Planning is key when looking to be successful; it's especially so when you have students as unruly as mine.

Case in point: I got help from a veteran teacher (that is a veteran of the school). Two weeks ago she told me to have a structured class. Frankly, I thought I had one. When I met with her again a week later she showed me the extent of her structure. Aha! Showing kids how to read by modeling and doing everything out loud. Working under the assumption that they don't really understand what they read. I suppose you could say it's all dumbed down, but truthfully, it's where these kids are at so I do need to begin from their point of reference not my own. My trouble has been that I didn't know where to begin. I do now.

Since I have begun following Jan's lead, my classes have calmed down considerably. They suspect that I know what I'm doing now. They are also taking notes and participating in class more fully. So, that's what it takes. Lots of planning. But, it's less exhausting on my end in the long run. I spend a lot of time planning lessons in advance, but I can actually see the value in that.

I wonder if I can ever grab a teachable moment? Spontaneity doesn't seem to be allowed.

I can't believe I've only been here a month. This place is really dumpy. And, living down the road from a pig farm (the same one made famous by Mike Rowe in his show "Dirty Jobs") doesn't add to the -- ahem -- charm.

School still sucks and the kids don't get better. Some days are better than others, but the students freely bite the hand that feeds them (and they have no idea what that saying means). I swear I've had better and more intellectual conversations with the 6th graders at RCDS than I can even hope to have with my classes. How to get them engaged? More importantly, how to teach to the kids who do care and want to learn while dealing with the general shit that shows up on a daily basis doing nothing? My motivation for this week came to me on Friday afternoon. I gave the seniors a group project where they had to discuss, take note, present and write a reflection on the lesson. Knowing that some students are saying to me, "Some kids in my group did nothing. I hope you know who they are." and "Some didn't even listen to the group's discussion" make me realize that I do have some who care. How can I invite them out of the shell? More important, how do I get rid of the crap that brings them down? I wish I could just fail those do-nothings now and get rid of them so I can get to the task at hand....

I can't figure if I have immense sadness for the state of Nevada or intense fury over the adults who let the schools get this way.

today I had a student come to me for advice on how to improve her grade. She does her work and is a good girl, but she is not what one might call an A student. In fact, she just passes the simple vocabulary quizzes I give her. Anyway, she has a 75 average in my class. She asked what she could do to improve her grade and I said she should study harder for the vocabulary quizzes and we could sit and look at what she needed to do to improve her writing. This wasn't enough. She wanted immediate change. She wanted an A. She wanted me to improve her grade because she had done all the work.

I was stunned. An A for doing work? What about outstanding work or even above average work? When I told my student that A was a grade reserved for the best work, she cried and left the room. Her friend, however, felt comfortable telling me that some kids don't do the work.

Hmmmm. I have always known some kids do and some kids don't. Still, I am new in this place and I wonder if it's common practice to give As to students who do the work regardless of the quality of the work. I went where I always go, to see Kevin Mills.

Kevin advised me to do what I do. Perhaps I could help a grade along by giving participation grades. I laughed. I said, "that's assuming I have kids who participate."

Kevin's big fear is that if he stays much longer in Nevada he'll ruin any bit of good teacher he has inside of him. I guess that is the point. These poor kids have been taught by teachers who think it's okay to pass them along. I now know why Precious had an A in English -- no one cared.

The Hoover Dam was fun to see. It's so weird how the mountains surrounding the dam are almost crumbly in appearance.

When I was driving on 93 South and saw Lake Mead for the first time it was surreal. It looked like a set from Lost in Space or maybe even the cover of The Martian Chronicles. It didn't look like a lake at all but a strange body of water with some mountains or islands sticking out. And there were parts of the surrounding area that were very white -- was it sand --that made it appear stranger still. I did not get a photo because I'd have caused a traffic jam worse than the one I was in.

Despite its oddness, the Dam is quite amazing. It's not anchored to the two cliffs it touches. The Dam was designed to -- with the pressure of the water behind it -- wedge between the two sides. While I was in the dam itself, the dam tour guide insisted on telling scary type stories. For example, he had us look at the cracks in the flooring. Those cracks caused by earthquakes which are felt often. Yikes. then he told about how they find rattlesnakes and tarantulas inside the dam because it's dry and warm. Lovely man. Frankly, I could have done without his silliness and desire to make us unnerved. Especially because I was feeling vaguely ill once I got down into the dam (500 plus feet). Well, it was interesting and I even walked to Arizona.

Now, I think the dam will be closed to car traffic in November because a bridge has been built to guard the dam itself from an act of terrorism (or any accident that could cause an explosion on the dam). I should have driven over it while I had the chance, but by the time I left I was pooped.

Anyway, I am glad I went on that adventure. I suppose my next excursion will be the Strip.

It was so bad here on Tuesday I called home and told Rod I wanted to come home. When I was driving yesterday afternoon I was thinking about my first period class with fondness and a smile. So, I guess perhaps there are some positive things going on here.

