Ok Monday went well. Spanish 1 at McPherson was great. They ask questions enough that I know what they are struggling with . This class will learn. French so far this am is great. However they are not asking questions and they have 2 tests this week ( French2). I wonder what French 1 will be like. Oh well the surprises of teaching always keep me alert.

Fog this am as I drove to school made the drive a bit spooky. In some lower areas it was dense ,but there were large areas where it had lifted. So driving alertly was a definite plus. One student came in saying it was too dangerous to come to school driving in the fog and had he been killed he would sue the school. Think he might become the future Brownback with that type of logic. However I must remember that this is a student who brags about driving 100mph most of the time so not much common sense going on in that head.

Have two granddaughters in spring musicals. One March 30 at the end of spring break is doable if the weather continues as it is. Snow in any form will kill the drive to that one. the other requires a trip to Indiana and getting flights to and from that fit my schedule and theirs is not easy but I really want to go. living away from the action is not easy when things like this come up but usually I can make it work and it will be easier when I fully retire.

Some things are rumbling around in my brain so there be another blog today when I get my thoughts sorted out.

Gov. Brownback's plan to post teachers’ rankings causes outcry; GOP senator describes plan as 'toxic'

January 26, 2012

Topeka — Gov. Sam Brownback has formally introduced his 138-page school finance overhaul, and it includes a provision that Brownback officials had not discussed before publicly: a proposal to evaluate teachers, partly based on student achievement, and post their rankings on the Internet.

That plan received a rough welcome on Thursday from several Republican and Democratic legislators and the Kansas National Education Association.

State Sen. Jean Kurtis Schodorf, R-Wichita, and chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, described the evaluation proposal as “pretty toxic.”

She noted the Kansas Department of Education was already working on a new model aimed at providing uniformity across the state in evaluating school personnel. That program is being tried in several school districts.

Brownback’s plan would require school districts to adopt teacher evaluations that would be based 50 percent on student performance on state assessments, 40 percent on input from supervisors, peers, parents and students, and 10 percent on the employees’ contribution to the profession.

Teachers would be graded as either highly effective, effective, progressing or ineffective. And the evaluations would be posted on a website.

Brownback has proposed providing $5,000 bonuses to employees rated as highly effective. For those deemed ineffective, school districts would be encouraged to provide professional development. And districts could terminate anyone scoring ineffective for two straight years. Students could not be taught by teachers ranked as ineffective for two consecutive years.

“Including input from parents and families in the evaluation process will encourage more meaningful engagement between educators and students’ families,” said Jon Hummell, director of operations for Brownback.

“It is also important for parents to have confidence their child is receiving a quality education. Therefore, this legislation would require that each educator’s rating be posted on a website designated by the school district that is accessible to the parents of the students enrolled in the district,” he said.

But placing teacher evaluations on a website will only hinder efforts by teachers to improve and the work of administrators who are trying to make personnel decisions, said Mark Desetti, a lobbyist with the Kansas National Education Agency.

He added that teachers already feel under attack because of pay issues, cuts in school funding, proposed changes to their pensions and increased health insurance costs.

“This is strictly punitive and harmful,” Desetti said of Brownback’s plan.

The evaluation proposal is included in Brownback’s legislation to overhaul the school finance system. Brownback wants to remove state limits on local funding of schools and eliminate the current system of using “weights” that divvies up extra funding for special needs of students.

Schodorf said she would probably divide Brownback’s bill into four measures. She said the best way to get things passed is to keep legislation as simple as possible. Brownback’s education bill, she said, “Probably sets the record for moving parts.”


had to post this and ask everyone is this why people raise their eyebrows when the word kansas comes up and the scary thing is this man will be relected because so many vote ticket not the man. if they had listened as he spoke before this election it would have been obvious where he was going. enough said. promise to stay apolitical form now on.

Yesterday was one of those days: sub screwed up in one class Tuesday, impact boys were over talky, other classes were whiny and then it was a 5-9:30 night for the college. Wrote the boys up( which makes me feel I failed to handle the situation. So grabbed my sock and went to Yarn. It is getting done but it is very loosely knit and I know its mate will be tighter. Oh Well I hope my granddaughter is not too picky. Sometimes in life you have to just let it flow and not get uptight.

Tai chi dvd is here and I am cracking it open tonight after class. Knitting collects my thoughts and i can work things through. Hopefully this will help with my physical tension when things are rocky.

Brownback is attacking tenure. Yes at times poor teachers are kept on but usually because the administration did not do the job well or lacked backbone. I have been on staff where tenure was not really there and have seen good teachers let go due to a personality conflict with administration and /or not showing favoritism to athletes or board members children, In Kansas a beginning teacher can not be tenured until he is given a fourth contract and a transferred older teacher has to put in 2 years for every job. If the administration does it s job and documents the actions no poor teacher will or should I say would be tenured. In the Business world, firings of executives must be documented and can not be arbitrary, why should teaching be different. At least there is a process in place. Think about other areas__poorly qualified doctors can practice for years before being caught and only then if patient or their family makes loud complaints to the state. This is a problem that deserves attention and Joe Public who does not understand it will side with the politicos. Julie you can quote me on this. Kansas is fast becoming a state of rich against poor, privileged against wage earners and people like kobach who stated his id law was based on the constitution and christianity which leaves out Jewish citizens ( and catholics for some conservatives) and opens the door to discrimination due to beliefs. HMMMM> NO wonder people leave here and others refuse to come. But enough ranting.

More later when I calm down. gonna have to knit and to try tai chi tonight for sure.

