matching tracksuits

It had been some months since we went to the zoo, so this Sunday, we packed up the Girl, some snacks, and something to drink and went to visit the animals.

Such a difference between this visit and our first visit. The Girl has developed a sense of independence, learned to walk, and begun communicating verbally.

She decided when she’d had enough, calmly telling us “dosc” (”enough”) when she was tired of the elephants,

the giraffes, the reptiles,

and the leopard.

She has an opinion and preferences and she can express them.

It’s the beginning of the end…

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We took The Girl to her first carnival today — a small gig that was part of a local festival.

First ride

She seemed to enjoy it.

With Nana

The only problem came when the carnie told us, “Time’s up.” On one occasion we literally had to drag the girl screaming from the attraction.

Still, it was a pleasant day: we did all the carnival-esque things, including sharing ice cream.

After a few rides and some general frolicking on the playground, we went to watch the hot air balloon and the guy-tethered-to-an-enormous-pile-of-helium-balloons take off.

One has to wonder about the wisdom of such flight, but it draws a crowd, and I guess he gets something out of it.

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The funny thing about English — funny in an infuriating way, for non-native speakers — is its spelling irregularities.

A friend in Poland once offered me “duff nuts.” Logical enough: -ough is often pronounced “uff,” as in “enough.”

K asked me the other day if I knew what cat soup was. I suddenly became very protective of our own cat, wondering what kind of Third-World recipe she had in mind. Turned out, we have cat soup in our fridge; it’s just spelled a little differently.

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The Girl loves jumping, so we did the logical thing: bought an exercise trampoline.

She wasn’t always as successful as that, though.

One thing is certain: she’ll jump until she’s drenched with sweat.

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I’ve been writing all day. Planning lessons (putting the finishing touches on a unit about the memoir in which we study Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings) and preparing materials for my PAS-T notebook. The former I don’t mind; the latter is a hastle.

PAS-T is an acronym for “Pain in the…” — no, rather it’s “Performance Assessment System for Teachers”. It is, in short, a pile of paperwork that I am to provide three different evaluators as they come through my classroom two times each throughout the year for formal observations. My PAS-T notebook is to include things like,

• Summary of plan for integrating instruction
• Class profile
• Annotated list/samples/photos of instructional activities/materials/displays
• Lesson/intervention plan
• Summary of staff consultations
• Syllabus
• Lesson plan(s)
• Differentiation
• Annotated photos of class activities
• Sample handouts/transparencies/Thinking Maps
• Student samples of technology integration
• Record-keeping/monitory system
• Labeled and dated grades
• Teacher-made tests/assessments
• Example grading rubric
• Grading procedures
• Student work with feedback
• Progress reports/letters for parents/students
• Survey and summary
• Class rules with description of development procedures/reinforcement system
• Classroom diagram with comments/alternative room arrangement
• Class schedule
• Explanation of behavior management philosophy/procedures
• A printed copy of the teacher’s home page
• Log of rapport building efforts (notes, calls, conferences)
• Copy of newsletter
• Agenda from orientation/fieldtrip
• Documentation of Technology Proficiency or letter of intent
• Resume
• Certificates, agendas, support materials from presentations given
• Certificates, agendas, support materials from presentations attended
• Documentation of membership/participation in professional organizations
• Performance goal setting forms
• Chart of student progress throughout year
• Analysis of grades for marking period
• Log of collegial collaboration
• Documentation of meeting established annual goals

It is difficult to think of this as more than busy work. I mean, how useful can a classroom diagram with comments be to an evaluator who’s sitting in my classroom?

I’m all for accoutability, but this is starting to feel like an extra burden.

Still, I will perservere, and I will get only “Exemplory” ratings because anything else would drive me mad. If I’m to jump through hoops, I want to jump through them while juggling chainsaws and lecturing on Kant — I want to blow people’s minds.

Fortunately, I didn’t spend the whole weekend at a desk; we spent some of it at a table, so to speak: Table Rock State Park, which means more hiking and more waterfalls.

Such a burden.

A few more pictures are available at Flickr.

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