So my work laptop has to be turned in June 4th...not to mention it won't start up for the second time this school year...no worries since I save everything to a flash drive. Either way, I have to get a new laptop come June 4th. My home laptop is like a notebook, and has the old office on it. I need something bigger and the newer office. I REALLY want a Mac Book Air, but I think it would cost me about $1500 when it's said and done (the laptop, office, and adobe acrobat pro & photoshop.) My boyfriend is looking to buy an ultrabook, and if/when he does I can get his Toshiba (which I'm using now since my work laptop doesn't want to start up this weekend...) His Toshiba is FREE- and I LOVE free. The only thing I'd buy for it is Adobe Acrobat Pro so I can secure my pdfs for my TpT Store, and photoshop since I'm still trying to learn how to use it so one day I can create graphics and clip art...
Anyway, if you've made the switch let me know why it's worth it, so I can better justify spending the money if it comes to that :)
xoxo,
Vanessa
Monday, May 27, 2013
Monday, May 13, 2013
Organizing and packing- only 16 days left!
My latest accomplishment- organizing all the activities & task cards I've created & made this school year! I finally bought the clear plastic shoe boxes, labeled each one with a cutesy label with a bright color and- tada! I have to move classrooms- the fifth time in six years (and all at the same school!) The last two years was because of construction, which will be finished over the summer. Anyway- I feel like such a better teacher knowing that I have a hands on activity and/or task cards for so many different objectives I teach throughout the year! They're mostly language, but this summer I plan to make lots more stuff!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Food for thought...
My mom sent me this article on Yahoo this week and I found it pretty interesting...
It was conducted in England, Wales, and Scotland and basically found that you can predict someone's future socioeconomic status based on their performance in second grade. I have mixed feelings about this. I know in Texas puts the emphasis on third grade, not second. I've heard that in the past in Texas, state officials looked at third grade reading scores and decided they needed to invest in more prisons, basically saying that if you can't read in third grade, your destined to go to jail as an adult. (I can write an entire other post on this thought process...) This study backs that thought up, I suppose, but says you can predict the future based on second grade.
Anyway, I found it interesting because I started thinking about my students in my second grade classroom. They're still so young, but not. When I taught fourth grade I felt like I could pretty easily guess which of my students would go to college, to jail, etc. but I don't feel like that with my second graders. They're still maturing, they're still prone to getting babied at home, they're learning what they can get away with, bend the rules, etc. They still throw temper tantrums. I didn't see that with my fourth graders. I felt like by the time they were 9 or 10, they knew how to work the system, they were entering puberty, they were really developing a sense of self and defining themselves as mini-adults. Now, I'm not a parent, so maybe I'd see things differently then.
I'm curious what other educators think- when you see your students are you predicting their futures as college graduates, inmates, CEOs, doctors, etc.?
It was conducted in England, Wales, and Scotland and basically found that you can predict someone's future socioeconomic status based on their performance in second grade. I have mixed feelings about this. I know in Texas puts the emphasis on third grade, not second. I've heard that in the past in Texas, state officials looked at third grade reading scores and decided they needed to invest in more prisons, basically saying that if you can't read in third grade, your destined to go to jail as an adult. (I can write an entire other post on this thought process...) This study backs that thought up, I suppose, but says you can predict the future based on second grade.
Anyway, I found it interesting because I started thinking about my students in my second grade classroom. They're still so young, but not. When I taught fourth grade I felt like I could pretty easily guess which of my students would go to college, to jail, etc. but I don't feel like that with my second graders. They're still maturing, they're still prone to getting babied at home, they're learning what they can get away with, bend the rules, etc. They still throw temper tantrums. I didn't see that with my fourth graders. I felt like by the time they were 9 or 10, they knew how to work the system, they were entering puberty, they were really developing a sense of self and defining themselves as mini-adults. Now, I'm not a parent, so maybe I'd see things differently then.
I'm curious what other educators think- when you see your students are you predicting their futures as college graduates, inmates, CEOs, doctors, etc.?
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