FRIDAY and yes this week it needs capitals. Good and bad things happened. Good the Deborah Harkness book event at Watermark books.( must go there again), my first night of college classes had few absences and lots of smiles, turning the heel of my class sock( 3 tries maybe that is bad) and a play to look forward to tomorrow night. The bad almost being run over by semi by Playa Azul and being manipulated into in taking on another college class. Fortunately there was no ugly. Some weeks are just like that.

Time to ponder my navel and the meaning of life has been sorely lacking this week. I am one of those that needs down me alone time. I have been known to go in my door on Friday and not come out until Monday. Often I do no more than read, plan classes, grade papers,knit or just plain sit. Not really productive but relaxing and renewing of my spirit. This week however I plan on beginning tai chi.

Everyone needs to renew themselves to face the stresses in their life. Some do it with activities,( reading and knitting), some with physical activity( tai chi?),and some meditate( prayer). So from my () events, I guess I am balanced. Balance is good. The Greeks believed the middle path or that the extremes of too much or too little of anything were wrong. Seems sensible to me.

Spent the day in and out of the car running errands and nothing tires me more. I like to get in do everything then come home, but that did not happen today. Lab at 7:30 as I thought it had to be fasting and it didn't. Home and at 9 went to put some packages to the girls in the delivery process. UPS store I love you as they were and odd size. Hope the girls like them as they are the last part of the family christmas gifts. The ups store is impossible before the holiday. Off to Dr. at 2 pm.

Surprise at the doctor's no weight gain in a year so now I will attack it again. I would like to lose 50 but will be happy with 25-30 to hold and then go down again. Blood pressure was good and a1c could go lower but did not spike even with all the food and drink in Belize, I walked out on happy feet. I need to get some pain pills for leg but Doc said she found nothing bad. Full physical in May,

Challenges keep us young. This weekend has held a challenge. Turning the heel on a sock really was one. Started it and realized it was wrong; frogged it. Looked up a video to see how to do a ssp purl, this helped and I got it done only to lose all the stitches off the needle. So there I am doing it a third time. Done and they do say practice makes perfect. Wanted to start another sock for more practice, but needed needles. None to be had at Wal-Mart so have to wait until tomorrow.

Coffee with Amber was a bright spot in the day.Funny she was talking about how glad she was break was over. She spoke of her need for the routine and how she gets more done when on a schedule than on a no pressure time. Yep she has the teacher gene. Her eyes were lit with anticipation just talking about the return to school and I a kindred spirit feel that way every fall.

Tomorrow the long weekend is over for BHS , classes start at HCC so night classes are on again. Sp1 meets tomorrow and after class we are headed to Watermark books to hear Deborah Harkness of THE DISCOVERY OF WITCHES speak. my editon is a kindle; so she can not sign it but maybe I can get a picture. Hope so.

Watching McClintock and the memories it brings it up.Dad and I went to almost every John Wayne movie together and the ones with Maureen O'Hara were favorites and still are. The scene in this one where she falls in the mud. And the scene where he pulls her to the house in the Quiet Man is another. Guess I love a big assertive man who does it quietly.My dad was big like Wayne and never raised a fist to anyone that I know of but he really didn't have to. One look at the size of his hands and his stature was all it took to make someone think twice, without a growl from him.

Oh he had a temper and he would let it go. In fact he and I clashed often because like himm I too had a temper. To counteract my flashes of temper I learned to knit and would go knit rather than enter a shouting match once I had my say. It worked. He also gifted me with his beleif that one has a right to an opinion even though while in his house you better say it carefully.lol He also never said no you are not capable to me, and I knew he he would support me in my choices.

Mom helped to form me also. She beleieved she could maintain things at home whenDad was on his saales route and she did. She took in borders when I was a child and later worked in the hospital diet kitchen during my high schhool and college years. She also managed theJ P Penney"s womens wear department. During our Missouri farm years, she raised, cattle,sheep, and chickens. I recall taking cream and eggs into Cameron,Mo. to have pin Monday. Once she took in 90 dozen eggs and had to add money to buy feed with money from her purse. We slaughtered all the hens in the next week. Roasters and fryers filled our freezer. Maybe that is why chicken is not my favorite meal today.

Both of them gave me my work ethic. I can not recall when they did not work and recall that Dad took some not great jobs to keep food on the table several times.so that is why I have been an avon lady, newspaper reporter, pizza shhop night manager and teacher. When I think of no job in the future, i wonder how I will fill my time. it will be an adjustment.

Life is a great teacher and many of our lessons come from the people around us. Our parents are our earliest teachers. Mine were great models and I hope my girls think the same of me.

So I have seen a kit which has gps for dogs so if they get lost you can locate them but text and email is also offered. Dogs texting? Please that implies my students and dogs are equal. This unit is on amazon.com, and it has a hefty dollar cost.
Actually the things advertised on television websites and paper ads abounds with things that attract but actually are not needed. As I grow older I find I am less prone to jump on the spend it, get it bandwagon. Too many things are in my house now that are not used. They hide in drawers and closets or sit on shelves gathering dust. So I am not buying such things anymore.
But I do have my buy it bug when it comes to books. Certain authors and series are must haves. So I own many books both paper and hard bound. My kindle fire is cutting down on the number of tomes on my shelves but not my addiction to books. Another buy bug hits whenever I see a yarn that calls out "knit me,Knit me." I am firmly convinced that true knitters can not exist without to knit stashes of yarn and a list of ufo's ( unfinished objects.)
Still truthfully I have never been one to play bigger diamond, bigger car etc. games. Things do not make anyone truly happy though they may give a sense of having that lasts only until the next must have comes along. Happiness comes from within from knowing yourself and being able to accept yourself and your place in life. I will never be famous or rich or flashy but I hope to be remembered with love. I am happy even when I am mad.