I have always thought that the general public would be surprised and alarmed about all of the problems we face daily in our elementary schools. Occasionally, they do get a brief glimpse. Some seek to get away from it while others just choose to ignore it. Times when people need to pitch in and be part of the solution are often times when they leave or just criticize.
September 28, 1998 - We had the first session of our Seminar in School Leadership this morning. About fifteen people showed up and I got two messages from people who forgot it but will come next time. We are meeting at the Holiday Inn for breakfast 15 times and talking about Autry's book Love and Profit and other sources that might be of interest to the group. It should be fun!
Last week I got a report that a female 3rd grader was behaving inappropriately on the playground. She has been threatening others and exposing herself. This happened sometime last year and earlier this year and I thought we had it taken care of. One parent was so upset that she took her child out of Longfellow and is sending her to Regina. I am very sorry to see them go but I know this parent has been on the verge of this for sometime and this incident was the straw that broke the camel's back. Now I hear from someone at the central office that the parent doesn't feel I did all I could. I did interview everyone last week in Julie or Donna's presence. I am trying to reach another parent who is concerned but haven't yet made the connection. In addition, another parent told us today she wanted to take her kids out of Longfellow because one of them is being picked on. She has three kids here. Two of them are in SCI. Their home school is Wood. I hope to meet with this parent and the teachers after school and relieve some of her concerns. We had a special education student who had a small pocketknife on the bus this morning. He showed it to the driver and did not use it in a threatening way. I am going to give him in-school suspension for a day, but am having trouble getting hold of the parents.
* * *
Wow! When it rains it pours!!! I knew things were going too well.
I ended up suspending the boy who brought the knife to school to one day of in school suspension. The mother of the three children who was thinking of sending them to Wood decided to only send the regular ed. one there so we will be keeping the two that are in SCI.
The sudden drop in student numbers has me again concerned. Some of them are attributed to class size and some to families moving. We lost three on Friday. Two of those moved and one is going to Regina. We are losing another one who is going to Puerto Rico. Two are going to another school because of class size. One boy went to Wood because that is his home school and he thinks he has more friends there. We have three more that say they are moving and tomorrow is their last day. Whew!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
90s35 Picnics and Problems
The first entry below contains my first thoughts on adding a half-time teacher at the 3/4th grade level. We didn’t have the staffing ratio to have a full time person and this seemed to be the best option. It was well received at first but eventually became known to the school board as the “Longfellow problem.” More on that another time.
September 8, 1998 - Things are really going well so far here at Longfellow. We do have some large class sizes at 3/4th. We have 3.5 teachers there and would like it to be four but it is not likely. Our ESL numbers are up to 22 so we may be making some changes there.
We are all in shock because of something that happened at another school in the district. Apparently a volunteer in the building was taking inappropriate photographs of students...It is a very scary thing for anyone who works with children.
I started the Longfellow picnic as a way of celebrating and bringing the neigborhood and the school together. It is an annual event that continues and I am proud to have been part of it.
September 14, 1998 - Things are still going quite well at Longfellow. Last Wednesday, September 9, we celebrated our 80th year to the day. We had a picnic outside with music from the Drollingers and a stilt walker. We had activities for the kids and it was a great time. A lot of parents came and enjoyed the day, too. Longfellow Site Council met for our first meeting of the year today. It was a very productive session with everyone taking some responsibility for the school improvement plan goals…
September 21, 1998 - Things are still going well at Longfellow! We had a nice staff lunch last Thursday and I hired a local banjo player to play for it. I think the staff enjoyed it.
We had a child bitten by a puppy last week. The owner of the puppy refused to take any responsibility for it and bullied the boy and his father into saying that it happened with their own dog two weeks earlier. It was clear to us and the school nurse that it was a fresh wound. It bled profusely. There were also several witnesses who saw the dog bite him. The animal control people just didn't want to follow through on this one. Too bad that you can bend the rules if you are a big enough bully!
We were able to hire our .5 3/4th grade teacher as half ESL teacher here. That is great! We also picked up a .25 from another ESL teacher who has been in another building. He is furious about being here and has been very rude and uncooperative. It has been down right ugly! It will probably get worse before it gets better. I hear that he is a good teacher. We'll have to wait and see.
I have been working on my goals for the year and hope to have them done soon. The superintendent wants them by the end of the month. I also have to start revising my portfolio. I taught 6th grade last week while the 5th graders were at McBride. I did 3 sessions over that many days. There were 42 kids in the group so it was a big class! It was fun and it went well. We worked on point of view and visual literacy.
September 8, 1998 - Things are really going well so far here at Longfellow. We do have some large class sizes at 3/4th. We have 3.5 teachers there and would like it to be four but it is not likely. Our ESL numbers are up to 22 so we may be making some changes there.
