Thursday, December 31, 2015
What’s driving teachers out of education field?
What’s driving teachers out of education field?: It is among the noblest of professions. Yet the ranks of the teaching profession are emptying faster than you can say “class dismissed.” Cobb Schools Superintendent Chris Ragsdale warned lawmakers ...
Friday, December 25, 2015
Been a long time
Having survived the end of the school year (barely!), and made it through the fall semester, I have a thought. Lots of the, really, but this one is froemost in my head right now. What is the state of teacher autnonomy these days?
The reason for the question is simple. I have had a ridiculous amount of meddling in my classroom affairs, making me feel superfluous. If I can't make any decision without being overruled, what the hell am I doing here?
More on this topic later.
The reason for the question is simple. I have had a ridiculous amount of meddling in my classroom affairs, making me feel superfluous. If I can't make any decision without being overruled, what the hell am I doing here?
More on this topic later.
Saturday, May 16, 2015
The worst idea possible
Governor Deal signed legislation making the "Opportunity School District" a reality. Quietly enough that I missed the media coverage. So did the district superintendent, apparently, since she paid us a visit the following week and discussed it as if it were still a proposal instead of a done deal.
In a nutshell, the new law will allow the state to take over schools (potentially districts) that are "failing" to produce results. The results they are looking for are TEST SCORES. Schools under state control would possibly be handed over to Education Management Organizations. Translation: they would be converted to charters. Here's a rundown on that "great" idea: http://getschooled.blog.ajc.com/2015/04/25/opinion-why-competitive-model-fails-schools-no-one-should-lose-in-education/
The Atlantic ran an article on the topic in 2013. Petrilli from the Fordham Institute was quoted in that article as saying the track record on state takeover is "shaky". Now THERE'S an understatement. To understand why this is a disaster in the making, read up on the state takeover of schools in Newark, NJ, Detroit, MI, New Orleans, LA, Jersey City, NJ, Patterson, NJ, Camden, NJ.
So, Georgia, we are about to start down a path following the example of several other states, going back decades. It has not been successful ANYWHERE else. But of course, it will be successful here. Won't it?
In a nutshell, the new law will allow the state to take over schools (potentially districts) that are "failing" to produce results. The results they are looking for are TEST SCORES. Schools under state control would possibly be handed over to Education Management Organizations. Translation: they would be converted to charters. Here's a rundown on that "great" idea: http://getschooled.blog.ajc.com/2015/04/25/opinion-why-competitive-model-fails-schools-no-one-should-lose-in-education/
The Atlantic ran an article on the topic in 2013. Petrilli from the Fordham Institute was quoted in that article as saying the track record on state takeover is "shaky". Now THERE'S an understatement. To understand why this is a disaster in the making, read up on the state takeover of schools in Newark, NJ, Detroit, MI, New Orleans, LA, Jersey City, NJ, Patterson, NJ, Camden, NJ.
So, Georgia, we are about to start down a path following the example of several other states, going back decades. It has not been successful ANYWHERE else. But of course, it will be successful here. Won't it?
Right school at the right time
Carol Ann Tomlinson wrote a piece called Notes from an Accidental Teacher back in 2010 for Educational Leadership. In it, she recounts some teaching experiences, both successful and unsuccessful. Her point is that not every job or school is the right fit for you at a particular point in your career and development. Here's how she explains it: "The places in which we teach shape who and what we become. If they don't feed us as human beings and as teachers, we atrophy. In teaching and in life, if we are not growing, we are losing ground. So a school, school district, and community need to be the right fit at the right time to fuel our professional and personal evolution."
It occurs to me, my school was the right fit for me when I first came here. It isn't any longer. It has become a stifling environment where the nail that sticks up gets hammered down, where individuality is feared instead of respected, and professional judgement takes a back seat to rubrics and metrics.
It's time to find a new right fit for me.
It occurs to me, my school was the right fit for me when I first came here. It isn't any longer. It has become a stifling environment where the nail that sticks up gets hammered down, where individuality is feared instead of respected, and professional judgement takes a back seat to rubrics and metrics.
It's time to find a new right fit for me.
Wow, a new record
Over the years, there have been several instances of being undermined by school administrators. Today, it happened twice, in less than an hour. In front of the students. And a parent. That's got to be some kind of record. Sort of like the student whose behavior put him in front of a disciplinary tribunal twice in the space of a month.
Monday, March 09, 2015
Real Talk
These thoughts have been bouncing around my head for a while, in between slaps from the Dragon Lady of Education. Jerry Maguire is playing on DVD, and the scene where he writes the 25 page mission statement got my attention. I'm not likely to crank out 25 pages, but I have reached a point where some things need to be said.
To administrators: It is your role to support the teachers who work in your school or district. So STOP THROWING US UNDER THE BUS! I have sat through countless meetings and PD sessions that revolved around a single point: you don't trust us to do right by our students. I even witnessed on instance of the superintendent calling us out and scolding us, IN FRONT of the overpaid outside consultant who breezes through a few times a year.
I spend extra hours of MY personal time, both at the school and at home, trying to make this work for my students.
I spend excessive amounts of my stagnant pay (when the hell did we last get a cost of living increase? while everything costs more, like food, gas, home?) buying resources and materials that are not provided by my employer, yet are needed by my students. All of the books on the shelf in my classroom were purchased with my personal funds.
When you talk negatively about us to students or parents, you undermine our ability to function effectively.
When you talk negatively about us to our faces, you suck the joy our of our long day.
When you talk negatively about us to our colleagues, you destroy your own credibility.
So, please, stop throwing us under the bus!
