Inside Four Walls: Not Quite Ready for AP

Another no-brainer here. Administrators are in a rush to put everyone in AP classes and then this happens.

Even though students had marked deficiencies in basic reading and writing skills, and little desire to work hard, and even though they made repeated requests for transfers, the dragooning of students into my AP course persisted. 

My frequent reminders to school officials that students’ reading and writing levels and willingness to work hard were more important indicators of AP success than their perceived academic potential were berated and ignored. Administrators and some teachers countered with the “data-driven’’ argument that, not only does more exposure to AP courses and tests benefit students by preparing them for the rigors of college, but it signaled our high expectations of them.

It’s a great read about the frustrations that all AP teachers are going through right now.

I have a colleague who teaches AP Government for seniors, government is a required course to graduate. He has been trying to get parents and the counselors to remove the students that weren’t able to make it in an AP level course. So now he has a couple that might now graduate because they are failing. He feels bad and is considering something to help them out, like extra credit or taking the regular civics final and taking off the AP designation on their transcripts, which might not be legal. I told him that by doing it he would be enabling the administrators to continue to put lower level students into AP courses just for numbers sake. He’s a good teacher and realizes that the parents also pushed them in this direction, so he thinks the students shouldn’t be punished for their mistakes. I don’t know what he will do, but once again the administrators cause this mess and leave it to the teachers to sort out.

Venting the Anger: X-Men 1st Class

Seriously, how hard is it to make a movie based on a comic book that has such a vast history to pull from. And when you call a franchise "First Class", seems like it would be pretty easy to just look up who the "First Class" was and go with it.

Of course, I am talking about the new X-Men movie. I talked about it HERE once already. And I just can't see how they messed up the team. Everyone knows Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast (human form), and Angel.

Seems easy enough right? Well here is a screen capture from the new trailer. Let's see;

WTF?!?! Banshee?  Havok?? Who is now Cyclops' dad instead of younger brother???? Magneto? Mystique???? Seriously HOW CAN YOU SCREW IT UP!!!!

And what is up with Havok's costume? He looks like a character in Tron that has his Identity Disk on backwards. At least they got Emma Frost's suit somewhat right.

On it's own it might be a fine movie, but come on too many X-Men fans are familiar with the back story to believe something like this.

The Sun Always Shines on T.V.: Storage War$

I really don’t like reality tv. I mean the first 2 season of The Real World were good and a couple of other reality shows were ok, but for the most part it’s a bunch of wanna-be’s trying to whore themselves out for fame. On top of that, you don’t know if the show is really “real” or if it is scripted and filmed, I’m looking at you The Hills.

Well all of this leads me to my favorite new show, Storage War$. Basically, the show follows around 4 different guys who go to storage businesses and bid on storage lockers that haven’t been paid, so they are put up for auction. Probably the most famous story of these kinds of storage units is when Paris Hilton’s “movies” were found in a unit that she stopped paying on and were put online.

The show is really suspenseful to watch. They have a few minutes to look into the unit from the outside; they can’t go in or move items around. And then comes the bidding. I love this part, especially the interaction between the regulars. Dave is the pro and has a store where he sells all the stuff he finds. Jarod and his wife/girlfriend are the newbies. They make mistakes and usually end up getting nothing because the price goes too high. Darrell is one of my favorites because he is pretty impulsive and is willing to take chances. The last guy they follow is Barry. He is different from the rest because he is looking for collectibles in the lockers; he isn’t looking to resell the whole thing. Barry usually ends up losing money because he is constantly looking for that “homerun find”, unlike the others who are trying to make profit on each buy

After the bidding, they go in and look at what they got. Some lockers are full of great items, like memorabilia or antiques. Others are full of clothes and trash. It is interesting to see what people put into storage units. Dave purchased a locker for $200 and it had newspapers from the day of Elvis’ death and were worth at least $10 each and he had about 6,000 copies. He could make over $60,000 on that locker. Darrel got a crap locker for $175, but found a medical tool used in the early 1800’s that caused bleeding, it was valued over $400.

