week we discuss the words, define them and re-read the lines they came from. Then I read the next chapter. It is working so well, I am tickled. The vocabulary they don't know from our first book, I Am Malala, ranges from gnawing to mosque. Words we may think everyone knows, but they don't. 

The second thing I am doing, while we are studying the medieval period is building castles from popsicle sticks. They can use anything extra they want to enhance their castles and the questions they are asking are wonderful. They want to learn the concepts of what the manor system consisted of. I am watching students who don't do well with writing or reading, flourish and become leaders in designing and building a simple castle. One young man even went to the Dollar store and bought a bag of army men, cut the guns off them, used them in front of his group's castle and then shared them with his other classmates. 

The final idea, which I have used with great success, are pen pals. You may think in the world of social media that having a pen pal has no redeeming value, but being in contact with students from another country and culture has continued to enthrall my students and made me very proud. They could not believe these German students, whose class is English, are excited to write to them. The comments range from, "Look how well they write. I am hanging this on my bedroom wall." to "I can't believe they find English an easy language. I am also learning it as a second language. I am going to see if he also wants to learn Spanish." Although they are exchanging social media contacts, they are also writing letters back.

What I expect to see is an improvement in their writing and understanding proper punctuation and spelling. They are receiving a grade for this, but I believe at this point, they would do it without a grade. One even asked if pen pals ever went to visit one another once they grew up. 

My kids are hungry for things like this. They aren't going to tell you that. They will show you that. I even had students who have entered the classroom after we began writing who have asked can they also write to someone to be included. 

So despite what we hear about how our students are behind or not learning, about how this generation is falling so far behind and about how are we to survive as a society if we don't get these student test scores up, I find that you just have to find a way to get them excited about what they are doing. The rest will fall in to place. 

Do I think I have all the answers. Nope, but my students are learning and growing using things which don't cost a lot of money but reap huge benefits. This happens without the stress of having a huge test hanging over their head at the end of the year. For that I am grateful.

I never thought I'd ever...

Growing up in a generation that straddled the Roe v. Wade decision has always influenced many of my thoughts about women and the rights which should have always been afforded us and yet, haven't been.

Being a teen and seeing what girls were and were not allowed to do, simply on the basis of their sex always made me angry. That has not changed. This make what I am writing about very personal for me. 

Having some old man, who has no idea of my life, or anything else about me for that matter, determine how and when I could or could not have an abortion, make the hair stand up on make neck due to anger.

I knew someone who had an illegal abortion. I was in 9th grade and she felt she could not talk to her parents or anyone else. So like many teenagers who listen to other teenagers about what to do in cases like this, she tried to use a metal hanger to end the pregnancy. She died. She bled to death. 

I also knew someone who became pregnant at the same time. She tried to hide the pregnancy from her parents but when they found out, she and the boy, and he was a boy, married. 

In 1973, when Roe v. Wade was passed, I was in 10th grade. I can guarantee you that all of us did not run out and have sex so we could have an abortion if we got pregnant.

I was raised in a Southern Baptist Church. I know my Bible pretty well, probably better than many of those old men in Texas who feel that, not only can they make an abortion illegal after 6 weeks, but they can offer a reward to others to turn people in. The St. James version of the Bible that I know, has nothing like this travesty in it. 

And I am sorry, not sorry, but what in the heck does religion have to do with my body anyway? I believe a decision such as this should be between a woman, her god, and her doctor, religion does not play a part.

I never thought I would ever have to fight again for my rights as a woman. I have been fighting, as we all have, for over a hundred years. 

I was 20 when I married my first husband. Six weeks later, despite being on the pill, I became pregnant. Married, poor, pregnant. I chose, the optimum word, to have my son despite the struggles I faced early on and later as well, once my husband and I divorced. No court in the country EVER made him a responsible person; one who paid his child support; one who emotionally supported his child; one I could depend on to co-parent as they say today. He died several years ago still owing me almost $20,000. At the $30.00 a week at the time, you figure out how much I ever really got. My son is now 42 and I really raised him by myself. 

