National Teacher Day

Today is National Teacher Day. That and $2.79 will get me a cup of coffee at Starbucks. The thought of teachers having a day dedicated to them is not a big deal to me. Honestly, I think things like bosses day, secretaries day, nurses day and teachers day are frivolous and silly. I don't really need a National Teachers Day to feel appreciated or to receive recognition. The truth is, all I need is for a parent to say, "Mr. Meyer, thanks for teaching my child this year". Or a student to say, "Mr. Meyer, thanks for being my teacher". A simple thank you and acknowledgement that my job is not easy or glorified babysitting will suffice. National Teacher Day? No thank you.

24

The number of the day is 24.

There are 24 days of school left. I am finishing my 24th year of teaching. And..... for the first time in a long while, one of our favorite TV shows returns tonight. "24"--- the real time, fast action, nerve wracking drama will have our friend, Jack Bauer saving the world in some new and creative ways.

Welcome back, "24". We've missed you!

Happy Star Wars Day

Happy Star Wars Day! Today is the 4th of May... So, May the fourth be with you!

BINGO!

You know all that lamenting I've been doing about the OAA? Well, my sister saw this today and sent it to me. I realize this was written mostly in jest, but there is way more truth to this than anybody would ever, ever realize. The only thing missing is the element of discipline problems and habitually disruptive students. Other than that, I'll let the graphic speak for itself.

Congrats!

Congratulations to my brother-in-law, Dale Randall. He retired from Seagrams/Proximo distillers after many, many years on the job. I am very happy for him and wish him the best. 11 more years until I get to retire!

Mulching Again

Not much time to blog today. I am slinging mulch in my own yard. A few weeks ago it was the church, today it was my own yard.Things are starting to look up, although there is much work remaining to be done. I'll get there... it just takes time and time is something I don't have a lot of right now.

A fair question

At the end of the long, grueling, pressure filled OAA testing session a student asked me a question that I thought was very, very revealing. She asked if studying and preparing for the OAA was the ONLY reason kids go to school. I wanted to tell her no, but that is not the actual truth. In honesty, the only thing we are judged on is the results of these standardized tests. I kind of bent the truth a little and said it was one of the main reasons kids go to school, but not the only reason. I found it amazing that a kid has picked up on the ridiculousness of spending an entire school year preparing for a one day, two hour test.

Make no mistake... I am not against testing. It is a good measure of student progress and growth and a way of keeping teachers accountable (another thing I am not against). But I do find there is way too much emphasis put on these tests and their results.

So, to answer the question from a very intuitive student... "Mr. Meyer, is studying for the OAA the only reason we go to school?". Yes. Yes it is, I'm sorry to say.

Not in my hands...

The OAA testing is now behind us. Thank you to anyone who remembered to pray for me and my students. It's all in God's hands now. Actually it's been in God's hands the whole time, but you know what I mean.

I am not going to worry over the test results. I did my best and so did the kids. Nothing more can be asked of any of us.

On another note--- 5 more weeks of school (i.e. 24 days)... but who's counting?

Disconnected

I always carry my cell phone... always. This morning was no different. I had my phone at work and it was functioning perfectly. Later in the afternoon I attempted to use it and got a recording from Verizon saying my call could not be completed and to try again later. If I had further questions I was instructed to contact customer service at Verizon. UGH! This type of thing has happened on rare occasions before. Although I was irritated and annoyed, I was willing to wait out this apparent glitch. A little while later my teaching partner and good friend, Michelle said we should test the phone. While she stood next to me I dialed her number and waited. Nothing happened. Then she decided to dial my number to see what would happen. My phone did not ring, but Michelle's phone connected and she started talking to somebody... but who? It didn't take long for me to realize that Michelle was talking to MY WIFE. Tami informed Michelle that she had called my phone. Are you confused? I'm guessing you are because I was totally confused. I insisted Tami couldn't have my phone because I was very clearly holding my phone in my own hand. Then once Tami explained, all the puzzle pieces fell into place.

Here's what happened... during the afternoon Tami visited the Verizon store without my knowledge and got us new phones (free upgrades). When my new phone was activated at the store, the phone in my pocket was disconnected from service (rendering it useless and explaining why I was getting a recording when trying to make a phone call). Then when Michelle dialed my number, my new phone (which was still in Tami's possession) rang and she answered it. Weird!

In the end, my teaching partner got to talk to my wife on the phone and I didn't. I ended up with a new phone and I will spend the better part of the next month trying to figure out how it works. (my phone number is still the same by the way).

It was a funny end to what was an otherwise stressful day.

May Day!

May Day! May Day! Happy first day of May! Summer is just around the corner! Hooray!