'Twas the night before the strike, and other thoughts from a "selfish teacher"

'Twas the night before the strike, and at each school site,

Not a sub plan was written, late into the night.

The classrooms were left with the utmost of care,

Though the district leaves buildings in severe disrepair;

The children were nestled all snug in their beds;

While visions improving their futures danced in their teacher’s heads;

And so the next morning with teacher’s dressed in black,

We’ll encourage the district to have our students’ backs,

Out on school sidewalks there will arise such a clatter,

In hopes that the news crews can see what is the matter.

Then away to the district we’ll drive like a flash,

The place with too many administrators and not enough cash.

The sun on the signs of a disgruntled union,

Will give reasons to hopefully clear up confusion,

For when the district makes decisions that seem quite ominous,

We just want them to keep their promises,

United together our union will stand,

We’ll whistle, and shout, and call our demands:

"Now, arts! now, music! now smaller class sizes!

On, psychologists! on, nurses! on, counselors and fair compromises!

So while right now it feels like our district’s the worst—

I hope we can come together to put students first!

Tomorrow my teacher's union goes on strike. We avoided one a year or so ago at the last minute. (Literally the night before we found out we weren't going to strike--the mayor stepped in and the superintendent and union signed a contract.) That was good, but now the district doesn't want to honor all parts of our contract. That was not good, so with a list of thirty odd complaints of unfair labor practices, we'll strike. But what makes me angry is the portrayal of teachers being selfish--that we are pushing for more money for us at the expense of beneficial programs for our students. That because we want our contract honored, students will lose these resources, since the district can't afford all of it. But it's a false dichotomy. The district is in a financial mess right now, which is neither the teachers, nor the students fault, and yet we are expected to carry the burden of sacrificing so the district can stay afloat. It's like when the government shuts down, and the people who shut it down somehow still get paid, while people who need the money more, and are  who the government is supposed to be serving, don't get paid and suffer for other's mistakes.

Our superintendent has a lot of talk that sounds promising--on paper, our goals are the same, to provide a quality education for all of our students, and yet the decisions I see our district make--spending lots of money to prepare for the last strike instead of sitting down and meeting with us, spending lots of money suing the union (which didn't get far, because it wasn't a valid case), calling for a meeting with the union this time around, but refusing to enter the room and talk, losing a massive surplus of money so that our district may get taken over by the county--doesn't seem to prioritize students. The first things to get cut are new teachers and district programs that are actually beneficial. They ask teachers for "shared sacrifice" but it certainly doesn't feel shared. We sacrifice enough. We work well beyond our contracted hours. We pay money out of pocket to enrich our students' education. We make far less than similarly qualified professionals in other fields. And now you want to tell me I'm selfish because I want to make sure that money saved from revisiting the teacher health care plan should go directly to services like more nurses and counselors for my students, and not so the district can squander that money away as well? That I'm selfish because I want the district to honor a signed contract? That regardless of their financial situation, I care about the precedent it could set for other districts and unions if ours can pick and choose what parts of a contract to honor and not have any consequences? If that makes me selfish, I'll be selfish, so my students can have a brighter, fairer future.

On Missing the Forest for the Trees

"Teaching is not a lost art, but the regard for it is a lost tradition." -Jacques Barzun 

"If we would just support each other - that's ninety percent of the problem." -Edward Gardner

I stumbled across this article on Facebook today: Why teachers selling lesson plans have sparked debate. There are some interesting points, but not the point I was hoping for when I saw the title. Yes, there are quality control issues with teacher-created materials. Yes, it closes the door for free flowing ideas. (I don't think I've ever purchased anything from a teacher collab site--I'm getting pretty good at finding the free stuff. If I ever get organized enough, perhaps I'll contribute to one of these sites--and my stuff will be free, as nice as some extra cash may be.) But this article misses the bigger picture of why these sites are how they are. I feel like the main issue is two fold, and not those two folds, revolving around the question of why teachers feel the need to create and sell lesson plans in the first place.

Why on earth should a teacher need to supplement her job with THREE other sources of income? Being a teacher is, many times, more than a full time job. I can't fathom having another job on top of that. (Granted, I do extra little jobs too-I am helping coach my school's track team, and just started tutoring one of my students after school, but only one of those things will get me extra money, and I am lucky that choosing to tutor was not a money-based decision). What is wrong with this country that an article can state that this teacher is essentially working four jobs to live comfortably, and that's NOT a focal point of the issue described? This should not be the norm. (As an aside, it's pretty messed up that these collab sites, like Teachers Pay Teachers, are helping some teachers from the pockets of other teachers--who may have similar money issues).

