I stand with unionized teachers

every day of the week, and twice on Sunday. I teach in a non-union state, with minimal protections and no collective bargaining. Hence 5 years of furlough days, loss of local supplements, no supplies, no heat this week (seriously, I kept my jacket on every day). I seriously doubt our esteemed leaders in politics and commerce would have the balls to face a crazed gunman, or even a pissed off parent.
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/12/17/americas-teachers-heroes-or-greedy-bastards/

Who needs to learn, really?

This sounds like an extreme extension of everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten- and I say this as a certified science teacher. But, I'm also a certified social studies teacher, which warps my perspective.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/13/egan-in-ignorance-we-trust/?nl=opinion&emc=edit_ty_20121214

This is no "revolution", it's just good teaching

The New Dorp HS turnaround that was largely based on focusing on the students' writing skills- why is this revolutionary? It's what we SHOULD be doing, if only we weren't busy training students to fill in bubbles on answer sheets for multiple-choice questions that measure exactly SQUAT about their written expression. Imagine, a school where every kid has to write, properly, clearly, grammatically, for every teacher. No exceptions, no excuses, no more "but why is the math teacher critiquing my baby's writing?" Imagine, a school where the expectations are universal and inexcapable. Where the students are accountable for learning, and teacher accountable for helping them do so.
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/10/the-writing-revolution/309090/?single_page=true

Here's the problem with student surveys

If all you do is use them to prove that the test scores show what you think you want to measure, then the surveys will become pointless. I can't use something like that to improve on what I'm doing in the classroom. (Of course, it would help if my assignment didn't change every bloody year, but who cares about having a second shot, right?) It will only be another metric to be manipulated. And, if you've never had the pleasure of witnessing somebody's little angel exercise their own agenda through these "instruments", then you live a deprived life. But, take a look:
http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2012/09/23/what-education-reformers-did-with-student-surveys/
and for the original Atlantic article: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/10/why-kids-should-grade-teachers/309088/ 

And here's why it should be scrapped

Value added 'measurement' simply doesn't measure what it claims, if in fact it measures anything. I'm not personally convinced it does measure anything, not even the growth of a particular student over time. Perhaps you've been fortunate, but I have personally witnessed students deliberately throwing the test for their own reasons. Some because they realized they couldn't possibly pass, so why bother trying? Some because they knew high scores would qualify them for more demanding classes, and they wanted to stay in 'easy' classes. Some have even done it because they are satisfying a grudge against a particular teacher and wanted to screw up the teacher's pass rate. If you think adolescents don't do these things, you must be smoking the kool-aid.

http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2012/11/17/air-pollution-in-ny-state-comments-on-the-ny-state-teacherprincipal-rating-modelsreport/

What's that you say, Warren Buffett?

You think Jamie Dimon, the man who almost ran JPMorgan Chase into the ground singlehandedly, should be Secretary of the Treasury? Puhleease! You have got to be kidding me! Does anyone seriously want him to duplicate his "achievements" on a national scale? Not me, that's for sure.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/27/warren-buffett-jamie-dimo_n_2197455.html

The same Jamie Dimon who allowed 'performance' bonuses to be paid to the managers and executives who lost billions of dollars trading derivatives on Wall Street created the subprime real estate debacle?

Is this the same Jamie Dimon who spent a million on office renovations while his company was in shambles?

Jamie Dimon who thinks he did the right thing? Is this really the person who should be setting the nation's economic policy?

Shock doctrine all over again

A good crisis should never go to waste. So goes the thinking of the behind-the-scenes folk who think they know what the rest of us need. Find a flaw, spin it a s crisis, and then swoop in like a hero, offering to provide the 'solution' (for a fee, of course).  Thus is our current situation in education. See the guest commentary in Valerie Strauss' column from last Friday. Thanks to Diane Ravitch for picking up on it.

Here's Bloomberg's model at work

I might be wrong about the originator, but my recollection is that Mayor Michael Bloomberg in New York came up with this approach to running schools and "improving" them: bring in someone whose entire professional career was spent not in education, but in business. The corporate world. After all, you don't need to be a teacher in order to run a school and supervise teachers. You just need management experience, right? Someone who understands finances, resource management, performance review, etc. That's all you need ("...you don't need nothing else", says Latka). Right?

We saw how that's worked out. Witness the chancellorship of Joel Klein, formerly US Assistant Attorney General. And, in it's most extreme incarnation, it brought us the Cathie Black debacle.

Now, Atlanta is facing the realities of following this approach, in the person of Errol Davis, a businessman whose only prior connection to education is that he served as Chancellor of the University System of Georgia. Before that, he spent his career at Alliant Energy and Wisconsin Power & Light. He appears to have last set foot in a classroom (any classroom) in 1967, when he completed the MBA with which he followed his Carnegie Mellon degree in electrical engineering. No question he is intelligent, but that alone doesn't make a successful educator, or superintendent.

Now, after upsetting folks with his handling of the APS CRCT cheating scandal, he has continued to draw fire by pursuing decisions without making sure of community buy-in. He has repeatedly misjudged the climate, and understimated the need to have the public, especially parents, on board with your decisions and policies for the school district. You'd think that someone with a seat on the Board of Directors of General Motors would have better people skills than that, but apparently not. Tonight, as I write this, the APS Board is deciding (maybe) the future of Davis' tenure as superintendent. http://www.ajc.com/news/news/fate-of-superintendent-erroll-davis-unclear/nTNGM/

UPDATE:
Board votes to extend Davis' contract: http://www.ajc.com/news/news/local-education/atlanta-school-board-extends-embattled-superindend/nTR5J/

Sorry, Thomas Friedman

So, Thomas Friedman, normally a very astute man, thinks Arne duncan would make an excellent Secretary of State after Sec Clinton steps down. I think he's completelylost track of what a good Secretary of State has to be able to do: formulate a plan, implement foreign policy, develop relationships, bring diverse groups to consensus. So far, as Sec of Ed, Duncan has done exactly the opposite.

 http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_22082363/thomas-l-friedman-my-secretary-state-arne-duncan

Arne Duncan thinks the way to “measure” success or failure is to give a test and 'analyze' the results. I can just see this enshrined in US foreign policy, can't you? He'll withhold foreign aid for literacy programs and universal education from nations that don't demonstrate adequate progress on a poorly designed instrument full of cultural bias. He'll require that public health be administered on a voucher basis, so that the recipients can 'vote with their feet' and chase after services offered by privately operated for-profit operators. He will go overseas to negotiate a treaty and leave behind people who are more polarized than when he walked in, and thoroughly insulted by his attempts to dictate his 'values' to them. Forgive me if that doesn't inspire confidence in the future of the US State Department.

Couldn't tell by looking at the shelves

Common core standards for English Language Arts call for much mor nonfiction reading (and writing) than fiction. Because, supposedly, that's what the kids will be mostly reading as adults. Now, I love to read. and I enjoy a hefty nonfiction title as much as anybody. But a look at my book collection (paper and e-book) will show that I read considerably more fiction than I do nonfiction.  At the public library the other day, I was amazed that at least 2/3 of a small branch library was filled with fiction titles. And that doesn't include the children's collection.
Now, I agree that primary sources should be a bigger part of our instruction, but I don't believe that the reason teachers object is 'lack of training' in using informational material. That's baloney, in my book. The reality is that human nature demands storytelling. No amount of practicality can change that fact.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/class-struggle/post/non-fiction-vs-fiction-smackdown/2012/10/18/08355a3c-1713-11e2-a55c-39408fbe6a4b_blog.html

Rigor, or Vigor?

