Department of Randomness

Kids had first full day of school yesterday. Primera thinks this year's teacher is her Best Teacher Ever, but she always thinks that, even about the one last year who had a personality best suited for the undertaking business. P. sat down and did her homework right away two days in a row (so did Secundo, but he loves schoolwork). Long may it last.

Got the Wrightslaw book on No Child Left Behind and promptly cuddled up with it. I'm taking teacher certification classes now and the default response is usually to rant about how awful all the testing is. One professor endeared herself to me permanently by saying that she remembers how low the standards were in the days of tracking pre-NCLB, if you were in the low track. I decided to pipe up w/my experiences and to talk about limited English proficient speakers, too.

Interesting experience visiting the school at which I'm supposed to do my practicum. It's a failing school in that it's not meeting the AYP goals (adequate yearly progress) as set by NCLB. It's large, it's urban, it has an unusually high population of disabled students--40% with IEP's. I'm very interested in how they're taught and have already asked to be able to observe in a special education classroom. I asked re the range of placements and got kind of a snotty answer--I think they assumed I didn't want to be working with those ghastly special ed kids, so then I had to present my bona fides ("I'm the parent of a classified child") so now they've gone the other way and think I'm Special Ed Woman. Which is not particularly the route I want to take: I just want to learn as much about different teaching techniques/styles as I can, b/c I'm going to have special needs students in my classes regardless of where or what I teach.

The principal was, shall we say, uninspiring: said, "Well, that's what I'd do if I was young and trying to make a career for myself. Right now I just want a condo in Boca." Heh heh. How lucky your little charges are.