There is another show called Auction Hunters which follows a team and it is basically the same show except they go into more detail of selling the items after they get the lockers. I have seen 2 episodes and while it is good, the lack of other “cast members” hurts because there is no interaction between other bidders.

Inside Four Walls: Prediction Time!

We are testing in math this week and last year I predicted my scores and was off by a bit, except my Algebra B which was dead on. Last year, I counted all of my C’s or higher and said they would end up being proficient or advanced. This year I decided to count just my C+’s and higher to hopefully give me a better estimate. I have been saying most of the year that the students just aren’t putting in the work to pass the CSTs and well my scores will probably reflect that.

So here are my predictions for proficient or advanced;
Geometry – 43/93 46%
Algebra B – 10/26 38%

If these numbers hold up, then this would be my lowest scores for the CSTs. I have been struggling this year more than others on how to get the students to ask questions and do the basic work required. We all remember the challenges I had with my Algebra B classes this year. And is it my fault? Let’s take a closer look.

I have been doing the same thing in my Algebra B classes I did this year as I have for the past 3 years. This includes a daily quiz which tests the students daily on factoring, graphing, systems of equations, and another topic of my choice. We have factored everyday in my class since the beginning of October. And you know what? I still have students that can’t factor. Whether it is they can’t think of multiples of a certain number or they take out the wrong greatest common factory, they just can’t do it. What more could I do to help them? The idea of the daily quizzes is the whole spiral learning. I am constantly reviewing major standards/topics so they don’t forget them. Out of my 26 students, I have 4 who not missed one assignment…that’s it four. 2 others are missing 2 or less. But think about that, 15% of the class has never missed an assignment. I have emailed parents about this as well, telling them homework is crucial to them understanding the material.

Before this year, my CST scores for Algebra B were usually in the 60s – 70s. So is it fair to say I am a bad teacher because of this class? Or is it that I just had a really low group of students? How can my pay be determined by one test for one year? I have had students miss over 15 days during the school year. Is that my fault? Should I be considered an ineffective teacher because students don’t come to school? I wish politicians could see that there are so many flaws in their logic.

Inside Four Walls: Finally some sanity prevails

Most of my posts dealing with education have been about students having free reign on free speech while the teachers have been stifled. Well maybe the tide is turning? Maybe?

That night, Doninger wrote a Livejournal blog post criticizing the school officials' handling of the issue. In the post, she called the school officials “douchebags” and asked her fellow students and their parents to complain to school superintendent Schwartz in order “to piss [Schwartz] off more” than the mass e-mail had.In response to her blog post, the school barred Doninger from running for reelection as Class Secretary for her senior year. At the class election, school officials prevented a group of students from wearing “Team Avery” t-shirts. According to school principal Niehoff, the t-shirt ban was intended to prevent electioneering by candidates and supporters who could afford such merchandise.

So what happened? She sued and guess what? She lost.

The court determined that Avery's blog post constituted on-campus speech for First Amendment purposes, regardless of the fact that she wrote it off campus, because "the blog was related to school issues, and it was reasonably foreseeable that other LMHS students would view the blog and that school administrators would become aware of it." Slip op. at 28. The court then noted that school administrators have the right, in certain situations, to restrict on-campus speech to promote school-related goals. The court also ruled that Avery does not have a First Amendment right to run for voluntary office.

Who knew? This should be interesting to follow. Definitely nice to see this happen though. Students think they own the world, so it's kind of nice to see them come crashing down.

Music Non Stop: Arch Enemy - Khaos Legions

I was never a big fan of Arch Enemy until I picked up The Root of all Evil. It was a solid album, even though it was just re-recordings of their first 3 albums. What I noticed is that musically, they are thrash with a touch of melodic death metal thrown in. What throws them into the melodic death metal category full time is the vocals. I have grown to love the guitarists in this band. Some awesome stuff.

