25 Things I Miss About Being a Student

Gathered with the helpful of friends!
1. How passive it is to show up and wait for someone else to have your day’s activities planned for you
2. Reading lists – all of my favorite books are ones I never would have read unless assigned

Read the rest of the 25 Things I Miss About Being a Student

Should we terminate text books?

Hasta la vista, text books.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is launching a state-wide initiative to encourage schools to explore online, open source instructional materials instead of textbooks, according to an eSchoolNews report.

This is both a move toward the current trends in digital media and a desperate attempt to confront the $24 billion budget deficit in the state. Existing online resources are being screened to determine if they meet state standards.

Kathy Christie, chief of staff at the Education Commission of the States, said Schwarzenegger's plan appears to be the most ambitious of its kind in the nation, although Illinois is also studying digital textbooks. [GO ILLINI]

The future of this initiative is still “cloudy” (pun apologies, but I couldn’t resist). It still needs to pass, the budget savings probably wouldn’t be noticeable until well into the future, and Cali schools don’t have the computers to sustain this shift.

Regardless, Cali might be starting the trend for the rest of the country to follow.

As evidenced by another pending bill in the Sunshine State, the latest version of the Amazon Kindle is shaping up to be a hand-held version of this vision that could help in the transition.

The Kindle is a wireless reading device that lets you download books, newspaper, blogs, etc from anywhere. It store up to 1500 books, most classics are even available for free download and more digital textbooks are being made available. As an added instructional bonus, there’s a text-to-speech feature that would assist struggling readers and help with pronunciation and fluency in ESL students.

The biggest appeal for me, personally, is that the Kindle mimics the feel of a book (I LOVE the physicality of a book and would really miss it – Luckily, no rich benefactors are offering to buy me one, so that’s a worry for another day). These 2.0 iStudents may be used to working on computers all the time, but there is a need to maintain the mobility of books you can carry everywhere with you. Otherwise, "the dog ate my homework" will just be replace with "why don't you ask Comcast why I couldn't read that chapter?" as the go-to student excuse.

I’m not the only one that thinks the Kindle (or products like it) will be wave of the K-12 future.

Practically speaking, there is no way that any district 10 years from now is going to be able to resist buying a $200 Kindle for their students at the beginning of their 7th grade year and then simply buying textbook updates as the student progresses. The money saved and hassle avoided will be tremendous. ~Chris Edwards, teacher Full blog post

Are you ready for the digital revolution to terminate your textbooks or do you like things the way they are? Share in the comments section! (Or join the discussion going on at TeachHUB's main blog page)

Fun Friday- Top 20 Teacher Jokes

Fun Friday is back at the TeachHUB Blog. This week, I've compiled and concocted 20 side-splitting (and maybe a little corny) teacher jokes to kick off the weekend.

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What is a math teacher’s favorite sum?
Summer!

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Why does the principal keep talking to me about having more “arty eye”? I teach reading, not art.

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Teachers who take class attendance are absent-minded.

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Teacher: ‘Craig, you know you can't sleep in my class.'
Craig: 'I know. But maybe if you were just a little quieter, I could.'

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Stressing the importance of a good vocabulary, the teacher told her young charges, "Use a word ten times, and it shall be yours for life."

From somewhere in the back of the room, came a small male voice chanting, "Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda, Amanda."

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Does it count as differentiated instruction if I print their worksheets in different colors?

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Pupil: I don't think I deserved zero on this test!
Teacher: I agree, but that's the lowest mark I could give you!

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What do you call a teacher without students?
Happy

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Teachers deserve a lot of credit. Of course, if we paid them more, they wouldn’t need it.

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Teacher: I want you to tell me the longest sentence you can think of
Pupil: Life imprisonment!

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Where do door-makers get their education?
The school of hard knocks

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What do you call a teacher without students?
Broke…oh wait, that’s a regular teacher

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Teacher: Why have you got cotton wool in your ears, do you have an infection?
Pupil: Well you keep saying that things go in one ear and out the other so I am trying to keep them it all in!