Many teachers pay hundreds-even thousands-of their own money to supplement classroom supplies, or items needed to create and implement engaging lessons. Schools and teachers are constantly fundraising to provide opportunities for their students. What other job doesn't supply its workers with the tools needed to do a good job? As the saying goes, teaching is the only job where you steal supplies from home to bring to work. School districts spend gargantuan amounts of money on curriculum--so why are teachers feeling the need to create and sell-or buy-lessons? (spoiler alert: many curriculums don't meet the children's needs who are in front of you). Why are teachers left to reinvent the wheel year after year? If teachers are constantly creating their own lessons, why are we bothering with these massively expensive curriculum materials? Why not fund teachers to make those decisions? I have hated many curriculums I've used--most are very content based, without too much regard to the actual little humans who will use it, or are practically scripted and one size fits all. It's actually offensive to teachers--who have been trained in effective teaching practices--to give them a script/one-size-fits-all curriculum (which this article  eloquently explains.) Why can't we trust teachers to do their job?

 I feel lucky to work in a school where we don't subscribe to any curriculum in the traditional sense of textbooks and workbooks and teaching guides, but are allowed to use our own knowledge to create lessons. That being said, many times I am creating from scratch materials and lessons that are already out there. But what if we put money where it can do the most good for our children--in the hands of teachers who are in the trenches, as it were, and who have a pretty good idea what might be best for the specific group of children in front of them right now?

Open the Gates and Seize the Day

The fight is never about grapes or lettuce. It is always about people. - Cesar Chavez\

'Teachers deserve respect,’ I explain. ‘Why do they get it for free, when everyone else has to earn it?' -Jodi Picoult

It's been a while, dear reader, too long since I've written, but it looks like I might be part of a strike. And it felt like a good time to resume blogging, so here we go. I took part in a strike vote, and voted yes. I had put my trust in the goodness and logic of human beings-that a strike vote of "YES" would motivate the school board to make some concessions and we wouldn't have to go through with it (to be fair, we don't know just yet, but based on school board actions, it's not looking good). And I had this hope not for me and my salary, but for my students. Because I know what one day off routine does to them. Because I know that missing a day of school is missing a lot. Because I know that I can continue living with my current salary, while some of my students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Because I didn't go into teaching for the money.

But that's just the problem--that many who find themselves as teachers don't do it for the money, and find themselves constantly putting their students before themselves. It's admirable, and it's part of what makes a good teacher, but it's not fair. It's not healthy that there's this culture in America that many jobs equate success and doing a good job with long hours and sacrificing your personal life. But many of these jobs that glorify long hours are jobs that may be lucrative or high paying--where those sacrifices of personal life and sanity are compensated. But teaching? Your soul may be compensated, but your ability to pay for utilities, rent, and small luxuries are not. 

I certainly didn't accept my current teaching position for the money. I accepted it knowing that SCUSD pays less than the two previous districts I worked in, but I didn't take the job for the district, I took it for the school. I accepted it because I found the perfect opportunity at the right time--that I had stumbled upon a school whose teaching philosophy strongly matched my own--that I could learn a new way of teaching that somehow didn't feel so new--that I found a principal who is approachable and supportive and visible at school--that I found what I didn't know I was looking for. 

But it was never about the money...and I realize that that's part of the problem. If I could support myself and my current lifestyle, I would teach for free because I love learning, I love working with children, and I love feeling that my job makes a profound difference (which at the same time is terrifying). But I shouldn't have to! There's a whole other direction I could take this argument--and I won't go into it now--but the fact that teaching (especially elementary teaching) is female dominated absolutely contributes to the lack of respect and low salaries that teachers get. But that's a topic for another day.

Back to the strike-the strongest argument for not increasing the salary scale in SCUSD is that we have good benefits--and it's true, we don't have to pay anything for health insurance. Which is great, but I looked at a pay stub from when I worked in a nearby district where I was contributing to my health benefits, and I compared it to a pay stub from the same month last year. With a year more of experience, I made~$50 more in take-home pay for that month. But ~$150 was being taken from my paycheck each month for health benefits at the previous district, which means my take-home pay was really ~$100 less. Long story short, the good benefits doesn't make up for the lower salary. I would gladly pay a little something for my benefits to get the SCTA's salary proposal.

