Equipment

When I was out because my niece had surgery, one of the teachers helped himself  to one the the TV/DVD/VHS combos.  I had no clue who took it. I waited for about a week for the TV to be returned.  Needless to say it was not. After talking with one of the ladies in the main office, we decided that a school wide announcement was to be made at the end of the day stating  that the TV was missing. That same morning I was  talking to one of the teachers who had come down to get a video, I complained that one of the TVS was missing and I didn't know who took it.  He sheepishly admitted that he had the custodian open the equipment room so that he could get the TV.  I had a talk with that custodian.

Apologies

The teacher brought the very contrite students into the library and one by one they apologized.  If you have been in the library when they came in, you would have thought that I dreamed the whole thing up.  The students she brought in were the exact opposite of the students that came to class that Friday. Oh well, its good to know that students still respect their teachers.

Well, its Monday morning. I went downstairs to talk with the teacher whose class I held on the Friday we got out for Thanksgiving. She assured me that her class never acts that way with her.
Maybe not, but when the class isn't afraid of security, I wonder. Anyway, she said that she was going to bring them down to apologize and that she was going to remove each of their names from the field trip list. I can't wait until 8th period to see how they act and what they say. I'll blog about it later.

Linger

Yesterday my neice and I attended staff development. She had to attend all day while I only had to attend 1/2 day. I stayed at the location after I finished because we rode together. While there, I started reading Linger by Maggie Stiefvater. It is interesting to note that young authors today are rewriting the horror terrors of long ago. For example, in Twilight the vampires have completly different properties and powers as do the werewolves in Linger. I am only a third of the way into the book, I will write a review and post it once I am finished.

Substituting

I was not feeling well Friday and I actually considered leaving school early. I stayed even though the kids thought I should just leave. Well, when I went to the office to mail off an Ill, one of the teachers was in the office talking to the lady that is in charge of getting subs. Needless to say, the teacher came to the library and asked me to please watch her class because her brother was in the hospital and she needed to leave. Of course I said yes. But upon furthering the conversation, it was revealed that her brother was expected to be released very soon and was not in any danger. I wondered why she couldn't just wait another hour and a half. But because she said there were only eight students and that they were very good, I didn't renege on my word. She said all they needed to do was get on the computer to finish their PowerPoint and that she would call the library and speak with them personally to make sure they were on their best behaviour. She never called.When the lady that was in charge of getting subs brought her class roster over I noticed there were 14 names on the list. When the bell rang, unfortunately for me, they all showed up. Only one student worked on the PowerPoint. All other students were successful in their quest to make that hour and a half a living nightmare. They wanted to sing, dance, rap, wonder aimlessly over the library, yell at people in the hall, use their electronic devices,etc. I acutally had to get security several times. Even though they came in and talked with the students, the bad behaviour continued. I left the teacher a detailed note. I don't think I have ever been happier to hear the bell sound in my teaching career.

Yesterday I went to the Woodcock-Munoz Test training. It was interesting. I went because the ladies that usually come to Smith to test told me they were retired and that they did it part time. Since retirement is not so far away for me, I decided I could do that also and earn a little extra money. Well, it seems they changed the rules, now they are training two people per campus to give the test. Wouldn't you just know it?

I have enjoyed this class very much. The only trouble or cause of concern I had was uploading my video to the wiki. I particularly liked working with the wiki. I think it is a wonderful tool for collaborating with teachers when developing a unit. The fact that we can add, adjust, and critique so easily is just great. As for the glog, I like the fact that I can embed it into my wiki and make it a part of it. However, personally I just think they are fun. Thanks for introducing it to us. As for the blog, I think I will continue to use it for personal reasons. I have found that just by using it as a journal helps me to wind down at the end of the day. And last but certainly not lease, I will continue to use movie maker for book trailers.

I had the most AWFUL time trying to upload my video this week. I started on Friday afternoon and didn't get it loaded until Sunday afternoon. I never had this problem on my other blogs. I have uploaded book trailer videos with ease. Needless to say, my frustration level is still high.

Reincarnation

This is a love story that survives throughout death, time, and circumstance. The star-crossed lovers are doomed to tragedy and separation as they travel through time until they can fulfill their destiny. History buffs and romantic souls will thoroughly enjoy this book.

Yesterday I received a table that was donated from Target. Two of my students asked if they could put it together for me. Because I have had students assemble things before, much more challenging than this simple table, I said yes. Well I should have known something was wrong from the following clues: screws left over, they left to go and get glue in the middle of assembly, they left to go and get tools to enlarge the holes, and they told me the table could not be moved. They put the assembled table tightly between two other tables and left. Since this was not where I wanted the table to be, I moved it. The table fell completely apart and hit me on the leg as I was attempting to move it. Later, when I saw the two, I told them what happened. They said, "We told you not to move it".

I decided to take this class because I want to stay connected to my students. When they stop by to talk with me during lunch, I like for them to think (rightly or wrongly) that I am up on the current trends.

What is the difference between a blog and a wiki?

I believe that one of the main differences between a wiki and a blog is that the wiki tends to more easily support collaboration of a project. The blog is more individual or personal with the individual posting personal musings of events, etc.