Banded Teachers Talk - BTT

[K@t 38]

Hey everyone! How many of you out there are banded teachers?? I would love to trade class stories as well as band stories, and hear how you deal with day to day band business as well as a classroom full of kids!

I have been teaching English as a foreign language in Portugal for the past 2 years, and I was a substitute teacher for 3 years before that. (I did it while I was completing my BS at university) I have just accepted a 7th grade Reading position in Haines City, FL and I'm looking forward to it! I'm planning on getting my reading endorsement and hopefully by next year, I'm going to enroll in a masters program for educational leadership at USF.

My band business hasn't been on track like it should be. But I'm hoping the structured schedule from the school will help me keep my eating on track. The school I'm teaching at now has weird hours since it's a private school and we teach outside of regular school hours. (I teach until 10pm every night!) and I can't wait to get away from this and into a normal schedule!

Well, I hope there are other teachers out there I would love to hear from you!

[LLSibley 1]

I'm a retired teacher that now has an in home day care. I find it hard to fit my eating into my schedule because one year olds are not always cooperative and if I don't have anything ready to eat at lunch I find myself really panicing. Today is going to be one of those days. It's Friday and my food is gone until this evening. Protein Drinks for me.

[K@t 38]

Wow, at home daycare...I don't think I could handle that. Your brave! I know what you mean about the food. Whenever I don't have something healthy handy, I grab unhealthy stuff...then I always regret it later. Plan, plan, plan!

[insubordination 0]

I'm an adult ESL teacher in Australia. Only teach 10 hours/week now because I'm the coordinator too. Am getting banded in a week, so will have to take the week off.

[slikchik10 85]

Hi there.....6th grade middle here. I think there are quite a few bandsters that are teachers. I know that my schedule seems to be ok, except for the lack of time to eat at lunch. You know the mad rush lunch time is as a teacher. So....it's ok, for now.

[kity 2]

Hi Everyone!

I am a banded teacher. I teach 6,7, and 8th grade ELD; I teach ESL at the local junior college; and in the fall, I will be teaching a Master's level Reading class for teachers getting their Master's! Whew!

I am in bandster hell now, and so I can eat anything. I make and brink a Protein Shake everyday, and I drink that in front of the kids over 1st period. I eat 1/2 c. of cottage cheese about 10am during 3rd period...I just take a bite or two at a time. lunch is quick, 30 min to eat and potty, aaahhh! That is tough. I have been bringing a great combo that has 0 sugars...1/4 c. veggie refried Beans, 1/4 c. of shredded cheddar, and about 2 oz of chicken. I heat up for 45 sec or so, and yummmmm. It is a great, 0 sugars and fills me up.

I had my surgery 4 days before spring break. That way I had 2 weeks off.

This is a great thread! I look forward to hearing from others.

I am in Palm Springs, CA.

[isabelle290 0]

I am a 3rd grade ESL teacher w/ horrible insurance b/c weight loss surgery was excluded. I am going to have my band done this July in Mexico. Hopefully, it will give me more energy to teach. Each year gets harder and harder as I keep adding weight. I can't wait to join those of you who have had your bands!

[K@t 38]

Wow it's great to hear from some other teachers! slikchik10 I know how that mad dash at lunch can be. Here in Europe kids get an hour for lunch, can you believe it. :hungry: Because I'm at a private school now I work in the evenings and don't get a lunch break, just 10min breaks in between classes, which makes it hard to get any thing decent down. I'm looking forward to my new 7th grade reading position with normal hours.

Kity, your teaching a masters level class, thats great! I'm hoping to get into the Educational Leadership program at USF next year. I want to give myself some time to get settled then I'm going to apply to start in January hopefully. Plus there are some reading endorsements I want to get.

isabelle 3rd grade you are brave! I never managed well with the elementary kids, I do much better with the middle school grades, but I think most graduating teachers these days prefer the younger ones.