Benefits or no, what makes this situation all the more frustrating is that the district has this whole "make Sacramento the destination district" campaign going on...and yet every week I get multiple emails with the subject "Notification of Vacancies." And two months into the school year there are multiple teaching vacancies. How can a district expect to attract students if families cannot reasonably expect quality teachers at every school--much less enough teachers at all? So for this, I voted for a strike, and for this, I will follow through on that vote if it comes to it. Because it's high time teachers were treated with the respect-and compensation-that they deserve, or at the very least a comparable amount of respect and compensation that other teachers in our state also receive. (Because, as in everything in teaching, it is never enough-never enough time, money, or resources-to truly put our children first.)

EDIT: We avoided a strike! The district and the union came to an agreement, with teacher pay raises, and plans in place to move forward on more school nurses, psychologist, as well as arts and music for all students, and more. There wasn't an immediate change in our school lives, but we can feel better about the future.

#BlackLivesMatter

“Equality is not a concept. It's not something we should be striving for. It's a necessity. Equality is like gravity. We need it to stand on this earth as men and women, and the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance, and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and woman who's confronted with it. We need equality. Kinda now.” ~Joss Whedon

I tend to refrain from posting a lot of links or commentary about politics, or news, or what have you. Part of it is that I don't feel like I have anything eloquent or new to add to the conversation, and that I am not versed enough with all the details and politics to be fully confident in the complete accuracy of my assertions (though that doesn't stop most people.)

Instead of adding to the noise, I observe.

I read bits and pieces here and there, and don't unfriend "friends" who are mind-boggling set in their narrow-minded views that make me worry that there is an outside possibility that Trump could possibly eke by with a win. And while I could delete them and be constantly impressed and feel good about people in the world (despite the depressing articles posted), of friends who share my views, I think it's important to not just be aware of other perspectives, but see the face and name that goes with these views. It is too easy to dismiss others when they don't have names, and families, and post heartwarming puppy videos. When they are just this ambiguous "other", it's easy to ignore, dismiss, or treat disrespectfully. On a brighter note, the vast majority of my friends on social media have good heads on their shoulders and seem not only better at keeping up with news than I am, but also very eloquent in expressing thoughts and feelings about the goings-on in the world.

Today, I will add my voice. This blog is an outlet for my ideas on education, and I have for a while mused on how I could release my thoughts and feelings on what's been going on and have it tied directly into teaching. There are plenty of connections, but today I stumbled across an article that directly brought teachers into the conversation. After a teaching conference in Minneapolis, many teachers joined a Philando Castile protest march. To which I say, good for them! And then a police officer (and head of the police union in Minneapolis, along with his St. Paul counterpart), complained about it, saying they were appalled, and that it was a "one-sided message of blatant disrespect for law enforcement".

I'm sorry, but not only were these teachers exercising their right to free speech, but Philando Castile worked in a St. Paul school. From what I've read, Castile was a pretty solid dude who kids loved, and that is reason enough to honor his death. So when the statement from Bob Kroll calls what the teachers are doing is choosing "to protest against their union brothers and sisters," not only is that ignoring that Castile was also a union brother, but ignoring the fact that this time, this death (of unfortunately too many) was personal.
He goes on to say that this will negatively impact children of law enforcement, which, really? Okay, yes, there are plenty of problems in our schools, and plenty of teachers who let bias affect their teaching, and teachers who probably shouldn't be teachers. But I would say that any teacher, biases and all, at the bare minimum can at least separate a parent from a student.

I am a teacher, but I am still human. I am not above feeling judgmental of parent choices, but I don't take that out on a kid. If a parent is rude to me, it doesn't make me love my student any less, or treat them differently. And I am well aware of injustices in the school system, and how students of color, and students from poverty are consistently underserved. And I can't speak for all teachers, but I know most teachers, in choosing to be a teacher are not only empathetic, kind people, but are motivated to do what they can to counteract these hurdles.

Beyond the bare minimum, teacher training programs have classes about working with diverse populations, and are trained to be aware of biases they may have, and how to work to improve on providing equal service to all students. Again, teachers are also human, and have a lot of learning to do to address how their biases or privilege affects their teaching, but it's happening.

