Teacher support Group

Yes! Yes! I think we can all identify with the stress, challenges of teaching while maintaining a healthy lifestyle!

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My students and I had a fruit party for dessert. They LOVED it! We added whip cream and chocolate syrup to give a little sweet, but it was by far more healthy than ice cream!

I love that idea! I used to do the fruit salad thing while I was teaching fractions....but have in several years. Next party, I think we'll do just that!

Have you guys ever tried fruit tacos?
It's a cute idea...
The taco shell adds a few calories but again, it's healthier then ice cream.

This pic has ice cream in it, but it could easily be omited or replaced with sorbet or low fat frozen yogurt even. However, simply fruit would be amazing.

CB!!! WOW!!! What a great idea...that looks delicious!!!!!!!! I am so hungry and just got out of a very stressful meeting. I want one right now!!!!!!

Hello fellow teachers!!! I'm so glad to find this group!!

I teach 4th and 5th grade in a multiage class in Los Angeles. I LOVE my students AND my job (for the first time in 15 years)!!! I have to share my Valentine's story this year:

My kids know that I have been working out like a demon (I work with a trainer 2 days a week before school), and go on my own another 3 days to take classes. So I gingerly told them this year that since I am working so hard on getting healthy, I would appreciate it if they supported me by NOT getting me any candy or cookies for Valentines Day. I asked for handmade cards if they so desired... it was really awkward.

So... come Valentine's morning... I received a handful of homemade cards, some flowers, a generous assortment of Starbucks gift cards, and probably the most thoughtful gift ever... a handmade basket of organic apples, chosen and put together by the student himself. It was wrapped in cellophane and had a handmade card. The student who made it for me, said, "I picked out all the apples for you since you said you were getting healthy.". LOVE IT!!! (btw... I DO work in a fairly affluent area, so I know how lucky I am).
How cute it that???
I am the luckiest teacher.
Thanks for listening!
Holly

CB!!! WOW!!! What a great idea...that looks delicious!!!!!!!! I am so hungry and just got out of a very stressful meeting. I want one right now!!!!!!

I HATE stressful meetings...luckily since i am the Home Ec teacher I get out of a lot of that.
I think the Fruit Taco idea is too fun!
I haven't had a chance to make em yet, but I can't wait!

:flowerforyou:

Ahhh... that is uncool.

I can't offer too much help, I was told that other teachers don't think my courses matter and have no bearing in life. :sad:

Yeah, cause Brit Lit made me a stellar person. :grumble:

Ahhh... that is uncool.

I can't offer too much help, I was told that other teachers don't think my courses matter and have no bearing in life. :sad:

Yeah, cause Brit Lit made me a stellar person. :grumble:

UGH! I feel the same way a lot of times..when I taught High School choir..I got a lot of the "blow off" class thing. Or, "you're job is sooo easy" trust me, it's NOT. And now teaching elementary music, it's REALLY not!!

I loved music!
Our high school choir teacher acts kinda nutty....maybe that's cause of the same issue you had (I mean he could just be crazy too). I think the electives can be tough....cause we get a lot of the "problem" kids....and usually all dumped into the same class.

Which oddly enough, very few really are a "problem."

Sorry was still stuck on fruit.

Alright.... my kindergarten teaching brothers and sisters.... do not be offended....but I am soooooo ticked off at my tiny-mites teacher (who also is a family friend).

My kiddo comes home FRANTIC today, trying to gather up $5.... I was like, weird....but just figured she was playing. Well, I was digging around in her stuff and found "homework" which was a book in a plastic bag, with a note saying the kids had to read it and return it tomorrow....if it was lost the child owed $5 to replace it. WAIT, what!?! They are sending books home (that my kid doesn't need....cause....hello teacher... I live for books) and WHEN my most disorganized and flightly 6 yearold loses it she has to pay!
So, I asked my kiddo why she needed the $5, to replace a previous book, according to her (that I never saw)! Why didn't the teacher send a note home about the current fine? Instead of freaking out my tiny... who spent all afternoon (as I later discovered) trying to get money out of her piggy bank to pay off her "debt."

I don't know about you....but I am not the American government will billions layin around.... or millions to bleed dry. Heck, I barely have enough to squeak by at the end of the month as a single parent-teacher... but to add THIS.... an unnecessary expense and stress for us. :explode: Why isn't it optional? I swear I have never seen a "book-in-a-bag" come into this house.

Okay....mini rant over.....
Love my elementary ed people.... minus the testing.

nn

mickie- I totally can commiserate with you. Our small school desperately needs to change to survive, & some just think what they're doing is fine. They think the rest of us are the problem, & it's really dividing us.

As for the lost book- I have taught primary grades & dislike having to send books home because some families don't have enough books & some families don't care enough to take care of the books & some don't ever read the notes that explain the reading program so they know the books are important to read with their kids & it's just a no-win situation. If I were you I'd call the teacher & let her know what a panic your child experienced & ask about the book. It's probably there somewhere, but let her know you had no idea the books would be coming home. Maybe she needs to communicate a little better up front.

Georg---you nailed it, you really did. I mean teachers are not going to go into meetings and fight for things to change, unless it's beneficial. Change CAN be good. This sort of stuff really confirms who the people are that are open-minded and are trying to build a better education system, and those who are afraid to admit that "their way" isn't the end all-be all, ya know? I truly believe that as society evolves, education must evolve too. Some things work, and some things don't, whether it's curriculum or the was we report grades or the way we conference with parents, etc...I think that if we don't continue to try to "build a better mousetrap" then we become stagnant and we, as teachers, may find ourselves NOT growing as individuals. My thing is, I ask my students to try new things everyday...so if I'm going to ask that of them, shouldn't I model it myself?

Okay...I'm getting of my soapbox now! :laugh:

I SURVIVED!!!! :bigsmile: We ended up hiking 16 miles, twelve of them Saturday. It was Great, but boy am I sore!!!! Friday night was 27 degrees which is REALLY cold for us. I couldn't feel my feet at about 4:00 in the morning. Thank Goodness for Therma Wraps, they make awesome foot warmers.

Mickie, I am glad to hear about the apologies, but treat them with caution. I really hope they were truly sincere

WOW!!! Sounds like an excellent trip! Was it in FL? Because that sounds really cold for FL...actually, we were there one time on a cruise and when we got back hit one of that state's rare cold snaps...I remember the farmers were worried about losing their citrus crops. Good thinking on the thermal wraps!

I will TOTALLY proceed with caution, based on the way I've been treated in the past....being sorry for one incident doesn't make up for the multitude of others. Why are some groups so cliquey?

Does anyone else work at a "cliquey campus?" If so, how do you deal with it?

I would love to join in too! I teach high school special education (mainly kids with learning disabilities) and have been for 8 years now. I teach a couple Resource Algebra 1 courses and have Academic Support courses where we work on remediating skills to get the kids ready for all the wonderful standardized testing they have to take. Between retakes, retests, and the next grade's first time taking the test, we have MCAS tests basically every month from now until June. Fun

School was actually what got me started on my weight loss stuff to begin with. Around this time last year (March 08), one of the other teachers set up a "Biggest Loser" competition and I was on my way. I ended up coming in third place and missed out on second place by less than 1%! haha

Sounds like a lot of us are preparing for standardized tests right now... yuck! We have math tests coming up (elementary), and I teach kids with special needs who still need to take them. Not fun.

Mickie17 - a while ago you mentioned fruit salad to teach fractions. I think I get the idea of it, but do you have specifics that worked really well? I wouldn't mind borrowing your ideas... my kids are nervous about fractions. Thanks!