Professional Development

The bottom half of my classroom mural is signed
with former student's names. I left my mark. 

Today was the last day for teachers. Throughout the day meetings were scheduled for the upcoming year. These meetings discussed the new professional development coming through, which had been focused on writing. Another meeting was scheduled to discuss new technology that the district will implement, and training for it. I looked through today's schedule and didn't see anything relevant to me, so I didn't go to any of the meetings. I stayed in my room, and finished boxing things up and cleaning. I wanted my room to look nice for the next person. I had my greenhouse to clean out too.

My principal didn't say anything to me about missing the meetings or leaving, but he did introduce me to the new teacher. It was the same procedure as the last candidates, but this time they offered her a contract right away. When I met her she had already signed the contract. My first impression was that she was so young. She seemed very nice and excited to start. She had just graduated from Iowa State.

At the end of the day, I turned in my final sign out sheet to the office. However, I kept my keys. This summer I'm working with the after school program, and we need a key fob to get into the building. It was nice to keep the huge ring of keys. It didn't feel as final.

Professional Development

Every year the administration holds a retirement brunch for the entire school district. This year was the first one I’ve been to because I have always been at FFA Contests. The food was pretty good. I sat in the back with my teacher friends, so I could correct my middle schoolers final test. I had to make them take the final exam on paper because they turned in their iPADs before I expected them to. Grades are due tomorrow, so I thought I was being efficient instead of rude. After everyone finished eating they called up all the service awards. It was so hard to believe that one of the maintenance guys has been with the school district for 35 years. He started right after high school. 

The program then showed a video of all the people retiring in the district. This year we have principals, secretaries, guidance counselors, bus drivers, and teachers retiring. The videos were really sweet because it went through their years service, and what everyone will really miss. 

Above: My teacher friends left me this note
 around the Superintendent's certificate.
Below: ISEA Excellence in Education
Runner-up Award press release picture. 

Then our superintendent comes on the microphone and starts talking. I wasn't paying attention because I was correcting papers. My friend turns to me and says she's talking about you. I stop and listen to her, and all I hear is my name being called and that I was the Superintendent's Excellence in Education Award winner. I stand up thinking she's just pointing me out, and then she waves me forward. I go up there to get my certificate. I go to shake her hand and she pulls me forward like for a hug, but not quite. Then it was really weird because she ushered me off the stage. It was awkward. I'm still shocked that the superintendent gave me an award. This is the same superintendent that I couldn't have a conversation with unless it was through my union rep. The same superintendent that tried to get me to work this summer when my extended contract is up. The same superintendent that took out crop insurance on the FFA field, and didn't think to tell me or anyone else. She used field profits to pay for the crop insurance though. She also didn't understand why I fought her for a portion of those field profits to go back to my program. I really feel that the superintendent was pressured into giving me this award. Back in November, I was awarded the Excellence in Education runner-up for Iowa. At the awards banquet I sat next to the president of the association that served on a committee with my superintendent. I'm guessing the association president congratulated my superintendent, which gave her the idea for this award. This is the first year our school district has had an Excellence in Education award. Either way, it was nice to get an award to finish out my year. 

Countdown to the End: Day 1

Today is it, the last day of my teaching career. The elementary principal has been on me all week about planting the new shrubs and perennials with my Horticulture class around the elementary. I thought today is the last day to get it done, so I took my two students down to the elementary. It's only a short walk away, so we didn't loose a lot of time traveling. We planted until it was already past 2^nd hour. I had a special ed teacher in my classroom all semester, so she covered my 2^nd hour class. I was disappointed that I didn’t get to say goodbye to them. I sent my 1^st hour girls back to class, and then I had my 3^rd and 4^th hour classes come down to finish the planting. We got it done just in time.

Adding dry fertilizer to the field. 

I also found a student that could have her mom come in with a tractor to pull the buggy wagon full of fertilizer to apply to the field. Her daughter rode with her to show her where to go. It all worked out really well. Planting is scheduled for Saturday if the weather holds out.

A former student came in to my greenhouse to buy flowers. She reminded me why I started teaching, to help kids. Now she’s already applying to vet school. She’s one of my success stories, so I’m glad she stopped by.

I know I made the right choice because I won't have to worry about liability issues when students drive machinery on school grounds.

Countdown to the End: Day 2

Today we had 60 minute classes, and only the odd period classes. The schedule was this way for final testing. Everything went as planned until one of my students said that she didn’t get a lot done when I was gone because they mostly talked about what happened to a classmate. I must have looked confused because that student then said, “You didn’t hear?” I asked what happened. Multiple students tried to explain, and I picked out the gist of it. A former student that graduated last year had a few people at her house over the weekend, and my student was playing around with lighter fluid. It got out of hand and somehow lighter fluid got on his shirt and somehow it was lit. He inhaled when it lit, and burned his insides, mainly his lungs. He burned his chest, and side of his face. The other people/students at the house didn’t call 9-1-1, instead they put this burned boy in a cold shower. The other people there took a picture of him and sent it out as a snapchat. One of my students got the snapchat and took a screen shot of it. He showed it to me, and it was the most awful thing I’ve ever seen. His chest and face were completely raw. I don’t think I’ll ever forget his face. He looked like such a little boy, and his face was in such agony. No one took him to the hospital until the next morning. I went through the rest of the day in a haze, and all I could think about was his face. 