So Kroll and Dave Titus' statement goes on to defend their comrades by citing due process and how "in all those instances, [...] prosecutors, investigators and juries have found officers’ actions, however tragic, to be justified and within the scope of the law." What this fails to address is that, our justice system is not exactly the most reliable source to determine that these actions were, indeed, justified. It is a systematic issue that constantly favors those in power. For example, the first thing the media did when news of Castile's death came out was to look to his record (a bunch of minor traffic infractions), whereas during Brock Turner's trial (remember, the Stanford swimmer who raped a girl, and got off way too easy?), the media was quick to reference all of his swimming accomplishments. (Look, just because you're a good swimmer--and, might I add, white--doesn't make you a good person. And just because you can swim fast, doesn't mean you shouldn't be held accountable for your actions. but I digress. My point is that, at all levels of our society, it is stacked in favor of whites.)

Anyway, they finish their statement by starting to make sense: "teachers are in a better position than most to understand the critical importance of forging constructive and meaningful conversations that can provide positive pathways forward. The future stability of our communities will be secured by building relationships and increasing trust." Yes, and because "teachers are in a better position than most," maybe you should give them some credit that they did not "rush to judgment along with radical activists hell-bent on destabilizing our communities" (their words), and in fact weighed the pros and cons, thought long and hard about how to best make a difference, and decide that it is not radical activism to recognize that black lives matter too, and this protest was one way to help instigate conversation and awareness.

Furthermore, what is actually destabilizing our communities is the status quo-- the status quo that lets so many white people get away with murder, and so many black people dead for no good reason. Perhaps in some of those cases, the cop technically followed protocol (but then I see much more threatening white people get the utmost patience and not get shot, and it certainly makes you wonder...) But it's not that the police have a few bad apples. It's that these bad apples aren't held accountable, and I haven't seen many steps taken to address helping police officers recognize bias and act accordingly. It's not public perception that's the main problem, but a system that has let police brutality go unchecked, so that shooting first, instead of as a last, last, last resort becomes more commonplace. I believe that most people are doing their best to do the right thing, but that they grew up in an unbalanced system that gave them a skewed sense of what that is. And so you end up with the circus that is Trump et al. because the status quo, left to simmer, ended up boiling. Equality is hard work. You can't just pass a law, and boom, problem solved. It's like the white walkers in Game of Thrones: you may create some steady peace by keeping them at bay, but even if you cut off their heads, they're going to come back. It'll take constant effort to eradicate them--no thanks to the rest of Westeros and beyond who think their silly Game of Thrones is more important. (I just binge watched seasons 5 and 6, so that's the only analogy I can come up with right now, so I hope it made sense. That and it's almost midnight and I should be asleep.)

I also call bullshit on this statement: "As the union leaders of State’s largest police departments, we stand at the ready to begin just such a dialogue, particularly with our union brothers and sisters.” Here's why: at a recent Minnesota Lynx game, the players wore shirts in support of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, Black Lives Matter-- and also referenced the fallen Dallas police officers on their warmups by the way. Kroll commended the officers who walked out on their contract and naturally took offense that the Lynx would support this radical notion that black people are also people, and deserve to be treated as such--and that people who die deserve to be mourned. If he is commending others for not even acknowledging that there is another side to the conversation that is very valid, then I can't imagine him being ready to have a fair dialogue. I'd like to believe he truly wants to have a conversations, but the old cliché is true: actions speak louder than words. (Though in this case, your other words speak louder than this sentence of words).

What was a good idea happened in Kansas: Instead of a protest, a police chief worked with Black Lives Matter to have a cook out. Which allows the situation to be less "us vs. them" and more "we're all in this together." The initial reports and pictures I saw just after Castile and Sterling's deaths were of police basically confirming all our fears about them, coming out in riot gear and treating protesters roughly. Because what helps, more than statistics and facts (it seems pretty clear that Americans aren't too big on those), is making it personal. When it is so "us vs. them" and this perceived BLM vs. the police, it makes it easy on each side of the issue to dismiss the other because they don't have to see the "other" as real people, with valid thoughts and feelings and lives, and we become much more divided.

That may be why many teachers joined this Black Lives Matter protest. Because not only was Castile a living, breathing, wonderful addition to their community, but because many of these teachers work directly with "the other," whether it be police officer's kids, or black students, or literally every other population, and care deeply about all their students. Granted, many teachers work in homogeneous areas, but I would wager that, in simply dealing with the drama of getting students who are all the same race/socio-economic status to simply get along and treat each other kindly, they are predisposed to translate this idea to a grander stage.

