#TeacherProblems Humorous Memes Unite Teachers

It's that time of year: parent/teacher conferences are coming up, first quarter grades are due, students are taking fall standardized assessments, and teachers are stressed out! We have so much to do but little time to do it. Our work weeks exceed 50 hours (are probably more like 60-hour weeks) and even though we KNOW this is the trade-off for getting a summer vacation, it's still stressful and frustrating.

To help relieve tension, many teachers turn to humor, making light of the stress with funny memes. It's one way to help us feel united, as though we aren't the only one who is frazzled and exhausted after just six weeks into the new school year. #TeacherProblems is there to let you know you are NOT alone.

But for good measure (and because it's too easy to focus on the negative and neglect the positive), tomorrow I will post about the GREAT things about teaching and what #MakesMyDay!

Tomorrow's Post: What #MakesMyDay as a Teacher

For more teacher humor, visit the following links:
• Classroom Humor on Pinterest
• #TeacherProblems on Twitter
• #TeacherProblems on Pinterest (Let me know if you would like to be added to this group board by leaving your Pinterest link in the comments.)

Tomorrow is Friday.

Tomorrow is Friday.
This summarizes the week for me. How about you?

Pre-Reading Activity for "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury

My students are currently reading various short stories. One of them is Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains."

Before we read it, I have my students brainstorm the benefits of technology. Next, I prompt them to come up with an invention (that has not been invented yet) that would make their lives easier. I let them work in groups, then share their inventions on a post-it note. (One of my artistic students drew the lightbulb since my drawing skills are lacking.) They usually come up with some creative responses. Here's one of my favorites:

After reading the story we discuss many of downfalls of technology. Since I teach at a 1:1 school, we see/experience a lot of these pitfalls on a daily basis; although, most students would agree: no matter how frustrating technology can be, they wouldn't want to live without it.

ADDITIONAL LINKS
• If you read this story with your students, you must listen to Leonard Nimoy's rendition on You Tube. It is fantastic.

• For additional ideas, I wrote a post about Sara Teasdale's poem, "There Will Come Soft Rains" on my other blog in connection to Earth Day.

Argument Essay Writing Claims

Students often struggle to find meaningful argument topics (or claims) for their formal essays. Not only do they get tired of writing about capital punishment, abortion, and dress codes, but we teachers get tired of reading the same old arguments.

TIP: To make the assignment more meaningful, ask students what THEY feel strongly about. We all know they have a million complaints because we are usually the ones they share them with. When they do, jot them down in a notebook or have them write it down. Keep this running list as a "go-to" for argument essay and/or debate topics or claims.

If your students are fresh out of ideas, here are some that seem to be "hot" topics with teenagers today (these are not my personal opinion, by the way). These are worded in statements rather than questions. Students who feel strongly about the topic can revise the statement to suit their opinion:

1. Students should be allowed to use their cell phones freely in the classroom.

2. Drivers who text and drive should be punished the same as those who drink and drive.

3. Cell phone companies should not make customers wait two years (or however long) to upgrade their phone.

4. Boys should be allowed to play volleyball on the girl's team (if a boy's team is not offered at school).

5. Energy drinks should not be sold to anyone under the age of 16.

6. Schools should ban the sales of all soft drinks and junk food in their buildings.

7. Minors should be allowed to get a tattoo without parent's permission.

8. Birth control should be free for anyone who wants to use it to help combat over population.

9. Same-sex couples should be treated the same as other couples in regards to discounts for dance tickets, meals, corsages, and any other "couples" perks.

10. Schools should not be responsible for after-hours dances such as Prom or other formals.

11. Schools should offer (and pay for) an online recovery course for students who fail the class.

12. Schools should not filter or block the internet.

13. Students should have to pass an exit test before graduating.

14. States should not use the ACT college entrance exam (or any college entrance exam) as a gauge for adequate yearly progress (AYP) of high school juniors.

15. Standardized tests should include all subjects that are required, such as government/social studies.

16. Teachers should not be allowed to be "friends" with or "followers" of students on Facebook®, Twitter®, Instagram®, or any other social media site.

17. All teachers should carry guns. {OR} All schools should have at least one armed police officer on duty while students are present.