The ability to choose at this point in the country seems to be the go to word and hearing it daily about mask wearing, you would think that it would translate to what a woman chooses to do with her body. It doesn't, at least not in Texas' mind. Let us offer a bounty for any woman who chooses what to do with her own body so we can call ourselves what? Christian?, Good people? Following Jesus? What on earth would you people have done with Mary Magdalene? What about rape or incest? Who is going to pay for that child? 

What is moral to you may not be moral to me. How holier than thou are you politicians going to become when time and time again you get caught with your pants down?

Many people think because I am no longer of child bearing age that I should have an opinion. I don't have a dog in this fight, so to speak, but they are wrong.

If I was of child bearing age, I could afford to go somewhere where abortion was legal. Europe comes to mind. A plane ride, a simple medical procedure and a plane ride home. What about the poor women? What about the women of color who live day to day, many times with an already full household and a minimum wage job who husband or boyfriend has disappeared, many times to his other family?

All of us women better start fighting now because if we wait any longer, the stakes go up. We should be able to send a clear message to our politicians. Stay out of our vaginas. You don't want us legislating your penises. Enough said. 

 

What happens to the money?

 

I listen, sometimes on a daily basis, to people open their mouths and spout off about money for education. I know I pay a lot of money in property taxes which are supposed to fund the schools in my district. I also know I live in a rich area, which amounts to lots of property tax money, which creates good schools. I also know money comes in from other government entities like the state and the federal government. 

I always thought this was suppose to equalize the schools which were in an area that was not so wealthy, so all the students would receive a good, quality education.

When I became a teacher, I found out just how wrong I was. I found out that many of the supplies which I took for granted when I was a student and then a parent, are a struggle for many to have in their classrooms. When you must make sure you have pencils and paper just to start; you have students whose families cannot even provide those simple things; you have needed expensive things that are not anywhere to be found, your expenses go up considerably.

Everyone wants to talk about schools and how students are behind. They want to throw teachers under the bus for low test scores or falling attendance numbers and then, to top that, they want to withhold money when a school district makes a decision in the best interest of the school and community. That is always held over school boards as the end all of the discussion. "Do/don't do it or your money will be withheld. 

What money? What would you deprive us of if we don't do as you say? Most schools don't have supplies enough to prevent teachers from having to spend out of pocket. How about trying to figure out a way to not use as much to help conserve supplies when we have all this money?

What about big ticket items like computers? I teach at a school that is not 1/1 and I hate to break it to the ignorant folks who have no idea what teachers go through, but students cannot type a paper on a phone.

I watch teachers post wish lists for beakers for science class and maps for history classes. I am big on posting for classroom sets of books for my students. What? You mean you want me to teach from the textbook. Okay. Can you provide enough copies for all my students? Use the online textbook? Okay, how about computers so we can? It seems for every problem we experience as teachers, the powers who control the money have answers that don't play in the real world of schools. 

Oh, no textbooks? Use real world lessons so the students can learn to think for themselves. Really? Okay, but don't mention slaves, or religion; leave politics out and don't vary from this or that standard. Video? Not allowed unless it has been pre-approved by your boss to watch for violence or a curse word and don't even try to use a National Geographic video on Africa. There may be a topless woman in a tribal scene. Documentaries? Only short clips. We want you teaching, not watching movies. 

There is an excellent organization, Teach Rock, which has lesson plans for free. It is an awesome resource. There are many organizations which help with free resources. As a history teacher, I use many of these to help create more interesting lessons that the students fall in love with. But I need computers to get there. 

A history teacher, Charles Best, began an organization to help teachers get resources they need that are not paid for by their school districts. The idea came to him when he was trying to copy Little House on the Prarie for his students to read. I have had 18 projects funded through Donor's Choose. 18 projects for things that the schools needed. Things that there was no money for. Most of mine were books. Classroom sets of books. The results in most cases were improved reading scores. 

What on earth would happen if schools were actually funded as they need to be? What would happen if a teacher needed a classroom set of books and all they had to do was ask? How nice would it be if we all really did have computers we could use when we needed to? That paper and pencils were not having to be paid for out of pocket? How far could we go?