What I'm trying to say is, while I haven't really gotten involved in social media past a few shares of some related links and liking/retweeting others posts, I haven't said much in my own words, and now I have. A little rambling, and perhaps just adding to the noise, I suppose. But we are living in a country where far too many people in power lack empathy and retain racist, sexist, homophobic, and xenophobic views that make it unsafe for a large portion of Americans to live. So, kudos to those teachers in Minneapolis who went out and did something. I stand with those teachers, and I stand with Black Lives Matter. It's not radical, and it shouldn't be inflammatory. It's simply recognizing and admitting that America, while great in a lot of ways, still has some growing to do. We can't make America great again because we have yet to reach being completely great.

Love. Read. Repeat.

"Susan did an unusual thing and listened. That's not an easy task for a teacher."

"There was something pleasant about an empty classroom. Of course, as any teacher would point out, one nice thing was that there were no children in it, and particularly no Jason." 

"'Just a minute,' said Lobsang. 'Who are you? Time has stopped, the world is given over to...fairy tales and monsters, and there's a schoolteacher walking around?' 'Best kind of person to have,' said Susan. 'We don't like silliness." 

-Terry Pratchett, Thief of Time

I recently went back to Minnesota for a weekend, and finished an entire book between the two flights that brought me there and back. It was Terry Pratchett's Thief of Time. I found it at a used book store, and had been meaning to read something by Pratchett-and finally had time. (As a teacher, to find time to simply read for pleasure, is a rarity and a gift. Airports and planes allow for a lot of time to read.)

It got me to thinking about reading and teaching. One, because Susan, the granddaughter of Death, was one of the characters in the book, and is a school teacher. There were a lot of small teaching truths thrown in as side notes to develop Susan's character, and that resonated with me. But two, because it launched a lot of thinking on my part of the wonderful experience of reading a good book.

I love books. Love. Love. LOVE. One of my favorite places to go is used book stores. I am thankful that my parents also enjoy used bookstores--and books. My parents' home is full of books of all kinds, and as a kid, I visited plenty of bookstores. When I was little, my dad used to take my sister and I to the local library. We would pick out 6 books, but he set down ground rules so we wouldn't just leave with 3 Babysitter Club books and 3 Sweet Valley Twins books. We had to pick out at least one biography, and only two could be the kid-version of beach read/romance series whose individual books are churned out much quicker than I can manage blog posts. This pushed me to expand my horizons and discover my enjoyment of historical fiction, and also simply expand my cultural literacy. I am very thankful for those library rules my dad set.

I never considered not reading the books I checked out--once I start a book, I always feel like I needed to finish it, even if I am not particularly enjoying it. (Not that I've never not finished a book I've started, but it doesn't happen very often. As an amazon prime member I get "Kindle First" books--meaning one free book a month. Often they're the start of a series, or a trashy beach read. I still download them, though I haven't read many. Recently I read a pretty terrible romance novel, and though, as I read it, I noted it's forced tension and ridiculous plot (or lack thereof), I'll be damned if I didn't finish that thing.)

I continue to lament the loss of Borders Books--a place I'd just go hang out with friends in high school, and as a good meeting place as well, because whoever was early had something to look at while waiting. Now, it's a Whole Foods. Much less interesting to hang out in, though still a good place to find a public restroom when you don't want to buy anything. I still slip and call the parking lot there the "Border's parking lot" as opposed to the "Whole Foods' parking lot", as that name just reminds me of this gem, and not something that exists in my town. I feel very lucky that my boyfriend supports my children's book problem/passion. We've visited Placerville, Nevada City, Sacramento, and even simply downtown Davis for entirely unrelated reasons (often a brewery, winery, or delicious meal), and he still willingly veers off task into a used bookstore with me, so I can search for books to augment my classroom (and sometimes personal) library. Today we biked downtown for brunch, and then I dragged him to the thrift shop and I bought 10 more books for my classroom library (even though its just 3 weeks until the last day of school).

As a teacher, it was so fun to buy a bunch of picture books for my kindergarten class. It may have gotten me some strange glances, carrying around a book on counting to ten with penguins as an adult who I'd assume pretty clearly doesn't have her own children, but the draw of a good book trumped my concern with how odd I looked. Then, I moved to 4th grade, and suddenly had a new excuse to go out and buy more books! Chapter books this time! It has been so fun remembering books I read as a kid, and discovering new ones. I helped coach Novel Knowledge (a reading competition) this year (similar to the Battle of the Books, which I participated in in elementary school), and got to reread some classics (Half Magic, A Wrinkle in Time,) reread some more recent good ones (The One and Only Ivan), and read some new ones (A Long Way from Chicago).

