I had the privilege of attending NEA's Joint Women's and Minorities Conference this year in New Orleans prior to the NEA Representative Assembly. I am always amazed when I get around groups of teachers....from all over the United States.
The quality of people one finds at these events is wonderful. One of the amazing discoveries for me is educators are the same everywhere. Educators are very easy to spot in a group. Teachers recognize teachers. Anywhere you find yourself; riding an elevator, awaiting shuttle transportation, flying at 35,000 feet, shopping at a CVS pharmacy, sitting in a lobby of a hotel; if there are teachers anywhere in the room you’ll hear conversations about kids:
- Johnny really made progress this year.
- Suzy finally learned her facts.
- Next year I’m going to start earlier on the science projects.
- We tried that program, and it was a disaster.
- I’m tired of parents and our community saying they support schools,then
stab us in the back?
- Imagine what we could do with more teachers working with the kids.
- Lack of school funding is killing us. Too many of us are losing jobs.
- Why do we have to spend so much of the school year testing?
- We just don’t have the resources to help our low kids.
- Why aren’t we spending money on people rather than some new program?
That’s what teachers do, talk about kids. That’s why after many years of teaching, teachers often find it difficult to interact with ‘normal’ people. :)
The NEA Joint Women’s and Minorities Conference is two days with 800 educators from across the United States gathered to hear and learn more about issues regarding student achievement, what’s new with the Federal mandates, research on student successes, examples of community support, and identifying 'red flags' coming from those with an agenda of sabotaging public schools. I have attended four of these conferences. It is always the best of the best. Unlike most inservicees, it well worth the time to attend!
Below is some specific information I wanted to share with Kansas educators.
Texas and Arizona teachers informed us about what is happening in their states. Texas teachers are fighting a very well-organized movement headed by their State Board of Education censoring textbooks and rewriting their Texas history.
Arizona shared the effects of the new immigration law. The Hispanic population is being targeted, stopped by law enforcement demanding identification to prove legal residency. I heard stories of teachers, their family and friends (citizens) afraid to leave their homes without passports and other forms of identification. Teachers shared stories of their students being afraid to come to school. Arizona children are afraid of law enforcement, the very people they should see as protectors.
Another session I found very informative and very scary is the issue of obesity. Two-thirds of our students are identified as obese. This has happened very quickly. From 1990 to 2009 states are reporting increases of 15% to 67%. If this trend continues, we will be looking at the first generation whose life-expectancy will be shorter than their parents. Obesity is an epidemic in America. Possible causes were shared.
Primarily, the cause stems from lousy food choices (home & school), too many hours of television and video games, boiling down to the fact America’s children don’t move enough! Physical education is very important for our children! And yet it is one of the areas schools across the United States are cutting and replacing with more reading and math time (the areas required to test; the areas that someone thinks can be measured with an annual single test).
Research has shown time and time again high-stakes testing is damaging to our children. And yet every public school teacher is forced to do whatever it takes to prepare children and then test them; which, also, forces us to eliminate essential areas like physical education and music.
We know that these areas are essential for our children’s health and their ability to learn the core subjects like math and reading. It is a vicious cycle in which we (schools, educators, and students) are trapped! And we continue to play the game of outsiders who have absolutely no clue as how to educate a child.
Two of the programs shared to assist schools help their children fighting obesity (besides the obvious of ‘fixing’ the junk served for school breakfasts and lunch and the practice of eliminating recesses) were very doable.
First – All students walk or jog the quarter-mile lap on the track at the beginning of every recess. It has been known for awhile, those schools eliminating recess in K-5 grades attempting to schedule more core time, are wasting their efforts. There is quite a bit of professional opinion that believes eliminating recess hinders students’ ability to focus and learn.
The second no-brainer (Although, I never even considered it.) is the ‘play and eat’ concept. Instead of having the students eat lunch and then recess. It makes much more sense to have recess first and then eat lunch. Let the kids get their ‘spenkus arenkus’ under control and then eat lunch.
Several schools shared the ‘play and eat’ was very successful with their students. Students tended to actually take their time at lunch, and the behavior problems at lunch were significantly reduced.
Side note: Physically fit children learn better. Helping our children become physically fit is a win-win for schools and our country.
Keynote Speakers and Great Quotes:
The first speaker at the “Joint Women’s and Minorities” Conference was Chris Gardner. Will Smith played him in the movie “The Pursuit of Happiness.” He shared his story with particular emphasis on a few facts.
- Poverty can happen to anyone.
- Never let anyone convince you that you cannot succeed.
- Success is hard work.
Side note: His son in the movie was supposed to be about 4 years of age. In real life his son was 14 months old.
The second keynote speaker was Ginny Gong. She is the author of “From Ironing Board to Corporate Board.” Ginny arrived in the United States at the age of 6. She did not speak English, neither did her parents or siblings. Ginny was the oldest child. Her parents owned and operated a laundry. Ginny grew up in the back of that laundry.
She shared her life experiences of growing up in two very different cultures. Ginny was the family member responsible for bridging these two worlds. Her overall message to the audience was as educators we may have very limited knowledge of our students other life outside of school. No excuses, just awareness.
Side note: After 30 years in this country, Ginny’s parents took a trip back to China to see their parents. And the only way they would go was if Ginny and siblings ran the laundry.
The final keynote speaker at the ‘Joint’ Conference was Stephanie A. Fryberg, PHD, who researches the “Influence of Social Representations of Race, Culture, and Social Class.” Dr. Fryberg shared her research regarding Native Americans vs media’s portrayal of natives. Her findings suggest our media’s portrayal of Native Americans damages their personal images and lowers their ‘personal possibilities’-- what they might become as adults. Same media images shown to non-natives did not alter self-image or personal possibilities.
All the speakers and session presenters were of very high quality. This conference actually focuses on educators concerns and attempts to give the participants information and strategies to assist with our universal problematic issues. I felt very fortunate to have attended this conference and networking with teachers across our nation.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
2010 NEA Representative Experience
The 2010 NEA Representative Assembly convened on July 3. I was there thanks to Walnut Valley UniServ and Kansas NEA. I had been several times before, but had not been for about 15 years. My very first RA was amazing! I marveled at the assembly! I was young and witnessed the RA from youthful eyes. This time I'm getting close to the end of my teaching career. This RA was just as amazing and wonderful but was witnessed with mature eyes. I was proud when I was younger, and if possible, I was more proud this time! I revel in being a member of the largest delegation of educators that meets to improve public education. That is NEA's goal and only goal; taking care of our schools, our students, and educational employees.
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel gave the opening keynote speech of the 2010 NEA Representative Assembly. President Van Roekel started by saying at last year’s RA, those under the ‘umbrella’ of educators were excited! We knew change was coming. We had high hopes for America’s children and public education.
This year, across this Nation, education employees are hurting and feeling betrayed. His speech focused on the anger we feel regarding “Race to the Top,” high stakes testing for students, competitiveness of this program, and the Administration’s and Department of Education's position of tieing teacher evaluation and pay to students’ test results.
“Race to the Top,” by its nature will have a few winners and many losers. Public school educators know this! Thus far, our collective voices have not been heeded. President Van Roekel called on all public school employees to contact legislators, Department of Education…..and to make our voices heard and votes count.
Too often in the past, too many educators vote a ‘single’ issue they feel strongly about....abortion or maybe guns. Those ‘single’ issues are not in the legislators power to change. Honestly, it makes no difference what you legislators think on these issues. Public education and its funding is within the legislators purview to help or hinder. The NEA has four million members. We can and should stand strong and give our votes only to those supporting public education! With 4,000,000 members voting together, we can be heard and make a difference. Public education is under attack nationwide. It is crucial we challenge these attacks and win this war!
John Wilson, NEA Executive Director, and members of the Executive Committee presented “History of Education Legislation” to the delegation on July 4. The address focused on 1965 and Lyndon B. Johnson’s drive for what he called the Great Society. President Johnson’s first career was that of a school teacher. Envisioning his Great Society, President Johnson said, "We have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but upward to the Great Society."
As John Wilson shared, the Great Society represented one of the most ambitious policy agendas in American history to end poverty, to promote equality, improve public education, rejuvenate cities and protect the environment. President Johnson called it "the greatest outpouring of creative legislation in the history of the nation."
The 2010 National Education Support Personnel of the Year, Helen Cottongim, spoke to the delegates. She has been a bus driver for the Boone County Schools of Florence, Kentucky, starting in 1972 and drove for 25 years. Her beginning salary was $100 a month and her training consisted of, "Let’s take a ride and see if you can drive this thing."
From that beginning she helped organize the Kentucky Education Support Personnel Association, and wrote the slogan, “The Backbone of Education is Support Personnel.” She served as president of her association for six years. Then she was elected to the NEA Board of Directors. She helped to get a tenure bill passed for ESP, health care, and retirement benefits for all educators.
The Governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley, received the America’s Greatest Education Governor Award. Governor O’Malley shared the people he represents don’t make excuses, they make progress! He credits educators working with parents supporting public education.
This year alone Maryland made record investments in K-12 education.
Maryland believes investing in public education creates jobs, opportunities, and futures.
In the last four years they have increased funding by 65 percent. Governor O’Malley stated, “We have earned now for two years in a row in the toughest of times from Education Week Magazine the distinction of having the best public schools in the United States of America,not by chance but by choice.”
NEA member, Sarah Brown Wessling, National Teacher of the Year, spoke to the delegates about her vision for public education. She is an English teacher at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa. Her vision is one of teachers learning as much as the students. Sarah’s message, “I think our system is playing the game of school. It is our collective responsibility to transcend that game. We need to create places where students thrive because of the system, not in spite of it. Our students are worth the kind of learning that's worth doing.”
The final guest speaker of the 2010 NEA RA was Dr. Diane Ravitch. She is the author of “The Death and Life of the Great American School System,” and this year’s Friend of Education Award recipient.
Dr. Ravitch stressed that public education is under attack. There is a faction trying to end public education and wipe out unions. She was adamant that public education is the backbone of our freedom and must not be turned over to privateers. She stated NCLB is a disaster and “Race to the Top” will be a disaster as well. Dr. Ravitch deplores the trend of dropping PE, foreign languages, music, social sciences. “This is not good education.”
Sharing her research, Dr. Ravitch said, "School 'choice' is vastly overrated and supports a ‘class’ system. It is amazing to her that our politicians boast about this. The position of “Race to the Top” replaces the American belief of equal education opportunity for all! Our American way of life is threatened. She has absolutely no confidence in “Race to the Top.”
Dr. Ravitch’s additional findings regarding charter schools versus public schools:
1 out of 6 charter schools will get better results than public schools.
5 out of 6 charter schools will get the same or worse results than
public schools.
Starting with 2003 to the present reaffirms each year charter schools do not get better results than public schools.
Dr. Ravitch shared several pointed statements:
There is a powerful faction wanting to privatize and deregulate schools. Remember what happened to the Stock Market.
Legislators should not decide how to evaluate teachers.
The single most reliable predictor of test scores is poverty. The next two indicators are school attendance and school resources.
Teachers deserve praisenot pink slips.
No school was ever improved by closing it!
“Race to the Top” is supported by Arne Duncan and affirmed by President Obama.
Merit pay has nothing to do with quality education. It destroys collaboration which is essential for the success of public schools.
Teachers and their association have a right to a political voice. Bankers’ Association, medical associations, insurance associations are never targeted as the NEA has been. Attacking NEA is the same as attacking public school as well as 4,000,000 educators.
Getting rid of expensive/experienced teachers and replacing with new teachers trying to save money is very short sighted. Imagine a hospital staffed with only interns?
The students and schools with greater need, need greater resources.
No other country in the world is privatizing schools or using high stakes testing!
And, Dr. Ravitch would love to see 4,000,000 bumper stickers that said, "I vote and so does my family.”
Dr. Ravitch ended her address by saying to the audience,“Do not support any person who does not support public education.”
Every educator in America should have the opportunity of attending and participating in an annual NEA RA. Suddenly, you don’t feel alone and helpless. You become one with the force of the public education family. It is energizing and empowering.
NEA President Dennis Van Roekel gave the opening keynote speech of the 2010 NEA Representative Assembly. President Van Roekel started by saying at last year’s RA, those under the ‘umbrella’ of educators were excited! We knew change was coming. We had high hopes for America’s children and public education.
This year, across this Nation, education employees are hurting and feeling betrayed. His speech focused on the anger we feel regarding “Race to the Top,” high stakes testing for students, competitiveness of this program, and the Administration’s and Department of Education's position of tieing teacher evaluation and pay to students’ test results.
“Race to the Top,” by its nature will have a few winners and many losers. Public school educators know this! Thus far, our collective voices have not been heeded. President Van Roekel called on all public school employees to contact legislators, Department of Education…..and to make our voices heard and votes count.
Too often in the past, too many educators vote a ‘single’ issue they feel strongly about....abortion or maybe guns. Those ‘single’ issues are not in the legislators power to change. Honestly, it makes no difference what you legislators think on these issues. Public education and its funding is within the legislators purview to help or hinder. The NEA has four million members. We can and should stand strong and give our votes only to those supporting public education! With 4,000,000 members voting together, we can be heard and make a difference. Public education is under attack nationwide. It is crucial we challenge these attacks and win this war!
John Wilson, NEA Executive Director, and members of the Executive Committee presented “History of Education Legislation” to the delegation on July 4. The address focused on 1965 and Lyndon B. Johnson’s drive for what he called the Great Society. President Johnson’s first career was that of a school teacher. Envisioning his Great Society, President Johnson said, "We have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but upward to the Great Society."
As John Wilson shared, the Great Society represented one of the most ambitious policy agendas in American history to end poverty, to promote equality, improve public education, rejuvenate cities and protect the environment. President Johnson called it "the greatest outpouring of creative legislation in the history of the nation."
The 2010 National Education Support Personnel of the Year, Helen Cottongim, spoke to the delegates. She has been a bus driver for the Boone County Schools of Florence, Kentucky, starting in 1972 and drove for 25 years. Her beginning salary was $100 a month and her training consisted of, "Let’s take a ride and see if you can drive this thing."
From that beginning she helped organize the Kentucky Education Support Personnel Association, and wrote the slogan, “The Backbone of Education is Support Personnel.” She served as president of her association for six years. Then she was elected to the NEA Board of Directors. She helped to get a tenure bill passed for ESP, health care, and retirement benefits for all educators.
The Governor of Maryland, Martin O’Malley, received the America’s Greatest Education Governor Award. Governor O’Malley shared the people he represents don’t make excuses, they make progress! He credits educators working with parents supporting public education.
This year alone Maryland made record investments in K-12 education.
Maryland believes investing in public education creates jobs, opportunities, and futures.
In the last four years they have increased funding by 65 percent. Governor O’Malley stated, “We have earned now for two years in a row in the toughest of times from Education Week Magazine the distinction of having the best public schools in the United States of America,not by chance but by choice.”
NEA member, Sarah Brown Wessling, National Teacher of the Year, spoke to the delegates about her vision for public education. She is an English teacher at Johnston High School in Johnston, Iowa. Her vision is one of teachers learning as much as the students. Sarah’s message, “I think our system is playing the game of school. It is our collective responsibility to transcend that game. We need to create places where students thrive because of the system, not in spite of it. Our students are worth the kind of learning that's worth doing.”
The final guest speaker of the 2010 NEA RA was Dr. Diane Ravitch. She is the author of “The Death and Life of the Great American School System,” and this year’s Friend of Education Award recipient.
Dr. Ravitch stressed that public education is under attack. There is a faction trying to end public education and wipe out unions. She was adamant that public education is the backbone of our freedom and must not be turned over to privateers. She stated NCLB is a disaster and “Race to the Top” will be a disaster as well. Dr. Ravitch deplores the trend of dropping PE, foreign languages, music, social sciences. “This is not good education.”
Sharing her research, Dr. Ravitch said, "School 'choice' is vastly overrated and supports a ‘class’ system. It is amazing to her that our politicians boast about this. The position of “Race to the Top” replaces the American belief of equal education opportunity for all! Our American way of life is threatened. She has absolutely no confidence in “Race to the Top.”
Dr. Ravitch’s additional findings regarding charter schools versus public schools:
1 out of 6 charter schools will get better results than public schools.
5 out of 6 charter schools will get the same or worse results than
public schools.
Starting with 2003 to the present reaffirms each year charter schools do not get better results than public schools.
Dr. Ravitch shared several pointed statements:
There is a powerful faction wanting to privatize and deregulate schools. Remember what happened to the Stock Market.
Legislators should not decide how to evaluate teachers.
The single most reliable predictor of test scores is poverty. The next two indicators are school attendance and school resources.
Teachers deserve praisenot pink slips.
No school was ever improved by closing it!
“Race to the Top” is supported by Arne Duncan and affirmed by President Obama.
Merit pay has nothing to do with quality education. It destroys collaboration which is essential for the success of public schools.
Teachers and their association have a right to a political voice. Bankers’ Association, medical associations, insurance associations are never targeted as the NEA has been. Attacking NEA is the same as attacking public school as well as 4,000,000 educators.
Getting rid of expensive/experienced teachers and replacing with new teachers trying to save money is very short sighted. Imagine a hospital staffed with only interns?
The students and schools with greater need, need greater resources.
No other country in the world is privatizing schools or using high stakes testing!
And, Dr. Ravitch would love to see 4,000,000 bumper stickers that said, "I vote and so does my family.”
Dr. Ravitch ended her address by saying to the audience,“Do not support any person who does not support public education.”
Every educator in America should have the opportunity of attending and participating in an annual NEA RA. Suddenly, you don’t feel alone and helpless. You become one with the force of the public education family. It is energizing and empowering.
