So, how do you make schools "better"?

Apparently, not by setting arbitrary targets and using a system of carrots and sticks to reach them.
Incentives and Test-Based Accountability in Education
Valerie Strauss discussed it back in May. The report is downloadable from the NAP site. Two sentences from the summary:

Test-based incentive programs, as designed and

implemented in the programs that have been carefully studied,

have not increased student achievement enough to bring the

United States close to the levels of the highest achieving countries.

When evaluated using relevant low-stakes tests, which

are less likely to be inflated by the incentives themselves, the

overall effects on achievement tend to be small and are effectively

zero for a number of programs.

Wonder if any of our brave leaders will take note of this report from the National Research Council? Or, will the beatings will continue till morale improves!

Where does someone like this come from?

Vermont fraternity surveys members. Among the questions: who would you like to rape?

Umm, REALLY? Is this the best thing you could think of when you had too much time on your hands? What, TP'ing somebody's yard too much effort for you? Someone suggested bringing back the paddle. It's too late for this group of idiots. http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2011/12/15/a-frat-asks-its-members-who-would-you-like-to-rape-now-its-suspended/

"Evidence" of TFA effectiveness

Check Valerie Strauss's column: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/teach-for-america-research-questioned/2011/12/12/gIQANb40rO_blog.html#pagebreak

It's quite an eye-opener. These folks who live and die by the 'data' who can't offer up any useful data to justify their program.

Somehow, this isn't surprising...

Ed Sec Duncan has heard about a new report indicating that about half of schools will not make AYP this year. Wow, what a shocker. Not.
http://www.ajc.com/news/nation-world/report-half-of-schools-1260580.html

Almost Christmas

And not a minute too soon. I'm so pooped I may fall on my face.The kids are so wired we could light up the entire east coast.

NCLB's other meaning

I whole-heartedly agree. My district has retained the services of a 'guru' whose specialty seems to be repackaging Marzano's research. So far as I can find, he has published nothing of his own, and we don't even know how long he's been out of the classroom. He surely never taught anyone like my kids. Can you guess where our stimulus $$$ went?

http://trib.com/opinion/letters/no-consultants-left-behind/article_e69a950c-f5de-500f-a669-abbea7cec0cf.html 

Nation's race to the bottom

Here's some interesting political/economic analysis: share

Here's one for all the 'experts' out there

Here's a rap on Accountable Talk that just might begin to offer a view into the world of a teacher: http://www.accountabletalk.com/2011/11/im-public-school-teacher.html

Those who can't imagine all of this, or wouldn't want to experience it, should get the hell out of the way and let the rest of us do our jobs. Quit interfering.

Gotta have your priorities straight

I have just returned from a "Black Friday" excursion to check WalMart's early specials. Holy cow. There was a line to get into the parking lot. People had made their own parking spaces, though by 11:30 a few legit spots had opened up. Some customers must have left to get to Target by midnight...
Inside, the line for a register was beyond anything I've ever seen in my life. Not only that, but there were lines already for the specials to be released at midnight. Military security needs to study Walmart's methods. They have a quite effective strategy for keeping the goodies secure until zero hour. At each of the secret stations, there were dozens in line, snaking up and down the aisles.
It needs to be said, though some will take offense: All these hundreds (thousands?) of customers had arranged their lives, inconvenienced themselves and others, and sacrificed some beauty sleep. But just try and get most of them to come to a meeting at their child's school. It's like asking for the miracle of the loaves and the fishes. You just gotta have your priorities straight.

Wow, you mean it isn't automatically easy?

Sorry, that's my sarcastic streak expressing itself. A new study out of the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences at the University of Washington and the Learning and Development Lab at Georgia State University suggests that young children's learning is enhanced by their own struggle with a task, and also by observing an adult struggle with the same task. Sounds like it goes back to problem-solving. Here's a link to a description by the researchers: http://www.educationnation.com/index.cfm?objectid=CA44DA1E-FC09-11E0-B00E000C296BA163&aka=0
I think it's interesting, because the adolescents I teach tend to immediately give up when a task becomes or even seems the least bit difficult. I'll have to share this article with them and see how they respond. Wonder what the researcheers have observed with older children.

double standard?

Nina Bernstein of the NY Times, writes in On Colleges Campuses, Athletes Often Get Off Easy about how colleges protect athetes who committed crimes and often sweep their offenses under the rug.
I think we need to look at where this starts: K-12 sports programs. No, not just high school coaches, but also the middle school coaches who dont hold their players accountable for infractions of rules or common decency. Ii've seen numerous 8th grade athletes get away with misbehavior in class or elswhere on campus, with no reporcussions whatsoever. I would not tolerate the kind of nonsense I've observed, but then, that's probably why I'm not a coach. i'd piss off too many parents.

Must be a full moon

Judging by what I saw today, it has to be close. Jeez, I almost turned into a werewolf myself.
It's been a very interesting week so far of listening to kids make excuses for stupid choices, then parents making excuses for their kids' stupid choices, then explaining how none of that BS is going to help. If you haven't taken care of your responsibility, don't look to me. I'm sorry, but I've got enough of my own. I'm just waiting for some flak to come down about insisting that any missing work has to be made up by staying after school to take care of it. That will be the end of it right there. I'm not even supposed to accept late work, so this is a favor for you. Give me grief about it, and I'll cancel it on the spot.

Was thinking about students' names. It dawned on me that there are quiet a few whose names reflect a certain self-absoprtion on the parent's part. Like the one who named her son after herself. Then there are the moms who pick a baby name that rhymes with their own. Ugh. Worse are those who need to share a name with their child, by adding "La" or "Da/De" on the front to make a 'new' name. Please, just give your child his or her own identity. Maybe that would help the process of self-actualization. You know, growing up.

These are the "wisest" people they could find?

I really must object to this characterization. Consider the speaker quoted first, who has probably done the greatest damage of any individual in public education. Don't forget, that exact same comment was previously published, and discussed (to death) during the summer. Couldn't you at least say something new?
Perhaps, rather than wise, these are actually the people who could be roped into this when others were not available for the 'event'? Sort of like a jury is composed of people who couldn't find a way to avoid the dubious privilege...
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57321031/rhee-todays-kids-must-understand-hard-work/

The things that have to be explained...

Oh brother. Please save me from parent conferences where I have to explain that the child's grade is low because he/she won't stop talking long enough to complete the assignment, therefore receiving no credit for the no work. Exactly why does this need ot be explained in the computer age, with grades available in real time, on the internet? Please stop asking me silly questions when the answer is right in front of you. The grade stinks because the work was not done. Period. Get over it and light a fire under the kid's rear.

Article on kids' tendency to lose things

I can SO sympathize- my classroom usually looks like the kids' closets exploded, with books, clothes, even shoes, left behind at the end of the day. There is a perception that I am supposed to keep and guard it all. After many clashes over it, I now take it all to our Lost and Found, where novody ever seems to look. Apparently, it's much more fun to give us grief for not babysitting the stuff. Sorry, Charly.

http://momshomeroom.msn.com/articles/4/30970869/?WT.mc_id=msn

I wonder why...

http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2011/10/19/high-teacher-turnover-at-a-success-network-school/


I've never worked in a charter school setting, but I've been in a school where we were regularly reminded that we could/would be replaced anytime. It doesn't exactly inspire you to want to stay very long.

http://www.teach4real.com/2011/09/06/parent-outreach-not-in-an-educational-landscape-of-opposites/

Here is another perspective on 'parent involvement'. I wholeheartedly agree with Matt.

Another piece of the equation

http://www.teach4real.com/2011/09/06/parent-outreach-not-in-an-educational-landscape-of-opposites/

Here is another perspective on 'parent involvement'. I wholeheartedly agree with Matt.

Dear Parents,

I wish you knew a few things. OK, more than a few.
Before taking offense, you must understand that I've been awake since 5:30 this morning. Why? Because I started thinking about an upcoming assignment on which I am collaborating with the Language Arts teacher to develop it into something where the kids can really show what they can do. So, for all my griping, the teaching/thinking about kids part of my brain never seems to shut down.
Now, on to some of the things that I wish parents knew. BTW, all but 10 of these have come up in the past 7 days.

Things I wish you knew...

How many hours I spend at home in the evenings and on the weekends working on ideas for new lessons and activities that might be more interesting to your children.

How offensive it is when you assume that I am singling out your child for disparate treatment, and that grades or behavior reports are part of some vendetta instead of an honest report of what happened.

The supplies in my classroom are my personal property. They were not provided by the school or district. I bought them, out of my pocket, over several years.

The reading material in the classroom is entirely my personal property. When those books are lost/destroyed/stolen, it affects the rest of the students. Rather than allow that, I will pack up books and any other materials that are not treated properly.

I hate holding detention. It's just as much a punishment for me as for your child. Unfortunately, your child needs to make up for the time of others that he or she wasted during my class. By the way, my detention days are scheduled around my other obligations. You do not get to decide when I can hold detention.

It brings me no joy to see poor grades next to anyone's name. It's disappointing, after long hours of hard work, to see evidence that the time was lost.

When you ask for a special appointment to meet before school or after school, you are infringing on my private time. I don't get paid by the hour; there is no overtime pay. When you ask me to meet with you before school or after hours, you are expecting me to rearrange my schedule to accommodate you.

A child who refuses to follow directions or complete assignments is not having a personality conflict. The child is having a tantrum. That's what it was called when she was 2 years old, and it's no more appealling now that she is 12.

When classwork is assigned, that means it is expected to be done in class. It does not mean students can talk and relax and then 'do it for homework'.

Multi-tasking is not efficient. When your child says that he/she can hold a conversation with a classmate and still get the work done, it is a fiction that you should not believe. I have seen with my own eyes that it's not working out. That's why there's an F on the report card.

If several teachers are telling you the same thing about your child's schoolwork or behavior, you should consider the very real possibility that the problem in this equation lives with you. We are all telling you the same thing because your child really is acting that way.

When there is a project to be done, I am careful to give written instructions for what is expected and how it will be graded. We review those instructions in class, in detail. Before your tell your child to do something else, you should find out what my instructions were.

There is a reason assignments have deadlines. That's when it needs to be turned in. By not taking care of work in a timely manner, your child sacrifices the chance to earn those points. I can do nothing about that.

I do not control when grades have to be finalized.

There is no requirement that I have to re-grade work. If I offer the opportunity to make corrections, be glad for it. If I don't offer it, that's just life.

When someone else does the work, don't ask me to accept it for a grade. It's unethical.

When you want something from me, or expect me to do something, it's just bad manners to insult me in the same message or conversation. And it doesn't exactly inspire me to agree.

I have a boss, thank you. That's the person who gets to tell me what to do. I'm not telling you how to raise your child, though I certainly have thoughts on that topic.

I'll make a deal with you: I won't criticize the décor in your house as long as you don't criticize teaching methods. Things have changed since you and I sat in the student desks.

When 12 kids are running off at the mouth and my instructions can't be heard, I will have to raise my voice. That's not yelling. That's just reality.

Please educate your child as to the meaning of the words 'yell', 'shout', 'scream'. He seems to believe these words apply anytime I don't give in to his whims.

Your child does not get to slander me, or other teachers, while I sit by and smile politely. My contract as a teacher does not require me to tolerate that; yours as a parent does.

The custodians at this school are not your child's personal servants. You kid still has to pick up after himself.

You know those lockers? They are the place for your child to store her belongings, not my bookshelf, not the desks that other kids need to use, and certainly not my floor. Stuff that's left behind is not my responsibility.

Conference night is not fun for me.

Curriculum night is not fun for me.

Stomping feet and throwing pencils off the desk, by students or parents, does not impress or intimidate me.

If I need to call you about a behavior issue, this is certainly not the first time it has happened. This isn't being petty. I've already talked to your kid; now it's time for you to step up.

When you wait till the end of the grading period to come in and see what issues have come up, it's a mystery just what you expect from me. I've been working on these things for weeks; where've you been?

I don't really care if you approve of the assignment.

I don't care if you like the tests.

Yeah, your son really does need to know this stuff. (Was actually asked this question once.) Unless, that is, your dreams for him include living in a cardboard box under the expressway.

I don't care if you like the school rules or discipline policy. I might not like them, either, but that's beside the point. I have to follow the speed limit whether I like it or not, and the kids have to follow the rules, too.

There's a place for people who don't follow the rules. It comes with ugly jumpsuits and big metal bars.

You know that cute outfit you bought your daughter last weekend? Not school appropriate. If you would see it at a club, it shouldn't be seen at school.

If there are supposed to be glasses on the face, that doesn't get you a pass on your assigned seat. It means you should put them on so that you can actually see.

If you are wearing the glasses and still can't see, maybe it's time to go back to the eye doctor.

If your child is not involved in sports, and isn't driving, why does he need a cell phone?

My last name is not Walton and I don't stock school supplies.

Interrupting my class is rude, no matter who you are.

The rest of the world is not interested in the patterns on your son's underwear, and neither am I. Buy him some pants that fit properly, for heaven's sake.

The boys at my school don't need to know the landscape of your daughter's cleavage. Please buy her some clothing that will cover the twins.

Applying cosmetics in class is inappropriate.

Personal hygiene starts with soap and water. Please don't teach your child to use body spray as a substitute.

If the kids have to leave their clothes in my classroom, I should be able to drop off my laundry at your house in exchange.

When your kids are sick, please keep them at home. I am not a nurse, I can not give medication, and I can't afford to get sick and lose time from work.

That school supply list we sent home? It really does mean thaat those things will be needed for class.

When you allow your child to speak to me rudely, it tells me something about you. When you allow your child to speak to YOU rudely, in front of me, well, that speaks volumes.

Teachers don't get discounts on stationery and school supplies. We pay the same price you do. Either get your kid some paper and pencils, or send me some money and I'll go shopping.

Sometimes, it really IS the child's fault.

If you have all the answers, please come in and take over my classroom. I could really use a break. If you don't care to do this, leave it to those of us who have a clue what we're doing.

Even as I vent all my frustrations on this page, I've been awake since 5:30 (it's Sunday morning) thinking about ways to make an upcoming assignment more engaging (better) for your children.

Wow, I've been gripe-y lately

How's this:
The best laugh all day was provided by the student who brought me a textbook that's been vandalized. Our brand-new, super-expensive textbook. There is a message in it wishing me and my team leader would die, because, in the opinion of the esteemed writer, we are bitches.
I feel flattered to be keeping such company. Really! :-)
Poor child couldn't understand why I laughed...

It's been a hell of a week

You know those days that are so awful that you're ready to quit? That's the kind of week we've had. Thoroughly depressing, soul-stealing, and demoralizing.
I really love teaching. The problem is there isn't enough of it happening. Most of the time is spent on things other than teaching. So, here's a therapeutic little excercise I started working on. Almost of of this is from the past 2 months, most of it this week alone...

Things they never told us in teacher school:

Students aren't in school to learn. They actually come for breakfast, lunch, and socialization.

The students aren't well socialized, in spite of all the socialization. In fact, some aren't socialized at all.

Not only will the kids complain about assignments, they will flat out refuse to even attempt the work.

Parents will justify this behavior, trying to convince you that the kids are right to refuse.

Then the parents will expect an explanation from you as to why their kids don't have all As.

Forget all those wonderful, detailed lessons and units you learned to create. There won't be time to use any of them, because you have to get ready for standardized tests, benchmark tests, interim tests, progress monitoring, formative assessments, common assesments, etc.

Forget about planning engaging lessons. The kids don't give a shit, and administration will keep you too busy with meetings to do any planning.

Speaking of planning, whatever time is not taken up with meetings will be spent on the phone, with parents who are unhappy with you, your team, your school.

Students will tell you off, cuss you out, and demand a written pass to leave class so they can go have sex in the boys' bathroom. Because, you know, there's nothing more romantic than the stench of piss when you want to get it on.

Don't spend all day reading your school email, but make sure you read that unimportant email from the self-important administrator as soon as it is sent. Sooner than that would be even better.

You know the old saying, “the customer is always right”? Well, students and parents are the 'customers', and you are now in the customer service business.

When you stand your ground, about anything, the student will have a shit fit, demand to call home, and proceed to lie about whatever happened, or didn't happen.

Remember potty training? Well, you are about to experience it again, with adolescents.

No matter how specific your directions, someone will always find a way to 'minsunderstand' or 'not hear' them. That will be you fault, of course.

When you set a deadline, that's just the opening bid. Students will answer with a counter bid, usually along the lines of 'whenever the hell I feel like turning it in'.

The word 'No' is not the end of the convesation, it's the start of negotiations, at least in some circles. Unfortunately, those aren't the circles I run in. You can see how this becomes an issue...

A parent with a question will never ask you directly. Instead, it's much more fun to call the school and accuse you of everything under the sun.

The students will assume you don't like them and deliberately give them low grades. It couldn't possibly be related to the quality of the work they turned in.

The parents will assume you don't like their kids and deliberately give them low grades. It couldn't possibly be related to the quality of the work they turned in.

When work is turned in late, you will be expected to drop everything and grade it immediately, and make sure it gets a perfect grade, even if it's completely wrong. If you don't, see above.

Parents will not make the effort to enforce any discipline or expectations with their kids. It's too much work to just say 'No' to one child. It's much easier, apparently, to sit down with a roomful of adults and give them shit instead.

When students are talking (or yelling, or singing) too loudly for you to be heard, don't raise your voice. That's rude.

When you ask students to make corrections to their work for a better grade, they will tell you there is nothing wrong with it, and refuse to correct it. This is your problem.

When a student plagiarizes their work, there is nothing wrong with that, because they typed it themselves. Right?

When a student turns in work that a relative did for them, that's okay, too.

When a student won't follow any instructions or do any work, that's a personality conflict. It's your problem.

When a student calls you “bitch” and gets suspended, you will still have to provide his assignments and take phone calls from his parents while he's out of school.

When the students don't like your test review, it will be your fault if they earn a low grade on the test.

Don't have a life. You have to be available for questions, phone calls, and emails 24/7. This means that when you miss that 8 pm email, there will be 3 nasty follow-up messages before 6 am.

If students don't tell you they are having a problem with a classmate, it's your responsibility to know about it anyway, because their parents don't know what class it's happening in.

If you call a parent from your phone without blocking your ID, be prepared for a couple of weeks of creepy phone calls from him at all hours.

Any time a parent says, “you won't have any problems with my child”, it's a lie.

If it's followed by the words, “call me any time”, don't. They don't really want to hear from you. Ever.

Work that is turned in without a name on it should still be graded and recorded. Use your crystal ball to figure out who the hell did it.

Administrators will generally throw you under the bus. Those that don't are probably driving the bus.

When you are in the middle of grading papers, that's not important enough that you should expect a child to wait till you're done for a response from you.

When the child interrupts your lesson to ask a personal question that is none of anyone's businees, you should answer it. Otherwise, you'll be considered rude.

School and district policies will change. You will probably not be informed of these changes until after you've stepped in it. That's your problem.

Children will try to intimidate you to get what they want. After all, it works at home.

Sports are way more important than schoolwork. Get over it.

Sports are also more important than discipline. What's the matter with you?

Don't you dare not cave in when a student expects an extension to get work done that should have been properly done already. There will be blood...

If you really enjoy your subject matter, keep it to yourself. Nobody else gives a rip.

If you have personal photos that are related to an upcoming lesson, forget about it. By the time you organize them to show the kids, you'll wish you hadn't.

Don't ever assign television for homework. Suddenly they aren't allowed to watch 'that kind' of program. Jersey Shore, on the other hand, now that's quality entertainment!

That assignment you thought would be a slam-dunk, easy grade for everybody? Mission impossible.

Nobody outside of this crazy profession wants to listen to all of this. They can't believe any of this shit actually happens; hell, you wouldn't believe it yourself if you didn't personally witness it every day.

OMG, what a week, and it's only Tuesday

Got stuck meeting with a parent till past 6. Explained the school discipline plan and how our multitudes of phone calls and emails are all part of that process. Had to quote chapter and verse, and still get a round of "can he have another chance?" Good grief, it's the 8th week of school, how many more 'second chances' can there possibly be? Meanwhile, the phone calls I really needed to make went un-made. Wow.
Then there's the darlings who continued talking instead of working on their assignment, even with the principal sitting right by them. They bragged about it, too. Unreal. I'm completely out of ideas, except to work their fingers to the bone.

Experience?

Here's a news item that appeared today: Many teachers have little or no experience.
Funny, here are informed researchers saying that it's a problem. Where were they when our esteemed Secrectary of Education stodd up and announced his preference for new teachers over veterans, as if battleground experience is irrelevant? And then we wonder where those experienced teachers have gone...

Just what I didn't need

So, it's been a ridiculous day, starting with helpless parents of helpless students, moving on to a conference with the parent who is allowing her child to mianipulate her and withhold his grades from her, capped off by an idiotic battle for a basic desk tool that my students will never be allowed to use again. Then I read Jay Matthews' column, here, and my blood is boiling. Exactly which teachers in this piece had 'low expectations' of their students? Exactly who are the people we keep hearing about? Fifteen years, four districts, five schools, and I've yet to meet one of these individuals practicing the 'soft bigotry of low expectations'. If anything, what we keep hearing is that we are demanding too MUCH of the students, not too little. One of today's parent's actually questioned why I included a few questions on my test from previously taught and tested material. Oh, I don't know, maybe because your 8th grader will be tested on ALL of this in the spring before we can talk about high school? Ya think?

Gotta wonder about people

We've spent a lot of time this week on behavior issues. We have classroom disruptions, hallway wandering, physical aggression, and general failure to follow simple directions. It's very difficult to teach under these conditions. So we've been making parent contact. Some parents have been called more than once this week.
I recognize that some of them have created a situation where they are now powerless to change the behavior of the child, but the school plan requires parent contacts to begin the discipline process. Plus, I'm hoping that by getting on it now, I won't be still dealing with so much later. I've discussed all of this with the principal, including my latest round of calls yesterday, so that he is prepared for anyone who might object. We also have conferences set up for next week. It's absolutely exhausting, but necessary.
Here's the sad part: we are moving through our calling list, and starting to encounter the parents who actively defend their children's behavior and failure to complete assignments. I'm used to the ones who make the right noises and don't follow up. But it's always upsetting to hear a parent tellimg me they don't see what big deal is, or that this is petty. I have to stop myself from inviting them to come teach my class and see just how well it goes with their own child acting like they do. We even have one who will not allow her child to complete missing assignments after school. Great choice.

Day 13 of the new year

Oh, brother, it's been a wild and wacky start to the school year. Why is it that fourteen-year-olds, who've been in classrooms since preschool in most cases, still don't understand what is acceptable classroom behavior? One day I hope to find the answer to that question, and then make a fortune with a solution for it.
Today, the thirteenth of the school year, one of the least-behaved students on my team thought he'd be friendly and 'hug' me. Needless to say, after putting up with his shenanigans all day, I was not amused. At all. Forgot to mention that I've already asked him not to touch me, as has another teacher. Glad this day is over.

Almost back to school time

With one more week off before I report to work, I've been reading through the investigator's report on the Atlnta cheating. It's not inspiring at all. And, as much as I want to say that couldn't happen in my district, I can't. There are principals in the district who would create that climate where people will do anything to keep their jobs. Fortunately, I dont work for one of them, but I feel for those who do.
The things described in the report make me fell a little better about my habit of not looking over the kids' shoulders during testing, though we were supposed to do that, to make sure they were on track and not skipping items. I also don't do any of the cleanup erasing any more. I show them what I'm talking about, then leave it to them. After the CT SAT cheating investigation, I stopped doing any erasing.
More on this whole debacle later.

New Science Framework released

I haven't read it yet, but I will be going over the document carfully, since it will serve as the basis for Achieve to develop National Standards for Science.

Outrages

Kathie Marshall had a guest piece in the Washington Post recently. In it she outlines 13 things she's outraged about. It got me thinking about what my own list would look like. While I work on that, I'd like to know what others find outrageous. What sparks your outrage?

On the subject of teacher layoffs

Here's a judge's opinion, in a long-running case, of current layoff proposals.

As for arguments about whether to lay off new teachers or old dinosaurs like me, check out this open letter.

WHY TEACHERS LIKE ME SUPPORT UNIONS

1. There are too many megalomaniacs out there in administrative positions who use their authority like a weapon, instead of a tool. I've met them.

2. I teach in a "right to work state". My contract isn't worth the paper it's written on. We had statewide teacher furloughs last year. You may have seen it in the news.

3. I'm a child of union members. I'm well aware that some union officials are less than ethical (OK, corrupt). Eliminating unions is NOT the solution. Take care of the problem properly. Until I moved to this state, I had no idea there were still places in the USA where employees have virtually no rights. I feel like chattel.

4. By protecting the working conditions of the teachers, unions also protect the learning conditions your child faces every day. How well would you learn if the megalomanic in the front office were free to harass teachers during class with no restrictions on this behavior? I can tell you, I'd be wetting my pants, because if they can treat adults that way, I (the student) don't stand a chance. What about you?

More to come- it's time to get ready for another day in the classroom.

Performance Evaluations

Here's some food for thought on teacher performance evaluations, from New Jersey, where they are evidently looking at "value-added" models. NewJersey.com

From the article:

THE Teacher Effectiveness Task Force report issued March 3 by a panel appointed by Governor Christie recommended basing teacher evaluation significantly on student test scores.

My question is this: what evidence is there to support this model? We know by now that the LA Times results are questionable, the Vanderbilt study found performance pay to be ineffective, most of the brilliant schemes to pay kids for grades have been abandoned. So, in this world where we are supposed to be 'research-based' and use the 'data', where is the research to support these plans? And, "I believe it will work" is NOT good enough.

Oh, come on, FSU!

Mighty FSU is afraid that little Salem HS using the name Seminoles might 'cause confusion'? Those must be some fans of questionable sense and intelligence, if they think a ball game in Conyers has anything to do with FSU. Here's an article on the subject.

some people don't have much sense

Went to a park in the area. It's a remarkable place, a granite outcrop and former granite quarry that also happens to be home to a variety of specialist species. The diamorpha is up and starting to bloom, the senecio is blooming, carolina jessamine is blooming like crazy. Gorgeous. and then the trash left behind. I actually picked up a disposable shop towel and brought it back to toss in my trash. Here's a picture of someone's drink cup placed in easy view of the main trail into the preserve. Slobs! Would it really cost you to take it with you? I don't want to look at your trash!

Okay, I give up- what's with 8th graders?

i have found no answer to the riddle that is the 8th grade student. They are insanely immature, try to act like they are adults who know all, argue like kindergarteners, and dress like exotic dancers. But you'd better not MESS WITH THEM, or they will make you absolutely miserable. BTW, "messing with them" pretty much covers any expectations or limits you may have for them. Don't think they're going to do anything you want; you'll be sorely disappointed.
Yes, I agree that there are some who don't fit the above description. Unfortunately, the ones who seem to take up all of my (and colleagues') time do. I've stopped trying to understand. I just want to get to the end of this school year.

I can SO understand the sentiment

Here it is from SusanOhanian.org
I had one of those days on Friday. Actually left one of my collaboraive classes out of sheer frustration at the ridiculous scene before me. And the rudeness of one of my kids, who constantly whines for my help but that day decided to impress his peers, just pushed me over the top. Rather than stay and risk my mental health and/or employment, I just gathered my things and walked out of the room without a word.

On the fallacies of standardized testing

Here's Carol Cross's argument, on her blog and in Valerie Strauss's column. I thought she made her point quite well, but apparently some readers, both at the blog, and at the Washington Post, didn't really understand her satiricxal take on the situation.

Minor vindication

In the classroom, that is. A couple of days ago, I had a visitor who came to observe my class. This is not my principal, or assistant principal. This is someone from the district. Here's the background: I'm teaching a research-based, scripted reading program for students with learning diabilities. The visitor is the person who introduced this program to the district. In a sense, it's her baby. She trained me on it, and I'm using it for the first time (she has not taught this program herself). As is often the case, I see that there is a bit of a mismatch between my students' entty skills and the ideal for this program. So, I have made some adjustments to accommodate my kids, that I believe help them to get more out of the experience. In the observation, I was slightly shredded for not following the tested procedures, etc. We discussed it, and I felt bad for slacking off. The very next day, my kids are finishing up their practice assignment, and with some feedback, every single one of them completed it to my satisfaction (I'm pretty demanding), including the one I've been most concerned about. It jsut clicked for him, and he's zooming now. It was a great way to start the morning.

What a week I've had today

I don't know about anyone else, but it really bothers me when someone wants to critique my work based on fleeting glimpses. This person has not once set foot in my classroom in the three years I've been at this school, and wouldn't have my job for all the money in the world. This person lies to us regularly about district initiatives (such as, telling us some new task is mandatory for all the middle schools, then we find out from other schools that they aren't expected to do it), and uses intimidation and threats to inspire us to work more/harder/whatever. I'm so tired of jumping through manufactured hoops and resolving manufactured problems. It would be nice to be able to actually teach for a change.
Oh, and I was informed today of a student who threatened to hit me, and how it's my fault because of how I talked to him. I was not told who or when, but I could make a good guess. It's time for a good night's sleep and a vacation. Every day I'm more sure that this is the wrong place for me, but it doesn't look like anything else will come up soon. We're looking at more cuts, so transfer options will be limited at best.

Merit pay and "Value-added"

If you're familiar with the LA Times and their front page piece about how value-added measures can be so great for kids, and teachers, take a look at The Answer Sheet for 2/7/11. Then, take a look at this TED Talk on motivation by Dan Pink. It's very interesting material to think about. Basically seems to thoroughly validate the Vanderbilt study of merit pay from last year. Plain English: it doesn't work.
What do you think?
BTW, if anyone knows of an electronic edition of "Paying for Better Teaching: Merit Pay and Its Alternatives" by Lipsky, et al, 1984, I'd love to have the link. So far I know that it's available from Amason and paperback book swap.

Why am I teaching?