We are all in shock because of something that happened at another school in the district. Apparently a volunteer in the building was taking inappropriate photographs of students...It is a very scary thing for anyone who works with children.
I started the Longfellow picnic as a way of celebrating and bringing the neigborhood and the school together. It is an annual event that continues and I am proud to have been part of it.
September 14, 1998 - Things are still going quite well at Longfellow. Last Wednesday, September 9, we celebrated our 80th year to the day. We had a picnic outside with music from the Drollingers and a stilt walker. We had activities for the kids and it was a great time. A lot of parents came and enjoyed the day, too. Longfellow Site Council met for our first meeting of the year today. It was a very productive session with everyone taking some responsibility for the school improvement plan goals…
September 21, 1998 - Things are still going well at Longfellow! We had a nice staff lunch last Thursday and I hired a local banjo player to play for it. I think the staff enjoyed it.
We had a child bitten by a puppy last week. The owner of the puppy refused to take any responsibility for it and bullied the boy and his father into saying that it happened with their own dog two weeks earlier. It was clear to us and the school nurse that it was a fresh wound. It bled profusely. There were also several witnesses who saw the dog bite him. The animal control people just didn't want to follow through on this one. Too bad that you can bend the rules if you are a big enough bully!
We were able to hire our .5 3/4th grade teacher as half ESL teacher here. That is great! We also picked up a .25 from another ESL teacher who has been in another building. He is furious about being here and has been very rude and uncooperative. It has been down right ugly! It will probably get worse before it gets better. I hear that he is a good teacher. We'll have to wait and see.
I have been working on my goals for the year and hope to have them done soon. The superintendent wants them by the end of the month. I also have to start revising my portfolio. I taught 6th grade last week while the 5th graders were at McBride. I did 3 sessions over that many days. There were 42 kids in the group so it was a big class! It was fun and it went well. We worked on point of view and visual literacy.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
90s34 A New Year
You never know for sure what a new school year will bring. The 1997-98 school year had been one crisis after another. Beginning this school year I was hoping for a calmer time.
August 10, 1998 - I have been back for a while. Julie, my secretary, started back today. Things are really picking up. Several staff members have been in and we are all getting excited about the school year. Tomorrow is new student enrollment day. We are hopeful that we will get a number of new students because we are down about 40 from last spring. We have a staffing meeting Wednesday and the CAO and Administrative Council on Thursday morning. We have a staff retreat on Monday and everybody comes back to start the year on Wednesday of next week. We are starting off the year with IBI and had posters printed for the school. I’m anxious to see how that all works out. This is going to be the best year ever!!!
The IBI mentioned in the above entry is the Iowa Behavior Initiative. It really made a big positive difference in student behavior in our building that year. It is all about teaching expected behavior over and over whenever the opportunity arises. In many places it is now called PBS (Positive Behavior Supports).
August 18, 1998 - School starts on Monday and the pace has really picked up. We are getting a few new students but still nothing close to what we lost. Had a staff retreat yesterday that went very well. We worked on our school improvement plan and the student behavior expectations for the coming year. It was a very positive start for us. Everyone seems to be excited about the year. Tomorrow is the official first day for teachers. We start with breakfast on the West High lawn.
August 24, 1998 - Wow! What a day! School is underway! It was very busy around here today but all in all the day went well. We are still short an associate and a half but hope to find someone for those positions soon. A guidance counselor in the district who was a close friend of some of our teachers died today. It was very sad. I sent a teacher home as soon as the kids were gone. She was a close friend of the counselor. We seem to have some very good kids this year. We have about 20 in ESL. Lunchroom and noon recess went Ok.
August 26, 1998 - Some issues are heating up! Class size in the p.m. at 3/4 is a concern. In the morning they are in four sections so class size is about 20. In the afternoon they are in 3 sections and class size is about 28 plus the SCI kids that are included part of the time. The parents have a petition and some are calling me. One has even requested that their child be moved to another section. The 5/6 teachers are at odds with me over another issue. Over the summer we agreed to send the 5th graders to McBride Camp for a week. Now the teachers want to have a lottery and let 6th graders fill the empty slots. They can take 60 and we only have 43 fifth graders. I have said we are only sending the fifth graders and that has them upset. Met with Jerry and Brad about some misunderstandings between the Physical Plant and us. I think we got it worked out and things should improve.
The class size issues mentioned above became a nightmare! I’ll tell more about that later. I stuck to my guns with the 5th grade McBride issues and it worked out fine.
August 10, 1998 - I have been back for a while. Julie, my secretary, started back today. Things are really picking up. Several staff members have been in and we are all getting excited about the school year. Tomorrow is new student enrollment day. We are hopeful that we will get a number of new students because we are down about 40 from last spring. We have a staffing meeting Wednesday and the CAO and Administrative Council on Thursday morning. We have a staff retreat on Monday and everybody comes back to start the year on Wednesday of next week. We are starting off the year with IBI and had posters printed for the school. I’m anxious to see how that all works out. This is going to be the best year ever!!!