Friday, June 4, 2010
Last Day 2010 - One For the Books!
End of each school year has its challenges. One NEVER knows what will service. Generally, if it hasn’t happened all year, it will service during the last week of school. Several years ago one of our principals suggested rewarding the 8th graders last year in middle school. Appreciation Day was born.
The other motivation for this ‘reward’ was to get the 8th graders out of the building on their last day, have the promotion ceremony that same night. And this ‘last’ day for 8th graders would be about 2 days earlier than the 6th and 7th graders. This was an attempt to ‘control’ the last days of the school years. And we USE the threat of ‘losing’ this special day as leverage to maintain productive schooling right up until the end. The concept is solid and does generally works.
Majority of the kids were like us, their teachers. We came to our last day at school with a positive outlook and were going to have a great day. We had planned mini-classes of about 45 minutes, then BBQ for lunch and have yearbook signing, clean out lockers, and end the day with Team Awards. This should have been a ‘feel good day.’
As teachers, we had already spent considerable time and ENERGY over the last month trying to establish an environment that would allow for a successful end. While still trying to teach, we spent more our time putting out fires. We started with the cafeteria at lunchtime. Our lovelies apparently had reverted back to their animal instincts. Their disrespect was at an all time high and apparently contagious. They had been throwing food, making food ‘messes,’ arguing with and yelling at lunchroom staff. Administration asked for our help.
About a dozen of our boys were and had been ‘on the edge’ of disintegrating for over a month. They had absolutely NO wiggle room. Their behavior was spreading and threatened to ignite. Obviously, we still had curriculum we wanted to cover, but at this stage of the game….AND it was a game. The adults were the unwilling participants. When we finally, and reluctantly accepted the challenge from administration, we would win!!
We set up seating charts. All the “pleases. don’t do this, but can’t we….., we didn’t do anything wrong…..” fell on our deaf ears. Been there, done that! It was not a democracy but a dictatorship and had no room for negotiations. Those days were long gone and in my opinion had been part of the problem.
My partners and I would drop into the cafeteria affirming proper seating was being followed. Those students choosing to ignore the rules were given consequences. This was the procedure for the last 3 weeks of school. Teachers were highly visibility in the halls, frequent swing-throughs in restrooms (which had also been trashed several times…boy’s bathrooms, of course). Students not in the classroom had to have passes with ‘time-out’ and ‘time-returned’ documented. It was a close to prison as we could get.
There were several theories as to how student behavior had deteriorated to this chaotic mess, but at this point assigning blame would be a waste of time….we had fires to put out. We would reflect later and devise a fire protection plan for the 10-11 school year.
The 8th grade teachers had managed to curtail misbehavior by not allowing any ‘freedoms.’ Picture six 8th grade teachers with a combined 80 years of experience ‘doggin’ our students EVERYWHERE they went. It was exhausting, but working. However, I continued to be very annoyed that 14-year old children (on their way to high school and getting their drivers permit) could not be trusted anymore than a toddler. But ‘it was what it was.’
THEN there was Friday!
Ninety percent of the kids could be trusted. But the other 10 percent had us worried. Could we ‘safely’ take them outside the protected environment of the school walls without getting sued? We were still working on the plan for these ‘wonderful, borderline’ kids. But it was coming together.
We had made it to the last Friday, and we were intact! All the 8th graders were going to be allowed to attend their Appreciation Day next Monday and participate in their Promotion Ceremony that evening. We just had to get through this last day at school, Friday. This was to be a fun-filled day, a day with little time for students to get in trouble…or so we thought.
The last Friday (day before Appreciation Day) of my 29th year was one for the books. It was intense and I don’t remember any year that could match it. Well maybe 1992 (class of 1996—fondly referred to as Class from Hell II)…but I was much younger then.
FIRST ISSUE – As shared earlier our lovelies had been horrible during lunch. That’s the only way to describe it…HORRIBLE! But we had this under control. Kids knew the rules, the expectations, and knew the consequences if the rules weren’t followed. They, also, were VERY aware this was their last day in the cafeteria for this year, the last day in the middle school cafeteria ever. All they had to do was seat in their assigned seat, eat, and behave for 30 minutes. Again, teachers dropped by the cafeteria to check seat assignments.
On this LAST day (Thursday) in the cafeteria, one of our ‘dirty dozen’ decides to get up and move tables immediately after teachers exited from the daily ‘check.’ Lunch personnel wrote us a note….as requested and expected. This young man’s homebase teacher got the note first thing Friday morning.
This young man was one of our ‘NO-ROOM for misbehavior.’ He knew this, we visited with him constantly. Now, we teachers MUST follow through with a consequence. By all that is fair and deserved (and a very structured conduct card discipline system), the student was at the behavior hierarchy of OSS. This would mean he was gone for the rest of the year (2 days) and miss our 8th Grade Appreciation Day and participating in the Promotion Ceremony.
Some might think moving seats in the cafeteria would keep a kid from Promotion is a little severe. What needs to be understood our ‘Conduct Card’ system is FOR minor misbehaviors. However, it is, also, our philosophy any student continuing to have minor misbehaviors accumulates to MAJOR disruptions. Kind of like being ‘pecked to death by baby ducks,” which completely undermines the school’s ability to function. Productivity plummets.
This young man had already accumulated 45 marks. He had already had consequences of after-school detentions, ESD (extended school day—really long after-school detentions, ISS (in-school suspensions), numerous ‘conferences’ with the student and parent. He KNEW this….NO surprises. Our kids can ‘recite’ the Conduct Card part of their handbook.
I actually believe the kid was scared. He should have been. His homebase teacher was devastated and broke down in front of this 8th grader. “What were you thinking! How could you purposely do exactly what you KNEW would get you the LAST mark on your LAST card? This makes me physically SICK!!” (Obviously, he WASN’T thinking….as usual!)
We wanted him with us at Appreciation Day and even more at Promotion. So, what could we do and still be ‘consistent.’ Because the teachers and administration are ‘weak,’ and too LOVING, we figured a way around the ‘conduct card’ consequence. The young man was given the option of a ‘card’ mark OR an Office Referral. He chose the Office Referral, which is administered separately depending on the number of office referrals a student has accumulated. The young man was immediately placed in ISS for Friday. He would miss the BBQ, yearbook signing, and the Team Awards.
NEXT – As Friday would be our last day actually at school, the 8th grade teachers would be picking up the kids’ Conduct Card. We needed to finalize our behavior ‘records’ and all students still on their first card (white) would be given a ‘dog tag.’ It truly is a ‘status’ thing to get the dog tags. Most of our students have these ‘tags’ for each semester of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade years. And they wear them! Still being on the white card meant these students had gone an entire semester with less than 5 marks (under 5 marks for minor disruptions and/or missing assignments). HUGE accomplishment!
Part of the ‘operational’ procedures for the cards includes getting parent signature for each card mark and each student MUST be able to produce the card whenever asked to do so. If they can’t, they automatically go to the next card level (with a consequence for the ‘lost’ card). This was procedure for the entire year AND had been the procedure for their 6th and 7th grade years as well! Nothing new here, no surprises!
First thing during homebase kids turned in the cards to us. I had two students who couldn’t produce theirs, left them at home!? We gave them until noon to get them to school or go to the next card with a consequence…losing ‘something.’ (We’d figure out ‘what’ when we had to.) Both parents brought the card in and were not happy with their offspring. I knew the feeling.
One of our other children turned in his card. He knew he had two missing ‘parent’ signatures. Now to be honest, the teachers were ignoring ‘no signatures;’ after all, this WAS the last day. But this young man didn’t know that, and he decided to ‘forge’ his parents’ initials. Why the teacher noticed something was ‘off’ is not known, even she doesn’t know; but ‘something’ was off. Why she had time or decided to shoot off an email to folks to check out the signatures is not known, even she doesn’t know; but she did. His folks showed up at school to tell us…in front of their child….YES, he had forged their initials, and they WERE NOT happy with him.
Our NEXT ONE to enter ISS for the day. All of this happening before convening ‘regular’ classes. This young man would, also, be missing the BBQ, yearbook signing, and Team Awards.
CONTINUING……Now for the ‘official’ school day of mini-classes. This year’s Algebra class was one of my best if not the best. They worked VERY hard, matured immensely in their math skills and study habits. However, they were the masters at WHINING. Today was no different. They didn’t understand why classes had to be 45 minutes rather than 30 minutes. Of course, my immediate reaction was one of I’m the teacher, this is the last day. I, with my teaching partners have made the schedule. Where in the world do students decide school schedules? The students and my conversation went something like:
ME: “WHAT?! It’s how we, the TEACHERS, scheduled your day.”
Student: “Why?”
ME: “What do you mean why? Because!!”
Student: “But…”
ME: “STOP!!! This day WILL BE a day without WHINING…GOT IT!”
Each of the classes had their own issues, but ALL ended the same! “No, WHINING….NO NEGOTIATING!”
In my class on Friday, students were to write letters to themselves. These letters would then be put in an envelope and sealed. These letters would then be placed in the 2014 ‘time capsule’ to be opened during their senior year of high school. The students did seem to care about this, for the most part and took it seriously. This surprised me, but I was grateful! The remaining time they played games; cards, checkers, chess, Monopoly, Boogle (I hate Boogle….NOISY!), UNO, Double Solitaire….
When classes were over, we were on to the yearbook signing. Each and EVERY class was given the ‘appropriate signing’ speech RIGHT BEFORE the event. Yep, didn’t work….about a dozen kids proceeded to write in others’ yearbooks sexually inappropriate messages. These kids got the ‘sit-down in the corner’ consequence and were the last to go through the BBQ food line. These are the consequences little kids in preschool get. Yes, it was a preschool type of day.
NEXT we were ready for locker clean-out. The teachers positioned themselves in the hall beside their rooms (our best attempt to watch the classroom and the hall). Things seemed to be going pretty well when I hear the loudest, most horrible sound of something BIG breaking. I snap my eyes to my room. I can see half of the class, kids frozen and staring at the corner of the room I can’t see, with their mouths dropped wide open.
I CALMLY (I didn’t have the energy for anything else.) walked into the room and saw one of my ‘dirty dozen’ trying to reassemble a huge flowerpot (painted with the ‘stars and stripes’ given to me by a ‘former’ parent). There was DEAD SILENCE in the room.
ME: “Young man, I want you to give me an explanation.”
Student: “Uh….I really don’t want to.”
ME: “I will need an explanation.”
Student: Nothing
ME: “I am going back into the hall to watch the rest of locker clean out. I’ll be back for the explanation.”
About 5 minutes later I return. Class is still silent. My young man looks at me and says,
Student: “I’m ready to tell you an explanation.”
ME: “I’m ready to hear it.”
Student: “Well, I was standing on the counter and looking at the stuff (various pottery works done in Art class that students had given me or left in my room over the years placed ON TOP of the wall cabinets) and my elbow hit the pot.”
I told him I appreciated the explanation. Now I needed the entire class to leave the room while I ‘readied’ the room for the ‘awards’ ceremony. The kids silently left the room, close the door, and proceeded to sit down on the floor right outside my classroom….kind of looked like a little covey.
Apparently, one of the kids went and got one of my teaching partners. She came in the room and said, “WHAT HAPPENED?” I told her the story while I continue to straighten the room. She whirls around and says, “Well, that’s ISS for him for the rest of the day.”
He became our third ISS student for the day. He missed the awards.
AWARDS CEREMONY began. The awards are something we have done for 19 years.
Some students are recognized with ‘serious’ awards; Most Outstanding, Most Improved, and Best Effort in each subject area. Then we conclude with the ‘funny’ awards, one for each student. The teachers never talk about the awards in front of the kids until the last day, but they have already heard about them from previous years and LOVE anticipating what their individual awards might be.
I didn’t have much hope in salvaging the day. But we couldn’t stop now….’full steam ahead’! First the ‘serious’ awards were given out. Students looked genuinely pleased to be recognized, and their classmates genuinely happy for them….appropriate applauses and congratulations. Thank goodness for that; still I was not expecting much.
We started the ‘funny’ awards. Individual students were recognized for:
Future Gossip Columnist
Future Albert Schweitzer
Future Tree Hugger
Future American Idol
“Are you sure the rules apply to me?”
Ladies Man
Future Supreme Court Justice
“Huh? What are we suppose to be doing?”
Future Sunglasses Model
Mr. Style
Future Make-up Artist
#1 Teachers’ Pet
Future Novelist
Mr. Cool
My Goal is Organization
World Record for Most Trips to Her Locker
Ms. Sunshine
All American
World Olympian Wrestler
First Women on Mars
Future Astronaut….
The kids loved them! Each time one of my team partners or I began to describe the ‘award’ or the individual getting the award…the kids guessed the recipient. It was like we REALLY were family….the feeling I had been ‘looking for’ all year.
At the end, we told the kids it was time to go back to homebase, gather their stuff and go home.
Students: “No, wait, we have awards for you teachers.”
My teaching partner: “Oh, I don’t think so.”
Students: “No, really, they’re good.”
One of our ‘dirty dozen’ stands, apparently elected to be the presenter.
“Ms. Groat gets the Best Teacher Award.” Kids applaud.
“Mrs. Walker gets the ‘Loves Donuts and Shares Award” Kids applaud.
“Mrs. Shirley gets the ‘Teaches Interesting Things Award” Kids applaud.
With 3 minutes left of the day, I went and gathered up my three ‘ISSers,’ brought them back to the classroom. As they entered, I asked the class, “And their awards were….?”
All the kids, as a chorus, told the boys their ‘funny’ awards.
Kids are gone. What a ‘trip’ of a day! We have Monday’s Appreciation Day and evening Promotion to finish off the year. I am amazed once again by 8th graders.
After 29 years, I began to think I can’t be surprised any more….at least not surprised very much. But this year’s group has been the most trying, challenging, debilitating, exhausting I can remember having in the last 19 years of 8th graders. And then Friday, completely be surprise, I find myself getting emotional because the ‘end’ is in sight We’ve come to the end of a very important year for this kids! They made it! I made it! I see them in my mind smiling, enjoying school life! Huh?? Who knew??
Course, we still have Monday to get through!!
The other motivation for this ‘reward’ was to get the 8th graders out of the building on their last day, have the promotion ceremony that same night. And this ‘last’ day for 8th graders would be about 2 days earlier than the 6th and 7th graders. This was an attempt to ‘control’ the last days of the school years. And we USE the threat of ‘losing’ this special day as leverage to maintain productive schooling right up until the end. The concept is solid and does generally works.
Majority of the kids were like us, their teachers. We came to our last day at school with a positive outlook and were going to have a great day. We had planned mini-classes of about 45 minutes, then BBQ for lunch and have yearbook signing, clean out lockers, and end the day with Team Awards. This should have been a ‘feel good day.’
As teachers, we had already spent considerable time and ENERGY over the last month trying to establish an environment that would allow for a successful end. While still trying to teach, we spent more our time putting out fires. We started with the cafeteria at lunchtime. Our lovelies apparently had reverted back to their animal instincts. Their disrespect was at an all time high and apparently contagious. They had been throwing food, making food ‘messes,’ arguing with and yelling at lunchroom staff. Administration asked for our help.
About a dozen of our boys were and had been ‘on the edge’ of disintegrating for over a month. They had absolutely NO wiggle room. Their behavior was spreading and threatened to ignite. Obviously, we still had curriculum we wanted to cover, but at this stage of the game….AND it was a game. The adults were the unwilling participants. When we finally, and reluctantly accepted the challenge from administration, we would win!!
We set up seating charts. All the “pleases. don’t do this, but can’t we….., we didn’t do anything wrong…..” fell on our deaf ears. Been there, done that! It was not a democracy but a dictatorship and had no room for negotiations. Those days were long gone and in my opinion had been part of the problem.
My partners and I would drop into the cafeteria affirming proper seating was being followed. Those students choosing to ignore the rules were given consequences. This was the procedure for the last 3 weeks of school. Teachers were highly visibility in the halls, frequent swing-throughs in restrooms (which had also been trashed several times…boy’s bathrooms, of course). Students not in the classroom had to have passes with ‘time-out’ and ‘time-returned’ documented. It was a close to prison as we could get.
There were several theories as to how student behavior had deteriorated to this chaotic mess, but at this point assigning blame would be a waste of time….we had fires to put out. We would reflect later and devise a fire protection plan for the 10-11 school year.
The 8th grade teachers had managed to curtail misbehavior by not allowing any ‘freedoms.’ Picture six 8th grade teachers with a combined 80 years of experience ‘doggin’ our students EVERYWHERE they went. It was exhausting, but working. However, I continued to be very annoyed that 14-year old children (on their way to high school and getting their drivers permit) could not be trusted anymore than a toddler. But ‘it was what it was.’
THEN there was Friday!
Ninety percent of the kids could be trusted. But the other 10 percent had us worried. Could we ‘safely’ take them outside the protected environment of the school walls without getting sued? We were still working on the plan for these ‘wonderful, borderline’ kids. But it was coming together.
We had made it to the last Friday, and we were intact! All the 8th graders were going to be allowed to attend their Appreciation Day next Monday and participate in their Promotion Ceremony that evening. We just had to get through this last day at school, Friday. This was to be a fun-filled day, a day with little time for students to get in trouble…or so we thought.
The last Friday (day before Appreciation Day) of my 29th year was one for the books. It was intense and I don’t remember any year that could match it. Well maybe 1992 (class of 1996—fondly referred to as Class from Hell II)…but I was much younger then.
