Another 5 question Friday

I don't know if anyone is really reading these, but the questions are making me think and I am having fun with them.

1. Do you think cursive writing is overrated? (Schools in Indiana have now voted to take teaching cursive writing out of their curriculum.)

With the advent of computers and most students having to do their work on a computer I would have to say that yes, cursive writing is sadly on its way out.  With that being said I will admit that as a teacher I prefer to have students turn in work that was done on the computer. It is so much easier to read than some of their handwriting and this way there can be no discussions that the word was spelled wrong.

2. Do you still use a pocket calendar or notepad or do you keep your info on your smart phone?
Since I don't have a smart phone, I use the calendar on my email system to record everything.  This is so easy to do and I can find something in a minute or two. 
3. What 3 things would you save if your house was burning down? (family & pets are already safe)
The first thing that I would go for is all of my pictures.  So many cute and adorable family pictures including family members that I never knew, but I would hate to lose them.
The second thing would probably be the computers, because anymore it seems like so much data is stored on them.
While there are many other things that I could grab at that point I am thinking everything else would be replaceable, or at least easier to replace and wouldn't matter as much.
4. Country Mouse or City Mouse, err Person?
I grew up in a town, but am proud of my families farm background.  I spend many days on the family farms as a kid and have fond memories of most of it (except for gathering eggs) and feel sad that my children will never experience this kind of life. 
5. If you could pick ANY reality show to go on, which would you pick?
None, I think that they are stupid, but I did hear of one that has been proposed (tongue in cheek).  Something like this I would support.  I am not sure that the general business person in the United States really knows what it is like in the classroom setting.  Now don't get me wrong I love teaching and my students, just getting tired of teachers getting all of the blame.  I don't want a lot of bad comments because of this, yes, I know that there are bad teachers out there, I have had them, my kids have had them, and yes I may have even worked with some of them at one point, but I just spent last week with over 7000 highly committed teachers and educators learning all of the new things and ways to get every student involved. 

I have received this in many emails. 
Next Season on Survivor….
Have you heard about the next planned “Survivor” show? Three businessmen and three businesswomen will be dropped in an elementary school classroom for 1 school year. Each business person will be provided with a copy of his/her school district’s curriculum, and a class of 20-25 students.
Each class will have a minimum of five learning-disabled children, three with A.D.D., one gifted child, and two who speak limited English. Three students will be labeled with severe behavior problems.
Each business person must complete lesson plans at least 3 days in advance, with annotations for curriculum objectives and modify, organize, or create their materials accordingly. They will be required to teach students, handle misconduct, implement technology, document attendance, write referrals, correct homework, make bulletin boards, compute grades, complete report cards, document benchmarks, communicate with parents, and arrange parent conferences. They must also stand in their doorway between class changes to monitor the hallways.
In addition, they will complete fire drills, tornado drills, and [Code Red] drills for shooting attacks each month.
They must attend workshops, faculty meetings,and attend curriculum development meetings. They must also tutor students who are behind and strive to get their 2 non-English speaking children proficient enough to take the state’s standardized tests. If they are sick or having a bad day they must not let it show.
Each day they must incorporate reading, writing, math, science, and social studies into the program. They must maintain discipline and provide an educationally stimulating environment to motivate students at all times. If all students do not wish to cooperate, work, or learn, the teacher will be held responsible.

The business people will only have access to the public golf course on the weekends, but with their new salary, they may not be able to afford it. There will be no access to vendors who want to take them out to lunch, and lunch will be limited to thirty minutes, which is not counted as part of their work day. The business people will be permitted to use a student restroom, as long as another survival candidate can supervise their class.
If the copier is operable, they may make copies of necessary materials before, or after, school. However, they cannot surpass their monthly limit of copies.The business people must continually advance their education, at their expense, and on their own time.
The winner of this Season of Survivor will be allowed to return to their job!