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!!!!
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