FIRST ISSUE – As shared earlier our lovelies had been horrible during lunch. That’s the only way to describe it…HORRIBLE! But we had this under control. Kids knew the rules, the expectations, and knew the consequences if the rules weren’t followed. They, also, were VERY aware this was their last day in the cafeteria for this year, the last day in the middle school cafeteria ever. All they had to do was seat in their assigned seat, eat, and behave for 30 minutes. Again, teachers dropped by the cafeteria to check seat assignments.
On this LAST day (Thursday) in the cafeteria, one of our ‘dirty dozen’ decides to get up and move tables immediately after teachers exited from the daily ‘check.’ Lunch personnel wrote us a note….as requested and expected. This young man’s homebase teacher got the note first thing Friday morning.
This young man was one of our ‘NO-ROOM for misbehavior.’ He knew this, we visited with him constantly. Now, we teachers MUST follow through with a consequence. By all that is fair and deserved (and a very structured conduct card discipline system), the student was at the behavior hierarchy of OSS. This would mean he was gone for the rest of the year (2 days) and miss our 8th Grade Appreciation Day and participating in the Promotion Ceremony.
Some might think moving seats in the cafeteria would keep a kid from Promotion is a little severe. What needs to be understood our ‘Conduct Card’ system is FOR minor misbehaviors. However, it is, also, our philosophy any student continuing to have minor misbehaviors accumulates to MAJOR disruptions. Kind of like being ‘pecked to death by baby ducks,” which completely undermines the school’s ability to function. Productivity plummets.
This young man had already accumulated 45 marks. He had already had consequences of after-school detentions, ESD (extended school day—really long after-school detentions, ISS (in-school suspensions), numerous ‘conferences’ with the student and parent. He KNEW this….NO surprises. Our kids can ‘recite’ the Conduct Card part of their handbook.
I actually believe the kid was scared. He should have been. His homebase teacher was devastated and broke down in front of this 8th grader. “What were you thinking! How could you purposely do exactly what you KNEW would get you the LAST mark on your LAST card? This makes me physically SICK!!” (Obviously, he WASN’T thinking….as usual!)
We wanted him with us at Appreciation Day and even more at Promotion. So, what could we do and still be ‘consistent.’ Because the teachers and administration are ‘weak,’ and too LOVING, we figured a way around the ‘conduct card’ consequence. The young man was given the option of a ‘card’ mark OR an Office Referral. He chose the Office Referral, which is administered separately depending on the number of office referrals a student has accumulated. The young man was immediately placed in ISS for Friday. He would miss the BBQ, yearbook signing, and the Team Awards.
NEXT – As Friday would be our last day actually at school, the 8th grade teachers would be picking up the kids’ Conduct Card. We needed to finalize our behavior ‘records’ and all students still on their first card (white) would be given a ‘dog tag.’ It truly is a ‘status’ thing to get the dog tags. Most of our students have these ‘tags’ for each semester of 6th, 7th, and 8th grade years. And they wear them! Still being on the white card meant these students had gone an entire semester with less than 5 marks (under 5 marks for minor disruptions and/or missing assignments). HUGE accomplishment!
Part of the ‘operational’ procedures for the cards includes getting parent signature for each card mark and each student MUST be able to produce the card whenever asked to do so. If they can’t, they automatically go to the next card level (with a consequence for the ‘lost’ card). This was procedure for the entire year AND had been the procedure for their 6th and 7th grade years as well! Nothing new here, no surprises!
First thing during homebase kids turned in the cards to us. I had two students who couldn’t produce theirs, left them at home!? We gave them until noon to get them to school or go to the next card with a consequence…losing ‘something.’ (We’d figure out ‘what’ when we had to.) Both parents brought the card in and were not happy with their offspring. I knew the feeling.
One of our other children turned in his card. He knew he had two missing ‘parent’ signatures. Now to be honest, the teachers were ignoring ‘no signatures;’ after all, this WAS the last day. But this young man didn’t know that, and he decided to ‘forge’ his parents’ initials. Why the teacher noticed something was ‘off’ is not known, even she doesn’t know; but ‘something’ was off. Why she had time or decided to shoot off an email to folks to check out the signatures is not known, even she doesn’t know; but she did. His folks showed up at school to tell us…in front of their child….YES, he had forged their initials, and they WERE NOT happy with him.
Our NEXT ONE to enter ISS for the day. All of this happening before convening ‘regular’ classes. This young man would, also, be missing the BBQ, yearbook signing, and Team Awards.
CONTINUING……Now for the ‘official’ school day of mini-classes. This year’s Algebra class was one of my best if not the best. They worked VERY hard, matured immensely in their math skills and study habits. However, they were the masters at WHINING. Today was no different. They didn’t understand why classes had to be 45 minutes rather than 30 minutes. Of course, my immediate reaction was one of I’m the teacher, this is the last day. I, with my teaching partners have made the schedule. Where in the world do students decide school schedules? The students and my conversation went something like:
ME: “WHAT?! It’s how we, the TEACHERS, scheduled your day.”
Student: “Why?”
ME: “What do you mean why? Because!!”
Student: “But…”
ME: “STOP!!! This day WILL BE a day without WHINING…GOT IT!”
Each of the classes had their own issues, but ALL ended the same! “No, WHINING….NO NEGOTIATING!”
In my class on Friday, students were to write letters to themselves. These letters would then be put in an envelope and sealed. These letters would then be placed in the 2014 ‘time capsule’ to be opened during their senior year of high school. The students did seem to care about this, for the most part and took it seriously. This surprised me, but I was grateful! The remaining time they played games; cards, checkers, chess, Monopoly, Boogle (I hate Boogle….NOISY!), UNO, Double Solitaire….
When classes were over, we were on to the yearbook signing. Each and EVERY class was given the ‘appropriate signing’ speech RIGHT BEFORE the event. Yep, didn’t work….about a dozen kids proceeded to write in others’ yearbooks sexually inappropriate messages. These kids got the ‘sit-down in the corner’ consequence and were the last to go through the BBQ food line. These are the consequences little kids in preschool get. Yes, it was a preschool type of day.
NEXT we were ready for locker clean-out. The teachers positioned themselves in the hall beside their rooms (our best attempt to watch the classroom and the hall). Things seemed to be going pretty well when I hear the loudest, most horrible sound of something BIG breaking. I snap my eyes to my room. I can see half of the class, kids frozen and staring at the corner of the room I can’t see, with their mouths dropped wide open.
I CALMLY (I didn’t have the energy for anything else.) walked into the room and saw one of my ‘dirty dozen’ trying to reassemble a huge flowerpot (painted with the ‘stars and stripes’ given to me by a ‘former’ parent). There was DEAD SILENCE in the room.
ME: “Young man, I want you to give me an explanation.”
Student: “Uh….I really don’t want to.”
ME: “I will need an explanation.”
Student: Nothing
ME: “I am going back into the hall to watch the rest of locker clean out. I’ll be back for the explanation.”
About 5 minutes later I return. Class is still silent. My young man looks at me and says,
Student: “I’m ready to tell you an explanation.”
ME: “I’m ready to hear it.”
Student: “Well, I was standing on the counter and looking at the stuff (various pottery works done in Art class that students had given me or left in my room over the years placed ON TOP of the wall cabinets) and my elbow hit the pot.”
I told him I appreciated the explanation. Now I needed the entire class to leave the room while I ‘readied’ the room for the ‘awards’ ceremony. The kids silently left the room, close the door, and proceeded to sit down on the floor right outside my classroom….kind of looked like a little covey.
Apparently, one of the kids went and got one of my teaching partners. She came in the room and said, “WHAT HAPPENED?” I told her the story while I continue to straighten the room. She whirls around and says, “Well, that’s ISS for him for the rest of the day.”
He became our third ISS student for the day. He missed the awards.
AWARDS CEREMONY began. The awards are something we have done for 19 years.
Some students are recognized with ‘serious’ awards; Most Outstanding, Most Improved, and Best Effort in each subject area. Then we conclude with the ‘funny’ awards, one for each student. The teachers never talk about the awards in front of the kids until the last day, but they have already heard about them from previous years and LOVE anticipating what their individual awards might be.
I didn’t have much hope in salvaging the day. But we couldn’t stop now….’full steam ahead’! First the ‘serious’ awards were given out. Students looked genuinely pleased to be recognized, and their classmates genuinely happy for them….appropriate applauses and congratulations. Thank goodness for that; still I was not expecting much.
We started the ‘funny’ awards. Individual students were recognized for:
Future Gossip Columnist
Future Albert Schweitzer
Future Tree Hugger
Future American Idol
“Are you sure the rules apply to me?”
Ladies Man
Future Supreme Court Justice
“Huh? What are we suppose to be doing?”
Future Sunglasses Model
Mr. Style
Future Make-up Artist
#1 Teachers’ Pet
Future Novelist
Mr. Cool
My Goal is Organization
World Record for Most Trips to Her Locker
Ms. Sunshine
All American
World Olympian Wrestler
First Women on Mars
Future Astronaut….
The kids loved them! Each time one of my team partners or I began to describe the ‘award’ or the individual getting the award…the kids guessed the recipient. It was like we REALLY were family….the feeling I had been ‘looking for’ all year.
At the end, we told the kids it was time to go back to homebase, gather their stuff and go home.
Students: “No, wait, we have awards for you teachers.”
My teaching partner: “Oh, I don’t think so.”
Students: “No, really, they’re good.”
One of our ‘dirty dozen’ stands, apparently elected to be the presenter.
“Ms. Groat gets the Best Teacher Award.” Kids applaud.
“Mrs. Walker gets the ‘Loves Donuts and Shares Award” Kids applaud.
“Mrs. Shirley gets the ‘Teaches Interesting Things Award” Kids applaud.
With 3 minutes left of the day, I went and gathered up my three ‘ISSers,’ brought them back to the classroom. As they entered, I asked the class, “And their awards were….?”
All the kids, as a chorus, told the boys their ‘funny’ awards.
Kids are gone. What a ‘trip’ of a day! We have Monday’s Appreciation Day and evening Promotion to finish off the year. I am amazed once again by 8th graders.
After 29 years, I began to think I can’t be surprised any more….at least not surprised very much. But this year’s group has been the most trying, challenging, debilitating, exhausting I can remember having in the last 19 years of 8th graders. And then Friday, completely be surprise, I find myself getting emotional because the ‘end’ is in sight We’ve come to the end of a very important year for this kids! They made it! I made it! I see them in my mind smiling, enjoying school life! Huh?? Who knew??
Course, we still have Monday to get through!!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
United We Stand
My first class was a group of lovable and outstanding 3rd graders. Those lovable kids wanted to learn and please their parents and their teacher. It was Heaven on Earth. Course, we were always doing something exciting. I had 22 adorable 8-year olds. Their curriculum was easy to deliver and grade; teacher’s edition were rarely opened. Spelling, language arts, math, science, and social studies assignments and activities could be graded quickly...the old ‘eyeball’ method.
They were a class that could work in groups very successfully and productively. We did “Healthy Teeth puppet plays for kindergarten, our own version of Fairy Tales puppet plays for first graders. We had guess speakers sharing with us their life on the farm, ‘what happened and when.’ We hatched little chicks. We turned the eggs three times each day, and I came up every night to turn them.
We went on a field trip to Energy Center in Wichita. We did projects focusing on energy conservation, cooked in a solar oven, made model wind turbines, made paper-sack kites, saw films on renewal energy sources and fossil fuels. We made an ‘energy’ quilt. Made commitments to lower our own energy usage. I had a class of conservationists, tree huggers! They were going to save the world. I was SURE every one of my kids was going to grow up and do something GREAT! And they’d say they owed it all to their 3rd grade teacher….ME!!
I had wonderful support of parents, staff, and administration. I thought I was the best thing to happen to the classroom in decades. All the time and energy and years I spent to become a teacher…..this was exactly what I thought teaching America’s children was all about.
I knew nothing of tenure, due process, negotiations; I was sure if you’re GREAT that was all that was necessary. I was so full of myself and completely naïve. I stayed this way for about 5 years. Then I began to see GREAT teachers being verbally abused, picked on, set-up to fail. I was amazed this could happen. It actually took me a while to see the ‘light.’ It is easier and saver to believe the ‘teacher’ surely did something and got in trouble for it. Surely, it had to be something terrible….had nothing to do with personality or differing opinions. I was still inside the ‘protected bubble’ where every thing is fair, and everyone is nice and professional. After all, this was the grand world of educating all the children. Surely, anyone involved in this endeavor was true, ethical, and the best people on this Earth.
Well, over the years, I have learned, painfully I might add, that not all those in education are true, ethical, and sometimes can be quite ruthless. I continue to wonder how someone like this would even consider education as a career. The ones I have met that fit the above description have always been administrators. All school administrators had to first be teachers. The general consensus regarding these type of administrators is s/he has totally forgotten or ‘blacked-out’ their time in the ‘trenches’ with the kids.
I experienced this between my 8-15 years of teaching. It was brutal for my teaching partners and me. Looking back, I can identify this as plain and directed harassment. Folks might be written up for tardy for meetings, being out of the classroom, not being in the hall, not communicating with peers or parents in a productive manner……it was ongoing, relentless, and completely BOGUS! The harrassment did its damage. Teachers became ‘jumpy,’ paranoid (course it’s not paranoid if someone is out to get you). Teachers began ‘hiding out.’ Teach their classes and stay ‘below the radar.’ Teacher collaboration was shutdown completely. The hostile work environment was VERY detrimental to the learning environment. Creativeness and productivity was stifled! Survival mode kicked in. We were scared. Teachers are VERY NICE people. Treating teachers in this mnner is criminal.
Eventually, we did start ‘collaborating’ outside the school day and off school property . We discovered we were all in the same boat. Prior to this, we all had felt it was just us. We had a support group forming. Once this happened, teachers took the ‘power’ away from our tormentor. AND before long (took a couple of years), the administrator moved on down the road.
And even though many of the teachers experiencing those years have also moved on, my staff has never let administration divide us again. The ‘oldsters’ teach the ‘newbies’ the importance of staff unity. We old teachers watch the mood of the school, and we TALK to each other!! We address conflict in the open, not behind closed doors, and never keep ‘secrets.’ We do not manipulate each other and do not allow ourselves to be manipulated.
It was a very difficult time, but what we learned from it has made us a stronger staff, making it easier to fight for our students and our fellow peers.
They were a class that could work in groups very successfully and productively. We did “Healthy Teeth puppet plays for kindergarten, our own version of Fairy Tales puppet plays for first graders. We had guess speakers sharing with us their life on the farm, ‘what happened and when.’ We hatched little chicks. We turned the eggs three times each day, and I came up every night to turn them.
We went on a field trip to Energy Center in Wichita. We did projects focusing on energy conservation, cooked in a solar oven, made model wind turbines, made paper-sack kites, saw films on renewal energy sources and fossil fuels. We made an ‘energy’ quilt. Made commitments to lower our own energy usage. I had a class of conservationists, tree huggers! They were going to save the world. I was SURE every one of my kids was going to grow up and do something GREAT! And they’d say they owed it all to their 3rd grade teacher….ME!!
I had wonderful support of parents, staff, and administration. I thought I was the best thing to happen to the classroom in decades. All the time and energy and years I spent to become a teacher…..this was exactly what I thought teaching America’s children was all about.
I knew nothing of tenure, due process, negotiations; I was sure if you’re GREAT that was all that was necessary. I was so full of myself and completely naïve. I stayed this way for about 5 years. Then I began to see GREAT teachers being verbally abused, picked on, set-up to fail. I was amazed this could happen. It actually took me a while to see the ‘light.’ It is easier and saver to believe the ‘teacher’ surely did something and got in trouble for it. Surely, it had to be something terrible….had nothing to do with personality or differing opinions. I was still inside the ‘protected bubble’ where every thing is fair, and everyone is nice and professional. After all, this was the grand world of educating all the children. Surely, anyone involved in this endeavor was true, ethical, and the best people on this Earth.
Well, over the years, I have learned, painfully I might add, that not all those in education are true, ethical, and sometimes can be quite ruthless. I continue to wonder how someone like this would even consider education as a career. The ones I have met that fit the above description have always been administrators. All school administrators had to first be teachers. The general consensus regarding these type of administrators is s/he has totally forgotten or ‘blacked-out’ their time in the ‘trenches’ with the kids.
I experienced this between my 8-15 years of teaching. It was brutal for my teaching partners and me. Looking back, I can identify this as plain and directed harassment. Folks might be written up for tardy for meetings, being out of the classroom, not being in the hall, not communicating with peers or parents in a productive manner……it was ongoing, relentless, and completely BOGUS! The harrassment did its damage. Teachers became ‘jumpy,’ paranoid (course it’s not paranoid if someone is out to get you). Teachers began ‘hiding out.’ Teach their classes and stay ‘below the radar.’ Teacher collaboration was shutdown completely. The hostile work environment was VERY detrimental to the learning environment. Creativeness and productivity was stifled! Survival mode kicked in. We were scared. Teachers are VERY NICE people. Treating teachers in this mnner is criminal.
Eventually, we did start ‘collaborating’ outside the school day and off school property . We discovered we were all in the same boat. Prior to this, we all had felt it was just us. We had a support group forming. Once this happened, teachers took the ‘power’ away from our tormentor. AND before long (took a couple of years), the administrator moved on down the road.
And even though many of the teachers experiencing those years have also moved on, my staff has never let administration divide us again. The ‘oldsters’ teach the ‘newbies’ the importance of staff unity. We old teachers watch the mood of the school, and we TALK to each other!! We address conflict in the open, not behind closed doors, and never keep ‘secrets.’ We do not manipulate each other and do not allow ourselves to be manipulated.