There has been much to do that is the stuff true dread is made of. Getting an apartment, finding furniture, getting a car and finally, getting that car registered (which meant I had to give up my NY license). the stories I'd heard about the Nevada DMV suggested I'd be giving up 8 hours to accomplish those two things. So, when I went to Toyota to pick up my green slip necessary for the DMV, I told the receptionist that I was planning on spending all of Saturday at DMV. She said, "No. Just show up at 3:30. They close at 5:00 but have to take everyone in the building if they want to go home so there's no slowing the process." I must admit I was skeptical but what the hell. So, after work today I went to DMV and met success. A mere 45 minutes later I walked out with a pair of Nevada plates and a temporary Nevada driver's license. Guess God was looking down on me and smiling.

And, speaking of Toyota. I had to go get the green slip. It does not get mailed. So, just another errand for me to deal with. Anyway, I got what I needed, drove home and talked on the phone. About an hour later I realized I received the wrong green slip. I called to make sure mine was still there and raced back in to get it. Mind you, the Toyota dealer is 25 minutes from here. I was a little cranky and thought they should buy me dinner. When I walked in, the receptionist was all apologies and gave me a 25 dollar gas car. So, it's all good.

As for my impressions of Nevada, well, I think it's full of pierced people with tattoos. I'm off to the Hoover Dam tomorrow so maybe I'll see a different type of person.

every day I feel like I got hit by a bus. I am fed up with the disrespect these students have for me. I did nothing more but walk into the classroom and do my job but that apparently set them off. I need these kids to buy into learning but how can I do that when the system has let them down for so long? How can I get these kids to recognize that it's actually fun to share ideas and talk about our hopes and dreams then apply them to the lessons we learn in class as mandated by the state of Nevada? How can I get seniors in high school to recognize that the projects they did earlier in the year were well below their level? Seriously, I had a kid tell me today that he wanted to do fun things like make a poster with vocabulary words where they simply added a definition. I ask myself, where the hell is the educational value in that? Sure, 4th graders might do that for a science project, but is it even appropriate for 12th graders, even if those 12th graders are not the sharpest?

I guess, to be generous, these kids don't respect themselves so they cannot respect anyone else. They have been strung along and passed along with no skills. I don't really even know why they go to school.

I respect myself too much and I respect my profession too much to allow this to happen. Still, it's hard to enter a classroom when there's nothing in it but hatred for me. Why can't they recognize that I'm doing my job?

I'd like to do a writing workshop to get these kids to critically evaluate and help each other's writing. The trouble is that they're not actually doing any for me. And, they don't listen to instructions when I give them.

I am failing in this place. I am really worried that I'd be able to use this experience to get me a job back home. But what if I fail completely? Will the experience even have been worth it?

I will be evaluated quite often as I work this job in Nevada. It's exhaustive. I have to make lesson plans that include:

Objectives:

course goal

syllabus objective

by the end of the lesson students will be able to ---

Resources and Materials:

Procedures/Activities/Time Allocation: (concept/skill development/group practice)

Daily reviews

introduction

objective: go over course goal and objective with students

concept/skill development/application

guided practice

independent or group practice

homework

LTMR -- by the way, I don't even know what that means

closure

Student Grouping: (whole group, peer groups, pairs, individual)

Assessment/Closing: ---didn't this get asked earlier?

Long Term Memory Review and Modifications -- aha!

Homework Assignment -- a little repetition????

Vocabulary:

this must be listed.

Okay, as a teacher I know I have to do this. But this particular framework is due every day for the three separate courses I teach. This might take some getting used to. But here's the catch...I have to do it online at work. So, that one hour planning period I have a day will be devoted to this. All the grading will have to come home.

It'll be a long year.

The Nevada schools are ranked 50th in the nation. Although I have only been teaching here for two weeks, it's no wonder.

The first problem is that the students are sitting in classrooms of 40. So, behavior management is the primary focus for the teachers. In order for the teacher to get through the day, he or she is giving assignments that require simple doing, not thinking. When a teacher has to help a student individually it can open the door for unruly behavior.

The second problem I see is the passing along of students. I have a class of sophomore honors students who cannot all do the work I assign them. Several of my students do not do the work I assign -- not because they can't, in my opinion -- as they wait for me to provide the answers. They think it's foreign to actually do the work. If schools continue to just pass students up, they are setting these same students up for failure.

My students who are seniors are especially difficult. As I see it, they are there to graduate. Those who expect to go on to college don't have any understanding of what critical thinking or reasoning is. I have students in my class who think it's perfectly okay to refuse to do work if it's not interesting enough or it's boring. While I recognize this to be normal with any student, I am confused by this behavior coming from students who expect to go on to college. Further, the lack of respect these same students show me on a daily basis indicates that they are unaware that I am one of the people from whom they need to get a recommendation.

When a school system fails to show cause and effect throughout the grades, students are going to get the short end of the stick.

It's hard for me to enter two of my five classes because the hatred toward me is palpable. But, when I'm feeling generous, I feel sorry for these kids. They are under the impression that nothing is expected from them but to just show up. They do not truly understand what respect is because the teachers and system that have passed them along have shown no respect toward them. When a teacher such as myself comes along and demands work, the students fight back and insist that it is I who is showing disrespect. It's a vicious cycle.

I had my sophomores write a letter of introduction to me. They needed to include some self-reflection about themselves as writers and readers and about their past experiences in English class. For the most part, these kids, in an honors class, have been given very little writing instruction with even less feedback. If the state wanted to improve how the students do on the proficiency tests, they'd spend more time looking at progress rather than asking teachers to file a proper lesson plan.

This will be a very long year.