Sunday...

It's beautiful outside... low 80's, sunny, and just a slight breeze of 5-10 miles per hour. It would be a great day to be by the pool, but I will most likely not get to leave my apartment...

I actually slept in today! I didn't get up until about 10:00am, which is a feat of gigantic proportions. Since I am usually up before 6:00am during the week, it is pretty hard to sleep in on Sundays, even when I want to. I got up, ate some leftover pizza (that I got to take home from the "celebration" my students and I had for the last day of Saturday school), and have been pretty much working on science lesson plans all day. My students only have science in my classroom for the next couple of days (no math) so I need to be prepared with an arsenal of science projects, games, worksheets, ect. to review for the science TAKS and keep them engaged.

The third grade will be testing on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week so my students will not be going to science lab. This means that I will be teaching them science lab as well. I will be teaching one class for 3 1/2 hours straight - just science. BLAH! Hopefully I will have enough material to mix it up and keep everyone, including myself, from going crazy.

On a different note. I fly home to Minnesota on Wednesday right after school. I will be leaving school to go to the airport and will be arriving in Minneapolis later that evening. I am excited to be going home! I will not be missing much at school so this works out well. My students will be testing on Thursday (science TAKS), which I cannot be in the classroom for anyway and would be teaching/substituting for who ever is testing my students. On Friday my students have a half day of school and will most likely not be doing too much after an entire day of testing on Thursday (yes, the TAKS tests take the entire school day - sometimes even longer!).

Have a great week everyone! And to some of you... See You Soon!
- Joe

Farmer in the City

Last week a local dairy producer sponsor a visit from a mobile milking unit. A "farmer" (and his cow) spoke to my students about dairy products and showed the students where milk came from.

I thought it was pretty interesting to see and I worked a little bit on a dairy farm (shout out to Nygaard Farms!). Some of my students had never seen a cow in real life... one even raised their hand to ask, "why didn't you bring a boy cow to milk?" As their teacher, I shook my head in disbelief.

Typical Friday

Well it is Friday evening... about 7:50pm and I just got finished eating supper (yes I said supper, I guess people "down here" don't say supper because I always get asked where I am from when I say that).

I was at school at 6:35am this morning and by the time gardening club was over and I was finished in my classroom I was lucky to get out of the building at 6:30pm. I walked out the parking lot, where there was literally only my car and one other. I am guessing it belonged to the janitor who asked me, "Maestro, Cuando sale?" (basically, "teacher, when are you leaving?" - I think). I think he was trying to close down the building for the evening so I took the hint and packed it up for the evening. I have found myself working about 10-12 hour days for probably the last month. When I started I worked long hours too, but since I was new, it didn't seem to be as tiring. For awhile I was averaging around 8-9 hour days which now would be really nice, but during TAKS season, I don't think that would be possible. My students have the science TAKS on Thursday of the upcoming week. I cannot wait to see how they do.

Here are two of the gardens the gardening club has made. Gardening club consists of three third grade girls, two fifth grade girls, and one fifth grade boy who is special needs so most days it is "watch Mr. Swartz gardening club" because I cannot get them to do anything (but they love watering everything).

Both gardens are located by my classroom. The top one includes all recycled plants/flower from around the campus. The bottom two pictures are of a vegetable garden I recently started to get the students more excited and teach the plant life cycle as well. The school couldn't give me any money so hopefully the purchases pay off. Everything but the plants and a couple of bags of soil is recycled from around the school campus as well.

This week has been interesting. After getting my math test results back my Principal told me that I would no longer be teaching math in my classroom. I was very surprised to find out that I will now be teaching ONLY science all day. Now when my students come to class for math I teach science and when they come to class for science, more science. Combined with science lab my students schedule looks like this: Science 1.5 hours, Science Lab 1 hour, Science 1 hour, and then English/Language Arts in the afternoon... that is a lot of science for a 5th grade student. I understand that the science TAKS is coming up, but I feel this is a little ridiculous.