So you tell me: where does the money go? 

Observations from behind the 8 ball

 

Writing is cathartic for me but yelling at people in the privacy of my truck with my windows rolled up seems to release more of my pent up feelings than even putting them down on paper. 

I have a short drive from work, only about 12 miles, but the early morning drive is a great time for reflection of the previous day and a great time to mentally plan for the upcoming one. Then, out of nowhere, some yahoo comes barreling by me going fifteen or twenty miles over the speed limit, whipping in and out of traffic and bringing out the anger in me. Anger should not begin a day. Why, at 5:30 a.m. is this person so intent of driving like a maniac? This begins my day but the drive home is even worse because there is more traffic. 

Yesterday, as I was driving home and approached the traffic light at Tuttle and Fruitville Roads, the roads slick from rain, an accident had occurred where a car ran off the road and was sitting in the CVS parking lot on its' side. Numerous emergency vehicles were there and by the time the traffic had been sitting through three red lights, even though the intersection was not blocked, people seemed to lose their minds. Trying to squeeze in a hole meant for a tricycle, a huge dually pickup was insistent they were going to turn around in the intersection because they did not want to wait for the light. Patience, Grasshopper. Patience. 

Once I finally made it through the light, cars hit the gas, speeding by Girls, Inc., even with stopped school buses and red stop signs, and then comes the school zone flashers on Tuttle. I slow down to the posted 15 miles an hour and two cars, at least, came whizzing by me with no thought to those elementary school kids standing on the corner. I swore I was coming home, parking my truck and not leaving the house this weekend.

The second observation of the week is how hard it is to try and remain positive in life when the setting around you continues to be so negative. I asked on social media if people who were not teachers understood the stress we were under and just about got attacked by someone in the medical field. I get it. I know the stress medical personnel are under must be horrendous but every day, 5 days a week, I am responsible for children. I have watched as my classes dwindle due to students either contracting Covid-19 or being exposed to a positive case. After last year we all know that once they are quarantined, school is not even a thought until they return.  You may receive an obligatory email from a parent that first day, then nothing. Keep smiling. Then you receive even more forms to be completed for even more data to be computed for even more lessons that no one is going to do because there are not enough students in your class. Keep smiling. So you revamp everything to fit what is going on in the world today and someone sends you another email to hawk even newer pedagogy that is going to bring your kids even higher test scores on a test that does nothing but stress the students out and lowers your VAM scores so you are perceived as a struggling teacher. Keep smiling. 

My dogs are my confidents and love me unconditionally, regardless of the craziness which our world has apparently become a part of. Everyone should have at least one. They will enrich your life. 

Having people in your life that you can call, not text, and vent to is very important to maintaining a level of peace. I am lucky in having several and they always seem to pop in just when I need them to. They don't seem to mind when I begin letting it all out to them. My son, who is great to talk to, simply asks at the beginning of the conversation if I want solutions or empathy. He comes up with both, depending on what I say.

I hope all my students have a safe weekend and return to school on Monday. I hope those crazy drivers I experience on a daily basis don't hurt anyone. I hope you have a restful weekend to regain your positivity. I hope we have a turnaround soon on the virus. I hope, hope, hope. I still have that, because if you lose that, you have lost the process of life. 

The Value of Travel

One of my favorite travel destinations, the Colorado Rocky Mountains, 

 The more I experience being a teacher in today's world, the more I wonder what needs to be done to fix some of our misguided thoughts. 

Although teaching is my second career, this trend of individualism being all important began way before I began experiencing it in my classroom. As I approach topics that are as familiar to me as my address, my students are lost. Ask a simple question about the Roman empire and the looks on their faces are blank. Try to discuss child labor throughout the world, and receive no response. Talk about the Industrial Revolution and they become bored. Their prior knowledge of the world is minimal or non-existent. 

Traveling, whether it is to a local museum or across the country is one of the most valuable tools in education today. The problem is not having the money to do that. The expense of arranging transportation, hotels if there is an overnight stay, admittance fees for students can be astronomical for a school district who cannot afford to provide enough computers for each child. 