So when I heard about a new album I decided to see what it had to offer. They released a video for their first single, Yesterday is Dead and Gone. Musically, it's great. I can't find one thing to complain about. It hits it in the right spots. Vocals, nothing special but hey you know what you are getting here. I will say for a girl, she does some awesome death vocals.  I will definitely see what else they have to offer on this album.

Inside Four Walls: This ought to be interesting...

I have talked a lot about teacher's rights and blogging and what not. We have seen a lot of teachers recently lose their job or be suspended because of what they say online. And what they say isn't bullying, it's venting or just telling a story.

So it will be interesting to see what happens with this;

Sultan Middle School Principal Robin Briganti found herself the target of online bullying. Someone set up a bogus Facebook page, and posted vile words and humiliating comments under her name.

That's right a principal is being bullied online, by some students at her school. Some people have argued that it isn't bullying, but more slander, I would argue isn't it the same thing? I guess slander is just something we use when your an adult.

It will be interesting to see what happens here. Will the students be suspended or expelled or counselled? I doubt the principal will sue, but how would that play out as well. It's time teachers start fighting back and quit being the punching bag of the nation right now.

Remembering My Grandpa...5 years later

It's been 5 years since my grandpa passed away. It seems much longer than that, but every time go visit my Grandma I still miss him.  It seems like any second he will walk through the kitchen door taking off his hat and gloves.  We all knew he was dying and it wouldn't be long. I'll never forget seeing him and then less than two weeks later he was gone. There isn't a day that goes by that he doesn't cross my mind. I still truly miss him. Getting that call...I knew what it was about, but yet I couldn't believe it. The funeral, visiting his grave it seems all surreal. It's hard to except. I wanted my son to be born today so that April 23rd wouldn't be such a depressing day, but at the same time I am happy. So here is my post I made a few weeks after the funeral.



It's been one week since my Grandpa passed away, so I think I will share some of my memories about him. To me he was a great man. He dropped out of school early on in his life, before the 8th grade, joined the navy and ended up fighting in World War II. He met my Grandmother while she was studying to become a nurse, to which my grandpa responded, "why would you want to be a nurse because if you were my wife you wouldn't work." Classic grandpa.

My grandpa was a farmer . He ended up farming for years. In fact, he was still farming 60 acres of land up until he was in his late 70's. He would wake up in the middle of the night to change his water, to make sure he didn't over water his crops. He did most of the work, minus the actual picking of the crops.

He was the central figure in our family. At Christmas time it was grandpa who would hand out the presents to all of the kids and adults. When grandpa was happy we were all happy, when he was sad or upset we all shared in his pain.

How did he effect my life? Well let's see, he introduced me to golf. I would remember going to visit him in the summer to play golf at the same golf course he played at. It was amazing and an honor. Now I am not shallow enough to realize other things my grandpa taught me; how to tie vines, how to flood gophers out of their holes (that had to be one of the more enjoyable summers ever.) We could spend hours on end talking about football too. Whether it was the 49ers and how crappy they had become, or how the Sooners fell apart. He also taught me how to be a man, how to treat a woman. How to act in certain situations. Now he never came out and said "Kevin, this is what you do", but he always acted in a certain way that would always be the right way. Now there were times that he didn't act the right way, but he would always say later on, how he should have acted.

My grandpa was a huge part of my life. I spent every vacation hour (minus 3 summers because of football) at my grandparents home. Every vacation we had a different job. He would always tell us, that he has to do it because he didn't finish school and this was his life. I guess that hit all of us grandkids because 6 of the 7 graduated from college. That idea that unless you get an education, you would be doing manual labor stuck with us.

