Cartoon via Here we are, almost into the single digits of how many days of school are left, and the kids are driving me bat-crap crazy. Yeah, you heard me. Then WHY on earth would I start tearing up today when I thought about how much I would miss some of them? AGGGGHHH—teacher hormones!! So …
My Success According to Standardized Tests
Pretty much everybody agrees that standardized testing is an ineffective measure of what a student has really learned at best and a manipulative, soul-crushing tool at worst, but just in case anyone was wondering, I got my students’ preliminary end-of-level test scores back today. A little background info: *most schools consider you a good teacher …
Happy Hour
Last Friday, a student (we’ll call him Barry) came into my 6th hour creative writing class, gave a big sigh [of relief], and said, “Mrs. Meidell, are we your happy hour?” I laughed and replied back with, “Why? Is this YOUR happy hour?” He thought for a second, then said, “Yeah. I’d say that it …
Thoughts on Making a Difference
Today has definitely been one of those days: the kind of day when I ask myself, over and over again, “Am I making any kind of difference in my students’ lives? Or am I just here to make sure they stay busy and don’t hurt each other?” I often wonder if other teachers think of …
Fun with Argument Essays
Greetings from the middle school, where I am currently in the middle of a very LOOONG Teacher Prep Day. You know what’s sad? That I first rejoiced when I heard that we were having a Teacher Prep Day (because when I was a student, that always meant no school). Of course, the second it dawned on me …
Book #3: Teach Like Your Hair’s On Fire
Title: Teach Like Your Hair’s on Fire (aff link) Author: Rafe Esquith # of Pages: 240ish Last year, Matt and I checked out the Scholastic Book Fair mega-sale on USU’s campus, where we ended up spending about $180 on two dozen books that would have cost us $500 anywhere else. This book by Rafe Esquith …
Teaching Update
I’ve finally gotten around to updating my teaching blog with a couple more posts. This time, I weighed in on parent-teacher conferences and funny student remarks. Check it out here: http://didacticdithering.blogspot.com/ Cartoon via cartoonstock.com