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Kid comes home from 1st day at school. Mum asks, 'What did you learn today?' Kid replies, 'Not enough. I have to go back tomorrow.'

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Pupil: Teacher, would you punish me for something I didn't do?
Teacher: Of course not
Pupil: Good, because I didn't do my homework

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~ There is one person in our district who is all about “No Child Left Behind”
~ Who’s that?
~ The bus driver

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What kinds of tests do they give witches?
Hex-aminations

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Teacher: You copied from Fred's exam paper didn't you ?
Pupil: How did you know ?
Teacher: Fred's paper says "I don't know" and you have put "Me, neither"!

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The little boy wasn't getting good marks in school. One day he made the teacher quite surprised. He tapped her on the shoulder and said ..."I don't want to scare you, but my daddy says if I don't get better grades, somebody is going to get a spanking."

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15 Things You’ll Never Hear a Teacher Say

Share you favorite teacher jokes and education-related humor in the comments section!!

Teachers: Celebrities with Inflated Grades?

Congratulations to everyone who is officially on summer break! You’ve survived another school year to reap some sunny, sunny rewards. I can’t tell you how very jealous I am of your 3-month reprieve.

In celebration of summer, I’ve got some good news for you: you’re famous.

At least so says the new teacher blog “Television and Teaching.” I’ve only read one post, but I’m already a fan. Not only does this blog bring together two of my favorite things, but John Spencer (an edublog celeb in his own right) recommended it.

In the first post, entitled “TMZ: every teacher is a celebrity,” you’ll read:

“I've watched students gather around at table and share gossip and it's precisely how TMZ works at the close of the episode. Any time a teacher cusses, regardless of context, it's fodder for the execs at the Schoolyard TMZ show, where the social elites disguise their insecurities by talking about the personal lives of others.” Full post

I’ve never thought of it that way, but it’s totally true. The blogger then goes on to give some practical, witty advice about how to deal with the downsides of your edufame. This seems like a blog with substance communicated in a light, pop-culture driven way. Like a beach book by a respected author, it seems like a guilt-free summer read. I’m looking forward to following.

On a more serious note, your status as celebs may also be affected your grades. EdWeek is reporting that administrators might be going too easy on teacher evaluations.

The main concern in the report is, of course, that students are being hurt by ineffective teachers getting “inflated” grades, but also that teachers aren’t being given ample direction in their assessment.

“Seventy-three percent of the teachers surveyed said their evaluations did not identify an area for development. Only 43 percent of teachers said the evaluations helped them improve.” Full article

Theoretically, it’s the same concept as assessing student achievement, right? They can’t improve unless you tell them what they need to improve upon.

Stats are well and good, but I’d like to hear it from actual teachers rather than researchers and politicians. Are there teachers out acing their evaluations who should be failing? Share your take in the comments section!

Summer Project: Upping the Pizzazz

Since my spring class has wrapped up, I’ve been putting a lot of thought into how I can improve my class for next year. My online class tends to have a participation drop off as the semester goes on, so I want to add some pizzazz to keep them coming back despite the heavy workload.

(I always have grand plans with time off that never comes to fruition. My hope is that writing this – and telling my boss – will force me to actually do it.)

My plan is to use more interactive media early in the course and focus on fewer texts that elicit student response.

Like video? I’m using YouTube prompts, movie clips and poetry slam video to add some flare to my weekly writing workshops. (You can find weekly YouTube writing prompts on the Teacher Tips page).

I also want to use animoto videos to help demonstrate online research techniques. Animoto basically helps you put images and text in a video format with a soundtrack. The exciting thing about it, other than being really easy to put together, is that you can embed the videos or access them online. This sidesteps the Powerpoint issues of software and compatibility. See Cheryl Oakes “Ed Tech Made Easy” column to find out how to get started with animoto.

My last tact is to give activities, informal assignments and extra credit opportunities fun names. When you’re an English nerd, semantics are absolutely everything.