So it breaks my heart when I have students who don't like to read, or won't read, or don't think they can, or like, to read. It breaks my heart that they don't have the motivation to allow themselves to lose themselves in another world. To let all their drama and troubles fade away and bury themselves in someone else's pain and triumph. So many students spend more time on tablet/phone/video games, and movies/TV/YouTube. Over spring break, I spent a day sitting outside and read an entire (kids) book (The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell). And I LOVED it. And in the escape from reality, I could simply relax. But my teacher self broke my happy bubble of reading relaxation to realize that many of my students haven't acquired that treasure.

And I am still trying to figure out how to give them the gift that is a love of reading. I love read alouds, and sometimes, a rowdy class will sit quietly for a bit in my reading of a good book. But to transfer that to reading for pleasure independently...there's a missing link. We have about 10 minutes of silent reading after lunch. I take the time to read as well--and I take the opportunity to read a book from my classroom library that I either haven't ever read (I'm in the middle of Al Capone Does My Shirts), or want to revisit (The View from Saturday). But, I have so many students who sit and stare blankly at books during this time. Or who spend the whole time pretending to look for a new book to read at my bookshelf. Or spend the whole time staring at their desk, then when reminded to take out a book, "looking" for their book in their desk. Or simply acting dramatic and wasting time.  And many of my students don't have the drive to complete a book they've started. I get excited when I see a beloved book in their hands during silent reading, but too often it goes back to the bookshelf or into another student's hands way too fast for the original student to have possibly read it to the end.

One time, I was reading a book (I think it was Auggie and Me: Three Wonder Stories,) and I laughed out loud. A student looks up and goes "What's so funny?" and I respond "oh, this book". And I realize: many of my students, either due to gaps in their reading comprehension, or motivation to read, don't often get the experience to truly experience a good book. I have cried, laughed, gotten angry, felt satisfied, and so many more emotions while reading books. How do I inspire my students to read a book all the way through? How do I transfer their enjoyment of me reading read alouds to them reading their own books? Some of the books I have read out loud (Love that Dog, Wonder), have inspired my students to check out those same books from the library. So I am making some progress.

But not enough. Which is a constant refrain in teaching: it's never enough. Not enough time. Not enough money. Not enough....everything. It's never enough, but still, we teachers never stop trying.

#TBT to #Dinovember

"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." -Roald Dahl

Abe and I were Claire and Owen from
Jurassic World for Halloween!

2015 marks my 3rd year of Dino-monthing in my classroom, but the first year of true Dinovember, and not Dinocember, or Dinouary. As I am teaching 4th grade this year, and we don't have a dinosaur unit, my dinosaurs just appeared the first Monday of November, and moved about my classroom at will every day, until the end of November. While unconnected to our academic topics, my students simply rolled with it, as they already know I love dinosaurs. I have dinosaur magnets, dinosaur borders on my bulletin boards, a couple dinosaurs on my bookshelf, and a giant dinosaur welcome sign. I also made a point to wear something with dinosaurs on it every day of the week. This year I debuted a dino skirt from my sister, and some sweet dino dresses from the internet, some earrings, necklaces, and a scarf. And if my friends didn't know of my dino obsession like my kids do, I started with some sweet Dinoctober pumpkins to get in the mood, and had a related costume for Halloween. 

My Dinoctober pumkin!

So, without further ado: Dinovember 2015!

Jurassic times call for Jurassic measures

Dinovember Day 1: It started on a rainy day, but my dinos were warm and dry inside, setting a bad example of playing with the rulers. As I often tell my kids, as they're drumming with pencils or sword fighting with markers: "Those are tools, not toys."

Whiteboards always make math problems more fun!

Dinovember Day 2: At any age, kindergarten to 4th grade and far beyond, writing on whiteboards will likely never cease to be fun!

Way more fun to build towers than count with these.

Dinovember Day 3: We got these giant tubs of math manipulatives with our new curriculum, and one is just full of base 10 blocks. These are kind of foamy and green, a departure from the classic plastic yellow, but still do the job!

I'm an adult with a children's book problem.

Dinovember Day 4: My favorite day, as I get to display my dinosaur book collection, which is ever growing. I got some new ones from the book fair, and others from the thrift shop. 

