Every once in awhile, I get these random thoughts in my brain. I sometimes just want to talk about them but who is here is listen? Ellie the Cat? So Blog World, here it goes!
*Why is it that I'm so addicted to Pumpkin Pie? Why is it this time of the year, we eat the most pumpkin pie ever? Ask my Mom - I adore Pumpkin Pie!! Being my b-day is in February, I would have Mom make me a Pumpkin Pie for my B-day instead of a cake! How wrong is that? Bless Mom - she would run out and try to find that Pumpkin so she could make her Pie for me. I'll eat anything with Pumpkin in it - yes, I'm an addict!
*Testing! As in state mandated testing. Living in MA, my students have to pass the MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) to get their high school diplomas. Currently, the content areas consist of English and Math. Within the next three years, it was consist of Science and History (my area). Now, our students are Newburyport High School are doing very well on MCAS. Last year, we only had 4 students who didn't pass MCAS and need to retake it. However, according to the No Child Left Behind crap, our high school is considered below average. I don't get it! Read this recent article in the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/26/education/26tests.html?hp&ex=1133067600&en=0aeb43a99bc04144&ei=5094&partner=homepage). I just wish the government would keep their noses out of education and let the educators run the schools. These bureaucratic idiots (who, by the way, the majority of our legislators were educated in PRIVATE schools!!!!), are trying to telling us how to run and what to teach to our youth! They just don't get it! I would love to have our two senators (Kennedy and Kerry) come in and try to teach my classes for just one week! All of this testing bowls down to one thing: the state and national governments need to get their shit together and realize that they both have to have common assessments and testing. I'm not an advocate of testing but sometime needs to be done! If not, the government will take away money from our schools that test below national standards. Now, that's the answer folks! Let's take away money from a school system that is already struggling. Gotta love our politicians! They just don't get it! UGHY!!!!!!! And, what do you do with the kid that simply doesn't test well?????? OK Mr. Politician, let's just encourage them to drop out of high school since they can't pass this test! UGHY!!!!!!
*Are you ready for the cold weather???? I have to say no. On Thanksgiving Day, we already had about two inches of snow on the ground. Made for a very cold New England day!
I guess that's all for the venting. Please feel free to comment. I really want to hear from folks! :-)
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3 comments:
hi broccoli!

Hey Lauren sent me!
That sounds really frustrating with the whole standardized teaching thing. I don't know how you teachers deal with all the bureaucracy, it would drive me insane!
hi, my name is janet, and i too am a pumpkin addict. there are currently 8 cans, yes thats right, 8 cans of pumpkin sitting in the pantry waiting to be baked... i didnt want to run out this year! there's always room for pumpkin something or other during the winter! we can bake a pie for your birthday too!
sorry about your frustrations with everything. its awful when you love your job so much & then there's this stuff to deal with.
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