Instead of an orientation at the beginning of the term, a colleague recommended a “scavenger hunt” to acquaint students with the blackboard site. It’s almost identical to a typical orientation quiz, but it sounds 20x more appealing.

I’d also love to integrate these scavenger hunts throughout the semester. Maybe a classroom discussion scavenger hunt to ensure that students engage in the discussion or an online library scavenger hunt to practice non-Wikipedia researching.

What new tricks would you like to try next year?

Memorial Day Tribute to YOU!

This has been a memorable school year for us at TeachHUB, due in large part to all of you who have been a part of the Countdown to TeachHUB blog that is just the TeachHUB blog.

Since Memorial Day coincides with the end of the school year and the beginning of summer, I thought I’d take this opportunity to look back at the most memorable moments you all contributed to the blog this year.

(Note: Since we moved blog destination to TeachHUB.com, we haven’t moved over the comments yet. That’s on the to-do list. Thanks for your understanding!)

In reference to a blog about stuff being left behind in the classroom:
Kathleen said...

I actually found a wedding ring left in my class!

After some investigation, I discovered that one of my students "borrowed" his mother's ring and gave it as a Valentine's gift it to his 3rd grade girlfriend! Perhaps as a symbol of her indifference towards her potential suitor, the female student ended up leaving the ring behind.

In the end, the jewelry was returned to its rightful owner, and I suggested that
the boy stick to tokens of flowers or chocolate for all future grade school loves.

Simon said...

I confiscated a TWENTY dollar bill from a student. The "bill" was photocopied on regular paper and the edges were not cut very straight - probably the worst possible counterfeiting job in history.

After taking the "funny money" to the principal, the police were called in. They stated that it was not within their jurisdiction to arrest for counterfeit bills - if we wanted to go further we would have to call the secret service.

Needless to say, when the student was informed that his prank broke federal law, he could not have been more nervous and apologetic. In the end, the fear steered him straight, and the feds did not become involved.

Anonymous said...

Last year, one of my kindergarten students brought a porn DVD in his backpack. It was the end of the day and as student were preparing to go home, he ran up to me and said, "my mommy put that nasty DVD in my backpack". I made him give it to me so he wouldn't be showing it to anyone else on the bus! He was only 5 yrs old! I never did get in touch with his mother and she never tried contacting me over it. So I have no idea if it was really her or if the student put it in his own backpack!

Anonymous said...

I had some projects left in my room and students were coming in after school to pick them up. I wasn't paying attention when they were all getting them- but when they were all gone a cute little fur purse was left behind. I waited 30 minutes before I had to leave hoping that the student would come back and get it. So I went over to the purse- to look for a student ID- so I could lock it up- and when I opened it up- a nice, COLD Coors Light was in there- but alas, no student ID. So I had to take it to my AP and she pulled in the 4 girls that had been in my room, none of them would claim the purse- of course 3 of them pointed to the same student. But because her ID wasn't in it, my AP couldn't do anything about it.

Anonymous said...

I found an opened (unused) condom in my classroom on the floor by the backpacks...I teach FIRST grade!!!!

Angie said...

Maggots in a student desk. Yes, maggots. One of my 3rd grade girls decided to collect acorns in a ziploc bag. The bag had holes in it. It was left there for several days. When she returned to her classroom after a long weekend, she found white "worms" in her desk. Ewwww! It was quite hard to gather all the worms between papers, pencils, folders and books! Double EWWWW!

In response to a blog about ridiculous student excuses:

Anonymous said...

I got a good one just this morning:

I set my homework on fire.
Huh? On purpose?
No, I was making a quesadilla and my homework was next to the stove...it's my quesadilla's fault!
-mz.w

In response to a post about how you know teaching is right for you, we couldn’t help but hit on the odd eating patterns teacher adapt:

Mrs. R said...

Can you go an entire workday without going to the restroom?

BTW, one year, I had to go to lunch at 10:25. Saturdays were a riot at my house, who wants lunch food at 10:25 am? Took the whole summer to get out of that routine.