Dinosaurs everywhere-
note the cards I use to assign class jobs. 

Dinovember Day 5: At my school, they have weekly "awards". There's a spirit award for the most kids in a class to be wearing school colors the previous Friday. It's a stuffed falcon (which is our mascot). There's a golden jumprope, for the class who had the best PE day. There's a golden apple for....honestly, I'm not 100% sure. And, there's the golden shoes, for best behavior in the hallways. The 4th graders are a notoriously loud bunch, and not great at hallway walking, but we have our moments, and the previous week was noted. So the dinosaurs had to enjoy our hard earned week with the shoes...because since then, they have not been to our room.

Nothing like a brand new box of crayons, and some coloring pages.

Dinovember Day 6: Apparently coloring helps with mindfulness, and is all the craze for adults right now. I have never stopped enjoying coloring, and these dinosaurs are over 65 million years ahead of the trend.

At least they're having fun.

Dinovember Day 7: Unclear what game my dinos are trying to play here, what with two incomplete decks of cards, no semblance of organized piles, or turn taking. 52 card pick up, perhaps?

Headphones were obviously not designed for miniature dinosaurs.

Dinovember Day 8: My school's big thing is being the first school in our city to be one-to-one with devices. As a result, I have a class set of chromebooks! The kids love them, there's tons of cool sites that are educational, and I am definitely a Google Classroom convert. It saves paper, and is super easy to assign assignments. 

This game gives you good practice reading obscure dinosaur names.

Dinovember Day 9: I have gone to the thrift shop more times this year than any other. Mostly for kids books, but I created a classroom board game collection and ended up finding this gem: Dinosaur Bingo! Perfect for Dinovember!

Target's dollar store Jenga is called Jumbling Tower.

Dinovember Day 10: Again, we see here that dinosaurs are not great at taking turns, but pretty graceful when it comes to not knocking over unstable towers.

Another thrift shop find!

Dinovember Day 11: There is no such thing as a water dinosaur. Or a flying dinosaur, for that matter. Mosasaurus, who got some fame as a larger-than-life attraction at Jurassic World, and beloved Pterodactyl are not, technically speaking, dinosaurs. That being said, my dinos, for not being water reptiles, were surprisingly adept at naval battle strategy. 

The theme for my parent teacher conferences this week
was to suggest practicing multiplication facts at home.

Dinovember Day 12: I didn't have enough dominos for my dinos to all use them...and the abacus is also not big enough for 6 to share....so, random math items day!

This game was actually not from the thrift shop,
but donated to me from a neighbor.

Dinovember Day 13: The dinosaurs were totally on board for a game of sweet revenge, and actually seem to be following the rules, and taking turns for once!

It's hard to tell, but they are painting pictures of dinos!

Dinovember Day 14: Water coloring is tons of fun, and we've only managed to pull out the water colors twice this year. I have a couple other projects I want to do with my students, but it's so hard to find the time! The dinosaurs had all the time in the world though, because they don't have silly pacing guides, and a million other requirements to get through each day, with not enough time in the schedule for it all.

These blocks haven't gotten much playing time this year
sitting in my garage.

Dinovember Day 15: The final day of Dinovember! Broke out some kindergarten toys, because while my 4th graders don't play with alphabet blocks, my dinosaurs certainly will!

Yay dinosaurs!

By the end, it became clear that Dinocember, much less Dinouary, would not be a thing--I (ahem, my dinosaurs) were running out of things to do--there were way more toys back in kindergarten. While my dinos are secured back at home, waiting for next year, I continue to enjoy dinosaurs every month--not just with my classroom decorations. I got to see some sweet fossils and a special exhibit on sauropods over winter break in Cleveland. I feel so lucky to have grown up in a family that valued educational experiences, and fostered my love of learning so that now, as an adult, I still love visiting museums and learning new things about random topics. I wish my students--many of whom say they don't do anything, or just play video games, or watch TV over weekends and breaks--had the same opportunities to foster their curiosity and visit museums often. Unfortunately, it falls on schools to provide a lot of those experiences because they don't get them at home. And it's really a shame that schools make it so hard to go on field trips--busses are soooo expensive, as are entry fees sometimes, and its hard to get enough parent drivers. Many parents can't take off work, or perhaps don't have licenses, or any number of things. Plus, while field trips, hands on learning, and seeing things for real are some of the best, most engaging, most enriching educational (and life) experiences, if it's not directly related to reading/writing/math--things that are on those annoying standardized tests--it is very hard to provide experiences we know the kids need and deserve. I still do what I can--this year was a pretty decent year for field trips--Sutter's Fort, Yolo Basin Wildlife Area, and our local watersheds of Alamo Creek and Lagoon Valley. But, as a constant refrain in teaching, I wish I could do more.