It was a very difficult time, but what we learned from it has made us a stronger staff, making it easier to fight for our students and our fellow peers.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Teacher Evaluation and Student Testing - Who’s brilliant idea was this?? Public School Saboteurs??
It’s amazing to me all the ‘talk’ about evaluating teachers on student test scores, especially if that measurement is based on an arbitrary ‘cut’ score. Students are not pieces/parts. They cannot and SHOULD NOT be measured like a bolt on an assembly line...in-tolerance, out-of-tolerance. A TEST will NEVER tell us what all a child knows or doesn’t know. In the ‘kindest’ words, this idea is very misguided. Or more to the point, “What a REALLY STUPID IDEA!!!”
Whatever happened to the notion “All kids can learn, but not always at the same rate." AND besides that, when did we EVER want people in America to be the SAME. We all benefit from our differences! When I look over and reflect on the variety and diversity (new word of the decade) of my fellow teachers, not one of us is like the other. Our teaching styles are vastly different, we relate with kids differently, we relate with EACH OTHER differently. AND we ALL work together to teach and maximize our students’ time with us.
I might be less annoyed if student ‘improvement’ was used. But even that approach has major flaws. A teacher has a student for nine months. In my case students are 13 or 14 years old. They have had 13 or 14 years of prior experiences and ‘baggage’ before getting to me. Five of those years, school was not even a part of their lives. Research says when kids come to school in kindergarten the variances are HUGH. The thought is, as a school, we should be able to narrow the variances. But what actually happens is the variances increase. So, is the school, the teachers responsible for this? Nooooo!!
So, what IS going on? Well...teachers have students for about 6 to 7 hours a day and 180 days a year. In the state of Kansas this equates to at least 1116 hours each year. Even if we as a nation ever went to year-round school, the number of days probably wouldn’t increase significantly...the days would just be spread out. Might help, might not.
So, the ‘school learning’ amounts to just under 20% of the hours in a year, 365 days. Teachers can teach kids willing to learn, where parents support teachers, and impress upon their children the adults in their lives are united and working together. And OH...we MUST have parents that insist their children attend school and do required work. Cool concept, huh!!
I actually like looking at test results. I can get ‘big picture’ information looking at scores. I may be able to identify skills where my kids struggle? What strategies, different approaches to teaching can I implement to address these weak areas? I, also, like to see the areas where the kids ‘kicked-butt.’ I might be able to free up some time by spending less time on the ‘easy’ stuff and more time on the ‘hard’ stuff.
I use scores to focus on individual students’ weak areas. Yes, this sounds a lot like differentiated teaching strategies...maybe even a little MTSS. WOW!!! I can ASSURE parents, lawmakers, and business leaders; teachers have utilized individual instruction strategies for a VERY LONG time! I do think we continue to get better at it and possibly the attention this is receiving isn’t a bad thing. As long as those in the education field do not expect miracles, we can continue to improve learning. It’s another ‘focused’ strategy…..not God’s gift to teachers! He already gave us that gift.
My goal each year is to teach kids my subject areas. But more importantly, I want to impart skills to my kids that will allow them to get the most out of their education, strategies to advocate for themselves next year when they enter high school and later in life. I want them to experience making mistakes and learning from those mistakes (both academically and personally). Much of a child’s learning cannot be measured objectively; only subjectively or intuitively. Experienced teachers do this, and they rely on teaching partners to assist in this area.
Evaluating teachers on student test scores is the most ridiculous notion I’ve heard (& I have heard it before). I find it very naive (& certainly insulting) of the ‘groupies’ behind this to assume teachers don’t already care about their students’ progress! Why else would we be teachers? It certainly isn’t for the money, great benefits, because we feel loved by society, are appreciated for the long, long, stressful days, and are often sabotaged in our efforts.
We DO IT because we WANT to teach kids and we WANT the kids to learn. AND we are ALWAYS looking for ways to do our job BETTER. If the “scores & evaluation” army would redirected their efforts to assist teachers rather than continuing to ‘lob grenades’ at us, I know this would produce positive results?
IF the goal is for teachers and schools to educate America's children, America HAS TO EMPOWER teachers and schools to do so.
At a minimum, this must include parents:
•Getting their children TO school,
•Insisting their children DO the work required,
•Providing schools/teachers/kids necessary tools and materials as needed
AND FINALLY if we want GREAT RESULTS for our kids....
We MUST LOWER the classroom teacher/student ratio.
We want the children to learn?
Don’t give a teacher more than 10 kids to teach!
The RESULTS we would have!!!!
How do I know?
29 years of 'ACTION' research!
Whatever happened to the notion “All kids can learn, but not always at the same rate." AND besides that, when did we EVER want people in America to be the SAME. We all benefit from our differences! When I look over and reflect on the variety and diversity (new word of the decade) of my fellow teachers, not one of us is like the other. Our teaching styles are vastly different, we relate with kids differently, we relate with EACH OTHER differently. AND we ALL work together to teach and maximize our students’ time with us.
I might be less annoyed if student ‘improvement’ was used. But even that approach has major flaws. A teacher has a student for nine months. In my case students are 13 or 14 years old. They have had 13 or 14 years of prior experiences and ‘baggage’ before getting to me. Five of those years, school was not even a part of their lives. Research says when kids come to school in kindergarten the variances are HUGH. The thought is, as a school, we should be able to narrow the variances. But what actually happens is the variances increase. So, is the school, the teachers responsible for this? Nooooo!!
So, what IS going on? Well...teachers have students for about 6 to 7 hours a day and 180 days a year. In the state of Kansas this equates to at least 1116 hours each year. Even if we as a nation ever went to year-round school, the number of days probably wouldn’t increase significantly...the days would just be spread out. Might help, might not.
So, the ‘school learning’ amounts to just under 20% of the hours in a year, 365 days. Teachers can teach kids willing to learn, where parents support teachers, and impress upon their children the adults in their lives are united and working together. And OH...we MUST have parents that insist their children attend school and do required work. Cool concept, huh!!
I actually like looking at test results. I can get ‘big picture’ information looking at scores. I may be able to identify skills where my kids struggle? What strategies, different approaches to teaching can I implement to address these weak areas? I, also, like to see the areas where the kids ‘kicked-butt.’ I might be able to free up some time by spending less time on the ‘easy’ stuff and more time on the ‘hard’ stuff.
I use scores to focus on individual students’ weak areas. Yes, this sounds a lot like differentiated teaching strategies...maybe even a little MTSS. WOW!!! I can ASSURE parents, lawmakers, and business leaders; teachers have utilized individual instruction strategies for a VERY LONG time! I do think we continue to get better at it and possibly the attention this is receiving isn’t a bad thing. As long as those in the education field do not expect miracles, we can continue to improve learning. It’s another ‘focused’ strategy…..not God’s gift to teachers! He already gave us that gift.
My goal each year is to teach kids my subject areas. But more importantly, I want to impart skills to my kids that will allow them to get the most out of their education, strategies to advocate for themselves next year when they enter high school and later in life. I want them to experience making mistakes and learning from those mistakes (both academically and personally). Much of a child’s learning cannot be measured objectively; only subjectively or intuitively. Experienced teachers do this, and they rely on teaching partners to assist in this area.
Evaluating teachers on student test scores is the most ridiculous notion I’ve heard (& I have heard it before). I find it very naive (& certainly insulting) of the ‘groupies’ behind this to assume teachers don’t already care about their students’ progress! Why else would we be teachers? It certainly isn’t for the money, great benefits, because we feel loved by society, are appreciated for the long, long, stressful days, and are often sabotaged in our efforts.
We DO IT because we WANT to teach kids and we WANT the kids to learn. AND we are ALWAYS looking for ways to do our job BETTER. If the “scores & evaluation” army would redirected their efforts to assist teachers rather than continuing to ‘lob grenades’ at us, I know this would produce positive results?
IF the goal is for teachers and schools to educate America's children, America HAS TO EMPOWER teachers and schools to do so.
At a minimum, this must include parents:
•Getting their children TO school,
•Insisting their children DO the work required,
•Providing schools/teachers/kids necessary tools and materials as needed
AND FINALLY if we want GREAT RESULTS for our kids....
We MUST LOWER the classroom teacher/student ratio.
We want the children to learn?
Don’t give a teacher more than 10 kids to teach!
The RESULTS we would have!!!!
How do I know?
29 years of 'ACTION' research!
Sunday, April 25, 2010
THANK YOU, Kansas NEA and RHEA
I have been a member of my professional teaching union since my first year of teaching.
A fellow teacher came into my room prior to school starting and asked me to join Rose Hill Teachers’ Association, which was affiliated with Kansas NEA and NEA. I knew NOTHING about the organization. (I actually had joined as a student member during my student teaching semester because I was told it was important to have the liability insurance. I remember thinking $15 was a bit steep.)
I was a little apprehensive and shared, if I did join, I would not go out on strike unless the children we taught were in harms way. I was soooo dumb!! Had no clue what the Association was about. I did join. I’d have to say it was a result of peer pressure. I so desperately wanted to be a part of the great Rose Hill teaching staff. It was one of the best decisions I stumbled into making. And thank goodness someone asked me to join!
Without the Association my teaching career would have been considerably different and so would I. I don’t think I’d still be a teacher. I would have been what my father thought teachers were, good people, boring people, people (usually women) with no social life, and intellectually stagnant. Dad ALWAYS supported his kids’ teachers, he just didn’t want that for me. He worried I would fossilize if I became a teacher. BOY…was he wrong! Now days I could do with a little ‘boring’ and stagnation. :)
The teachers at Rose Hill mentored me in teaching and professionalism. These same teachers were responsible for organizing Rose Hill teachers, getting Rose Hill teachers their FIRST master contract, organized the community and voted in a ‘teacher friendly’ Board of Education…..AND were totally committed to their students. I was mentored by the best!
When I started teaching, it never occurred to me that doing a wonderful job of teaching would not be enough. I was sure I’d be appreciated, rewarded handsomely for my work, the principal would love me, parents would be in awe of my abilities. It would just happen if I was a good teacher.
WHOA, it took five years to completely destroy this illusion. It was a gradual process and my local Association teachers were there for me every step of the way. When I stumbled, they propped me up. Before actual mentoring, Association teachers mentored. I was invited and attended Walnut Valley UniServ and KNEA workshops. Through the Association I learned about local school finances, State school funding, advocacy for schools and teachers, school law, teacher rights/student rights, professional development school programs, quality instructional practices, interviewing legislative candidates, how to lobby State legislators, positive communication with parents/administrators/Board members, how to set goals and implement plans to achieve goals. As I became a better Association member, I became a better teacher and person. I have had the privilege of collaborating with teachers across Kansas and our Nation.
Over the next 29 years the Association was responsible for my growth in the teaching profession and my personal growth. I became a part of a team constantly trying to improve education in Kansas for our kids as well as growing professional teachers….improving the quality of teachers in Kansas schools.
AND we do all of this in a ‘right-to-work’ State with no strikes. :)
Rest assured, the opinions and beliefs of NEA, Kansas NEA, and even my local RHEA are varied and diverse, very representative of America’s population. We BELIEVE in the democratic process of our Association. Very often, we don’t agree how to ‘get there,’ but we ALWAYS agree to ‘go there!’
A fellow teacher came into my room prior to school starting and asked me to join Rose Hill Teachers’ Association, which was affiliated with Kansas NEA and NEA. I knew NOTHING about the organization. (I actually had joined as a student member during my student teaching semester because I was told it was important to have the liability insurance. I remember thinking $15 was a bit steep.)
I was a little apprehensive and shared, if I did join, I would not go out on strike unless the children we taught were in harms way. I was soooo dumb!! Had no clue what the Association was about. I did join. I’d have to say it was a result of peer pressure. I so desperately wanted to be a part of the great Rose Hill teaching staff. It was one of the best decisions I stumbled into making. And thank goodness someone asked me to join!
Without the Association my teaching career would have been considerably different and so would I. I don’t think I’d still be a teacher. I would have been what my father thought teachers were, good people, boring people, people (usually women) with no social life, and intellectually stagnant. Dad ALWAYS supported his kids’ teachers, he just didn’t want that for me. He worried I would fossilize if I became a teacher. BOY…was he wrong! Now days I could do with a little ‘boring’ and stagnation. :)
The teachers at Rose Hill mentored me in teaching and professionalism. These same teachers were responsible for organizing Rose Hill teachers, getting Rose Hill teachers their FIRST master contract, organized the community and voted in a ‘teacher friendly’ Board of Education…..AND were totally committed to their students. I was mentored by the best!
When I started teaching, it never occurred to me that doing a wonderful job of teaching would not be enough. I was sure I’d be appreciated, rewarded handsomely for my work, the principal would love me, parents would be in awe of my abilities. It would just happen if I was a good teacher.
WHOA, it took five years to completely destroy this illusion. It was a gradual process and my local Association teachers were there for me every step of the way. When I stumbled, they propped me up. Before actual mentoring, Association teachers mentored. I was invited and attended Walnut Valley UniServ and KNEA workshops. Through the Association I learned about local school finances, State school funding, advocacy for schools and teachers, school law, teacher rights/student rights, professional development school programs, quality instructional practices, interviewing legislative candidates, how to lobby State legislators, positive communication with parents/administrators/Board members, how to set goals and implement plans to achieve goals. As I became a better Association member, I became a better teacher and person. I have had the privilege of collaborating with teachers across Kansas and our Nation.
Over the next 29 years the Association was responsible for my growth in the teaching profession and my personal growth. I became a part of a team constantly trying to improve education in Kansas for our kids as well as growing professional teachers….improving the quality of teachers in Kansas schools.
AND we do all of this in a ‘right-to-work’ State with no strikes. :)
Rest assured, the opinions and beliefs of NEA, Kansas NEA, and even my local RHEA are varied and diverse, very representative of America’s population. We BELIEVE in the democratic process of our Association. Very often, we don’t agree how to ‘get there,’ but we ALWAYS agree to ‘go there!’
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Let’s Pontificate About Stress
I had a former teaching partner who introduced me to the word ‘pontificate.’ Fun word, which Webster says is “expressing one’s opinion in a way considered annoyingly pompous and dogmatic.”
OK…I’m good with that.
Stress--again defined by Webster, “is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.”
OK….that would be teaching in a middle school.
My previous teaching partner (referred to above) had a theory about stress in the confines of the school building. His theory in a nutshell: Every school building/environment has a given amount of stress to be shared within its walls. Those sharing the stress include staff members and students. When it becomes apparent the STAFF is more stressed than the STUDENTS, we have a problem!!!
Last week’s Late-Start faculty meeting was just such an example! We were very crabby with each other. Everyone shared their frustrations about the students, the lack of support from the parents, nothing seems to work…. The facts actually focus on a few parents and a few kids….but our frustration level is soooo very high, it feels like our entire school-world is doomed!!
Springtime is ALWAYS difficult for staff. The school year is winding down; sometimes not fast enough, but always too fast because of ‘things’ teachers want to impart to their students while they have the chance. We’re still on the ‘MISSION’ until the very last day.
Then to compound things, we are all trying to prepare for the next year. We need to ‘hit the ground running’ next year. We have class assignments and schedules to complete. We have books to order if the up-coming class is bigger and/or to cover the ‘destroyed’ books. We must order materials and supplies with our DWINDLING classroom budgets. Currently, we have $150 per teacher. (I have 75 kids on average each year----$150 for ALL…..yeah riiiight!)
We have inventories of equipment and furniture….again making sure there’s enough for next year. Student records need to be finalized for both special education AND regular ed kids. Summer maintenance forms need to be finished. Library and textbooks must be accounted for and all fines paid, lockers must be cleaned and locks labeled. Our ‘Check-Out’ packet is a monumental task in itself.
THEN there is the turmoil regarding who is teaching what and in what room. We MUST reconfigure each year depending on the students coming to us from the grade below. So, stress levels are always high at the end of the school year.
Spring of 08-09 school year was painful! Kansas’ financial situation is like everywhere else; NO MONEY….revenues were WAY down. Unemployment reduced income tax, sales tax revenues down as no one has any money to buy anything. And, of course, because education is the highest expenditure for the State; schools were hit hard!! My small school system lost classroom teachers, at-risk teachers, and classified positions.
This year, 09-10, is much worse. State revenues continue to come up short. State is missing ‘payment deadlines’ to its schools, putting the school in danger of not making payroll. The schools have stretched every dollar, cut expenditures while trying to keep the ‘cuts’ from impacting kids and their learning. For the upcoming year the ‘cuts’ will be deeper, again losing positions. We are now looking at student programs we can’t afford to fund. Class size could be increasing significantly.
AND we won’t know how ‘deep’ we have to go until the Legislators tell us, which could be after school is closed up for the summer.
AND we won’t know who has jobs and who needs to sign up for unemployment until school is ‘next-to’ over for 09-10.
NOW, let’s think about stress and this school year.
Yes…there is more! The 09-10 school year has been a powder-keg from the beginning. A few students have controlled the school environment….AND, apparently, their HOME environment as well. These VERY SMART children have figured out how to get the adults in their lives on opposing sides and ‘combating’ each other; thereby, leaving the kid alone and getting himself/herself out of trouble. Once the kid has expertly directed the ‘blame’ elsewhere he/she is HOME FREE!
And we fell for it this year!! By ‘we’ I mean school staff and parents. Shame on us!
Soooooo, besides all the ‘normal’ stress factors, we have the added financial issues, and have been ‘puppeting’ for our kids. AND, of course, we KNOW our community/parents are facing financial issues just as is the school. We ALL just want desperately to make everything ‘OK’ for ALL, and we CAN’T! The kids ‘smelled’ weakness, and they went for the jugular.