So, while sitting through endless workshop on teaching with rigor, how do I infuse my math class with vigor?
Keep in mind that my middle-schoolers struggle with basic computations, and our curriculum calls for algebra (stuff I didn't see till HS). And then, there's this College Board product and all its issues.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/03/the-most-important-element-of-student-success/

A student's perpective

If you haven't seen it yet, this is from the account of a college student who shares his testing experience in the Washington Post:

 

 I enrolled in AP English due to my great experience with English the previous year hoping it would be more rigorous and I would grow even more as a writer and as a person. I was wrong. The entire purpose of AP English was not to improve our critical thinking or our writing, but to prepare for the AP Exam in May and to get ready for college. We read great pieces of literature that I highly enjoyed and wanted to learn more about. But, instead of analyzing themes or characters our teacher would give us questions which we would have to write essays about in a 50 minute class period similar to what we would find on the AP Exam and in college classes. It frustrated me to no avail and I ended up doing very poor in AP English.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/09/one-teens-standardized-testing-horror-story-and-where-it-will-lead/

 

Guess my problem is not unique

I've been struggling for a while with issues surrounding a College Board product that I'm required to teach from. Only one of my problems is accuracy. When i work problems with my class, I don't always get the answer that is in my TE. I try multiple approaches and still can't make their answer work. They can only say, "maybe we can get thatcorrected". When? This thing has been piloted for several years all over the country! When were you going to fix the answer key?
apparently this is not an isolated issue:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/23/sat-problem-of-the-day-gives-wrong-answer/

Choice is no substitute for proper education

So, voters have decided that the best people to decide whether a charter school should be approved are sitting in nice offices in Atlanta, not at the local Board of Education in the community the charter would ostensibly serve. Great, parents will possibly have more choices available to them. But, what if those new choices are no better than the existing ones? How will anyone know? And, if the AZ example of exempting charters from state accountability requirements is followed, we'll NEVER find out. We've already seen how AZ leads the nation, or at least the southeast, in wrongheaded policy decisions.
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/11/21/georgia-putting-all-our-eggs-and-hopes-in-charter-school-basket/

By the way, I remember the moral of the fable: Don't put all your eggs in one basket!

On the way out

I can relate. There are so many 'strikes' I could list: bad policies, incompetent administrators, unprofessional treatment of teachers, poor implementation of IDEA requirements, unrealistic expectations on multiple fronts, don't get me started. The big difference is that I don't even have the pretense of union representation, since this is a "right to work" state. Meaning NO UNIONS, despite what some of the public may choose to believe.
http://kafkateach.wordpress.com/2012/11/21/one-two-three-strikes-im-out/

The problem with 'evidence'

Sometimes it isn't what it appears to be. In fact, it OFTEN isn't what it appears to be.

http://shankerblog.org/?p=7203

Wow, didn't see this one

Look carefully at the outlet that ran this piece. AlJazeera. Yes, that AlJazeera. But they nailed it on this. Who would have thought that they'd get it while NY and Chicago journalists missed it?
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2012/09/201291774248929713.html

things that make you go, hmmm!

Yes, I'm old enough to remember that line.
This one is just like the school boards that run their district into the ground so they can turn it over to for-profit charter outfits:  http://www.ajc.com/videos/news/is-hostess-exec-pay-the-problem/vhkNS/

ocean videos

Ocean Literacy Video Collection

money talks...

On Sapelo island, the newMcIntosh County tax assessments may force people to give up property their families have  held for generations. And if the land is taken for taxes, who do you think will buy it on the courthouse steps? That kind of money brings muscle, which will inevitably and irrevocably change the character of a beuatiful place.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/26/us/on-an-island-in-georgia-geechees-fear-losing-land.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2012/09/25/us/GEECHEE.html

Vulture capitalism — not unions — killed Twinkies

Vulture capitalism — not unions — killed Twinkies

Familiar story. No comment.

It's all good

After all, the kids are back in school where they belong. Can't have them missing valuable test-prep time. What does it matter whether they are sleeping without heat or decent meals? Let's demand licensing for vlunteers who want to help out with some food. Maybe it will generate some revenue for the city?
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/hamill-emperor-bloomberg-bureaucracy-mad-article-1.1205428

a smart choice, for a change

The Portland Public Schools actually saw through the bullshit that is Race to the Top and declined. They are being scolded for turning down 'free money'. Something you can only say if you've not read the requirements of the grant and crunched the numbers to see what it will really bring. This isn't free money, it's extortion. The entire grant, and more, will be spent on compliance and consultants. None will go directly into the classroom, with the exception of badly written, poorly thought-out 'curriculum products' (read: scripts) that will cause more teachers to abandon ship.
http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/110355/its-easy-fleece-charter-schools#

corruption, say it ain't so!

A similar concern was raised recently about an Atlanta charter school. I read this first on Dianne Ravitch, and then read the full article here: http://www.tnr.com/blog/plank/110355/its-easy-fleece-charter-schools#

Bottom line, all bets are off, the sky's the limit if you have a charter.

Schools Matter: The Cucumber Austerity of Teaching: Merit Pay and ...

A cucumber might be an improvement in my present situation...

Schools Matter: The Cucumber Austerity of Teaching: Merit Pay and ...: This isn't dystopian fiction, but it certainly could be. Nancy Flanagan led (by way of Twitter) me and Jersey Jazzman to this wonderful a...

It's not just rural schools

this is visible in ALL schools, in ALL communities, in ALL demographics. Those who do not value education transmit that to their children, who in turn pollute the classroom environment for others.

http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/11/19/if-you-want-better-schools-rural-or-otherwise-improve-motivation-and-discipline-of-students/

This is not just sad

It's ridiculous. A mayor with no experience of education since his own student days, making unilateral decisions with the support of a crew of educrats who themselves have little to no education experience.

Here's what mayoral control of schools has gotten the taxpayers of NYC: of the 154 schools opened under Bloomberg, nearly 60% had passing rates on reading tests that were lower than those at older schools.

In other words, the Mayor's new and improved schools aren't doing better than the schools that were closed to make room for them.

Hey, Mike, how's that data driven decision making working out for you?

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/education/gonzalez-bloomy-flunking-school-moves-article-1.1202976#ixzz2Cml1IUTQ

DCSS discusses new leader

DCSS discusses new leader - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

I have friends living and working in the community, and I can only hope that the next super is chosen with more care than the one about to leave. For more on him: he was actually ranked 34 out of 35 applicants, and was one of only two who were interviewed. He had never been certified to teach before taking this job.

Public Libraries

I'm sitting in a local library, enjoying their free wifi and the relative peace and quiet to catch up on work and personal business. For the record, most of the area schools are closed this week for Thanksgiving. It's a southern thing, I guess. This branch has a lovely space with comfy chairs in a windowed room. This room is my favorite spot because of the natural light. Facing me is a row of magazine racks. Most issues are nut current. A few of the mag titles have a note posted that says: "Our subscription to this magazine has expired. Due to state budget cuts, we are unable to renew it"
How sad, that the public library can't keep Smithsonian and Scientific American coming due to draconian budget cuts.

On the 'Influence' of teacher unions

http://schoolfinance101.wordpress.com/2012/11/10/teachers-unions-scourge-of-the-nation/

On every possible measure of fairness and effectiveness, union states come out better:
school funding adequacy and equitability
teacher salaries
student achievement
achievement 'gap'

I wonder how the comparison would turn out if we also looked at factors such as safety and violence in the schools? I suspect if we looked at sports performance, we might find a positive correlation with 'right-to-work' (nonunion) policies. That's my own take on it, based on personal observations.

Conferences

I need to schedule a time-sensitive, legally mandated conference for several students. One of the parents could not be reached by phone, so I wrote up the meeting notice and sent it home, hoping for the best. It came back with a request to reschedule. OK, but...

the time she wants is BEFORE our workday begins. In other words, the team is expected to rearrange our lives to be at work earlier than normal in order to accommodate. I know, I know, that's just good 'customer service' and all that jazz. Except...

how many people would have the balls to call the doctor to reschedule an appointment with the expectation that the doc and staff will see you before or after regular office hours?

when you have business at the courthouse, do you ask them to open up early just for you?

do you show up at the grocery store before they open up in the morning and demand that they unlock the doors and fire up the registers so you can do your shopping?

What everyone should know about teaching

I would add to this, but overall it's pretty accurate.
I would add:
1.  parents expect to be able to call or email me at all hours and get a response immediately. If something keeps me from responding (like one of those endless series of meetings that take up the planning time I should be able to use to call parents?), the don't hesitate to go over my head and complain. It would never occur to them that there might be a serious issue preventing me from responding, like the night I answered parent emails from the Emergency Room, where the doctor sent me for an immediate scan.
2.  I have routinely spent hundreds of dollars per year to purchase not only books and resources for my classroom ( those shelves full of books for your kids to read did not come from the district book fairy; I paid for every single one of them), but also for basic supplies for my students, who can't seem to keep a pencil within arm's reach, but always wear more expensive clothing than mine.
3. If I'm sick, I will generally be at the school anyway, because it's not as simple as just taking a sick day. I am responsivble for preparing 'legitimate' lesson plans (even though the sub, if there is one, may be given carte blanche to toss them out) whenever I am out of the classroom. So, it's usually easier to drag my sick carcass in and supervise quiet (relative term) seatwork than it is to stay home and get better, like the doctor told me to when he saw me after hours.
Need I go on?
http://dianeravitch.net/2012/11/18/teacher-what-the-public-needs-to-know-about-teaching/

NYC Public School Parents: What should be done instead of pushing our kids of...

NYC Public School Parents: What should be done instead of pushing our kids of...: Update: Please sign our petition to the President and the Congress NOW! I know; the words “fiscal cliff” probably fills you with the same...

And just imagine what we could do with some of the trillions spent by the DOD...

Good morning, Professor Young

So what happens when a college professor takes the time to teach high school math for a year?
Dr. Young's observations are especially interesting since her college does not have a teacher-prep program. she is a straight-up mathemetician.

http://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2012/11/14/math-professor-teaches-high-school-classes-darryl-yong/

Video: “Star Wars and Blooms Taxonomy Revised”

Video: “Star Wars and Blooms Taxonomy Revised”

Interesting take on this little adventure.

Business as usual!

After a while, you realize this is just how the game is played. Which is why I'm teaching math this year, even though I suck at it, and I told the boss I suck at it.

http://www.npr.org/templates/email/emailAFriend.php?storyId=164793058

So, what's the solution?

Teachers who complain about discipline issues are admonished by the administration as weak in classroom management skills and thus bombarded with never ending "professional development" sessions that tout group work and new "strategies." In reality no one really knows what to do with the staggering amount of children whose sole purpose seems to be to derail the entire educational process.

After spending an hour today trying to show kids how to solve equations while simultaneously ignoring the rude child laughing like a loon and crawling on the floor at the back of the room, I can really appreciate this piece. By the way, I chose to ignore as much as possible rather than listen to more crap from the parent, who has expressed the opinion that her child's foolish behavior is triggerd by my unrealistic expectation that he should sit his behind down and close his mouth long enough to notice that s/he isn't the only one in the room... For shame!

http://www.cleveland.com/opinion/index.ssf/2012/11/the_real_crisis_in_the_clevela.html#incart_river_default

By the way, I've been through Assertive Discipline, Active Discipline, Tough Kids, Love and Logic, Classroom Management that Works, Harry Wong, Fred Jones, etc. None of them ever met my kids. Trust me on that.

chapter titles for the book

Some ideas:

Parent conferences, or the blame game

Friday Night Lights are brighter than the hopes of a family without priorities

Who's your teacher again?

We don't need no stinking pencils!

I could go on...

Supplies, anyone?

One day, I'd like to know how someone can send their child to school without pencil or paper. I've gone through a gross of pencils already. actually, ran out about a month ago. Yet the same students continue to ask me for pencils, daily, as if there must be a pencil tree out back. I've finally sent a note home to alert parent. Hopefully, someone will remember on Black Friday and pick up some pencils for their kid...

Yay, Carol burris!

I have not yet read the Kappan editorial she references, but Carol Burris knows what she's talking about.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2012/11/13/the-newest-rhetoric-on-teacher-evaluation-and-why-it-is-nonsense/

ExasperatedEducator: Is it worse to be called a "bitch" or to be treate...

ExasperatedEducator: Is it worse to be called a "bitch" or to be treate...: How often are you called a "bitch" at your job?
What other job do you know of where the employees have to purchase basic supplies and are NOT reimbursed for them? Does a fireman buy his own hose?

Wow

Bill Ayers' thoughts for the President. http://www.good.is/posts/an-open-letter-to-president-obama-from-bill-ayers
Here's my favorite part: The landscape of “educational reform” is currently littered with rubble and ruin and wreckage on all sides. Sadly, your administration has contributed significantly to the mounting catastrophe.

Priceless

I don't know whose idea this was but it's a lovely piece of satire. Unfortunately, I wouldn't be suprised if some idiot around here thought it sounded grand!
http://dianasenechal.wordpress.com/2012/10/13/to-save-kids-district-adopts-no-sitdown-policy/

On charters and funding...

OMG, you mean they're in it for the money?!? Who would ?! (sarcasm intended)
http://cloakinginequity.com/2012/10/23/why-do-hedge-funds-adore-charters/

Typical of state level bureaucrats

If I behaved this way at work, I'd be put on a plan of improvement under threat of termination. These clowns have no such concern.  http://www.thenewsstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/201211060115/OPINION03/211060323&nclick_check=1

Titles

It's time to start writing a book about all this. No one will believe it's true; it has to be fiction.
Some ideas for the title of my book-to-be:
The Battle for Middle School
Tales out of School
A Place (Formerly) Called School
Not Your Grandfather's School

Next post: some of the topics/chapters to be included...

Chicago teacher strike of 2012

A lot has been made of the strike in chicago. It's the first in 25 years there. Lots of nasty comments have been published in print, on the air, and on the web. I applaud anyone who has the right and the nerve to fight for better conditions in the workplace. I wish I could do the same. This is a right to work state, which means no unions, no strikes, and a contract that is changed unilaterally to suit the school board. That's why I'm not making any more today than I did 4 years ago, through 'furloughs' and reductions in the local board supplement to our state pay scale. Bravo to the teachers in Chicago who fought for their right to be heard at the bargaining table.

Margaret Spellings on NCLB, 2012

My goodness, what life must be like with blinders on...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/margaret-spellings/what-if_5_b_1910679.html

Great question

NPR asks Should anything be done to integrate schools? Great question. What do you think?
http://www.npr.org/2012/08/28/160185201/should-anything-be-done-to-integrate-schools

Charter school myths- EmpowerEd Georgia

An illuminating list of myths surrounding charter schools at this site. Every bit of it true here.
http://www.artofteachingscience.org/2012/09/01/empowered-georgia-identifies-8-myths/

More people need to see this and consider it when casting their ballot.

Finally, proof there is a problem with American education

Did this jerk even attend school? http://www.policymic.com/articles/13189/the-ultimate-pocketbook-to-pregnancy-rape-and-the-female-body-for-all-the-todd-akins-out-there He needs to extract his head from his medieval ass.
Remember, people like him are making policy decisions about your schools...

What mission?

Stephanie Simon thinks that Teach for America has betrayed its mission. I think TFA has ABANDONED its mission. Corporate sellout, anyone?

Parents and Choice

Last week, Diane Ravitch posted a reader comment on the subject of 'Do parents know best?' This article sort of follows the same theme, asserting that parents who have a choice of school for their children don't know how to choose a 'good' school. I would argue the opposite, that theyknow what they are choosing, but base that choice on something other than test scores. That does not make them wrong. It simply means that their priorities lie elsewhere. I don't disagree with their decision. I would simply say to them, as to all parents, that a school is as good or bad as you make it, and you (and your kids) will get whatever educational experience you work for. If you put in the effort, you can get a great education at a 'bad school'; you can also get a lousy education at a 'great school' if you treat the opportunity carelessly.

Holy big-bucks stadium, Batman!

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/08/07/everythings-bigger-in-texas-especially-this-60-million-high-school-football-stadium/?hpt=hp_t3&utm_source=twitterf

Wonder what kind of EDUCATION they coulf have paid for with 60 MILLION dollars? But we couldn't possibly raise (sshh) taxes for something so frivolous as education...

Yay, teachers of Rio!

They hit the pavement in June to boycott the SAEJ exam, which I take to be the quivalent of our annual standardized tests.
From the article: "Like the New Schools program of Anthony and Rosinha Garotinho (who governed the state of Rio from 1998 to 2007), it seeks to bribe teachers with promises of a few reais in addition to their wretched salaries. In exchange it demands acceptance of a system of evaluation based largely on students’ scores on high-stakes tests (“provões”). In this way, the bourgeois politicians seek to link the wages of educators to the “product,” as if education were a commodity purchased on the market rather than a fundamental democratic right of working people and the entire population."

Full article here: http://internationalist.org/rioteachersboycotttest1206.html

It's not about the kids

Not my words, but I agree completely.
https://sites.google.com/site/philwpjournal/springsummer2012/reforming

And another account showing the same:
http://www.salon.com/2012/08/10/my_public_school_beat_down/

If ANY of this were truly about the children, no one would do this to them. Come on, people! Wake up and smell the chalk dust.

loss aversion

I can see it now...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/merit-pay-and-loss-aversion-nonsense-studies/2012/07/23/gJQA5GKs4W_blog.html#pagebreak

maybe I'm not listening carefully

In the flood of  'reporting' about the shooting at the Aurora Century theater, there's been lots (LOTS) of chatter about premeditation and revenge, and planning. Even from the profilers and shrinks.
Not one of them so far has stated what seems obvious to me: James Holmes may be mentally ill. His history, what we know of it, fits for a schizophrenic (undiagnosed or unmedicated) having a psychotic break. There are other possibilities as well, but that's the first thing that comes to my mind. Only Chris Cuomo suggested the possibility today on The View. What's up with that?

sarcastic tone intended...

So, extreme focus on test results results in boring classes; wow, really? and from the same people who printed value-added ratings...

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/education/la-ed-school-creativity-20120715,0,5690286.story?track=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+latimes%2Fnews%2Feducation+%28L.A.+Times+-+Education%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Community College Spotlight | Educating for equity

Community College Spotlight | Educating for equity

So, I wonder, would I have been better off going to tech school for HVAC or something else more essential than teaching kids?

Magic Bull

Magic Bull

Interesting questions raised.

Here's another: If this is so critical to improving teaching and learning in our schools, why is it being kept such a closely guarded secret? You can't find an article outlining the "taxonomy", because you have to buy the book to lean about it. Money in someone's pocket. Or you can take his classes at Relay Graduate School of Education, putting MORE money in someone else's pocket...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blog/answer-sheet/Archive/201207

I wonder if Arne Duncan read this Dilbert strip today?

I wonder if Arne Duncan read this Dilbert strip today?
LOVE IT! I think I know this person.

Teacher Keys?

http://www.artofteachingscience.org/2012/07/08/georgia-department-education-evaluation-plan-work/

more on value-added...

Remember that letter signed by school administrators around NYS, criticizing the decision to proceed with effectiveness ratings based on VAM?Here is a letter signed by education researchers and professors at multiple Ga institutions, arguing against the Teacher Keys implementation scheduled for this fall. It has been published in the Washington Post and at EmpowerED Georgia. Apparently, no media in the state is interested so far:
 http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/georgia-professors-blast-teacher-evaluation-system/2012/07/09/gJQAFhSbZW_blog.html#pagebreak
http://www.empoweredga.org/Articles/greater-letter-1.html
When will local media pick it up?

Schools Matter: Elevator Speech on Harm of High Stakes Testing

This one says it all: Private entities have already tried running school districts according to corporate models & seen disastrous results.

Schools Matter: Elevator Speech on Harm of High Stakes Testing: Dov Rosenberg posted this on Facebook and I think it's going viral.  WORKING LIST! Why Testing & Privati...

Teachers in the Crosshairs | Common Dreams

A new take on blame. Whose fault is it, really?

Teachers in the Crosshairs | Common Dreams

Schools Matter: Smear Campaign Against Teachers is Freakish, New L...

Cartoon worth seeing

Schools Matter: Smear Campaign Against Teachers is Freakish, New L...: Perhaps like an alcoholic or drug addict, our children, teachers, public schools and country will have to hit rock bottom before finding ...

Gerald Coles: Why Bother Educating the Poor? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Coles offers his own "Modest Proposal for Preventing the Children of Poor People From Being a Burden on Their Parents or Country". He's only reflecting the prevailing mindset of many of our policymakers.
Here's a taste:
 Since overseas labor is less costly, fewer U.S. workers are needed for the jobs that are and will be available in this country. Why spend money to provide U.S. poor children with adequate food, clothing, healthcare and other basics of life, along with the full funding needed to educate them? For business needs it would be a waste of money.

Gerald Coles: Why Bother Educating the Poor? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

some of the research on VAM

The RAND Corp folks produced the following analysis of Value-added Measurement in 2003:
The research base is currently insufficient to support the use of VAM for high-stakes decisions. We have identified numerous possible sources of error in teacher effects and any attempt to use VAM estimates for high-stakes decisions must be informed by an understanding of these potential errors.
http://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/2004/RAND_MG158.pdf
If you want something more recent, check out this one from the National Academies Press, 2010:  Despite a substantial amount of research over the last decade and a half, overcoming these challenges has proven to be very difficult, and many questions remain unanswered--at a time when there is strong interest in implementing value-added models in a variety of settings.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12820 (pdf available free)

BOTTOM LINE:  VAM isn't ready for prime time. I personally think that anyone whose job is threatened as a result of these mathematical gymnastics should run, not walk, to their union rep or attorney and challenge the findings. It does not meet the standard of general acceptance of validity and reliability.

Note: Grant Wiggins' post at http://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/value-added-why-its-use-makes-me-angry-or-good-idea-gone-bad/ pointed me to these references, and others.

Is the 'teacher shortage' a myth like the 'skilled worker shortage'?

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/living-in-dialogue/2012/06/what_if_the_skilled_worker_sho.html#recommend

Recently some news articles have quietly revealed an ugly truth: there are lots of  'skilled workers' right here in the US. They may be geographically seperated from places where the jobs are (relocating is such fun, ya know?), or may have parallel experience in a different market sector that prospective employers don't recognize or acknowledge. In any case, there are lots of folks out of work who could do those jobs. The 'shortage' isn't nearly as extreme as we (and USCIS) have been led to believe.
So, that got me thinking, what about the 20-year teacher 'shortage'? Could it be a similar scenario? Maybe there are qualified teachers who could teach those kids, but they live in another state, taught in a private rather than public school, elementary rather than middle school, etc. Hmm.

Wow, a heavy hitter says VAM doesn't work- G Wiggins!

So, Wiggins says that even though he likes the idea, it's not as useful as everyone (Arne Duncan and our governors) assumes. He's excerpted in Class Struggle and his complete piece is at http://grantwiggins.wordpress.com/2012/05/06/value-added-why-its-use-makes-me-angry-or-good-idea-gone-bad/

Now, how can we get TPTB to read this and understand it?

Here's someone I'd like to work for

A supt in south Ga tells it like it is about Common Core.
I'd like to point out that my district has purchased some of the products developed to align with Common Core. Brought to market in record time. I had to attend a multi-day training.
It's disappointing to see readers who think this is a good idea, and advocate teaching from a script.

http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/07/01/are-the-new-national-academic-standards-rotten-to-the-common-core/

The kind of day we live for

This is absolutely beautiful.
This is what it's all about.
This is what it looks like/sounds like when kids are REALLY learning.

http://larrycuban.wordpress.com/2012/06/27/the-miracle-and-the-moment-michelle-kerr/#comment-11928

good news, PPACA is safe. bad news, so is SB1070

We can breathe a little easier about our health insurance now. Unfortunately, the police state is about to get worse with the 'show your papers' provision preserved. It means the other states with similar laws will get bold- Alabama, Georgia, Utah, etc.

Yong Zhao comments on Common Core

Is it possible to 'minimize the damage'? I wonder.

http://zhaolearning.com/2012/06/17/common-sense-vs-common-core-how-to-minimize-the-damages-of-the-common-core/

Oh, good grief! what do you mean, no sunscreen?

This is absolutely asinine. I would never dream of telling a kid they can't use sunscreen if we're going to be outside. In fact, I keep telling them they NEED to use it. Who thinks it's ok to be responsible for a sunburn? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Read the article here: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/story/2012-06-27/sunscreen-policies/55877080/1

Charter schools becoming the new private schools?

Nashville has denied a charter company's application. They were invited in by parents in 'middle-class' neighborhood. Why not put the same effort into supporting/improving your local public school that you put into supporting an outside operator, who doesn't know you or your kids?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304830704577493100202784044.html?KEYWORDS=education

employers' manners

Not surprising, I'm testing the job market in hopes of changing my circumstance.Was really hoping to move to another school in the district. Frustrating part is, even within my own district, the principals just don't bother to respond to my contacts by phone/email. I had a chance to talk with others recently, and it seems to be a common issue. One person even had an interview and didn't get any feedback afterward. Not even the courtesy of a drop-dead note. I can't get a thanks/no thanks from anyone. It's really a downer. Doesn't exactly make me want to stay here, though I'm committed for another year.

if it doesn't pay, should we pay for it?

Gosh, my liberal arts major is definitely not a cash cow. Guess I shouldn't have wasted my time learning research, writing, analysis, critical thinking... none of those are 'marketable' skills. Meanwhile, what are the "10 Hardest Jobs to Fill"?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/petercohan/2012/05/29/to-boost-post-college-prospects-cut-humanities-departments/

they aren't all at school- some are in the fields

I've taught kids whose parents worked the fields. Don't know if there were other kids out there that we never met. It's shameful that this is tolerated.
http://www.statesman.com/opinion/harrow-children-of-the-fields-2399637.html

"assessment" in arts, PE

Oh, for pete's sake. This is idiotic on its face. Do we really choose to learn something for a score? In that case, test the football players to see if their knowledge of the game has 'improved'. If not, either cut them or disband the team. Only logical, right? Aren't we supposed to follow the data?

http://www.slate.com/articles/double_x/doublex/2012/06/standardized_tests_for_the_arts_is_that_a_good_idea_.single.html

Raising Latino Achievement Seen as 'Demographic Imperative'

It's about time someone paid attention to this. A whole other kind of 'achievement gap'.

Raising Latino Achievement Seen as 'Demographic Imperative'

Galvanic Skin Response as a measure of "engagement"

And of course, no one would think of manipulating this measurment scheme, by say, using outrageous materials or tactics in the classroom? By the way, why pay big buck for this, when you can make your own for 25 bucks (less if you don't use the kit)

http://dianeravitch.net/2012/06/10/a-flaw-in-the-galvanic-response-skin-bracelet/
http://dianeravitch.net/2012/06/10/this-teacher-knows-how-to-game-the-grs-bracelet/ 
http://dianeravitch.net/2012/06/18/is-it-hysterical-to-worry-about-those-gsr-monitors/

Galvanic Skin Response Kit

and a response/defense" http://www.forbes.com/sites/luisakroll/2012/06/13/gates-foundation-responds-to-gsr-bracelets-controversy/

#5The Teacher Report: 7 Crazy Things People Say to Teachers (and How to Respond)

The Teacher Report: 7 Crazy Things People Say to Teachers (and How to Respond)

Love #5.

Years ago, after I'd spent a half hour showing a parent how her darling had failed a 10-question multiple choice test, item by item, she looked at me and said (with a straight face), "So tell me, does he really have to know all this?" Forgive me, but there's only one good answer to that: "Actually, as long as you don't mind him living in a cardboard box under the expressway, he doesn'thave to know any of it."
What do you think?

Latinos' School Success: A Work in Progress

Latinos' School Success: A Work in Progress

Glad to see it being acknowledged, but really, isn't all school success a "work in progress"?

Texas man without hands barred from roller coaster

Links to the articles below. Now, I recently visited a Six Flags park. There were many disabled patrons out an about. Even more than those, were the patrons riding without the use of their brains.Ever seen the ones who clearly are not using the gray matter? You can see it in their behavior. they don't buckle up, or they undo the belt after the ride starts moving. Nobody stopped them from having a good time. Hmmm.

Texas man without hands barred from roller coaster - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/06/12/12184692-man-without-hands-not-allowed-to-ride-roller-coaster?lite

Why I Decided to Become a Private School Teacher - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Amen, Nadia. I'm almost ready to do the same. For now, I'm looking for a new job in a different subject area.

Why I Decided to Become a Private School Teacher - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Notorious P.H.D. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Notorious P.H.D. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Coming to a school district near you- the devaluing of higher education!

Notorious P.H.D. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Notorious P.H.D. - Teacher in a Strange Land - Education Week Teacher

Coming to a school district near you- the devaluing of higher education!

Technology transforming public education?

Larry Cuban's new post is about integrating technology in the classroom. He describes a few approaches, and then points out:

What technology enthusiasts, however, forget, neglect, stumble over—pick a verb–are the multiple purposes of tax-supported schools in a democracy. They and many others futurists err—my choice of the verb—in equating access to information with becoming educated. Even worse, these very smart people ignore the crucial and historical purposes public schools have served in a democracy.

 Wow. Talk about hitting the nail on the head. We all feel like we are so well-informed, educated even, because we have access to all this information at our fingertips. But what good is that if we don't know what any of it means, or how to use it? Without the ability to evaluate the information and its usefulness, it's just so much noise and clutter. Much like the piles of data that may or may not inform decision-making, piles of information may or may not become an education.

Not just college students

This applies to the middle school kids I teach, too.
http://www.startribune.com/local/156812385.html

On the dangers of using data

Here's a really nice explanation by Jonathan Gray's Data Blog on the Guardian, spelling out five cautions for use of data in decision-making.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/datablog/2012/may/31/data-journalism-focused-critical

And here's an example of why data is bullshit. You can't measure this program with an end of year test. In fact, there are lots of things you can't measure that way.
  http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2012/06/maker_faire_and_science_education_american_kids_should_be_building_rockets_and_robots_not_taking_standardized_tests_.html

And when you ignore data showing that what you do doesn't work, here's what can happen. http://www.startribune.com/local/156812385.html

On grade inflation

From today's online edition: http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/06/04/are-colleges-handing-out-as-like-after-dinner-mints/?cp=2#comment-204147
Includes an excerpt from this MN article: http://www.startribune.com/local/154595855.html?page=all&prepage=2&c=y#

Of course, some folks hand out As like candy. It's the nature of the beast. I took grief over grades, as if I had some control over the quality of the work done, or not done, as the case may be. If evaluations will include student serveys, as we've been told, it will be even worse.
Here's more on the subject: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/14/the-history-of-college-grade-inflation/
The first graph is most telling, I think. Around 1970, As began to climb and Cs dropped off in a trend that continues today. The private/public comparison is also quite interesting.

"Free To Choose" (1980) a TV Series by Milton Friedman: PBS TV Series "Free to Choose" by Economist Milton...

There's a pbs program called Free or Equal that references Friedman and Smith frequently. I don't totally agree, as I don't believe either Smith or Friedman could have ever imagined the WalMart economy, where the (mostly p/t) workers can't even afford to buy the products they make/sell. What a contrast with Henry Ford, who set out to make a product that his employees would be able to buy...

BTW, I love the Blog This! button.

"Free To Choose" (1980) a TV Series by Milton Friedman: PBS TV Series "Free to Choose" by Economist Milton...: The legendary PBS TV series "Free to Choose" (1980) by Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman is now availabl e on Google Video for fr...

Parent gets back at school official with porn site

Parent gets back at school official with porn site

Wow, this must be helicopter parenting on crack. Your kid's dvice goes missing, so you retaliate with identity fraud. When caught, you try pinning it on the kid. How about dealing with the real problem?

is it really a surprise?

Seems to me this is just more of the same parenting problems we see every day. Parents who are unable or unwilling to set and enforce limits for their kids.  Kids who want to tell the adults how it's going to be.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/30/us/new-digital-divide-seen-in-wasting-time-online.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&partner=rss&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1338466978-dK6/IDL/ahSiUMU5r02cbw&pagewanted=all

No More Whack-A-Mole: My Conversion to Collaborative Learning

No More Whack-A-Mole: My Conversion to Collaborative Learning

Some good ideas here.

I think any teacher would love to teach a group like this kid

He has written for the column before, and is saying nothing that I haven't said repeatedly over the years, but especially this year. When I say it, kids roll their eyes and announce that I'm "retarded" or "lame". My favorite is "childish", spoken at high volume by a student stomping his/her feet while walking across the room.All expert opinions, I suppose? A close second is "that don't make no damn sense!"

If I could have had one class populated with kids like this one, there would have been something to look farward to..
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/05/14/a-call-for-students-to-be-more-responsible-for-their-learning/?cxntfid=blogs_get_schooled_blog

STAR Testing: The Farce Begins Anew | Teach4Real

Abso-bloody-lutely!!!

STAR Testing: The Farce Begins Anew | Teach4Real

No Impossible Demand Left Behind

Replace Cuomo with Deal, Bloomberg with your favorite local (elected) official, and this works pretty much anywhere:

No Impossible Demand Left Behind

Yong Zhao Interview: Will the Common Core Create World-Class Learners? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Yong Zhao Interview: Will the Common Core Create World-Class Learners? - Living in Dialogue - Education Week Teacher

Zhao hits it on the head, as usual. But is anyone listening?

It's not over

(written in late April)

Guess what?

School's not over.

I know we've finished our standardized testing, but school's not over.

We still have some work to do. School's not over.

There is still time to bring your average up, by doing all your work. School's not over.

We will not be watching movies for the next 3 weeks. School's not over.

You can't sit back and do nothing for the next 3 weeks. School's not over.

If you don't finish these assignments, you won't be happy with the final grade. School's not over.

Please don't insult my intelligence. I can read the calendar, and school's not over.

Spare us all the fairy tales about what some other teacher is doing for fun. School's not over.

I don't really care if you have early vacation plans. School's not over.

If all of this is a problem for you, please find some way to spend your time that doesn't involve yelling or swearing. School's not over, and that kind of behavior will get you into trouble.

Wasn't it Yogi Berra who said, “It ain't over till it's over”? Well, it ain't over. Yet.

So, that's what it takes

The quietest my students have been all year. Something actually held their attention. a video about teen crime. They were quiet (mostly), attentive (mostly), and engaged. Wish I'd known to whip this out months ago. Should have known they were waiting for me to introduce some role models.
Yes, I'm being sarcastic. It's a reflexive act these days, to preserve my sanity.

Confessions

Okay, I admit it. I'm a failure as an educator. It must be true, after all, the experts are telling me so: my students (who can't hear any instructions over the sound of their own conversation), their parents (who haven't tried to teach anything since potty training- maybe), my assistant principal (who has been out of the classroom long enough that she won't cross the threshold of my room). These are the experts, aren't they?

Bless me, for I have sinned. Let me count the ways:

I followed through on everything I said. At least, when not undermined by the powers that be.

I kept homework to a minimum. I gave you time to work on it in class. Terrible of me.

I created opportunities to work in groups. The nerve.

I offered projects with choices. So sorry.

I gave clear directions for assignments, and even put them on the board for the benefit of those who wouldn't hear what I said. Gosh, what was I thinking?

I set clear expectations, and held you to them. I had no right to do that.

I kept up with grades, to the best of my ability. It's a lot of work. I should have done something else.

I was honest with you. I never lied to you, not about your work or your behavior. I guess that was rude?

I enforced the rules of the school and the district. That's right, I didn't make up any of that shit.

I took all the abuse you dished out, even the second and third helpings. Thank you.

I never retaliated for childish things you said and did, even when I dearly wanted to.

I listened to you cussing and bit my tongue.

I looked at your work, gave it back to you for improvement, and checked it again.

I provided study guides for every test. Sorry about that.

I asked you to reflect on your progress and your studying. I should have done it for you, I guess.

When you didn't turn in your work, I allowed additional time to turn it in. What was I thinking?

When you still didn't turn in the work, I offered the chance to work on it after school. I shouldn't have.

When you plagiarized your work, I didn't record a grade of zero. How dare I?

When you came the day before grades were due, asking about getting your work in, I accepted it.

When you brought in missing work the day after grades were posted, I made the corrections.

When you tried to get out of class, I didn't let you. Who gave me that right?

When you lied to another teacher to get out of class, I sent you back. I should have let you lie.

I watched you talking rudely to your parents.

I watched you talking rudely to your classmates.

I watched you talking rudely to your teachers.

I stayed up late working on lessons and activities. My bad.

I stayed up late looking for new ideas. Definitely a screw up.

I stayed up late grading your papers. Huge mistake.

I listened to you insulting all of your teachers. I apologize.

I listened to your parents insulting all of your teachers. I apologize again.

I kept your parents informed about your progress. I should have let you take care of that.

I talked to you about changing your habit of not studying for tests. I was out of line.

When you picked a fight, I tried to keep your classmates out of harm's way. I shouldn't have done that.

When you were suspended, I dug up your work that you would miss so that you could still get credit.

When you were on academic probation, I gave you the assignments that were missing. Multiple times, even after you told me off, told the other teachers off, told the principal off, I still brought it to you.

I tried to be the authority figure in the room. I should have been your friend instead of your teacher. I should have given you everything you demanded, instead of setting limits and boundaries.

I guess you're right. I have no business in the classroom. After all, you are the expert, aren't you?

Feeling like a kid,

wishing for the end of the school year. So I can hopefully move on to someplace where they believe in supporting the faculty, instead of leaving teachers to face unruly students with no backup.
a student who's been referred twice has had no consequences. Another student who was late to class says he won't be serving his detention and was demanding to see an administrator. He walked out of the room without permision and I reported it to the office. Did anyone follow up? Of course not. That's ok. I'm keeping notes for the day when this inofrmation is needed. Probably soon, from the looks of things. It's sad that our kids think they've got it right and the rest of us old farts are wrong. It will be even sadder when they start their first job with this mindset.

So, what kind of relationship should this be?

I keep hearing about 'relationships' between students and teachers that turn into criminal cases. My students have made it abundantly clear they want no part of me, and that's okay. Friendship is not why I'm here. however, lately I dread goinf to work because of how hard it is to just get the job done. Lessons are prepared, materials are ready, and provided, and there is no equal consideration from students. Try to enforce some expectations, and it becomes a major issue. try to get some help, and end up twisting in the wind.

I'm tired of being the odd man out, and also tired of walking around with a target on my back. Between students who threaten to harm a teacher and those who actually try it, with absolutely no consequences, it's become impossible to give the simplest of directions with any expectation of follow-through on their part. I've tried to point out that when a student is out of control, and we request intervention, it creates a dangerous scene to be ignored. What happens if that student who needs an intervention turns physically aggressive? They already know help isn't coming, and they've figured out that they can get away with anything they want. Parents freely refuse to allow teacher discipline like detention and isolation on team. Mind you, these are steps in the school discipline plan, not stuff we pull out of thin air. Any wonder they also believe they can interfere with administrative action? So, after a couple of positively miserable and crazy weeks dealing with behavior in the absence of support from either parents or administrators, culminating in a student attempting to knock me over, I finally wrote a letter laying out my concerns. It's not something that was fun, or easy, to do, but after the doorway incident, it was time to document the problems. Sooner or later, one of us is going to be injured by a child, and there's no way TPTB should be able to say they didn't know there was a problem.

Well, at least there was a response. It took the form of an invitation to meet with the boss and discuss the issues, with assurance that we can find “solutions”. So, today, I got an earful about how if I just had a better 'relationship' with the students, it wouldn't be so difficult. The most specific advice to come out of it was 'there are things you can do' differently, but no examples were offered in spite of requests for such. We need to be more positive, more encouraging, get to know the kids and let them know us. I'm not sure why that excuses not following directions and completing assignments. I do know how much they roll their eyes anytime I mention a personal experience or connection to our curriculum topics. Is it any wonder one would withdraw from that and stop offering those personal tidbits? I'm also not convinced it absolves them of responsibility for cursing each other and us, nor for assault. But, apparently, if I can just be sufficiently warm and fuzzy, all will be well. So, I'll put on a smile and give it the old college try. We'll see how it turns out. However, it rankles that this is painted as being entirely on me as both cause and solution.

Here's what I'd like to know

How, exactly, is all of this nonsense enforced? Why can't all of us do something like this to ensure work completion, civilized behavior, and general responsibility? I've yet to teach in a school that can actually require kids to complete homework, much less keep their hands to themselves or take proper care of schoolbooks. 
And, if flaming hot chips are addictive, sign me up, for heaven's sake. I could maybe enjoy a legal buzz.

BTW, where's the research showing that this approach is effective? Double-blind and all that.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/chicago-high-school-makes-190000-student-fines-bad/story?id=15758891#.T0QLTvXX_3A

Knew it would happen eventually

Yesterday we dismissed early for parent conferences. Kids were rowdy, and occasionally downright rude. At dismissal, I opened the door, and was nearly knocked down by one child who had been particularly vocal and aggressive. It was only a matter of time, the way things have been going, and there's sure to be more of the same if changes aren't made.

supporting the home language

Or, as some phrase it, "heritage languages".
I've seen way too many instances of kids who were afraid to speak in school because of a clear message from teachers or administrators that their language was not welcome. I even had someone in my school's office (teasing, I hope. I chose to take it that way.) say that I shouldn't be speaking Spanish with a parent in front of others. I just smiled and told her I'd set the ACLU on her...
Here's a nice rundown for encouraging parents to use the family/native/heritage language at home with the kids. http://blog.languagelizard.com/2012/01/11/supporting-bilingualism-4-reasons-parents-should-speak-heritage-languages-at-home/

ever have one of those days?

Wow, you can really tell that the full moon is nearly upon us. Paper flying everywhere, noise level beyond reason, sore throat from trying to be heard, and the most ridiculous of demands.
My apology to a parent was sent to the boss, labeled as 'sarcastic'. Guess there's no point trying to keep folks informed.
In the middle of all this, I have a set of graded tests that need to be recorded in the online gradebook, and never got to them... tomorrow's another day, I guess.

Grading policies, part 1

Many years ago, when I averaged grades for progress reports, (we did it manually back then. At least i had the benefit of a calculator.) I realized that one of my middle school students had a very low average. I think it was a 17. He had turned in almost no work, and all I had to work with were two papers. I think one was classwork and the other was a quiz. Poor dear, this was my first encounter with the I-don't-give-a-shit attitude. I went right to my principal and asked for feedback. She asked only one question: Has the student had the opportunity to succeed?(her emphasis, not mine) Well, of course he'd had the opportunity; he hadn't missed a day of school, he'd had the same opportunity as his classmates. More, actually, since he was repeating the grade. So he was getting a SECOND opportunity to show what he was learning. But, he refused to lift a finger. I was confused by the principal's question, until she followed up with a barely veiled directive to record a grade no lower than, I think, 60.
I was stunned. Literally could not form words. Here was a kid not doing a thing for himself, and I should had him a grade. That bothered me. It bothered me even more when I sat down to finish progress reports, and saw that some of my struggling students had done their bery best and were earning.... (wait for it)....
63. or less. This seemed to me a slap in the face of students who had actually done something for themselves, were at least making an effort, and here was their 'reward'. Almost the same grade they could get by doing aboslutely nothing.
Well, here we are, many years later, and a school district in the southern part of this state has codified a grading policy (now they describe it as a proposal, but that's not what a lot of their teachers and parents understood last week) that requires students not receive zeros, and failed tests must be re-taken. So, I don't have to do the work till I'm damn well good and ready, and I don't have to study for the test until I've seen what's on it, then go home and study for the 'retake'. The newspaper item is below, followed by  many, many comments. Read 'em all. It ain't pretty. Also a couple of news links from the community in question:
http://blogs.ajc.com/get-schooled-blog/2012/02/03/no-zeros-in-school-any-longer-but-arent-there-well-deserved-zeros/
http://valdostadailytimes.com/local/x2009900343/School-system-grades-policy-gets-national-exposure
http://valdostadailytimes.com/opinion/x1669710198/School-policy-fails-expectations

Am I being overly sensitive?

After being out for one day, I returned to my classroom to find it's been completely rearranged by the substitute, who also did not give my quiz. This was apparently sanctioned by the powers that be. I'm confused. Who gets to decide seating in my classroom, and why bother leaving assignments if they are considered optional? What the hell?

Update: apparently the written assignment (current in my curriculum, per the district map) was also treated as optional. Now I'm really confused. What is the purpose of spending time preparing assignments if they can be ignored?And don't let me get started on how the kids are behaving about this. I feel completely stomped on right now.

It's like a murder investigation on TV. Follow the money. Who benefits most from the crime?

http://www.educationnews.org/education-policy-and-politics/millions-of-dollars-made-from-teacher-evaluation-programs/

teacher "autonomy"

http://blog.masteryconnect.com/?p=330

So, where does this "autonomy" exist? I haven't seen the like in several years. And with parent trigger laws corpping up all over, there will soon be no autonomy. Getting an education will be more like ordering fast food. You know where that's gotten us.

Way to go, Matt Damon!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFHJkvEwyhk.

Love it he pulls no punches and tells the 'journalists' exactly what he thinks. Didn't accomplish much, unfortunately

TIME Magazine's 12 for '12

Ugh
More like 0 for 12, if this is the best we've got.
Sad that the focus is on education activists, rather than educators. There really is a difference. There is only one practicing educator in the group. John Hunter's global game is wonderful, but won't be scalable, because it's not testable. Matt Damon, though I appreciate his passion in speaking up for us, is not offereing anything new. And we all know that state supes don't have to have any ed chops. In my state, it's an elected position, so whoever gets the most attention is likely to get the votes.

http://ideas.time.com/2012/01/13/school-of-thought-12-education-activists-for-2012/?iid=op-article-morephotos

Dear Michelle Rhee

Valerie Strauss' response to Rhee's commentary on the Harvard value-added study

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/dear-michelle-rhee-about-that-teacher-evaluation-study/2012/01/20/gIQA0iVSGQ_blog.html?wprss=ans

My response:
Dear Michelle Rhee:
What are you thinking?

Value-Added, Again

Here are some points from the Shanker Blog about 'performance incentives' for teachers (because, you know, they worked so well for Wall Street):

Unlike uniform salary increases, financial incentives are:

• based on an economic model that assumes teachers make career decisions in response to money;
• not guaranteed from one year to the next, unless they are awarded as permanent raises, and thus may not appeal to teachers if they are risk-adverse;
• potentially insulting to teachers (particularly incentives that are performance-based) because they can be taken to imply that teachers are withholding improvements to student learning and performance for higher pay;
• possibly ineffective (particularly those that are performance-based) if teachers don’t know what more they can do to increase student performance or meet other outcomes to which incentives are attached;
• and bound to raise delicate questions of fairness between teachers and of trust between teachers and districts.  

(emphasis added)

it's a Brave New World in Arizona

In addition to pulling the plug on a well-repsected ethnic studies curriculum, they are now banning books. BANNING BOOKS! I personally hope every family in Tucson goes out and buys/reads each of the horribly dangerous books that TUSD is removing from schools, at the insistence of a state government afraid of its own shadow. Some of the banned titles include: The Tempest and Rethinking Columbus.
Salon has the article here: http://www.salon.com/2012/01/13/whos_afraid_of_the_tempest/singleton/
And the Tucson Citizen: http://tucsoncitizen.com/three-sonorans/2012/01/13/did-you-know-even-shakespeare-got-banned-from-tusd-with-mas-ruling/
Here's another article: http://rt.com/usa/news/arizona-history-mexican-studies-845/


BANNED BOOKS WEEK 2012:  September 30 through October 6

Huffington Post piece on book banning: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/roberta-stevens/yes-there-is-still-book-b_b_738679.html
For a little background on book banning in education, start here:  http://712educators.about.com/cs/bannedbooks/a/bookbanning.htm

Justice Brennan's comments in the case of Texas v Johnson, 1989:

"Recognizing that the right to differ is the centerpiece of our First Amendment freedoms, a government cannot mandate by fiat a feeling of unity in its citizens."

“If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that the Government may not prohibit the expression of an idea simply because society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.”

You remember the kids with those names...

I've seen the apostraphe used as a naming accessory in every conceivable position (D'Lexus, anyone?). I've taught Shitavia, Jontavia, Tikeria, Bubba (no, NOT a nickname), Antarious, and Jawosky, along with all their friends. I've learned to pronounce names whose spelling bore no resemblance to the spoken word.I've marveled at parents who give the child a name, and then call him/her by the middle name exclusively, as well as those who call their child something that isn't even on the birth certificate. Fortunately, the lady named Marijuana Pepsi was never in my class; it would have been too much.
Here's a study on the effects of "difficult" names:  http://motherjones.com/mixed-media/2012/01/new-study-bad-baby-name-choices-destroy-lives

Have you read these articles?

The first is about the lovely study last fall which concluded that teachers are overpaid. Since I'm having significant difficulty these days keeping my head above water (never mind building up savings), I just don't understand how they reached their conclusion. But then, as a teacher, it's well established that I'm not very bright, so it must be WAY over my head. Here's the link:  http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2012/01/11/17richwine.h31.html?tkn=WZQFDKeM7aBYfNlR9oUH6TYmsAoXCQk0u%2FiS&cmp=ENL-TU-NEWS2

The second is about the recent study which shows that students who have an excellent teacher in 4th grade are a whole 1.25% more likely to attend college and less likely to get pregnant as a teenager, by the same percentage. The study also concluded that the future salary impact of just one excellent teacher during grades 4-8 is a whopping 1% at.... age 28. So, I guess the take-home lesson here is that I can blame my financial situation on NOT having had one of those great teachers. Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/12/opinion/kristof-the-value-of-teachers.html

So, now, the question is: Am I a teacher because I'm a dummy, or because I had dummies for teachers?

MONDAY UPDATE 1/16/12: It turns out that all is not as clear as it seemed. Not a surprise. The data used for this earth=shattering study is over 10 years old. In other words, pre-NCLB, Will it hold true in he madness of AYP, RTTT, EOCT, HSGT, ABC123? Read more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/16/education/study-on-teacher-value-uses-data-from-before-teach-to-test-era.html?src=recg

The arithmetic of Duncan-style school "turnaround"

They used to call it "reconstitution". You know, the one where they fire all the teachers and make them reapply for their jobs, but rehire no more than half of them anyway, leaving the rest to twist in the wind. So, this is the story of a Chicago school that was closed and then reinvented as a "turnaround". Look carefully at the numbers used to justify first the closing of this school, and then the status change from unaccaptable to improving:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matt-farmer/chicago-collins-academy-turnaround_b_1159465.html