A Jumble of Thoughts on Lock Downs and Gun Control

"Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future." -JFK

"We can't just study history, we've got to make history." -Robby Novak, aka Kid President

I apologize in advance for the semi-erratic compilation of ramblings.

Today I sat through a long safety training about various protocol for emergency situations. Maybe 5% of the training was spent on dangers like fires and earthquakes and introductions. The other 95%? Procedure for lockdowns...or what to do if a school shooter ends up at our school. It's bleak. It's horrible to run through a series of what ifs and really plan for what you would do. What if we're in the computer lab? What if we're out at recess? What if kids are in the bathroom? What if someone has to use the restroom? What if this actually happens? I won't go into details on the procedures, except to share that we have an emergency bucket in our classrooms called a "honey bucket" for these situations.

The worst part wasn't imagining the worst case scenario. Because most of the time, imagining worst case scenarios is simply that. Imagining. They are unrealistic situations that are horrifying but so outside the realm of possibility that the trainings feel like just another meeting. The worst part is thinking of this worst case scenario as a scenario within the realm of possibility. And the thing is, with the multitudes of mass shootings that continue to occur day after day, it is. To say teacher's aren't paid enough for this is an understatement.

Teachers, and anyone really, should have to imagine a mass shooting as a ridiculously remote possibility. It should not be on us to be so. damn. prepared. Students, of any age, who are pursuing the most noble of quests (that being furthering their education), should feel safe in their school. Fear should not be part of an equation involving education. There's a pretty easy way to take that fear of a mass shooter out of this equation. It's gun control. I have heard literally no good reason from those against gun control. All I hear are adults who sound like those kids who cry because rules are enforced, or you stopped them from sticking their hand in fire. I've commented on gun control before, and since then, I've only come up with more reasons why anti-gun controllers have no valid argument. It's hard to believe nothing has been done so far.

The 2nd Amendment is not even a good argument. Besides the fact that amendments are AMENDMENTS and can probably be amended, the 2nd amendment was written with guns like muskets in mind, and a time when we had things like state militias. So I say, fine, take a more literal interpretation of the amendment (isn't that what conservatives want? Literal interpretations of documents like the bible that are not historically relevant in all cases?). Let guns that were actually available when the 2nd amendment was written be more readily available. That's fine, that's what they had in mind anyway. But more updated guns can have some more strict restrictions and maybe even be banned, because no random Joe needs an assault rifle. Again, give me one reason why that's necessary.

Seriously though, people are dying ALL the time from guns. Not just the absurd number from mass shootings, but from accidental deaths. So many kids accidentally shoot themselves or others because people have guns in their houses that they really don't need. The whole, cars are dangerous but we didn't outlaw them thing is kind of a "shooting your own goal" argument. Cars ARE dangerous, yes. But you have to get a license, have insurance, register your car each year, and do all sorts of things so you can own one and legally drive one. So hey, same thing for guns would be nice.

People who are pro-guns tend to be conservative and pro-life. Which is ironic really. They fight so hard to give a lump of cells rights, and yet, once they are actual human beings with thoughts and feelings and real bodies, it's perfectly acceptable to shoot them. Tell me how you can be pro-life and against doing something about all these gun deaths and make any sense whatsoever.

I could go on and on and on about the ridiculous hypocrisy and lack of logic that is the anti-gun control lobby. I haven't even begun to touch upon how racism gets imbedded into the landscapes of guns in America. But I need to get to bed, because I have 22 living, breathing 4th graders to teach and attempt to mold into decent human beings who will hopefully grow up and take none of the crap that the NRA and other mostly old white male groups are throwing down tomorrow morning. Something's gotta give, and I'm putting my bets on our future citizens. I teach, not for a paycheck, and in spite of the mounting threat to our nation's children, but because I really do believe in the power of education and the promise that is our future generations. I show up every day, not because it is easy, and not because I always feel successful, but because, despite what the outside world is throwing at us, and despite what my students throw at me (sometimes literally), I believe in them, and their potential for greatness.