So….now we have a ‘stage’ for the stress thing! I think it is quite obvious most of the stress in our school building is being shoulder by the staff (teachers, paras, office, administrators, custodians). Ninety-five percent of the kids are ‘hanging’ in there, are resilient; but once again not really shouldering their share of the stress. I would refer to these kids in the ‘stress interaction bubble’ as PASSIVE. They are not taking in stress or dishing it out.
So, let’s look at the remaining 5% of the students. Their role is that of the ‘stress giver’ AND they do it WELL!! This year the adults in the building are worn out… completely!!! And with that weariness, we have lost our resilience AND for the last 9 weeks have been the ‘stress absorbers.’
As my former teaching partner would acclaim,
THE BUILDING IS OUT-OF-BALANCE!!
So….what to do, what to do, what to do?
Admitting we have a problem is the FIRST STEP!! Actually, first step would have been to not let this happen. Some of the past ‘feel-good, touchy-feely’ years supported ‘don’t stress the kids.’ WRONG then and WRONG now!!
Stress is a motivator. It can be very beneficial. The KEY is to MANAGE the stress. Put the ‘individual responsibility’ back on the students’ shoulders—where it should have been all along. Kids NEED stress! They MUST learn to manage it while with us. We can guide them in this skill, as we should. Being able to manage stress is essential to a happy and productive adult life. (This is NOW the morning mediation message for us.)
Back to the problem – At this point in the school-year, we need to look ahead and talk about improving our action/reaction skills, put in place some ‘triggers’ to identify the 5% ‘stinkers’ early. Place these kids on a specific acceptable behavior plan and let them earn ‘freedoms’ once trust has been earned. We KNOW these kids. The only ‘surprises’ are new kids to the district. AND it has been the ‘same-ol, same-ol’ issues every year. We KNOW this….how about fixing it NEXT year!!
BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS YEAR?
Get more sleep, take more vitamins, get massages weekly, and hunker down into the ‘survival’ mode!! FINISH the year in SOLIDARITY! GO TEACHERS!!!!
OK…I’m good with that.
Stress--again defined by Webster, “is a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances.”
OK….that would be teaching in a middle school.
My previous teaching partner (referred to above) had a theory about stress in the confines of the school building. His theory in a nutshell: Every school building/environment has a given amount of stress to be shared within its walls. Those sharing the stress include staff members and students. When it becomes apparent the STAFF is more stressed than the STUDENTS, we have a problem!!!
Last week’s Late-Start faculty meeting was just such an example! We were very crabby with each other. Everyone shared their frustrations about the students, the lack of support from the parents, nothing seems to work…. The facts actually focus on a few parents and a few kids….but our frustration level is soooo very high, it feels like our entire school-world is doomed!!
Springtime is ALWAYS difficult for staff. The school year is winding down; sometimes not fast enough, but always too fast because of ‘things’ teachers want to impart to their students while they have the chance. We’re still on the ‘MISSION’ until the very last day.
Then to compound things, we are all trying to prepare for the next year. We need to ‘hit the ground running’ next year. We have class assignments and schedules to complete. We have books to order if the up-coming class is bigger and/or to cover the ‘destroyed’ books. We must order materials and supplies with our DWINDLING classroom budgets. Currently, we have $150 per teacher. (I have 75 kids on average each year----$150 for ALL…..yeah riiiight!)
We have inventories of equipment and furniture….again making sure there’s enough for next year. Student records need to be finalized for both special education AND regular ed kids. Summer maintenance forms need to be finished. Library and textbooks must be accounted for and all fines paid, lockers must be cleaned and locks labeled. Our ‘Check-Out’ packet is a monumental task in itself.
THEN there is the turmoil regarding who is teaching what and in what room. We MUST reconfigure each year depending on the students coming to us from the grade below. So, stress levels are always high at the end of the school year.
Spring of 08-09 school year was painful! Kansas’ financial situation is like everywhere else; NO MONEY….revenues were WAY down. Unemployment reduced income tax, sales tax revenues down as no one has any money to buy anything. And, of course, because education is the highest expenditure for the State; schools were hit hard!! My small school system lost classroom teachers, at-risk teachers, and classified positions.
This year, 09-10, is much worse. State revenues continue to come up short. State is missing ‘payment deadlines’ to its schools, putting the school in danger of not making payroll. The schools have stretched every dollar, cut expenditures while trying to keep the ‘cuts’ from impacting kids and their learning. For the upcoming year the ‘cuts’ will be deeper, again losing positions. We are now looking at student programs we can’t afford to fund. Class size could be increasing significantly.
AND we won’t know how ‘deep’ we have to go until the Legislators tell us, which could be after school is closed up for the summer.
AND we won’t know who has jobs and who needs to sign up for unemployment until school is ‘next-to’ over for 09-10.
NOW, let’s think about stress and this school year.
Yes…there is more! The 09-10 school year has been a powder-keg from the beginning. A few students have controlled the school environment….AND, apparently, their HOME environment as well. These VERY SMART children have figured out how to get the adults in their lives on opposing sides and ‘combating’ each other; thereby, leaving the kid alone and getting himself/herself out of trouble. Once the kid has expertly directed the ‘blame’ elsewhere he/she is HOME FREE!
And we fell for it this year!! By ‘we’ I mean school staff and parents. Shame on us!
Soooooo, besides all the ‘normal’ stress factors, we have the added financial issues, and have been ‘puppeting’ for our kids. AND, of course, we KNOW our community/parents are facing financial issues just as is the school. We ALL just want desperately to make everything ‘OK’ for ALL, and we CAN’T! The kids ‘smelled’ weakness, and they went for the jugular.
So….now we have a ‘stage’ for the stress thing! I think it is quite obvious most of the stress in our school building is being shoulder by the staff (teachers, paras, office, administrators, custodians). Ninety-five percent of the kids are ‘hanging’ in there, are resilient; but once again not really shouldering their share of the stress. I would refer to these kids in the ‘stress interaction bubble’ as PASSIVE. They are not taking in stress or dishing it out.
So, let’s look at the remaining 5% of the students. Their role is that of the ‘stress giver’ AND they do it WELL!! This year the adults in the building are worn out… completely!!! And with that weariness, we have lost our resilience AND for the last 9 weeks have been the ‘stress absorbers.’
As my former teaching partner would acclaim,
THE BUILDING IS OUT-OF-BALANCE!!
So….what to do, what to do, what to do?
Admitting we have a problem is the FIRST STEP!! Actually, first step would have been to not let this happen. Some of the past ‘feel-good, touchy-feely’ years supported ‘don’t stress the kids.’ WRONG then and WRONG now!!
Stress is a motivator. It can be very beneficial. The KEY is to MANAGE the stress. Put the ‘individual responsibility’ back on the students’ shoulders—where it should have been all along. Kids NEED stress! They MUST learn to manage it while with us. We can guide them in this skill, as we should. Being able to manage stress is essential to a happy and productive adult life. (This is NOW the morning mediation message for us.)
Back to the problem – At this point in the school-year, we need to look ahead and talk about improving our action/reaction skills, put in place some ‘triggers’ to identify the 5% ‘stinkers’ early. Place these kids on a specific acceptable behavior plan and let them earn ‘freedoms’ once trust has been earned. We KNOW these kids. The only ‘surprises’ are new kids to the district. AND it has been the ‘same-ol, same-ol’ issues every year. We KNOW this….how about fixing it NEXT year!!
BUT WHAT ABOUT THIS YEAR?
Get more sleep, take more vitamins, get massages weekly, and hunker down into the ‘survival’ mode!! FINISH the year in SOLIDARITY! GO TEACHERS!!!!
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Late-Start -- Best Thing Since Sliced Bread
The ‘WHY’ of Late-Start?
About twenty years ago my district started looking at a way to give teachers more time for faculty meetings, professional and curriculum development; more time to collaborate within and across grade levels and between different attendance centers. Administration and teachers piloted a once-a-month late-start for students. Teachers reported at regular times. Once a month we met for 1 ½ hours block time to do the business of school improvement, mini-inservices. This pilot lasted for two years.
The ‘HOW’ of Late-Start?
As we attempted to evaluate the value of late-starts, it was clear we rarely benefitted from the 1 ½ hours. The problem seemed to stem from the old adage “We’re too busy putting out fires to plan for fire prevention.” We realized the idea was solid, but we were not putting the ‘idea’ into valuable practice.
Rather than ‘dump’ the concept, staff felt we needed a more consist approach. We needed the late-start every week. With the help of administration and our local teacher association, we studied hours for kids, duty days for teachers, and devised a schedule to maximize the time available. The ‘over-all’ plan was to have 2 meetings each week of the month. Example:
1st week PDC and SIT
2nd week PLC’s and School Improvement
3rd week Technology mini-inservice and BLT (building leadership)
4th week grade-level planning and subject team planning
We were REALLY EXCITED about the possibilities!
The ‘WHEN’ of Late-Start?
The next issue to solve was educating and involving the community. A committee of school folks and parents worked together to educate the community as to the DIRE NEED for the collaboration time and WHEN should this happen each week. Initially, teachers wanted Friday afternoon (for obvious reasons….not necessarily for productivity, but more of the “Wheeeewww,” the week is over concept!).
AND after listening to the parents and community, it was decided an ‘early-release’ would be much harder on the parents trying to monitor their children (five+ hours of children not having supervision). The concept of Late-Start might leave children unsupervised for one hour+…. many of our kids would ‘sleep’ through it. High school kids would be more available to help parents watch younger children in the morning. High school kids would not be as available with an early release; sports, clubs, jobs, etc.
Eventually, Wednesday Late-Start was born! And just in time! Little did we know when we were exclaiming the needed more time for collaboration for everything, how TRUE that statement would become.
TODAY, working as a teacher, para, or administrator in the school system DEMANDS collaboration. In the last ten years the ‘accountability’ issue has mushroomed. It would not be possible to effectively address the diverse needs of our students if we did not have our Late-Start. We feel like we are playing ‘catch-up’ as it is! I CANNOT fathom trying to accomplish what we MUST without this 1 ½ hours each week!
About twenty years ago my district started looking at a way to give teachers more time for faculty meetings, professional and curriculum development; more time to collaborate within and across grade levels and between different attendance centers. Administration and teachers piloted a once-a-month late-start for students. Teachers reported at regular times. Once a month we met for 1 ½ hours block time to do the business of school improvement, mini-inservices. This pilot lasted for two years.
The ‘HOW’ of Late-Start?
As we attempted to evaluate the value of late-starts, it was clear we rarely benefitted from the 1 ½ hours. The problem seemed to stem from the old adage “We’re too busy putting out fires to plan for fire prevention.” We realized the idea was solid, but we were not putting the ‘idea’ into valuable practice.
Rather than ‘dump’ the concept, staff felt we needed a more consist approach. We needed the late-start every week. With the help of administration and our local teacher association, we studied hours for kids, duty days for teachers, and devised a schedule to maximize the time available. The ‘over-all’ plan was to have 2 meetings each week of the month. Example:
1st week PDC and SIT
2nd week PLC’s and School Improvement
3rd week Technology mini-inservice and BLT (building leadership)
4th week grade-level planning and subject team planning
We were REALLY EXCITED about the possibilities!
The ‘WHEN’ of Late-Start?
The next issue to solve was educating and involving the community. A committee of school folks and parents worked together to educate the community as to the DIRE NEED for the collaboration time and WHEN should this happen each week. Initially, teachers wanted Friday afternoon (for obvious reasons….not necessarily for productivity, but more of the “Wheeeewww,” the week is over concept!).
AND after listening to the parents and community, it was decided an ‘early-release’ would be much harder on the parents trying to monitor their children (five+ hours of children not having supervision). The concept of Late-Start might leave children unsupervised for one hour+…. many of our kids would ‘sleep’ through it. High school kids would be more available to help parents watch younger children in the morning. High school kids would not be as available with an early release; sports, clubs, jobs, etc.
Eventually, Wednesday Late-Start was born! And just in time! Little did we know when we were exclaiming the needed more time for collaboration for everything, how TRUE that statement would become.
TODAY, working as a teacher, para, or administrator in the school system DEMANDS collaboration. In the last ten years the ‘accountability’ issue has mushroomed. It would not be possible to effectively address the diverse needs of our students if we did not have our Late-Start. We feel like we are playing ‘catch-up’ as it is! I CANNOT fathom trying to accomplish what we MUST without this 1 ½ hours each week!
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
8th Grade-itis, Ever Hear of It?
There is nothing more exhausting than the 4th nine weeks with 8th graders. This year has been particularly ‘trying.’ Usually, we do not have to deal with 8th grade-itis until after spring break. When students return from break, the 8th grade team of teachers give the ‘Come to Jesus’ talk. We lecture about responsibility, be kind to others, the 4th nine weeks applies to eligibility in high school, be role models for the 6th and 7th graders, need to finish the last 9 weeks STRONG.
And then we CRACK-DOWN! No frivolous trips out of class, must have agenda with you at all times, Appreciation Day could be taken away, shorts are too short, skirts are too short, everything is toooo tight. You are not the same size as last year, jeans need to be ‘above’ the bottom, pass out the belts, get those pants pulled up…..
Unfortunately, we got surprised this year. The 8th graders came back from Winter Break with 8th grade-itis ….which wasn’t ‘officially’ diagnosed until middle of February. The kids hit the ground running, and we’ve been playing ‘catch-up’ for 6 weeks.
Fortunately, when we saw the ‘trees instead of the forest’, we had a strategy meeting. How can we get the most out of the next 6 weeks? WHO is still willing to be taught and could benefit from us? WHO is beyond us, refuses to learn or allow anyone else to learn? Our team counted only 3 maybe 5 kids that were destroying the entire learning environment. AMAZING!!! Less than 10 percent of our students were controlling ALL of us….preventing a positive learning environment.
Our PLAN? SAVE the willing and CUT-LOOSE the others! We decided to start with 2 students in the beginning and re-evaluate. It was our hope the other 3 kids who had been part of the ‘disruptors’ could be redirected into the ‘positive’ learning environment.
As teachers, we WANT to work with ALL our kids. What often happens is a very small percentage of our students get the majority of teacher time. I’ve always thought this was not the best way to ‘run’ a classroom. AND that ‘truth’ hit us right smack between the eyes this school year. The lesson for me is I need to identify the small number of ‘disruptors’ early in the school year; address them EARLY and HARD….not wait until they spread the ‘cancer’ and a cure is next to impossible. My students deserve this from me.
And then we CRACK-DOWN! No frivolous trips out of class, must have agenda with you at all times, Appreciation Day could be taken away, shorts are too short, skirts are too short, everything is toooo tight. You are not the same size as last year, jeans need to be ‘above’ the bottom, pass out the belts, get those pants pulled up…..
Unfortunately, we got surprised this year. The 8th graders came back from Winter Break with 8th grade-itis ….which wasn’t ‘officially’ diagnosed until middle of February. The kids hit the ground running, and we’ve been playing ‘catch-up’ for 6 weeks.
Fortunately, when we saw the ‘trees instead of the forest’, we had a strategy meeting. How can we get the most out of the next 6 weeks? WHO is still willing to be taught and could benefit from us? WHO is beyond us, refuses to learn or allow anyone else to learn? Our team counted only 3 maybe 5 kids that were destroying the entire learning environment. AMAZING!!! Less than 10 percent of our students were controlling ALL of us….preventing a positive learning environment.
Our PLAN? SAVE the willing and CUT-LOOSE the others! We decided to start with 2 students in the beginning and re-evaluate. It was our hope the other 3 kids who had been part of the ‘disruptors’ could be redirected into the ‘positive’ learning environment.
As teachers, we WANT to work with ALL our kids. What often happens is a very small percentage of our students get the majority of teacher time. I’ve always thought this was not the best way to ‘run’ a classroom. AND that ‘truth’ hit us right smack between the eyes this school year. The lesson for me is I need to identify the small number of ‘disruptors’ early in the school year; address them EARLY and HARD….not wait until they spread the ‘cancer’ and a cure is next to impossible. My students deserve this from me.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Legislators Fixing the Economy - Laying Off Teachers?
Kansas economy is horrible. It is said to be getting better, but very, very slowly. State revenues keep going down. State funds for public schools are 50% of the State budget. I GET IT! So, the most expedient way to ‘balance’ the budget is to cut school funding? Let's think about this!
I keep hearing the ‘plan’ to give tax cuts to small businesses with the hope these small businesses will be able to employ some of the unemployed. New employees get paychecks, provide income tax, buy more things.....get those revenues up. This sounds plausible. I GET IT!!
I could argue ALL DAY about the importance of an educated populist for a strong economy in the future. And honestly, I can’t find anyone that argues this point. BUT what is said is we have a economy problem RIGHT NOW….not in the future. We have to take care of the problem we have TODAY!! OK, I GET IT!
So, how about this? School systems across Kansas have been cutting services and people during the 08-09 school in response to the school funding cuts already handed down by the Legislators. People in our schools lost their jobs! We, are once again waiting on the State Legislature to decide how to balance the 10-11 school year. The revenues are down again. What to do? What to do?
AND again it looks like schools may be on the chopping block. Schools across our State are the major and/or a significant employer in our cities and certainly in rural Kansas. If more ‘cuts’ are coming, many more people will lose their jobs. So, this sounds an awful lot like ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul.’ It is idiocy!
If the Legislators go ahead and ‘cut’ more school funding, they will increase the unemployment rate, more people drawing unemployment, more people not paying income tax, more people not being able to SPEND money. More REVENUE problems!
If we are worried about REVENUES, it seems to me our Legislators ought to try to KEEP KANSANS EMPLOYED!!!