When I was a new teacher, I tackled an overnight field trip to Lake City, Florida. I took 80 8th graders to watch a Civil War reenactment of the Battle of Olustee. I got the idea from a professional development I took through the Florida Humanities Council and the planning began the year before. I had to receive principal approval, school board approval, parental approval, medical approval and then find teachers who were willing to give up their weekend to travel on a bus with middle school kids for 4 hours. 

I had to find a hotel to accept these kids and some way to feed them dinner on Friday night. I had the whole thing planned down to contacting the head of the committee who was responsible for the parade and fair after the reenactment. I could not have asked for more receptive people or received more compliments on the behavior of my students. 

The students came home with lots of photos and memories. Many of them had never been out of their county. Many of them had never seen an indoor swimming pool and had a blast, especially when I jumped in. These kids were curious, asked all kinds of questions and were a joy to take on a field trip. I don't know how they fared as they entered high school. I know some of them went on to college and are reaching for stars. I do know that once that trip had concluded, the students had changed. 

I have taken students to Ringling Museum, Gamble Plantation, The National Florida Panther Wildlife Refuge, the Everglades and the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. I have tried to expose them to as much as possible and although virtual field trips do provide some exposure, visiting in person is so much better. 

I was lucky in having a father who was in the military and being able to live in a variety of places and traveling around those places to experience a variety of history, both good and bad. I continued that trend when I was younger and have seen and experienced things that enrich my life. I wish I could do the same for my students. 

Can't one of my super smart friends start a non-profit just for travel exposure for students? I know the insurance side would be astronomical, but surely it is possible. Most of my students cannot afford a $600 or $700 prepayment to visit places that would inspire them to reach further. 

I keep hoping I will be able to do one more field trip before I retire, but Covid-19 may have put a stop to that.  I wonder if I could just be a travel person who plans field trips for history kids in school? Yeah, probably not but the idea is a good one. 

What so many do not see

 

Teachers seem to be the odd man out in society today. Florida, my beloved state, is divided on even the most simple things when it comes to teachers. It is one of the reasons so many teachers are leaving the profession and why so many of us are suffering from mental health issues that the public knows nothing about.

I am vaccinated and because I am, I feel relatively safe. I also live alone with two dogs and am not a social butterfly. I go out on occasion but live pretty simply and in the summertime, I may go a whole week without seeing another human or carrying on a conversation with anyone but the grocery clerk, where I still use them and not the self service checkout. 

When school began again, it was very freeing not to have to mask up according to the CDC and then boom, we should all be wearing masks because of the Delta variant. So now I feel unsafe again. 

After listening to the people who control my school, I have figured out that the smaller group, those who don't believe in vaccinations, some who don't have children in the schools, and some who are still spouting the "personal rights" and "I don't have to mantra". So as a teacher, now this is what I have to do so they can continue to deny science exists and keep insisting that we are in no danger. 

I wear a mask every day, although I am not required to. My students are about 50/50, which means half of them do and half don't. Then the number is halved again by those wearing masks around their mouths but not their noses and my not having the ability to say ANYTHING to them, or I will be in trouble. 

Now I once again must have my temperature taken and answer a questionnaire first thing in the morning but we can't ask the students to wear a mask. I have students who want the vaccine but whose parents refuse to allow them to get one. Somehow, this scenario keeps playing over and over.

And people wonder why we continue to drop like flies from our chosen profession because mentally we just can't handle it any longer. It still puzzles me why we let this continue to happen? Why we allow our elected representatives to treat us to much like peons? They are supposed to work for us, remember?  Why how we feel doesn't matter?

I have a ripped Achilles tendon and a hairline fracture in my ankle right now. I am in a boot and still manage to get to work each day because I worry so about my kids. I am old, with slight COPD and worry about Covid-19. Short of quitting my job and staying home permanently, I have no recourse but to continue working. I have no trust fund or rich husband. Someone needs to pay my mortgage and feed my dogs. But the toll on teachers, especially on the part you don't see, which is their mental health, is great. Please be kind and get your shit together. Your kids deserve us at our best. Our best is suffering right now.