The amount that teachers are forced to teach to the test (only teach what is on the TAKS) is unreal, and potentially really hurting the educational system in Texas (and I mean literally having students practice released TAKS questions over and over). It is very hard to keep a room full of 11-13 year old students engaged in that much science. On top of that, I definitely do not think that this is the best way to produce students who are going to be making positive contributions to society. They seem to be missing so much of what school, in my mind, should offer (no: art, physical education, computer, band, choir, industrial technology/shop, ect...). How are we to expect the students to continue to grow in math and be ready for next year when they take two weeks off? It is very frustrating... but something I have been dictated to do so I will do my best.

Hopefully, with all of this science practice, my students will be ready for the test on Thursday.

Tomorrow is my last day of teaching Saturday school. I am excited to be getting my Saturday back. I really haven't had much of a life outside of school since Spring Break. Friday night is usually spent preparing for Saturday school and then Saturday I teach from 8:00am-12:30pm and then usually come home, do laundry, and take a nap. Saturday night would be my opportunity to do something, but it has been spent doing my homework for the two night classes I am currently in at the University of St. Thomas. Sunday, is spent getting ready for another busy week... usually planning.

I also just started raising chickens in my classroom for my students to observe. I was able to receive the eggs from my students (interestingly enough about 50% of them raise chickens - inside one of the largest cities in the nation!). Hopefully some of them will hatch - I will let you know in 21 days (or who knows... I don't know how old they were when I got them). This could be a very interesting experience. I found the incubator in the storage room and figured, "why not" after finding out so many students had chickens... (my students are still bringing in eggs when they find them or remember to bring them haha)

TAKS Results (Round One) and Perfume

I received my students' Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skill (TAKS) test results yesterday. The TAKS is a standardized state test and a very high pressure test for students, teachers, and schools as it determines just about everything in Texas education. Based on these tests, schools are rated: "Exemplary," "Recognized," "Academically Acceptable," or "Academically Unacceptable." These rating are very important to the school. Last year my school was "recognized." From what I understand this was the first time in a long time that Berry Elementary school was labeled as "Recognized" (it was previously lower). Also in Texas, teacher, principal, and staff bonuses are given based on student performance on the TAKS test. The TAKS test results are also a large factor in whether or not a student is promoted to the next grade level as well.

With all that said, 78% of the 5th grade students passed on the first administration of the math TAKS test. (of that 78%, 2-% were commended (highest student ranking you can get!)

Although I am excited about this number, (it is a larger number than projected and much higher than last years scores on the first administration) my principal seems to be more excited. My students did very well. The 12 total fifth graders who need to retake the TAKS examine will be doing so in a few weeks and I will be analysing data and working to prepare them the best I can between now and then. These students will have rather intense session with myself and the other math teacher (also first year TFA) during tutorials, Saturday school, and small group pullouts during class. I think that we should be at least able to get five more students to pass the math test before the next administration.

Before the intense preparation for the math TAKS can begin, my students will need to complete their science TAKS test next Thursday. Seeing as our school is a science magnet school, I hope that our students will do well.

I am very excited to be finished with testing!

On another note... as Spring has come to Texas so has a large cloud of perfume that seems to have slowly entered my room. My 5th grade girls have discovered perfume and my room is beginning to smell like the fragrance department at Macy's. It seems as if many of the girls (and some boys) have come to the conclusion that if one spray is good and makes them smell better, that 8 sprays is even better.

Next Wednesday evening I will be leaving for Minnesota. My close friend Zach is getting married and since Zach and I have been practically brothers since we were little, I am going to fly home on Wednesday to be there for the wedding.

Other than testing... life is good.

It's Been Awhile...

Yes, I am alive. I apologize to the few people who religiously check my blog... ok, well sorry mom, for not posting in awhile.

Over the last month I have become slightly overwhelmed with the everyday stresses of teaching and taking graduate courses combined with a few outside incidences.

