Reading for TESOL and listening to reading

Read eighteen TESOL proposals yesterday. Some were terrible, some were okay, and about 5 were things I hope will be offered next year at TESOL in Philadelphia. I'm glad that the reading went so fast. I have so many things due at the same time. Of course. How else could it be?
We are listening to the Tale of Despereaux in summer school. The reader has a lovely voice and reads the different characters with different voices. Melanie is a girl after my heart. She wants to go home and read the rest of the book. She can't wait to know what happens next. One thing about getting older, I now appreciate reading and savoring how good it is. If I read a book too quickly, some of the enjoyment is lost. That's a good point to discuss with the kids on Monday.

Haiku and other summer school lessons

First, some haiku, maybe the first I've ever written-

Mourning doves cooing
High in the sycamore trees
Two cats slink away

I read an interesting book about how to write haiku and other short poems. It was written for students and told the history of several types of short poems and had suggested assignments for a writer's notebook/journal. We are talking about Japan because we will see an exhibit of Japanese art next week. We talked about haiku and I read four poems to the kids. Melanie was the only one who had any prior knowledge of haiku. The kids illustrated one poem that they liked. The illustrations turned out pretty good. Another day we went outside to take a nature walk and notice possible subjects for poems. We couldn't walk far because of the fence around our patio and the kids were talking so much and being silly, so I asked them to be quiet and listen for one minute. It was amazing how much we could hear when they shut up. Then we went inside and wrote lists of things we saw and heard.

Another day I showed them a website on Japan that I had found. We looked at a section on Japanese houses and did a little interactive 'game' that helped them understand some of the differences in Japanese houses. We clicked on some Japanese schools and found one that was on an island. In the description of the island there was a photo of a whirlpool that was one of the largest in the world and was between the small island and the bigger island near it. Here is the neat thing that happened later that day-a reason that I don't agree with scripted teaching-one group was listening to The Watsons Go to Birmingham and came to the part about the whirlpool. I stopped the CD and we talked about how the boy in the story misunderstood his grandmother. He thought she said 'wool pooh' instead of whirlpool. We connected that to the photo we had seen earlier of the whirlpool in Japan. Serendipity! A spontaneous learning experience that would have been missed if we had strictly followed some script.

A Little Clearer Picture

So, now it is revealed. One of the people acting weird to me has resigned-after signing her contract. I am sorry she is leaving and I guess she has been going through the agony of making a decision and that may have contributed to the odd way she was acting. She is young and maybe things will be better in a new place. I hope she gets some help for the demons that are really bothering her.
This time of year is always icky. Everyone is tired. The kids are ready for summer break. The teachers are tired of keeping the lid on bad behavior.
At least I am enjoying sharing the Little Engine movie with K-3rd this week. The 4th and 5th grades had fun watching the Indian in the Cupboard movie after reading the book. They really noticed the differences in the book and movie.
I'm starting to feel better. Now if only my computer would heal itself.

I'm in a lousy mood-read at your own peril

I am in a lousy mood and have been since yesterday. I think it is because I have lots to do and feel like there isn't enough time to do everything. Plus my new computer is not working and I really need it to work. The computers at school are screwed up, running slow, not connecting to the internet...yuck, ick, ugly word.
I'd like a glass of wine or a fizzy drink or something. Everyone and everything is getting on my nerves. I went to a stupid cosmetics party yesterday that I didn't want to go to. Heard the ignorant, hick saleswoman go through her spiel for the second time. Thought I would buy something to help a friend-a nineteen dollar bottle of aloe spray costs 27 dollars when shipping and tax are added. What a rip off! My scholastic book order was back ordered, so I won't get those books. Boo, hiss. I'm just in a lousy mood.
Everything on TV is a re-run. I bought two new bedcovers and Mr. M didn't like them. So back to the store I will go. They cost too much and are not really what I want. I have to drive across towm to take the garbage out at mom's tomorrow, and I really don't want to do anything but go home or to the pool and be by myself. I'm in a lousy mood.
Then I get to drive an hour and a half to sit in a meeting on Wednesday. And the boss has cancelled her attendance at the same meeting. I didn't want to go. Could be giving the training and the trainer is coming to boss's office the next day to go over the same stuff. Crap! I'm in a lousy mood.

Mendacity

Big Daddy in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof said he was tired of mendacity. He was surrounded by lies and liars. I looked up the word online and found it means untruthfulness or a tendency to lie. The atmosphere at work has prompted some people to lie. I am disappointed in people who I thought were friends telling outright lies to me. Upon reflection I realize they did it to keep from being yelled at or embarrassed in front of everyone. I wish it weren't so. Too many Type A's in one place, I guess. We all strive to be perfect, never make a mistake, or be called out. The reality is that none of us is perfect. We all are focused on what we want and what is good for us. If it helps someone else, well, that's good, too. I am mostly interested in getting my things done and I don't like change. So I don't like to see people leave. Long ago a principal told me his goal was to have summer vacation work just like a weekend. The beginning of one year would see no change in staff from year to year. Unrealistic but I would like that too. Anyway, I guess I will try harder not to interest myself in others here at work. Just do my j-o-b and keep my head down.

Testing Mirage

I have this analogy in my head about testing, so I'm going to try it out here. I think NCLB testing is like the story of the Emperor's New Clothes. In the story two conmen convince the emperor that they have made him a magnificent new suit of clothes. He parades around naked but everyone is too afraid to say he has nothing on because the conmen said only intelligent people can see the clothes.
The testing promoters are like the conmen. They have convinced everyone that intelligent people see the benefit to students of all the endless testing. And the correlation of test scores to teacher ability. But the emperor is naked. The correlation of test scores is more accurately related to income level. Schools in wealthier areas do better on the tests. In our state there are seven levels to describe school performance on the tests. Four of the levels are negative. How fair is that?
The state that started all this testing frenzy has been shown to have fudged on the results. The only group to benefit from all the testing is....wait for it....THE TESTING COMPANIES!
The public has been deceived. Schools have been labeled failures. Teachers have been vilified.
Where is the honest little boy who will say, "The emperor has NO clothes!"?

Fluff from the Past

I am reading on my NookColor a collection of short stories and books by P.G. Wodehouse. (It's pronounced Woodhouse.) I first met this writer in a series on Masterpiece Theater about Jeeves and Wooster. I found some of his books at the public library but now with my ereader, I have access to lots of out-of-print titles. He specialized in writing about the idle rich of his day. Some are set in England and some in America. The ones set in the US focus on life in New York. The main character usually hasn't got a clue and stumbles around with his mates partying into the night. Their life seems so tame compared to the drama we watch these days on television. But the emotions and plots are surprisingly timeless. The stories are funny and a pure escape back to a slower pace.