After school I found his special ed case manager to see how he was. He’s in the Iowa City burn unit with second and third degree burns. He has to have skin grafts, and reconstructive surgery on his face. I spoke about this with other teachers, and some of the middle school teachers mentioned names of middle school students that were there. Some of the teachers questioned a student that was there only to have the response be, “he didn’t remember to stop, drop, and roll.” After hearing that my sadness went to anger, and I could not wait to be done teaching. Also, I thought I should report the picture that I saw to administration, just because they thought it was funny and a big joke. I’m a mandatory reporter, and that is most definitely abuse of a minor, not to mention bullying. I can’t believe they would do that.

When some students get difficult,
 I think of other students that have
 been successful. Above: my students pictured
with the Lt. Governor at an Expo we hosted. 

I know I made the right decision because I won’t have to worry about being sued by a parent for any reason.  

Countdown to the End: Day 3

My sweet boys during nap time. 

Today was difficult. I felt really sick, and I was trying to entertain my boys. We haven’t told them that I’m pregnant because I don’t want to confuse them. My three year old offered to rub my belly because that’s what I do for him when he doesn’t feel good. I told him to give me a kiss instead and that would make me feel better. My sweet boys made me feel better.

I know I made the right decision because sweet baby kisses will be given to me and not the daycare provider.

Countdown to the End: Day 4

My boys coloring instead of outside. 

Today I stayed home with my sons. My daycare provider took her week of paid vacation starting last Wednesday. My husband took Wednesday-Friday off, and I took today and tomorrow. It’s not ideal because I’m gone for half of my student's last week of school. 

I got a call from my substitute saying that the middle school will only have their iPADS for today, so they can’t do their final projects. What does the middle school plan to do for the rest of the week if the students don’t have their iPADS? This is something that they just changed because it was supposed to be at the end of the day tomorrow. I told my substitute to have them get as far as they could with their projects and turn them in. I told her to review with them for their final.

I had fun with my boys, but I was worried that I cooped them up in the house too much. It was really cold outside today. If I’m worried about this now, I’m more worried about the winter. I will need to look up some indoor fun activities.

I know I made the right decision because I won't get a call from work on my day off.

Countdown to the End: Day 5

I got to school today and realized that I wasn’t getting into my classroom. My doorknob has been a pain in the ass since December. You have to jiggle the key in the lock to get it to work. The janitors have been aware of it for a while. I went to get one of the custodians, and he couldn’t get into it. He said he would have to get the maintenance guys here to replace it. I finally got a new doorknob, but I was out of a classroom. I went to the ICN room, which is normally empty. Lucky for my students I can teach without materials, which is what I did for the first three periods.

I had the secretaries call my thieving senior boys to that room before school. Only one showed up, so I explained to him what was going to happen. I told him after senior graduation practice he was going to the office and paying for those purchases that were made with the school credit card. If they weren’t taken care of today, I would take it to higher authorities like the principal and their parents. I told him that I was giving him a chance to do the right thing. He is an adult, and should start acting like it really quick. I finished that by asking him what he was thinking. He had his head down and he just said he was sorry. The other student never showed up, so I’m guessing the word got to him. I asked the secretary if they showed up to pay the money. She said they both took care of it. I had gotten invitations from both of them for their graduation receptions. I threw them away today. I didn’t think I could go to them and see their families, and not say anything. I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that they thought they wouldn’t get caught.

Students finished planting

In the middle of third hour today I got back into my room with a new doorknob. First hour I wanted the students to finish planting flowers in front of the school for graduation, but I couldn’t get at the flowers in my greenhouse. Instead I reviewed the concepts for their final in a few days. If there is one thing I’ve learned from teaching it’s to be flexible and have multiple plans. When I got back to the middle school I went to the library and found some students to help me plant the front of the school for graduation. We had 20 minutes to plant it, but it got done without a minute to spare. I noticed that the students that volunteered were my students, but others were from the after school program. When students know me and a relationship is in place they will do things for me that they wouldn’t normally do for other teachers. I will miss that. If they know I’ve been wronged they will fight for me. My first year of teaching I knew I belonged here because the students were so loyal to me. The last day of school that first year a community member yelled at me for having the student’s plant flowers in the wrong place. She did this after I sent all the students back to the classroom and the flowers were planted. She made me cry, and I had to get it together and go back to my class and teach. The stude

nts knew something was wrong, and one of them overheard what the community member had said. That one student told the rest of the class, and they left my classroom, and threatened to use Round-Up herbicide on her entire professionally landscaped yard for me. Administration heard about it and went to the community member, and I got an apology from that community member. That same administrator had me talk to those students in my class to talk them down from doing anything wrong against this community member. It’s those memories that have held me here this long. I have so many bad memories of community members and administrators giving me hell, but for every bad memory is a great one of a student trying to defend me, or they give me an example of their loyalty.

I know I made the right decision because there will be no one giving me hell, unless it’s my husband, someone from my own gene pool, or my offspring.