The last post I wrote in my blog was titled "Worst Week Ever." I wrote that post on February 21st, upset and overwhelmed with the fact that my car had just been broken into and "everything that could go wrong was going wrong." Little did I know that the next day, my grandmother, would pass away, further adding to what was already a terrible end of February. With all of this happening, I decided that my blog would no longer be a priority until I was able to get my life back on track, and although it is still stressful, I feel that it finally is.

My grandmother, Shirley Pederson, passed away on February 22nd, 2010 at the age of 81 years, 3 months, and 4 days. For those of you I have been close to over the years, yes, this is the grandmother that was "supposed" to have died already in the Spring of 2007 when she suffered a stroke and ended up with a blood clot on her spinal chord. The doctors did not give her long to live. My family told me to take my time driving back from Minneapolis to Starbuck because they were sure I would not make it back in time to see her still alive. Just between you and I, I speed, I drove through tears, as fast as I could, in hopes of being able to tell my grandma that I loved her one more time in person.

Being the strong and stubborn lady that my grandma was, she didn't pass away at that time. I am convinced that she wasn't going to let some doctor tell her when she was going to leave this Earth, she was going to live, and die, on her own terms, and at that time she wasn't ready. My grandma went on to live her life after that incident. She not only recovered mentally, but at times actually seemed physically better as well (although in the last year or so her physical well-being had deteriorated fast).

During those "extra" years my grandma was able to spend with us she was able to experience many thing, some of them, possibly the reasons she was still here. Shirley was able to be here for the birth of her second great-grandchild, Zachary. She was able to hold him and show him off to everyone. She would brag to anyone who would listen about how wonderful her great grandchildren were. During those years, she was able to spend time and get to know the personalities of both Rylee and Zachary, who she loved and cherished so deeply.

Grandma Shirley was able to take part in her grandson Aaron's wedding during the "extra" time we were blessed to have her here with us. She was so happy for Aaron and Lindsay and felt very fortunate for Aaron to have found such a great wife.

Also during the last years that grandma was able to be with us she was able to see one of her grandchildren overcome addiction and get clean. Although grandma never really talked about it, she knew there were problems, and I know that she was so proud to see the improvements that were made with this individual and to our family over the last couple years due to this accomplishment.

Grandma was also able to see me graduate from college before she passed, along with many other special events over the past few years.

Although I was deeply hurt at the loss of my grandma and will miss her presence moving forward, I am glad that I was able to share so many of life's events with her. Many people are not as fortunate to have had their grandmother's around for as long as I have and had them play such an active role in their lives. I feel very grateful for her and thank God for the blessing she was on my life. I know she is in heaven with grandpa now, I am sure he has missed her since he passed.

Other than my grandmother's passing, I have been very busy with teaching and my graduate courses I am forced to take for my teaching certification. I am now taking two night classes, one Tuesday and one Thursday, on top of teaching tutorials (Tue, Wed, Thur), being in charge of an after school club (Mon, Fri), and teaching Saturday school (8am-12pm). My schedule eased up a little bit after the completion of wrestling season, but filled up quickly with the addition of another graduate course and a higher level of involvement in tutorials.

Tutorials have picked up at my school because the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test are/were this month. The TAKS test are a state-wide promotion standards test that students have to take at certain grade levels. The scores that students get on these tests help to determine many things, including: teacher and principal bonuses, student promotion, funding, among others. I am not a big supporter of one test determining whether a student is learning or not and/or how effective a teacher is, but I do feel we need to hold teachers and schools accountable somehow for teaching our children and this is one way to do that. (I have a lot of opinions on the TAKS tests, but I will leave that for a different day...)

Anyway, my students completed the math and reading tests on April 6th and 7th (I am held accountable for the math scores and student growth based on those scores), and will be taking the science test in a couple weeks (April 29th). These tests are very stressful for the students and for the teachers because the whole school year basically comes down to how the students do on these few tests... (crazy, I know).

For an update on fun things I have been doing: Kori came to visit over Spring break and we went to the Houston Rodeo, saw Keith Urban perform, went to the ocean, and did some other fun things. It was a great break from the stresses of teaching and much needed.