perspicacious.org

We have reached the stage that they call "breakup" in Alaska, where the snow melts a bit each day and freezes into a giant mass of ice each night. It usually takes two to three weeks, give or take, for the majority of the snow to be gone. This breakup has been much faster than usual, which is lovely, but it is still plenty muddy and yuck outside. My students are still required to wear snowpants when they go outside, but they just wear them with a sweatshirt on top. They look goofy, and they get plenty muddy and wet outside.

I, myself, bought 2 cute new pairs of capris this week and tried wearing them yesterday with some flip flops. Scraping ice off of my car window in flip flops and capris is one of the weirder things I've done since I've moved here. It did warm up during the day, to a high of about 50, but it may have still been a bit cold for capris. I'm ready, though.

This picture is of my niece hunting for eggs last Sunday. It was pretty warm out, maybe 40 degrees, so she opted for the boots with Easter dress look. It could come into fashion soon, but maybe only in Alaska.

I happened to overhear a conversation in the hallway yesterday after school. It was between two other teachers, one seasoned and jaded and one new and and naive. The seasoned teacher was saying, "You know, you'll just have to accept that there is this percentage of kids in your class that are going to fail regardless."

You know, I've heard that kind of statement more times than I can count, and I can fully appreciate and understand why she'd say it. I think, though, that that kind of thought is really dangerous. Will you in all likelihood end the year with a handful of kids that have not progressed as you'd like them to in spite of your best efforts? You probably will. I think it's a mistake, though, to ever stop fighting for each kid in your class. Seasoned/jaded teacher's statement is like a free pass to stop trying hard and working with those lowest learners, because why bother? They'll never amount to anything. Their problems come from home. They're too far behind already. They're stupid. I've heard all of these comments before. Based in truth they may be, beneficial to they child they are not.

I'm not a perfect teacher. I have my favorites and I have kids I enjoy working with and subjects I'm more proficient at. Not all of my lessons and eye popping and spectacular. Sometimes I'm a grouch. I love my kids, though. They deserve a lot more than, "You're going to fail anyway." You can always give you best effort. Isn't that what we'd tell the children?

I found this nifty little thing at betizuka. Scroll over each image to see what it represents for me. Then go make your own.