So, I have ordered 4 new books from South Beach, one for quick 30min meals, another for summer recipes, and another that is a restaurant guide and the last which is a quick guide to take to the grocery store with you. My mom (who is also a teacher...but now she's the media specialist) is going to do South Beach with me, so I'm excited. I just have one more month left before I get back to the states. We are flying in on July 4th, independence day..whoo hoo! :clap2: South Beach has a ton of new products from Kraft, like Breakfast bars and microwave meals. I plan on having the bars for Breakfast and bringing the microwave meals for my lunch at work, and then cooking a smart dinner. And they have tons of snack packs like crackers and Cookies etc. So I'm going to allow myself 2 snack packs in between meals. Hopefully, if I can stick to that, plus drink my Water and get in some exercise....I will be losing in no time!

Ok well its 8am here and I'm off to work (yep thats right, I have to teach on Saturday mornings...what a bummer!) Catch you guys later! :mad:

[Surby 1]

Love this thread!!! I'm an assistant principal at a high school with around 1200 kids. I used to be a reading specialist....... I've taught everything from 1st grade to 5th grade and Reading Recovery. I see my job as a benefit because I often only have time for a few bites of lunch and I drink Water throughout the day. That's a little difficult because I often go from 6:30-3:30 without going to the bathroom!! Wild wild days!! Let's keep this thread going! It's great!

[K@t 38]

Hey Surby - Welcome to BTT. So your and AP great, I'm hoping to be there in 3 or 4 years time. So you have done a lot of reading thats great too! In fact I have a question maybe you or kity know the answer. I'm taking an SRA reading position...any idea what SRA is? I googled it but I couldn't find much. And from what I understand its for grades through 6, but I'm supposed to be teaching a 7th grade class.:cry

[kity 2]

K@t,

SRA is a structured reading program. It was really popular in the 1970's, and provided comp. questions that went with each reading selection. But, this is most important...SRA COULD MEAN SOMETHING TOTALLY NEW NOW...IT COULD STAND FOR SO MANY THINGS, SO DON'T TAKE MY INPUT FOR 100% FACT. Good luck in your endeavors. My Master's is in Ed. Admin, and my doctorate is in Organizational Leadership :mad:

[deckedout 0]

I teach 6th grade language arts and social studies. lunch is only 30 minutes and that is really tough. I usually have a Soup at hand and a cottage double. There is not time to slowly eat other stuff. I drink Water in front of my kiddos all day and encourage them all to bring water bottles.

The worst part is if I have to go potty in the middle of class. Then it can be rough trying to find someone to watch the kids while I go.

The kids have really noticed me losing weight this year, I was banded in July. Some of last year's students actually told this year's students that I used to be fat. This year's kids told me that, thinking I'd be mad. I said, "you know what, they were right, I was fat!"

The kids all know that I swim every morning before school, too. I hope I'm setting a good example for them. I work in a lower income school and many of my kids don't have great examples.

When we were in the middle of our yearly testing (The WASL here, Washington Assessment of Student Learning) we took the kids out to the track to walk during our break. I raced a few of them. It was GREAT! Then, naturaly, they all wanted to race and I couldn't recover very quickly, but they were impressed. I couldn't have done that last year. Heck, I wouldn't have even THOUGHT of doing it last year!

[K@t 38]

Hey Jane,

30 min lunches are standard in middle schools. I think it's horrible, it encourages kids to eat to fast. Before I moved to Portugal i was a perm sub at the same school where I'm going to work and I had my planning time right after lunch so I was lucky to get extra lunch time. I know about the potty thing its tough.

Kids can be curious its great that yours are being sweet. When did you get banded? How much have you lost..and how the heck do u have time to go swimming before school? What time do you start work?

[JaneC 0]

I'm a Dyslexia Assesor and tutor at my local college, Rochdale, Lancashire, UK. I also teach key skills IT and have in the past taught ESL. I get banded next week during half term. I have 1 week to get back on my feet and recover from my op before the new term starts.

Jane x

[Surby 1]

K@T, if I'm not mistaken, SRA is published by McGraw Hill, and it's more of a packaged product rather than a theory or strategy. I'm thinking that it's directed instruction, which typically translates into a scripted program. I'm sure that if you searched McGraw-Hill's website, you could read about it. Good luck!!!