You are HORRENDOUS

I have a new word to hate.  It truly has a negative connotation ……I hate it…..I loathe it…….I get a sick feeling when I hear it no matter what the context………It is a dreadful word particularly if you are a teacher in the great state of Tennessee……..the word is……….

HORRENDOUS

hor·ren·dous

/hɔˈrɛndəs, hɒ-/ Show Spelled [haw-ren-duhs, ho-] Show IPA

adjective

shockingly dreadful; horrible: a horrendous crime.

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Origin:
1650–60;  < Latin horrendus  dreadful, to be feared (gerund of horrēre  to bristle, shudder), equivalent to horr-  (akin to hirsute) + -endus  gerund suffix

Related forms

hor·ren·dous·ly, adverb

Synonyms
appalling, frightful, hideous.

Thanks to this article……

http://rockytoppolitics.com/2014/05/29/tcap-scores-horrendous/

we as teachers are dropping our heads, tearing up, wondering what in the world we did wrong, thinking and planning and strategizing how we can change for the better next year…..

so OUR scores won’t be  HORRENDOUS

Here are my thoughts…….

1.  I never went into education thinking……Oh, I will be working for the government…..they will take care of me…..it’s all good……they got my back, Jack……  NOPE.  I became an educator because of my love of kids and my love of books.  Period.  End of story.    

2.  I don’t know that the scores are “horrendous” because I can’t see the test, study the test, analyze the test, compare the test, question the test, or talk about the test.  Guess I will just have to take your word for it………scores are horrendous.

3.  How about we agree as educators to do something radical…………

Instead of using these words:

        “How were YOUR scores?”

        “Were HIS scores good?”

        “Wow, HER scores went up!”

        “MY scores were better than last year”

        “MY scores went down!”

Let’s change the lingo to this…..

“How did your students perform?”

“How did his students do?”

“Wow, her students did great!”

“This year’s students did better than last year’s!”

“This year’s students’ scores went down.”

I want to give credit where credit is due……..I didn’t take that test…..the students did…….I didn’t make that score……the students did…….

I know some people are saying….”My gosh, it is just a pronoun change!!”  I realize that……but let me tell you sumpin…..my feelings are hurt, my morale is down, my mind is whirling, my heart is heavy, and I need SOMETHING!!!!!!

So, here’s my plan.  

·       I’m going to change my pronoun usage…….they are not MY scores.

·       I’m going to still put in more than 40  hours a week despite what the haters say about teachers on Topix

·       I’m still going to work through the summer despite what the haters say about teachers on Topix

·       I’m still going to tote home trunkloads of work every day and all summer…….trying to become better at teaching…..trying to reach those kids despite all the controversies, changes, and negativity.

·       I’m not going to hate the word “horrendous” anymore.  I did my best.

Here’s a picture of my desk at home.  This is everything I brought home to work on this summer.  I’m not horrendous and my students’ scores are not either.  We did our best.