According to an AP article, Arizona's Superintendant of Public Instruction is hoping to offer "every Arizona student a laptop."

My question is, why not offer every instructor a laptop? Fewer of us, would cost the state less money...and we might be able to drag our schools up out of the mire of paperwork and actually get grades high tech.

Just a thought.

And my quiz this week (since I seem to be running behind a bit...)

You Are 61% Tortured Genius

You are smart. Brilliant in fact. And while it's a blessing, it's also a curse. Your head is filled with everything - grand ideas, insufferable worries, and a good deal of angst.

So I'm not as tortured as some...I am tortured!

*snerk*

...just make you wish you'd stayed in bed.

The day started out okay. I was on fire to get my grades put into the electronic gradebook, and finish showing my students Animal Farm and And Then There Were None. I had questions ready for the students to answer. I had the novels ready for them to read. I even managed to get the DVD player and monitor before school so I didn't have to rush down to the library after duty to pick it up before my first class.

Then I started figuring out the attendance of my students. Well, that was a mistake. School policy says that if a student misses 10 days in a semester, they earn a No Credit for a course. Sounds pretty leinient, doesn't it?

I wish.

Out of the 97 students I teach, I have 57 getting credit (not counting the Fs). Which means 40 are not. 40/97 is almost 39%.

How can I feel like a successful teacher if 39 percent will have to retake the class?

Oh, I have the option of giving credit anyway. Of those 40 students, 12 would have a passing grade if I give them credit. So let's say 28 students will have to retake the class next year.

That's one whole classroom full.

But how can I possibly teach them if they won't come to class? All these lovely "No Child Left Behind" platitudes...what if the child *wants* to be left behind?

Oh, and two of them I had last year and we had this same problem. They have not improved with a year to think about it.

I am officially depressed.

http://www.nea.org/newsreleases/2006/nr060502.html is a link to a page about key issues for the teaching profession. I just wanted to comment on a few points from my own POV, as a teacher.

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Just so you all know, National Teacher Appreciation Day is Tuesday, May 9 this year. Say thank you to a teacher--especially one that really helped you out.

I've been considering getting a NBTC for a while now. Today I actually went to the site (http://www.nbpts.org/candidates/guide/index.html) and researched what exactly is involved in getting this. The cost is pretty high (minimum $2565, near as I can figure, without extra fees for this and that) but the certificates are good for 10 years (unlike our state cert., which are only issued for 6 years at a time), and the recertification process apparently is less expensive, once you've gotten certified.

What I would like to know is if I can be certified in two areas for the price of one, or if I would need to pay double for a double certificate. You see, I want to get it for my English Language Learners qualifications, but I also would like one for just "language arts" ... and they are separate certificates. If I have to pay for both seperately, I would settle for the "English as a New Language" certificate. But if I could possibly get both ....

As for the cost, I see ways (loans, 'scholarships' and the like) to pay, and I think our district is open to the idea of a stipend for those who get the national certification. The actual certification process looks to take about a year, and involves portfolios and videotaping of classes. So it's quite involved.

Anyway I do have a bit of time to think about it (till December, for this year's group). Any thoughts from my two or five readers about whether they think this is a good idea?