Tomorrow, Tomorrow!!!!

Tomorrow starts winter break and I need it!

5 days...

Dear fellow teachers,
  Good luck with the last five days before winter break!

Ms. L

monday monday

Do you ever feel like you aren't doing enough at your job? Recently I have felt that way.  I feel like I should be doing more for my kids but what is there to do? With that being said it's nine days before winter break, can you say CRAZY?  My children were crazy today so let's hope tomorrow brings less craziness? If not I might run away looking like this...

I want to change the world...

I love my job! I love my students! My students come to school without jackets because they don't have one, and I wish I could buy each and everyone of them a jacket.  We also have a Christmas store at school where the kids "buy" presents for their families, last year one of my students told me she couldn't buy me a present but instead wrote me the most beautiful letter promising to graduate from 8th grade and High School.  Her family is very involved in gangs, and at the time she was a 7th grader trying to get moved up to 8th grade (which she did!) I haven't seen her since she went to high school but she will always hold a special place in my heart.  What is the purpose of this post? I am trying to decide if I can give my students a small present, but what can I do?  I need some ideas! I have about 75 students but what does a school teacher do? I can bake for them but I am not exactly the best baker in the world, I will throw them a party but I want to make them feel special.  Is this wrong? Is this crossing a line?  Am I too involved? Probably but I think that's what makes me a better teacher the fact that I truly care about my students and if they do well in school and in life.  That being said I also want to change our school, it's falling apart and they refuse to do anything about it because in a few years (months, weeks, who knows?) it will be remodeled with state money and turned into an elementary school.  My school has been around since the 1930's and is so neat.  (yes I said neat!) It's also been around the neighborhood for so long that some of my students parents, and grandparents went to the school.  They also don't need anymore elementary schools, we need more middle schools but the elementary school is falling down too. This is why I haven't been able to write lately because I've been wanting to save the world and not knowing how upsets me.  That being said I hope my Jewish readers are having a very Happy Chanukkah, I know I am...

Hello Again!

Dear 12 Followers,
  I am sorry that it has taken me so long to post but life is BUSY! Not to mention everytime I start to post something it become this angry, angry, rant about the lack of funding for school, trying to make ends meet, and well feeling not super cute.  My school is still not getting the money, attention, etc it needs and I am getting frustrated!  There was a recent article about a local magnet school and how other schools in the district should be like Classen (well HELLO if all schools could pick and choose their kids then we'd all be alike!) Our library is no longer under water (aka sewage) but is still closed.  They ripped up the carpeting and are putting in tile or staining the concrete, but apparently they got busy because they stopped and everything is in the halls minus the books.  Those are locked in the library! I went to the National Middle School Conference a few weeks ago and it was AMAZING.  I loved it! I went 11 people from work, and well the Conference was just fantastic.  I learned quite a bit, got to know some people I work with, and got a bunch of free stuff for my class! ha ha... I will blog later about a few things I learned but it's Sunday which means I need to finish my lessons for this two day week. 

Where I have been!

http://www.nmsa.org/annual/

This is what my school looks like...

This isn't water....