Category Archives: Education

A Teacher’s Nightmare

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I just had the craziest dream. I was back at Jacksonville High School, or rather an amalgamation of JHS and Mayflower High, both Arkansas schools where I used to teach. It was the beginning of a new school year. I was expecting about 20 students for my first period Chemistry class, which would have been no big deal. Instead, I kept finding additional students of mine in adjacent classrooms, and lab rooms, all with me for first period, but with some taking Chemistry, some Physical Science, some for Principles of Technology (whatever that is), some Biology (in which I’m not even certified), and who knows what else. I was up to about 80 students, and I was just trying to get everyone’s name so I could take attendance for the first day, but they kept moving around, and some of them were giving me fake names. The lab rooms were a mess, with dangerous equipment and chemicals strewn about. One thing I remember distinctly was several small mountains of blue powdered cupric sulfate, out where students could get to them, with no container in sight.

Worse, most of the students I recognized, as students who’d had me before, and had given me a rough time with misbehavior. I woke up at one point, realized I’d been dreaming, and went back to sleep. Big mistake, for I re-entered the same dream, and it got even worse, spiraling completely out of control. I just woke up again, with a splitting headache, and now I’m drinking coffee, to treat the headache, and keep me from falling asleep again.

I hate dreams like that!

A Question About Algebra II

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This happened over twenty years ago, and it still cracks me up. I’m not going to name the student, but I did provide a clue by using the appropriate school colors.

Attention, Teachers of Arkansas!

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This is a dangerous time to be a teacher. Each of us needs an organization that looks out for us — and, here in Arkansas, we have one. It’s the AEA (Arkansas Education Association). I’ve been a member for years, and can’t imagine going back to school without my AEA membership, and the protection it offers. The easiest way to join is at this page: https://www.aeaonline.org/join/.

On Leaving the Brick-and-Mortar Classroom

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I’ve been a high school teacher for the last 25 years. I’m also leaving the classroom — but I’m not leaving teaching. Next year will be my 26th year teaching, and I’ve been told that I’ll be teaching on-line, from an office.

screensharing

This is how we all taught during the fourth quarter of the last school year, except we did it from home, since brick-and-mortar schools shut down, all over the world, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We used screensharing in Google Hangouts (shown above), Google Classroom, e-mail, and lots of other things to finish the school year . . . and we did finish it, successfully. This year, teachers won’t be at home (unless things change, due to the coronavirus), but many of our students will be staying home.

After I’d finished everything up for the 2019-2020 year, I went to school to turn in my keys. At that point, it was obvious that we were likely to have some sort of dual-track system for 2020-2021, with some students receiving instruction at school, and others at home, remotely, using their district-issued Chromebooks. I told my principal that if we did end up doing such a system, that I wanted to be on the “home team.” I don’t want to have to go to school and risk COVID-19 infection, which could then be spread to my family, some of whom are in high-risk groups for this disease. I’ve now received confirmation that I will be a remote-learning instructor next year, presumably working with students from all over the district.

I’m going to miss my old school, both the Sylvan Hills High North Campus and the Sylvan Hills High Main Campus. Sylvan Hills taught me a lot about being a better teacher. As a result, I’m leaving with an improved ability to help students, compared to six years ago, when coming to Sylvan Hills from other schools. My principals at these two campuses deserve a lot of the credit for this. I’ve worked with many administrators over the years, and these two are the ones who have helped me the most in my efforts to become a better teacher.

The coming year will present many challenges. To teach effectively, you have to get to know your students. We’ll be doing instruction and discussions with computers, webcams, microphones, and speakers, so I’m going to have to make a lot of adjustments to get to know my students as real people, while teaching remotely for a full year. The end of the last school year gave me a lot of experience I can build on.

This next year should be interesting, and I am looking forward to it.

Special PCSSD Board Meeting, 3:00 pm, Saturday, April 28 — Please Attend, and Spread the Word!

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Dr. Janice Warren is the interim superintendent of the Pulaski County Special School District. It has become clear in recent weeks that she is not being treated fairly by the PCSSD’s Board of Education — even though she is, in my opinion, the best superintendent I’ve ever seen (and I have seen many).

Dr. Warren now needs our help, at a special meeting of the PCSSD school board, at 3:00 pm tomorrow. I’m asking teachers, parents, and other members of our community to come to this meeting, to show our support for Dr. Warren.

Please come to this important meeting if you can — and even if you cannot be there yourself, please help spread the word to others. We need to pack the boardroom tomorrow afternoon!