I keep hearing the ‘plan’ to give tax cuts to small businesses with the hope these small businesses will be able to employ some of the unemployed. New employees get paychecks, provide income tax, buy more things.....get those revenues up. This sounds plausible. I GET IT!!
I could argue ALL DAY about the importance of an educated populist for a strong economy in the future. And honestly, I can’t find anyone that argues this point. BUT what is said is we have a economy problem RIGHT NOW….not in the future. We have to take care of the problem we have TODAY!! OK, I GET IT!
So, how about this? School systems across Kansas have been cutting services and people during the 08-09 school in response to the school funding cuts already handed down by the Legislators. People in our schools lost their jobs! We, are once again waiting on the State Legislature to decide how to balance the 10-11 school year. The revenues are down again. What to do? What to do?
AND again it looks like schools may be on the chopping block. Schools across our State are the major and/or a significant employer in our cities and certainly in rural Kansas. If more ‘cuts’ are coming, many more people will lose their jobs. So, this sounds an awful lot like ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul.’ It is idiocy!
If the Legislators go ahead and ‘cut’ more school funding, they will increase the unemployment rate, more people drawing unemployment, more people not paying income tax, more people not being able to SPEND money. More REVENUE problems!
If we are worried about REVENUES, it seems to me our Legislators ought to try to KEEP KANSANS EMPLOYED!!!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Tests, Tests, Tests - Whoopee!
I’d like to say a thing or two about State/Fed mandated TESTS!! Actually, I’d like to say a lot!
The Feds and the State want the public schools to be accountable. Our society wants assurances the tax dollars they spend will produce educated kids. I get it!
The ‘conspiracy’ part of my brain can’t help but wonder if the ‘anti-public school’ fringe has found a way to target the public school system and reduce tax dollars going to this endeavor. Is it possible people doling out the funds and the mandates for public schools are hoping for failure? Or maybe they just have NO CLUE as to what is needed to educate ALL of America’s children; ALL the children….not a select (very ) few privileged children? ALL our children MUST receive GREAT education if America wants to remain a world-wide powerhouse.
OK….forget the ‘conspiracy’ issue. Let’s look at the practice of the mandated tests , tests, tests, and more tests.
My 8th graders’ language arts, reading, and math tests are FINALY OVER for this year; pretty much no surprises from the results. We knew who would do well and who would not. We have intermittently worked on ‘benchmarks’ all year and the entire 3rd 9-weeks were dedicated to the drill and practice of these ‘benchmarks.’ We taught the content with HUGE emphasis on ‘test-taking’ skills.
I’m lucky in the fact my kids do try to do their best. They have ‘bought-into’ the idea we use these tests results to alter curriculum, teaching methods, and their own ‘plan of study.’ This is accurate to a point. Teachers have always looked at a variety of measures, and we still do.
Test days (6 days – 60 to 70 minutes for each subject area) are exhausting…for me!!! And I’m not even taking the test. I honestly do not know how the kids do it. It’s INTENSE and EXHAUSTING for them!
Rules for administering these are just hysterical. Teachers are NEVER to tell the kid to ‘work-out’ the problem, NEVER tell the kid to use scratch-paper, NEVER tell the kid they are not allowed to ‘rush’ through the test. NEVER tell the kids prior to the test to review notes/vocabulary/formulas. What sense does this make?
As adults we do all of these things prior to taking a test??? We learned these skills because we were taught this in school and TOLD TO DO IT!!. These skills were reinforced every time we were about to take a test. Teachers said, “10 minutes to review before we start the test……”
Realizing we do get some information from these ‘tests’ about the students’ performance levels, abilities, weak areas…..is for the most part what we already know. I do not believe the information we get is worth the time spent preparing and administering. The information is CERTAINLY NOT valid to use as a SOLE indicator of student achievement . It is just as ridiculous to use these tests to evaluate teachers and/or identify the GREAT teachers.
What I resent the MOST is amount of taxpayer dollars and time taken away from actual learning time and dollars we could spend getting our children more access to adults within the school system.
The smaller the group of kids a teacher works with the better. Research that has been done (which isn’t much and certainly does not cover older students) puts the number at below 15 for early grades. My experiences (Ever here of ‘action’ research?) would suggest more like 10 kids per classroom teacher….YES, for all classrooms K-8. This would be large enough to do group work/ peer learning and small enough for individual teaching and assistance.
I GET IT…..the taxpayers want RESULTS for their money. What I DON’T GET is WHY the professionals in education are not ASKED or LISTENED to as to how to get those RESULTS!
The Feds and the State want the public schools to be accountable. Our society wants assurances the tax dollars they spend will produce educated kids. I get it!
The ‘conspiracy’ part of my brain can’t help but wonder if the ‘anti-public school’ fringe has found a way to target the public school system and reduce tax dollars going to this endeavor. Is it possible people doling out the funds and the mandates for public schools are hoping for failure? Or maybe they just have NO CLUE as to what is needed to educate ALL of America’s children; ALL the children….not a select (very ) few privileged children? ALL our children MUST receive GREAT education if America wants to remain a world-wide powerhouse.
OK….forget the ‘conspiracy’ issue. Let’s look at the practice of the mandated tests , tests, tests, and more tests.
My 8th graders’ language arts, reading, and math tests are FINALY OVER for this year; pretty much no surprises from the results. We knew who would do well and who would not. We have intermittently worked on ‘benchmarks’ all year and the entire 3rd 9-weeks were dedicated to the drill and practice of these ‘benchmarks.’ We taught the content with HUGE emphasis on ‘test-taking’ skills.
I’m lucky in the fact my kids do try to do their best. They have ‘bought-into’ the idea we use these tests results to alter curriculum, teaching methods, and their own ‘plan of study.’ This is accurate to a point. Teachers have always looked at a variety of measures, and we still do.
Test days (6 days – 60 to 70 minutes for each subject area) are exhausting…for me!!! And I’m not even taking the test. I honestly do not know how the kids do it. It’s INTENSE and EXHAUSTING for them!
Rules for administering these are just hysterical. Teachers are NEVER to tell the kid to ‘work-out’ the problem, NEVER tell the kid to use scratch-paper, NEVER tell the kid they are not allowed to ‘rush’ through the test. NEVER tell the kids prior to the test to review notes/vocabulary/formulas. What sense does this make?
As adults we do all of these things prior to taking a test??? We learned these skills because we were taught this in school and TOLD TO DO IT!!. These skills were reinforced every time we were about to take a test. Teachers said, “10 minutes to review before we start the test……”
Realizing we do get some information from these ‘tests’ about the students’ performance levels, abilities, weak areas…..is for the most part what we already know. I do not believe the information we get is worth the time spent preparing and administering. The information is CERTAINLY NOT valid to use as a SOLE indicator of student achievement . It is just as ridiculous to use these tests to evaluate teachers and/or identify the GREAT teachers.
What I resent the MOST is amount of taxpayer dollars and time taken away from actual learning time and dollars we could spend getting our children more access to adults within the school system.
The smaller the group of kids a teacher works with the better. Research that has been done (which isn’t much and certainly does not cover older students) puts the number at below 15 for early grades. My experiences (Ever here of ‘action’ research?) would suggest more like 10 kids per classroom teacher….YES, for all classrooms K-8. This would be large enough to do group work/ peer learning and small enough for individual teaching and assistance.
I GET IT…..the taxpayers want RESULTS for their money. What I DON’T GET is WHY the professionals in education are not ASKED or LISTENED to as to how to get those RESULTS!
Monday, April 5, 2010
What NEW Teachers Show Know
I've put quite a bit of thought into the 'long-term' teaching profession and what is important to realize....or maybe not.
0-5 years are the exciting and energetic years, learning with the kids how to provide the best learning environment.
5-10 are the enduring years, teachers learning to use the 'old-timers' knowledge, struggling years, and years where 'reality' sticks up its 'ugly' head.
10-15 are the suicidal years. These years seem to suggest (at least from outside sources) you have reached your prime....still have 15+ years to retirement, disillusion sets in, and you're exhausted!
Year 16 is the discovery year. You realize a 'mental' sick day is in order. It's OK to take one.
Year 17 you find you're out of sick days.
18-25 years you begin to feel re-energized from time to time. You tell yourself, "I WILL NOT quit until I have a GOOD year." You KNOW you love teaching and begin to identify and focus on the 'good' and less on the 'bad.' AND you KNOW you DO make a difference!
AND for me, year 25 was a GREAT year...had another one last year. I DO love teaching. I love watching the kids. I miss them when I'm not around them for say.... 2 to 3 months!
•Every teacher needs the basic teacher education, basic knowledge of the world, math, sciences, and language arts....AND a good foundation of 'how to teach.' Teachers certainly need to continue their basic education throughout their careers.
•BUT the VERY BEST resource teachers have does not come from college, workshops, continuing education classes, books, online research. The VERY BEST resource a teacher has is found 'down the hall;' the teacher's peers, para-educators, previous-years' teachers, office staff, custodians.....all the adults in the building respecting each other and working together. This is essential for the benefit of the students and 'survival' of each other.
•'Real life' for our students is what they REALLY need to know for next year's classes. I tell my 8th graders, REAL LIFE for them is the next 4 to 8 years of math classes. They DO NOT get to decide TODAY what type of math skills they will need for their future lives.....BUT will be prepared with the SKILLS to decide MUCH LATER.
•It is CRUCIAL to learn to TAKE CARE of YOURSELF!
TEACHING is exhausting, heartbreaking, REWARDING, exhilarating, all-consuming.
It is a WAY OF LIFE and I DO love it....most of the time!
0-5 years are the exciting and energetic years, learning with the kids how to provide the best learning environment.
5-10 are the enduring years, teachers learning to use the 'old-timers' knowledge, struggling years, and years where 'reality' sticks up its 'ugly' head.
10-15 are the suicidal years. These years seem to suggest (at least from outside sources) you have reached your prime....still have 15+ years to retirement, disillusion sets in, and you're exhausted!
Year 16 is the discovery year. You realize a 'mental' sick day is in order. It's OK to take one.
Year 17 you find you're out of sick days.
18-25 years you begin to feel re-energized from time to time. You tell yourself, "I WILL NOT quit until I have a GOOD year." You KNOW you love teaching and begin to identify and focus on the 'good' and less on the 'bad.' AND you KNOW you DO make a difference!
AND for me, year 25 was a GREAT year...had another one last year. I DO love teaching. I love watching the kids. I miss them when I'm not around them for say.... 2 to 3 months!
•Every teacher needs the basic teacher education, basic knowledge of the world, math, sciences, and language arts....AND a good foundation of 'how to teach.' Teachers certainly need to continue their basic education throughout their careers.
•BUT the VERY BEST resource teachers have does not come from college, workshops, continuing education classes, books, online research. The VERY BEST resource a teacher has is found 'down the hall;' the teacher's peers, para-educators, previous-years' teachers, office staff, custodians.....all the adults in the building respecting each other and working together. This is essential for the benefit of the students and 'survival' of each other.
•'Real life' for our students is what they REALLY need to know for next year's classes. I tell my 8th graders, REAL LIFE for them is the next 4 to 8 years of math classes. They DO NOT get to decide TODAY what type of math skills they will need for their future lives.....BUT will be prepared with the SKILLS to decide MUCH LATER.
•It is CRUCIAL to learn to TAKE CARE of YOURSELF!
TEACHING is exhausting, heartbreaking, REWARDING, exhilarating, all-consuming.
It is a WAY OF LIFE and I DO love it....most of the time!
What I've Learned
Working with kids is a challenge!
I heard the following somewhere around 15 to 20 years into my chosen profession. I NEEDED to hear it!!
"Parents send the BEST children they have to school. Children share with us the BEST parents they have."
Five years into my life as a teacher I was told, had to realize, we cannot 'save' every child. True but sad. Unfortunately, teachers always focus on the ones we lose. A few times we hear from the 'saved' and 'successful'....that IS nice!! I'd LIKE to have more SUCCESSES.
And, of course, the cruel reality; "Public education has NEVER had enough money and probably never will."
BUT...on the 'UP' side; I do think we're (the educational 'who's, who' and 'what's, what') are learning not to throw the 'baby out with the bath water.' We are standing up to the 'naysayers.' This accomplishment alone will be a tremendous boost for our kids.
Communication with the 'home front' is the main key to keeping the parents at bay. Get your version of the story told first. This 'shuts' down the 'spinning' factor that middle school kids have perfected. In the old days there were only two phones in the building, office and teachers' workroom. Certainly, email wasn't available and cell phones didn't exist. Getting the parents called prior to the student getting home was almost impossible. Today we have phones in the room, cell phones, and email. The best scenario is to have the student call while you listen....or you talk first and then give the kid the phone. The best strategy for this depends on the situation. But the important part is to communicate often and timely. Keeps your butt out of trouble and usually benefits the kid.
Curriculum: I know today what I teach is not my decision. In the past it pretty much was. Of course, the material in the math book was a given. Reading had the text and any number of supporting skills sheets. Topics in science and social studies were to be covered, but how to do this was left to the creativity of the teachers. In the 'old days' it was magical what happened in schools. Teachers are VERY creative people individually and collectively it is amazing! Now days we have to cover the textbooks completely and then Standards for the State and Feds. Often these have some over-lap, but the time restraints allow very little 'extras' or for that matter creativity. We're extremely good at 'following' the rules and teaching for the tests, but it is time consuming and the testing alone cuts into about 3-4 weeks of the school year.
I do know we are preparing our students for tests they will face K-12 and on into their post-graduate studies. I, also, know we are not allowing much time if any for creativity, inquiry learning. My hope is when students get done jumping through the hoops we have established, they will be qualified to decide what they want to do with their future and their creativity flourishes.
I heard the following somewhere around 15 to 20 years into my chosen profession. I NEEDED to hear it!!
"Parents send the BEST children they have to school. Children share with us the BEST parents they have."
Five years into my life as a teacher I was told, had to realize, we cannot 'save' every child. True but sad. Unfortunately, teachers always focus on the ones we lose. A few times we hear from the 'saved' and 'successful'....that IS nice!! I'd LIKE to have more SUCCESSES.
And, of course, the cruel reality; "Public education has NEVER had enough money and probably never will."
BUT...on the 'UP' side; I do think we're (the educational 'who's, who' and 'what's, what') are learning not to throw the 'baby out with the bath water.' We are standing up to the 'naysayers.' This accomplishment alone will be a tremendous boost for our kids.
Communication with the 'home front' is the main key to keeping the parents at bay. Get your version of the story told first. This 'shuts' down the 'spinning' factor that middle school kids have perfected. In the old days there were only two phones in the building, office and teachers' workroom. Certainly, email wasn't available and cell phones didn't exist. Getting the parents called prior to the student getting home was almost impossible. Today we have phones in the room, cell phones, and email. The best scenario is to have the student call while you listen....or you talk first and then give the kid the phone. The best strategy for this depends on the situation. But the important part is to communicate often and timely. Keeps your butt out of trouble and usually benefits the kid.
Curriculum: I know today what I teach is not my decision. In the past it pretty much was. Of course, the material in the math book was a given. Reading had the text and any number of supporting skills sheets. Topics in science and social studies were to be covered, but how to do this was left to the creativity of the teachers. In the 'old days' it was magical what happened in schools. Teachers are VERY creative people individually and collectively it is amazing! Now days we have to cover the textbooks completely and then Standards for the State and Feds. Often these have some over-lap, but the time restraints allow very little 'extras' or for that matter creativity. We're extremely good at 'following' the rules and teaching for the tests, but it is time consuming and the testing alone cuts into about 3-4 weeks of the school year.
I do know we are preparing our students for tests they will face K-12 and on into their post-graduate studies. I, also, know we are not allowing much time if any for creativity, inquiry learning. My hope is when students get done jumping through the hoops we have established, they will be qualified to decide what they want to do with their future and their creativity flourishes.
Students Accountability for Their Learning - What a Concept!
One thing HAS BEEN missing within the school systems for as long as when I 'went' to school myself and for as long as I've taught. Schools have not specifically and systematically made their students accountable for their part in the learning process. I've thought about this for years!! How can a child possibly learn when he/she is either NOT at school or DOES NOT do assigned work when at school. Makes NO SENSE to me. I started asking around...teachers, parents, kids....initially they all said, “You can't make the kid do the work....you can't make the kid attend school.” Of course, we DO have laws about school attendance...but haven't been enforced with much success.
My teachers began to ask, why CAN'T kids be required to do school work. We asked ourselves and others was it a 'reasonable' rule to say students must do school work. It seemed to us...YES!!! We implemented a 'card' system for 'tracking' who was and who wasn't doing assignments. The system included daily contact with parents; having the 'card' signed, email, phone calls (which is MUCH more doable when there is a phone in the classroom). When kids did not have assignments, parents were notified. When this happened 5 times (&/or 5 minor classroom distractions), the school issued a consequence. AMAZINGLY, this was very successful! Previously, I would have 3 to 5 kids daily and in every class choosing not to complete work I assigned. Currently, I'll go several weeks with no 'zeros.' We discovered who could 'do' and those who could not 'do.' WE WERE ABLE TO TEACH MORE EFFICIENTLY WITH MORE SUCCESS!!!
If teachers and schools are going to be held accountable....as we should be, kids and parents HAVE TO BE partners and be accountable as well! THEN and ONLY THEN will we ALL be SUCCESSFUL!!
