January 20, 2015

This morning already seems so long ago.

I finished up the testing plans for state assessments and watched one kid take a test while helping some of the sixth graders work on papers. I continued updating my MAP spreadsheets. I didn't get much time to do that last week with wall-to-wall testing so I am pretty behind. I'm getting there though.

I fixed two laptops this morning for one of the first grade teachers by turning the wi-fi on. I like those fixes. I kind of feel bad for the people with the laptop because they feel bad that the solution was so simple, but in the end everything works so that is what matters.

I ended my morning with a small MAP test consisting of the fifth grade class who had six kids absent last week. Three of them were gone today but luckily all but one of the original six were back. And all but two of the kids finished.

This afternoon I had a MAP test after lunch that was boring, like MAP tests tend to be. It was the fourth grade class with the kid I had in a reading group a couple of years ago. For the reading test he kept asking me questions and tried talking with me throughout the whole test, when he wasn't frequently going to the bathroom or getting a drink. I talked to his teacher about that and she talked to him and said he would only get one bathroom break this time and he wasn't supposed to start conversations with me. He did have a few moments of talking but he did a lot better than last time and way better than last year when I had to send him to the principal's office during state assessments. He even managed to finish the test in one sitting, which may be a first.

I ended the day with a kindergarten class and then a third grade class. And then more data entry on my MAP spreadsheets.

I stopped by the old house for a little bit after work and then came home to eat dinner before book club. There was a really good turn out this time around, eight volunteers, one intern, and two supervisors. Easily the most people we've ever had. There was also some pretty good discussions. And I learned that I would never want to be a teacher on a military base. One of the volunteers is a first year third grade teacher and it sounds exhausting, emotionally and physically.

When I got home I watched Space Warriors, which turned out to be one of the most ridiculous movies I have ever watched. It was so bad and parts of it had me actually laughing at how absurd it was. The basic plot involves a kid lying to his parents and sneaking away to space camp, where he is part of a team of fifteen-year-olds competing against other kids, and the winning team gets to go to the International Space Center. That sounds crazy enough. And then disaster strikes on the ISS and it has to be evacuated but only three of the astronauts can escape, leaving three others stranded. A rescue mission is put together but help won't arrive in time. But wait, the leading kid comes up with a plan and his team, along with the main rival team in the movie, come together and save the day. They use remotely controlled space suits, which they control using motion capture that involves spandex outfits with ping pong balls attached to them. Incredible. The lives of three astronauts are put in the hands of a group of kids who have had five days of space camp training. Also, there was a sup-plot running through the movie of the leading kid and a girl on his team liking each other. Other than being really awkward because they were kids trying to act, it seemed fairly obvious that the leading kid was gay. Not something I have a problem with but maybe they could have been a little more progressive and the other party involved could have also been a guy. I doubt the acting would have been any better but it would have a least been more believable.