My grandpa was diagnosed with lung cancer a few years ago. I guess we weren't surprised because he had been smoking since he was around 12 years old. He had surgery to remove the cancer from the lung. Doctors say that if you can go one year without the cancer coming back, then your odds are pretty good it will stay in remission. Well, with my grandpa it was around 10 or 11 months when the doctors told him the cancer was back. He had no choice but to try chemo-therapy. At his age it was risky, but he couldn't have another operation. He was able to go through all of the treatments, except the last one. Most of the cancer was gone or drastically reduced. I saw him in the middle of his treatments during Thanksgiving. He looked well, he was joking around and we made some bets on the Rose Bowl and Super Bowl, even though we didn't know the teams. We also gave my grandparents a Webtv. Now this might seem like nothing, but my grandparents never owned a VCR. He was excited and happy knowing he could write to any grandkid whenever or check the weather whenever he wanted to. I will never foget his face when he said "So you mean I'm online now?"

We didn't go up to see him at Christmas time because my wife was pregnant at the time and couldn't travel at all. At the time I didn't think it mattered because I figured I would see him next Christmas. During the spring time he battled some serious colds and that also took it's toll on his body. It was in early April during a phone conversation that he commented that his shoulder was hurting him. I told him to lift some weights because he needed to be strong enough to lift our little girl. He laughed and said that his is trying. During spring break my parents came down and said I needed to go see him because he was very ill. I thought it was just my mom being over reactive, but she wasn't. When I saw my grandpa he didn't recognize me because of the medication he was on and because cancer was spreading into his brain. That first day was very rough for me and my wife. After lunch my grandpa walked outside and my wife suggested I go on a walk with him. I was very hesitant to, but agreed to go. My grandpa and I walked about 30-50 yards and back. We talked about the weather (as all farmers do) and about the neighbor building a house. And then he went out and started talking about the war. As soon as he started it was over. I found out later that that was his last walk. The cancer spread to his spine and legs and he couldn't walk. That is something I hope to never forget. The next day he was better, alot better. He knew me and remembered things about conversations from earlier in the day and years ago. My wife and I always played Uno for him, he loved to see me lose. He was sitting in the chair, in pain, but smiling at us and said "I remember that game you guys play, Uni" We said good-bye that day, never in a million years did I think I wouldn't see him alive again. In less than a week, they stopped all treatment and the next Friday he was in hospice care... a total of 8 days. My heart ached for him, my grandma, and my family. We prayed for a quick death so he wouldn't suffer. He was able to leave the hospital and come home to his farm to die. His farm where he made his life and legacy. He died at 2:14 AM on April 23rd. I miss him so much. I am so sad when I think that he won't hold my daughter, hold me, or hold his wife again. I know he is in a better place without pain, but my heart misses him so much. I was honored to be a pallbearer at his funeral this past week. I cried and smiled thinking about the memories of him. My brothers and I shared stories of grandpa over his grave talking to him.

My grandpa saw alot in his life time and lived alot too. My grandpa was and will always be a hero to me. I love you Grandpa...you're online so you can read this now.

Thoughts Without Words: Online Cheating & other things

I have talked about teacher's rights before and have posted a bunch of stories about teacher's getting fired or suspended for writing something online about a student. We all know about the hypocrisy of students being able to blast us on ratemyteacher.com or Facebook, but what about blatant cheating online?

Some teachers recently found out that their classes have a Facebook group made for them. On it, the students are clearly cheating. Some ask what answers are to homework questions and others ask how to write a paper. I haven't seen any posts relating to tests, but I only looked back a couple of weeks.

We talked about this and they are all going to keep quiet and present the findings at the end of the year to our administrators. I said nothing will happen to them, except a slap on the wrist and some "counseling".

One of my classes mentioned Facebook and I said what's the point of having one. They said they talk about homework and other things. They told flat out they ask for answers to homework questions. I said that was cheating, just like copying at school. Their response? It's not the same. It's not cheating.

But what about online cheating? Are schools responsible for this as well? Or is it covered because it's not on school grounds?  I am sure it goes on a lot more than this, but it just strikes me that students don't think twice about it.

Video Killed the Radio Star: Soccer Trophy Ran Over on Victory Parade

Classic moment. Team is celebrating winning a championship and someone drops it and it gets run over by the bus carrying the team. Too funny. It happens around the 15 second mark from the left side of the bus to the right tire. Didn't the driver notice the big trophy in front of the bus?