CCSS standardized testing needs refinement.

Our school just piloted the new Common Core State Standard tests coming next spring. Talk about pressure! Some students were not able to log on, others were kicked out of the test part way through (don't know why), others said it was confusing and frustrating. When trying to change a response, students were kicked back to the beginning of the section to start over. There are a lot of bugs to be worked out yet and the testing components are not quite done. I am concerned about the new test. I like the concept and I believe that the thinking behind the test is on the right track--to develop thinkers instead of automatic bubble fillers, but refinements are in order for this kind of testing. I would like to see more teaching of independent thinkers and reasoners, kids who challenge others' opinions and can express their own opinions with clarity and responsible research to back them up. That, I believe is what education is all about. Question authority, seek answers for yourself, verify your statements and express your opinions in a manner befitting higher level thinking. We all need to work hard on raising the bar for our children and for our nation, but do it with planning and refinements in place before the children, teachers and schools are thrown under the school bus.

Our country's children deserve more than a 60 second fly by in the classroom.

Our school district is laying off 62 teachers !!!! We will be picketing before and after school everyday until Wednesday, March 6. Please support our students and teachers by sharing on your page: "No layoffs for teachers in El Monte. Fewer teachers means more students in the classroom, less quality time to educate your children." I have as many as 38 students in my classroom and start with 40+ at the beginning of the school year. After going over homework and presenting new material there are about 28 minutes left for quality time with the students, with 38 students in the room, that leaves about 45 seconds of individual time for each student. That is NOT quality feedback, that is me jogging around the room like a crazy person to help students.

I do my very best to see each student, give feedback, praise, support and encouragement. I don't sit at my desk, I stand there long enough to take attendance and I'm off and running. I love my job, I love the school where I work, and I truly care about my students, some even call me mom on purpose! I give 100% of my energy, kindness, and care each and every day I walk into my classroom. I work hard to ensure that my department has quality, meaningful professional development to enhance their teaching in order to make learning and understanding easier for our students.

I want to make our future better for our children, our communities, and our country. That is why I teach, not for the salary, I make enough to live in a home, but not enough to go out to dinners, to the movies or weekend trips, my car is ten years old. I sacrifice those small pleasures for the joy I get in seeing young people grow to become young, responsible adults who will go on to college and make a better life for themselves. I believe in a good education, not a 60 second fly by.

Our country's children deserve better.

Do YOU StudyBlue?

 As a teacher, I am always looking for new and different ways to engage my students and to keep them learning. I use songs and provide the lyrics for my students, we watch music videos, news clips on current events, YouTube and anything else I can come up with to keep them interested and learning. About two years ago I found a website, www.StudyBlue.com needless to say I was curious. After setting up a new account (it took all of 60 seconds) I began to explore the site and experiment with their set up.
Once I realized the potential of the online flashcards I got really excited. It occurred to me that my students could study vocabulary and grammar anywhere they have internet access. I pictured them sitting waiting for their ride, waiting for their friends, between sporting activities, dutifully studying on their smart phones, iPads or tablets. I was overjoyed !!! No more excuses that it takes too long to make flashcards--they are cumbersome, friends will make fun of them if they see flashcards, they "forgot" them at home/school/a friend's house, etc. I quickly went to work creating interesting and funny flashcards for them to study. I found silly pictures on the internet to keep them laughing while learning and hopefully make learning a joy.
 Since then I have created hundreds of picture flashcards on my page and my students enjoy using them. I start class with a quick review online with the cards and the students compete to see who can call out the answer the quickest. Many of my students have 'joined' my online 'class' to use the cards at home and on the go. I even have people who aren't my students using the cards for their study sessions!
 I have had surprising results and feedback from parents saying that my class is their child's favorite because it's never boring.
Thanks to StudyBlue.com, I have one more tool that kids enjoy and will use in their learning. Studying is so much more fun when you can flip pictures and see answers and don't need to stare at the book like I did as  a student. 
I highly recommend taking a look at the site. Create an account--it's FREE (I love free). You are welcome to search for my back pack on the site, just search for Samantha Carr and join in the fun! I would love to see you using the cards for learning. 
Happy exploring, and remember to StudyBlue !

P.S. I love this site so much, I had a banner made for my classroom to remind my students and to inform anyone who enters my classroom to study! Here is a picture:

Learning to use Glogster

I have just discovered Glogster and am giving it a try to see if my students would like it. What do you think? Do you like the pictures and captions? I'm thinking that my French 1 students would enjoy making story boards to practice dialogs.

Difficulties with pronunciation can create.....difficulties!

Students learning a new language always have difficulties with pronouncing words from time to time. Sometimes those 'little mistakes' turn out to be a disaster! Take this woman (names withheld to avoid public embarrassment) for example. She went to Paris to see the beautiful City of Lights and to soak up some culture. As she was walking down the street a man offered to share his bottle of wine. She politely responded no, but as he was determined, he asked a few more times. Finally, she looses her patience and (thinks she) says to him in French cochon! which means pig. Thinking that she had made herself clear, she was surprised to see him smile and continue to follow her. She repeated her 'insult' a few more times and he continued to follow her. Much later --- actually a week or so, she realized her mistake and suddenly burst out laughing. She had mispronounced cochon and had really said "couchons" which in French means 'let's go to bed'. No wonder he was so happy to follow!
A student of mine just last year was trying to respond to a statement from a classmate who had said they had pictures of the dance from the week before. With a big smile on her face she said "montez-moi" instead of "montrez-moi". The difference in sound is quite subtle, but the difference in meaning is not. She meant to say 'show me' but what came out was 'mount-me'.
I have more funny stories to tell, but I will save those for later. Happy studies, and remember, pronunciation is important for accurate communication :D

Resources Every Teacher Needs to Know About

Bonjour !

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New to blogging

This is my first try at blogging. I don't know how often I will blog yet. I'm not sure anyone would want to read my blogs but I'm giving this a try.
As an educator, I think it's important to express yourself in as many ways as possible, stretch the limits of your comfort zone and push yourself to learn something new everyday.
To that end, I have joined a number of websites for learning like: StudyBlue.com where I create flashcards for my students to make studying more pleasurable, portable, and fun. I am really enjoying using the SimpleK12.com website for professional development, collaboration and re-energizing myself with new ideas.
I enjoy using french.about.com, especially Laura's weekly lessons and of course joining in the discussions in the various forums available on the site. I happen to host the Profs de français forum, but I must confess that I haven't been very active lately due to so many professional development obligations.
I am new at this so I will be trying to post some HTML on this site as soon as I figure it out. Here are two of my badges I use for education: