Texas Teacher Law

Cool Presentations

If you have photoshop, and you want to jazz up your worksheets, check out the tutorials on these extremely nifty text designs.

http://psdtuts.com/text-effects-tutorials/design-soft-stylized-3d-type/

The End is Coming

Still relaxing today.

Check out this website - http://www.sportival.ro.ro/

But seriously, folks, read this - http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376871,00.html

Then go here (oh, the irony!) - www.readprint.com/

Human Nature

Today we continue our vacation relaxation.  This site recounts five fascinating psychology experiments that will make you think about yourself. They may make you squirm a bit, too. Cool.

www.mindpowernews.com/5Psychological.htm

Resolve

I'm working on my New Year's Goals today.  I'm trying out a whole big goal planning system from one of the many leadership and productivity gurus wandering around the publishing houses.  I'll let you know how it goes as I get closer to the 1st. 

Speaking of goals, here's a joke for you:

During the last session of our teaching workshop, participants were asked to state their personal goals for the immediate future. One teacher vowed to update photo albums, another to lose weight. The goal that got the most response, however, was given by a kindergarten teacher. "I resolve to exercise until I can complete a 20-minute workout in less than an hour," she said.

This came from the site Teach-nology, which has a lot of lesson planning resources, one of which is a huge collection of jokes teachers can use in their classrooms. 

Personally, I would never use this. I am [almost] the worst joke teller in the Universe.  Only my mother is worse than me, so I come by my handicap honestly.  I usually "get" jokes, although often it's a few minutes after everyone else and we've moved on to a new topic. 

Study Up On History

Okay, you've been out of school now for about a week, so I figure you're bored.  SO for the next week, I'm planning to relax and I'll fill you in on some of the sites I'm relaxing with so that you can relax, too.

Today, something I loosely refer to as "History."   Click on the TV Guide in the upper right corner to choose your show.

Merry Christmas

My seventh grade daughter brought my attention to this story - Primary School Teacher tells class that Father Christmas isn't real.

She told me she thought the teacher should get some kind of consequence, but shouldn't be fired over the incident (she wants to be a teacher when she grows up, so perhaps there's some self-preservation in her opinion).  After all, not everyone had good parents when they were kids, and maybe the teacher's own parents pretended there was no Father Christmas.  Maybe the teacher even believes there isn't a Father Christmas.  We need to be charitable to those less fortunate than ourselves. 

So enjoy the little ones in your lives today. I will.   Merry Christmas.  

Social Network Debate continues

The Houston Chronicle has a good article on the use of facebook by teachers.  The article doesn't dive too deep into the issues but there are comments from a number of teachers and students about how they are using the site themselves, and their own personal expectations. 

I think the use of such sites generally will eventually sort itself out based on the experiences of those who use them, just as the use of email itself has evolved in the 15 years since it really became a mass communication tool.  Remember the first email you had?  It was probably a funny, cutesy little title, like onegr8wmn@email.com.  Unless it was your school issued address.  But now I rarely see emails, even yahoo and gmail addresses, that belong to someone over 18 years old that aren't some type of variation on their actual name.

Anyway, point being, the social network medium is still very new and still somewhat of a toy rather than a tool, so I expect we will have a better collective idea of how it should be used after we've had a chance to play and try it out for a while. 

Clearly, teachers always need to be on professional behavior when in public, and the internet is largely a public place as it turns out.  I think it is ill advised for districts to set policies prohbiting teachers from using particular forms of communication.  Telephone calls are, after all, far more private than social network sites.  It's not the form of communication that should be the concern.  It's the tone and behavior that should be of concern, and that is true no matter whether the conversation is on Facebook or in the classroom during class changes.  Districts and teachers should be continually examining their defnition of professional behavior and checking to see if they measure up to that standard.  Simply focusing on how the communication is made is pointless. Content over form, always.

New Book Available

If you liked yesterday's post, you'll like the new book. 

"How Student Discipline Works: Where Law and Reality Collide.  A Teacher's Guide to Working with your School"

It's filled with examples and templates for dealing with tough student discipline issues - all from the teacher's perspective.

Find out more and place your order today. 

Student Removal Form

As a teacher, you are responsible for the classroom behavior of your students.  But you do not have to do this alone.  The Texas Education Code gives you the right to remove a student to the principal when you need support to maintain classroom order.

The form below tracks the language in the Texas Education Code, and will trigger specific actions by the administration.  If you check the box that you refuse to have the student returned to your class, the campus placement review committee may be convened.  

 Memo

TO:  Your Principal, Principal

FROM:  Your Name, (state your grade level or subject assignment)

RE:  Removal of Student, (insert student's name)

Date: 

1. I am removing the student named above from my classroom for the following reason(s):

   _____The student has repeatedly interfered with my ability to communicate effectively with the students in my class or with the ability of the student’s classmates to learn.

   OR

   _____The student is so unruly, disruptive or abusive that it seriously interferes with my ability to communicate effectively with the students in the class or with the ability of the student’s classmates to learn.

   OR

   _____The student has engaged in activities that require removal to an alternative education program or expulsion, as stated in the district student code of conduct.
    

2. Documentation to support the statement above:

   _____ is attached.
   _____ has previously been provided to your office.
    

3. I _____ do/ _____ do not consent to have the student returned to my class after appropriate discipline management techniques, consistent with the student code of conduct, have been employed.
    
4. The action above is taken in accordance with Texas Education Code section 37.002.

Autism Info for Teachers

Autism Speaks has recently put together a toolkit for schools to help staff learn about autism and how to deal with students who have autism.  This is not a curriculum, it is general information for those who have had little or no exposure to autism. 

http://www.autismspeaks.org/community/family_services/school_kit.php