Public Service Announcement

Just in case you didn't know:

Shaving and Driving Don't Mix

File Cabinet Friday - Skip to my lou, my darling....

Did you every skip class?

Did you ever get caught?

Did you ever get caught by your teacher when you were walking from McDonald's with a soda on the side of the road?

Well, today, kids from my school can say they have had this honor.  I suspect, over the next couple of weeks, the conversations will go something like this:

Mrs. Shaw's student:  Dude I have a crazy day! I didn't feel like going back to class after lunch, so I left campus.
Friend:  Where did ya go?
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Well, it was HOT, so my buddies and I walked to the McDonald's about 2 miles away.
Friend:  Sodas?  That's cool....
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Yeah, it was real cool....until we started walking back toward the mall....
Friend:  What happened then?
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Well, I see the car go by real slow.  Then, suddenly, the car did a U-turn, came back around and pulled up to us.
Friend:  Was it one of your "homeboys"???
Mrs. Shaw's student:  No.  Actually, it was my teacher, Mrs. Shaw.  I had skipped her class, and she caught me.
Friend:  WHAT!?!?!?
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Yeah.  Normally, she is teaching then, so I don't have to worry about her catching me.  But, apparently she left school early to go pick up some stuff for some stupid club she sponsors.
Friend:  Dude....clubs are dumb.  What did she say!?!?!
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Well, I'm not really sure, because I blacked out when she pulled up and rolled down the window....but, I believe she yelled something at me like, " WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!  WHY AREN'T YOU IN SCHOOL!!!"
Friend:  Aww man...
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Yeah.  It was bad.  I didn't know what to say, so I just stood there.  I mean, she was supposed to be teaching!!!
Friend:  Dude....
Mrs. Shaw's student:   It was pretty bad.  Once I could talk again, I asked her if she had to write me up.  She told me I was lucky that she wasn't on the phone with the school deputy to come get me.
Friend:  You are lucky!!
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Nah man....actually I'm not, cause she did call school and tell them.  They called my mom, and now I'm in some deep @#$@.
Friend:  Oh no!  That sucks.

So yes, after I caught them, I called the school, and reported my "skippers."  I can't wait to see their happy smiling faces on Monday, after they sweat it out all weekend.  Maybe they will think twice about skipping next time....or, at least, they will be a little more discreet about it!!!

File Cabinet Friday

As a teacher, you never know what will show up on your desk at the end of the day.  Wednesday, I got an interesting surprise from one of my students.

BEST COMPLIMENT EVER:

Better RECOGNIZE.

File Cabinet Friday - Parental Advisory

There's an old saying that goes, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."  Being a teacher, only confirms daily that this wise saying is true, and today's File Cabinet Friday is the ultimate example.

A friend of mine who teaches at a high school sent me an email correspondence they recently had with a parent that I have to share with you.  This teacher had welcomed some new students in her classroom, and was attempting to re-establish her classroom culture, by adjusting her seating chart.  As she was moving students' seats, she moved a current student to sit next to a new student.  As the current student moved, the teacher overheard the new student whisper to her friend, "I'm going to tease the shit out of this girl."  The teacher, immediately reprimanded the girl, reminding her of the school wide bullying policy, and explaining consequences of such behavior.  Later, she attempted to call the parent, to no avail, and finally sent a simple email explaining the situation, her classroom behavior policies, and asking the parent to assist in resolving the issue.  Below is a picture of the email:

It was a standard email, consisting of two paragraphs....nothing extreme.  But, what you really need to see was the parent response:

The BEST line of this entire email is:  "She isn't in school for moral teaching from her english teacher but an education of a subject for which you went to school for."  Wow.  Unfortunately for Mr. ____, what he lacks in understanding, is that it IS up to the teacher to instill morality and/or support the moral teachings of parents when students are in our classroom.  In addition, it is also a teacher's charge to provide a "safe" learning environment for their students.  This includes an environment WITHOUT harassment and/or bullying.  Only after you establish your culture and community, can you truly give your students "an education of a subject for which you went to school for."

File Cabinet Friday

What an exciting week I have had!  This past Tuesday, it was announced that I was named "Hillsborough County High School Reading Teacher of the Year."  I have to say, I'm quite honored, and think I'm pretty deserving if I do say so myself!  Today's File Cabinet Friday, only serves to support my latest claim to fame. 