18. Students should not be required to take physical education classes.

19. Professional athletes who have taken performance-enhancing drugs should be banned from that sport for life.

20. Single mothers on welfare should get free child care services so they can go to work.

21. Schools should not have to make up snow or weather-emergency days.

22. High schools should drop sports and extracurriculars and use the extra savings for educational purposes only.

23. Schools should provide more lunch choices for students.

24. Homework should be eliminated completely.

25. Corporal punishment should be allowed in schools (with parental consent).

26. Cheerleading is not a sport.

27. Basic health care should be provided for all citizens.

28. Parents should be held accountable/punished when minors break the law.

29. All schools should be year-round.

30. Students are more successful in single-sex classes (or schools).

Many of these claims may not apply to your school or students, but perhaps discussing them will lead to even more relevant topics. Students usually feel very strongly one way or the other when these are read. Have them write a couple of sentences in response. Those topics that they seem to write more about or feel the strongest about are good contenders for their argument topic.

For additional resources, you can see my argument essay pack for grades 6-12:

Stock Up for School

It's that time of year again! The huge back-to-school TpT sale is going on. I have all my items marked 20% off. THEN, you can use the code BTS13 at checkout and get an EXTRA 10% off! Even Grumpy Cat is smiling. :)

The TpT extra 10% ends on Monday at midnight, but I extended my sale another day until Tuesday at midnight (Central time zone).

My latest products...

Common Core Writing Rubric for Informational/Explanatory

and Writing Portfolio Cover Page with Score Sheet

I'll share more about these later (and how we use writing portfolios to collect student work).

Thanks for stopping by!

What Do Your Students Love?

What do your students love? Many of mine are in to A&E's Duck Dynasty, so I made a sign for outside my room featuring the lovable Si Robertson along with my class schedule.

Find out what your students love and use it to make connections with them in the classroom. They may not admit it, but they'll appreciate it.

Would you like your own Uncle Si sign? Click {HERE} to download one FREE. 

Have a great year, Jack! ;)

And don't forget to check out my latest activities to use in your classroom! 

Here are the links:

The Ultimate Common Core Bell Ringer & Exit Slip Bundle

Includes over 155 unique activities!

Common Core #Hashtags Activity

Work on vocabulary and reading skills using hashtags (kids love them!).

Common Core Argument Writing with Visual Aids & Graphic Organizers

Have your students follow the steps for building a powerful claim and strong essay.

Check out all of my newly posted resources HERE!

Elementary vs. High School Teachers: Who has the tougher job?

When it comes to teaching, it's hard to compare jobs with other teachers because each level is unique. And it's probably not fair to make assumptions that one teacher has it easier than the other. But...we teachers tend to do this all the time.

So, I thought I'd take a humorous approach to the comparisons between elementary teachers and high school teachers. (Middle school teachers - you seem to have a happy balance between the two. Besides, dealing with all the hormones with that age group...you deserve a gold medal!)

So, here's the battle between Elementary and High School teachers...

Round 1: Bulletin Boards

Score:

Elementary - 1

High School - 0

Round 2: Classroom Preparation

Score:

Elementary - 2

High School - 0

Round 3: Grading

Score:

Elementary - 2

High School - 1

Round 4: Student Relations

Score:

Elementary - 2

High School - 2

Moral of the story?

IT ALL EVENS OUT EVENTUALLY...

No matter what age group you teach, I think we can all agree that teachers have pretty tough jobs at times. Have a great school year, my teacher friends!

Who Needs Common Core Resources?

If you've been wondering what happened to my blogs this summer, well...I've been a little bit busy. But the time spent was well worth it! My fellow online teacher-authors at TeachersPayTeachers put together these fabulous back-to-school eBooks chock full of tips for implementing the Common Core State Standards. Not only that, each page includes a link to a free download that is aligned to a specific standard (or standards). If you need additional materials, there's more links to priced products and each page states which standards they practice.

It can't get any easier than this for finding all the Common Core resources you'll need this school year. 

So click on the links below to start downloading some fabulous materials:

Common Core English Language Arts: Free Back-to-School eBook for Grades 6-12

Common Core Science: Free Back-to-School eBook for Grades 6-12

Common Core Social Studies: Free Back-to-School eBook for Grades 6-12

Common Core Math: Free back-to-School eBook for Grades 6-12

Common Core English Language Arts: Free Back-to-School eBook for Grades 3-5

Common Core Math: Free Back-to-School eBook for Grades 3-5

Common Core Math: Free Back-to-School eBook for Grades K-2

Common Core English Language Arts: Free Back-to-School eBook for Grades K-2

Special thanks to all the contributors to the eBooks and the clip artists, as well.  

We hope you all have a great school year!

Yikes! Did I Pin That?

Even though I stress this to my students, I have to admit I do not always verify and check all of my sources. ("What!? You're a teacher!" I know, I know... I think, as I hang my head in shame.)

Case in point: pinning on Pinterest. I have been known to become mesmerized by pretty or eye-popping pins that have funny, helpful, or thought-provoking quotes. I'll pin them onto my boards without clicking on them to see if they are legit or just links to SPAM or phishing sites. While Pinterest does a great job of alerting me to some of these pins, some are pretty sneaky about it.

Look at the example in the image above. The pin seems like a valuable resource for teachers: "The Ultimate List of Educational Websites." A quick glance at some of the sites (TED.com, gutenburg.org) makes you think it's legit. Clicking on it just takes you to a Pinterest link where the original pinner posted it, not the "source" site. It's not connected to a SPAM site, so it must be OK, right? No. Or, at least for me, definitely not something I want to hang up in my classroom.

As I looked closer, I noticed a few things that alerted me that the creator of this is probably not a teacher. The first tip was noticing "Poemhunter.com" as a website for books. It seemed a little out of place, plus I really despise "poemhunter.com" as a poetry resource. Poets.org,  Modern American Poetry, and Poetry Foundation are so much better.

The second (and third) examples are under the "Random Knowledge" websites. Hmmm....not the names of websites I've ever directed my students to go to. I can't imagine what our tech guys would say if I had a class full of teens trying to access "f***inghomepage" or "bada**oftheweek."

So I looked at the bottom to find the "source" of this image and found it, which is also listed as a great "Random Knowledge" website. Now, I don't know who these sexy Russians are, and they may have a perfectly legitimate website chock-full of useful educational information. But can you imagine your students' reactions (let alone a parent's reaction) upon seeing this list? Yikes! That's when I went back and deleted it from my board.

The moral of the lesson? Be careful what you pin. Oh, and follow the same instructions you give your students. Because I can already hear mine lecturing me, "Mrs. Orman! I thought you told us to ALWAYS check our sources!"

I know, I know...

Happy 4th of July!

Here's a free download for you, teachers! Enjoy:

Using Song Lyrics to Teach Figurative Language & Poetic Devices: Katy Perry's Firework

Eight Awesome Ed Tech Boards to Follow on Pinterest

Pinterest is an excellent tool for curating links, which makes it ideal for teachers to use. I teach in a 1:1 Mac school and am always looking for educational technology resources to incorporate into my curriculum. I've compiled a list of my top eight boards based on their content.

My criteria for board selection: 

1. Quality of pins: the links need to work, aren't spammy, and are geared for teachers to use in their classrooms.

2. Variety of pins: the links should cover multiple grades, levels, and subjects; this makes it easy for a technology coordinator, librarian/media specialist, and/or administrator to find resources to share with all their teachers.

3. Number of pins: in order to offer the wide variety and good quality, the boards needed at least 100 pins.

My Top 8 Ed Tech Boards to Follow on Pinterest
Listed in order of the number of pins (as of June 23, 2013):

1. All Things Technology by Mrs. Lirette's Learning Detectives (Mary Lirette) (6,198 followers; 812 pins) This collaborative board is comprised of a wide variety of teachers who have curated an astounding number of links that may take you days to peruse, but well worth it!

2. Free Technology for Teachers by Richard Byrne  (3,076 followers; 729 pins) If you follow Richard's Free Technology for Teachers blog (and if you don't, you should!), this is an excellent collection of links to complement it. 

3. 1:1 Technology by Mrs Orman (4,341 followers; 468 pins) OK, so this is my own board, but there has to be some perks in writing the blog post, right? I promise it's worthy of the criteria.

4. EduTech Resources by Erin Klein (5,268 followers, 443 pins) All Kleinspiration fans should follow Erin on Pinterest, too. Her boards are as rich in content as her blog.

5. Classroom Technology by We Are Teachers (7,746 followers; 180 pins) You know they have teachers in mind when you browse their pin boards. Make sure to follow their Teacher Humor board, as well.

6. Teaching Ideas and Apps by Cool Cat Teacher (Vicki Davis)  (5,808 followers; 177 pins) Vicki's board always contains informative and resourceful links.

7. What the Tech by Toby -Wan Kenobi (Toby Price) (663 followers; 147 pins) The Jedipadmaster is just as entertaining, thought-provoking, and rewarding to follow on Pinterest as he is on Twitter. All schools should have an administrator like Toby.

8. Technology by The OC Blog (Charity Preston) (23,493 followers; 140 pins) Charity is the queen of organized classrooms and her technology board is no exception! 

I have an honorable mention list I will post at another time. These may not have excelled in all three areas of criteria, but they're still pretty darn good boards to follow.

What are your favorite educational technology boards? 

Link your favorites in the comments below.