Day One

Today was the first day of California Standards Testing. It’s the day I have to pay the most attention to what the students are doing because if they inadvertently code the wrong test version onto their answer sheets the results could be disastrous. Fortunately, we have smart students in room 19 and there were no problems. Everybody finished by recess, and the general consensus seemed to be that it was no that hard. So, one down, three to go!

After recess, we had Gina the yoga teacher. Just like last week, the students were amazingly focused. Some of them are so flexible! I wish I could lean backwards and touch my feet to my head. Several of our students could! Well done!

We went to second lunch and second lunch recess today because of yoga. When we returned from lunch, we started getting ready for next week’s trip to the Getty Villa in Malibu. We reviewed what the students already knew about the Greek gods and goddesses – quite a lot, I’m happy to say – and then we started to watch Clash of the Titans. It’s a wonderfully cheesy movie – the special effects seem so dated – but it does have Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, and a very young and dashing Harry Hamlin. We’ll be watching the movie in segments over the next week.

A couple announcements. First, if you are interested in being a docent for the trip to the Getty on the 20th, please send me an email. We need two or three parents here.

Second, we have just been informed that Friday will be a minimum day throughout the district. This is in response to the demand by United Teachers-Los Angeles that teachers strike that day in protest of the proposed budget cuts.

I am not sure what I will do on Friday. I believe that the strike is illegal and that the course of action urged by the union is financially irresponsible. At the same time, I have to work with these people for years to come and there is a limit to how much I am willing to antagonize my colleagues, even when I think the course of action they advocate would be disastrous. My hope is that the Superior Court will issue an injunction here.

Homework: Again, light during testing week. Students had the last 30 minutes to get started on this, so many are done and most others are close to done. (1) Do “Draw a Diagram,” Math, pages 544-545. (2) Do the “Review/Test” on page 546 and the “Cumulative Review” on page 547, also in the Math book.