To parents: If you have not answered your phone or checked your email, please don't waste all of our time questioning grades. They are online and you can see them any time your want. If you had taken the time, you would know what's going on with your child.
When a teacher takes the time to call you about behavior, please don't blow it off. Please don't run us down to your child. Please don't make excuses. We were students once. We were good enough students to get through college. We know what kind of behavior makes for a successful academic career, whether it's through high school or through college. Please get on top of it, and then there's no need for anything else to be done on our end.
To students: For heaven's sake, listen to someone other than yourself and your childish pals. You might learn something new. Scary, I know, but if we don't learn we can't go forward in life.
When you are all talking and goofing off, you are missing important stuff. Sorry you didn't hear it, but it's still on the next quiz. The homework still needs to be done, even if there was a great game on TV last night. You still need to study, even though you were 'busy' all week.
When one of your so-called 'friends' disrupts class, you are doing him no favors by cheering and applauding. You are shooting yourself in the foot, by letting that foolish behavior take priority over your education. You are blessed to live in a country where you are guaranteed the right to an education, at no monetary cost to you or your parents. The only cost to you is the time and effort you need to put in. If you aren't willing to put in the time and effort, well, just remember the saying, "You get what you pay for."
To the media: Please shut up until you do some research. You are not an expert on education just because you sat in a classroom once.
To the elected policymakers: Get over yourselves. If you were held to the 100% success target that you've imposed on me, you'd be out the door in a hurry. Or maybe you'd finally figure out how to get some damn thing done for a change?
To my principal: I'm tired of being manipulated by you. I'm tired of being disappointed by you. I'm tired of being lied to by you. It doesn't take much reading on the subject of leadership to discover that none of those are effective leadership strategies. Why don't you try doing some of that reading?
Like the title promised: REAL TALK!!!
To administrators: It is your role to support the teachers who work in your school or district. So STOP THROWING US UNDER THE BUS! I have sat through countless meetings and PD sessions that revolved around a single point: you don't trust us to do right by our students. I even witnessed on instance of the superintendent calling us out and scolding us, IN FRONT of the overpaid outside consultant who breezes through a few times a year.
I spend extra hours of MY personal time, both at the school and at home, trying to make this work for my students.
I spend excessive amounts of my stagnant pay (when the hell did we last get a cost of living increase? while everything costs more, like food, gas, home?) buying resources and materials that are not provided by my employer, yet are needed by my students. All of the books on the shelf in my classroom were purchased with my personal funds.
When you talk negatively about us to students or parents, you undermine our ability to function effectively.
When you talk negatively about us to our faces, you suck the joy our of our long day.
When you talk negatively about us to our colleagues, you destroy your own credibility.
So, please, stop throwing us under the bus!
To parents: If you have not answered your phone or checked your email, please don't waste all of our time questioning grades. They are online and you can see them any time your want. If you had taken the time, you would know what's going on with your child.
When a teacher takes the time to call you about behavior, please don't blow it off. Please don't run us down to your child. Please don't make excuses. We were students once. We were good enough students to get through college. We know what kind of behavior makes for a successful academic career, whether it's through high school or through college. Please get on top of it, and then there's no need for anything else to be done on our end.
To students: For heaven's sake, listen to someone other than yourself and your childish pals. You might learn something new. Scary, I know, but if we don't learn we can't go forward in life.
When you are all talking and goofing off, you are missing important stuff. Sorry you didn't hear it, but it's still on the next quiz. The homework still needs to be done, even if there was a great game on TV last night. You still need to study, even though you were 'busy' all week.
When one of your so-called 'friends' disrupts class, you are doing him no favors by cheering and applauding. You are shooting yourself in the foot, by letting that foolish behavior take priority over your education. You are blessed to live in a country where you are guaranteed the right to an education, at no monetary cost to you or your parents. The only cost to you is the time and effort you need to put in. If you aren't willing to put in the time and effort, well, just remember the saying, "You get what you pay for."
To the media: Please shut up until you do some research. You are not an expert on education just because you sat in a classroom once.
To the elected policymakers: Get over yourselves. If you were held to the 100% success target that you've imposed on me, you'd be out the door in a hurry. Or maybe you'd finally figure out how to get some damn thing done for a change?
To my principal: I'm tired of being manipulated by you. I'm tired of being disappointed by you. I'm tired of being lied to by you. It doesn't take much reading on the subject of leadership to discover that none of those are effective leadership strategies. Why don't you try doing some of that reading?
Like the title promised: REAL TALK!!!
Sunday, January 25, 2015
I am Ineffective because...
I flunked 'Standards-Based Classroom' because:
I didn't put up a Word Wall. Oh, wait, it was right there if you turned your head to the right.
I didn't have the Marzano strategies posted.
I didn't make up a set of rules for my classroom in addition to the school rules.
I don't have an agenda on the board.
I didn't rush to put up student work examples.
There were only a couple of content posters up. My administrator didn't recognize the tectonic plates.
The mission statement wasn't on the wall, and I don't have the anti=bullying poster either.
I had not posted random curriculum standards.
The date wasn't on the board.
Oh, did I mention this is the room where I spend just an hour every day?
I didn't put up a Word Wall. Oh, wait, it was right there if you turned your head to the right.
I didn't have the Marzano strategies posted.
I didn't make up a set of rules for my classroom in addition to the school rules.
I don't have an agenda on the board.
I didn't rush to put up student work examples.
There were only a couple of content posters up. My administrator didn't recognize the tectonic plates.
The mission statement wasn't on the wall, and I don't have the anti=bullying poster either.
I had not posted random curriculum standards.
The date wasn't on the board.
Oh, did I mention this is the room where I spend just an hour every day?
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