My teachers began to ask, why CAN'T kids be required to do school work. We asked ourselves and others was it a 'reasonable' rule to say students must do school work. It seemed to us...YES!!! We implemented a 'card' system for 'tracking' who was and who wasn't doing assignments. The system included daily contact with parents; having the 'card' signed, email, phone calls (which is MUCH more doable when there is a phone in the classroom). When kids did not have assignments, parents were notified. When this happened 5 times (&/or 5 minor classroom distractions), the school issued a consequence. AMAZINGLY, this was very successful! Previously, I would have 3 to 5 kids daily and in every class choosing not to complete work I assigned. Currently, I'll go several weeks with no 'zeros.' We discovered who could 'do' and those who could not 'do.' WE WERE ABLE TO TEACH MORE EFFICIENTLY WITH MORE SUCCESS!!!
If teachers and schools are going to be held accountable....as we should be, kids and parents HAVE TO BE partners and be accountable as well! THEN and ONLY THEN will we ALL be SUCCESSFUL!!
What's New in the Teaching World
Truth is other than the technology 'tools,' nothing new has been added to how to teach or how a kid learns for at least a hundred+ years. They knew way back when, children learn better in smaller groups, children learn from older children, children learn better if they can actually have an 'experience' with the material to be learned (riiiight....that would be called 'hands-on'), children retain 'learning' if they practice it daily/often, children learn better if it is important to them and important to their parents, children learn better when the teacher and parents are 'united.' This was available and practiced 'philosophy' during the one-room schoolhouse days...just ask my mother.
So, what's different today?' From these basic principles....not a lot; we do have A LOT of different 'names,' acronyms for talking about the 'basic' principles; and from time to time 'emphasis'changes.
Now a quick journey through the 'education language:'
•Group Learning (teach to the individual in 'groups' - 'Tracking'....GOOD)
Bluebirds, Redbirds, Buzzards (My question always was....why did everyone assume the bluebirds were the best group, I always thought the redbirds were prettier, course we ALL knew who the buzzards were....still do.
•Learning Styles...most children will favor a 'way' of learning more than other ways; listening, seeing, touching....combination of all? Personally, I do think we have our strengths and weaknesses in our ability to 'learn.' I, also, believe ALL THREE methods will REACH 99% (can never get 100%) of children, adults...all us folks! But it is interesting to learn about learning styles, take and give the diagnostic surveys, talk about with fellow staff members, students, etc. (Try this with family members....EXPLAINS A LOT!!!)
•Contract Learning (teach to the individual - 'Tracking'....BAD)
No more reading groups with 'names' AND each child progresses at their own pace. Course, the kids who actually 'liked' to read or 'liked' to do math got the most academic attention from the teacher.....the ones who didn't and acted up in class got the most 'behavior' attention from the teacher, AND the ones who didn't like school and were very quiet got no attention from the teacher. She was BUSY!!! working with the other 25 children who demanded her time. (Yes, I know men teach, too.)
•Cooperative Learning (Grouping, yes, but not tracking...well not really). Each group of (let's say...4) has to have a smart kid, couple of average kids, and a slow kid....they would all teach each other. Now it wasn't quite that simplistic...the 'smart' kid could be/often was an on-task, studious child, 'average' kids a little less dedicated to school....but some brains and commitment; and often the 'stupid' kid wasn't REALLY stupid at all....just hated school!
•Prescriptive Learning (kind of like or JUST LIKE Contract Learning....with more advanced technology). This has the SAME problems as Contract Learning. Again good plan....but has weaknesses.
•Differentiated Instruction - DITTO, Learning Styles...teach to how the kid learns. YES...outstanding! However, part of a child's education is to EXPAND and STRENGTHEN his/her ability to LEARN. An individual's ability to continue LEARNING on their OWN is our goal....or should be.
•MTSS This is 'Multi-Tiered Support System' or something like that. It is to be implemented school-wide to give some kids more 'time' to learn. Theory isn't bad, again the issue becomes who needs 'what,' how much 'what,' who best to deliver the 'what' to who?' Again this is nothing particularly new...but 'COOL' name.
Honestly, the 'tried and true' teachers have been doing all the above for as long as they have been teaching. It's a 'crap' shoot, and we keep working at it.
So, what's different today?' From these basic principles....not a lot; we do have A LOT of different 'names,' acronyms for talking about the 'basic' principles; and from time to time 'emphasis'changes.
Now a quick journey through the 'education language:'
•Group Learning (teach to the individual in 'groups' - 'Tracking'....GOOD)
Bluebirds, Redbirds, Buzzards (My question always was....why did everyone assume the bluebirds were the best group, I always thought the redbirds were prettier, course we ALL knew who the buzzards were....still do.
•Learning Styles...most children will favor a 'way' of learning more than other ways; listening, seeing, touching....combination of all? Personally, I do think we have our strengths and weaknesses in our ability to 'learn.' I, also, believe ALL THREE methods will REACH 99% (can never get 100%) of children, adults...all us folks! But it is interesting to learn about learning styles, take and give the diagnostic surveys, talk about with fellow staff members, students, etc. (Try this with family members....EXPLAINS A LOT!!!)
•Contract Learning (teach to the individual - 'Tracking'....BAD)
No more reading groups with 'names' AND each child progresses at their own pace. Course, the kids who actually 'liked' to read or 'liked' to do math got the most academic attention from the teacher.....the ones who didn't and acted up in class got the most 'behavior' attention from the teacher, AND the ones who didn't like school and were very quiet got no attention from the teacher. She was BUSY!!! working with the other 25 children who demanded her time. (Yes, I know men teach, too.)
•Cooperative Learning (Grouping, yes, but not tracking...well not really). Each group of (let's say...4) has to have a smart kid, couple of average kids, and a slow kid....they would all teach each other. Now it wasn't quite that simplistic...the 'smart' kid could be/often was an on-task, studious child, 'average' kids a little less dedicated to school....but some brains and commitment; and often the 'stupid' kid wasn't REALLY stupid at all....just hated school!
•Prescriptive Learning (kind of like or JUST LIKE Contract Learning....with more advanced technology). This has the SAME problems as Contract Learning. Again good plan....but has weaknesses.
•Differentiated Instruction - DITTO, Learning Styles...teach to how the kid learns. YES...outstanding! However, part of a child's education is to EXPAND and STRENGTHEN his/her ability to LEARN. An individual's ability to continue LEARNING on their OWN is our goal....or should be.
•MTSS This is 'Multi-Tiered Support System' or something like that. It is to be implemented school-wide to give some kids more 'time' to learn. Theory isn't bad, again the issue becomes who needs 'what,' how much 'what,' who best to deliver the 'what' to who?' Again this is nothing particularly new...but 'COOL' name.
Honestly, the 'tried and true' teachers have been doing all the above for as long as they have been teaching. It's a 'crap' shoot, and we keep working at it.
The Funnies or NOT
I think this section of my 'teaching world' should be about the funny, often shocking and certainly hilarious happenings at school.....ESPECIALLY, once they're over and in the past.
Fourth grade, after lunch and recess, we always had a 'quiet time.' Students could read, work on morning assignments for about 15 minutes. Lights could be off as we had an entire wall of windows (like the old classrooms). A darling, fun girl approaches my desk, pointing to her mouth and throat....making NO noise. I asked her had she swallowed something, choking? She nodded. I hurriedly took J-girl across the hall to the office. I needed adult support if we were going to do the Heimlich thing. J-girl finally started coughing, bent over a trash can, and spit up a quarter.....thank God. I ask J-girl, "You swallowed a QUARTER?" Yep. I shared with J-girl I teach 4th grade and not kindergarten for the very reason of not wanting to teach children that still put things in their mouths. J-girl was laughing, crying, shaking. I hugged her and was VERY thankful!
I saw corporal punishment administered one time. I was teaching 4th grade. My kids were at PE and Music. I was on my planning period (-30 minutes) heading back to my room to work. The principal pulled me into his office. He needed a witness. Innocent me, follows the principal into the office. He shuts the door and proceeds to tell me the young man (4th grader) standing before me had just set a fire in the crash can in his classroom. This young man was to get a swat. The young man bent over, grabbed his ankles and received a horribly swift, hard swat. It lifted him off the floor. Even though I knew this child was the school's main problem child.....watching this event was BAD! This child was identified Special Ed in all the categories we had available; gifted, learning disability, and behavior disordered. He had a horrible home life, no support, and rarely did anything he was suppose to. This was when I finally had to realize what we had to offer him was not what this kid needed. We weren't going to be able to 'fix' him or 'save' him. Not a good day!
7th graders and 8th graders are fun to just watch....especially on Valentine's Day. Flowers come to school, a boy gives the flowers to another boy who promptly gives them to a girl who hurriedly delivers them to the girl the first boy desires.
Every middle school dance I have had the 'pleasure' of helping sponsor continues to be one of the most excruciatingly painful things I do. Always, always, some time during the evening I find a group of girls in the bathroom crying. I have decided middle school dances are for the sole purpose of getting this occurrence over with prior to high school. It's going to happen, no way around it, and might as well get it over early.
I taught both of my children in middle school. I had G-girl in 7th grade and M-boy in 8th. It was fun having them and fortunately for me....both were excellent math students. Math was a strength for them. I knew most of the kids in the class prior to becoming their teacher...my kids' friends.
One day in 7th grade we were doing some quick review of fractions. I'd put a problem on the overhead. Each student was to work the problem on their individual slate chalkboards. Then I'd make a quick look around the room at the boards to check answers. I get to G-girl's chalkboard and it says, "I know where you live."
During M-boy's 8th grade year he and some of his buddies sat at the back of the room at a table of four. Mike's group was an easy class to teach. They had bought into the whole game of school. They got the work, did the work, and made A's. A lot of the time I could hear 'something' going on at M-boy's table, but it was almost always very quiet and I ignored it. One day M-boy jumps out of his seat, points to the kid next to him and says (LOUDLY), "Mom, give him a detention!" That broke the class up into laughs, but not near as much as it did when I walked to the board, wrote M-boy's name down for a warning.
I loved teaching my own kids. A lot of teacher/parents shy away from this, but I can say those two years were some of my best years. And I thank my kids for that.
I love teaching Sex-Ed. Our approach is primarily 'abstinence.' And I think that is very appropriate for 8th graders. I always start the unit off with a short discussion about maturity. I share we will have a good time with this, we'll laugh while we learn; but I WILL NOT tolerate immature giggling, side-jokes, etc. One year during one of our discussions some of my girls start the 'giggling.' I stop talking and did the 'stare' thing. Room got quiet, one boy (class clown) turns to the girls and proclaims, "Stop giggling, this is serious business, it's not funny and I'm here to learn!" Again the class got quiet and now we're ALL staring at the 'clown.' Very quietly, across the room, another young man adds, "Yep, I remember when we were in 6th grade, and I thought the word masturbation was funny." Once again the class is QUIET and we're all NOW staring at this young man. He looks up, like he just realized what he had said....and we ALL burst out laughing. Great moments!
Our Sex Ed unit primarily consists of some very basic genetics and then the growth and development of the unborn baby. The culminating event is watching a video of a baby being born. The kids call it "the film." And, honestly, it is a great video showing 'real-life' pictures of a fetus developing inside its mother. Only the last 30 seconds is the actual birth scene. But it is pretty intense for the kids. And after it's over.....talk about a QUIET room. What I do to 'break' the silence, I 'unborn the baby.' I rewind the video. The kids HOWL. FUN DAY!
I have found being the age of the students' grandmother rather than the age of mother is much easier. I've concluded kids are nicer to their 'grandmother' and often 'mother' gets the worst of teenagers' behavior.
Fourth grade, after lunch and recess, we always had a 'quiet time.' Students could read, work on morning assignments for about 15 minutes. Lights could be off as we had an entire wall of windows (like the old classrooms). A darling, fun girl approaches my desk, pointing to her mouth and throat....making NO noise. I asked her had she swallowed something, choking? She nodded. I hurriedly took J-girl across the hall to the office. I needed adult support if we were going to do the Heimlich thing. J-girl finally started coughing, bent over a trash can, and spit up a quarter.....thank God. I ask J-girl, "You swallowed a QUARTER?" Yep. I shared with J-girl I teach 4th grade and not kindergarten for the very reason of not wanting to teach children that still put things in their mouths. J-girl was laughing, crying, shaking. I hugged her and was VERY thankful!
I saw corporal punishment administered one time. I was teaching 4th grade. My kids were at PE and Music. I was on my planning period (-30 minutes) heading back to my room to work. The principal pulled me into his office. He needed a witness. Innocent me, follows the principal into the office. He shuts the door and proceeds to tell me the young man (4th grader) standing before me had just set a fire in the crash can in his classroom. This young man was to get a swat. The young man bent over, grabbed his ankles and received a horribly swift, hard swat. It lifted him off the floor. Even though I knew this child was the school's main problem child.....watching this event was BAD! This child was identified Special Ed in all the categories we had available; gifted, learning disability, and behavior disordered. He had a horrible home life, no support, and rarely did anything he was suppose to. This was when I finally had to realize what we had to offer him was not what this kid needed. We weren't going to be able to 'fix' him or 'save' him. Not a good day!
7th graders and 8th graders are fun to just watch....especially on Valentine's Day. Flowers come to school, a boy gives the flowers to another boy who promptly gives them to a girl who hurriedly delivers them to the girl the first boy desires.
Every middle school dance I have had the 'pleasure' of helping sponsor continues to be one of the most excruciatingly painful things I do. Always, always, some time during the evening I find a group of girls in the bathroom crying. I have decided middle school dances are for the sole purpose of getting this occurrence over with prior to high school. It's going to happen, no way around it, and might as well get it over early.
I taught both of my children in middle school. I had G-girl in 7th grade and M-boy in 8th. It was fun having them and fortunately for me....both were excellent math students. Math was a strength for them. I knew most of the kids in the class prior to becoming their teacher...my kids' friends.
One day in 7th grade we were doing some quick review of fractions. I'd put a problem on the overhead. Each student was to work the problem on their individual slate chalkboards. Then I'd make a quick look around the room at the boards to check answers. I get to G-girl's chalkboard and it says, "I know where you live."
During M-boy's 8th grade year he and some of his buddies sat at the back of the room at a table of four. Mike's group was an easy class to teach. They had bought into the whole game of school. They got the work, did the work, and made A's. A lot of the time I could hear 'something' going on at M-boy's table, but it was almost always very quiet and I ignored it. One day M-boy jumps out of his seat, points to the kid next to him and says (LOUDLY), "Mom, give him a detention!" That broke the class up into laughs, but not near as much as it did when I walked to the board, wrote M-boy's name down for a warning.
I loved teaching my own kids. A lot of teacher/parents shy away from this, but I can say those two years were some of my best years. And I thank my kids for that.
I love teaching Sex-Ed. Our approach is primarily 'abstinence.' And I think that is very appropriate for 8th graders. I always start the unit off with a short discussion about maturity. I share we will have a good time with this, we'll laugh while we learn; but I WILL NOT tolerate immature giggling, side-jokes, etc. One year during one of our discussions some of my girls start the 'giggling.' I stop talking and did the 'stare' thing. Room got quiet, one boy (class clown) turns to the girls and proclaims, "Stop giggling, this is serious business, it's not funny and I'm here to learn!" Again the class got quiet and now we're ALL staring at the 'clown.' Very quietly, across the room, another young man adds, "Yep, I remember when we were in 6th grade, and I thought the word masturbation was funny." Once again the class is QUIET and we're all NOW staring at this young man. He looks up, like he just realized what he had said....and we ALL burst out laughing. Great moments!
Our Sex Ed unit primarily consists of some very basic genetics and then the growth and development of the unborn baby. The culminating event is watching a video of a baby being born. The kids call it "the film." And, honestly, it is a great video showing 'real-life' pictures of a fetus developing inside its mother. Only the last 30 seconds is the actual birth scene. But it is pretty intense for the kids. And after it's over.....talk about a QUIET room. What I do to 'break' the silence, I 'unborn the baby.' I rewind the video. The kids HOWL. FUN DAY!
I have found being the age of the students' grandmother rather than the age of mother is much easier. I've concluded kids are nicer to their 'grandmother' and often 'mother' gets the worst of teenagers' behavior.
How Do You Get From 5 to 29 years?
My move to the middle school was GREAT! I had a wonderful team to work with; L-Man, D-Girl, T-Man, and J-Girl. For 5 years we were on FIRE! We did team units starting with the overnight campout for the 7th graders. We had 'putting up your tent' lessons, hiking, fishing, storytelling, flora & fauna, campfire cooking, camouflage class, wood-burning class, creative writing, art, and, of course, journaling. The best activity was the evening campfire, student and teacher skits.
Other units involved traveling to Topeka, touring the Capitol and Kansas Historical Museum. We designed a GREAT trip through the Flint Hills, highest point in Chase County, a stop at the cattle pens on I35, Cottonwood Falls Court House, Strong City, historic sights of Council Grove, a stop at the Bazaar Cemetery and Flint Hill Prairie National Park (before it was a National Park)
Another on-the-road adventure included the Lindsborg Mill, Coronado Heights, and hiking through the sandstone at Kanapolis Lake. We, also, took a tour at the Kansas State wildlife reserve and ended at Mushroom Rocks.
We did this with 5 to 8 teachers, very cooperative bus drivers, packed lunches and the all-famous PACKET. The Packets were the students' assignments for the day. Each packet was a 'travel-guide' complete with mile-marker attractions as we traveled down the many, many roads of Kansas. Packets included instructions for 'sketches,' journaling, creative writing, and of course, the Evaluation of the day.
The energy we had was incredible!! We learned to team, collaborate, challenge each other, support each other.... I said more than once; teaming was harder than being married! I would not trade those experiences for anything. We were the epitome of teachers teaching and allowing learning to happen....just like we were told in 'teaching school.'