Recently, my students read a non-fiction book called,  Getting Away with Murder:  The True Story of Emmett Till, by Chris Crowe.

My students really enjoy reading this true story about a 14 year old African American boy who travels from Chicago to Mississippi to visit family, only to be kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by two white men because he broke a Jim Crow Law in August of 1955.  For the most part, my students are shocked and angered by the events that occurred, and the sham trial that was held, resulting in the two men walking away free, only serves to further there disgust of the ideals of segregation.

After reading this book, I gave my students a quiz that consisted of 10 multiple choice questions, and 9 sentence completions.  Several of the sentence completions asked for students to describe certain characters, or give me their opinions of them, with support from their readings.  For the most part, the students did very well, giving me well thought out, concise answers.  And then I came to the following paper:

Look closely at number 14.  It reads:  "Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam can be described as ___________."  My student filled the blank with:  "buttnugest becuse they are stupid."  Now, spelling aside, the use of the term "buttnuggets" was enough to make me stop for a double take.  Then, I noticed 2 questions down, on number 16, the student decided to use the word again:

The question says, "I think Sheriff Strider ________ because _________."  This student responded "is a buttnugnet to because he locked away whintess." 

Many things went through my head at first, here's just a few:

1. I can't believe he/she wrote "buttnugget" on their paper.
2. I can't believe he/she wrote it TWICE.
3. If you're going to use the word "buttnugget" then you should figure out how to spell it right!
4. Well, he/she kinda makes a point.....they were buttnuggets.
5. Should I mark this right because I'm starting to convince myself he/she has a point?
6. I can't believe he/she wrote "buttnuggets."  TWICE.

Before deciding how to handle the situation, I looked up the "official" definition for "buttnugget."  According to http://www.urbandictionary.com/, buttnugget means: 

1. A piece of poop
2. Someone really mean or stupid
3. A word to replace a noun when no other word is suitable.

After looking up the definition, and carefully weighing my options, I marked both the answers wrong.  My reasoning was, that even though this student had a point, and I agree that all three of these men are "buttnuggets," stating so on a quiz was not appropriate and therefore, they were wrong.  As a courtesy, I did pull aside the student to let him/her know why I marked both of the answers as incorrect.  Surprisingly enough, the student completely understood, but made sure that I understood that they really were "buttnuggets." 

High School.....what fun!

File Cabinet Friday

Wednesday of this week, I was walking down the hallway and noticed something on the floor up ahead:

As I got closer, I realized that it was another wonderful art demonstration from our extremely talented kids!

I particularly LOVE his joyful expression...

...and the amazing detail of the pick in his afro.



Just another shining example of the future of America!  I wonder if behind the desks of great men, afro-men are drawn all over the floor....

I am a Smart One

So recently, my couponing class has finally started to pay off....BIG!  Check out the deal I got today....

Is that my freezer filled with Weight Watcher Smart Ones meals??  Why, yes it is....24 packages to be exact...that, thanks to the gals at truecouponing.com, cost me a whopping $9.23.  Did you hear me?  I paid .41 a piece for those puppies.  Can you buy lunch for .41??  I did today....for 24 days!  How, you may ask?  Well here's the breakdown:

1. Target had these on sale for $1.80 a piece.
2. Target also had a special, that if you bought 7 you would get a $5.00 gift card back.
3. Previously, I had signed up for Weight Watchers coupons from their website, and they sent me an email for $5.00 off when you bought 12.
4. Currently Target has a $5.00 off 10 posted on their website that you could print.

So, I printed 2 of the manufacturer coupons (from Weight Watchers), and 2 store coupons (from Target).  That equaled $20.00 off my purchase.  Bought 24 Weight Watcher meals for $1.80 each.  And, Target PAID ME 3 gift cards for $5.00 each as a reward.  So for those of you who are number people:

Price before Coupons:  24 x $1.80 = $43.20

Minus Coupons:  $43.20-$20.00 = $23.20

Plus Tax:  $23.20 + 7% =$24.83

Minus 3 Gift Cards:  $24.83-$15.00 = $9.83

$9.83!!!

I think that qualifies me as being a "Smart One" as well!

Does couponing sound interesting to you?  Check out http://www.truecouponing.com/ and look for their free training classes, and sign up on their email list!