The IBI mentioned in the above entry is the Iowa Behavior Initiative. It really made a big positive difference in student behavior in our building that year. It is all about teaching expected behavior over and over whenever the opportunity arises. In many places it is now called PBS (Positive Behavior Supports).
August 18, 1998 - School starts on Monday and the pace has really picked up. We are getting a few new students but still nothing close to what we lost. Had a staff retreat yesterday that went very well. We worked on our school improvement plan and the student behavior expectations for the coming year. It was a very positive start for us. Everyone seems to be excited about the year. Tomorrow is the official first day for teachers. We start with breakfast on the West High lawn.
August 24, 1998 - Wow! What a day! School is underway! It was very busy around here today but all in all the day went well. We are still short an associate and a half but hope to find someone for those positions soon. A guidance counselor in the district who was a close friend of some of our teachers died today. It was very sad. I sent a teacher home as soon as the kids were gone. She was a close friend of the counselor. We seem to have some very good kids this year. We have about 20 in ESL. Lunchroom and noon recess went Ok.
August 26, 1998 - Some issues are heating up! Class size in the p.m. at 3/4 is a concern. In the morning they are in four sections so class size is about 20. In the afternoon they are in 3 sections and class size is about 28 plus the SCI kids that are included part of the time. The parents have a petition and some are calling me. One has even requested that their child be moved to another section. The 5/6 teachers are at odds with me over another issue. Over the summer we agreed to send the 5th graders to McBride Camp for a week. Now the teachers want to have a lottery and let 6th graders fill the empty slots. They can take 60 and we only have 43 fifth graders. I have said we are only sending the fifth graders and that has them upset. Met with Jerry and Brad about some misunderstandings between the Physical Plant and us. I think we got it worked out and things should improve.
The class size issues mentioned above became a nightmare! I’ll tell more about that later. I stuck to my guns with the 5th grade McBride issues and it worked out fine.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
90s33 End of the School Year
The last few journal entries describe some on-going problems that we had that year. In the March 5th entry I refer to some bullying behavior that was going on among some of the 6th grade girls. I had dealt with the girls almost all year long and it seemed that no matter how much I chastised them the bullying continued. It was very frustrating. Girls can sometimes be more difficult to handle than boys in many ways.
The other child referred to was very troubled and I often wonder what has happened to the child since then. They moved out of the district that summer. The child would be about 16 years old now.
The rest of the entries describe a few of the more frustrating things that happened that year. As with all of my published entries, I have modified enough to make it impossible to identify the people involved and yet still illustrate the types of things that occurred.
March 5, 1998
Today is a parent/teacher conference day. All have gone pretty well. We met with a parent whose daughter is being bothered by some other 6th graders. Hopefully we are making progress in getting this kind of thing stopped. It is very frustrating. We had a kindergartner kick, bite, hit, and spit on adult staff yesterday while I was out of the building. She has done this before, but not for a while. We are going to have to meet and make sure that the mother is taking some steps to stop this behavior.
April 1, 1998
True to form the year continues to be full of struggles and surprises. A student went bonkers yesterday. I had to carry him to the office. He threatened to get his neighbors shotgun and shoot me in the head. Teacher salary negotiations are stalled and the Strategy 2 stuff is still a hot issue. We are already planning for another round of cuts for next year. It won't get any better until the legislature changes some things. I am not optimistic that will happen soon.
April 14, 1998
A parent has pulled his child out of Longfellow and placed the child in the BD classroom at Lemme. It is a relief not to have to deal with them and this is probably the best for the kid. It is a troubled family! I also suspended the child for two school days because of the incident mentioned in the April 1 notes. Now that that is taken care of another parent has flared up and wants to control who their child associates with. We are meeting with her on Thursday.
June 6, 1998
Whew! That school year is over! I hope I never have one like it again! This spring has been hectic--actually the whole year was hectic--and I haven't had much time to journal about it. I am looking forward to a nice break from the stress this summer. Near the end of the year we had another stabbing incident. A student used a pencil. I suspended her and her father is quite upset that this will be on her permanent record. He filed a grievance against me but I held my ground and the issue went to the superintendent. As far as I know she upheld my position.
The other child referred to was very troubled and I often wonder what has happened to the child since then. They moved out of the district that summer. The child would be about 16 years old now.
The rest of the entries describe a few of the more frustrating things that happened that year. As with all of my published entries, I have modified enough to make it impossible to identify the people involved and yet still illustrate the types of things that occurred.