That was the question posed today by a student. First, let me set the scene (I can hear Estelle Getty as Sofia Petrillo on Golden Girls "Picture it!")
This is an inclusion class. Here, we call it 'collaborative', where I come into a class (actually a series of them, like running a relay) for half the period to support the content teacher in reaching the SWD. More on this model another time. Also, I've been a participant in a grant-funded project that aims to beef up teachers' pedagogical content knowledge in math and science. Some of the higher-ed folks involved in that have visited this class to observe me, so the kids know about it. They were impressed.
In this class, I arrive for the second half of the lesson. Today there was a test, and as kids finished up, they had instructions to start working on a project that was postponed from last week due to winter weather and heinous road conditions. So I come in, sit down at a student table, take out some stuff I need to work on, and use my mojo to keep an eye on the kids as they work and move around. Fast forward to me answering questions for two students, and a third one, sitting nearby, interrupts (as usual) and says loudly (as usual), "If you're so smart, why are you a teacher?" Before I can figure out how to respond (since I'm choking on my tongue at this point), my collab partner says, "Why would you ask something like that?" The student answers with "Well, I was just wondering why she's here when she's so smart?" Oooh-kaaay. Maybe the answer is that it's because I should have my head examined? Not sure how to take this. Should I be flattered, or insulted? Still don't know, after a couple of hours. It's good that the kid can recognize an intelligent (or maybe just educated) person, but, DAMN! Out of the mouths of babes, I guess.

Snow Day times 5!

In this part of the country, a winter storm struck last Sunday night. It was followed not by the usual warm weather that melts our snow quickly, but by days of FREEZING weather. Local authorities did not prepare adequately for these conditions, despite a week of warnings(?!), so roads have been a mess all week. No safe roads, no buses. No buses, no school. So I've been blessedly able to catch up on laundry, and even get a head start on readings and assignments for my online course. To the point where the articles are read and I have actual NOTES, instead of reading on the fly to respond to the questions for the week. It's kind of cool.
At least school officials had some sense and started announcing closings. On Sunday afternoon. When I got my first call, it hadn't even started snowing in my area- I was out shopping. The next day, the call came even earlier. For 5 days in a row, school was closed. That's pretty remarkable around here, barring a Category 5 hurricane (over 100 miles inland). What impressed me, however, was being notified THE DAY BEFORE.
Let me put this in perspective. Perhaps, in other parts of the country, it's not like this. Around here, when school is cancelled, the decision is typically made in the early hours of the morning. So, if the calling-tree doesn't work right (very common for people to 'forget' to call the next guy), you have no choice but to get up at the normal time and stare at the morning news, waiting for your district to be listed as 'closed' for that day. Then, you can go back to bed. If you can sleep. If you don't have school-age kids who are also up and hoping for an announcement. Some time back, there was even a district that made the decision AFTER buses started rolling. That means the elementary school kids had to be brought back home, since they are picked up earlier. It suggests a lack of consideration for the reality that the people affected by the decision may need some warning in order to re-organize their day.
Which is way I was impressed to get a call on Sunday afternoon. Even though I was thinking this would fizzle out, it was nice to be considered and notified in advance.

Work? day

Well, it was just as I feared. The whole day was taken up, and I didn't get to talk to my partners at all. In the afternoon, when the schedule said 'work in your rooms', I had a training session to prepare for what I'll be teaching in one of my classes. The upside? There was enough time to prepare materials so I can start right away.

I'm typing this at 3 am because my alarm rang at 1:46 instead of 6:15. Haven't even dozed since. Gonna be a great morning I'm sure.

New Year!

I left off 'Happy' because I'm reserving judgement as to whether this will be a happy one. I'm really not looking forward to going back to work, just because I know tomorrow will be full of meetings and wasted time. Students return the following day. All I really need (for me) is a couple of hours to organize my desk and get things ready to teach. Less, if I don't bother with the desk. Instead, I will spend the day in a strange purgatory. We'll see how productive it really is. For instance, will my planning group get any time to plan? Will I be able to meet with my collaborative partners (all 4 of them) to figure out a game plan, especially for the behavior issues? More likely, the time will be preplanned for us, because goodness knows we can't be trusted to determine for ourselves how to use the time. there's my snarky side coming out. That happens from time to time, especially right before and right after a waste-of-time meeting.
I've spent a nice chunk of my time during this holiday reading some of the books that seem to form the basis of the superintendent's new initiatives. So far, he's harped on 'professional learning communities'. Only thing is, the way he's describing it, it sounds like another meeting, with set agenda and (almost) predetermined outcomes. Progress monitoring and data collection also keep coming up in his communications.
My small class will have to decide once and for all which book they want to read next. I've offered 3 possibilities. It's only fair; I chose the first 2 books we read, and they choose the third. I've also told them why I'm offering these particular titles and which one I think would be good right now. We'll see how it goes.