In response to a blog about the best and worst gifts from students:

Mike said...

I got half a bottle of Lady Stetson one year from a kid who stole it from him Mom. I talked to his Mom and she was really filled up though, that her kid wanted to give me something and wasn't mad that he took the cologne. She told me that I had to keep it. I put a little on at school that day so the kid could smell it on me--I was one fragrant man that day!

Classroom Queen said...

I love consumable gifts. Funny enough I just had one student ask which was my favorite: green tea or cocoa. Right away another student asked if I like Hedgehog chocolates. I wonder what I'm getting? Yummy

John Spencer said...

Best gift: by far home-made tamales. I get them every year.
Worst gift: a calendar with cute puppies

Anonymous said...

Best gift? Six pack of Diet Coke. Worst gift? a 10 pound bar of milk chocolate. I was sick for weeks.

Anonymous said...

anything even remotely personal is extra special---even the stuff that relates to my classroom theme is thoughtful. and heck, i just like presents!!! it really is the thought that counts with these guys. i like the cards and notes that go with the presents too.

and those xmas tamales--yummy!

--mz.w

In response to a post about holiday field trips:

Anonymous said...

Every year my 7th grade class goes to the outdoor ice skating rink. I'm torn between wanting to strangle the pre-pubescent trouble makers and wanting to ooh and ahh over the little 12-year-old love birds skating together.

Ok, this isn’t a comment, but this post about a homework misunderstanding got by far the most hits this year. Brining it back for a quick laugh. Despite the validity of this “misunderstanding” has been called into question, I still think it’s hilarious.

Thanks to all of you for being a part of the TeachHUB blog. I hope this is just the tip of the iceberg!

What are your most memorable moments from this year?

Sequel Lit Lesson

A gravedigger is bringing Holden Caufield back from the dead.

Former gravedigger John David California, 60, is making his literary debut picking up 60 years after J.D. Salinger left off. Bookseller.com describes 60 Years Later Coming Through the Rye as:

"As the title suggests, the book tells the story of Caulfield 60 years later when he is 76-year-old resident of a nursing home…Caulfield comes to his senses and has an overwhelming compulsion to flee. He boards a bus and embarks on a curious journey through the streets of New York and 'many poignant memories of his adulthood'." Full recap

Odds are (judging by the title), the book is a bit of a mess. I guess readers will find out in June when the book is released. For now though, John has inspired me add some creativity to learning about literature.

To write a new story, you need to be familiar with the elements of literature, but that can often be a daunting task. If we can give students a head start, we can let them build off existing class readings or at-home favorite.

Let’s Create a Sequel
(For younger students, you can take it one element at a time or work on this as a classroom activity)

Learning goals:

• Reinforce understanding of literary elements
• Enhance students’ insight into the original literary work
• Foster creative writing interest and abilities

Prep Questions
Original work:

Will you keep the same setting (this includes place AND time)?
If so, why?

If not, what is the new time and place?

What old characters will be involved?

Name three new characters?

Whose point-of-view will the story be told from? Is this the same as the original work?

What will the plot of the sequel be?

How will you make it different from the original?

What themes will you keep from the original?
(For example, all the Harry Potter books are about Harry and his fight against Dark Magic/Voldemort, but each book had a new villain).


Creative Writing Project – Now it’s time to write your sequel.
1. Plan Your Plot

2. Outline All Major Action in More Detail
If the climax is a car chase, who is in the car chase? Where is it taking place? Who is driving? Who wins? You can write these out on note cards to help organize your thoughts.

3. Write Your First Draft!
If you have trouble getting started, reread the opening of the original work. You can start by mirroring the author’s style until you works flow freely.

4. Read and Revise
Now that you have have a draft, does the story make sense? What do you like about it? What don't you like about it?

5. Polish Your Final Draft
Now that the plot is perfect, you can polish. Check for grammar, spelling and other mistakes. Try reading it aloud to make sure it flows smoothly.