Ms. Bliss the Science Gal
Well, I am very happy to report that this past week was probably the best week I've had all year in terms of teaching. I tried some new strategies, changed my "teacher tone" and got uber-strict. They responded well, and I think I finally am starting to have them on my side. But then, things couldn't go that smoothly for long! So the big news? I am no longer a writing teacher. Ms. Bliss will from now until at least April be exclusively a science teacher. Yes, you heard that right I will teach science so that hopefully 25% of my kids can pass the science TAKS (state tests that are high-stakes for reading and math under No Child Left Behind and will probably hold our kids back to 5th grade again because they missed 6 weeks of school...yay George Bush!). I am expected to pass 25% of my kids after a 6-week crash course in science, which none of them have had this year, and probably little exposure to in New Orleans and previous grades. But I damn well better make KIPP look good so our school that WE built with our own hands in less than two weeks doesn't come out with a "failing" grade and bring down KIPP's data of student achievement. Sometimes we really are the bastard child of KIPP. If our test scores are high, we will be touted as a miracle, how amazing. If they are low, we will have a million excuses and probably buried in the rubble. No pressure!
So, that was not the best news I've ever received, but in some ways it may be better. I have a million resources at my disposal and lab kits, etc. But i don't love science the most, and i am supposed to design a science plan in one week and execute it after mardi gras. The kids will be fine with it, but they won't be getting writing class and it's sad to me that I have worked so hard in pooling resources, and getting them to a point where they are okay with grammar and love to write, which was not the case at the start of the year. It's the TFA way to deal with whatever shit is thrown your way, so here I go, truckin' on...
Fortunately, what could turn out to be the best 10 days of my life is just around the corner. One week from today, I will see Coldplay in concert, an adventure 6 months in the making which was delayed by Hurricane Rita. Then, I go to Mardi Gras where I get to see my New Orleans peeps, and experience Mardi Gras madness for the first time ever. I do not anticipate sobriety. Then, I fly out to New York on Wednesday to visit Maggie Cho for 4 days! I've never been to the Big Apple, should be lots of fun.
Oh, one of the reasons this past week was so awesome? Well, my kids have been working really hard on this Pourquoi project. They came up with stories like "Why do waterfalls make that sound?" and "Why do giraffes have long necks?" and answered them with creative stories. Many of them had never written a fiction story before, that was a HUGE challenge. But then yesterday they got to illustrate them. They made pop-up books with the help of our special guest the art teacher Ms. Zebrowski. They used all kinds of materials to make these awesome 3-d projects and they came out AWESOME!! Like ten times better than I ever expected. And I can tell how proud of their work these kids are, which is a teacher's greatest wish. Their stories are pretty clutch and I will try to share some in the future : )
Happy Mardi Gras season! Les Bon Temps Roules...
love.bliss
So, that was not the best news I've ever received, but in some ways it may be better. I have a million resources at my disposal and lab kits, etc. But i don't love science the most, and i am supposed to design a science plan in one week and execute it after mardi gras. The kids will be fine with it, but they won't be getting writing class and it's sad to me that I have worked so hard in pooling resources, and getting them to a point where they are okay with grammar and love to write, which was not the case at the start of the year. It's the TFA way to deal with whatever shit is thrown your way, so here I go, truckin' on...
Fortunately, what could turn out to be the best 10 days of my life is just around the corner. One week from today, I will see Coldplay in concert, an adventure 6 months in the making which was delayed by Hurricane Rita. Then, I go to Mardi Gras where I get to see my New Orleans peeps, and experience Mardi Gras madness for the first time ever. I do not anticipate sobriety. Then, I fly out to New York on Wednesday to visit Maggie Cho for 4 days! I've never been to the Big Apple, should be lots of fun.
Oh, one of the reasons this past week was so awesome? Well, my kids have been working really hard on this Pourquoi project. They came up with stories like "Why do waterfalls make that sound?" and "Why do giraffes have long necks?" and answered them with creative stories. Many of them had never written a fiction story before, that was a HUGE challenge. But then yesterday they got to illustrate them. They made pop-up books with the help of our special guest the art teacher Ms. Zebrowski. They used all kinds of materials to make these awesome 3-d projects and they came out AWESOME!! Like ten times better than I ever expected. And I can tell how proud of their work these kids are, which is a teacher's greatest wish. Their stories are pretty clutch and I will try to share some in the future : )
Happy Mardi Gras season! Les Bon Temps Roules...
love.bliss
posted by MissBliss at 12:07 PM
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