Several things happened, pretty much at the same time to put an end/quiet death to our 'success days.' Our Board decided we were doing too much; 7th graders weren't old enough for these experiences...which we fought for a while. Then the funding for 'extras' began to dry up. People were transferred or left and our time in 'heaven' was over. I was probably the one who took this the hardest....because that's what I do.
I was transferred out of 7th grade to 8th grade because "I was a great math teacher and I was needed in 8th grade." That was what I was told and I still don't believe that to this day. However, interestingly, I loved being in 8th grade...especially when I gave up being mad about it. I have been teaching math and science in 8th grade for the last 19 years. D-Girl moved up to 8th grade after another 5 years. We still work together along with our new partner K-Girl. We are a mighty fine team!! I LIKE 8th graders. I LIKE being the last grade in middle school. I LIKE being the 'last step’ before sending our middle schoolers to high school. Eighth grade teachers take this responsibility very seriously....our last chance to prepare our students to succeed.
Other units involved traveling to Topeka, touring the Capitol and Kansas Historical Museum. We designed a GREAT trip through the Flint Hills, highest point in Chase County, a stop at the cattle pens on I35, Cottonwood Falls Court House, Strong City, historic sights of Council Grove, a stop at the Bazaar Cemetery and Flint Hill Prairie National Park (before it was a National Park)
Another on-the-road adventure included the Lindsborg Mill, Coronado Heights, and hiking through the sandstone at Kanapolis Lake. We, also, took a tour at the Kansas State wildlife reserve and ended at Mushroom Rocks.
We did this with 5 to 8 teachers, very cooperative bus drivers, packed lunches and the all-famous PACKET. The Packets were the students' assignments for the day. Each packet was a 'travel-guide' complete with mile-marker attractions as we traveled down the many, many roads of Kansas. Packets included instructions for 'sketches,' journaling, creative writing, and of course, the Evaluation of the day.
The energy we had was incredible!! We learned to team, collaborate, challenge each other, support each other.... I said more than once; teaming was harder than being married! I would not trade those experiences for anything. We were the epitome of teachers teaching and allowing learning to happen....just like we were told in 'teaching school.'
Several things happened, pretty much at the same time to put an end/quiet death to our 'success days.' Our Board decided we were doing too much; 7th graders weren't old enough for these experiences...which we fought for a while. Then the funding for 'extras' began to dry up. People were transferred or left and our time in 'heaven' was over. I was probably the one who took this the hardest....because that's what I do.
I was transferred out of 7th grade to 8th grade because "I was a great math teacher and I was needed in 8th grade." That was what I was told and I still don't believe that to this day. However, interestingly, I loved being in 8th grade...especially when I gave up being mad about it. I have been teaching math and science in 8th grade for the last 19 years. D-Girl moved up to 8th grade after another 5 years. We still work together along with our new partner K-Girl. We are a mighty fine team!! I LIKE 8th graders. I LIKE being the last grade in middle school. I LIKE being the 'last step’ before sending our middle schoolers to high school. Eighth grade teachers take this responsibility very seriously....our last chance to prepare our students to succeed.
First 5 Years - A Blissful Time!
For the first five years of teaching, I NEVER missed a day! I was excited to be at school, completely exhausted myself on a daily basis. I was ALWAYS looking for something 'new' to do.
Years one and two I taught 3rd grade. Years 3, 4, and 5, I taught 4th grade. The primary difference between 3rd and 4th grades is you have to get the Teacher's Editions out when grading math...'eye-balling' doesn't work any more. 'Mental math' skills are not enough.
Another significant difference - in 3rd grade, the class does not view 'the film;' you know....puberty. This pleasure is saved for 4th and 5th graders (same as it was 40 years ago). Oh, and finally, I always had to have 'the deodorant' speech with the boys once spring arrived. Post-recess time was POWERFULLY PUNDGENT!!
I enjoyed teaching 3rd and 4th grades. I enjoyed the people I worked with. They were dedicated and worked harder than anyone else I knew. Finally, however, my patience with the same children all-day long wore thin by Friday afternoon. For two years in row I found myself kicking trash cans and the trash cans were still metal...REALLY LOUD! When my district had an opening in 7th grade math, I jumped at it. Best move I ever made!
Years one and two I taught 3rd grade. Years 3, 4, and 5, I taught 4th grade. The primary difference between 3rd and 4th grades is you have to get the Teacher's Editions out when grading math...'eye-balling' doesn't work any more. 'Mental math' skills are not enough.
Another significant difference - in 3rd grade, the class does not view 'the film;' you know....puberty. This pleasure is saved for 4th and 5th graders (same as it was 40 years ago). Oh, and finally, I always had to have 'the deodorant' speech with the boys once spring arrived. Post-recess time was POWERFULLY PUNDGENT!!
I enjoyed teaching 3rd and 4th grades. I enjoyed the people I worked with. They were dedicated and worked harder than anyone else I knew. Finally, however, my patience with the same children all-day long wore thin by Friday afternoon. For two years in row I found myself kicking trash cans and the trash cans were still metal...REALLY LOUD! When my district had an opening in 7th grade math, I jumped at it. Best move I ever made!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
NOW I Want a JOB!
I finally decided I REALLY wanted a job of my own. I was becoming frustrated teaching others’ classes. During my subbing, I identified I really liked upper elementary. K-2 was way too much effort. Kids needed way too much from me. High schoolers, on a good day, tolerated me. Middler schoolers hated subs. They really weren’t capable of tolerance and just wanted the sub to go away. A third grade position opened and was offered to me. Again, having subbed for 1½ years, I knew the staff and wanted to be a part of this district. I took the job.
Elementary teachers traditionally spend at least a week prior to their 1st duty day preparing their classroom (BTW...off-the-clock). They make name-plates for each student, go through textbooks placing each child’s name in them. They decorate the numerous bulletin boards with motivating educational posters. This little task in itself is monumental. First background paper or fabric must be put up, then comes the trim, lettering for the bulletin boards, and finally the posters. Then additional posters, caricatures all around the room, on the door, down the hall outside the room.
As a first year teacher, I was overwhelmed and at a loss. For a week I’d go to my classroom and look around. I just had no clue how to get started. My student-teaching experience had been 2nd semester. I had not 'opened' a classroom, AND had never 'closed' a classroom. My teaching partners across the hall had been done for days. They kept looking in, sharing greetings, and I’m sure seeing my dilemma. Knowing these wonderful folks, I’m, also, just as sure they were trying to decide when to offer help. Finally, the day before the students would come, a 2nd grade teacher and a 3rd grade teacher wandered in for a chat. While we chatted they took charge. They put my room together and I assisted. They loaned me their decorating ‘extras.’ I now was ready for my kids and my first day as a 3rd grade teacher.
I did not sleep well the entire week prior to starting my job. I didn’t sleep at all the night before my first day with my students. I had planned a ‘speech’ for my twenty-five 3rd graders. Many of their parents brought them to school, met the teacher, and wished them well. They were all bright, cheery, new clothes, and book-bags full of new supplies.
After the Pledge of Allegiance, I was on, center stage. I started my speech; how glad I was they were here, how happy I was to be here, what we would be studying throughout the year in all subjects…math, English, reading, writing, science, social studies, art projects, spelling. After about 20+ minutes, apparently I took a breath. The most adorable, smiling, little girl sitting in the front room, center aisle says, “You’re really excited aren’t ya?” I said, “Yes, I am.”
My first year was wonderful and exhausting. I wanted more than anything to make my students’ 3rd grade year great and memorable. I woke up each and every day excited to go to school. I planned. I worked to make every lesson plan of every subject meaningful, fun, and memorable (all except spelling…it just seemed to be boring and no hope). I had cooking classes in math, science, and social studies; movies for science, social studies; guest speakers for social studies and science; puppet plays for English and science; crafts for art included playdough, painting, decorations for every holiday, made a class quilt; I spent 3 hours every evening, most weekends planning and making instructional materials. It was GREAT!
Elementary teachers traditionally spend at least a week prior to their 1st duty day preparing their classroom (BTW...off-the-clock). They make name-plates for each student, go through textbooks placing each child’s name in them. They decorate the numerous bulletin boards with motivating educational posters. This little task in itself is monumental. First background paper or fabric must be put up, then comes the trim, lettering for the bulletin boards, and finally the posters. Then additional posters, caricatures all around the room, on the door, down the hall outside the room.
As a first year teacher, I was overwhelmed and at a loss. For a week I’d go to my classroom and look around. I just had no clue how to get started. My student-teaching experience had been 2nd semester. I had not 'opened' a classroom, AND had never 'closed' a classroom. My teaching partners across the hall had been done for days. They kept looking in, sharing greetings, and I’m sure seeing my dilemma. Knowing these wonderful folks, I’m, also, just as sure they were trying to decide when to offer help. Finally, the day before the students would come, a 2nd grade teacher and a 3rd grade teacher wandered in for a chat. While we chatted they took charge. They put my room together and I assisted. They loaned me their decorating ‘extras.’ I now was ready for my kids and my first day as a 3rd grade teacher.
I did not sleep well the entire week prior to starting my job. I didn’t sleep at all the night before my first day with my students. I had planned a ‘speech’ for my twenty-five 3rd graders. Many of their parents brought them to school, met the teacher, and wished them well. They were all bright, cheery, new clothes, and book-bags full of new supplies.
After the Pledge of Allegiance, I was on, center stage. I started my speech; how glad I was they were here, how happy I was to be here, what we would be studying throughout the year in all subjects…math, English, reading, writing, science, social studies, art projects, spelling. After about 20+ minutes, apparently I took a breath. The most adorable, smiling, little girl sitting in the front room, center aisle says, “You’re really excited aren’t ya?” I said, “Yes, I am.”
My first year was wonderful and exhausting. I wanted more than anything to make my students’ 3rd grade year great and memorable. I woke up each and every day excited to go to school. I planned. I worked to make every lesson plan of every subject meaningful, fun, and memorable (all except spelling…it just seemed to be boring and no hope). I had cooking classes in math, science, and social studies; movies for science, social studies; guest speakers for social studies and science; puppet plays for English and science; crafts for art included playdough, painting, decorations for every holiday, made a class quilt; I spent 3 hours every evening, most weekends planning and making instructional materials. It was GREAT!
WOW! I Am NOW a Teacher
I wanted to teach elementary. I did my student teaching at an elementary school in Wichita, Kansas. It was a 4th-5th combination second semester. My student teaching experience had its high point, but mostly very disappointing. I should have been discouraged, but I wasn’t. I knew deep inside I’d be GREAT and some classroom of young children were awaiting my grand arrival.
I completed my education in May, 1978. I graduated with a K-9 Elementary Bachelors Degree of Arts. My second child, M-boy was born October, 1978. I started substituting teaching K-12. I was terrified, but delve in. I was lousy but excited.
I was as surprised as anyone to discover I knew NOTHING. I couldn’t read lesson plans, schedules, didn’t know you had to start preparing kindergarten students for the trip home 30 to 40 minutes in advance (coats zipped, shoes tied, mittens and hats on the right child), totally at a loss as to how to start, end, transition lessons and/or subjects……BUT I was having fun. AND the students (at least K-5) were more than happy to tell how things were suppose to be. I learned fast I needed to thank the genuinely helpful, use the help I needed, ignore the clowns, and make each class my own. During the year and a half I subbed, I learned more about teaching than I had during my eight years of full-time and part-time college education. College inspired me and teaching taught me.
I completed my education in May, 1978. I graduated with a K-9 Elementary Bachelors Degree of Arts. My second child, M-boy was born October, 1978. I started substituting teaching K-12. I was terrified, but delve in. I was lousy but excited.
I was as surprised as anyone to discover I knew NOTHING. I couldn’t read lesson plans, schedules, didn’t know you had to start preparing kindergarten students for the trip home 30 to 40 minutes in advance (coats zipped, shoes tied, mittens and hats on the right child), totally at a loss as to how to start, end, transition lessons and/or subjects……BUT I was having fun. AND the students (at least K-5) were more than happy to tell how things were suppose to be. I learned fast I needed to thank the genuinely helpful, use the help I needed, ignore the clowns, and make each class my own. During the year and a half I subbed, I learned more about teaching than I had during my eight years of full-time and part-time college education. College inspired me and teaching taught me.
In the Beginning
I started college in the field of business…thinking legal secretary. I lasted two years before becoming disillusioned with ‘business.’ I started working part-time in high school. I started with a 15 to 20 hours week in a dime store (remember what they were?), then upon entering college, changed jobs for a M-F position as a stenographer (listening to headphones and typing what I heard). Next I took a job as file clerk, quit college, got married and started worked full-time as a receptionist which worked into becoming executive secretary for the business manager.
These jobs were fun, I loved the people I worked with, had a good time, enjoyed learning something new AND quickly discovered EVERYTHING was ‘new’ for the first year and after that everything was the same. I knew I needed something else. I started to look at ‘teaching’ again.
I called WSU and began the process of enrollment. I had not been ‘retired’ from education for more than 2 years and would be able to complete my college under the original requirements….saving me dollars and additional hours.
The first class I took was a night class (3 hours). It was titled something like “Introduction into Teaching.” The instructor was laid back and very engaging. I LOVED it! I was inspired, committed, and HOOKED!
I started back to school with a vengeance. I had my first child, G-girl. I went to school during the day and at night. I quickly discovered night classes were filled with people my age, going back to school, working outside the home or caring for their own children. These folks seemed to be much more mature and committed to getting through school. Their drive was catching. We were a ‘group’ and completed our education together. Some of my core classes were good, some terrible. I would find myself biting the inside of my mouth HARD trying to stay awake. When I finally made it into the ‘education’ classes, it was GREAT! I was going to set the school world on fire! I was going to save the children. All the children would love going to school and REALLY LOVE coming to my class.
These jobs were fun, I loved the people I worked with, had a good time, enjoyed learning something new AND quickly discovered EVERYTHING was ‘new’ for the first year and after that everything was the same. I knew I needed something else. I started to look at ‘teaching’ again.
I called WSU and began the process of enrollment. I had not been ‘retired’ from education for more than 2 years and would be able to complete my college under the original requirements….saving me dollars and additional hours.
The first class I took was a night class (3 hours). It was titled something like “Introduction into Teaching.” The instructor was laid back and very engaging. I LOVED it! I was inspired, committed, and HOOKED!
I started back to school with a vengeance. I had my first child, G-girl. I went to school during the day and at night. I quickly discovered night classes were filled with people my age, going back to school, working outside the home or caring for their own children. These folks seemed to be much more mature and committed to getting through school. Their drive was catching. We were a ‘group’ and completed our education together. Some of my core classes were good, some terrible. I would find myself biting the inside of my mouth HARD trying to stay awake. When I finally made it into the ‘education’ classes, it was GREAT! I was going to set the school world on fire! I was going to save the children. All the children would love going to school and REALLY LOVE coming to my class.
Dad's Influence
As far back as I can remember I wanted to be a teacher. Like most kids, we played ‘school.’ When I talked about my life when I ‘growed up’, I would be a teacher. Dad and I would talk about my future. He didn’t like the idea of me being a teacher. But when we explored the possibilities, he’d say I should teach a class that was an elective, something a student wanted to take, not the classes they would have to take. He, also, encouraged me not to stay in the classroom, be a principal or ‘higher?’
He always wanted me to explore other ideas. When I said actress, he said director or producer. When I said nurse, he said doctor. When I said secretary, he said manager or owner of the company. When I said stewardess, he said pilot. He wanted me to think ‘big.’ I once asked him why he didn’t want me to teach. Dad said he didn’t think I’d be satisfied, would get bored, would limit me and I needed to do something challenging where I could ‘reach my potential.' I, also, think he thought I’d end up an ‘old maid.’ He thought the life of a teacher had no social life, too limiting in life experiences (Oh...Dad, times are a changin').
Long after Dad had gone, G-man (my brother), asked one time when was I going to quit teaching and realize 'my potential.' It still amazes me the 'outsiders' view of teaching.
By the time I was ready for college, the idea of teaching was on the back burner. I was convinced everyone was right. I needed to do something else. However, my expectations for myself still weren’t grand. I decided to continue my secretarial training and be a legal secretary (Dad said lawyer.) I did 2 years in the Business College and was BORED TO DEATH!
I often still envisioned my life as a teacher.
He always wanted me to explore other ideas. When I said actress, he said director or producer. When I said nurse, he said doctor. When I said secretary, he said manager or owner of the company. When I said stewardess, he said pilot. He wanted me to think ‘big.’ I once asked him why he didn’t want me to teach. Dad said he didn’t think I’d be satisfied, would get bored, would limit me and I needed to do something challenging where I could ‘reach my potential.' I, also, think he thought I’d end up an ‘old maid.’ He thought the life of a teacher had no social life, too limiting in life experiences (Oh...Dad, times are a changin').
Long after Dad had gone, G-man (my brother), asked one time when was I going to quit teaching and realize 'my potential.' It still amazes me the 'outsiders' view of teaching.
By the time I was ready for college, the idea of teaching was on the back burner. I was convinced everyone was right. I needed to do something else. However, my expectations for myself still weren’t grand. I decided to continue my secretarial training and be a legal secretary (Dad said lawyer.) I did 2 years in the Business College and was BORED TO DEATH!
I often still envisioned my life as a teacher.
Why Am I Teacher
It’s fun!! Think about the times you have watched a little kid do something ‘miraculous, amazing, or hilarious. Middle school kids are fun to watch. I have been ‘tickled’ by 8 graders sooo many times; I can’t remember them all….too many to store in my brain. Course, the flip side to this is the number of times you may have been annoyed with your child, teenager, adult daughter or son AND of course the times you’ve been so MAD you couldn’t function? Well, multiply that feeling by 75+ annually.
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