I get plenty of hugs under the present system.

I don’t teach from my desk, so you don’t have to bother putting anything under it.

As for the grading, the kids have to write lots of essays in order to learn how to write lots of essays. I can’t stand up there and blah blah about transitions and expect them to master them without attempting them. I also believe in frequent quizzing to check to see what they’re getting and not getting, especially when it comes to grammar. I don’t test that often, but the papers and quizzes add up. Believe me, I’m trying to cut a lot of it. It’s hard to argue with some of the results I get, though.

Cold water in any situation is not necessary to supply the body’s need for water replenishment.
Moreover, it has been argued that drinking cold water or any cold liguid is not good for the stomach. Yes, the first jolt of cold water is nice, but quite unnecessary. In addition, more water can be consumed at room temp.,which results in fewer trips to the fountain.

Before continuing,I want to say I can understand from this post and previous posts that you are a very hard working teacher. Also from this post I can tell your fortitude is greater than mine, which is evident from my first paragraph here.
I wish you a cool,cool summer holiday.

As to all that grading you do, I say: Wow. However, I must also say this: Whether a teacher has 10, 20,30, or 40 in a class, that is far too much grading and far too many grades. Cut it to at least a third. It is not necessary to have that much grading to assess a student’s abilities. As a matter of fact, one can argue that so many graded assignments and tests are a direct detriment to the learning process. Naturally, such a reduction should be introduced at the proper rate to allow adjustments on the part of the students, and I suppose for the teacher as well. Yes, it does seem, at first thought, ridiculous, but please, give it long consideration, for it is not only very good for the students, but very good for the teacher as well.

It is evident you’re in a school where there are students that need alot of attention. I’ve been there too. Less grading will be better in this respect also. You will have more energy,and more energy means better moods,better body language and so forth. Also, it will afford you some nice evenings and weekends in a row to tend to yourself. You are human and not a machine and don’t forget it! And finally on this subject, you don’t need to know the students personally to be able to assist them and give them advise when appropriate. Getting to close to any student or students is far too emotionally draining and in the long run you can’t really help them enough comensurate to the energy and emotion sucked from you.

Ahhhhhh, now to counselors, I agree there must be somewhere to send students in crisis as the poor girl you mentioned. Yes to a crisis counselor would be fine, some one brought from the outside a true professional in such matters. Maybe a large school with many such students, another such counselor. However, there should not be counselors who students can visit to whine about trvial things , get their schedule changed, for any reasons, including academic reasons. Counselors, because the position attracts those persons, who are dying to leave the classroom, and who have the propensity to be fooled by students and listen to and give credence to any and every whine a student has,shoud not be allowed to even look at a schedule much less do any scheduling whatsoever.

I have attended schools where the heat was set at the minimum to prevent the pipes from freezing (all those Massachusetts tax revisions in the 80’s were interesting times to live through). Kinda hard to take notes with gloves on, but I guess I managed.

I think with 40 kids/per class, you’re treading in teacher burnout waters. This year, I have about 135 students total. That’s 135 x about 7 essays per semester, a major research paper, tests, quizzes, homeworks, etc. My kids have 75 grades (x 135) this semester. An essay takes an average of about 10 - 15 minutes each to grade properly. That’s a LOT of grading. I’m given one official hour per day to plan and do all that grading. If you bump me up to 200 students, the amount of grading skyrockets. I work evenings and weekends now. I’m not sure I’d stick with the profession with that much more work demand. I couldn’t teach properly and have any sort of life outside of school. Also, I wouldn’t get to know so many of my students. I don’t think that shows up on standardized tests, but with today’s hands-off parenting, etc. means a lot of these kids are very needy for attention. Sure, get rid of the counselors, but who takes their place when a kid writes to you about how she was raped last week (true story)? I know you don’t approve of “personal realtionships” with the kids, but I have them whether I want them or not. I can’t turn a kid away with something like that. Anyway, end of the year rambling.

One interesting quote, in this context, is: “Nassau prosecutor Peter Mancuso yesterday said Gluckin stole “in excess of $1 million.” Gluckin cut checks to her own “fictitious” company, Computer and Technical Services, as well as another company owned by her husband, said Mancuso. The payments were ostensibly for services to the school, but went into her pocket, he said.”

Is she the only unethical administrator to have thought of this wrinkle? I doubt it.

There are so many unnecessary things that can be eliminated at schools and in any district wide system, which would cut costs and free up money,in some cases not immediately, but in the not-so-long run. There are other things that can be cut to a minimum. Moreover, I think it can be argued, that doing so, would not hamper or slow production, nor damage the product– educated youth.

First, in my opinion, the physical aspects of the system need to be revamped and retooled. So,if you please, and I suppose, since I’m going to do it, if you don’t please, I will ask a few questions.

Is it wise to spend $80,000,000,000.00 in a decade for any tool before it’s completely proven its value beyond doubt?

Do schools really need so many expensive copy machines?

Do the teachers and students need such expensive texts, in order to teach and learn?

Other than in the PE and sports dressing rooms, do the students need lockers?

Is it necessary to install so many drinking fountains and do they really need to be refridgerated?

Do teachers need so many lounges and/or work rooms?

Do middle schools and high schools need vast expanded spaces between facilities and otherwise?

Are there many features and facilities in our schools that we don’t allow students to use or take advantage ,and if they are , isn’t it very rare?

Yes,things like refridgerated water fountains might seem nit-picky, but isn’t every dollar important?

Of course, there are other questions that need to be asked in respect to the the physical, but now to a much more controversial subject, personnel.

Does a well working school need so many administrators?

Does a well working school district office need so many administrative positions?

Are there as many school/district administrators in the state of New York as there are in all of Europe?

Do schools need counselors of any sort? A short comment here. I got very tired of stumbling over counselors and cleaning up their messes and I don’t think I’m alone in my evaluation of the counseling position.

Do we really need so many teachers? A short comment here. I have never seen any proof nor have I experienced any proof, that smaller classes,say at a number of 20, are better, in any form or fashion, than say, classes of 40.

Would larger classes free up money to possibly seek out the best teachers and/or the best teacher prospects?

There are , of course, more questions which could be asked in the personnel catagory as well. However, I do remember,I did say “a few”.

To close, it seems to me that when it comes to evaluating our schools, and their administrative sytems, we have in the past, and in most respects now, reacted like “the third monkey”, for it is such a sensitive, scary and emotional subject in so many ways.