Back To School...For Some

Things are about to change at my house!  School is starting so Mister Guy and The Lady are going back to work.  Mr. Guy had to go back last Monday for teacher work days.  That doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me.  Just the teachers were there.  No students.  If a teacher's job is to teach students and there were no students, how could they be working?  They didn't haven't papers to grade or anything.  Mr. Guy said he just had to go to lots of meetings.  That doesn't sound like very much fun to me.  I wonder if he learned anything???

The Lady has a few meetings and has to give some tests this week.  I sort of understand the meetings, but tests?  The Lady hasn't even had any classes and she is already giving tests. She said that the tests aren't the kind of test that you take in a class.  The Lady called them placement tests.  She said that these tests help her to advise the students as to what classes they need to register for.  I don't think that I want to go to a school where they give you a test before they even teach you anything!

On Friday, Mr. Guy spent the day getting his classroom ready.  Since he teaches students about computers, that meant plugging in lots of stuff and pushing lots of buttons to make sure that all of the computers worked properly.  He is good at that kind of stuff.  In the afternoon, The Lady and I went to school with him to help make his classroom pretty.  We got to hang stuff on the wall, arrange some shelves, and do his bulletin boards.  Mr. Guy is not so good at that kind of thing.

While I was in his classroom, Mr. Guy showed me what he does all day.  It was kind of like take your monster to school day.

Mr. Guy has his own special computer.  From his computer he can see the screens of all of his students.  He knows when they are on YouTube or Facebook or playing games when they are supposed to be doing their work.  He can even take control of the students' computers from his desk.  He is kind of like a hacker spy!

Then I got to see one of the computers that the students use.

I like computers and Mr. Guy has taught me a lot, but I don't know if I would like them if I couldn't look at Facebook or work on my blog.  Mr. Guy said that he teaches his students to use the computer for "professional" things like writing letters, making spreadsheets, and creating data bases.  I don't know what those things are, but writing about my adventures on my blog sounds like more fun than any of those things.  Mr. Guy says that that means that I like the humanities rather than STEM subjects.  I guess figuring that out is the kind of thing they taught him in all of his meetings this week.

Yep, computers are for writing.  I now know where all of the letters are on the keyboard.  I'm not sure where they go in all of the words I want to type, but I will figure that out.  And if not, I have just discovered Spellcheck.  It puts all of the letters in my words in the right order.  It is magic!

Mr. Guy has lots of computers in his classroom.

I asked Mr. Guy if I could come to school with him and be in his classes.   I don't really want to learn about spreading data and base sheets or whatever is that he is teaching about, but I am going to miss everybody when they go back to school.  The dogs, cat, and I are going to be at home watching HGTV and talk shows five days a week.  There is only so much of that that a little furry blue and orange monster can take.  And the dogs are not very good about fixing me lunch.  I'm sure that we will all adjust.

On our way out of the school, I saw a sign in the hallway.  Mr. Guy said it is the rules that the students need to follow when they are walking in the halls.  Boy do schools have A LOT of rules!  

I understand the one about listening to adults.  I know that you are supposed to do that even when you don't like what they are saying.  And it makes sense that since you are inside the school that you should use an "inside" voice.  But, some of these rules don't make any sense to me.  Slow down?  Is there a speed limit in the hall?  Does everyone have to go slower than they want to go?

Hold to the right.  Hmm.  Mr. Guy always carries me over his left shoulder.  Does that mean when I go to school with him he has to carry me on his right shoulder?  Or that I have to walk beside him and I have to hold his right hand?  But if I hold his right hand, it will be with my left hand.  Maybe he is supposed to hold my right hand with his left hand.  So many things to worry about!

And "Exhibit catch and release."  How do they having fishing in the halls?  There isn't even any water!  When I was in North Carolina, people would catch fish and then release them back into the pond.  What kind of fish live out of water?  Maybe you have to slow down so that you can catch the fish.  And use an inside voice so that you don't scare the fish.  Once you catch them,  you have to clean them.  "Display cleanliness." Now I get it!  But wait.  You are suppose to catch and release them so you can't clean them.  Oh, I am so confused.  

I think maybe watching The View and Love It Or List It all day is more my speed!

Good luck to all of you teachers and students as you start a new school year!