Bronwyn Harris, Author

As with any field, references are important when applying for a teaching job.  Actually, it depends on the job.  I'm pretty sure I was hired for my first job because I was the only candidate wanting to take over a first grade in the ghetto with no set classroom and six previous teachers/subs.  However, references are usually important when applying for a teaching job. Obtaining that reference - whether it be in the form of a letter or just contact information - can be easier said than done, especially if you work in a district that chews up employees and spits them out. Even before I needed references to apply for this part-time position, I began the process of trying to collect them.  I knew that I would eventually need letters of recommendation for a position; I just wasn't sure when.  I decided to approach my last four administrators. One of them, who know works in a neighboring district, and was a wonderful principal, wrote me a glowing recommendation fu...

I recently got an email from a friend that was a reply to me saying that I didn't know how I was so exhausted from adding a 2-hour a day teaching job.  She said that her guess is that I'm giving full-time in those two hours. In some ways, she's right.  I mean, don't get my wrong, I love the part-time thing and am not sticking around until 3 pm to try to be more involved.  However, I definitely do put almost as much time and energy into these kids as I would with kids who I had all day.  In fact, coming from an elementary school background, I forget that these students actually have other teachers I realize that I don't teach them math and PE, but I forget that there are other adults who care about them (at least, I hope they do!) and monitor their study habits, care about their life, think about them, plan for them,etc.  This can obviously be a great thing or a highly unhealthy thing.  Most of the time, I'd like to think it's the former.  The student...

First, I'm really truly getting to the NCLB/merit pay post soon.  I wish I had a way to make money off the blog so that I could actually focus on writing it instead of trying to make money.  Sigh.  Here's some interesting thoughts though from a facebook friend. In the meantime, here are some more journal entries: If geckos went to school there school would be scaley.  I n the cafeteria they would serve nasty bugs.  Instead of sitting on desk, they would each have there own cage. If there was gecko school it would be tiny desks and like a school that was the size of a desk probley and there would be alot of geckos and a principle gecko and a teacher geckos and there lockers would be like little rocks adn they would go to school. at night. If geckos went to school their class would be how to make new skin, and how to grow a new tail, and how to eat bugs.  Most of the time I do all of my homework at school. If I were Tiger I wouldn't want to be in a...

I suspended a kid today - let's call her "Alexis" - and these are the reasons I gave on her suspension form: Erasing the lesson on the board Ripping up the list of who hadn't done their homework Giving another kid a wet willy Taking pencils away from kids and taunting them as the kids tried to get them back Taking things off my desk Putting Purell on kids' heads Taking stickers off my desk, sticking them on her crotch, and dancing around thrusting her pelvis out Screaming Refusing to go to the office Threatening to "slap the f--- out of" another kid A lot of other threats that ended with "with your ugly old self" I think there might have been more.  She wouldn't leave when the assistant principal came up and the rest of my class had to go to the computer lab to do their work because we're not allowed to pick up children and drag them to the office (stupid laws).  Also, she could beat up the assistant principal. She also to...

My new students answer a journal prompt every day at the beginning of class.  And they are hilarious.  Here are some examples: Do you think it is important to say the Pledge of Allegiance every day? We say the pledge because well I don't know maybe its also a prayer or something but I really dont care about the pledge why do we even say it every morning of school!  It's OK but its cool to learn because I can say it heckafast. No I think we should do it on holidays or veterinarians day, M,L,K birthday and other stuff like that.  I dont think we should do it evory day is just waisting time when it shoud be on important days.  thats why I say no I think that some people should not go so fast and listen to each other.  I also think its importnat that we do the Pledge because we are onering the country and its important to do that.  Like when we say the Cadet Code in Cadet Core [Cadet Corps, some kind of drum line] we cant move or talk or sneeze or co...

The things I like better about part-time teaching (over full-time) By the time I start to get frustrated with the kids, my time with them is over. I can put up with a lot more for 103 minutes than for 6 1/2 hours. I have less planning to do. I have less work to take home. I don't have to go to staff meetings. This way, I can stay out of school politics. Since I'm not at staff meetings, I can claim ignorance when convenient.   I spend less money on copies and supplies. I am less tired (although still tired). I am less stressed out. I am a better teacher because I am less tired and less stressed out. The things I do not like better about part-time teaching. I get paid less.  Yeah, that's pretty much it.