March 5, 1998
Today is a parent/teacher conference day. All have gone pretty well. We met with a parent whose daughter is being bothered by some other 6th graders. Hopefully we are making progress in getting this kind of thing stopped. It is very frustrating. We had a kindergartner kick, bite, hit, and spit on adult staff yesterday while I was out of the building. She has done this before, but not for a while. We are going to have to meet and make sure that the mother is taking some steps to stop this behavior.
April 1, 1998
True to form the year continues to be full of struggles and surprises. A student went bonkers yesterday. I had to carry him to the office. He threatened to get his neighbors shotgun and shoot me in the head. Teacher salary negotiations are stalled and the Strategy 2 stuff is still a hot issue. We are already planning for another round of cuts for next year. It won't get any better until the legislature changes some things. I am not optimistic that will happen soon.
April 14, 1998
A parent has pulled his child out of Longfellow and placed the child in the BD classroom at Lemme. It is a relief not to have to deal with them and this is probably the best for the kid. It is a troubled family! I also suspended the child for two school days because of the incident mentioned in the April 1 notes. Now that that is taken care of another parent has flared up and wants to control who their child associates with. We are meeting with her on Thursday.
June 6, 1998
Whew! That school year is over! I hope I never have one like it again! This spring has been hectic--actually the whole year was hectic--and I haven't had much time to journal about it. I am looking forward to a nice break from the stress this summer. Near the end of the year we had another stabbing incident. A student used a pencil. I suspended her and her father is quite upset that this will be on her permanent record. He filed a grievance against me but I held my ground and the issue went to the superintendent. As far as I know she upheld my position.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
90s32 Always Something!
February 17, 1998 - We had yet another controversy recently. The 5/6 social studies teacher was using a simulation about the colonization of America. In one part of it the students journal about their reaction to being attacked by Indians. A local Native American found out about it and was enraged about the material. She called me and complained and now has filed a formal complaint with the district. I immediately stopped the teacher from continuing with it because they were very near the end of the simulation anyway. We could have finished it up but I thought this was the prudent thing to do. Fortunately, the material is on the district list of approved materials so the district has to defend it, not us. Several families, including some with Native American ancestry have let me know that they felt I should have let the kids finish the simulation. The person who complained doesn't have children at Longfellow. I think the issue was just too volatile for us to continue with it. The parent who gave the material to the outside person now regrets having done that and has been very apologetic about it.
In retrospect I probably shouldn’t have gave in so easy but I was weary of controversy and wanted to get on to more important issues. There is a process in the district to reconsider material and books being used but I felt this was such a volatile situation that it would be easier for everyone if we avoided it all together. Some people are just looking for an issue they can blow way out of proportion.
February 24, 1998- Wow! It continues! I had a student last week that stabbed another one with a pencil. It wasn't a serious wound but I had to suspend the student for two days of out and one day of in school suspension. Today, in the neighborhood, the house of one of our families had a minor fire. It was upsetting to one of the children because the fire trucks came and she was worried about her family.
March 2, 1998 - We all survived a great week of celebration for Longfellow's 80th birthday. It was a fun event for the school and the neighborhood. We are having some trouble with he 5/6 graders doing mean things to each other. I talked with one class about harassment. I don't think it sunk in so I may have to take additional steps. Barb Grohe was named National Superintendent of the Year last Friday. She is very deserving and I'm thrilled that she got it.
I came up with the idea of the 80th birthday celebration! It was a fun event and we had a lot of people visit. Many were former students and their family members. In the fall of that year we started the Longfellow picnic as a school and neighborhood event. It was a great success and still happens every September. Over the years their have been some prominent guests including Christie Vilsack, Herky, and many local athletes. It usually includes some local music.
In retrospect I probably shouldn’t have gave in so easy but I was weary of controversy and wanted to get on to more important issues. There is a process in the district to reconsider material and books being used but I felt this was such a volatile situation that it would be easier for everyone if we avoided it all together. Some people are just looking for an issue they can blow way out of proportion.
February 24, 1998- Wow! It continues! I had a student last week that stabbed another one with a pencil. It wasn't a serious wound but I had to suspend the student for two days of out and one day of in school suspension. Today, in the neighborhood, the house of one of our families had a minor fire. It was upsetting to one of the children because the fire trucks came and she was worried about her family.
March 2, 1998 - We all survived a great week of celebration for Longfellow's 80th birthday. It was a fun event for the school and the neighborhood. We are having some trouble with he 5/6 graders doing mean things to each other. I talked with one class about harassment. I don't think it sunk in so I may have to take additional steps. Barb Grohe was named National Superintendent of the Year last Friday. She is very deserving and I'm thrilled that she got it.
I came up with the idea of the 80th birthday celebration! It was a fun event and we had a lot of people visit. Many were former students and their family members. In the fall of that year we started the Longfellow picnic as a school and neighborhood event. It was a great success and still happens every September. Over the years their have been some prominent guests including Christie Vilsack, Herky, and many local athletes. It usually includes some local music.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)